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Ciara Daly - My Hero Brush Review

If you read this blog, or follow me on IG or Twitter you know that skin is my thing. From skincare to base products, for me how my skin looks is the most important. If I had to choose between amazing eye make-up, gorgeous glossy lips, IG worthy brows or a perfect base I'm picking the latter.
When it comes to make-up I prefer a natural, light to medium luminous base. I'm not a huge fan of matte foundations, never have been. I don't like to look like I'm wearing tonnes of base make-up although obviously for a night out or an event I would go for a fuller base. I've tried the @hudabeauty Faux Filter and love it - it's full coverage with a natural, slightly luminous finish and is on my to buy list. But for every day I usually go for for something like my beloved Ponds BB Cream (which I have to get sent to me from abroad as it isn't available in Europe😠) either on it's own or mixed with something like Max Factor Lasting Performance or Vichy Teint Ideal to add a touch more coverage. In terms of application, I used to always use my fingers until the launch of the Beauty Blender, and then about two years ago I received the Marc Jacobs The Face III (reviewed here) and I have been using it every day since.

That is until Christmas. My Mom got me some amazing gifts (I went through them in my Christmas Beauty Haul post here) and among them was this @ciaradalymakeup foundation brush, which I have used every make-up wearing day since I got it.



Not going to lie, I had never heard of Ciara or her product line before - she has a number of products and you can find them on her site ciaradalymakeup.com - so the first thing I did was find and follow her on IG. From what I can see she is an Irish MUA from Belfast, and her IG is full of gorgeous, and some quite avante garde, make-up looks.

So, the brush.
I initially thought it was a mini because of the size, but it's not - it's designed to be small and compact. It comes housed in a cardboard box and in a protective net, both of which I advise you to keep for storing the brush. The net slips easily over the brush and ensures that the brush stays in shape and doesn't get destroyed in your make-up bag. The brush itself has a nice weight, and doesn't feel at all cheap. It also looks great - sleek, compact, professional.



I kind of love this brush. As a creature of habit when it comes to things like favorite make-up brushes I don't stray from my MJ brush unless I'm using a Beauty Blender, but put it this way - Marc has been packed away with a lot of my make-up and skincare and sent to the new house as I'm certain I will be happy out using this more compact, travel-friendly brush until we move in the next month.

At first you think it's a very dense brush but the bristles (synthetic) are incredibly flexible. So much so that it's perfect for the whole face - the bristles move with the contours of your face and so you can get right up under the eyes, around the nose, behind the ears. They are also extremely soft, don't scratch in the least and don't leave marks on your face - you get a beautiful, even finish. It works as beautifully with a lighter coverage BB Cream as it does with a fuller coverage foundation like Max Factor Lasting Performance or Rimmel Lasting finish. I've even used it to blend out under-eye concealer as I forgot to bring my Beauty Blender with me over Christmas - it's not ideal for this purpose, but it does it well enough. I've also used it with the Capri, the cream highlight in my Huda Pink Sands palette, and suprisingly it's perfect for this. Capri is a tricky one as it's a cream, but a thick cream that needs warming or mixing with a tiny bit of oil for the best results. A lot of people dislike it because it doesn't work well with most brushes over foundation - it tends to move foundation around. I've been using it mixed with a bit of Nuxe Prodigious Oil and a Beauty Blender, but I've discovered that it works beautifully with this foundation brush.



My only negative with this brush (and it's not really a negative, to be honest) is washing it. The small booklet that comes with it recommends that you don't get water into the base of the brush - most make-up brushes come with the same warning - but because it's such a compact and densly bristled brush this is a bit of a challenge. When cleaning it I use a bar of Savon de Marseilles, massage the soap and warm water into the bristles and rinse until the water runs clean. I've definitely gotten water into the base but if you do as the instructions say and position it bristles down to dry, you should be fine - just make sure, as with all of your brushes, you put it on a soft towel to soak up any excess water as a hard surface will lead to water pooling and soaking back up into the bristles and base.

I have to say that I laughed a bit when I saw the name - when you see a product marketed as a 'hero' product you're unconsciously going to judge it more harshly, especially me as I'm sick to my teeth of seeing products that claim to be the be all and end all and end up being rubbish. But in this case, at least for me, Ciara has aptly named her product - it's a brilliant foundation brush. If you like flat-topped, compact, multi-functional brushes then I think you will probably love it! I always said it would take a miracle brush to get me away from my Marc Jacobs, but although I do still adore Marc I have to say that I am really enjoying this little one!

The brush is available on Ciara's site for £25 which is about €30, and in certain stores in Ireland (sorry I'm not sure which ones, I think Mom said she bought it in Arnott's).  It's not a budget brush but it is a beautiful one that pretty much lives up to it's name. I'm certainly looking forward to trying more from Ciara's line and as always I'm delighted to try anything from an Irish MUA/brand. I feel like there wasn't much on offer when I lived in Ireland and it's just brilliant to see so many Irish brands going international.

Have you tried this? What's your go to foundation tool?

Have a great day everyone!
A x

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