Benefit: They're Real Remover Review

I recently blogged about the Benefit They're Real Liner, and in comparison to how much 'wow factor' it gave me, the remover really let me down.

The remover itself worked an absolute treat. I used the small sample by squeezing the contents of the packet onto a cotton pad, one for each eye. On my eye's I had They're real Liner and They're Real mascara, and the mascara itself is a real pain to remove if you do not have the right products!  SO baring in mind I had two super tricky products on my very sensitive eyes, this product had a lot of work to do to remove them.

I rubbed the pads over my eyes and just like magic, both products slowly disappeared. No harsh stinging, no forceful scrubbing, just a gentle wipe and it was gone (without sounding too much like a kitchen cleaning ad here).

However, the feeling of the cream itself was not so great. I usually use Johnson's eye makeup remover pads, and one pad removes both eyes with my eyelashes smothered in They're Real mascara. So i'm used to using moisturised pads to wipe my eye makeup off at the end of the day. But They're Real remover is like a thick and cold soothing cream, great if you like that kind of stuff. The product itself was not sticky or gloopy, just really really thick!! When I was wiping my eyes it did not feel comfortable, just because it was like rubbing a tub of thick facial cream over my eyelids.

Overall, the product itself is amazing! The thing that put me off buying the full sized product was the feeling of it. I would have preferred it to be a little thinner, more like a soft moisturiser, instead of a thick face cream feeling.

Until next time, Lovelies x

Benefit review: They're Real Liner

This little beauty recently made it's way into my makeup bag, and I seriously will never take it out!

Being a huge fan of Benefit, the little deals like this make having new makeup that little bit more exciting. The last time I purchased the They're real mascara I got a free travel size, and then this time I was given the little box, it had a free liner and remover in it, The real steal all for £19.50, definitely a bargain for Benefit cosmetics!

I personally am not the biggest fan of eye liner. In fact you could say I really loath the pesky little products. But then I tried this Benefit they're real push-up liner and my whole perspective of eye liner changed! I know, I know, sounds a little dramatic, but i'm being 98% serious! This is only because I still prefer the natural look without liner, but if I was to ever wear a liner on a more important day, or a night out, this is the one I shall be reaching for.

It has the same design and packaging as the They're real mascara , the sleek black little box and the recommendations from previous customers on the side. The side of the box states that 91% of people said it was long lasting. I agree that it is long lasting, but it does smudge when you touch it, takes a really really long time to dry (then again maybe this is because i'm not used to wearing liners). 86% said it hugged the lash line. It definitely hugged the lash line! it was ridiculously easy to apply, and thats coming from someone who never wears these kinds of products. I would highly recommend this product to any first timers who want to try a liner, or even any body who is looking to try a new eye liner or make-up look! 

The applicator is really soft and flexible, making it easy to draw right above the lash line. The liner is gel, so glides on very softly and the shape of the pen makes it as easy to draw as is it to write your own name. 

The liner alone is £18.50 and available now in store and online.

Until next time lovelies x

July Favourites: Benefit, flowers and Simple skincare

Hello, lovelies! 

Once again it is favourites time, and this month includes beauty and non-beauty, little mix up there! Also, I forgot to take a main picture for the heading of this blog, so you have to scroll down to see what my favourites are, instead of cheating and seeing them all in a little banner (sneaky).

Starting this post off with a lovely bunch of flowers. Last weekend I went to visit my friend, Kim in Leeds. When we went for lunch there was a lady with a beautiful bunch of sunflowers, and naturally myself and Kim really wanted flowers! So after lunch we walked down to Sainsburys and found these little precious pink rose buds for only £3.50 and they also came in other colours such as yellow roses and orange. I put these straight into a vase which is actually my mothers, but they small beautiful and also bring a bit more colour to my room. So flowers have definitely been a favourite of mine this month, bringing colour to every dull day.

Now down to business with the beauty stuff! 

First up, Erase Paste from Benefit, and I cannot speak more highly about this amazing brightening concealer! This little friend of mine has helped me through stress skin, travel skin, dull skin, dry skin, you name it ! I recommend this concealer to all of my friends, and I do not think there is a concealer to date as good as this. I have also had this since September last year and no matter how much I use, and I would say I use this quite a lot, it still looks hardly used, because you need only a little bit every time. You are meant to warm your fingers and rub it with them, but I use a concealer brush from Real Techniques. Last comment on this, as well as the fact that if you don't own this you should really get up and go buy some RIGHT NOW, but I have had comments that my skin looks flawless whilst wearing this.

Next beauty product comes along with a lot of summer loving and sunshine. If you live in England you will understand how lovely and warm it has been these past few weeks, if you do not live in England, i'm pretty jealous you get sunshine a lot more than we do! basically, my skins looks 0.09% more tanned than it usually would, so i'm making the most of this tiny little tan and using lovely pale and nude coloured lips to match the tiny tan. Obviously if you have a good tan this will look even better. But this little blend of Peach Blossom from MAC and A-Lister from Benefit have done me well over the last month. I cannot get over how amazing and natural this little combination creates. 

Skincare this month I have kept to a minimum, just because it's been a lot warmer, and less makeup needed to be used, I wanted to stick to products I knew worked well on my skin to avoid breakouts. However, a few new products I tried didn't fail me, and when it came to rating them out of ten this next product definitely gets a strong 9.5. These Johnson's face care gentle eye make-up removal pads work a dream. You take a pad out, place it over your eye, with very gentle pressure, and sweep away the mascara and any other makeup in seconds! I know there has been quite expensive eye make-up removers released last month such as Benefits They're Real eye make-up remover, but I was looking for a very good drug store alternative because I do not think I can handle splashing the cash on even more Benefit skincare, it's a little pricey. However, these removal pads are only £3.25 and definitely did not break my bank account. 

This skincare product I over used last month and still has a really good amount of liquid left in the bottle. This is Simple kind to skin Moisture Boost Hydrating Mist. Again this did not break the bank, it was only £5.99. This little hydrating mist is for when it's really hot and muggy and your makeup starts to slip or your face is just really hot, you give your face a few sprays of this and there you have it. A cool, sweat free, moisturised and hydrated face in a few sprays! The spray also includes lotus flower to work on tired and dull skin so it can be used over or under, or even without makeup.

Then back to non-beauty favourites, I have visited Kim quite a few times last month and every time we go out for lunch. Although my favourite place has to be a new cafe that has just opened in Headingley, Leeds called Munch and it's run by two lovely ladies. We've tried out a lot of cute and quirky cafe's but this one is at the top of our list. So on Sunday morning we woke up and decided to go out for breakfast (little did we know it was something like national friendship day). We scanned the breakfast menu and both chose very quickly, the prices were very affordable, considering the cafe is in a student village anyway. The food was amazing and I think we will definitely be spending a lot of mornings there dining with breakfast. 

Lastly, I'm still jogging, and i've still kept up all the healthy eating and exercise (round of applause) even though it has been quite hard whilst attending children's birthday parties, travelling and going out for lunches/picnics. However, I've made a few little friends along a new jogging route I found, it's a very quiet jogging route because it's behind some factories so there is only ever the odd car the drives down the path I jog on. There is a training field for horses and there are two adults and two ponies. i see these most mornings and evenings when I go for a jog, and have definitely become my new little friends.

I hope you had an amazing July, until next time lovelies x

Review: Benefit Instant Comeback

Last week I was sent a sample of Benefits new instant comeback serum from Emerald Street . This little serum is £36 and is designed to help tired and dehydrated skin, giving your skin a 'boost' of youthfulness, as well as protecting against signs of ageing.  

 

I applied this after I had cleansed my face, before using moisturiser and my first impressions were not the greatest. I first applied it on a day where I was wearing no makeup, and the serum is quite thick, it feels like moisturiser but a clear instead of white substance! It left my face feeling very hydrated all day but an issue was that because its quite gloomy, it left my face feeling a bit sticky because I did not apply anything over the top of it. 

The second time I used it, it brought out quite a few breakouts, but it is a formula that gets all the 'bad stuff' away. I can feel a huge difference in my skin, as my skin is quite dry, but I do not think i'll be rushing out to buy the full sized product any time soon. I would definitely purchase this to help with my dry skin, but there are better products from Benefit, that are cheaper, that would resolve dry skin just as good.

Until next time lovelies x

Benefit 'Nice Package' Review

During November, Benefit Cosmetics produced an offer to create your own makeup kit, known as the 'Nice Package'. 

This handy asset to the website allows you to choose 3 makeup items, one for complexion (primers, foundations, powders), another for cheeks (tints, blushers, highlighters) and the last item would be for the eyes (concealer, eye shadow, mascara). After picking your 3 items, you then get to choose a free item including eye shadows, lipsticks or lip gloss, all of which are in the new Benefit collection. Then all of these chosen items would be packaged in a beautiful pick make up bag, wrapped in lots of girly pink tissue paper, and sent directly to your door for £62!

In the package I chose Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation, Watts Up highlighter, Fake Up concealer and a free Ultra Plush lipgloss.

The first item was Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation with SPF 25. This is a brightening foundation, and I have used it before this foundation before and I personally think it is amazing quality! The foundation is so soft and easy to apply, it comes in a pump bottle, and a small amount will cover the entire face. It is a thin foundation, with medium coverage when applied with fingers and only a light coverage when applied with a brush, but it builds up pretty easily if you want a thicker foundation, or by personal choice, I use the Stay Flawless 15-hour Primer under my foundation which makes the base a little thicker, and this keeps the foundation on for a very long time!

The next item in the kit was a Watts Up face highlighter which comes in only one shade, a beautiful champagne colour. This highlighter glides on the top of your cheek bone, brow bones, down the centre of the nose, and the upper bow of the lip either with the applicator or using your finger, and again blend with the sponge on the opposite end of the highlighter or use your finger.

It is a soft focus highlighter and can be put on top of makeup, or underneath, and either way create a stunning glow to the skin. This product works even if you are having a 'no make up' day, because it brings a glow to the face, applied on top of moisturiser,  and does not dry out the skin under your eyes.

 

The third item is a Fake Up concealer which is a hydrating crease controlling concealer in the colour medium (02). This concealer comes in 3 shades: light (01), medium (02) and dark (03). This concealer, along with Erase Paste are my two most favourite Benefit concealers! This concealer hydrates the skin for a very long period of time; it includes vitamin E that protects and repairs skin, and apple seed extracts which nourish, soften and protect skin as well as reducing dark circles over time. It's a very natural looking coverage even though the application is quite thick, which makes the product an absolute must have! Nothing is worse than having dark patchy areas on your face where concealed areas stand out.

The last product in the set was the free Ultra-Plush lipgloss that I chose in the colour A-Lister (bubblegum pink). It has a very smooth applicator and when applied is a pretty natural pink colour with a little kick. I'm not the biggest fan of lip glosses, especially in windy weather when all your hair blows around and sticks to your lips, but this lipgloss is far from sticky! It's smooth and soft and just feels like a moisturising lip balm.

I recommend Nice Package because the products are quite delightful, they all come in beautiful packaging and at only £62 it saves you a lot of money, each product is usually between £19.50-£25.50. I also chose the most expensive items for my package to make sure I got the most out of the offer, as well as products I have been eager to try!