Benefit's Stay Flawless Event

On Wednesday I was lucky enough to be invited to the latest Benefit event for the launch of their new Stay Flawless primer.

Unfortunately M's last exam was the day after the event so I had to go it alone, but there were lots of lovely girls who I'd met before and had the pleasure of meeting lots of new bloggers!

The event took place in The Living Room in Bristol, right next to the Imax theatre on the harbourside.

As soon as I walked in I loved it; the place had high ceilings, lots of lighting and a wall full of wine bottles, who wouldn't like that?!

It was also full of men in suits which was a little intimidating seeing as I turned up in jeans and converse but I soon got over that when the rest of the girls were dressed the same as me.

After having a quick catch up we were called over to the area and offered champagne and juices before taking a seat.



The reason for the event was to launch their new primer 'Stay Flawless'
It allegedly keeps your make up looking flawless for up to 15 hours.

Lisa PD was there for the launch again and gave us her demonstration using the lovely Rachel as her model:



The primer is applied to the skin in circle type motions before Hello Flawless is applied as quick as possible on top.
The Stay Flawless primer is in a stick form, I love stick things. I feel like a child when I was younger and applying lipstick to my entire face. It's similar to their Fake Up concealers in that it's so easy to apply and you really can't make a mistake.

The theory behind the primer is that it acts as a Make Up Magnet....and they had these amazing items to show us how it works:



So here we have your face (on the right), and your two products: Hello Flawless and Stay Flawless.

When you use Hello Flawless straight onto your skin....


The two things just don't stick well enough to each other, and coincidentally one slides straight off the other:



However, when Stay Flawless primer is used, the foundation sticks to the primer which sticks to your skin and therefore gives a long lasting, flawless face for the day!
It truly acts as a 'Make up Magnet'.



Lisa has tested out the primer herself and put her photos on Instagram to prove the make up stayed on.
After 12 hours her face was still flawless but after that the make up did start to show some shine coming through, which is why the primer only states up to 15 hours wear.
I like that they've been honest and stated that it could be UP TO 15 hours, not for definite.
As Lisa says, a primer that lasts 12 hours is nothing short of a miracle and I would be so happy if my make up stayed on my face for 12 hours perfectly!



What i particularly love about Benefit events is how lovely and friendly all of the Benebabes are. Not only are they really helpful for make up advice but they're also really nice to chat to and its lovely to have a rummage in their make up desk which conveniently seems to be near me at each event!

I also love that they have their own decorations for each event, like the cushions. The Stay Flawless ones were perfect for this time of year and so cute with their cross stitching pattern!



Luckily for us we got to leave with a goodie bag with not only a Stay Flawless primer to test out, but the Benefit foundation brush and also a bottle of Hello Flawless foundation which we were colour matched for at the event.
I was so excited when I found this out as I've always wanted to try the Hello Flawless foundation due to it's hydrating complex, the fact it's oil free and contains SPF25 AS WELL as being brightening. Phew! No wonder it's been on my wishlist for so long.



There were also plenty of nibbles at the event, and we were all cooing over these amazing chocolate covered strawberries and mini amaretto biscuits.





I was also lucky enough to win a competition whilst there for a Bronze of Champions kit which I cannot wait to use over the next few weeks!

I'll be back with a full review of the primer and foundation to see if it lives up to expectations....and trust me when I say I'll be doing an extensive review of it's lasting capabilities!


What's your favourite primer? Have you tried Hello Flawless foundation?

Thanks again to the Benefit girls (particularly Rachel, Jo, Lisa and Alyson) for another fun event, they're always a pleasure to attend and I always look forward to the next one!

L xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

Save, Spend, Splurge Hot Cloth Cleansers featuring Along Came Betty, No7 and Liz Earle.

Another Save, Spend Splurge for you all today. You can read my previous Save, Spend, Splurge posts here. I've covered skincare, make up removers and dry shampoo now. Today I thought I'd cover Hot Cloth Cleansers. I'm sure most people have heard of the blogger favourite Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. It's not the cheapest so are any of the cheaper alternatives as good.

I'm comparing Along Came Betty Porefectly Clean Hot Cloth Cleanser from Tesco, No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser from Boots and Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish.

Save

Along Came Betty (Tesco £5.99 Currently £3.00 for 100ml - which is what I paid) LINK

This has a very similar texture to the Liz Earle, it's thick like the Liz Earle and has a really refreshing scent. I really love the smell of this. It's soft on the skin and really removes make up. It doesn't sting the eyes and removes the eye make up with ease. It also comes with one cloth which is as good quality as the Liz Earle one. 

Spend

No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser (Boots £9.95 for 200ml) LINK

This was donated to me by L. She didn't get on with it after trying Liz Earle. It's a much wetter creamier texture which I find means you need more. Price per ml when the Along Came Betty isn't on offer it works out cheaper but in my opinion you need to use more of it to obtain the same results so it does work out more expensive. First off it smells of roses which really puts me off. I don't find it leaves my skin feeling as fresh. I also find it slips of my hand a lot if I use it in the shower and I'm not careful. I just really don't enjoy this as much as the others. I do find this one really stings my eyes when used to remove eye make up.

Splurge

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (£14.75 for 100ml) LINK

I choose the starter kit price for comparison as the others come with muslim cloths. Sold with or without the cloths (£13.25 for 100ml) it's still a lot more expensive. I really do love this, it has a fresh eucalyptus scent which I really love as it leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean. My eye make up is easily removed. It's a thick cream and I find one pump is enough, it does really last well.

Along Came Betty, No7, Liz Earle

As you can tell above the No7 cleanser isn't one I enjoy as much. I honestly think the Along Came Betty cleanser is a fair match for the Liz Earle. Liz Earle does win slightly in smell stakes but I do also enjoy the Along Came Betty. Due to the price difference for me this time Save Wins. As much as I love the Liz Earle from now on I will be purchasing Along Came Betty for everyday use and letting my Liz Earle be used for when I'm feeling flush.

What's your thoughts on Hot Cloth Cleansers? Have you tried cheaper alternatives?

Love M

xxx 

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

H and M haul and Discount Codes

My mum is a right little bargain hunter lately.  I'm always getting texts through telling me of a new site she's found or bargain piece.  I keep telling her I'm trying to be good and not spend.  My spending ban really did change my spending habits.  Lack of money probably adds to it as well.

My mum sent me a text last week to tell me she'd found a dress on H and M for only £3.99. She kindly offered to buy me it and told me to get a few more bits.

Here is the bargain dress.  Full price is only £7.99. I love the simplicity of it and how easy it is to wear. It comes in four colours.  Unfortunately you can only order one per order and you have to spend over a certain amount to spend online (I think it's £7). I went with the leopard print.  I love leopard print but think it can be hard to wear.  I decided the style of the dress would save it from being tacky!

One thing that annoyed me with all the items I ordered was the sizing.  You either have the option of size 6-8 or 10-12 being a size 8-10 I was unsure what size to go for. In the dress I went with 10-12 as I thought it would look better if it was a bit if a loose fit.

I'm always on the look out for baggy but shapely jumpers.  I loved the mix of neon and grey in this jumper.  I went for the 10-12 in this so it was looser but I do with I'd gone for the 6-8 now. It's still very wearable and easy to throw on with a pair of jeans. It's also a lot lighter material than I expected meaning it's perfect for the spring weather we are having. It's also on sale for £5 here.

Lastly I picked up a black and white striped cardigan.  Cardigans are something I always need but never buy (along with leggings!) I got this in size 6-8 as my top half is generally smaller.  Sizing is so annoying like this. I wish it would just be sized normal! The cardigan does fit fine.  I wear it half unbuttoned as buttoning to the top doesn't suit me! This was in the sale for only £4 here.

Delivery is £3.99 I personally hate having to pay for delivery.  I wish H and M would follow other stores and have the option to delivery to store for free! Not only that delivery was very slow!  I ordered it on a Tuesday night.  Got an email to say it was despatched on Thursday but didn't receive it till the Thursday after! The delivery was within therr estimated time.  Albeit the last date but when I'm paying for delivery I think a week maximum is the most to make someone wait not 8-9 days. What's your thoughts on delivery times? What do you expect to wait?

Anyways after seeing delivery charges I googled to see if I could find a H and M discount code. I actually found two and was able to use both.  On the forum's I was on the £5 off code is one people have been using for a while.  The code for this is 1304. I also found one for 25% off the most expensive item. The code for this is 0241.

Using these codes I managed to reduce my bill down to just over £10. It was a bargain but lately I find H and M don't have great service.  In the store in town L and I have experienced rude customer service I hate it when stores have a few stuck up sales assistants as it really puts me off! It makes me not want to visit the store.

Do you have stores have you are put off of due to sales assistants?

H and M really do have some great bargains and do good basics.  I think I'll have to start going to the other stores.

Love M

xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

Would you rather...?

I saw this on Georgina's blog MakeUp Pixi3 this week and couldn't resist but give it a go! Hope you enjoy my answers, I tag everyone that reads this and anyone else who wants to!

Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip glosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?
It would have to be the palettes and eyeshadows for me, I do love my palettes but I couldn't live without mascara and foundation and lipstick brightens up any look easily for me!

Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

Not sure I'd be one of those people who looks good without hair so I'd have to say never be able to cut it. I love having my hair long!

Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?
Coral hands down! Love the orangey tone and am getting quite a collection of them together!

If you had £1000 to spend, Would you rather buy clothes or makeup?
Normally I'd say make up, but needing a new work wardrobe and summer clothes in a smaller size having lost some weight....I'm gonna have to go with clothes this time! Particularly shoes, I need some good work ones and summer sandals!

Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?
Having applied lipstick as eyeliner before for fancy dress, I'd definitely go with using eyeliner as lipstick. There are a small number of nude ones that could be used and I wouldn't recommend red lipstick-lined eyes unless its for a zombie look!

Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?
I'm one for variety, so Sephora would have to win for me even though Mac is one of my top stores! I just love being able to choose different products from different brands.

Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?
This is so hard. I've recently got into lipsticks in a big way and now couldn't imagine only having one! but then eyeshadows can be more diverse and you can easily use so many different colours on your eyes. Siiiiiigh. I'll have to choose using one lip colour.

Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?
Winter! Like Georgina says, summer in Wales isn't too great anyway so winter clothes are out for 9 months of the year. And to be honest, for me there is nothing like a pair of jeans, comfy jumper and boots!

Would you rather dark nails or bright nails all year round?

Brights, but only just. I like a lot of reds and pinks and most are brighter than you'd call them dark so I'd have to choose that. Plus i love coral too much!

Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?
I'm not sure I have a particular favourite eye product so I'd have to say that one. I could not do without my lip balm at the moment, mine have been cracking they've been so dry and nobody likes that!

Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a pony tail or a messy bun?
Messy bun, so easy and can be pretty for work, play and anything in between!

Would your rather never being able to paint your nails again or never use lipgloss?
I rarely ever wear lip gloss so definitely lose the lip gloss! My nails are everything right now.

Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all? or sharpie them in everyday?
I'd look RIDICULOUS without eyebrows. My pale skin and almost black hair make for a big contrast. and I'd blend right in with the 'scousewives' if I used a sharpie ;)

Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?
Nail polish, but it kind of hurts to admit that! I just couldn't live without mascara, foundation and lipstick.

L xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here