A couple of weeks ago I picked up this gorgeous gloss by L’Oréal on a complete whim. I was in a Boots store in Devon and felt like I needed a pick-me-up product, something that would make my monochrome attire look a little more colourful. Enter, the Infallible Mega Gloss.
Last month I was kindly invited to go along to Benefit cosmetics blogger event in Bristol for a ‘summer contour’ masterclass.
After all the introductions were made the lovely Kirsty, Benefit’s boutique manager in Debenhams, informed us on their charity month in May called Bold is Beautiful campaign which will help raise money and awareness for Look Good Feel Better & Refuge charities. If you purchase any brow wax service at Benefit during May you will receive a complimentary full sized Gimme Brow product, and 100% of the profits from the brow wax services will go to the two charities. Check the website for details on your nearest brow bar.
As we sat down ready to learn about how to contour for summer I got chatting to the lovely Bea whilst swatching some of the products in front of me. We were shown two contour looks: the Kim Kardashian contour which is slightly more time consuming but looks incredible for an evening look, and then a more natural and easier contour. I’m always eager to learn new techniques for applying products but was especially keen to find out how to create the former contour look.
Kirsty began the Kim K look on Bristol’s Benefit beauty consultant Brooke using Boi-ing concealer (choosing two of the five shades available), explaining which areas to highlight and where to contour.
Highlight should be applied under your eyes (think of a triangle shape, taking the concealer above your cheekbones), above and between the eyebrows, down the centre of your nose and around your chin.
Contour using a concealer two shades darker than the highlight, take it under your cheek bones, down the sides of your nose, across the bridge of your nose, around your jaw and hair line and alongside the highlight on the chin. You can also apply some contour above your lip, a trick I hadn’t tried before.
Once you have done these two stages grab a sponge (or brush) and it’s time to blend blend blend.
When it’s shown in these simple stages it seems far less daunting then you may have initially thought. As someone with fair skin this look would usually be out of my comfort zone but I have attempted it since using products I already own (ideally I would be using Benefit’s Boi-ing concealer in the shades 01 and 03) and I love the extreme glamour it creates! Although perhaps not a look I would wear if I was just off to do my grocery shopping…
Alternatively, you could use their best selling Hoola bronzer for a slightly easier and daytime friendly contoured look. Brooke demonstrated this more familiar method on Kirsty, who then created the same look on myself after the class. Hoola is a slightly darker bronzer than I usually choose to wear and was initially unsure how it would look on my paler complexion, but I was impressed with the bronzed finish (another product to add to my never-ending wish list). It really slims the face and by taking an extra bit of time to get it right, the rest of your makeup can be kept as simple as you wish – or channel your inner Kardashian!
I have seen many tutorials on YouTube but being shown how to do in reality was far more helpful, and of course we were able to try and recreate it ourselves using the products. Now I’m no contour-pro just yet but with the right tools and the lessons I have learnt above, I’m excited to have a contoured summer glow!
A big thank you to Kirsty for putting on a great event.
Let me know in the comments your favourite Benefit products and how you like to contour.
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I’m forever on the hunt for a new mascara. One that lengthens, volumises, separates and doesn’t leave any nasty clumps. As a big mascara junkie I’ve always got more than one on the go but I’m eager to find just one that will do the same job that three are currently doing.
Rewind a few weeks to when Maybelline launched this pretty pink metallic mascara, I had to get my hands on it! I used my trusty Boots points to pay for it, currently on an introductory price offer of £5.99 (will go back to £7.99 in a few days!), and off I went home to test it out.
Initial thoughts…
I found the brush really interesting, shorter than Maybelline’s The Falsies mascara but had a similar curve to it which I love. Curved wands make it easier to apply the product to the top and bottom lashes, something most mascaras can struggle to tackle, and this one does both jobs with the two curves perfectly.
The brush is firm and does a great job of separating the lashes whilst doing some sort of volumising magic on them. The clump free formula make it easier to layer the mascara on, perfect if you are wearing it day to night. You haven’t got to worry about any smudging as it dries quickly and gives you a really pretty, natural look.
Removing mascara is one of my least favourite things to do usually but using my Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser this mascara is pretty easy to take off. If I’m feeling lazy I use my Simple makeup remover wipes, but they don’t remove it very well without a lot of rubbing so I would suggest using a stronger and softer solution. This does prove that the mascara doesn’t budge and still looks great from day to night without any necessary layering, always a good thing in my book.
I’ve used it every day since purchase and it’s a new favourite in my makeup collection! I actually might go and buy another whilst it’s cheaper…
What mascaras are you currently loving?
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It’s not often that I receive things in the post that I get excited about (I’ve cut my online spending habits in half, & I’m surprised Amazon even knows who I am anymore…) but when I was sent this beauty bundle last month I knew my skin was about to thank me.
Palm & Sole is an innovative skincare brand that allow you to adapt each product to your own needs. All of the products in the collection are natural and individually hand made & blended – so no parabens, fragrances or synthetic colouring etc are used in the process here (I wrote a blog post regarding skincare ingredients to avoid here). Even the packaging is Eco-friendly – Designer and drugstore brands, take note.
The ethos behind Palm & Sole is brilliant, putting great emphasis on the consumer’s control over how the products are used. By allowing us to choose how we use each product it makes the whole application process much more interesting and fun, it shouldn’t feel like a chore. I have always linked skincare with nourishment and luxury, the balance of feeling good on the inside and looking healthy and radiant on the outside, and these products do just the job.
Palm & Sole is about embracing life and raising awareness of how we are connecting skin, body & emotions so we know what will help us feel fabulous in our own skin. Whatever your age, beauty needs or body shape, celebrate all that you are and all you can be with Palm & Sole.
– Kathy Webb, Creator
The lovely Kathy sent me two products, the first one being a freshly blended Honey and Lemon facial scrub.
I usually swear by Simple’s Clear Skin Oil Balancing Facial Scrub but those days are now long gone – this honey & lemon scrub takes first place. There is something really satisfying about using natural products with no nasty chemicals inside it, almost like eating a slice of chocolate cake without all the artificial colours and preservatives – guilt-free.
When you first take it’s lid off, the sweet scent of honey straight away makes you aware how natural this product is, as with other creams and scrubs there is usually a fragrance to them. The lemon compliments the honey well, balancing out the sweetness to make the scent more ‘fresh’.
I apply the scrub onto damp, clean skin and gently massage it in small, upward motions all over my face. I leave it on for a minute before rinsing it off with warm water. I like to use a light application of moisturiser afterwards too (depending on how dry my skin is that day).
My skin was really dry and looked lifeless before using the scrub, but within a few hours of application my skin felt smooth and looked more radiant. With the improvement on my complexion already, I’m excited to continue trying this product out.
I’d like to point out that the Honey & Lemon Facial Scrub is not part of the collection and was especially hand blended for my specific requirements as it is an ‘I-Me-Mine’ product, backing up the ethos of making the product unique to each individuals needs. This means that the scrub was tailored to my skin type, great for those like me who have sensitive skin. For more information on this specific product, check out the Palm & Sole website at the end of next month.
The second product Kathy sent over was a solid oil moisturiser, something I haven’t tried before so I was looking forward to testing it out.
This solid oil can be used to massage hands, feet, arms etc and helps any dry patches you may have – you can even use it on the ends of your hair (I had doubts when I initially tried this out, but it works wonders!). The powerful aroma of the rose oil was the first thing that hit me when I opened the lid, smelling fresh and made me feel relaxed. For those of you who are not a fan of the rose scent and may be put off by this, there is only a subtle smell once applied to the skin and fades fairly quickly.
I was amazed at how it softened so quickly just by holding it, as it reacted to the warmth of the palm of my hands. The solid oil glides over the skin beautifully, and I found a little goes a long way.
I first applied it to my hands, and as I don’t tend to use hand cream on a regular basis it felt good to give them a bit of nourishment, particularly the cuticle area as I find my skin gets quite dry due to my nail polish addiction (guilty as charged!) I then applied it to areas of my neck, elbows and my heels, as this is where I suffer most with dry patches.
My favourite thing about this product is how it dries back into a solid after returning it back into the cool pot – perfect for travelling (because nobody wants to have a ‘major shampoo and moisturiser explosion’ like Ross in Friends, right? If you’re not sure what I’m going on about, click here)
If you are interested in the ‘I-Me-Mine’ Facial Scrub or the Solid Oil Moisturiser, or would just like more information about Palm & Sole and their other products, please head over to http://www.palm-and-sole.com for more information 🙂
Have you tried solid oil moisturisers before?
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