The majority of this haul comes from one of my brands of the moment, Benefit. I already had quite a few Benefit products in my collection but after having a Benefit makeover at the Fenwick Beauty Week preview, I added a whole load more to my wishlist.
At the top of my list was Gimme Brow - a fibre filled gel that not only tames that brows but it also gives the illusion of thicker and fuller brows. I have a couple of bald patches after an over enthusiastic plucking session so I loved the natural effect that this gave, I went for the shade Light / Medium which was the one the MUA used on me.
Something else that was used on me was the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow / Liner in No Pressure.
I'm a huge, huge fan of the creaseless cream shadows and I already have quite a few in my make up collection, my favourite by far is Skinny Jeans but No Pressure is something that I can see myself using a lot. It described as a rich fawn, and for me it's a dark, taupe, brown with just a hint of shimmer. Creaseless creams are the perfect product if you're in a rush or you're feeling a bit lazy, just smooth a little bit of product over your lid and blend out and you're done. You can also use them as a liner so you're really getting two products in one.
Although I normally buy a lot of my Benefit products in store and on counter I have placed a couple of orders on the Benefit website lately, mainly when they've had an free postage offer on or when they've had a good gift with purchase offer. I bought this shadow from their website and I also bought this.
Despite being in my late 30's I still have quite an oily skin particularly on my t-zone, my nose and my chin so this product automatically appealed. The Benefit The Porefessional License To Blot Instant Oil Blotting Stick, is basically a solid, twist up stick of the Porefessional Primer. Instead of using it underneath your make up you use it on top, to take down the shine, instead of using say a face powder. I haven't used this yet but I'll give you some feedback when I do.
As I say I only order from the Benefit website when they have an offer on and one of their most recent offers was a good one. With any purchase you got a free Benefit tote bag. I have to say I wasn't expecting much but this really surprised me. With a San Francisco design, little feet on the bottom and a hot pink lining, this bag is a really nice quality, and would make a fab beach bag. It's well worth subscribing to their newsletter to keep up to date with all of their offers and new releases.
Another benefit (haha) of ordering from the Benefit website is the free samples. You usually get two free samples with each order and with my two orders I got two samples of the Total Moisture Facial Cream, a sample of Puff Off and a sample of the They're Real Remover.
My next two Benefit purchases both came from ASOS thanks to a couple of discount codes :) The first kit that I got was the Operation Pore-Proof Mission Accomplished Pore Kit.
Two of my biggest skin care concerns are large pores and oiliness and that's what this kit claims to disguise. I love this kits from Benefit and they really give you an opportunity to try a few products at once without having to shell out for the full size. This kit contains a mini Dr Feelgood, a mini The Porefessional Primer, a mini the Porefessional Agent Zero Shine, and a brush, a mini License To Blot and a mini Shy Beam. At the moment this kit is the only way to buy Shy Beam, it's basically a matte highlighter, the concept is a bit strange but it does what it says it does. I will be reviewing this kit in the run up to Christmas because I think it will make a great gift especially for teenagers.
The final Benefit item that I'm going to show is also a mini kit and it's also something that I got from ASOS. During my makeover, I no only had the opportunity to try out some of the Benefit make up products but I also had the chance to try out some of their skin care products, and I have to say I was impressed. I think it was the light textures and the smell that impressed me the most - they all have the same gorgeous fresh, slightly fruity, floral scent, and they all have a sort of light gel / cream texture.
The little mini kit that I got from ASOS unfortunately isn't online anymore but it contained a mini Porefessional Primer, and two mini glass packaged, skincare products, the It's Potent Eye Cream and the Triple Performance Facial Emulsion. I'm probably going to be reviewing these in a future Sample Saturday post so stick around x
Although I've bought the odd item from Clinque, I would never consider them as one of my go to brands, but lately I've spent more and more time lusting after their products with the Chubby Sticks and these gorgeous Cheek Pops right at the top of my list.
How pretty are these blushers? I've wanted one of these for the longest time and now I have one in the shade Berry Pop - I haven't got heart to destroy the pretty pattern - Products are made to be used and not looked at though so one of these days I will get round to swatching it and no doubt I'll show you when I do.
My next Clinique purchase isn't as pretty to look at but over the last few months it's become a real staple in my make up routine, It's the Stay Matte Oil Free Make Up in the shade 2 Alabaster.
Way, way back in April I received a little Clinique sample pot in my goodie bad from the Intu Metro Centre Fashion Live Event, and straight after the event I went to the Clinique counter and got a sample of foundation chosen for me by one of their make up artists,and this was it. The colour match is perfect and I love how long wearing it is on my oil prone skin. If you would like a review of this one let me but this is definitely a product that I would repurchase.
The last make up purchase in this haul comes from a brand that seems to have fell off my radar lately, MAC. Don't get me wrong I still rate the brand but they just don't seem as exciting or as innovative as they once did. The majority of their releases have all just been a bit samey, the one however was just a little bit different
MAC Cosmetics La Disko Dazzleshadow in Boom Boom Room is a beautiful burgundy shade which is shot through with emerald sparkles. It's a total bugger to photograph but it's one of those fab duo chromes that changes colour with every movement - it's beautiful!
I've tried to swatch this but it just won't show up in photographs :( I've also tried swatching it in the video at the end of this post but it still doesn't do it justice - this is a colour that you need to see in the flesh but move quickly if you're interested as this was a sparkle filled, limited edition.
Next up one my own personal obsessions - nail polish. As well as picking up a lovely hot pink Nails Inc polish in Notting Hill Gate with this months Glamour magazine, and a lovely bronze, gold Orly polish with ELLE (see my Instagram for pics) I've also picked up quite a few sparkly polishes lately including this OPI kit.
T
This was the recent OPI Christmas Today's Special Value on QVC and I love it. There were two options Warm and Cool, and obviously I went for the cool option. The kit contains 4 full sized polishes from the new Holiday collection in sparkly blacks, blues and silvers, as well as a full sized Nail Envy, and a full sized Bubble Bath Nail Envy which is exclusive to QVC. It also contains a full sized Avoplex Hand Cream and some Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops. I will be featuring all of the colours in the run up to the festive season and I'll also be showing you the Bubble Bath Nail Envy and reviewing the Drip Dry Drops and the hand cream.
I've took full advantage of ASOS discount codes lately and something else that I got was something that I'd wanted for a very long time, Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Melange.
Melange is the most gorgeous colour, it's a dusky teal green, shot through with lots and lots of fine gold sparkle.
Again the pictures just don't do this polish justice, it's one of those colours that you need to see in the flesh and one that I can't wait to get on my nails.
I think I've mentioned it once or twice but I'm a bit of a QVC aholic and I love nothing better than settling down in front of the TV and watching one of their beauty shows. I love how QVC embrace bloggers, You Tubers and social media and one of their most recent guests was the lovely Caroline Hirons. Caroline was modelling for the Pixi team who were demonstrating Pixi Glow Tonic. This stuff had been on my wishlist for the longest time so I took the plunge and ordered it, and even though I've only been using it for a week or so, I have to say so far so good, my skin looks brighter and feels smoother already.
The final two items that I'm going to show probably highlight how overdue this post actually is, they're all about summer and they're all about the tan.
Okay I didn't strictly buy this St Tropez kit, but I did purchase a Red Magazine subscription to get it. The offer was well worth it, as well as a discount on the magazine, you also got a free St Tropez toiletry bag, a full 50ml size of the St Tropez Light / Medium Gradual Tan Everyday Dace Lotion, and a full 200ml size of the St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Tanning Lotion. I have to say I got this mainly for the in shower tanner but as of yet I haven't used it or the mini one I got free with a magazine. I'm a bit frightened of staining my mums new wet room but one of these days I'll bite the bullet and give it a go. Just a hint though I'm probably going to be cancelling my Red subscription, not because I don't like the magazine but because you don't get the cover mounted free gifts - grrr!
If you've made it this far, well done this haul has been pretty epic and at last you've made it to the final item and yes this was summer related too, a huge 400ml size of the Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion.
Ho Hum, I didn't get that much use out of this, this year, but with a two years once open shelf life hopefully I'll get some use out of it next year. It's basically a gorgeous anti-ageing body moisturiser that contains an ingredient that activates the melanin in your skin, allowing you to tan more quickly. 2015 was a fail for me when it came to sun exposure - I think I sat outside for one day! so here's hoping 2016 will be a little bit sunnier.
You've done it! You've made it to the end x Well done I hope you've enjoyed my rather epic 5 month long haul but if you haven't had your fill of my beauty buys then settle down and enjoy the accompanying epic video which you can find here or below x
Thanks for watching and if you have any questions or comments (keep them nice x) and I'll see you soon x
