Benefit mini haul!

A few weeks ago a Sephora 35% off sales gave me the opportunity to try a few brand new Benefit items and here they are along with my thoughts on them.

Rockateur blush: everyone is raving about this blush so it was the first item on my wishlist. As soon as I swatched on my hand it went straight into my basket because it is a lovely peachy/pink/bronzy shade with a very pretty sheen and it is ideal for all seasons more so for fall and winter. It is the kind of shade that can be the star of a no makeup look, or can be the best - shy but still there - friend of a smokey eye or red lip, it all depends on application. 

I've also used it as an eyeshadow all over the lid and up to the crease, it defines beautifully the eyes.

Shadewise it does remind me a tiny bit of Sunbasque by Mac but less pigmented and more caramel.  

The only thing I really dislike about it is the packaging, I find it very tacky and cheap looking.

Here is a swatch as well as one next to Sunbasque (on the left)

Stay Flawless 15h primer: face products have a hard time trying (unsuccessfully) not to slide off my face after the first couple of hours.  So I thought I should give it a try and I am very happy I did because it definitely works!

According to Benefit you're supposed to apply it one section of the face, follow up quickly with foundation, then cover another section of the face, follow up with foundation, etc.

Well, I'm a little impatient so I slap it on all over my face and then I quickly put some bb cream on my hands and massage it thoroughly all over my face. Then I go over with a brush so as to blend everything perfectly.

It really feels like putting stick glue all over my face and in essence that's what it does. It acts like a medium to adhere the foundation on the skin and if I overdo it it certainly feels tacky but the feeling goes away as soon as I put on the foundation.

As for color, it is clear although in the stick it looks quite beige.

The only thing I'm concerned about is that it may dry out quickly so I always put on the internal lid and then the large lid.

Gimme Brow in light/medium: this is the only product I am still on the fence about. I've tried it alone on my sparse brows but it took a lot of work to achieve the desired result, it is much easier and faster with a pencil or eyeshadow. Maybe it's the tiny brush or just the fact that it is something new.
On the other hand the tiny brush makes it perfect for detailed work, it's just that I am not that patient.
I love it though after I've done my brows because it really makes them stay in place all day.

That's it for now, I hope you are all well and thriving!

July favorites!

Most of my favorites for July can be seen in the June favorites post, but here are a few more things that I really enjoyed using this month!

Garnier new BB cream: I was contemplating whether I should buy a darker foundation, being a little tanned and all, but i couldn't justify the expense for a product I will use for a month or so. Meanwhile, I had seen online swatches of the Garnier BB cream and I thought it had a decent opacity, so when I saw it at the supermarket, with a price tag of €7, I decided to buy this instead of a foundation.

At first try I got scared because of the slight orange tint and I also did't like the fact that it oxidized on me. So I buried it in a drawer but after a few days I thought to mix it with my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation. I'm happy to say that the combination is perfect colorwise and it lasts a long time without oxidizing.

Inglot 4SS brush: some time ago I purchased its little sister, the 6SS and it has become my favorite brush for applying highlights and sheer wash of color on my lids. So, I thought to get the bigger one solely for applying highlight on the cheekbones etc and it works like a dream.

Inglot blotting paper: I had never tried blotting papers before because my skin is not oily but in the summer I sweat on the face, so I though that blotting paper would be the answer and it is because it does the job without affecting my makeup. Now I never leave the house without this little packet in my purse!

Clarins Instant Light blush in Coral Tonic: love it. It spent all month in my purse for touch ups on the go because it doesn't require a brush, just my fingertips!

Mac blush in Flower Fantasy: I used quite a bit this one not only because of the lovely color but also because it has a coordinating highlight in the pan. The only downside, as with a few other Mac powders, is that it is so fine that it can acquire a film on top that makes the product useless. I tried sweeping it with a paper towel and I even scraped the surface a bit but nothing worked out until one day that I thought to use a Korres face brush that is a little coarse and it worked!

Mac blush in Sunbasque: this blush scream summer to me! I had neglected it for a while but it was well loved all month.

Clarins Coral Tonic, Mac Flower Fantasy, Mac Sunbasque

Maybelline Color Tatoo in On and On Bronze: a swipe on each eyelid, blending out the edges, ready and bronze-y in a minute!

Wet 'n Wild Shadow Pencil in Pixie: lovely color with poor durability but it's a perfect shimmering and brightening base for the lids, under powder eyeshadow.

Mac Prunella eye kohl: I used this one a lot on my tightline because it's not harsh like black but it's a bit more intense than brown.

Inglot brow pencil: again in the hunt for the perfect brow product, I decided to try this one by Inglot. I've used it all month and I really like it because the color is light so the result is natural and it also comes with a handy little brush.

On and On Bronze, Pixie, Prunella, Inglot brow pencil

Inglot #181 nail polish: I hadn't worn metallics in a long while and I really enjoyed this coppery-pink, bronze shade by Inglot.

Orly Rage: love it! It's pink and cool golden and a little beige, precious in a word!

L'Oreal #208 So Chic Pink: it's a bold and beautiful, vibrant coral red. It lived on my toes almost all month!

These are my favorites but there are a couple of things that disappointed me.

Bourjois 2step Volumizer mascara: so far I don't remember having a mascara that flacked, but this one is like I've worked in a coal mine! At midday, my under eye area and the tops of my cheeks become "adorned" with itsy tiny little bits of mascara. I really like the color though...

While preparing the shoot I discovered that the bigger wand broke and got stuck inside the tube, that's a first too...lol!

Givenchy Phenomen' Eyes in #5, Vintage Bronze: this one was another experiment in the quest for the perfect brown mascara. I saw it in a local outlet, I had read all the raves about the brush and the name of the shade "Vintage Bronze" was very alluring. Now, the wand is not bad at all, it's just that it takes a looot of time to coat my lashes because it's small, think of an eternity and a day, lol!

The main problem is that the color is not bronze, at all. In fact it is a charcoal grey/black. Well, as a color description maybe it doesn't sound that bad but on the eyes, it's like I've applied a grey eyeshadow while the mascara is still wet and it catches the fallout on the lashes. It 's so weird that I'm really considering to toss it in the garbage.

So, these are my July favorites spiced up with a couple of misses.

I hope you're all well and thriving!

Δημοσιεύτηκε με το Blogsy

Monthly Favorites: May

Many products (skincare, haircare, foundation etc) are staple to me so I won't bother you again (you can always read about them here ) so, here are some items that I really enjoyed using this month.

In my shower, strawberry is the scent! One thing I don't get about TBS shower gels is why they don't come with a pump (or why they don't sell one separately) so, I removed the pump from a backup body lotion I have and placed it on the shower gel bottle. Perrrrrfect!

As for perfume, I am head over heels in love with the Jo Malone Sweet Lemon cologne I got at the Estée Lauder bazaar. It's fresh, it's sweet but with an edge, it's there but not in your face, I just love it (and got many compliments wearing it!)

I also used quite a bit of the Vitamin E Face Mist by TBS. It was in the goodies bag that we were given at the TBS bloggers' event (you can read all about it here ). When I return home from work I don't take off my makeup right away, so one spritz of the Face Mist on top gives my skin freshness and hydration. I still love my Mac Fix + but I use this one in the morning, after completing my makeup (and I keep a mini bottle in my purse at all times).

As for makeup, I've been mostly sporting coral/peach cheeks with lips in accordance and minimal eyeshadow. I was up since 6:30 in the morning everyday for work (I'm currently working at another location of my company - well, not MY company but you get the point, lol! - that's on the other side of Athens and I won't return to my basis for another week...) so, I didn't feel like doing much eyeshadow work.

I mostly used the Clarins Coral Tonic and the Tarte Blissful blushes, apart from being really pretty they also survive 11+ hours on my cheeks.

My YSL Glossy Stains have become everyday staples since I got them but this month I mostly used #7 and #12 because they fit into my coral/peach scheme. I also used Morange by Mac, a tiny bit with a lip brush over well moisturizer lips.

Morange, YSL #7 and #12

For eyes, my staple was Nubile paintpot by Mac because it is darker than my skintone so it defines my eyes in a natural, barely there way.

When I felt like putting a little extra on top, I used Pearl #390 by Inglot or Stilife paint by Mac or the champaign color from TBS Moonstone eyeshadow. Just a wash of color, nothing dramatic or complicated.

The rest of my favorites are miscellaneous:

• Garnier roll on concealer. I have this for some time but now that i'm a tiny bit darker, it suits my skintone better. I really like its thin consistency and the way it feels under my eyes.
• Bourjois eye brow pencil #4. Although I loved the Fling mechanical eyebrow pencil by Mac, it run out very quickly, so I decided to buy again this old time favorite.
• Prunella kohl eye pencil by Mac. I use this one everyday on my upper waterline, it's such an intricate color because it's not black, neither brown, nor plum, I really can't describe it.
• When I felt really adventurous, I used Undercurrent on my lower lash line, a tiny bit of this with Nubile on the lid gives an interesting twist to a nude look.
• Saunter lip pencil by Mac is the only nude lip color I have and I'm really liking it!
• Shore Leave is another lip pencil by Mac, this one is pinky-coral and used it quite a bit.

Here are some swatches

That's it for May favorites, June had better be warm because I have some aqua and teals to sport!

 

Mac Technique Seminar (and a little haul)!

March is here and it's been a while since my last post due to family health problems (everything is alright now!).

Although I'm a known Mac fan, I had never participated in a Mac technique seminar, so, when my local Mac artist informed me of an upcoming event, I knew it was just the thing to get me back on track (lol!).

It lasted about an hour and a half and it was very interesting to watch live how a makeup artist uses tools and products in general. We had the chance to see two different makeup looks demonstrated on two models and we were given a little notebook with the respective face charts, tips and tricks, etc.
It was a really pleasant interval to my everyday routine!

The participation was free of charge and you could also buy anything you wanted with a 15% price reduction, so I took the opportunity to buy the following three items ( two of them were scheduled purchases, one was a spontaneous reaction!)

Mineralize Charged Water - I love this stuff because it really resfreshes and hydrates my face. Can be used before or after makeup (or both ways) and the only thing that I would love more is to see it available in a mini bottle as well, like the fix +, so I can keep it in my makeup bag. No big deal since I just filled an empty mini fix + bottle I had, just saying!

Fling eye brow mechanical pencil: this brow pencil was in my to buy list for months, but every time I entered a Mac shop I totally forgot about it! Fling is described as "light taupe ash blonde" and, although I'm definitely not an ash blonde, it is the perfect match for me. I never liked harsh, intense brows on me,I just want them defined and apparent, but not overwhelming. I was debating whether I should get Fling or Lingering, but Lingering is quite darker and more warm, so Fling was the winner! The main reason I wanted a pencil from this line is the fact that they are really long lasting, something that doesn't happen when I use wax+powder type of brow products, it also takes less time to fill my brows this way (handy for these mornings when I operate on auto pilot, LOL!).

Last item I purchased (the spontaneous reaction I mentioned above) was the Prep+Prime skin brightening serum. It was used on a model and being curious, I tried it on the back of my hand. Guess what? I really liked it! The reason is that I could see a subtle difference comparing my two hands, the one where the serum was applied looked more even and smooth and the lines where less visible. On my hands it was apparent enough since they are constantly dry and unless I exfoliate and hydrate them regularly they look a bit harsh and "tired".
It can be applied directly on bare skin or mixed with the foundation.

Prices (with the 15% off price reduction)

Mineralize Charged Water €18,70
Prep+Prime Skin Brightening Serum €31,45
Fling Eye Brow Pencil 14,02

Enough said, time for a few photos!

Hope you're all well and thriving!