Showing posts with label benefitcosmetics. Show all posts

May favourites

Well hello to you my reader chums and happy June! I honestly can't believe we're half way through the year and my favourite month has arrived. May clearly swept by and was jam-packed with many exciting moments. There haven't been too many favourites over the past few weeks, however I've got a few things to share..

May favourites

Harry styles album

Harry Styles' album

I never usually mention music favourites, however I couldn't not throw this in. Harry Styles has always been my favourite One Direction member and I've been a massive fan of his from the early days of the band. When I heard that he was releasing an album, I jumped with excitement. I fell in love with the first single 'Sign of the Times', so when the whole album was played, I couldn't stop listening to it. The songs are nothing I would have expected him to do and completely different to the style he is known for. Harry's album I'd describe as slow rock with a David Bowie vibe about it. Every song shows off his vocal range in an amazing light. My favourites have to be 'Sweet Creature', 'Two Ghosts' and 'Kiwi'. If you haven't heard it, I'd definitely check it out- I'm lucky enough to have got tickets to his tour so I can see the album performed live!

Hoola bronzer

Hoola Bronzer by Benefit Cosmetics

I'm a big bronzer fan, out of all face products, it's my favourite. Having rather fair skin, it's hard to find a bronzer that contours the cheeks and doesn't look too orange upon application. Hoola bronzer however is my saviour in the bronzer world. The pigmentation is seamless, it contours your cheeks with ease whilst also warming up your complexion and has a grey undertone in oppose to bronze, giving a complete natural bronzed look. Its lasting power wears all day and holds that chisled look you desire. Not to mention, the packaging is super compact and cute; a must for any fair skinned girl like me.

Kiko lip liner in 315

Kiko's lip liner in '315'

I've raved about Kiko's lip liners over and over again in various posts, but they truly deserve the hype. They're the only base lip product I've used which cling the lipstick and hold it in place all night long, without drying out the lips. '315' in particular I've been obsessing over as it pairs amazingly with Mac's lipstick in 'Faux'. As it's that little bit darker, the outline enhances and defines the shape of the lips even more. The shade is quite a dark, dusky pink, perfect for everyday use.

Burgundy dorothy perkins dungaree dress

Dorothy Perkins burgundy pinafore dress

It's safe to say, I have a huge obsession with pinafores and dungarees; I love that cutesy style and own way too many of those pieces. One I've been lusting over this past month is my burgundy pinafore I got in Dorothy Perkins. I've been loving to wear this on warmer days paired with a stripy top and converse for the ultimate spring style look. The material is thick, and heavy so I know it'll wear for a very long time. I can't wait to style it up throughout the seasons.

NEW YORK TIMES SQUARE

New York!

Start spreading the news....

If you saw my New York guide, then you'd know I was lucky enough to visit the Big Apple in May. I'm still in awe of everything I experienced and can't come to terms with 'I've visited New York'. It was without a doubt, one of the best trips I've ever been on. The sights, the food and the general vibe, I fell in love with. It's incredible, how the city never sleeps, how something exciting is always going on and how in a city of civilians, there's an odd sense of calm. Times Square, Top of the Rock, Central Park and the New York Public Library were just a few of my highlights.

I hope you enjoyed my May favourites. Which products have you loved this month?

Thank you for reading <3

Summer makeup look ❤️

Well hello to you my reader chums! Beach days, BBQs, picnics and adventures, summer is the time to let your hair down and embrace the incredible sunshine. When the weather is at its warmest, the last thing you want to be worrying about makeup, layering it up or ensuring it looks good. In the heat, it's likely to melt off so I find the lighter weight the better, giving you the added coverage you desire without caking up the skin.

Here's a look at all the products I use:


Must have summer makeup products
For an everyday look in summer time, I use these products as a basis, either adding to them for an evening out, only wearing the bare essentials or simply naked skin for beach days with a lick of mascara; it varies.
Must have summer makeup products
Base
L'oreal's Infallible primer - To keep the shine at bay in the scorching heat, I find a face primer to be my best friend especially my favourite L'oreal one. With the matte finish it achieves, not only does makeup cling to the skin but it miraculously prevents any oiliness from coming through; a must for sweat proof makeup.
Maybelline's BB cream - I'm a top fan of BB creams and will rave about them all day long! My favourite has to be Maybelline's 'Dream Fresh' because it offers the lightest coverage, dewy finish and has the important SPF factor, a necessity when the sun is at its brightest. I love how it gives a bit of something to the skin without feeling heavy or looking too over the top.
Rimmel's Wake me up concealer - This is the best concealer for everyday use especially in summer time as even though the coverage is buildable, the consistency is very light so doesn't feel like too much product on the skin when applied. I especially love it's brightening power, giving some oomph to your under eye bags.
Rimmel's Stay Matte powder - The holy grail of face powders, I can't finish off my base without dusting this all over the skin. It helps keep the skin matte ands that extra bit of coverage to the light base.
Contour and highlight
Sleek's face form palette in 'Light'- I tend to keep contour quite subtle in the summer months, to look more like a bronzed glow instead of full on chiselled cheek bones. Even though this palette is perfect for achieving both types of makeup looks, I've been loving it for a subtle contour and overall bronze as I find the bronzer to be the perfect colour.
Benefit's high beam - The sun is bright and so is my highlight! 'Highbeam' is a cream consistency, ideal for applying in this weather as it leaves a dewy, natural finish that when hits the light looks incredible.
Eyes
Maybelline's Lash sensational mascara - On super summer days, I apply a couple of coats of mascara to open up the eyes; very simple indeed. As an eye shadow lover, I do also wear a variety of different shades in the summer time just not in this look!
Lips
Nyx's matte lip cream in 'Stockholm' - With a quick easy makeup look, comes a natural, beautiful lip. I opted for my favourite product at the minute, Nyx's 'Stockholm' matte lip cream. The colour is a dusky pink, brown, it's consistency is ultra creamy yet sets completely matte and wears extremely well; the best option for a summers day.  
Final look:
Summer makeup look

I hope you enjoyed this summer make up look! What are your go to products?

Thank you for reading <3



First Impressions: Benefit's High Beam highlighter

Well hello to you my reader chums! A few years back, the adoring hype of Benefit's High Beam was everywhere and after lusting over it for so long, I finally got my hands on one. Excited was an understatement, I couldn't wait to try out the highlighter and see if it lived up to the raving expectations!

Benefit cosmetics highbeam highlighter review

Packaging - When it comes to Benefit products, I absolutely love the packaging; each one is designed with such a unique, creative flair. High Beam is no difference and reminds me of an upmarket nail polish bottle; very sophisticated and the perfect size to take around.

Benefit cosmetics highbeam highlighter review

Applicator - Similar to the exterior, the applicator is different to any liquid highlighter I've used previously, like a nail polish brush. I love this design because it means you can either dab dots up the cheekbones or sweep it with the brush, having complete control over how much product is used. As it is essentially a brush, you can wipe off product back into the tube, not wasting any excess.

Benefit cosmetics highbeam highlighter review

Consistency - Upon first application, I was a tad surprised of it's liquid almost watery consistency. I found when dabbing it up my cheekbones through to the brow, it was best to start off with a little and build it up, otherwise it would take a longer time to set due to the formulation. Despite how wet the consistency is, I liked that aspect because of its blending ability and flawless finish. I would describe it as a thinner concealer consistency, which can easily be blended out either with your fingers or any brush.

Benefit cosmetics highbeam highlighter swatch

Pigmentation - No quality is better in a product than opaque pigmentation and High Beam certainly lives up to this expectation. Depending on how much is on the brush during application can vary the thickness of product you'll put onto the skin. However, I found with one stroke, using a fair amount of highlighter, it leaves you with a stunning, dazzling pink shimmer, ready to blend into the most gorgeous natural glow.

Benefit cosmetics highbeam highlighter swatch

Colour pay off - As I said with the brilliant pigmentation, once blended the finish is completely remarkable. The pure natural shimmer gives the perfect amount of glow for any type of look and when it hits the light, your highlighter will definitely be on fleek. I'm in love with this product and found it to be my go to when wanting a dewy finish onto the skin.

I hope you enjoyed the first impressions review of Benefit's High Beam. Have you tried this highlighter?

Thank you for reading <3



Spring makeup look ❤️

Well hello to you my reader chums! As May is slowly drawing to a close and the summer months are nearing, I'm going to share with you a spring makeup look I've been wearing frequently over the past month or so. When it comes to spring, the pink toned shadows, glowing cheekbones and nude lips come into play like the sun's natural shine; I love it.

Here's a look at the my makeup:

Spring makeup look

An overview of the products I used:

Spring makeup products

Base spring makeup products

Base:

After moisturising, I start off with my favourite primer L'oreal's Infallible. I love to use this on an everyday basis as it keeps my makeup completely in place and the shine at bay throughout the day, including my oily T zone area. For foundation I mix the lightest shade 'porcelain' with 'vanilla' of the L'oreal Infallible foundation to achieve the perfect colour to match my skin. Once that's blended in, I apply Rimmel's Wake me up concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes, then set the whole base with Rimmel's Stay matte powder.

Contour and highlight products

Contour and highlight:

For contour, I opted for my number one bronzer, Benefit's Hoola because it achieves a gorgeous bronzed glow to the skin and is the best product I've used for a complete contoured look. I chose a rosy toned down blush for a little flush of colour as I wanted more focus on the highlight. Since spring is the season when everything blooms and the sun begins shining more, I love to have stunning shimmering cheekbones. From Sleek's Solstice palette, I used the cream shade 'Ecliptic' as the base and dusted 'Hemisphere' over the top for a more dramatic sheen.


Eyes and brows:

I stuck to my usual brow routine with a L'oreal shadow in '106' and clear brow gel to set it. Onto eyes, I wanted to create a shimmery pink look as it's my go to makeup for spring. To start I used Maybeline's colour tattoo in 'Pink gold' to give the lids a wash of pink and set it with the shade 'Sin' from the Naked 1 palette. I then darkened the eye slightly with 'Toasted' in the outer corner and ran 'Naked' through the crease for a bit of warmth. To define the eye, I took a blend of shades 'Primal' and Undone' in the outer third of the eye. To finish I highlighted the inner corner, lined the eyes with L'oreal's Super liner, curled my lashes and then applied a couple coats of my favourite mascara, Maybelline's Lash sensational.

NYX matte lip clream in Stockholm

Lips:

I kept the lips rather neutral because I wanted the focus to be on the glowing eyes and cheekbones. The colour I chose was one of my very recent purchases, NYX's matte cream lipstick in the shade 'Stockholm'. It's a gorgeous dusky pink, brown shade and I absolutely love the effect it adds to the overall look.

Here's a closer peek at the final makeup:

Spring makeup look
Spring makeup look

I hope you enjoyed this makeup tutorial style post. What are your must have spring products?

Thank you for reading <3