Benefit/PersonalisedHoola

How do you Hoola? 

Benefit's Hoola Bronzing powder is a daily staple for me, and it's perfect for adding a gorgeous veil of matte colour to your whole face. or using the brush it's a great way to contour.

I love Hoola, it's in my make up bag all the time and the one I am using currently was purchased over a year ago, and it's only just starting to hit the pan now, still a good few months use in it, such good value for money.It's clear to see why this is the worlds No1 selling bronzer, its soft, matte, and gives you a healthy glow that's buildable. Pure colour, no sparkle and no shine.

There's something really special about having your own personalised products, and if like me make up is your thing then this is sure to excite you. Throughout April you can buy your own little box of happiness.

 Head over to the Benefit Website to order your very own personalised Hoola now, there is a £5 increase on the usual price, taking it to £28.50, but these are such great value for money & you can reuse the brush on any future purchases too. 

Join in the Hoola fun by following @benefituk over on Twitter using #howdoyouhoola they'd love to see how you Hoola! 

Happy personalising beauties. 

xoxo

Valentines Make Up/Full Product List & Dinner Details

I had a fantastic night out with the Mr on Saturday, I have had so many questions on my make up from the night, so here is my full product list, I used a lot of Clarins products, such gorgeous make up.

Base/Foundation: 

Clarins Smooth Instant Primer was mixed into the new Clarins Everlasting + Foundation, and what a beautiful combo these are together, super flawless and no shine, all night.

Concealer/Highlighter: 

Nars Creamy Concealer mixed into YSL Touche Eclat for concealing and highlighting in one swoop.I set my under eye make up with Borjois Java Rice Powder.

Contouring/Blush:

Sleek Face Form Contouring Palette was used along with the Clarins Blush Prodige from their new spring collection. High Beam by Benefit was used on the inner eyes and the brow bones to highlight and lift.

Eye Shadow/Mascara:

Lids were primed with Bare Minerals Prime Time, Then I applied Clarins Ombre Matt shadows in Nude Beige & Space Grey to create a lighter smoke on the eyes, taking these shadows under the eyes also give a great effect.I then took the Master Smoky pencil along the lash line and blended it out.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara was used on my lower lashes, and I applied the Sam Faiers lashes to complete the look. 

Lips:

MAC In Sync Lip Liner pencil with Flamingo applied over the top.

We went for a lovely meal at the Treby Arms here in Devon, It's a gastropub offering fine dining and is owned and run by the winner of Master chef Anton Piotrowski . His reputation certainly didn't disappoint on the night and we had a lovely meal. 

I had to start Truffle Brie, which was served in a trowel! It was a real sensory treat as it looked like soil and had micro veg hidden away inside, it was delicious if a little strange. 

My main was red pepper and feta cheese wrapped in a south african pastry with a butternut squash puree, really tasty and probably one of the best veggie dishes I've ever tried. The Parmesan crisps were a lovely addition too.

My desert was chocolate mousse and pistachio ice cream, again divine.

The Mr had some lovely dishes too, to start fois gras with fried ox tongue and quails eggs, his main was fillet steak with bacon and potato bites, and a side of the famous triple cooked chips, for desert he had the sticky toffee pudding which was delicious.

 

If you've never been to the Treby then I'd highly recommend it, there is always a very long waiting list but you'll understand why when you eat. 

Hope you all had a great weekend! 

xXx

Weekend Make Up/Full Product List

The requests for the list of products I used to create my look on Saturday night have been overwhelming, so I've put this product list post together for you, and the tutorial on contoring will be coming up in a video very soon! 

Foundation:

For my base I used YSL Fusion Ink Foundation, this is my go to base on a night out because I feel that little bit more made up and I love the fact you can skip primer and powder so it's really good for nights out as it keeps shine at bay. I mixed this with a drop of Clarins Instant Light Smooth Primer just to conceal my pores.

If you haven't used this foundation I'd recommend giving it a go, the ink nib applicator makes dropping it onto the face really easy and if you have oily skin this compliments it beautifully. 

Shop Fusion Foundation by clicking here £30.50 for a 30ml bottle. I use shade BD50 which is dark but as I use this for my night out foundation it goes on beautifully with a faux glow complexion. 

Countour:

This is something I will buy time and time again, such a good investment and it's great for where ever you are in the world of contouring, there is even a fair shade for the palest skins so you don't have to avoid contouring even if your a porcelain skin tone. 

This Sleek palette contains a highlighter, bronzer and blush, although I don't use the blush, I'll explain more when I do my contouring video. 

Shop the leek Face Form Palette right here for £9.99

Blush:

I adore this blusher, it gives a beautiful deep pink shade with just a hint of gold shimmer through it. It gives a lovely effect to the face and compliments bronze tones beautifully. 

Shop Benefit Rockateur here for £23.50

Eyes:

Base on my eyes was the Bare Minerals Eye Primer, I have used this for years and I love it, such a versatile product and can be worn alone or as a shimmering base to shadows. I then swept right up to my brow bone with the Clarins Ombre Matte Shadow in nude beige. Taking the Ombre Matt shadow in space grey along the lash crease and a dab of black along the lid. I also took the clarins shadow along the lower lash line to create depth to my eyes.

I then swept right along the lash line with my trusty Maybelline Master Smoky pencil, using the smudger to blend the line out, giving a perfect base for my falsies. 

Concealer: 
I always mix my trusty Nars creamy concealer in shade biscuit with a smidge of touche eclat, it gives coverage whilst having a light reflecting effect. Always apply with a concealer brush for the best effect. You can shop the Nars Concealer here and Touche Eclat you can pick up here

Lips:
I kept my lips simple and just added a hint of pink, using MAC's Flamingo, I love this shade it's super girly whilst not being too barbie pink, its a natural blush shade in the lovely lustre finish without too much sparkle, grab it here

Lashes were from the Millie Mackintosh Range, but you can add your fave's to complete the look.



I have a video post coming up to show you how to contour.

xXx

Benefit/Roller Lash Mascara

I'll be totally honest I'm not the worlds biggest fan of Benefit mascara, They're Real is a huge hit with so many ladies worldwide but it's not right for everyone. Benefit know this and that's why they've come up with their latest addition Roller Lash. 

The unique 'Hook n Roll' brush is the first in its kind and so much development has gone into it's launch. I have to say I LOVE this mascara and it actually deliverers what it promises too, cant say fairer that that. 

The design is based on the old retro rollers, and that's where the curl and hold aspect of the product comes in. The Hook N Roll brush promises to lift, curl and set the lash for 12 hours. and so far so good, I am about to put this stuff through it's paces at a sweaty gym work out so I'll be interested to see how it holds up. I have to say although it doesn't give a huge amount of volume it does lengthen and curl so well, in fact better than my beloved YSL. Don't just take my word for it, check out my lashes for yourself.....

It applies beautifully to the lower lashes too so I can see this becoming a firm fixture in my make up bag. If you'd like to try this before the full size version launches on the 12th of February then pick up a copy of Elle Magazine where they are teaming up to give readers a real treat. 

Packed with vitamins and lash goodness, it's also water resistant, flake proof and easy to remove. It gives the lashes a lovely satin finish too and stays like it all day.

You'll be able to shop the Roller Lash from the 12th by clicking right here and it's going to be £16.50 for 8.5g of product.

xXx

Benefit/Puff Off!

Benefit Puff Off* is just one of the new releases from Benefit in 2015, I have to start with the cutesy packaging, it's adorable! I love a well packaged product and this doesn't disappoint.

So what is Puff Off?

Puff Off is a cooling eye gel that's designed to 'iron out' fine lines and leave your delicate eye area refreshed and perfectly pressed thanks to the innovative and super cute iron style tip which not only cools the area but makes application really easy.

You can apply this on it's own, under or over make up and it doesn't disturb your concealer if you need refreshing throughout the day.It tightens and lifts whilst cooling and de-puffing, it's packs quite a punch.

This acts as a sort of eye primer, it seems to gently flatten or maybe fill the fine lines around the eyes, it really does help your make up sit on smoothly and holds on to it all day. The gel it's self is a creamy consistency and doesn't have any sparkle or shimmer in it so you haven't got to worry about that, the light pink colour adds a little camouflage to darker areas.

I'll be adding a couple of before and after shots shortly to this post, so keep your eyes peeled! 

xXx

*PR Sample

Benefit/Candy Coated Countdown Beauty Advent 2014

Its Christmas next month!
Can you believe it?!

I literally cannot wait until the 1st of December to start opening my Candy Coated Countdown* Calender from Benefit.

I was really fortunate to get my hands on one of these as they are limited edition, and have unfortunately completely sold out now, in a mere 37 seconds!

This years offering from Benefit promises to be bigger and better than years before, it contains 24 bitesize treats (I'm not going to list what's in there because I haven't sneaked a peak, if you'd like to find out click here)

The design is in keeping with all the Christmas gifts from Benefit this year, sweet shop, candy filled, girlie fun and goodness. 

As with anything Benefit the quality is clear to see with this calender, its really big and is presented really nicely, It's Value is around £110 for all the mini treats inside so I cant wait to open it up. 

I got the Mr to take a snap of me holding it to try and give you an idea of the size. 

I'll be posting up the daily treats over on my Instagram so please make sure your following me on there, link is just under my personal photograph on the right of my page. 

Which advent calenders have you all got this year? 

xXx

Benefit Agent Zero Shine 'Shine Vanishing Pro Powder'

Meet Benefit's newest addition... 

'The Porefessional Agent Zero Shine' Its a little tub of shine vanishing powder, and comes with a baby kabuki brush neatly tucked away in one end of the product. I love the packaging, it's quite a chunky tube with one end revealing the sifting end, so you tip a small amount into the lid,, and then untwist the baby kabuki, swirl, tap, and sweep it over your face. It's great to throw in your handbag as it wont spill. 

I use Benefit Porefessional in the tube on a daily basis and you definitely don't need to use both of them together. I don't think the powder has much of a difference on pore size so if your looking for a pore minimiser then stick the to tube formula. 

It's translucent and you cant tell your wearing it so it would be perfect if you have pretty good skin just to even out your complexion and keep any shine at bay. I have worn this as a primer before applying my foundation and really liked the blurred effect it had on my skin, and it really did prevent me from having to reapply powder throughout the day.

This picture shows just the Agent Zero Shine product on my skin, so excuse the dark circles and uneven skin tone, it's to show you the effectiveness of the powder on it's own. 

Have you tried this yet?
If not pop along to your nearest Benefit counter or grab it on the Benefit website now! all for £23.50. 

xXx

Benefit 'Hoola' Blusher

It's no surprise Hoola is the UK's number 1 selling bronzer, it's not shimmery, it's not glittery, it's a solid plate of natural bronze colour, perfect for adding a natural looking sunkissed glow to your complexion. It really doesn't look exciting in the box, although again the packaging really appeared to me the little bamboo details and the green handled brush in the box really add to the Hawaiian feel of Hoola.  

The brush in the box is perfect for making the blush portable and make up friendly, as it really protects it from getting smashed or cracked, and whilst I was on holiday it added a gorgeous glow to my sunkissed skin, i even swept it across my decolletage. Now I'm home and the tan is fading fast its still giving me a hint of healthy colour into what'll soon become my pasty winter complexion!  

Here's a couple of shots showing Hoola on my skin.....

Don't hide away from this even if your fair though, you can keep this as toned down or make it as dramatic as you want, if you are going to invest in a bronzer, this is the one!

Hoola Swatch

Head to your local Benefit counter to grab yours now, or shop it online right here it's £23.50, and I'd say you'll get at least a good 6 months use out of it.

Are you a Hoola Gal?

xXx

Benefit 'Rockateur' Blusher

The newest little box of blush from Benefit is gorgeous!

I have developed a real addiction for these lately, and this did not disappoint.

At first glance it looks like a shimmery solid pink, but it really has so much more to offer. The shimmer is just an over spray for decorative purposes, it's not embedded all the way through.
The texture of this is a first in comparison to all the other Benefit blushers, it's almost spongy, it's not a gel or a solid powder its in between.

The shade I would describe as a beautiful rose gold, personally I think it would suit any skin tone, on even the fairest complexion you'd achieve a natural pinky glow to the cheeks, and on medium/dark skin tones you'd get a beautiful golden glow, with a real sheen of pink. It is a very buildable colour so you can vary it depending on the desired result.

If you've never owned one of these Benefit blushers you wont know this but you get a cute little brush in the box, and there's a mirror in the lid. I love a well packaged product, and the little lace details and the hints of pink on the box make it to pretty to hide away, this one needs to be on show on your dresser.

My only niggle is the fact that Benefit charge the same price for this one as they do for all their other blushers, yet the Rockateur is 5 grams of product, in comparison to the standard 8 grams on all the others! 

Available now at Benefit counters nationwide, and on the Benefit Website priced at £23.50, these blushers last months though so they are worth the money.

What do you think of Rockateur? Will you be buying it? 

xXx