FOTD: Neutrals and Coral

Morning lovelies!

I've got a Face of the Day post today as I've had a bit of time to fuss around and take pictures in the morning recently. i always think it's nice to know what people REALLY use on their face despite reviews they've produced.

Here's my FOTD before I had my hair dyed back to its natural colour:

It's quite a simple every day look, there was minimal fuss and I kept with my neutral eye colours and used a few summery coral colours to keep in the with sun that had actually arrived in the sky!

The Benefit Groovy Kind of Love set was bought last Christmas in their seasonal collection. It had a bit of everything that I couldn't resist and contained a few neutral eyeshadows that I needed to test out! Plus it's a great travel kit as it has almost everything you need.

Everything else used is shown below; Beauty blender, Vichy Dermablend in Opal, Lasting Perfection concealer in 1, Bourjois Chocolate bronzer, Inika Mineral Blush in 04 Peachy Keen, MAC Studio Fix powder, UD 24/7 Liner in Smoke, They're Real mascara and Gimme Brow styling gel.

I've been using my beauty blender a lot recently, it's a new addition to my stash and it took some getting used to but now I'm hooked!
It gives such a perfect finish (after a bit of work) and I love how natural and even the coverage is from it. You can see below in the super close picture of my forehead how even and flawless this is.

After using the blender to apply Dermablend and the concealer i dusted on the Studio Fix. It's quite a heavy powder but I've been using it recently to use it up; it's looking a bit tired and I want to get my next Back to Mac lipstick asap!

Next I applied the bronzer and blush to my cheeks to attempt some mild sculpting of my face and then ran Gimme Brow through my unruly brows. I've found mine have got a lot more temperamental recently!

Then I used all 4 of the colours in the Benefit palette building up from the lightest all over the lid, the middle two colours blended into the crease with the gold shimmer in the centre of the lid. Then I used the darkest colour to line underneath the eye and the outer corner of the upper lid.

I love using the 24/7 liner in Smoke on my lower waterline as it is a perfect alternative to black for every day wear; I find it can be too heavy sometimes and I like to change it up. I bought Smoke as part of a set but I can honestly say I use it a lot more than I thought I would and I really love it.

Here I also applied two coats of They're Real mascara, I think it's one of the best out there but i do begrudge paying the £19.50 for it as I'm a mascara germ phobe and throw them out after 6-10 weeks. However you can often get them in deals or minis in magazines which I always pick up!

One thing that i seem to have completely forgotten to take a photo of is Cha Cha tint from Benefit. I used this on my lips for a natural looking stain which lasts a few hours. I never use these as much as I should and need to get into using the minis i have of them as the colours are lovely and can be built up from a wash to a strong coloured stain.

What do you think of my FOTD? 

It's a general every day look for me and I love switching between neutral palettes to mix things up. Which is your favourite palette of the moment? Do you use the stains from Benefit?

L xxx

Inika Peaches and Pink Gift Set

A few weeks ago I entered a competition to win this beautiful set from CutECOsmetics

I was SO shocked as I haven't ever won anything before and this was a gorgeous gift set!

Inika are a brand that I had heard of before, but I didn't own any of their products.

Taken from the CuteCosmetics website it says:

All products in the natural cosmetic range are Certified Organic or Vegan, Certified Halal and Certified Cruelty Free. INIKA is committed to education in both wellness based beauty and ingredients. INIKA uses the finest Australian botanicals and pure minerals to produce makeup that cares for your skin as well as performing brilliantly. INIKA ingredients feed the skin in a soothing manner and are actually beneficial.

INIKA will never use harsh or harmful chemicals, additives or fillers. We are proud of our ingredients and readily display them on everything we do.

This sounds to me like a pretty awesome company!

We have recently been writing posts about different chemicals and their usage in products and how they affect your body in a negative way (all of which you can find here), so it was lovely to win a gift set from a company that seriously thinks about this!

The box the set came in is really simple and pretty, pink is always a winner and I liked the ribbon handle on top too.

Inside the set was a Peachy Keen Blush, a blusher brush and a Peach Blossom Creamy Crayon.

When I first saw the blush I thought oh my word that's so bright!

But as usual with these kinds of colours the colour came out a much more acceptable corally glow!

Its a gorgeous product, very finely milled and blends easily, also a little goes a long way due to the lack of fillers and other chemicals that are usually found in similar products, so it's well worth the investment.

It also gives a beautiful sheen on the skin and makes you look like a natural glow.

The crayon is so soft and easy to use on the lips.

Sometimes products like this can be hard to use as the colour doesn't show up or can take a while to 'warm up' before it comes off properly, which usually means you've scrubbed your lips red raw before it actually shows up!

This product however gives a gorgeous peachy colour with gold flecks that will look so good in the summer sunshine!

Another thing is that the lid feels pretty secure, I take products like this with me in my hand bag and if the lid comes off it gets everywhere and ruins the product :(

But this beauty stays on tight and passed the hand bag test ;)

The whole set can be found on CuteCosmetics website here and is currently down to £30

Another bonus is even the blusher brush is vegan, created with no harm to any animals.

The whole set is completely guilt free, I say what on earth are you waiting for?!

CuteCosmetics has definitely become a favourite of mine to browse when I'm waiting for the train etc, there's always something on there I want!

What do you think about products without any chemicals in? Are you up for making the move to organic and cruelty free make up?

And how much do you love this gift set?!

Perfect gift for any girl I think!

L xxx