Benefit Full Face Get Ready With Me Review...

Hey guys :)

So, some of you might have seen my YouTube video, where I did my entire makeup using only Benefit products.

If you haven't seen it, watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYXmuOHedu4 then come back and read this :)

So, I wanted to let you know what I thought of the final look.

I must say, I myself am surprised at how it turned out! I thought being a high end brand that I would be left with the most flawless looking face, but I was sadly mistaken.

I was left with a face where my pores were greatly exaggerated and the creasing under my eyes were somewhat similar to the wrinkles of an 80 year old! I looked TERRIBLE. I looked so bad, once I noticed truly how bad it was I took all my makeup off straight away!

BUT, it must be said that I have read that with the Hello Flawless foundation, you are supposed to leave it for a few minutes after applying to really set into the skin, before setting with a powder. And I didn't want, as I never have done with any other foundation before. So I am not against Benefit products at all, just because it turned out bad this once! As generally I absolutely love all the products I used, I had just never used them all together.

Here is the video, again. :)

Please can you all subscribe to my YouTube channel too :)

I will definitely be doing give aways once I reach certain numbers of subscribers too!

Thanks for reading,

Love, Abbie

<3

Benefit Operation Pore Proof First Impression/Review

Hi guys, so as you might have seen I recently purchased the NEW Benefit Operation Pore Proof kit from Boots.

I generally love Benefit products, despite the fact they are quite expensive in comparison to the rest of the makeup I own. But because they offer these kind of kits with smaller sizes of the products I am fortunately able to own quite a few of their products.

When I saw this kit was out I was SOOOOO excited for it! I have trouble with minimising my pores so I literally thought this kit was sent from Haven just for me, haha! But seriously, I had high, high hopes for this.

You can't go wrong with the Porefessional primer, no, I don't think it totally minimises pores, but you also can't expect it to work miracles, so it doesn't bother me. So that product was fine, it is the rest of them that I have the issues with!

Dr Feel Good, is a product that is meant to be pat and smoothed over makeup to mattify. BUT all this seemed to do, even though I followed the instructions perfectly, was wipe away my makeup! I could see the freckles and redness on the area I used it on! It literally just wiped it ALL away!

License to Blot, is essentially a very similar product, you pat it on areas that are a little shiny to mattify. But, again, there is a theme here, it just wiped my makeup away! As I patted it onto the shiny parts of my face it literally took all my powder, foundation and concealer with it! Frustrating!

And, Shy Beam was the product I was most excited for, it is a matte liquid highlighter, which sounds like my dream product! BUT I applied this to the high points of my cheek bones, and on a second occasion (to give it a second chance) I applied it under my eyes, somewhat like a concealer, just to try and brighten my under eye area, and oh my god, it too just took my entire foundation etc with it as I used my finger or a sponge to blend it in!

Overall I am so disappointed with the product! Because it is not cheap either! At all! It retails at £28.50, and when I am only mildly happy with one product (the primer) then it really is not worth that much!

I still remain hopeful that I just got a bad batch, or faulty product, and that these products are all actually really good and as amazing as I would have initially thought. But these products that I bought are seriously so bad! And I am absolutely gutted I have basically lost out on £28.50 because to me that is a lot of money and I could have bought so much drug store makeup that is brilliant quality for that amount of money!

Oh well, you live and you learn.

If I haven't scared you off, then here is where you can buy the product http://www.boots.com/en/benefit-Its-all-about-prime-POREfessional-Operation-PORE-Proof-kit_1715892/

Thanks for reading,

Love, Abbie

<3

Boots and TKMaxx Haul...

Sooooo, I might have gone to Boots today! Oops, but here is what I bought:

Disclaimer: This blog post was lot more detailed, but the website crashed as I went to publish it and I lost the whole post! Annoying. So this is the second time I am typing it up so it is going to be quick, as it took me over an hour last time, and I don't have the patience to spend that long on it again, haha.

I got an Elizabeth Arden Mascara from TKMaxx, this retails at £22, but I got this for £7.99, which is amazing. I also wanted to get the Revlon Photo Ready 3D Volume Mascara from Boots for £10.99, but managed to get a kit with two of the mascaras and an eyeliner for £7.99, which is AMAZING, so I definitely couldn't say no to it, haha.

I also got the new Benefit Operation Pore-Proof kit, which looks AMAZING. I have wanted it since I saw the preview, so I picked this up without even a second thought, haha.

I love my Natural Collection Blush in the shade Peach Melba, so I got another one in the shade Rosey Glow. I also got a bronzer in the shade Golden Glow.

I picked up one of the Lash Sensational Mascaras as I have only heard good things. I am also running out of my Collection Lasting Perfection concealer so I had to get another one.
Shaaanxo (youtuber) goes on about the L'Oreal Brow Plumper all the time, so when I saw it I had to pick it up as if she raves about it, it must be good! I also got the new L'Oreal Superliner, as it looks so good, and again, I have heard really good things.

I also got a No7 liquid eye liner too, I want to start buying more so that I can find the perfect liner or so I can find one that I find easier to use as I am terrible at applying liquid eyeliner. I also got a No7 brow pencil as my Soap and Glory one will have run out soon, so I wanted to try a new one.
I also got one of the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB creams, as the only one I own is way, way too orange for me, and this one looks light enough so I really wanted to give it a go.
I have also heard people rave about the Wake Me Up Rimmel Concealer, so, again, I thought I'd give it a go.

I picked up a Vichy DermaBlend Full Coverage Foundation, as I have heard quite good things. I am so excited to try it. I have very high expectations especially as it was £18!
I also got the No7 brush cleaner, and I have just tried it and OMG I love it! My brushes were clean so quickly and effortlessly.
I picked up a L'Oreal BB powder too, as part of a 3 for 2 offer, as I needed to pick a third thing and decided to give this powder a go.
I am also super excited to try the new Maybelline Master Sculpt Conour Kit too, and I must say the highlighter looks beautiful.

I got a free gift with my two No7 purchases, which included a Skin Illuminator Primer, a single eyeshadow in a shimmering deep purple shade, and an Intense Volume Mascara.

But the best part of the free gift was the free lipstick voucher for up to £9.95! I had a hard time choosing a shade, mainly because they were all so similar. They all seemed to be pink shades that all seemed the same, there was not one purple or nude shade in the offer, which was annoying as I don't often wear pink shades, but I picked up this one in the end, and it is pretty but I don't know how much wear I will get out of it to be honest.

So, it is safe to say I spent way too much money in Boots today, but I was treating myself because yesterday I found out that I got the job for the interviews I had been too, YAYAY :D! I have just under three weeks until I start so until then I will be buying work clothes mainly now, and possibly a little more makeup. I will update you all when I have bought a load of work clothes and show you all. :)

Again, this was a rushed post as it was the second time I had typed it up. Fingers crossed it works this time, as I doubt I will have the patience to try for a third time today! haha. 

Anyway, tomorrow I will be uploading a 'my makeup starter kit essentials' post, so keep an eye out for that :)

Thanks for reading everyone,

Love Abbie 

<3

MAC Stone Lipliner makeup look...

Hey, so the other day I received MAC's stone lipliner in the post, special mention to my boyfriend James for buying it for me! I have wanted it for SO long, and I recently went into a MAC store and there was none left, so I ended up ordering it online. As soon as it came I just had to do all my makeup and try it out, as you do.

Here is the look I created, nothing too much, just a simple eye, bold brows, contour, and the bold Stone lip:

Here is how I created the look:

 On my face I used L'oreal Nude Magique BB Cream. I don't use this very often, because it is usually slightly too dark for me, but I love it, and now I fake tan it is actually perfect. I used this as a primer rather than a BB cream. Over the top I used a tiny bit of Benefit's Porefessional under my eyes, and around my nose.

Then I used Benefit's Hello Flawless foundation, which is soooooo nice! I haven't used it much but it really does make you look flawless, even without concealer! But, I still used my Collection concealer, as no matter how good the coverage, I still don't think I'd ever be able to do my makeup without using concealer.

Then I set my under eye concealer with MAC's Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder, and then set the rest of the face with Benefits Hello Flawless Powder. Then I bronzed my cheeks, forehead, chin and jaw line with Benefit's Hoola. I contoured with Freedom's Bronzed Professional Pro Warm Lights, I also used the lightest shade to highlight under my eyes, down my nose and under my contour. I used Benefit's Rockateur Blusher, and MUA's Undress Your Skin to highlight.

On my brows I drew them on and filled them in using Soap and Glory's Archery Brow Pencil, and then used Benefit's Gimme Brow.

On the eyes I used the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Creamy Beige, and then I used the light brown colour (last colour, top row) from the MUA Essential Mattes Palette in my crease and a tiny bit on the lower lid. Then I coated my lashes in the Freedom Curl Mascara.  

And then, obviously, I used MAC's stone lipliner all over the lips. I did apply the tiniest amount of Vaseline to the lips first though, as my lips were slightly dry and I knew using this lipliner all over would dry them out even more without the Vaseline. It also made it easier to fill in the lips too!

I hope you all like this look, I absolutely loved it! And I am in love with the Stone lipliner too! I will definitely be getting the lipstick version when it comes out in August/September here in the UK!

Current Favourites...

So, I am going to talk about my current make-up favourites.

I want to start with one of the best dupes I have personally ever found!

Loreal Nude Magique Blur Cream- this is an amazing dupe for Benefit Porefessional, and given the price difference I reach for this more often than Porefessional. I only own sample sizes of Porefessional and since finding this dupe a few months ago I will never buy the full sized, as this is exactly the same in my opinion. I don't think that this perfectly fills in pores but I also do not think Porefessional does either, so they both perform on par with one another. But this products definitely gives me a close to perfect, smooth base to then apply my concealer and foundation, and I LOVE it, I literally couldn't recommend it enough,
This retails at £9.99 from Boots, and there is currently a 3 for 2 offer on Loreal too!
http://www.boots.com/en/LOreal-Nude-Magique-Blur-Cream_1432493/


The foundation I have been loving recently is one that I bought a few months ago, used it a couple of times, then forgot about it. But I have recently started using it again and I have fell in love with it!

It is Max Factor's Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion foundation. This foundation, paired with the right concealer, which I will mention next, makes your face look FLAWLESS, literally. This gives an airbrushed finish especially when applied with a stippling brush! When I used it the other day I was amazed at how flawless my make-up looked, I literally did not want to take it off. The only disappointing thing is that I do not think it will last long, as I haven't actually used it that many times, nor do I use that much of the product, but there is a massive dip in the product as if I have used it loads of times. This foundation does also need to be set with a powder, which doesn't bother me as I always set my foundation anyway, but it might bother some.
This foundation retails at £12.99 at Boots, and again, Max Factor also have a  3 for 2 offer on at the moment too!
http://www.boots.com/en/Max-Factor-Miracle-Touch-Foundation_125268/

Now, as promised, my favourite concealer. And if you're one for watching YouTube videos regularly about make-up, or read other make-up blogs, you probably won't be surprised at this.

It is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. This is the best concealer I have ever used! Its coverage is amazing, under foundation it concealers all my blemishes and red areas on my skin like a dream. I must have had this for around 6 months too, and I use it almost every time I do my make-up, and I am only just starting to run out! And I am literally devastated that I am coming to the last few uses of this concealer, but I will definitely be repurchasing ASAP! I find this gives the best finish when applied directly from the applicator to the face and then dabbed into the skin using a beauty blender.
This retails at £4.19 at Boots! I know right, it is sooooo cheap, but trust me, it is also AMAZING!
http://www.boots.com/en/Collection-Lasting-Perfection-Concealer_1436032/
But you will be lucky to find this so easily, as it is usually out of stock everywhere, because it is such a loved product! But weirdly enough, I always find that 90% of the time, they are in stock at Morrisons supermarkets, those that sell Collection make-up anyway.

Now, if someone were to ask my what my favourite bronzer was, I would definitely always say this one, especially for people with super pale skin, like me.

This is the MUA mosaic bronzer in the shade natural glow. And it really is what it says, a beautiful natural glow. Most bronzers are way WAY too dark for me, given my extremely pale skin, but this is gorgeous, it is not too dark, not too much, not dramatic, it is perfect for an every day bronze. It doesn't have too much shimmer that it looks like you have chunks of glitter on your face, it has just the right amount of light shimmer to give a gorgeous light glow. I have used this bronzer A LOT and it was one of the first bronzers I bought, probably about 1 year ago, but it hardly looks touched in the pan! This will last you ages, I use the Eco Tools powder brush to apply this to my cheeks, forehead and jaw line, and I always love the finish it gives, its so natural, oh and not at all orange! Which is obviously a plus.
This retails at an amazing £2.50 directly from the MUA website.
http://www.muastore.co.uk/mosaic-bronzer-shade-1-natural-glow

Now for another dupe make-up favourite AND I actually prefer this over the high end product!

This is a mascara from Primark's make-up range PS Love, it is the Lift and Curl Mascara. This is a very close dupe for the new Benefit Roller Lash, and I actually like this one more! This is no where near as clumpy as Roller Lash! It just gives gorgeous, long, thicker, lifted lashes, just like Roller Lash, but like I said, with less clumps, and at a fraction of the price!
This is probably my all time favourite make-up product, probably because I didn't expect to really like it, being so cheap, let alone be a dupe for a Benefit product and be even better in my eyes.
I always recommend this mascara to people because I think its definitely a hidden gem that most people probably don't know about.

This is just one coat of the mascara, and you only need 2 coats, 3 at most!
This retails at £2, so definitely worth a buy, even just to try it because even if you don't love it as much as me, you haven't lost too much money.

Finally, what would a favourites post be without lipstick?

My fave lipstick right now is definitely Mac Velvet Teddy. I am OBSESSED. It lasts all day, smells gorgeous, doesn't dry my lips too much, and it is a gorgeous everyday colour that goes with near enough everything! This was also my first ever MAC lipstick, and it will definitely always be one of my favourite lipsticks.
This retails at £15.50, yes super expensive for one lipstick, but I don't often treat myself to expensive make-up products but I believe you should sometimes, and this is definitely worth the money as I wear it so often. I am also looking to use this in an ombre lip look soon too!
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/168/310/Products/Lips/Lipstick/Lipstick/index.tmpl


I did not realise this post would be so long, but I guess I just have a lot to say, as I love all these products.
I hope you liked it and if you made it to the end without getting bored then YAY :)