Benefayre Cardiff

I'm sure you've all seen plenty of posts about this but I had to show my thanks and support for such an amazing event that Benefit have been putting on around the country over the past few weeks.

The Benefayre in Cardiff was on this weekend just outside Jamie's Italian and a few of us popped to see it on the Saturday.
You can see us all below with the lovely Alyson Rowe, she's so lovely and always has time for a chat with us!

There were so many things going on so I took a load of pictures to save me from waffling on!
Below you can see the face painting, amazing decor, kids playing with the ducks and the photo booth:

 

 The best part of the day was the fair style games.
Porefessional had been turned into a Shootout, Hello Flawless into a Tin Can Alley, and They're Real was turned into a Hoopla game.

 

This one was my favourite but unfortunately I missed one so lost out on the top prize!

 

This one was a surprise to me, I am normally awful at these things and this was the hardest one but I actually got all of them onto the brushes! I couldn't believe it!

 

This one I was awful at, getting the balls to knock down all 5 of the bottles was so hard! Especially the bottom ones.

When you arrived you donated money and received these poker chip style coins to use at all of the stalls including the photobooth and for drinks, makeovers and facepainting.

This was of course, all in aid of Refuge, a charity to help women and children against domestic violence.
Similar to their Mascarathon last year this was a great way to raise money and so many people got involved.
There were so many children there having just as much fun as the women, and plenty of boyfriends shooting, throwing and looping to get their partners presents!



Twice as many women in the UK suffer from domestic violence than breast cancer, which was shocking to me as you just don't hear as much about it.
It also shocked me that 2 women are killed a week by their partners/ex partners.

Although it was a really fun day it was very important to get this message across as it's so easy to donate a few pounds and this could make a real difference to someone in need of help.

You can text BENE88 to 70070 to donate £2 which is so easy, let's face it you will barely notice an additional £2 on your phonebill.
If you'd like to donate more you can follow this link to Just Giving.

I was lucky enough to win a few things whilst I was there including the Stay Flawless mirror (which is amazing!), a make up bag and a few mini products which you can see below:

I had a lovely day there and had some great fun with the girls, catching up and having fun in the photobooth!
We tried many poses, not all were successful.........

Did you make it to the Benefayre whilst it was travelling around the country?
This is such a good way to raise money and awareness and have fun too, this is exactly why Benefit will always be a brand that I purchase from. Not only do they make great products and have fun with it, they raise money in a fun way that everyone can join in with!

L xxx

Urban Outfitters WIP Nail Varnish

Happy weekend!

I wanted to share some nail polishes that my friends bought for me a little while ago. I'd never heard of this brand before and they told me they were from Urban Outfitters, and as far as I can see is their own brand of nail polish.

These are great value at £6 each and are currently on offer, 2 for £10!



The colours I was given were Dolly Mix and Blueberry, shown with and without flash.



I've never used any polishes by WIP before, but I've been super impressed with them so far. Not only is the range great; they have a load of brights and funky glitters on the website (found here) but they're opaque in 2 coats and last just as good as OPI and Nails Inc for half the price.

The first one you can see is Dolly Mix, a hexagonal purple glitter in a clear base:

I applied it over a nude colour (Essie's Sand Tropez) so you can easily see the glitter after 2 coats.
It applies pretty easily with a decent amount of glitter in each coat but 2 is always better!

I love how it looks over nude! 

Blueberry is a super bright opaque blue colour that applied like a dream, it's so creamy and after 2 coats was opaque:



I teamed it here with a bright pink (Essie's Watermelon) for a fun summer look, I love how they both make each other look brighter.

I really like these colours that my friends chose for me, and the brand has been a great addition to my collection.

Have you tried any polishes by WIP? I have no idea what it stands for bit I'd love to know if you do!!
I've seen quite a few bright colours that I'd love to get my hands on.

L xxx

MUA Pro Base Conceal and Brighten Kit

Hello!

Today I'm writing about a super cheap concealer palette from bargain cosmetics brand MUA.

I was in Superdrug picking up a 3 for 2 deal and couldn't resist picking this up to try as my final item. It was a bargainous £4 at the time and I'm sure you'll agree, a palette for £4 is always worth a try!

It has three different colours and consistencies to cover a wide range of blemishes that I was quite impressed with.

I assume there must be other colours as this kit comes in Porcelain-Beige, but I'm not sure as I would have automatically picked up the lightest colour!

I like that there are the three different shades and effects.
The first is a pinker shade and more illuminating, great for under the eyes.
The second is a thicker, creamier shade that's great for covering redness from spots and other blemishes.
The last is a thicker and more duskier pink coloured concealer that would be great for scars and birthmarks.

These concealers are actually, dare I say it, really good for the £4 price tag.
I'd expect this to cost around £12 if I'd been shown it without any brand names.
All of the concealers are different and apply really easily with your fingers or a brush.

You can see the concealers when applied to my arm below:

In the photos below (taken at 6am in the morning rush...apologies for expressions and quality!) you can see where I've applied the first concealer (pink toned and highlighting) to my undereye.

It has worked really well at concealing dark circles and feels really soft and blendable.
I have only got foundation and concealer on in these pictures so you can see how much of a difference it makes!

I also then applied the middle concealer around my nose area where the skin is slightly redder for some reason. It sometimes looks like I have a cold...when I don't!
As you can see below it has easily covered this up:

I was pretty impressed with the coverage of this concealer. As for longevity, it lasted pretty well throughout the day. I work in warm labs which is a bit of a test for my make up, my under eye concealer did crease but I would say most concealers do this to an extent. The concealer around my nose also needed to be reblended at some point in the day but it was easily done with my fingers which others you couldn't do.

I'd say this was well worth the price tag and I'd recommend to anyone looking for a great multifunctional concealer palette!

Have you tried a palette like this? What do you think of MUA's cheap as chips range??

L xxx

Empties 3

Today is another big empties post. I've really been working my way through my stash. Last week I posted about my make up empties which you can read here. My stash doesn't seem to be getting smaller product wise as my bathroom is still full!

I am trying to work my way through all my samples but it does seem to be taking forever. I really need to start using the things I buy more.

As you can see this is another big empties stash! I really need to do them more regularly as I love reading these posts as I think it's good to see what people have actually used up.

Hair Care

As you can see lots of hair things have been used up.

Superdrug Dry Shampoo - you can read my thoughts on this here, I'm not a fan and definitely won't be buying again.

Pure Argan Oil - I picked this up from ebay and it was only 3.99. I'll definitely be buying it again until I can treat myself to the macadamia oil which I think is the best one. Amazon is great for pure oils.

Boots baby shampoo - I use this for cleaning my make up brushes. It does the job and is cheaper than Johnsons. I do find it runs out quickly though so at the moment I'm using soap which seems to be doing the job just as well.

Soap and Glory Glad Hair Days - This is a soap and glory product I don't actually like. I really don't like this as a shampoo. i found it drying and it made my hair knotty. As I didn't want it to go to waste I've been using it as it shave gel. Shampoos you don't like make good shave gels as they lather well. Conditioner also works.

Tigi Bed Head Superstar - I absolutely loved this shampoo at first. I really felt like it made my hair look thicker but... and this is a big but after a few washes I noticed it was making my hair fall out. I don't know what it was about it but whenever I used it more hair came out and noticeable large amounts. Needless to say this then became a shave gel!

Trevor Sorbie Beautiful Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner - I picked these minis up to go on holiday with last year as you got more product in them than others. I love that these are purple tinted to help prevent brassy tones. Great product but loving other higher end brands like Label.m and Sebastian to repurchase these.

Hairspray - I currently visiting my parents so don't have my empties with me and for the life of me I can't remember the brand. It came in a set from boots at Christmas time. I didn't really like it as it really coated my hair and was a hairspray that showed if that makes sense!

Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Mask - This is a great little mask. Nourishing and left my hair feeling soft. Not as good as macadamia one but a brilliant for the price.

Skincare

Etat Pur Micellar Cleansing Water - This was the first micellar water I used and I really liked it. Not heavy fragranced, easily removed face make up (A little harder on the eyes) and great for lazy make up days.

Caudalie Moisturising Cream Mask - This was a sample and only enough for one mask so a little hard to judge. Nice enough but nothing game changing to make me want to rush out and buy it.

Bioderma Sebium - Now this is a game changer. I didn't want to like this. It has such a cult love I didn't think it could be that good but when I won a competition with Escentual.com I got sent a sample and I instantly loved it. I prefer this one to the original. It's better on my skin. It is as good as everyone says.

Origins Brighter by Nature - I wanted to love these. I love the idea of an enzyme peel. I think I even convinced myself they were great. But in all honesty I don't think now I'd buy them again.

Amie Skin Cooling Clay Mask - I love this. The scent is amazing lime and peppermint mmm! It's great for the weather we've been having as it cools and refreshes while it's on the skin. I think I prefer this to the Origins Charcoal mask.

Carmex lip balm and origins whip stick - both featured in my last empties so I won't go on about them. Like both of them (enough to have had half used doubles of each of them).

Boots Cleansing Wipes - I tend to use face wipes to clean my brushes and wipe make up mistakes away so I'm not really fussy. Any ones will do for me but I don't really like baby wipes as I find them too dry.

Lancome Eye Make up Remover - I love this. Almost as much as my No7 one. Not enough to pay the huge difference. If you can afford it though it's a great eye make up remover, it doesn't tug, melts away make up and is the least greasy whilst being most effective that I have tried. I'm hoping Lancome do a Christmas set with this and the Hypnose mascara.

No7 Eye Make Up Remover - Anyone who knows me knows I love this stuff. I go through bottles of it. I think it's really important to use proper eye make up remover most of the time. It's gentler on the eyes and less pulling hopefully means not causing extra wrinkles. This is a great price (when using a voucher) and really effective. I will be buying over and over again. I've even converted L.

Other

Planet Spa Hand Cream - This is my favourite hand cream and I've tried a fair few. I love the scent (shea butter) and the way it sinks in and moisturises. I always keep a stock of these.

Glotanz tan in a can - This is my favourite tan at the moment and I'm so glad we got to try it. It's easy to apply, pretty much scent free and gives me a perfect tan after one coat (most fake tans on me require at least two!). L has kindly donated me hers but I'll definitely be repurchasing.

Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb EDP - This is my most sad empty. If I had a fragrance this is it. It's beautiful and oriental and lasts on my skin. But at £60 a bottle it's a wait till Christmas. The Zara perfume in oriental is keeping me going for the time being. 

Givency Perfume Sample - ok perfume but would repuchase.

Celebre Body Spray - I'm not a body spray person but this was given to me so I have used it up. The scent is ok but not one I'd chose as I prefer something with a bit of a sweeter or oriental twist.

Marc Jacobs Daisy - L was kind enough to give me her bottle of this to try as I said I wanted it. I absolutely loved the scent and people commented on how it smelt very me. The bottle is beautiful and I'll be sad to see it go off my desk. The only downside is it didn't last long. My skin tends to need parfum versions.

Soap and Glory Hand Food - Raved about by both L and I and many others, great hand cream, amazing smell. But I do prefer the Avon Planet Spa one as it's a bit cheaper and sinks in better.

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser - This will always win the hot cloth cleanser scent wars for me. I find it's thicker than most and one of the most gentle. Due to the price there is another I now prefer more. (read about that here) will still continue to repurchase as a treat buy.

So that's another long list of empties!! What have you been using up lately? Leave me links to your empties posts!

Love M

xxx