My Blush Collection!

I do love a nice blush on my cheeks. These are the products I currently have in my collection. I have tried many over the years but you will notice they are all of a similar colour. I have definitely found the shade that I think suits me and that I wear every day. So here is what I have...

 Catrice - "Gone With the Wind" 

This is from the Catrice Fabulous 40s collection, named after my favourite novel/film of all time! It is a pinky, corally shade that I love. It is matte too. I absolutely adore this one, I wore it quite a lot during summer and I think it is the most natural, flattering shade.

 Illamasqua Cream Blush "Dixie"

I got this in the 50% off sale Illamasqua had a few months ago. It was purely an impulse buy to try something by Illamasqua and only pay half the price. Their cream blushes were recommended to me and I chose this shade as it is just very "me". At first I was kind of disappointed by it, then I started using it with my Real Techniques stippling brush which I think is the best way to apply it. I think this is brilliant, it is currently my only cream blush and this is the one which I use pretty much every day as it is so quick and easy to apply while I'm getting ready for work!

 No.7 "Soft Damson"

I got this one in a goodie bag at the recent Cocoa Brown Afternoon Tea. I was a little apprehensive as the shade has kind of a lilac tone to it, which is not something I would usually wear. I find this one looks best when I am not wearing fake tan and have paler skin. It turns out a very pale pink colour and looks so sweet. It feels so silky soft too.

 Benefit "Hervana"

This once well loved blush has been neglected in my make up drawer for I'd say close to a year. I used to love Benefit cosmetics. I don't really anymore. This blush cost me over £20.00 and while it is nice it is definitely not worth the money. I loved it for its peachy tones but it is definitely not something I would repurchase in the future.

Lancome Blush Subtil "Nectar Lace"

I think I have saved the best for last! This is the pride and joy of all of my blushes. This one is a real standout. This blush is the most corally, shimmery blush ever and I adore it. I try to only use this one I guess on special occasions or if I am going somewhere nice. I don't consider this an everyday blush. It looks fantastic on and the contour and highlight shades are fabulous too.


How many blushes do you have in your collection? Which one is your favourite?

Benefit Fakeup....a disappointment

I was quite eager to try out this concealer ever since its release several months ago, however the £18.50 price tag seriously put me off. Benefit used to be my favourite cosmetic brand back when I was a teenager. However, now that I have tried other brands, both drugstore and high end, I now realise that Benefit are seriously overpriced for what they are. Their make up is definitely not worth the price. I could get the same quality for a fraction of the price. Anyway, back to Fake Up.

I was quite intrigued by this "hydrating ring" surrounding the actual concealer. Plus with claims of being crease-free, naturally I wanted to try this. Me wearing undereye concealer usually results in my eyes looking incredibly wrinkly, as the product quickly settles into my natural eye creases (I don't have wrinkles yet!).

I actually won this concealer on a Twitter competition, I was so happy I could finally try it out without paying the extortionate price. I chose the shade medium, as I tested these out once in Debenhams and the "light" shade was incredibly white.

I have to say I am really, very disappointed. It is a really nice looking product, the packaging looks fantastic and certainly the idea of a hydrating undereye concealer is most appealing especially to those with dry skin. My skin isn't super dry, and I am thinking perhaps this product would work better for people that do. When I first applied it, I couldn't help but feel that the product felt very "wet". It made my skin look really shiny and greasy. Within minutes it had settled into my fine lines. Also, as a "concealer", it doesn't conceal too much! The coverage is super super light. If you want to use this on blemishes, it won't work. The hydrating part of this concealer meant that when I started blending it out, the product more or less all disappeared.

 Can you see the "wet" look around the swatch here? 

So, not a great product in my opinion. Perhaps if you have really dry skin this may work for you, but I think it is a bit much calling this product a concealer when it has such light coverage. I recently just got an ArtDeco Camouflage Cream which is a terrific concealer and only cost around £7.00. 

Have you tried Benefit FakeUp? What were your impressions?

Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows

These have been in my make up bag for a little more than a year, and I adore them so much! Before, I wasn't really into cream eyeshadows but these have completely changed my opinion and now I couldn't live without them (well, not literally).

 I love the bird design on the lids!

 L-R - Get Figgy, Tattle Tale, RSVP

They come in a nice, sturdy glass pot with a plastic screw on lid. You get 4.5g of product, and you will see that even after more than a year of me owning them, there is still plenty left.

 Get Figgy

 Tattle Tale

RSVP

They have a subtle scent which reminds me of cookie dough or cake mix! It's strange but very pleasant. They are lovely and smooth and I just apply them using my finger all over my eyelid. My favourite, everyday shade is RSVP. I use Tattle Tale as a highlighter, it's a really nice, creamy white shade. Get Figgy is an absolutely beautiful purple, I just wear this one on it's own. 

They absolutely do not crease, they still look perfect at the end of every day (or night). They do not budge, and that is why I love them. I do not own an eye primer, but I do use these, under any eyeshadow. They do the exact same job, and also add a little more depth to your eyeshadows. 

They cost £14.00 each and I really think they are worth every penny. I couldn't recommend them enough! I have tried other brands of cream eyeshadows but I haven't found any good dupes for these at all. I believe that Benefit may have changed the packaging slightly, I am not sure how true that is but at least all the shades will still be available. Check them out if you can!

Monday Morning - Rush Hour! My daily make up

The weekends are just not long enough! :(

I don't always have a lot of time in the mornings to apply my usual make up. It's all about what is easy and convenient for me, while I am rushing out the door to go to work! Here are the products I use....

Sleek Creme to Powder Foundation (shade White Rose) - This is a very full coverage foundation,  a nice little compact which also contains a sponge applicator underneath the foundation pan. This is perfect for me in the mornings because it is so quick and easy to apply.

Sleek Eyebrow Kit - It's very important to me to have my eyebrows filled in, so this is a must for my every day make up. This brow kit is an excellent dupe for the Benefit Brow Zings, as you can see. And I think it only cost around £7.00 too.

Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow (shade RSVP) - I don't have time in the mornings to blend and contour any eyeshadows! So I just apply this all over my eyelids, and I just apply it with my fingers.

Clinique Brush On Gel Eyeliner - I love this eyeliner! I treated myself to this Clinique liner over a year ago, and there is still so much left! There are many cheaper alternatives, however.

Essence Get Big Lashes Mascara - I always use mascara in the mornings! I will use whatever mascara comes to me first. Lately I have been using this Essence one which I like.

Benefit Erase Paste - If I have any blemishes or any dark circles, I will use this concealer. It's amazing!

Benefit Hervana Blush - I love this blush, as you can see! When applied, it is a nice peachy/pink colour.  It's handy to use as well, and so compact.

Sleek Pout Polish (shade - Pink Cadillac) - For going to work, I will just keep it simple and use something like this tinted lipbalm. I have several Pout Polishes, they are very nice to use, and they smell so amazing too!


So that is my morning make up routine! And obviously these are my essential items. I'm usually running late getting ready for work and with these products it can only take me on average 5 minutes!

Benefit - Blast from the Past!

I have these three "vintage" Benefit items...

Does anyone remember these??

I remember getting this Hollywood Glo as a Christmas present! I never really liked the product itself as I found it was a bad colour, and also it is really heavily perfumed. But look at the bottle!! It's as if it is straight from the 1920s and that is what I loved about it! 

Check out how 1920s this tin looks! It is the same as the Hollywood Glo only in cream form, I never really used this either, as you can see!

And this is the very first Benefit product I ever bought. I got it in San Francisco way back in 2005! I absolutely fell in love with this gorgeous powder puff, it is so elegant and of course vintage looking. It has a nice smell and when you pat it onto yourself, very fine glitter comes out. I just checked it on my arm and it still works! 

I really wish Benefit would go back to making their products more vintage inspired like they used to. It is what attracted me to them in the first place. I know they still have beautiful packaging, but I really feel that when you compare it to these that it has become a lot more fresh and modern. 

Benefit Skincare Set

I ordered this set online from Debenhams for £10. I thought it was a good enough deal, since I had thought about purchasing from this range but not sure if the products would be right for me or not. 

This little set is very well presented, it would make a lovely gift! Plus it looks really cute on display in my bathroom.  It contains:

Foamingly Clean Facial Wash

Refined Finish Facial Polish

Moisture Prep Toning Lotion

Triple Performing Facial Emulsion

Total Moisture Facial Cream

It's Potent Eye Cream

I have used all the products, and to be honest the only items I would purchase the full sized versions of are the Total Moisture cream and the eye cream. I am not saying that the others aren't good, I just don't think I would use them that often! There is still quite a lot of product left in my sample sizes. I had been using Clinique All About Eyes Rich and I really think that It's Potent is a much better eye cream, it has really brightened up my eye area after just over three weeks! I am so impressed with it.