I’ve been a bad beauty blogger. I’ve been using a new product on an almost daily basis for the last month and haven’t written up anything about it. What was I thinking? I did a major beauty haul a month ago thanks to the Sephora Insider 15% off sales, and I’m still working through everything I picked up in terms of trying out and reviewing. I honestly have no idea why it is taking me so long to do this. Okay, I do. I’ve made a major lifestyle change in terms of fitness and working out, and so time spent in front of the mirror playing with new toys has been cut back as I have instead been sweating my ass literally off at Physique 57 and bikram yoga. Review posts to come on this whole exercise malarkey. 

Anyway, it means that products have been tried and tested and I haven’t been sharing! One major new purchase was my Benefit Hoola powder ($28). Hoola is a mid-tone matte bronzer. I’m an NW20, and I love the color on my. It definitely adds a warmed up glow to my skin. There are two factors for me that make it a great bronzer – it is very buildable, meaning that I don’t instantly end up looking like an oompa loompa, and it is matte. This is a major issue I have with summer products – why do companies believe that every summer product must have shimmer? I get it looks gorgeous in the sun, but it is too much for the office, and sometimes I don’t want to glow, I just want to look a little darker. Although it is buildable, it does require a light touch. Too much too soon leaves me looking a muddy and patchy.

 

Benefit Hoola is now part of my regular morning make up routine. As my final step I use a big bronzer brush on my forehead, temples, nose, chin, and neck. Since I’ve started using it I’ve had plenty of compliments about looking more tan, and whether I’ve had some sun. I love the generous size of the Benefit powders – although they are $28, you do get a lot of product. Normally I don’t get too worried about the cost per oz for my make up because I so very rarely finish a product, but the simple gorgeousness of Hoola means that I know it’s going to be part of my daily routine for quite some time, so getting a good amount makes a difference to me. I know that I’ll be picking up a couple more bronzers in the upcoming MAC To The Beach collection, but all of them have shimmer, so won’t be replacing Hoola in my office appropriate every day look. 

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Benefit Creaseless Cream Knocks My Socks Off

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner ($19) was going to be a hard sell to me, because it was Benefit's old formula of creaseless eyeshadow that put me off the brand. I admit that this was about 10 years ago, but it has taken me until really this year to give the brand a second chance. I had read some very high praise reviews of this shadow all over the blogosphere, so during the Sephora VIB sale I thought I would give it a chance. 

My first impression was why is the box so much bigger than the pot? If you gave this box to a friend, they would think that they were getting a huge pot of eyeshadow, and instead out pops a fairly reasonably sized pot (0.16oz - MAC is $16.50 for 0.17oz for their paint pots for comparison). You get I’m not saying Benefit are not generous in their product, I’m just saying the box is misleading. 

The color is a shimmery, cool toned, brownish taupe. It’s hard to describe, apart from being incredibly neutral. I swatched it below, and it is almost impossible to see on my arm. It is very, very cream and soft, so I sometimes find that my brush lifts up to much product. I have also noticed it does have a weird smell. Maybe this is just mine though – I’d love to verify this! 

So far you are thinking that this product is not so amazing, ya-da-ya-da. And then you put it on. Oh my. It is the most amazingly perfect soft, neutral, my eyes but better color and finish that I’ve ever seen. The color is barely there on me, but enough to make my eyes look better, brighter, more lovely. I put it on over my standard base (MAC Paint), so I have no idea how this lasts on its own, but it lasted all day with no creasing or moving for me. Since I opened this on Saturday morning to try it out I have used it every day since as my easy, no stress, look, and I probably will be hard pushed to switch out of it. There is quite simply no reason to use anything else. This far, far exceeded my expectations, and I’m sure it will yours as well.

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Peaches and Cream and Nice Melons: A Fruity Round Up of Peach Shadows

I've been having a bit of resurgent love with Benefit, so when ULTA Beauty were having a 20% off sale a couple of weeks ago I was sure to snap some up. I'd seen a couple of rave reviews of
Velvet Eyeshadow in Nice Melons so I thought I'd give it a go.

Okay, I'll admit it, I bought it because of the name. There, I've said it, we can move on now.

My first impression was that I loved the packaging. Normally, I want to depot my eyeshadows and keep them in pans so I can see them all in one go. NARS are the only exception to this because I love that rubberized packaging. But these Benefit's are so cute, with those lovely white flowers on the case. Gorgeous!

The color is a gorgeous rich, well pigmented melon with gold shimmer. It looks like a nice dupe for MAC's Melon Pigment, but in pan form, which is no bad thing. It swatches so pretty, and is even a hint warmer than I thought it would be.

So far, so much love. And then I started to look at my collection. It looks like I might be a freak for this color....

Clockwise from left: MAC Gleam, Benefit Nice Melons, Elf Mineral Eye Shadow in Natural, Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten, MAC Arena

But they are all subtly different, I swear!!

 

From left: MAC Gleam, MAC Arena, Stila Kitten, ELF Natural, Benefit Nice Melons

MAC Gleam ($11) is a pretty peachy color. It doesn't have great color pay off and needs to be packed on. It has a lustre finish, but I haven't experience significant fall out. This is one of my favorite MAC colors

MAC Arena ($11) is a nice smooth peachy color. It runs a little darker than the rest of the colors here, and has a slight shimmery feel. I don't use this color enough. 

Stila Kitten Smudge Pot ($20) is a cult shade that people rave over. On me it comes out very shimmery and close to my natural lid shade. It is incredibly pretty on its own to brighten your eye. As this is a smudge pot, I haven't had great luck with mixing or layering other shades with it. I kind of want to love this shadow more than I actually do.

Elf Mineral Eye Shadow in Natural ($3). I reviewed this here as part of my recent Elf haul. This color is gorgeous! It's incredibly rich and smooth. I wear this to wake my eyes up on a lazy day. 

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Nice Melons ($18) is a beautiful warm, rich, smooth peachy shade with a decent amount of shimmer. It's a keeper! 

Do you have an eyeshadow color that you just keep buying in the same color? One that keeps cropping up in your collection again and again?

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Most Loved: Benefit PosieTint

If I only had time to put on two products in the morning, I would pick mascara and blush. And if I didn't have time to make a decision and had to go with something that makes me look healthier, more awake, happier, and a full-on better person, I would pick Benefit's posietint ($28). 3 simple dabs across my cheeks, a quick rub in and hello, I'm a normal person.

Oh wait, you want to know about the actual product? Well, it's a very liquid cheek stain that comes with a dinky little brush. It looks super bright corally pink when you dab it on, and then disappears  into the most lovely subtle pink blush. It's incredibly sheer so it's your color, but better. I could not live without this. Swoon.

Favorite Products of the Year

So, for my first post instead of looking forward to the all the great places I'm going to go with this blog, I take a look at the past year and the great and the good products that made 2009 a little better for me.


1. Benefit's Posietint ($28)
Everyone raved about Benefit's Benetint, the sweet little liquid blush that started out as nipple tint (what, you didn't know that? Yes, of course you did!). But who knew that Posietint would take the basic concept and make it prettier, more natural, more "wow, you look really healthy, happy, and glowing" than the original? This blush is the perfect natural color, with no shimmer, and super easy application (three daps from the brush, a quick rub and you're done), that it literally goes with every look you can do. It's you, but a little better.

2. The Miracle Worker ($85)
Yeah, I know what you're thinking. $85? Really? Do you think I'm made of money, that I can go dropping that kind of cash on skincare? But I swear, I can convince you. Firstly, it's good value - the whole kit is valued at $156, and you get a bunch of full sized products in the kit. Secondly, it is the best skin I've had in my life. No joke, The Miracle Worker truly lives up to it's name. The first time I used the microdelivery peel, I had the most amazingly baby soft skin I actually asked random people to feel my face because it was so smooth. And I'm a shy British person - we don't do that! The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash helps keep that skin silky smooth all week, and Hope in a Jar is a great balanced moisteriser - easily absorbed but rich enough to look after my skin even in the cold weather. I'm already considering getting a back up of this kit in case it truly is limited edition as Sephora says.

3. Kiehls Soy Milk and Honey Body Scrub ($27.50)
This product has been around for decades, I'm sure, but I only discovered this last year, hence it making my hits of the year list. It has a thick, gritty paste consistency, and smells absolutely heavenly - milk and honey. I use this once a week with Kiehls's Creme de Corps and it makes my skin feel so amazingly silky smooth. I actually look forward to "scrub day" (Saturday mornings, since you asked), when I get to rub myself all over with this yummy paste.




4. MAC's Style Black Collection
I have to admit that this MAC collection had me counting down the days until it launched, and I actually went to two different MAC stores during NY's Fashion Night Out so I could preview the products. I'm a sucker for black smokey make up anyway, with messy black eyeliner being my default night time look, and this collection took that to the next level. The Greasepaint product made a rocking black base product, but actually I like it best for a thick, messy, smokey eyeliner. For an amazing look that requires frequent checking, add some gloss (MAC have a gloss product, but I also like Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream) for a slick, rock chick eye. I picked up three out of the four shadows - Young Punk, Blue Flame, and Cinderfella which were black with purple glitter, blue glitter, and gold respectively. Yes, the mineral factor meant that they had major fallout issues, but mixed with water, oooooh, the black, the glitter, the intensity. Swoon. Angry teenager all the time. And, maybe even most surprisingly, the black lipgloss proved to be surprisingly wearable, adding a neutral darkness to your natural lipcolor. Two products let me down though - though the rest of the beauty world adored the two Volcanic Ash skin products (a thermal mask and scrub), they kind of left me cold (boom boom!)

5. Essie Chinchilly ($8)
Wow. It's not often a nail varnish really captures my attention. Until I came across Chinchilly, I had worn navy or dark red almost consistently for the last year. Chinchilly is concrete gray, and makes for a perfect edgy neutral. I know, neutrals aren't really edgy by default, but this is awesome - it demands a second glance without dominating or detracting. I can wear this confidently to the office or or a glam night out, certain that my nails are both appropriate and memorable at each.



6. Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel ($21)
Since we're new here, I guess I shouldn't give away too much about myself just yet, but let's just say that my eyebrows and my attention to brows is not my strong suite. In fact, this year was also my first visit to a brow salon. But this product has taken my terrible, patchy, weird bush brows, and made them look sleek and strong. For that, I am ever thankful.




7. Sephora Double-Ended Winged Brush ($18)
I am not talented at that gorgeous sleek cat eyes winged liner. But somehow, this brush takes over my hand and makes it happen for me. And the thick end is great for smoking out your liner, or, as I frequently use it for, drawing thick shadow liner on my upper and lower lashline.





8. MAC Limited Edition Eye Shadows in Smoke and Diamonds, Silverthorn, and Style Snob ($14 each)
I bought a lot of eye shadows this year, but I'm picking these three out as my favorite limited edition picks (Style Black aside). Smoke and Diamonds is this amazing grey taupey color which is super rich and pigmented. It can used to darken the crease on a neutral work safe eye, or to make a super glam dark eye. Such a sophisticated color. Silverthorn, from what I remember, didn't get a lot of attention when it was released as part of the Rose Romance collection, but I just adore the greeny sheen to this mid tone grey - it just makes it look a little different to your standard grey shadow. I picked it up on a random impulse the day before my wedding when I had no idea what make up to do (I know, don't ask!), and though I didn't use it on my wedding, I use it a lot with Satin Taupe (everyone needs this shadow) as a gorgeous simple but stunning eye. My last limited edition pick shadow is Style Snob, which is a light taupe from the Starflash collection. Like Smoke and Diamonds (same collection), it is super rich, super dense, and a lot of fun to play with. It is a lighter taupe than Satin Taupe, and makes a great memorable neutral eye. It has a slight pink tone to it, and so I haven't done this yet, but I'm sure it could work well with a pink eye to make something rosey and fun.

So there you have it, my top 8 of this year. I'm sure you have some favorites too, some things you've discovered which you absolutely cannot live without, and I'd love to hear about them. Add them in the comments, and I'll be sure to check them out.