Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Quickie Contour Stick Review

When I picked up the November issue of Elle magazine it came with a freebie Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Quickie Contour Stick. Benefit Cosmetic's Hoola Bronzer powder is one of their bestsellers and combined with the popularity of contour videos on Youtube, Benefit wanted to satisfy their fans and created a cream stick version. The Hoola Quickie stick is a cream to powder formula and the stick makes it easier to draw the lines on your face. This is my first cream bronzer/contour because I find that many of them contain Ozokerite wax which I think I'm allergic to as it always stings my cheeks.

While people do use a warm toned brown to shape their faces for a bronze summer glow, true contouring should be done with a cool toned brown that mimics grey shadows to create angles and to slim the face. Therefore I think the description 'bronzer' it more accurate than 'contour' because the brown is warm toned.

Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Quickie Contour Stick comes in a gold tube which has small brown vertical lines to give it a bamboo-like appearance for an exotic, summer holiday vibe. The contour stick makes it easy and quick to apply, you just 'draw' it onto your skin- under the cheekbones, around your hairline and along the edges of the nose. I wouldn't say the stick is very delicate but I have read that the stick can break or fall off but if it happens you can try using the same method of fixing a broken lipstick in this tutorial here or decant the contour stick into a small container.  I found it easier to apply this directly onto the skin and then use my fingers to blend it. It's quite pigmented so you don't need a lot, so don't go crazy drawing big, long contour lines all over your face because then you'll have to do a lot of blending! Benefit Cosmetics claim that their cream to powder formula 'blends seamlessly for a soft natural matte finish' and I agree it's easy to work with and the matte finish looks very natural on the skin. If you're fragrance sensitive then don't worry as there is no real scent to this contour stick.

The colour suits my Mediterranean skin tone well and does not pull orange, but I think it would look too muddy or orange on very pale skin tones. I'm surprised they haven't made a Hoola Lite stick to match their Hoola Lite powder. Also this shade probably won't show up on women of colour.

This wears off after about 6 hours on me but I do have a habit of resting my face in my hands which probably doesn't help! If you have oily skin or want it to last all day/night then setting it with powder will help, such as Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Powder or a good setting spray. I've not tested this in the summer so I don't know how it fares on hot, sweaty days.

It does contain a lot of silicones which I only noticed looking at the ingredients (not from the texture of the product) specifically Dimethicone,Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer and Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone which is something to aware of if you are allergic to silicones.

Benefit Cosmetic's Quickie Contour Stick is compact and you don't need a brush so it's good for on the go. I do really like this bronzer/contour stick, it hasn't broken me out and it is the first matte cream bronzer I've seen that doesn't contain Ozokerite wax. It's also really easy to use and the colour complements my skin tone. It is a bit pricey at £24 (which is almost the same price as some foundations) but I will buy the full size when I run out because I don't have anything similar and I haven't seen any other cream bronzers that do not contain Okerite wax. The only improvements I can suggest is that it would be better if they had more shades.

The Full Sized Benefit Cosmetics Quickie Contour Stick is 8.5 Net wt 0.3 oz and retails for £24. It's available at Benefit Cosmetics, Feel Unique , Boots and Selfridges.

The £25 Limited Edition Sunday Times Style Beauty Awards Box

To celebrate The Sunday Times Style Beauty Awards 2018, Latest in Beauty have put together a beauty edit of all the shortlisted beauty products. You can browse and choose 6 beauty products to go in your beauty box. The box is a one off, so there's no subscription to worry about. There are currently 43 products to choose from including some full sized items like Essie Nail polish and a full sized MAC Lipstick! The brands include SUQQU, Shiseido, Benefit Cosmetics, Caudalie, Rodial, Lancome, Clinique, Weleda, Sally Hansen, Jessica, Nailberry and Yes To. Log on to Latest In Beauty and choose 6 beauty products for £25 (£3.95 p&p.) To give you an idea of what the box looks like you can see the products I picked below!

MAC's Liptensity Lipstick in Clouds in my Coffee (Full Sized) Shortlisted for Best Lip Product.
The Liptensity lipsticks contain enhanced pigments to give intense colour, clarity and vibrancy with a satin finish. This is a beige pink nude lipstick and because of the nude shade it doesn't come off as vibrant or intense. However it's far from sheer or tinted delivering an opaque colour. The vibrancy is probably more noticeable in the brighter shades. This lipstick smells of vanilla and tastes like white chocolate.

Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Bang Mascara  (4g Net Wt 0.14oz.) Shortlisted for Best Mascara.
Benefit Cosmetics are known for their mascaras and I had to pick up their latest launch BADgal BANG volumizing mascara. The formula contains aero-particles to give you massive 36-hour volume without weighing down your lashes. The wand has a slim plastic brush. This mascara claims to be smudge proof, flake free and water resistant.

Eve Lom Cleanser (20ml.) This is such a cult beauty product I had to pick it up! This hot cloth balm cleanser will remove waterproof makeup without drying the skin. It contains Clove oil which has antiseptic properties to clear the skin and Eucalyptus oil to drain away toxins. The Egyptian Chamomile and Cocoa Butter will soften and soothe the skin.

I chose the Sisley Black Rose Mask (10ml) because full sized Sisley beauty products are so expensive and this is a way to try them out without hurting the bank balance! The full 60ml RRP is £105! This creamy mask is supposed to eliminate signs of fatigue making your skin look well rested while hydrating the skin. The mask contains pavonica, vitamin B5 and black rose extracts to smooth and repair the skin for a 'youthful' glow.

I've been using The Ordinary's Salicylic Acid and I wanted to compare it to the more expensive Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Salicylic Acid (30ml.) I'm hoping it will be another weapon in my arsenal against blackheads! It also helps with redness and enlarged pores.

I haven't tried any of the Yes To ...products before but I'm on a mission to get rid of the blackheads on my nose so this Yes To Tomatoes Charcoal Paper Mask (Full sized) will hopefully fit the bill.  Charcoal is a natural detoxifer that removes impurities while it deep cleans pores. It's a paper sheet mask which I've never used but I'm excited to try out. It's paraben, SLS and silicone free. (Shortlisted for Best Natural Brand.)

The Times Style Beauty Awards 2018 will announce the winning beauty products on 16th May. If you want to get your hands on The Latest In Beauty Times Style Beauty Box, hurry as they're limited edition and low in stock so get it while you can! (They're limited to one box per person.)

I am not sponsored by Latest In Beauty or The Times Style Beauty Awards 2018.

4 Beauty Products That I Don't Get The Hype

I realise that for some people, some of the products on the list below might be someone's Holy Grail/ Ride or Die / Couldn't Live Without On A Desert Island Especially if Bradley Cooper Was There Product which is fine. Don't stop. While I love the brands below and have bought other products from them that I love to death these were the ones I didn't like enough. 

Stila Lip Glaze
These are one of Stila's bestsellers and were included in Harper's Bazaar's Beauty Hot 100. I have this in Raspberry and the colour is really vibrant and the taste isn't too bad, I'd describe it as a mixture between raspberry ice cream and cherry drop sweets.

The reason why I dislike these Stila lipglazes is because the formula is too thick and too sticky. I know the stickiness helps to make them more long wearing but my lips almost stick together when I talk and it is just a sticky mess if it comes in contact with your hair (e.g. on a windy day.) I am also not a fan of the packaging. You have to twist the end so that it clicks and dispenses the product. This is supposed to give you the right amount of product, Stila tells you to " Twist the pen until it clicks 10 or more times until the glaze appears on the brush. For top-ups just click a few times." Ten clicks is actually a bit of a faff and I find it annoying. I remember Ruby and Millie had similar packaging for their lip glosses as well. Another complaint is that you get so little product just 2.4ml for such a high price of £15. These are so overpriced in my opinion.

Benefit Cosmetics Benetint
Bentint is a rose tinted liquid cheek and lip stain. It is one of Benefit Cosmetic's bestsellers and was originally made for an exotic dancer in the 1970's. This gives a natural looking flush on the cheeks and a pink colour to the lips but actually it isn't very pigmented. Benefit claim this is long wearing but it doesn't last all day and on the lips it doesn't last long after a drink or snack. In fact you could say that it doesn't really stain anything.The fact that it's not very pigmented or long lasting made me feel really underwhelmed by such a cult product. I think that this is incredibly overpriced at £25.50  for a product that doesn't even live up to it's claims. 

Nars Blush in Orgasm 
This is a nice blush but it's a bit over-rated. I'd describe the colour as mid pink with gold shimmer. The colour would suit many skin tones. It's also long wearing. My main gripe is that this has a lot of gold glitter in it so it can get really sparkly. I think I would rather spend my money on a dupe where the gold is more of a gleam rather than sparkly glitter.

Nuxe Huille Prodigieuse
This is the number one dry oil in French pharmacies and a global hit. Nuxe Huille Prodigieuse
does have a lot of good ingredients- it contains vitamin E as well as tsubaki oil, almond oil, camellia oil, borage oil, hazelnut oil, macadamia oil and argan oil. It is free from mineral oil and silicones. I like the fact that because it's a dry oil it is not as messy and it drys fairly quickly.

My main problem with this product is that it's so strongly scented it's basically an oily perfume. Because of this it reduces the amount of ways I can use this "multi-purpose" dry oil on my sensitive skin. It is too strongly perfumed to go anywhere near my face. I have used it on my elbows which has moisturised the dry skin and made it soft, but it doesn't beat the powers of The Body Shop Mango Body Butter which leaves my elbows soft and moisturised 24 hours later without having to top it up with more product. I have used this to try and massage my finger joints when I was suffering from Repetitive Strain Injury but found that I needed something thicker like a cream. For a shoulder massage this could work. On my hair I used this as a 10 minute hair mask before I washed my hair. It made the lengths and ends of my hair softer but they still felt dry. If it was fragrance-free or less fragranced it would be more useful. I do like the smell of magnolia and vanilla but it's overpowering and the scent verges on traditional granny perfume. Putting oil in a glass bottle is also not that practical in a bathroom environment either. 

Let me know what products had that didn't live up to the hype?

Benefit Cosmetics Ultra Plush Lip Glosses in Coralista and Hoola Review

The concept behind Benefit Cosmetics's Ultra Plush Lip Glosses are that they match Benefit Cosmetics's best selling box blushes and bronzer- clever right? 

Although these lip glosses look bright when you squeeze the tubes they are actually sheer lip glosses. When they are applied to the lips they look like clear lip glosses with a slight tint. Hoola looks like it will be as brown as Benefit's Hoola Bronzer in the tube but in fact is a soft nude shade with micro glitter. I don't mind this as nude is probably more flattering. Coralista looks like it's gonna pack a punch of bright coral but gives a peachy-orange natural looking tint to the lips. Unlike Hoola there isn't any glitter in Coralista. If you apply one layer of these lip glosses it will look like a clear gloss with a slight tint. But if you apply one thick layer it will look more opaque but it can look uneven and the pigment can start to bleed. It's best to apply these lip glosses in light layers for more coverage and colour.

The formula is not sticky and feels smooth on the lips. They have a fruity taste to them, Coralista tastes just like nectarines. They both smell fruity too but sightly plastic. They will transfer onto cups and glasses a little but most of the gloss will remain on your lips. The Hoola Ultra Plush lip gloss survives drinking and snacking and lasts around 2 hours. Coralista wears for around 1 and a half hours and while it lasts through drinking, fares less well when snacking. They don't last through a meal so you will have to reapply afterwards.

As I mentioned earlier the branding on the tubes matches Benefit Cosmetic's boxed blushes. The semi transparent tubes show you how much product you have and the slanted tip is more hygienic than using a doe foot applicator. However I think I'd prefer a doe foot applicator because it will give you more control over how much to apply to get an opaque colour. The lip glosses above are sample sized 6.5 ml, while the normal full size is 15 ml, more than double in size and sold for £15. The amount is fairly generous compared to MAC Cosmetics lip glosses, but MAC probably has more pigment in their glosses.

I think that Benefit's idea of producing a collection of lip glosses to match and complement their blushers is genius! However I think that the lip gloss formula should be improved so that they are much more pigmented on the lips as well as in the tube. What they are good for is when you want to top your lipstick with a layer of gloss. Overall I'm a bit disappointed about these lip glosses because you can get a clear lip gloss or a tinted one much cheaper.  I don't think the quality matches the high price tag.

Benefit Cosmetic Ultra Plush Lip Gloss is £15 available at Benefit Cosmetic UK website here.

If you have tried Benefit'S Ultra Plush Lip Glosses what did you think of them?

Disappointing Beauty Products #5

However hard you try some products just won't work for you, some won't float your boat and when others don't live up to the hype it can leave you feeling a bit disappointed. Here are my five latest disappointing products.

Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Lip and Cheek Tint

While I know this is a beauty favourite amongst many, it left me feeling a bit 'meh.' I don't know if  I expected too much from this because of the hype this has. It gives a nice natural flush but it doesn't last all day and isn't very pigmented. It's a nice colour on the lips though it doesn't last long after a drink or snack. It just seems very overpriced to me. (Benetint isn't actually bubbly like in the photo. I'd just dropped it so it had been shaken up and down before I took the photo.) You can read my full review here.

Balance Me Lip Salve in Sheer Red

Balance Me claim this "lip plumping intensive salve boosts hydration as well as treating to a sheer veil of gloss and colour." It's also petroleum free which suggests that it might be more moisturising than petroleum (such as Vaseline) which only acts as a barrier between the lips and environment rather than truly moisturising lips. However I did not find this very moisturising or hydrating at all. I also didn't like the peppermint taste but I know that some people may find this refreshing. The colour though, is gorgeous and is much more pigmented than I expected from a tinted lip salve. However I think I was allergic to this since it made my lips really sore and dry especially around the cupid bow for about two weeks, after just one or two uses.

Limited Collection Lip Liner in Nude

I was hoping this would be a great Kylie Jenner lip liner but unfortunately it's very pale. Much paler than it looks, while my lips are somewhat pigmented they're not that dark either. It could be useful as a lip eraser when you want to cancel out your natural lip colour but I'd rather just use foundation. If you have very pale lips this may be for you. However if you're after a Kylie Jenner lip liner, this isn't it. There were some good points though, the pencil is soft and long lasting, especially for under a fiver so it may be worthwhile checking out the other colours in this Marks and Spencer's  range.

MUA Eye Primer

I don't know whether this tube was an old one off the shelf or if it had been left for too long in my stash or whether it was from a bad batch, but I didn't find that it kept my eye shadow on at all and my eye shadow creased. It seems to help in the first hour or two but after that it did absolutely nothing. The eye shadow had half disappeared on my lids whereas Elf s mineral eye primer would leave it looking immaculate after 17 hours! I didn't feel that my eye shadow colours looked more vibrant either, this isn't my main concern but it would be a nice bonus. There also didn't seem to be much product in the tube. I don't know whether this was just a one off or not.

Revlon Neon Nail Polish Duo in Fluorescent 150

These nail polishes are watery and streaky. The idea is that you paint your nails with a white base layer which is supposed to make the fluorescent layer you paint on top 'pop' and look more vibrant. However the streaks and brushstrokes on the white layer show through no matter how good you are at painting your nails, because the formula is so watery. If you're looking for a bright neon polish I'd check out Models Own Nail Polish For Tans collection. You can read the full review of the Revlon Polish here.

What products have you been disappointed by recently?

 Thanks for reading!

Benefit Cosmetics Benetint and Laugh With Me Lee Lee EDT Review

For Christmas my friend gave me a Benefit set that included The Porefessional primer, They're Real mascara (which I've already reviewed here) as well as Benetint and a sample sized Laugh with me Lee Lee EDT perfume.

Benetint is one of the most well known liquid lip and cheek stains. As you can see it's in a glass bottle and the lid contains a brush applicator similar to a nail polish brush. This makes application really easy and mess free. Benefit say that you should paint three strokes on each check and then use your fingers to blend the blush on the skin. The blush is a pinkish red, Benefit calls it 'rose tinted' and it would suit most skin tones, though I'm not sure if it would show up on black skin tones. I have tanned, olive skin and it shows up on me fine. Once applied the colour reminds me of a Snow White natural rosy blush. Benetint also smells like rosewater but once it's dried on the cheeks you can't the smell anything and my sensitive skin did not react to any of the ingredients. It can be applied to bare skin too. It dries fairly quickly on the skin, but not so quickly that blending is a race against time, and once it's set it won't budge. However I did find that this tended to fade a little towards the end of the day which is disappointing for a stain. You could lock the product in with a similar powder blush if you didn't want to reapply during the day. However it's a small bottle that's not heavy and is packaged in such as way that it would be easy to apply on the go.

On the lips Benetint gives a 'my lips but better' pinky red matte look.You can use the Benetint brush to paint in your lips but I found that this tickled and so I often used a lip brush instead. Benetint can be built up in layers. I would recommend moisturising your lips with a light lip balm to prevent the stain clinging to dry parts and looking like your lips are bleeding. It has a rose flavoured salty taste. If you're lucky it may last through a drink but definitely doesn't last through a snack or a meal. The lasting power is disappointing.

The bottle contains 12.5 ml of product and while you don't need to use much per blush application , if you're using this on both cheek and lips you would get through this fairly quickly. I feel that £24.50 is expensive for how much product you get. Benetint has it's place, it was one of the first liquid blush and lip stains and the packaging is super convenient. However while this does it's job (although the lasting power is sub par in my opinion) I don't feel this is a 'must have', I don't really get the hype around this product. You can buy Benetint at Benefit Cosmetics and Boots.

Laugh With Me Lee Lee EDT 

Laugh With Me Lee Lee is a floral, fruity scent that's light and woody. It's a blend of citrus, jasmine and lily blossom, amber and blonde wood which keeps the scent fresh and not too sweet. I love the smell of Jasmine which you definitely smell in this perfume but it isn't overpowering. Laugh with Me Lee Lee is feminine and light, perfect for daytime, spring and summer evenings. The scent isn't strong so it's great for my asthma but the scent doesn't last all day, I'd say it lasts about 7 or 8 hours so you would need another spritz during the day. On Benefit Cosmetics website they mention that their fragrances are "blendable" allowing you to mix fragrance to suit your mood or occasion, which explains why they are light rather than heavy scents. I really like this scent and would repurchase, the price however is on par with DNKY and more expensive than some of the GHOST perfumes priced at £29.50. Available here at Benefit Cosmetics.

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows & They're Real Push Up Liner Review

 

Benefit Creasless Cream Shadows

 

The formula of Benefit's Creaseless Cream shadows means that they do exactly as they claim, which is no mean feat for a cream eye shadow. They are easy and quick to use, a quick swipe your finger and you're good to go, perfect for rushed mornings or for eye shadow newbies. These shades are fairly shimmery/metallic, but used as a base and then paired with other powder eye shadows or a matte cream eyeshadow they can be toned down if you like. Benefit's shade No Pressure seems less shimmery than the others if that's more your style. These don't need a primer, they can be applied directly on the lids and will stay all day (at least in a British summer) and on a night out lasted me the full 7 hours. I've had R.S.V.P for a least a year, probably for two years and it hasn't dried out yet. Benefit has changed the packaging recently, still in the same glass jar only thinner and bigger than the original, which had a bird pattern on the front. The new design has a notched/serrated edge and a cream coloured plastic base but contains the same amount of product (4.5g). They also now come in this cute little circular box too, which you can see in the photo above. They are fairly pricey cream eye shadows compared to the drugstore (such as the wonderful Maybelline colour tattoos) but they are good quality eye shadows with a performance to match.

 

Bikini-Tini  is a shimmery gold, great for brightening the eyes or for wearing in the summer, while R.S.V.P is a light Oyster pink that is flattering on the eyes without making them look pink and tired. Compared to MAC's Paint Pot in Bare Study, Bikini-Tini is yellow gold while Bare Study is lighter and more of a champagne colour.

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows are £15.50 Available at Benefit Cosmetics online, Boots and department stores. 

 

Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner 

 

 

 

I also picked up a couple of Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner samples a while back and tested the liner over 7 days.  For Benefit's eyeliner you click the bottom of the pen until the product is pushed up and appears at the slanted nib. Then you draw across the lash line. One click is enough for one eye. The tip is made from a very soft flexible rubber material that Benefit calls an 'Accuflex' tip. Benefit claim that the Accuflex tip provides a smooth lash hugging application and that the nib draws an 'easy line.' The Accuflex tip does feel really soft against the skin, which is great since the skin near the eye is so delicate. This makes applying eye liner feel incredibly comfortable and easy since it just glides across the skin.

Yet the results I got with the samples weren't good at all. It was difficult to get a thin or medium line or a line close to the lashes and drawing cat flicks was incredibly hard. The consistency was on the dry, thick side. This meant that the results weren't smooth and some bits came out dry and balled in clumps because it had dried up between uses. Before applying I would recommend doing a test line on your hand first to get rid of any dried bits that form in between uses. However when I tried the full sized version in the store it was a lot easier to get a thin line and the consistency was much more fluid and easier to use. When you first press the eyeliner down you tend to get a thick line which gets thinner but I think with practice you can draw a line with same thickness all the way through or however you want it.

The gel liner is strongly pigmented and shows up nicely. The full sized liner in the store had a very wet consistency so you have to be careful not to smudge it while waiting for it to dry. Once it had set it does last the day, there wasn't any flakiness but the colour did fade towards the end of the day.

I think I either got bad samples or that they weren't very well designed (In the full sized version the liner is kept fresh as it is stored inside the pen. In the sample the liner was kept in the nib which you had to squeeze to get product out.) You do need to practice a little to get the hang of it but props to Benefit for coming out with this unique design. It hasn't replaced my Maybelline pot gel liner as my Holy grail favourite because Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner did fade towards the end of the day, while Maybelline always remains pristine. I think if you have the money give this a go otherwise try the cheaper Maybelline gel pen first to see if you get on with a push up liner pen.

Benefit They're Real Push up liner is £18.50 from Benefit cosmetics online, boots or department store counters.

Save Money: 6 Dupes for High End Products

Guerlain's Les Meteorites pearls are a cult product, finely milled they give a very subtle glow to the skin and more recently they have been available in a convenient, travel friendly, compact form. The refill price though expensive it what I'd expect from such a high end brand but the compact is a whopping £97.20! (from Escentual. In house of Fraser it's around £108!) That means you're paying  £62.70 for the packaging alone! That will buy you another Guerlain product or two or possibly most of Make Up Revolution's entire stock! Kiko offers a budget friendly alternative, with a mixture of  matte and shimmery shades of violet, green and pink that can be swirled together for a champagne coloured sheen. I understand that the Guerlain compact is actually more shimmery than the original Meteorite pearls and from swatches here and here I'd say Kiko's version is more similar to the Meteorite pearls (£37.50) giving a subtle glow.

Despite it's name the Max Factor blush is actually a powder not a cream. The Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Nude Mauve seems to have the same lasting power as Hourglass Mood Exposure blush and the shades are very similar which you can see in a post by Gemma from Beauty Nook here. The differences are that Max Factor has less product than Hourglass and is also less expensive.

I really liked Benefit's new Rollerlash mascara (you can see the review here) but £19.50 is an expensive price tag. However money savvy beauty lovers have sussed out not one, but two dupes. The first is Maybelline's Lash Sensational Mascara which is the cheapest dupe. They share a similar curved wand (although Maybelline isn't as skinny as the Benefit wand) and you can see just how alike the results are in Elle Sees Blog post here. The second dupe is Max Factor Masterpiece Transform Mascara despite the wand looking completely different the results are very similar which you can see for yourselves in a post by Make Up Monster here.

Although Claire's Valentine Hearts nail polish isn't an exact dupe for Nails Inc Alexa Hearts, they are similar each having red hearts inside which I couldn't find anywhere else. La Femme also do a range of  polish with gold, silver and turquoise hearts in them which you can find here for 99p.

These Maybelline color drama lip pencils are much raved about Nars Velvet Matte lip pencil dupes. Maybelline lip pencils are good quality but significantly cheaper than Nars. Maybelline's Red Essential is thought to be a Nars Cruella dupe and you can see in this post by Make Up Over Mind here that they are very similar in colour. They are great in pigment and texture-wise comfortable to wear and leave a stain. Maybelline's Fab Orange is supposed to be a dupe of Nars Red Square. You can see the swatches on my pintrest beauty board.

Nars Radiant Creamy concealer is often recommended as a good concealer for under the eye. Maybelline Fit Me concealer is it's high street counterpart. The differences are that Nars offers more coverage with less product, while Maybelline needs to be built up, but both give medium coverage. Maybelline dries slower than Nars meaning you have more time to blend. The consistency differs as Nars is creamier than Maybelline. Nars does give you more product at 15ml while Maybelline has 6.8g but is still worth trying out.  

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara Review

It's been a couple of years since Benefit launched a new mascara and the latest launch inevitably has plenty of hype. In an unprecedented move Benefit teamed up with Elle to include a sample version with this months Elle before the actual launch in March, a smart move Benefit hopes to get us hooked on their mascara (excuse the pun!)

Benefit Roller Lash is marketed as a 'super-curling and lifting mascara', and the name and packaging reflect this with the full sized tube designed with a wand brush cap shaped like a cute pink retro hair roller and hence the name Roller Lash mascara. The idea is that this mascara will give you such long lasting curled lashes that you can ditch the eye lash curlers (good news for lash curler haters or those just happy to eliminate a step in make up routine.)

So what makes this one different? Well it always seems to be all about the brush! The Roller Lash has a slightly curved plastic comb with uniquely designed 'Hook'n'roll' plastic bristles which lean diagonally upward to catch, lift and curl lashes Just to be clear the brush is a hard plastic/rubber comb.(see Benefit diagram on their box below)

Benefit's consumer panel survey tested this mascara on of 31 women. After 4 weeks of use

97% reported that it visibly lifts lashes, 87% said it gives long lasting curl 94% said their eyes looked more open. Firstly, Benefit 31 women? I'm sure that they could find many more women willing to test out a brand new Benefit mascara, hey I'm sure some would even go so far to give away their first born child for such an opportunity! I get that they would want to keep the results quiet for a while while they fix and improve the mascara before it gets launched but hey it wouldn't kill them to find an extra ten or twenty women to make the results more robust and representative for all us make up lovers out there.

So Does it work?
 I have very straight lashes so I'm an ideal candidate for this. I found that the slightly curved brush separated lashes effortlessly and with most curved brushes worth their salt it lifted the lashes as you swept the wand through them. I was however very impressed by how curled the lashes looked- it was much better than many other curling mascaras I've tried alone without curlers. This mascara can be built up but you do have to be a little careful the lashes don't end up spiky or spidery.

 If you compare my photos with Benefit on the left the 'So Straight lashes' picture looks like my photo with the mascara on! There are three reasons for this, firstly I have very straight lashes, secondly I don't think the camera was able to pick up how curly they were and thirdly I do  think that Benefit's pictures are a little unrealistic! The last photo using heated lash curlers looks more like the 'Dream Curl' pictured but in real life it looked like I was definitely wearing false lashes even though I wasn't. What I'm trying to say is that sometimes a lot of make up is needed to show up on camera that in real life would look a bit too much. Even so I've never seen my lashes like they are in the rollerlash & curler picture beofre, they did look amazing and would be great for a night out.

However for me the biggest test was whether the curl is long lasting as most seem to have only a temporary effect or the curl needs to be 'locked in' with lash curlers. I was pleasantly surprised that the curl did hold through the day and did not need to be locked down or boosted with an eyelash curler.

This mascara does a great job at lengthening lashes as well. Perhaps because of the small brush handle or plastic bristles when applying this mascara I had to be careful the mascara didn't smudge under my brow- but with the full sized longer handle this probably won't be the case. This is a wet formula which may also contribute to this, There were no smudges wearing this throughout the day. As a contact lens wearer, it's important to wear mascara that doesn't flake or irritate the eyes and I found Rollerlash didn't irritate or flake during the day. However this mascara isn't waterproof  and is only available in black. Overall I was really impressed with the results and found this mascara can give long lasting curled lashes that are almost as good as using curlers. During the daytime you can skip the lash curlers and just use this but for night time I would amp up the curl with the help of lash curlers.

Overall impression
I know that Benefit's previous mascaras are a bit like Marmite in that you either love them or hate them. I never got the hype with Bad Girl Lash mascara but loved They'll Real although lashes do feel  hard and crispy towards the end of the day. From reading other reviews of Rollerlash it seems even haters of They're Real love this mascara so it's definitely worth checking out. I'm super impressed by Rollerlash's long lasting curl. I think I would rate They're Real and Rollerlash as equally good, I think They're real has a little more volumne but Rollerlash has more curl. However the upshot is that I would definitely recommend this mascara. The full sized mascaras will be in the shops March 1st priced £18.50.

Have you tried this mascara? What did you think? Was it better than Benefit' They're Real Mascara in your opinion? Let me know in the comments below.

My bronzer Collection

Updated April 2020 

Although summer is fading and autumn fast approaching, a bit of bronzer can prolong a summer tanned look. I have medium olive skin and while I am amazed to find that there's still a lot of orange bronzers out there, especially in the drug store I've managed to find and recommend ones that aren't.I generally use Zoeva's Angled blush brushes (127 Luxe Sheer Cheek and 128 Cream cheek) to apply these bronzers below.

Sleek contour kit in light 

Although this is sold as a contour kit/palette the warm brown makes it more suitable for bronzing. It's very pigmented, fairly long wearing and includes one of my all time  favourite highlighters. For such a cheap price this is fantastic value for money. When I hit pan I will definitely go out and buy another.  Sleek online and Superdrug £6.49

Benefit Hoola Cream Bronzer 
Easy to use.

Ben Nye in Contour No 2  
Although sold as a contour powder the warm brown makes it ideal for bronzing.This is extremely pigmented and so requires a light hand and although I apply using a slanted contour brush I would recommend a fan brush so that you don't over apply, see my full review here. I absolutely love this, the pigment, the price everything and will definitely repurchase if I hit pan on this. Available from Treasure House of Make Up at £11.22 they are also available in the USA with other stage makeup brands such as Graftobian and Mehron.

Boots Natural collection in Milk Chocolate

 This is actually an eye shadow, one day I decided to try this as an Bronzer and the warmth of the brown really brings a healthy tanned glow to the face. At it's also very cheap and would suit paler skin tones. I would definitely repurchase as this is a double duty product.

From Boots £1.99

Boots No 7 Perfectly Bronzed Duo bronzer 

This is from a holiday set but is exactly the same as the one in current No 7 regular line which comes in a mirrored compact. Although this has tiny sparkles of glitter they don't really show up when worn so I've put this in the matte category. A good colour for a bronzer and I would repurchase this again. From Boots £12

The Benefit Cosmetics Hoola line is their best seller for a reason but  I would say the best value and all rounder are the Ben Nye Contour powder and Sleek Contour Kit.

Benefit They're Real Mascara Review

 
  I don't tend to spend much on mascaras (probably the most I've spent is £12 or £13) and only try mascaras from high end brands if they're included in a set or have a discount. I think the price has put me off trying this before despite all the hype and Holy Grail status this has in the beauty world.

 However his mascara is absolutely amazing! The formula allows you to build and lengthen lashes to an extent I've never experienced before or thought possible and it lasts all day. The performance is probably on par with fibre lash mascaras that I've shied away from because they're not recommended for contact lens wearers. This mascara doesn't smudge or flake off also important considerations if you wear contact lenses. The formula is more on the wet side so it will take longer to dry. I have long thickish lashes that suit wet formulas. If you have thin short lashes this may be less effective since the mascara may not build up properly onto thin lashes. The formula can hold a curl but not as well as other mascaras so you may need to give it another boost and curl midday. However sometimes it can look a little spidery on application. This can be easily remedied with a lash comb/old mascara wand. Although I have black lashes I feel the darkness of the black colour is pretty decent. Benefit claims that 94% of people in their consumer panel survey saw dramatic length and volume of eyelashes. Initially I didn't see any difference to the volume and thickness of my lashes until I read on Benefit's website that you're supposed to hold the wand vertically and stroke upwards for the promised effect. This method does make lashes look thicker however it's also more likely to result in mascara clumping. Unfortunately this mascara is not waterproof.

This brush has short plastic bristles, with bristles on the end tip. I prefer fibre brushes but this brush does separate lashes and I like the fact that the bristles on the end tip are angled, making it easier to coat lashes in the corners of your eyes. When applied to lower lashes the effect is a wide eyed 60's Twiggy look. I prefer the more natural look so I just coat the upper lashes. The brush generally prevents eyelashes clumping as well. I thought the smaller wand on this small sized trial version wouldn't be as effective but I was proved wrong! The only downside of the smaller wand and plastic bristles is that you have to be careful not to poke your eye. Perhaps this is because I'm not used to using plastic bristles. The wiper (the plastic ring inside the mascara's mouth) is pretty effective at depositing the right amount of mascara on the brush and preventing clumped eyelashes.

When it comes to the packaging, personally I don't like the grey tube, I think silver would look more luxurious. I think the full sized version is silver so I don't know why this isn't silver too. Also I don't like the orange writing on grey background but I suppose it does stand out.

I would still use another mascara for lash volume on nights out (which require a more dramatic look) but I'm super impressed by the performance of this mascara, and glad I've finally had a chance to use it. This was a freebie with a magazine (Elle) but the mini size retails in Boots stores for £9.50 which makes this mascara more affordable. I never use up all the mascara in a full bottle anyway but I guess how quickly you get through it depends how often you use it. The smaller size would be good to pack when traveling. I definitely feel the high price point is worth it. If you haven't tried this already- do check it out you won't regret it.

4.0g  £9.50 Boots in store
8.5g £19.50 Boots Debenhams John Lewis Benefit