BENEFIT COSMETICS: BIG EASY MULTI-BALANCING COMPLEXION PERFECTOR.

I recently received the Benefit Cosmetics Big Easy Multi-Balancing Complexion Perfector. I went for shade 4 which is Medium, but this comes in shades 1-6 so it's suitable for a large variety of skin tones.

So the Big Easy is SPF 35 PA +++ (For those who are unaware PA +++ provides good UVA protection - it is the strongest grade of UVA protection available - which is great!) and contains ingredients known to help balance moisture and control oil - the perfect balance! The liquid to powder formula is lightweight and comfortable to wear, whilst providing an amazing coverage - BB creams are notoriously lightweight, and this usually means a light coverage too - however the Big Easy provides more than a light coverage and that's one of the many things that makes it so popular.

I like to moisturise and prime before using mine - be aware that it dries to a powder finish so there's no need to powder after application - you can apply with a brush, sponge or even your fingers!

I've been trying a few BB creams through the Summer months and the Big Easy is amongst my favourites. Does anyone have any recommendations of ones that they have been loving?

NIP + FAB DRAGONS BLOOD HYALURONIC SHOT.

When I first saw that Nip + Fab were bringing out a facial oil I knew I had to try it - I think it's the word 'hyaluronic', it gets me excited! When I saw it was a Superdrug exclusive I began scouring every Superdrug I passed, to no avail. I couldn't find it anywhere and I had to have it! When I finally got it, I was so excited to use it - so excited I took it on holiday with me!

The Nip + Fab Dragons Blood Hyaluronic Shot is designed to rescue thirsty, dehydrated skin. It's an intense moisture concentrate which you can apply directly to the skin as an overnight treatment or you can mix a couple of drops with your daily moisturiser to give that extra shot of hydration. I've used mine both ways, and I think I definitely favour applying directly to the skin as I feel that it gives my skin the hydration it needs after a long day at work - I really like to pamper my skin in the evening as I wear a lot of make up during the day.

I love the texture of this product and it's rapidly becoming one of my favourite Nip + Fab products - I think it's safe to say I'm obsessed, especially with the Dragons Blood range (the serum is my favourite) - using Dragons Blood comforts and restores hydration in the skin, but it also makes me sound like I'm from Game of Thrones or something similar.

If you haven't tried this yet then dig through six Superdrugs until you find it like I did. Then let me know what you think. 

*Small Disclaimer - you can find this in a few other places, however Superdrug has the best price*

WHAT'S IN MY HOLIDAY MAKE UP BAG?

A  holiday make up bag is probably one of the hardest but most fun to pack - not only do you have to take the hotter climate into account, you have to pack enough to last and create as many different looks as necessary. I tried to pack a compact make up bag, and of course, being the over packer that I am, I packed far too much and didn't use half of it!

For a base, I used the Nip + Fab Viper Venom Micro Blur Fix - a mattifying gel primer which smooths the skin - I fell in love with this so look out for a post on this soon! Of course I packed a foundation but never ended up using it - so I used the Vichy Normaderm BB Cream - again something I'd never used but utterly fell in love with. I only used a small amount for the first few days as I ended up getting a lot browner than anticipated. Eventually I was only using the Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer - definitely a lot better than I expected. I only used this under the eyes to brighten and blended with a Beauty Blender.

I packed my Benefit Cheekathon Palette to use for blusher and bronzer - this palette is incredible and holds five full size blushers including the infamous Hoola bronzer, Dallas, Dandelion, Coralista and Rockateur. I usually religiously apply Hoola as a transition shade through the crease so this was a must have for me to take with me. My choices of blusher varied from night to night but most nights I used Rockateur or Coralista as they complimented my ever growing suntan the most.

For highlighter there was one choice only and that was the Urban Decay Naked Illuminated in Luminous - I saw it and utterly fell in love, and the gorgeous glittery highlighter is a must for any holiday. It's amazing on the cheekbones and collarbones too!

I mainly focused on eye make up as I wasn't wearing a lot of base due to the fact it wasn't particularly necessary - I packed a couple of Clinique Pop Shadows - Cream Pop and Petal Pop which are two beautiful shimmery shades, one gold tone and one pink tone. I also packed two palettes - one used more than the other and they were the Maybelline Nudes Palettes. I used the darker matte shades to create smokey eye looks each evening. I even used cool tone shades which I never usually do - I'm much more of a brown shadow girl! I lined my upper lids using Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner as it's a highly pigmented black liner that doesn't smudge, and of course because I wasn't wearing a lot of make up the liner really helped to finish the look. I finished by curling my eyelashes and applied a generous coating of the L'Oreal False Lash Sculpt Mascara which I was apprehensive to try but it's one of the best drugstore mascaras I've ever tried.

Brows really help to frame the face and I've been using Benefit's Ka-Brow! which is 24 hour waterproof wear so perfect for those warm summer nights abroad - I set with Benefit's Ready Set Brow and used Benefit's High Brow (again, there really is nowhere else to go for brow product) to carve out the brow and highlight the browbone.

Finishing off with lip product, I hardly used any and packed loads. I used the Kylie Cosmetics Candy K Lipliner, and the Kylie Cosmetics Lipgloss in So Cute as I love that browny nude colouring. I also used Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lipliner in Pillow Talk as it's a gorgeous natural pink colour.

Admittedly, I'd packed a lot more than this but hardly used it - it's definitely a learning curve packing your holiday make up - I think I just got over excited!

What are your holiday make up must haves?

BENEFIT COSMETICS: DANDELION DEW

I've wanted Benefit's Dandelion Dew for donkeys years. Ok - slight exaggeration but I've wanted it for a long time and as it's an online exclusive it was the first product in my basket when it came to work's A/W Allocation.

I've been really getting into blusher lately - I never really got into them as I always though they would accentuate my chubby cheeks. The Dandelion range from Benefit Cosmetics is absolutely perfect for me as it's a a baby pink so it's not too bright on my cheeks yet still gives a gorgeous pop of colour. The Dandelion Dew is a sheer baby pink liquid formula - the texture is so soft and radiant it gives a gorgeous glow too!

This liquid formula is beautiful and lightweight - I apply mine with a beauty blender but you could apply with your fingertips or a buffing brush. It's definitely buildable too so if you wanted more of a pink cheek glow then just build it up. Overall I love the look this product gives - the Benefit Box O'Powder Blushers are famous - this one is definitely underrated!

I'm absolutely in love with the packaging - I don't think I've ever loved a product's packaging more! 

Have you tried Benefit's blusher range? What's your favourite?

NIP + FAB VIPER VENOM EYE FIX

I've never been an avid eye cream user, and we can blame that on laziness - I don't mind. I can also blame that on the fact that I've yet to find one that I absolutely love, or one that makes a huge difference. With that being said, there's not a lot of difference to make. I'm quite proud of my under eye area if I do say so myself.

So - the eyes. The eye area is delicate and is ten times thinner than the rest of the face. Due to the fact that the skin is thinner, dark circles (or a lack of hydration) is more likely to show there than anywhere else. Your eyes do an average of 10,000 movements a day - isn't that crazy! Meaning that we should all start to look after our eyes - whether you can see problems there or not.

This Nip + Fab Viper Venom Eye Fix is a refreshing eye gel in a roll on style - the cooling applicator helps to reduce puffiness, the Liftonin helps to minimise wrinkles (yes, it's anti-aging) and the Syn-ake (inspired by the potent effect of venom from the Temple Viper) smoothes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This also contains Red Algae Extract which reduces the look of dark circles for a radiance boosting effect.

I can safely say I'm enjoying using this eye gel - although I haven't seen dramatic changes, I have noticed that my under eye concealer doesn't crease as much since I've started using this - meaning that any fine lines I did have are starting to be smoothed out!

Help me complete my quest to find the perfect eye cream - what are your favourites?

BENEFIT COSMETICS - THE CONCEALERS.

I've been searching for the perfect concealers for a long time - concealer was one of the first make up items I ever used, and Fake Up in particular was the first ever Benefit product I ever purchased. I recently received all three concealers from Benefit Cosmetics and I thought I'd write a post to differentiate between the three, and explain why all three are as brilliant as they seem.

First of all - Fake Up. Fake Up is in a stick formula, so straight away there is a huge difference from the other two which are in pans or pots. It has a hydrating ring around the edge of the concealer, and the coverage remains in the middle. This lightweight formula contains Vitamin E and Apple Seed extract to hydrate the under eye area to hide dark circles and diffuse fine lines. Of the three, Fake Up is your most lightweight coverage however when applied correctly it can work wonders. I like to apply mine in a tick shape underneath the eye and blend with my finger.

Boiing is Benefit's 'industrial strength' concealer - and you can see why. Boiing camouflages dark circles, shadows and discolouration and it's my go to concealer for any blemishes as it lasts all day without creasing or fading. I like to apply Boiing with my finger, or a brush using the pinpointing method (brilliant for blemishes). This comes in six shades - so there's a shade for everyone.

Finally, Erase Paste. This is a product I'd wanted to try long before working at Benefit.  It's a concentrated, creamy concealer which is incredible for masking any under eye darkness making stress and fatigue a thing of the past. The pink tone of the concealer counteracts any darkness around the eye giving the perfect brightened look. I apply this with a brush - just a warning to use it sparingly as a little really does go a long way! This comes in three shades meaning that everyone can get their perfect brightened under eye - yay!

All three Benefit Cosmetics concealers in one post - have you ever tried any of these? What did you think?

VICHY NORMADERM BB CLEAR.

I was looking for a BB cream to wear whilst away on holiday, and to wear on weekends if I wanted a light coverage - I wear a lot of makeup through the week and therefore wanted something lighter to wear of a weekend - this is when I went to the Vichy stand in my local Boots. I always associated Vichy with problematic skin, and as I am becoming increasingly blemish prone I decided Vichy was a good place to start. I found their Normaderm BB Clear, which was in two shades and even has an SPF 16 - picking the lighter I decided to give it a try.

The Normaderm BB Clear is listed as a corrective BB cream containing mineral pigments and 2% Salicylic Acid (commonly found in products aimed at problematic skin). It is light which is great for me usually (during and after holiday I found I couldn't use it as I tanned) and it's lightweight to wear - two of my favourite things when looking for a complexion product. I was expecting more skincare than cosmetics and I was proved wrong - the Normaderm managed to even my skin tone and give a radiance rather than a dullness that I have experienced when using other BB creams. To build the coverage, I used a lightweight powder over the top and then finished the rest of my make up and it really worked well.

The Normaderm claims to reduce any blemishes after one month of use, however I didn't get to use it for that long before it became too light - when my long awaited tan fades I'm sure I'll get to test that aspect of the product!

I'm looking forward to trying other Vichy make up products - does anyone have any recommendations?