Shopping My Stash - My Spring Favourites

So now that it's Spring and the cold sun is shining I have decided to switch my makeup rotation around a bit to get me in the mood for Spring/Summer.
I've seen a lot of new makeup releases doing the rounds lately but while they are all very pretty I've delved into my stash to see what pretty pieces that I already have.
1. Benefit World Famous Neutrals - This eyeshadow set never gets old! the colours are beautifully pigmented and very longwearing. It is perfect for daily casual makeup or glamorous evening looks. See my full review and swatches here

2. Too Faced Summer Eyes - This is a great way of introducing abit of colour into my look without being scared. I am never one to wear bright crazy coloured eyeshadow but here you get 3 looks and Too Faced include a how too to achieve a gorgeous summer look. See my full review, swatches and a tutorial here

3. Benefit Hervana Blusher - This is my second favourite Benefit Blusher after Coralista and it is a gorgeous light pink and it smells just heavenly seriously it smells so good you need to sniff it. You also get a good quality application brush with it that isn't too small so I do use it. There is just something special about swirling your brush around to mix the colours for a pretty pink flush. See my full review here

4. Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish No 16 - again this is just a perfect choice for a everyday wearable pink lip that gives you that Spring/Summer vibe. I was obsessed with Coral everything last summer and I still am but I am currently trying to change it up abit and head towards the more pinkish rose hues. More info here

Let me know what your Spring/Summer picks are by linking to your blog below as my favourite way to discover makeup is by reading blogs :-) x

My top 3 favourite blushers

Here are my top 3 favourite blushers that I am currently reaching for -

3. Benefit Hervana £23.50 for 8g
I love this blusher as it is perfumed it smells gorgeous, it also comes with a handy angled good quality brush and mirror. I love how all the colours are swirled together to give this soft light pink colour. Also if you wanted to you could use the colours individually as eyeshadows. It does take a bit of building up to get a decent amount of colour but I'm definitely enjoying using this blusher.

2. The Balm Instain - Swiss Dot £18 for 5.5g
This is the most pigmented blush that I've ever had. I apply it with a stipple brush as it picks up a minimal amount of product which is enough. I love how so little of this goes along way. It is a gorgeous peach colour and it lasts all day. Even though it's a powder blush it is a stain and even after a long day I need some good make up remover to make it budge.

1. Bobbi Brown - Pink Coral 31 £19 for 3.7g 
This is from the Bobbi Brown chocolate collection and it is the most gorgeous blusher colour ever. I am coral obsessed at the moment but I love how this is more on the pink side of coral it is just what I've been looking for. This is the matte version as I believe it also comes in shimmer but matte is more to my taste.

So that's my top 3 blushers for the moment. I use my Elf Stipple brush or my Real Techniques blusher brush to apply them depending on how pigmented I want them.
What do you think of my picks and do we share any of the same favourites?

Swatch picture from left to right is: Bobbi Brown Pink Coral, Benefit Hervana and then The Balm Instain Swiss Dot.

Jodie x

My appreciate what you already have month

So it's now August and my wishlist is growing by the day, to stop myself feeling very depressed about all the pretty things that I cannot afford I've decided to root around and dig out some golden oldies and rediscover how much I love them. I never stopped loving these products I just was busy trying new things. So here is what I am appreciating this month:

1. Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash
This cleanser leaves my skin so soft and clean afterwards. It feels very caring on the skin and not harsh like I find some cleansers to be. It also doesn't have a strong smell which I love. It smells pleasant but not strong.

2. Benefit Watts Up
Since I've recently bought a stipple brush I have fell in love with this highlighter all over again. I love the way that it looks on the skin but I always found applying it with my finger the best option which wasn't ideal. It does come with a blender on the opposite end but I've never really liked that I find it just leaves the product patchy on my skin so my new stipple brush is perfect for the highlighter.

3. Benefit Hervana
I'll just get all the Benefit items out of the way first. I am a huge Benefit fangirl but I've recently been trying to discover other brands so this blush got left to the bottom of my make up bag.
It doesn't help that I love the Benefit Coralista blusher more than life so I never find myself picking this one up. So this week I've made more of a effort to use this.
I love the packaging and the brush and the smell (a strong feminine perfume scent) I also most importantly love how it looks on my skin. It is a subtle pinky rose blush which is very buildable. It could also double up as eyeshadows. This is a great blusher for summer.

4. Figs & Rouge Lip Balm
I got this in my May Glossybox and it was one of my favourite items in my box that month. I am glad to rediscover this as it feels nicer on my lips than my recent Bourjois lip products that I've been recently wearing. It also gives enough colour to wear alone and it's completely natural so win win.

5. Burts Bees Lip Balm
This has a nice peppermint fresh scent, this is the first Burts Bees product that I've tried and it feels very moisturising on my lips. I prefer this to my trusty Carmex lip balm now. I want to try some of the tinted ones that they now do.

So if like me you are going to be skint during this 5 week month have a dig through your beauty stash and pick out those lost loved items and appreciate what you already have right in front of you.
Let me know if you make any good discoveries along the way. X

Benefit box o powder blusher comparison - Hervana, Coralista & the Bella Bamba

I love all of these powder blushers by Benefit and I love having more than just my one favourite, as I can wear different shades depending on my mood.

I have tried out other Benefit blushers as I have the cream Fine One One and the liquid Benetint and Cha Cha Tint but for me they don't compare to the powder ones. These powder blushes are beautifully pigmented that have a slight shimmer to them which doesn't make them look cheap. The colours last all day and really make the cheeks stand out without looking slutty.

1. Hervana 4/5 - this is the first powder Benefit blusher that I bought and it makes a great first impression as the packaging is perfectly cute as always and it comes with a good quality brush. Also it smells amazing!
This blusher gives a subtle rose pink blush that needs a few layers to build up the colour depending how deep you want it. I love how you make the colour yourself by blending together all the different colours in a swirl as I've never seen that before. Also the fact that you could use the colours individually as eye shadows swayed me over to buying this one.

2. Coralista 5/5 - To try out the other shades of powder blushes that Benefit do I decided to buy the Powda Wowza set that contained three for me to try. This was in that pallette and I can honestly say that this one is hands down my favourite and I tend to wear it daily. I will definitely be buying a full size version of this. It is such a beautiful colour that works on any skintone. I love how it isn't too pink.

Bella Bamba 3/5 - this was also in the Powda Wowza pallete that I bought and it is a beautiful colour but my least favourite as it is too bright for my skintone to wear everyday. It also sparkles more than the others which puts me off. It would be great for a night out but seeing as I don't go out much these days it won't be getting much use from me.

In the swatches they are from left to right - Hervana, Coralista and Bella Bamba I have taken pictures with and without the flash as it gives a better look at the colour differences. To show the Hervana's colour I have layered it up more than I usually would when I wear it on my face as it is quite a light pink. Which box o powder is your favourite?

Handbag essentials - March 2013

The make up that I carry with me on a daily basis is constantly changing as I try out new things. So this is my March round up of must have essentials. I keep them all in a little make up bag that I keep in my handbag.
This month I am carrying around:
- Benefit Porefessional mini
- Benefit Hello Flawless powder in ivory
- Benefit Fine One One
- Benefit Coralista lipgloss
- Benefit Laugh with me Lee Lee perfume mini.

I use the Porefessional daily as it is silky and feels great on the skin. It reduces the visibility of pores, I don't know how it does it but it does. Most days I use this solo with no foundation. I have a full size of this in my make up bag but a mini is great to carry around for any needed touch ups in the day as you can wear this over or under make up it is truly a wonder product.

The Hello Flawless powder is great as you get a sponge and a brush applicator with it so you can get as much coverage as you want with this product. You use the sponge first on any areas you want more coverage and then the brush after for lighter application. I love how it has room to store these underneath the powder. I don't like liquid foundation so I prefer to use this on days when I want to wear foundation.

As I have mentioned before I am a huge fan of the Fine One One as it is a blusher and highlighter all in one just sweep across the cheek and voila instant colour. I use Hervana blusher and Watts Up highlighter when I'm getting ready in a morning but this is great for touch ups as the colours are so nice. You can build up colour too I recommend trying this out as if you are worried that you will look like a clown after one sweep across the cheek don't worry you won't. I introduced my best friend to this and she went out and bought it straight away. It is any girls handbag must have.

I've never really been one for lip glosses as I don't like the stickiness and the fact that my hair gets stuck to it as soon as you step outside but this isn't that sticky at all so that's a plus.
I had the Life on the A list gloss with my jetset kit and found the colour a bit too light for my liking. After looking online I had it set in my mind that I would buy the Dandelion lip gloss but when I tried it out in store the colour of that was too light too so I went for Coralista it gives great colour. It's good as I hardly wear lipstick and this is great for everyday colour.

I adore the Laugh with me Lee Lee perfume that I got with my Primed For Takeoff set it smells truly amazing. This is weird as when I tried them out in store on those wooden test sticks I didn't like any of them. But since getting it I love it as it smells so different when on the skin. So when you try them at the counters I would recommend testing them on your wrist to get the true smell.

I keep all these is a cute little Benefit make up bag called 'Bermuda Betty' the size is perfect for me as it keeps all these things In with room to spare. It fits perfectly into my handbag and it has a nifty mirror inside too.

There is just one item missing which I haven't received yet which is the new Benefit Fake Up hydrating concealer. I am so excited about this it isn't in stores until March 30th but they have started selling it early online si I an hoping to receive it tomorrow March 21st. I will keep you updated on this. I was lucky enough to try it in store and I believe it will be great. I tried it as I was worried that because it has a moisturiser around the concealer i thought it would leave under the eye looking shiny and greasy but it doesn't. I will post about it when I get it. Please check out my YouTube channel for Benefit make up tutorials. Comment me any requests you have :-)

Benefit Hervana - the good karma face powder.

Benefit Hervana is my first powder blusher by Benefit. I was debating what colour to get, in the end it was a toss up between this and Coralista.
I am glad I got this one as the colour and smell are amazing! It smells gorgeous. It also has a lovely glow to it, it's not shimmery it's just a glow so your cheeks look radiant.
Also i went for this one as like more Benefit products they have multi uses, this one you could use the colours individually as eyeshadows as they are very pretty individually or mixed together.
I love how the quality in this product stands out, the packaging is very pretty and sturdy. It has a hidden magnetic closure on the inside.
The brush is amazing in itself it is angled so you can get the right amount of powder out and it makes it easier to apply to the cheeks.
Overall this gets a 10/10 from me. I do want to try the Coralista too but for now this is my go to blusher.