Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Twelve

So it's day twelve and the last door on my advent calendar. I'm a bit sad I won't be getting daily beauty gifts anymore but I'm really excited to try them all out and get some more use of them; I'm contemplating doing a summary post of how I feel about all of the products. 

Today's product is the one I have been most looking forward to out of them all! I have wanted to try this blusher ever since it came out but I just haven't got around to saving for it! It's so pretty and I can't wait to wear it. Benefit blushers are one of the first products I heard about so I'm so happy to finally own one myself.

I'd just like to say I have really loved daily blogging for the past few days and it's really got me back into loving this blog and writing for it. However I will enjoy not having the worry about having written the posts or whether they've gone up or not, so it'll be nice to get back to more of  relaxed routine even though I do have some posts in the pipelines and some scheduled, so I won't be gone for long! Stick around to see what else I've got coming.

Thanks for following the whole series if you have!

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Eleven

So it's the penultimate day and door of the Benefit Beauty Advent Calendar, and it's a handy little gift behind door 11! So this is the makeup remover that was released recently along with the new They're Real Push Up Liner, part of the They're Real set that also includes the infamous mascara aforementioned on day five. This is supposed to remove everything, including waterproof makeup, so it's promised to be a gooden; I haven't read many reviews on this at all so it'll be interesting to see if it lives up to the expectation after the success of the rest of the line! I'll report back after I've given it a good whirl.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Ten

Again as with day four I wasn't really looking forward to this product and I have to say I'm a little less blown away by this one than I was by the other one. The formula is just the same and just as lovely however the colour just isn't my cup of tea. Obviously as it's Hoola (akin to their bronzer) it's a brown toned gloss, I think with my fair hair and pale skin it just isn't the most flattering combo, maybe over a lipstick it could be more wearable, but I might have to give this one a pass. 9 out of 10 so far isn't bad!

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Nine

Today's door brings one that I was intrigued about, I know this is a well loved mascara with many loyal followers but it is never one i have come across myself. Its got the traditional bristle brush which I do favour myself so I have a feeling I'll get along with it just fine. Mascara is one of my favourite makeup products so I'm very excited to have a new one to try out, we'll just have to see if it can outdo my all time fave Maybelline's Colossal.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Eight

This is another product, along with the High Beam, that I really wanted to try but had no real justification for spending the money on. So I'm really happy to be able to try it out without shelling out the money. Hannah Maggs recently wrote a review about how she liked this and it was one of her monthly favourites, so it's definitely got the seal of approval. This one is more of a golden highlight as opposed to the pearly sheen of High Beam, so will probably suit the darker skin tones more however I can see it being a beautiful highlight on anyone. I love the packaging of this product, even this little sample is made of metal, it's such good quality and so pretty!

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Seven

So day seven is a good one! Everyone needs a good primer and this one is renowned! I didn't even tread into primer territory until a couple of months ago, so I'm far from an expert but I do like this product and see the difference when it's used and when it isn't. Such a great product to have in your makeup bag and definitely one to try out if you can get hold of a sample. This one is a pretty decent size as well so should last enough time to let you get a feel of whether you like it or not. 

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Six

Next up in the round up is Benefit's Lolli Tint. I've briefly seen this before but never really taken much notice as I don't really have much to do with stains in my regular beauty regime. This product is branded as suitable for both lips and cheeks and is a really pretty colour that I think would suit a range of skin tones.

I've always been a bit scared of stains as I'm not the most skilled at applying them and am terrified of it going wrong and then being stuck with it! However now I have one to play around with I think I might be more willing to give it a go and see what I can achieve!

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Five

Well this was was the lovely little present sat behind door five this morning and I'm super happy about it! I love this mascara and this it does wonders with my silly excuses for eyelashes. I have only ever had mini sizes of this however they last ages anyway so I don't need to buy the full size product yet. All I can say is the reviews and the name tell it all, if you haven't tried it...try it! Now go flutter your real eyelashes at your next christmas do'.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Four

Behind today's door is this Sugarbomb lipgloss, and if I'm honest it was one of the only products I wasn't quite looking forward to out of the whole calendar. I associate these types of lipglosses with the ones I used to get out of girly magazines as a kid; those were always gloopy and sticky, smelled really sweet and left a weird plastic-y taste in your mouth after a while. However I was pleasantly surprised by this product! It's a gorgeous nude shade that only shows a hint of shimmer and just livens up your lips if your not wearing anything else. I imagine it would also look great over a 'your lips but better' nude lipstick. The consistency isn't even the slightest bit sticky, it's smooth and non drying. It smells lovely, sweet, but not sickly so and exceeds all my pessimistic expectations! I reckon it's the perfect little product to keep in your handbag for a laid back easy style.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Three

So behind door three is the much coveted Benefit High Beam. This mini little liquid highlighter is one that many bloggers have raved about and I myself have been dying to get my hands on. I have only recently been into using highlighters and for the most part have stuck to powder products, however I did cave one day and buy the drugstore dupe of this by Technic called High Lights. Winter is the perfect month to add a subtle highlight to your skin, to give you a fresh look that oozes a healthy glow.

I really look forward to trying this out! With this and Day One's eye brightener I'll be glowing all over like a christmas tree! 

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Two

Day two and door two. So today's little gift is a mini glass pot of Benefit's Total Moisture face cream. I have actually had a sample of this before and I really liked it, so I'm excited to have an actual pot of it to add to my collection. This moisturiser has a lovely rich, thick formula that feels so hydrating and smooths onto the skin so beautifully. It sinks in really quickly leaving your skin feel really soft; I think this is a brilliant product for people who have dry skin like I do.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day One

So I decided to treat myself to a beauty advent calendar this year as I've lusted over them every year since I began blogging. This Benefit one seemed to be so affordable compared to many others and had a good variety of products inside. I love the design and think it's so fun for the festive season; it did come with a automatic tune that played when you opened it, but I had to remove it as it played randomly even when it wasn't being touched, which creeped me out a little, so sorry Benefit, nice touch but no thanks.

I thought it would be a nice idea to share what I got in each door for the 12 days it accounts for. 

The first mini in door one is Benefit's Ooh la lift, this is an eye brightening serum that is said to add a "perky-eyed pick-me-up". I look forward to trying this out and adding it to my early morning makeup routine, when I feel like I need to look a bit more awake!

Beth x

Top 5 Mascaras

Hello my lovelies! Sorry for the post being a day late and it not being the one planned (#2014BC Spring OOTD) I promise that that one is on it's way although slightly late again I admit, I have been so busy lately and due to that, mega tired as well! So I'm a bit behind of schedule and no where near as organised as I'd hoped I'd be. 
Anyway I hope you all had a good easter and didn't feel sick after eating lots of chocolate!

Today I am going to be sharing with you my top 5 mascaras at the moment, mascara is one of my favourite products to switch up and find new alternatives so when I find ones I love they tend to be ones I've used for a long time or have really impressed me, I have loved all of these for a while now and each have different qualities that make me reach for them on certain occasions; so I'll dive in (this is not in order of preference).

First (Left to Right) is Bourjois' Ultra Care Volume Glamour mascara, this is the newest of the bunch to my collection and the one with the biggest love hate relationship! Yet it still made it to my top 5 so it's definitely a good'un. It's wand is dense therefore delivers a good amount of mascara in one go, granted this can sometimes be clumpy especially when the tube is new (hence love/hate) yet when it's dried out a little it becomes a brilliant volume building mascara that is perfect for a top coat over another mascara for extra oomph or even when switching day makeup to an evening look.

Up next is good old Estee Lauder's Double Wear Lengthening Mascara, this one has regularly reappeared on here and there's no doubt it's definitely my favourite high end mascara (not that I've tried many). It is amazing on it's own or built up with Maybelline's Colossal (the perfect mascara duo), it's really does give your lashes amazing length and I have had quite a few people ask if I was wearing false lashes with this on, so this is one for those of you who need length but not too much volume, although a few coats can add to that.

Soap and Glory's Thick & Fast just had to be up here with the others, I have loved this since I got a full sized tube free in a magazine, that's right pretty good deal huh?, I was super impressed straight away and that is saying something coming from someone who is quite picky with her mascaras! I gives lots of volume but no clumps and the wand is nice a full so it can grab all of your lashes.

This wouldn't be my top 5 if Maybelline's Colossal didn't appear somewhere! This is just the epitome of the perfect mascara and better yet it is cheap too! I have used this one for years and I can't count the amount of times I've repurchased it. Considering I like to try out lots of different mascaras saying that I've repurchased this one definitely proves the point. I love it, just love it.

Last but not least the infamous Benefit They're Real mascara, I go this one as a freebie in Elle magazine with just about every other bblogger out there and seriously fell in love; it's one that I have to use, then leave, then come back to to realise how much I love it but it really does make your eyelashes look long and full and separates them beautifully. The wand on this one really grabs your lashes from the root and coats them evenly, giving full colour opacity and no clumps at all. I know this one has been reviewed to death so I won't bore you with another rave, however I will state my love for it and when I finish this tube and need a new mascara, (once I've used up my stash) I will definitely repurchase this!

So there you go! My top 5 favourite mascaras, from drugstore to highend, mascara is one of my favourite and the most essential products I use so I love to try out others and find new ones. I've been looking at the Collection Does it All mascara and think I will probably try it out as I have loved the other Collection mascaras in the past. If you have tried it out let me know by email or in the comments below, and drop me some suggestions for others if you have any :)

See you soon for my ever delayed #2014BloggerChallenge post.

Love,

 

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Elle and Benefit

 So I decided to jump on the bandwagon this month and grab the latest Elle magazine. Quite frankly I'm not surprised that so many people have gone racing down to the shops to get this, with the rave reviews Benefits They're Real mascara has got its a no brainer to snap up this offer. At the 4g weight this tube is worth £9.50 and the magazine being only £4, well I think that its a crazy good offer that's to hard to miss. As I'm sure your all aware this mascara is simply magical, its brilliantly shaped brush allows your lashes to be lengthened as well as volumised and the end of the wand helps you to coat every lash right up to each end. As I haven't already (and am very late too) I will definitely be purchasing this once my miniature runs out.

Sorry for the two posts in one day but as I mentioned in my previous post I am rather behind and am trying to make up for that. 

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Benefit Samples

So this week I was given some samples from Benefit; I got some cleansing wipes and some Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. 

Firstly I was surprised by the cleansing wipes as the actual wipe isn't what I expected, now this sounds strange I know but instead of being like make-up wipes or baby wipes, they are more like moist towelettes, like you get in KFC? Do you know what I mean? Anyway other than that they are really good, you get a lot of product on the wipe considering. I use them to take any final make-up off after the initial removal. They are handy to have and as they already come on the wipe are very quick and easy.  

Secondly comes the face emulsion; this is described as "sheer oil-free facial lotion SPF 15", I think this product is very moisturising, hydrating and also plumps your skin too. The 'triple performance' says to hydrate, protect and comfort your skin, and I think it definitely does that. Especially for me, having quite dry skin, I think this is a very satisfying product that is refreshing to put on. The cream is very light weight therefore does not take long to absorb and will go a long way with very little. Also on an added note for people like me, I think its really cute how they've kept the same design in the packaging and have a cork like effect on top of the bottle, I'm very aesthetically pleased when it comes to packaging.

Let me know if this was helpful and if you enjoyed my review :)

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