Review: Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder

I have to confess that prior to purchasing this, I knew almost nothing about bronzing powder or how to use it.  It just never figured on my radar and living in Scotland, you get used to not looking bronzed!

I found this on Buyapowa and promptly snapped it up as I had heard many bloggers raving about it.  I thought that if so many people praised it, it must be super versatile and easy to use.  So were they right?

The bronzer itself comes in a standard box which is used by Benefit for all their blushes, bronzers and face powders.  Many people are big fans of Benefits cutesy 50s-style packaging but its not really to my taste.  I find these boxes bulky and impractical for transporting and would much prefer something sleeker.  It is also a major pain if the cardboard gets wet...  A brush is also included with the bronzer, however I rarely use the brushes that come with makeup, preferring to use my own tried and tested ones.  I did give this a quick go but it was promptly discarded for a bronzing / blush brush as I found it picked up far too much of the product.

The powder itself is a matte dark brown which you cannot see that well in these pictures.  Believe me when i say it is quite dark and if you have very fair skin, I can see that it could turn quite 'muddy' looking on you.  it is super pigmented!  I did find it quite powdery and dusty, although it blended easily.

The swatches above show one swipe with my finger and also a picture of it blended in.

I've experimented with a few different ways of applying this and eventually settled on just dusting a tiny amount on my brush and then tapping it off before applying.  A light, light hand is the best option for this.  I have been applying a slight dusting over my cheekbones and temples and following it with some blush and I have found it gives me a healthy glow.  When blended out this looks lovely, but I cannot stress enough that a little goes a long way.  I can see this bronzer lasting forever, which makes it seem better value as it is usually £23.50, although I think I paid around £17 for it from Buyapowa.

Verdict

Is it a holy grail product?  I'm not so sure and it is certainly not a must have for me, merely a nice product to own which adds an additional dimension to my makeup.  However, with practised application, I can see this becoming almost a staple during the summer and it will last forever.

4/5

Price - £23.50

Where to Buy - Benefit, Boots, Debenhams, John Lewis, ASOS, Feel Unique

 

Mini Haul and Wins!

Just a quick post to show you what has arrived on my doorstep this week!

Neal's Yard, Seaweed Salt Scrub - this fell into my shopping basket when I was picking up a  few presents for people.  I like Neal's Yard as everything is very natural and full of essential oils.  First impressions of this scrub is that it has a VERY distinctive scent, but I will be testing it out over the next couple of weeks and will post a review on my thoughts soon.

Batiste Wild Dry Shampoo - I won this in a blog competition from the lovely Phoebe at Peluxe.  I haven't had a chance to use it properly yet but it is supposed to be an oriental scent and I really like the other products in the Batiste range so I am looking forward to using it!

N.Y.C Products - I won all of these from Emma at Fluff and Flipperies.  I've never tried anything from N.Y.C. before so I'm very much looking forward to to trying these out.

Nail Polish, Sidewalkers - a lovely looking concrete grey

Liquid Lipshine in Brighton Peach Beach - this looks gorgeous and I can't wait to wear this as I love peachy glosses

Metro Quartet Eyeshadow in Riverside Park

High Definition Defining Mascara

Hope you had a fab weekend - mine has mostly involved drinking mulled wine and Baileys and putting up Christmas decorations!

x

Versatile Blogger Award!

 

A while ago (well about 3 weeks ago to be exact) the lovely Claire Louise at Dolly Blossom  nominated me for the Versatile  Blogger Award.  I was very pleased to be recognised for this and if you haven’t yet discovered Claire’s blog I suggest you check it out now for a great mix of beauty and fashion discoveries.
The rules are:

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1. You have to thank the person that gave you the award and a link back to there blog.

2. Then you have to share 7 facts about yourself.

3. You then have to send the award on to 15 other bloggers whose blogs that you appreciate and then let them know that they have been given the award.

 

 

So without further ado and waffling, I will give you 7 facts about myself:

1) I have a penchant for wearing VERY high inappropriate shoes for work.  My current favourites are a pair of 5 inch platforms from Ted Baker which hubby said makes me look like a 70s rockstar, but without the massive shaggy hair!  I’m only 5ft 4 so I really like to wear higher shoes when I can, although I always have a comfy pair of flats in my bag.  At my wedding in the summer, I wore an awesome pair of sparkly Jimmy Choos and they had a whole page to themselves in my wedding album!

2) I love travelling and often spend time daydreaming about my next break.  I adore the planning stages of holidays and the lead up and anticipation of deciding what you will do, as well as sorting all the logistics out.  The only bit I don’t enjoy are the long haul flights and jet lag!

3) I REALLY want a Beagle!  Hubby and I both work full time at the moment and live in a small flat in the centre of town so we can’t really justify owning a dog yet, despite the fact that ewe both want one.  I’ve never had a Beagle before although we both grew up with dogs but I think a Beagle is the perfect size and I love the fact that they look like a puppy pretty much for their entire life!  I have heard they can be difficult to train though so I will have to be strict!

4) I adore reading, and the Kindle I received for Christmas last year has totally changed my reading habits and I now seem to read even more!  We were running out of space in our flat for books as we both read a lot and this has temporarily solved the problem although I do still buy proper books every now and then.

5) A few years ago, I never thought I would say this, but I actually enjoy running and find nothing blows the cobwebs away and gets rid of stress after a hard day at work than going out for a run.  I’ve been running for almost 3 years now after finally deciding to lose weight and eat better.  I cut down on my drinking, to drinking only socially rather than in the house after a bad day at work, and started running a few times a week and what was initially just a  way to lose some weight has become a routine.  I often look forward to a run, plus it means that if I have a cupcake, I know I will have to run several miles to work it off!

6) I can’t stand eggs!  I don’t mind them when they are cooked, for example in cakes, but give me a plate of scrambled eggs or a muffin with poached eggs and I don’t like it at all. I am more of a pancakes girl if we go out for breakfast.

7) I still can’t drive, despite being 29!  I am in the process of rectifying that though as I am currently having lessons and am hopeful that I will pass in the New Year.

So those are my 7 facts, the blogs I have nominated to have the Versatile Blogger Award are:

 

Stephanies Guide to Glamour and Success

Blog a Beaute

Miss Sunshine and Sparkle

Wake up, Make up

I am a Weapon of Mass Consumption

Laura Loves Beauty

ADH... ohhhhh shiny

Kelly's Makeup Box

 

Makeup Meets Beauty

Been There, Done That

Have a look at these fab blogs!

 

And yes, I know they are only 10 blogs there, but I have found that most people I follow have already received this award, mainly due to me taking forever to write this post!

x

 

Review: Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair & Smoothing Line Serum

Liz Earle is well known for her approach to clean, unfussy skincare so when I was on the hunt for a new eye cream, I decided to give them a whirl.

As I am nearing the end of my 20s, I am becoming much more aware of some small fine lines that are starting to appear and ideally, I would prefer that these didn’t get any bigger, although to halt my impending forehead wrinkle I will need to stop frowning as much!  After a browse on the website, I decided to try out the Round the Clock Eyecare Kit which consists of a Daily Eye Repair and a Smoothing Line Serum.  They are designed to be used in conjunction with one another and to help keep the fragile skin around the eyes smooth, supple and bright and are suitable for all skin types.

If you are familiar with Liz Earle skincare, you will know that the essence of the brand is to use naturally active botanical ingredients which are kind to your skin.  As a result, many of her products have a distinctly ‘herbal’ scent, which although not overly unpleasant, can be something of an acquired taste!
 

To start with, I will talk about the Daily Eye Repair.  I have been using this only in the morning as I prefer to use the serum in the evening and I don’t like to overload my eye area with products as I find it can end up quite dark and congested if I overdo it with rich creams.

The eye repair comes in a small tube with a very small pipette for targeted dispensing of the cream.  It is very easy to control the amount dispensed, although I do prefer jars of eye cream.  I realise that tubes are more sanitary, it is just a personal preference.  The exterior packaging is in line with other products from the Liz Earle Brand and is very simplistic but functional.  The cream itself is of medium consistency, perhaps leaning a little to the runny side and you only need a couple of small squeezes to dispense enough product for both eyes.  There is no discernable scent to the product which is good, as I prefer not to use highly scented products close to my eyes.
 

The cream is said to contain light-reflective particles to brighten dark under-eye shadows, and also includes SPF10 mineral sunscreen to help protect from UV light.  The main benefit of this product is to reduce the appearance of fine lines, and nowhere in the product description does it mention that it moisturises the eye area.  Usually with an eye cream, I tend to look for moistursing formulas as using eye make up remover frequently can dry some of the delicate skin around your eye area.

In terms of brightening under–eye shadows, I cannot really say that this has made a difference, mainly as I usually use YSL’s Touche Eclat each day to brighten my under eye area and I find it does an excellent job.  After applying this cream, even without makeup, I confess I haven’t really seen a discernable difference.  The addition of SPF10 is a nice touch for everyday wear, but not really enough for summer when you wuold need a separate SPF.  I would say my one disappointment with this product is that it wasn’t overly moisturising.  Whether that was because I needed to use more or apply it more than once a day I am not sure, but it really didn’t seem to do much to the skin around my eye at all and often just seemed to sit on the surface of my skin, taking quite some time to sink in.

I used the Smoothing Line Serum in conjunction with the Daily Eye Repair and used it only in the evening, after cleansing and moisturising, just before bed.  It comes in a small container with a pump dispenser, which again made it very easy to control the amount of product required and again, there was no scent.  The serum was a clear, gel-like substance which I have to confess I wasn’t expecting.  For some reason I thought it would be more like a cream, but not being a big user of serums, perhaps all serums are like this? I found one and a half pumps sufficient for moisturing both eye areas.
 

The serum is said to help plump and firm skin around the eyes, lips, forehead and décolletage.  I tended to use it only around the eye area, although if I had any product remaining, I used a little on my forehead.  The full-sized product is very small at only 10ml so I couldn’t imagine it would last very long if you used it on all the specified areas!  I patted and smoothed it around my eyes and it did feel quite refreshing and much more moisturising than the Daily Eye Repair.  The serum conatins antioxidant grapeseed extract and soothing echinacea  both of which are said to help aid smoother and softer skin.

Verdict
After using these products for a month, I feel that both of them are in the ok, but not a must buy category for me.  They didn’t do anything bad, but I don’t feel that they made a significant difference to my eye area, and I much prefer Bobbi Brown’s Eye Cream for its moisturising properties.  I think if you are looking for a first eye cream and are perhaps in you are in your early 20s,  the Daily Eye Repair may be of use, although you can probably find similar products in other brands.  I did like the serum, as I feel it was more moisturising and helped to ‘plump’ my skin, but the fact that it comes in such a small container and you are expected to use it over a wide area such as your neck, decolliage and forehead would stop me from repurchasing as I think I would get through it very fast.  You also have no way of telling how much product is remaining as the container is not transparent.
3.5/5

Price - £26 for the Round the Clock Eyecare Kit, £13.75 for 10ml of the Daily Eye Repair or the Smoothing Line Serum (both products can be bought as a 5ml tube for £7.25.
Where to buy – Liz Earle, John Lewis (if you buy directly from the Liz Earle Website you can request some samples of other products you would like to try free of charge when you make your order which is a good way of trying other products that you may be interested in).

Review: YSL Rouge Volupte in 9, Pink Caress

YSL’s Rouge Volupte lipsticks are frequently touted within the beauty community as being some of the creamiest, smoothest lippys around. This is the only lipstick from the range that I own, but I would say that it lives up to the claims.

The packaging of the product is super heavy and luxurious and I love the addition of the small mirror on the lid and the fact that the shade is visible on the outside of the tube so you can see at a glance which one it is rather than having to root around in your make up bag. The product itself is indeed very creamy and you do need to be careful when winding the tube up and down to avoid smooshing it against the side - as you can see I have done in the picture above!

As you can see from the swatch, it is a lovely blue toned pink, with a hint of warmth, which goes on fully opaque on the lips. It is half way between a matte and a slight sheen finish and I often top it up with some clear gloss for a juicy look For those with sensitive noses, there is a very slight mango-ish scent. I find wear time to be no more than 2 hours so it is a very high maintenance lipstick, mainly because it is so creamy. You may also find that you need to use a lipliner to ensure there is no bleeding or shifting of the colour on your lips. I don’t have a problem with this but I believe it is a problem with some of the darker shades from the line.

Verdict

YSL’s Rouge Voluptes are very easy to wear and they glide on easily, with only one swipe needed for full opacity to be reached. Those with very thin lips or who have issues with bleeding may prefer to try this out at the counter before buying

4/5

Price – £22, but it is currently available for £18.70 at Debenhams

Where to buy – Department Stores,Boots, Debenhams