REVIEW: Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup

When I think of Benefit, their boxed blushers and quirky packaging come to mind. I've never really paid much attention to their base products. A while ago, I spent a long time at a counter, chatting away with a lovely sales assistant and walked away with a few purchases, a couple of which are are some of my absolute favourites. Seeing as I was buying so much, she very kindly gave me a few samples of the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup to try!

I first used this in the summer when I took it away with me on holiday. I used it a couple of times but didn't really get on with it very well, I found it looked a bit too dewy on me, almost sweaty! It was then stashed away and forgotten about until recently. 

My skin is completely different in the winter so I thought I'd give it another go, and I'm so glad I did! I now find I need the extra moisture and this foundation sits really well on my skin. It has a medium build able coverage that never cakes up or looks overdone. It's the only foundation I've been using for the last couple of months and I've only got through one little 5ml sample, so it lasts ages. Once I've used up the second one I'll definitely consider buying the full size as a 'winter foundation'. It even has an SPF of 25 which is an added bonus!

Have you tried this foundation?

REVIEW: The Body Shop Aloe Eye Defence

When it comes to good quality skincare with no added nasties on a budget, I think The Body Shop is one of the best. I particularly love their Vitamin E and Aloe ranges.

I thought it would be a good time to review their Aloe Eye Defence as it's been designed for sensitive skin and my eyes are feeling particularly sensitive at the moment, are you fed up of hearing about that yet?

It has a really light texture and the formula is the mildest I've ever found. A tiny dot of it patted into the eye are immediately cools, soothes and moisturises skin. It also contains prebiotics which are supposed to 'reinforce the skin's natural barrier', I'm not sue if it does this long term but I can definitely say that skin feels a bit more resilient while it's on.

All in all it's a great budget eye cream for sensitive skin, or any skin for that matter! It's light texture makes it sink in really quickly so it creates a great base for eye makeup, because I've been using it mainly in the day time, I find it's also a good shield against the elements. In the evenings I've been using Clarins 'Special' Eye Contour Balm (full review here) which much is richer and creamier. 

Do you use an eye cream?

January Favourites

The miserable weather as of late has meant one thing, more hot baths to soothe dry winter skin and cold toes! Here are some of the products I've been loving this month.

The Boots Extracts range has been a brilliant discovery I've been using the Cocoa Butter Sugar Scrub (full review here) and Body Butter (full review here) non stop since I got them, in fact I'm already nearly halfway through both! The Scrub has a really tightly packed consistency that really gives skin a good scrub leaving it feeling super smooth. The body butter somehow manages to be really thick and creamy but still sinks in really quickly leaving skin feeling supple and nourished.

I've been burning my Milk Bath Remedy Candle in Coconut Milk constantly in the evenings, it fills the room with a lovely relaxing scent and it a cozy ambience. Full review here.

Boots Coconut Body Oil has been an absolute life saver this month with my skin being in the condition it's in. My eyelids have been dry and sore and my skin has been feeling super sensitive. I've been using this to remove makeup, as a facial oil, a hair treatment and adding a scoop into the bath! I wrote a post all about different ways to use it here.

I fallen back in love with my favourite lipgloss lately, it's the Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss in 56 Imaginaire. It's just the easies colour to wear, I even apply it without a mirror. A flatters all warm toned peachy pink. 

Valentine's Day Gift Guide - For Him

Mulberry Clipper Leather Holdall Bag

Every guy should have a good quality holdall, they can be used as hand luggage on long haul flights, business trips and of course on romantic weekends away. God forbid he tries to take a smelly old gym bag! 

Carter and Bond 3 Piece Classic Mach 3 Shaving Set

This retro style badger hair shaving kit will look great in the bathroom and will bring out his inner bond!

Ion iCade Core for iPad and iPad 2

Give his high tech gadget a nostalgic retro twist with an arcade dock that is sure to keep him out of trouble!

Anthony Logistics Perfect Shave Set

All his skincare needs in one, this set contains a glycolic cleanser, pre-shave oil, shave cream and after shave balm.

Getty Images Gallery James Bond 'Thunderball' Framed Print 1965

If like mine, the guy in your life is a Bond fan, he'll love this vintage black and white print. 

Dior Homme Sport

Fragrance is a classic option, either top up his stocks of his all time favourite and surprise him with something new! 

Tiffany & Co Oval Cuff Links

I'm sure the boys would appreciate a little blue box as much as the girls! These cufflinks manage to be a bit different without being to blingy. 

Ray-Ban Clubmaster Acetate and Metal Sunglasses

A retro pair of sunnies with a modern twist, I love the dove grey! 

Gallery One 100 Places London Book

A photography book of London's 100 most famous landmarks, full of ideas of things to do!

Valentine's Day Gift Guide - For Her

Spring Bright Bouquet

Of course you can get her red roses but they are ridiculously overpriced around Valentine's Day and they're not particularly original. Why not get a pretty seasonal bouquet in colours that she likes? I love this one from from next flowers. M&S do some lovely ones too.

Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Cologne 100ml & 30ml

Perfume is always a good choice and you just can't go wrong with Jo Malone, there's one for everyone! This one is my favourite.

Kate Spade New York Cobble Hill Clarke Shoulder Bag

This classic, black shoulder bag with a long strap is definitely a wardrobe essential. It will work day or evening and with smart or casual outfits. Plus it's a great price for a well made designer bag. Also available in nude.

Tiffany Pearl Earrings In Sterling Silver

You can't beat a gift that comes in a little blue box and these earrings are a classic that will last a lifetime.

Nars Narsissist Blush Palette

If your gal is a makeup addict you can't get much better than a limited edition Nars palette, this one contains their best selling blusher and bronzer as well as a lovely highlighter.

Susan O'Hanlon Significant Otter Valentines Day Card 

I love a cute animal card and sea otters are my absolute favourite, they're just so darn cute!

Veuve Clicquot Brut Rose NV

Bubbles are a must on Valentine's Day so why not try out a pink version?

Charbonnel Et Walker Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles

These are a real delicious threat that no one can really justify buying for themselves, and they come in a really pretty box which you can use for keepsakes and jewellery afterwards.

Bobbi Brown Old Hollywood Eye Palette

As with the Nars palette this is a lovely limited edition eyeshadow palette that would make any beauty addict drool! It's a 9 pan palette with a combination of matt and shimmery shades. 

REVIEW: Lee Stafford Shine Head Spray Shine

I've mentioned my love of Lee Stafford hair products before, results wise, they're one of the best on the high street for styling products. Last week I spoke about their 'My Big Fat Root Boost', a supercharged volumising product which you can find out more about here.

Today I thought I'd give a shout out to their Shine Head Spray Shine, a product that I've been using since I was about 13! During the course of the last 11 years I've tried other shine spays, including ones from higher end brands and have always ended up coming back to this. Nothing has quite lived up to it!

Having naturally curly hair means it's default setting is to look a bit lacklustre and dull, so this is equally great when I'm going au natural or if I've straightened/waved my hair. By the time I've blow dried and straightened/waved my hair I find the mid lengths to ends can look a bit dry and straw like. I could add a bit of serum or styling oil at this point but every time I've done that in the past it has led to really weighing my hair down and caused any curls I've added in to drop at lightening speed. This spray is great for adding shine back into the hair but keeping all the volume in too. All you have to do is spray it on from about half an arms length away. Simple. Just make sure you only use in on the bottom half of your hair, no one wants shiny roots! 

One thing I have to mention about this product is the scent, it's got that distinct 'Lee Stafford product scent' which I can never quite put my finger on, sugary candy floss maybe? It's definitely a hate it or love it scent. I used to love it when I was younger but now I think I've grown out of it, it's a bit too sweet for my liking. That said I love the results the product gives so it definitely wouldn't stop me from using it! 

REVIEW: Sephora Gentle Exfoliator Cleansing Cream

Yesterday I spoke about a cleanser I really dislike so I thought it was about time I turned the tables and spoke about one that I love. It's the Sephora Gentle Exfoliator Cleansing Cream which I brought in Sephora when I went to France last summer.

It has a thick creamy consistancy which you massage into the skin and wipe away with a warm damp flannel. I contains exfoliating fruit acids (AHAs) which gently rid skin of dull surface skin cells without the need for using harsh grainular products that can often irritate sensative skin. 

I tend to use it as a mask rather than a cleanser, I just smooth it on and leave it for about 10 minutes, that way all the ingredience have a chance to work for a bit longer. When I remove it my skin feels really soft and smoother and looks a lot brighter. I'll definitely be repurchasing this next time I'm in France! 

REVIEW: Clinique Rinse-off Foaming Cleanser

I'm not a big fan of foaming cleansers and this one only reminded me of that. I like to keep things quite positive on this blog but I do feel it's important to mention when I don't like things too.

I generally prefer cream and oil based cleansers because I find they're a lot kinder on the skin, the only time I really use foaming cleansers is if I'm travelling. I had a mini version of Clinique's Rinse-off Foaming Cleanser so I thought I might as well give it a try.

It's safe to say I really, really didn't like it! It foams up well but isn't great at removing makeup, something I always expect a cleanser to. I had to wash my face twice to get it all of and it left my skin feeling really awful. It felt tight, squeaky, uncomfortable and dry. Even after pilling on the moisturiser afterwards my skin still didn't feel quite same. 

That said, everyone's skin is different so what doesn't work for me might well work for you!