Recent Beauty Purchases

So with my impending motherhood I have been trying not to spend money on myself as we still have a long list of baby things that we need. Anyway sometimes you just need a treat and some things are essential.

Here is what I have recently picked up:

Nuxe Reve De Miel Handcream
Woop I've finally got a full size of my favourite handcream ever! I had the travel size which is how I feel in love with this stuff as it smells gorgeous and leaves your hands feeling silky soft and not greasy. At £10 a pop it's not cheap but luckily we had a M&S voucher that I used for this.

Nivea Sensitive Day Cream
This is new out from Nivea and is currently cheap in Boots on a introductory offer at about £3. I've been after a new facial moisturiser as I have been using The Body Shop Vitamin E cream but it's not been working for me. With being pregnant my skin especially on my face is more red and irritated and easily gets itchy. Urgh thanks pregnancy hormones. So I wanted a cream that would work with my skin and to feel soothing on it. Thankfully this works like magic and it has SPF 15 so a great all rounder.

Soap and Glory Glow All Out
I've had my eye on this highlighter for a while as I have cream highlighters but no powder ones and who can resist a Boots 3 for 2 offer. This is a nice pink toned highlighter and a little goes a long way. You also get a good amount of product for the money.

L'Oréal Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation
So my favourite foundation Benefits Oxygen Wow has nearly ran out and I can't afford to repurchase it so I have looked around for a cheaper light weight foundation alternative. I am hoping that I've found it in this but I don't know yet I've only tried it once and it didn't look great (settled into dry patches) but I will try again with different application techniques and with and without a primer. I have read so many rave reviews for this stuff that I am not giving up on it yet. I have got the shade Porcelain which I hope will be a match.

L'Oréal Nude Magique Blur Cream
Again my beloved high end Benefit Porefessional is running out and I can't afford to repurchase it so I am hoping this could be something similar. I am really just looking for something so smooth out my visible pores and to cover my cheek redness. This did seem a tad greasy but I decided to try it over the Maybelline Baby Face Pore Eraser as I'd read terrible reviews on that product.

So these are my recent purchases that I am hoping will be worth the hype and not a waste of money but time will tell.

Benefit How To Look The Best At Everything Kit - Light

So in the few years that I have been into Benefit I've never really wanted this kit. I'd read quite a few reviews that said the light shade in this kit was far too dark and orangey so not to bother, so I always stayed away.
My skin is light but by no means the fairest out there and I have had the full size Hello Flawless Powder in Ivory before which I really liked until I dropped it and it crumbled into ashes :-( I've also tried both Boi-ing concealers in the various concealer kits before and already have the full size in the light shade. So why did I want this you ask? Well for a few reasons I'm currently 6 months pregnant and want a quick way to get ready and have everything just there in one kit, also I love the Porefessional and mine has ran out. I've also heard that they have changed this kit to make the shades actually light? I don't know 100% but now this kit contains ivory colours where before I think it was Champagne.

I do have a very nice and expensive Lancome foundation but I don't wear foundation daily and it seems like a lot of faffing about that I can't be bothered with right now.
So I bought this kit of my 27th birthday last week and my first thoughts where that it's small. Very small! but you do get a good few products for the £25.50 price tag. Also just look how cute the packaging is, can we just take a moment to admire it please. It looks just like a little book how cute!

Anyway now that I have been using this for a week or so i am in awe of it as it is perfect for my skin and it's quick and easy. Most importantly I don't find it too dark or orange and it gives me a very natural look. The finish is not full coverage I'd say light-medium which I am happy with. The foundation is SPF 25 and is very comfortable to wear. I definitely will buy the full size Porefessional and Oxygen Wow when these run out. I also already loved the Boi-ing concealer as it is so heavy duty and covers so well. Here you get shades 1 and 2 so I like to use them both together as 1 alone can look abit too light for me if I have my photo taken with a flash on I'm like whoa too light.
This kit is definitely worth the money and I love it all apart from the powder brush that is too small and thin to do anything.

Inside this kit you get:
- Porefessional 7.5ml
- Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation in Ivory 7ml
- Boi-ing 1 & 2 at 1.5g each
- Hello Flawless in Ivory 4g.

This kit comes in light, medium or deep shades and if you have overlooked it before like me then I recommend having a rethink to see if it suits your needs now. X

Illamasqua cream foundation review

First of all I would like to apologise for my rubbish photography here as this was super hard to photograph. The packaging is super shiny and reflective.

I bought this illamasqua cream foundation in a recent secret illamasqua online sale. At only £7.50 with free postage I couldn't really say no as it's usually £23.
I got shade 133 which is for light to medium skin and I find that's it's a near perfect match for me. My first impression is that it was bigger than I thought and I like how you get a branded illamasqua sponge with it.
I don't like the smell of this foundation as it smells a bit like plastic and I didn't like it on my skin. I am a bit dissa in this product as for a high end brand this foundation didn't settle nice on my skin and enhanced any dry patches and basically looked flakey and awful. I don't have dry skin but this made it look like I did and it looked terribly cakey even with only a bit on. I tried to build up the coverage hoping it would leave a flawless top layer but it didn't.

I have not given up on this product just yet as I used it without a primer and I hope to buy a decent primer soon maybe the Smashbox one and I will try this out on top of it to see if it works with that.

Have any of you tried this product and did it work any better for you?
Jodie x

Meet my favourite foundation

This foundation is the reason why I fell in love with Lancome. It isn't the of cheapest out there at £28 but it is everything that I have always wanted in a foundation.

Why I like it:
* It has great coverage
* it's comfortable to wear
* it looks natural on the skin
* it smells really nice
* it's long wearing
* it isn't shiny
* it doesn't cake
* it has lots of shades and mine matches my skin perfectly
* it blends seamlessly
* it has a pump

Anything I don't like?
* the bottle is glass which makes it heavy
* it's expensive

So there you go the above reasons list why I love it so much and I recommend that you go try it as you might just find a new favourite.
Let me know if you have tried this and what you thought.

Jodie x

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Nude

So after my disaster with the Maybelline BB cream I looked again for something  lighter than foundation that I can wear daily. I was tempted to try high end bb and cc creams but this Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser shot to the top of my list. It has featured in all my favourite blogs such as What I Heart Today. I decided to jump with both feet on the bandwagon and to try this product out.

It is more expensive than my favourite Landore foundation which I'm trying to save for special occasions so as I don't have access to a Space NK in Manchester there is no where to try out swatches. I decided rather than to pay the £33 for a full size and end up with the wrong shade like I usually do do (Nars creamy concealer I'm looking at you - anyone want to swap me a vanilla for a chantilly?). I hunted eBay for the smaller tester size of 14.7ml and I went for the second lightest shade of nude.

I really like the formula of this but nude just looks to damn orange on me :-( I will still use this but I need the porcelain shade.
I want to buy the full size oil free one of this as all the bloggers prefer that one for some reason. First of all I will try to find a small trial size of the porcelain shade to see if the colour is better for me.

Have you tried this and what do you think of the shades?
Jodie x

My current go to products

I have a lot of favourite products which changes from week to week but here is what I'm currently reaching for:

 

Bioderma Hydrabio Light Cream £14 buy here
This feels really nice and soothing on my skin and it soaks in immediately, something which Is a must have quality in a cream for me. I like to pat this in rather than rub but it is quickly becoming a favourite for me.

Bioderma Sensibio Eye Contour Gel £14 buy here
This is perfect for the sensitive under eye area. I have noticed that it helps to brighten up my dark
circles which a lot of creams claim to do but don't. I love how a little bit of this goes a long way.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24hr Foundation 010 £24.75 buy here

This is my favourite foundation ever! I feels so nice on the skin and sets like a powder but doesn't look cakey at all. This has such great coverage you can get away without using concealer or a primer. Even though this is pricey you definitely get what you pay for. It also smells gorgeous and isn't too thick I couldn't rate this enough.

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer 01 Light £15.75 buy here
This is my joint favourite concealer. It works amazing under the eyes or on blemishes. It has very good coverage and doesn't look cakey. This is one that I repurchase over and over again.

Art Deco Eyeshadow Base Primer £8.00 buy here

This is without a doubt the best eye shadow primer that i have ever used. It smells good and feels silky and smooth on the eyelid not sticky at all. The best thing about this product is the actual results that it gives as you can see a big diference in your eyeshadow pigmentation when using this. I did a test just on my hand and the results where astonishing. I will share it with you in more detail very soon.

Benefit Badgal Lash Mascara £15.75 buy here

I do prefer the Benefit They're Real mascara as that gives you more length but i prefer this one for volume and everyday where. I feel like the brush is really good at seperating the lashes. I feel like the They're Real mascara gets so much hype that this one gets left out and this is a great mascara in it's own right.

The Balm Nude Tude Palette £26 buy here
You can get so many looks with this palette and I love how all the shadows are gorgeously pigmented. It's good how you get a selection of matte and shimmer shadows.
I like to use the black shadow as a eye liner, as it is so pigmented it works better than some of my kohl pencils. The formula is nice and smooth so these glide onto the eyelids and the brush is good quality too.

Mac Ravishing Lipstick £15 buy here
This is my go to Mac lipstick, I love the creamsheen formula and this colour works well for day or evening wear. Also it smells good enough to eat.

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick 111 Kiss of Life £5.49 buy here
I was very impressed with this lipstick as the quality knocks some of of its high end competitors out of the water!
The pigmentation is amazing as well as the smell. The packaging obviously isn't YSL standard but it's not bad for a drugstore lipstick. I now definitely want more shades in this.

Benefit Watts Up Highlighter £22.05 buy here
This is still my highlighter of choice. It goes on effortlessly with a stipple brush and it is very long lasting. The packaging is a big winner in my eyes too.
It is a classic champagne colour which leaves your complexion beaming in a good way.

The Balm Instain blusher Swiss Dot £18 buy here
I have mentioned this before but I'm still reaching for this blusher on a daily basis. It is just so good. The pigmentation and long wearing formula is a winner. I need more shades in this. Also it will last forever as a little goes a long way with The Balm. I've been using this for at least a month and I've not even made a dint in it.

 

Also last but not least is Company magazine £2.50, this is my favourite magazine and the latest issue is new out. This is probably the only magazine that I read from cover to cover throughly.

What products are you reaching for on a daily basis and are any the same as me?
Jodie x

 

Real Techniques half price from iherb!

So the crazy rumours are true! It is cheaper to buy Real Techniques from iherb in the US and get them shipped to the UK.

I got the Real Techniques Core collection for £10.79 including shipping I know crazy right. I can vouch for these that they are genuine and authentic too. The Real Technique quality is definately there.
You get $5 off your first order and then I got the cheapest shipping which was $4. My parcel arrived within two weeks. I am so happy I will definitely be buying more from iherb. I also got two little freebies which where a iherb touch screen pen and a sachet for a healthy drink, I'm sure that I'll never use either but the nice thought was there.

These brushes cost £20.99 from Feel Unique in the UK and to get them for only £10.79 including international shipping is amazing, but if you don't mind the small shipping wait you need to head over to iherb right now and get ordering. I couldn't see any other gems that caught my eye from iherb but I will definitely keep checking.

Have you ever ordered from iherb?

Jodie x

Benefit Some Kind a Gorgeous - Lite

I hardly use foundation because I don't like my make up to look to built up and fake. I have the Benefit Hello Flawless powder but it has recently crumbled into a million pieces which sucks as I don't remember dropping it. Anyway I bought this a few months ago as it marketed as a foundation faker so it should make my completion look good but feel lightweight on my skin and not give a cakey make up look.

First thoughts: the packaging as always is divine! I am a sucker for something pretty and this is no exception as it is the shape of a record.

I got the shade lite which is the lightest that they make and it is perfect for my skin. It has a separate compartment underneath with a sponge for application. I prefer to use a foundation brush with this as the sponge feels a bit flimsy and cheap.

How does it fair: I do like the look of this is on my skin as it gives good coverage and I like the colour, but it does have a light scent which isn't to appealing. It smells a bit plasticy. Also it looks a bit shiny when on so overall this isn't my favourite complexation product.
I really want to try the Benefit playstick next. I won't use liquid foundation as it's not my thing and it feels like too much faffing about getting ready.

Verdict: 3/5 this is nothing special in my eyes.

Inside my crazy obsession with Benefit Cosmetics

So you have probably guessed by now that I am more than a little bit obsessed with Benefit Cosmetics so as requested here is a break down of my collection -

Skincare:
Cleansing facial wash
Toning Lotion, full size + a miniature bottle.
It's Potent eye cream, full size, a miniature + 2 sample sachets.
Total Moisture

Primer:
Porefessional, full size + a travel size.
Dr Feelgood miniature
That Gal, full size + a travel size
Girl Meets Pearl.

Concealer:
Erase Paste - Fair
Fake Up - Light

Foundation:
Some Kind of Gorgeous - Lite
Hello Flawless powder - Ivory

Blusher:
Hervana
Fine One One
Benetint mini
Cha Cha tint mini

Highlighter:
Watts Up
Highbeam mini

Eyes:
Magic Ink Liquid Eyeliner - Black
Bad Gal Waterproof Liner - Black
Bad Gal Lash mascara - Black
They're Real Mascara -Black, travel size X 2
High Brow - Linen Pink
Eye Bright stick
Velvet Eyeshadow - Dandy Brandy
Velvet Eyeshadow - Nice Melons

Lips:
Coralista Lipgloss
Ultra Plush Lipgloss - Kiss You
Life on the A List Lipgloss

Beauty Kits:
Confessions of a Concealerholic - Boi-ing 01 & 02, Lemon Aid, Eyebright and 2 brushes. It did have a mini That Gal and mini Erase Paste medium in there when it was new also.

Brow Zings - dark powder and wax, brushes and tweezers.

Powda Wowza - Coralista, Bella Bamba blushers & Dallas bronzer.

Peek a Bright Eye's: light base shadow, brown contour and liner shadow, pearl pink highlight shadow, eye Bright with brushes.

Smokin Eyes: pink highlight shadow, pewter base shadow and a deep charcoal shadow, smokin liner, eye bright, brow zings wax, tweezers and brushes.

World Famous Neutrals - world's most glamorous nudes. 2 X creme shadows: birthday suit and my two cents.
4 X powder shadows: call my buff, it's complicated, kiss me, I'm tipsy and gilt-y pleasure.

She's So Jetset - first class face powder (blusher + highlighter), 4 eyeshadows champagne please, gold card, pretty in mink and elegant espresso. This set included my mini porefessional, life on the A list gloss and a mini they're real mascara.

Storage:
Benefit Beauty Bag, large travel size
Beautiful Bermuda Betty, small.

My top 10 favourites that I couldn't live without are:
1. Boi-ing
2. Brow Zings
3. Coralista
4. Total Moisture
5. Magic Ink
6. Peek a Bright Eyes
7. They're Real
8. Eye Bright stick (perfect for on the go).
9. Hello Flawless powder
10. High Brow

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 :-)