I am notoriously lax at cleaning my make up brushes, purely because the whole process can be time consuming and messy. But after stumbling across the brush egg online and snapping two up for £3.99, keeping my brushes clean has been placed firmly at the top of my to do list.

So what makes this cleaner unique? A series of ridges (for large brushes) and dots (for smaller brushes) allowed me to rub my brushes from right to their roots, meaning I managed to get all the mucky dried foundation and blush out of them. The whole process took three quarters of the time it normally takes me to wash my brushes with just my hands, a cloth and some brush cleaner.

Furthermore, being just a tiny bit bigger than a large egg, the brush egg sat perfectly in the palm of my hand, allowing me to scrub the brushes with in the other.


I used this brush egg in conjunction with my Real Techniques Deep Cleansing Gel, and a bowl of warm soapy water - I used nothing out of the ordinary chemical wise to clean my brushes. I then took these steps:

1. Squeeze a small drop of cleaning gel onto the brush egg - baby shampoo is just as good as a proper brush gel.

2. Take a dirty brush and rub it up and down the grooves and ridges on the brush egg until the brush was clean. Making swirling motions with the brush got me a much quicker result.

3. Repeat until all brushes are clean.

4. Leave to dry on a dish cloth overnight.

If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette, a larger silicone surface with a similar array of bumps and ridges which will set you back £12.99, then the £3.99 two pack of brush eggs is for you. I've even heard of other bloggers getting them for 99p on Ebay!

I was very pleasantly surprised with the brush egg, and would go as far as saying that I would never revert back to scrubbing my brushes by hand. Its affordable, simple and cleans your brushes up like new - what more could a make up loving student want?

Beth x

(I was not sponsored to review the brush egg. As always, all opinions are my own.)

I remember my first uni exam as a fresher being pretty nerve wracking. But not in the way that you would expect. I was confident that I had revised the exam material, so I had no worries about the content of the exam. I did however, have absolutely no clue as to how a uni exam operated, and spent a lot of my time worrying about what I had to do prior to sitting in that exam hall. Here's my guide to what to expect of your first uni exam, so you don't have to worry as much as I did!

Before the exam day:

Make sure you know where your student ID is...

99% of exams will require you to bring your uni ID as admittance to the exam. This is so they know that the right student is sat in the right seat, and that you have attended the exam. If you don't have your card, you also wont be able to work out where your seat is on the day.

You still need an exam pencil case...

If your a humanities student like me, you wont be required to bring anything but a pen to an exam. But you should still bring a clear pencil case. Fill it with your trusty pen and two spares, and a highlighter in case you need to breakdown a tricky essay question. Its also really useful to place your student ID card in there, so you don't lose it between your accommodation and the exam room.



On exam day:

Arrive to your exam 30 mins before it starts...

Exam waiting areas get real busy real fast, so its good to get there early if you want to avoid arriving to a panicked crowd.

Your seating plan will be available on the day of the exam, not anytime before that point...

Getting there 30 mins early will also mean you can suss out your seat. The chart normally looks like a load of computer coding, as seating is done by ID number. All you need to do is find your ID number on the seating plan. Don't panic if this takes time, it can often be a little confusing. Your more than entitled to go up and check your number multiple times too!

Surrender all revision notes at the door...

There should be a box at the exam entrance where you can surrender all contraband. This includes revision notes and opaque pencil cases. Mobile phones need to be left at home or stored where examiners tell you, they cannot go in this box. If you find anything on you before the exam starts, just tell an examiner before the clock starts ticking - they don't mind!

Get comfy, display your ID card and follow examiner instructions...

Once you're in the room, the examiners will tell you what to do next.

Ace your exam...

The exam is the easy part of the whole process to be honest. If you've followed the above tips, hopefully your experience from start to finish will be pain free!

Beth x

When you're facing a full day of lectures and seminars and studying, the last thing you think of is lunch. But it should be the first! Over my two years at uni, I've sussed out where to go to get the cheapest and best lunches on the high street. With these four choices up your sleeve, you should never be without a lunch or out of pocket!