BeneFit Crease Control Concealer



Hey Beauties,

 On my way back from IMATS in London, I obviously had a look at the makeup in Duty Free at the airport & came across this much raved about release from Benefit. This being the Benefit’s “Fake up” crease control hydrating concealer.

To be honest I had to think before buying this product as I believed that only the older/aged eyes would need a crease proof concealer but that was until mines creased one day!

I got this concealer in the shade ‘Light’ as not only am I pale anyways but I also like to use a lighter shade concealer to highlight when doing a contoured makeup look. The packaging of the concealer is like all of benefit’s products, BEAUTIFUL! It’s a pretty shiny tube that is like mirror (Handy!), it is in stick form and can twisted up and down like a lipstick.

This clever little creation may have you question what it is at first when you open it, why? Because there isn’t just a stick of coloured concealer…  Nope! There is a clear ring which does look like a lip balm wrapped around the typical looking concealer. This ring of “lip balm” is what is said to stop your concealer from creasing by moisturising/hydrating the area it’s applied to. The hydrating properties of this clear ring are from the vitamin E & apple seed extract contained in it.

Application

 This can be applied using a brush or just straight from the tube, I prefer to use it straight from the stick and pat with my fingertips, as Benefit themselves recommend to do. And a little is all you need, the more you use; the more likely it will end up doing the opposite as it is supposed to do. I like to use this in the under eye area and on top of a more full coverage concealer, as it is on the sheer side of a concealer (it is actually in between sheer & full coverage) & has the skin brightening properties to brighten the under eye area & make you appear more awake.

 I don’t use this on other areas of the face such as blemishes because this to me would highlight those areas you are actually trying to hide. And it is sold as an under eye & I’m convinced it may have broken me out on the cheek but not sure as there was a number of new things I was trying. But to be safe I haven’t applied anywhere else rather than my eyes for now.

Texture

This to me feels greasy & more like applying oil to the skin than a moisturiser, I can see where they are coming from by adding the outer ring of hydration but have they over done it? Don’t get me wrong it doesn’t stop me from using it as it’s nothing that a little of powder won’t take away. And anyways, if you let it be for a few seconds it does sink in & leaves skin feeling soft & looking smooth.

 My Thoughts

Benefit claims that this will hide dark circles & diffuse fine lines for what the call ‘a silky smooth, ultra-natural and claim that it won’t cake, settle or crease.

I can agree with these claims from Benefit but I personally find it greasy at times & find it highlights my under eye bags when I am trying to hide them & brighten the eyes. This does hide dark circles but for those who have really dark circles I recommend using this along with another concealer.

 This is great at smoothing the under eyes as well & you can see great results using this. You can build this up if you like or if need to top up throughout the day and it won’t cake but I recommend letting each layer sink in & ensuring it is blended in well.

 Pros: Hides dark circles, can be used highlight (light shade) or can be used to contour (deep shade). I personally think it’s great for all skin types & tones & even on aged skin.

Cons: Only three shades available, the light is still a tad too dark/orange for my skin tone & if you apply too much it will feel very oily and greasy. I also find that it can show your under eye bags more.

To sum up, I would recommend this product to brighten the under eye but its best using it after having a good sleep & with no under eye bags. LOL! It is a great concept for an under eye concealer & I have yet to find a better one but somehow I’m still not convinced!

 But considering this may have read completely negative throughout, I am still continuing to use it & I will be purchasing the other two shades to try them out for contouring & to test them on others. I will keep you all posted once I have put them through the wars!

Where to Buy

This can be bought from the usual sellers of Benefit products such as Boots (Here), Debenhams (Here), House of Fraser (Here), Feel Unique (Here) & the rest! It retails at £19 but as I have said, I got mines from the airport at Duty Free so it would have been a little less.

                                                                         

 Do you think this is worth the hype?

I would love to know.

 Natasha xx

My Personalised Phone Cover



Sourced from own instagram

 Hey Beauties!

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you will have seen the picture I posted a couple of weeks ago of my new Phone cover, I had a people ask where I got it from so I thought I would do a little post to let you all know where to get yourself one.

I got the cover from Pastel Charms which can be found on Facebook (HERE)  or they also have there on website (HERE).

 I came across this company through my auntie who recommended I check them out after she seen one someone else had got from them. I had a look on their facebook & was in complete awe, there was so many & they were all so sparkly. I instantly fell in love! I messaged them on facebook & asked would it be possible to get a makeup themed cover (obviously) and they said they would play around which charms & get back to me.

Source: sent from Pastel Charms

No joke 2 hours later she had got back to me with what she had came up with. Look at  how cute  they are!

 After I had said what colours etc I wanted, I sent my details & made my payment via Paypal. And within days they had go back to me with what my cover looked like & to let me know it was ready for postage.

Source: sent from Pastel Charms



Source: sent from Pastel Charms

I am so happy with this cover & just love how it is personalised to what I want & love how much sparkles is on it. I couldn't have received any better of a service which was super speedy. Considering the amount of time & effort that it would have taken to create the charms, stamp the clay & add all the sparkles to this cover I am amazed at how fast I received this. The cover cost a total of £12 including postage & packaging (to Northern Ireland). Its not your regular boring cover & completely tailored to you so it is great value for money for the time, quality & uniqueness of this cover.

 This is honestly a great company to have used.

 Will you be getting yourself a personalised cover?

Natasha xx

How to: DEEP Clean your makeup brushes

Hey Beauties!

Hands up who washes their makeup brushes regularly? Be honest now girls! You would be amazed by the amount of bacteria your brushes can harvest so if you have dirty brushes stop blaming that new product you have been trying out, until you have read this post & cleaned your brushes! 

Today I have a little ‘HOW TO’ post on how I deep clean my makeup brushes. You may already have your own way that works for you & that’s great but this is just to show you how I do it & what works best for me. I have to admit I am a bit lazy in the deep cleaning department but as I do be using my brushes regularly on clients I do always spot clean my brushes & deep clean every 3 weeks.

I am not claiming to be a pro at cleaning brushes just showing what works for me. You could also check some videos on YouTube for more ideas.

In the above picture you can see everything you will need for this process. As you can see you will need:

Your dirty brushes (obviously)

Kitchen Roll

Towel

Johnsons’ baby shampoo

You also need to be at the sink to do this so that you can wet & rinse the brushes.

 

Firstly, wet the brush with lukewarm water avoiding the handle or any metal parts so that rusting can’t occur. And DO NOT submerge the brush in water! Submerging the brush in water could cause the bristles to fall out if the glue was to soften, especially with hot water. I usually point the brush downwards into a running tap of lukewarm water.

Secondly, put a small amount of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo into the palm of your hand. I use Johnson’s as I find it works best, you will find it is a popular choice across the board of other bloggers & vloggers. But that’s because it works & it is also more affordable than fancy brand names brush cleaners.

Thirdly, swirl the brush around your palm, in the shampoo, until it begins to lather. As you swirl you will see the colour of the makeup starting to colour the lather but keep swirling until you can see the brush is starting return to its normal colour. You may need to repeat this step again if there is a lot of makeup on the brush. (You will be surprised by the amount that the brush holds!)

Fourthly, now rinse the brush under the running tap the suds of the brush & don’t be afraid to use your fingers to work the suds out of the brush.

(Note: I understand this may seem like to be a waste of water to be having the tap running but if you turn of the tap between steps until you need it you should be fine.)

Now give the brush a little squeeze to get the excess water out.

Next fold a piece of kitchen roll in half & in half again just to have those extra layers. Now swirl or press the brush onto the kitchen roll to test if any makeup is present, if any colour transfers to the kitchen roll then repeat previous steps. The doubling up makes for ease of moving the brush & avoid tearing the paper towel.

Next I like to give the brush a gentle squeeze with a hand towel to try speed the drying process up. But do be gentle and try more to fold the towel over the brush and press lightly.







Now reshape the bristles to represent original shape, or close to the shape it is supposed to be as you can, just to ensure the brush doesn’t dry out of shape & would mean you would never have the same brush again.



  Now lie the clean brush flat on the towel  to allow to air dry. Do NOT apply heat to the brush such as hair dryer or on to a heater as this could cause the glue in the ferrule to melt. I recommend leaving the brushes on the towel over night in the bathroom or on the towel, on the floor below a cooling radiator (ensure it will not be going on while the brushes are there).

Always make sure your brushes are fully dry before using them & never put them in a drawer or bag until they are to avoid mould.

I will doing a post on how I spot clean my brushes between deep cleans & to change use of brush soon. There are a number of companies that have brush cleaners out there which can be cheap or expensive & I am sure they all work great but the baby shampoo is a great alternative & leaves brushes smelling great. Instead of the baby shampoo you could try MAC’s brush cleaner which under lukewarm water lathers into a great shampoo for deep cleaning or can be used as a spray for spot cleaning.

How often do you clean your brushes? 

Comment & let me know, don’t be shy.  I won’t judge!

Natasha xx

My Favourite Beauty Products - Shopcade list*

Hey beauties!

 Today I have a little post of the products that I recommend and cant live without throughout the summer months. I know I live in Northern Ireland were the weather isn't like your typical LA summer weather but this summer has been the best we have had in years. I also just like to wear brighter colour when its "summer" to give me that summery feel when its not & because bright, bold colours look better in the sunshine & with a tan.

July favourites

Hey beauties,

Happy August! It's that time again, it's my monthly favourites. This post will be about all the products I have been loving throughout the month of July. I have a mix of products from hair, makeup & sweets that I have been using non-stop & here they are:

 L'Oreal Mythic Oil

I first discovered this oil couple of months ago when I had my weave in. The hairdresser that put in the weave recommended this oil & I used it religiously. Since I got the weave out I am still using it. It is a great oil that is so lightweight so you don't have to worry about looking greasy. I have been using this everyday to tame frizz and to generally just style my hair & a little goes a long way, this bottle has been lasting me ages. I bought mines from Sally's but this can be bought online or in salons and costs around £20. May seem pricey but as I said its lasting ages & is the best oil for out there. 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser

I am in love with this product, where has this been all my life? I heard of this product a while back on youtube I think from Fleurdeforce & discovered this at the tills in Sephora back in January on my New York trip. I only bought a sample size to try and have only recently started using this & I'm amazed. It is so light & leaves a glow to the skin, it is light coverage so I apply my collection concealer where I need more coverage. I swear it is great & I just love the finish and how great it makes my skin look. You know it's a great product when everyone comments on how good your skin looks. I will definately be investing in full size. 

 Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Apologies for the lack/disappearance of the print but I do not know what happened just one day it was like this. It could also be down to the fact that I use it everyday! This is a budget product that performs better than any expensive concealer I have tried hand down. It gives a dewy finish but still full coverage. I have been using it everyday & will never ever go without this again. I'm not saying this is the concealer for ur MUA kit but great for ur own makeup & if you wanted to you could include in it ur kit with other concealers.

 

Sleep in Rollers

 

I have no up close picture for these that id be willing to share as it has my hairs on then as you can see from the main image. But I will doing a review on these soon. I have these a really long time and its only now that I have been making full use of them. I have been allowing my hair to hair dry for about 2 hours after shower and then put in the roller all over my head and I use the good from brand to set the rollers but I do still sleep in them. My hair does be really big in the morning and I always have to pin top bit back but it gives a great smooth curl. 

 

BarryM Gelly Polish

I absolutely love this new range of polishes from BarryM. They come in a HUGE variety of colours & are super shiny. You can get away with just one coat of this bad boy and you are good to go. The shine of the polish does not dull & it last ages, I got 2 weeks before I wanted to change to a different colour.  I have a four of these polishes and will definately picking up more. 

L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray

 

I love everything about this hairspray! I love the smell, the hold & the finish. Its great because it doesn’t feel like your typical hairspray but does what it is supposed to do. Although some may find that it is on the pricier side for a hairspray believe me it is worth it. I’m all for my bargains & finding a deal but this product is far better than that hairspray you would get for £1 and it is usually on offer at Boots or Superdrug.

 Maynards Sour Patch Kids Sweets

 

I am obsessed! I love these little sweets but maybe a little too much for my diets sake. Every time I see these I just have to have them, but I have told myself to only buy them when they are on offer for like £1 for the larger bag. But that hasn’t worked as they seem to be always on offer! The red ones are my favourite. They are a great little treat but so addictive! At first they are really sour but once that passes they are really sweet YUM!

 

So that is everything I have been loving this month, I would love to know what your favourites are this month.

 

Have you tried/love any of the above products?

 

Natasha xx

The Power of Makeup

Hey Beauties!

Thought I would show you a little look I created on myself & let you know what products I used. As you have probably read the title, I am calling this the 'Power of makeup' because it kind of shows you what the great thing that is make up ,can do. It can allow you to go from a scary/sore site to the eyes to something a lot more easier to look at.

 I warn you I did use a LOT of products on my face but I wanted to get that glamorous/flawless look that would last ages or at least until I wiped it off!

The endless list of products are as follows:

Benefit POREfessional

HD Brows Professional Eye & Brow Palette

Urban Decay Primer Potion

MAC paint pot - Painterly

Crave from UD Naked Basics

Brush from UD Naked Palette

MAC 217 Brush

Garnet from Lorac Pro Palette

Real techniques Base Shadow Brush

MAC 224 Brush

TBS Angled Brush

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

Maybelline Great lash Mascara

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

Venus from Naked Basics

MAC eye pencil - Smoulder

MAC Select cover - NW25

RT Pointed Foundation Brush

MAC Studio Fix Fluid -  NW25

Estee Lauder Double Wear

Rimmel Wake Me Up - True Ivory

RT Buffing brush

Benefit Fake up Concealer - Light

RT Contour brush

Benefit Hoola powder

BareMinerals Original Foundation

Sedona lace Midnight Lace brush

RT Blush brush

NARS Blush "Orgasm"

MAC Contour brush

MAC "Soft & Gentle"

MAC Lip pencil "Brick"

MAC Lip pencil "Vino"

MAC Lipstick "Rebel"

MAC Lipstick "Ruby Woo"

MaxFactor Max Effect lip gloss

I did warn you it was a long list!

If you want to see how I created this look in a QUICK video you can HERE. This was my entry for the You Generation Makeup competition judged by Pixiwoo. I didn't win nor did I expect to. I basically just done the video for the challenge, it was my first time sitting & doing makeup in front of a camera, first time editing a video (badly) & first time entering a makeup competition. It may not be the best video or best editing or best entry but it was at the time my BEST TRY. And for that I am proud. I have/had no intention of starting a youtube channel right now just uploaded for the purpose of the competition. But now that I have done it I really enjoyed it & liked it and I feel like it would be something for to look into in the future to help me build my confidence/skills in makeup as I think it would push me to be more daring & try new things. I'm still not sure, what do you think, should I?

 

And it wont be as choppy because i'll be doing it without the time limit. But as I said it is something I have to think about as it is a LOT of work & takes a lot of time to build an audience. And personally I don't know if anyone could/would watch them LOL.

 

Some of the products aren't seen in the video even though they were used and that's basically because of trying to cut nearly an hour long video down to 5 minutes!

 I called this the smokey eye & smokey lips look as it is a glamorous look with a twist, its your classic dark smokey eye & a red lip which is smoked out by blending in a darker colour at the edges. This is a really easy look to create & that was what I was going for. It is by no means a PRO look but a look that is easy to create with a Pro finish.

I would love to know what you thought of this look/video.

Did you enter this competition?

Give this look a try & let me see your version.

 Natasha xx