An Introduction To Glossier's Favourite Products

Glossier is a beauty brand with a difference. Their approach to beauty is based around using the thoughts, opinions and feedback from the people who use their products to inspire their improvements and inventions. The company was founded with the focus that beauty is about celebrating the individual and that personal choice in products should be determined by the user of them, not the brand. You'll know what works best for your skin, and Glossier offers a range of products that you can choose from to get the most suitable. I can resonate with where the brand is coming from as I've often tried products from other brands 'because that's what I should be using' only to find it doesn't actually work for my skin or style and I go back to what I know works for me. I'm excited to try out some products Glossier have sent to see how they are. The Lash Slick Film Form Mascara (£14) is designed as an everyday mascara to emphasise, sculpt, curl and lengthen your lashes rather than clumping them together. It has mini fibres that cover your lashes from the root right through to the tip to lengthen them. The mascara is also water-resistant but will still rinse off nice and easy with some warm water at the end of the day. I liked the feel of the wand on this mascara as the bristles are gentle on the lashes which makes it pleasant to use.

I also tried out a couple of the Balm Dotcom Universal Skin Salve (£10), one in Berry and one in Rose. They also offer 6 other colours that each give their own subtle tint. These products can be used as lip balm or skin ointment, with the natural moisturiser and antioxidants contained within meant to help with dry and chafed skin. I've been using the Rose one a lot recently and was impressed at how long it lasted, along with noticing my lips are a lot smoother than before. The Milky Jelly Cleanser Conditioning Face Wash (£15) is designed as a product to use daily for freshening up in the morning or remove makeup and dirt in the evening. It leaves your skin feeling soft and healthy and can also be used around your eyes. This cleanser also comes in a mini size (£8) which would be ideal to throw in your travel bag. Another skincare product I received was the Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen + (£20). It has a clear watergel formula that is perfect for those who don't like wearing suncream as it soaks straight into the skin, is not greasy and with SPF 30 you'll be protected against harmful sun rays. An additional feature of this product is that it "works to neutralize harmful free radicals, and keeps pollutant junk from getting in". 

Brow products are one of my stable items due to my blonde eyebrows meaning I always need to fill them in, so I was pleased to have the Boy Brow Grooming Pomade (£14) to try as this is so much quicker to apply compared to a powder or pencil. This one comes in four different shades, I received the blonde and the brown shade, and it's designed to be a product that can groom, thicken and shape your brows to where you want them. It has a creamy wax formula that will hold your brows in place without causing them to flake or harden. The blonde Boy Brow has impressed me a lot and has become a daily staple for me. A lot of blonde brow products tend to have a warm tone to them, which can come across as 'strawberry blonde' which is not helpful to someone with ashy blonde hair. Now and again I do dye my hair different colours so I'll come to use the brown shade, but for now, I'm really impressed with the colour and applicator of this product. 

The Lip Gloss (£11) comes in three different shades; a Clear, Holographic and the Red, which I received, which will give a "subtle, sheer tint". The applicator is designed to pick up the perfect amount to allow for an easy and smooth application. It's been years since I've worn a lip gloss but it was a pleasant switch up and a welcome change. The last product I received was the Cloud Paint Seamless Cheek Colour (£15) in the Puff shade. It's super easy to apply the gel-cream with your finger to add some colour to your cheeks and with this product, it's a sheer enough help you look naturally flushed. I was hesitant when I saw the cloud paint in the bag as I'm not one to stray away from powder blushes because I'm used to them and know the right amount to apply. After testing this out I was relieved to find that it gives a natural look and is easy to build up, it will just take a little getting used to the amount needed. Thank you to Glossier for sending some of their favourite products to try. I've been really impressed so far and I'm already starting to look into which products to buy in the future.

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Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Bang! Mascara

One of the biggest launches of 2018 by far has been the Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Bang! Mascara. A lot of people were abroad to help with the reveal and others sat in awe wondering what the secret would be about. I thought it would be a new range of foundations or possibly branching out into powder palettes for highlighting and contouring. I was a tad confused when I saw it was just a mascara, but since they've not had a mascara product launched since Roller Lash, I guess it's fairly big news for Benefit. It's £21.50 so more expensive than the rest of their lash products but with the technology used to create the mascara it's not much of a surprise.

BADgal Bang! has up to 26-hour "full-blast" volumising mascara that creates huge volume without weighing down your lashes. It has "gravity-defying" formula contains aero-particles which are one of the lightest known materials, which come from space technology. The mascara has intense black pigment for a bigger impact on your lashes, along with the Slimpact! brush that's streamlined to reach the roots of your lashes up to the tips. All-in-all, a 360 degree reach with massive volume.

One thing I did note about the mascara is that it claims to have added volume, length and curl without clumps. I don't know whether it's down to their new brush but it did clump on my lashes. It seems to be like other Benefit mascaras that seem wetter in formula than other brands and to avoid clumps you need to leave the brush out open to oxygen for a few minutes to start drying before you apply it to the lashes. The pigment is second to none and I really like the sleek packaging. I did think from the Out Of This World slogan was going to reveal something galaxy-themed like a palette instead of a mascara.

Overall I'm a little biased, as I prefer a thicker brush as opposed to more of a comb-brush hybrid but for some people this will really work to volumise and lengthen your lashes. It is a buildable product, so you can layer up to add thickness and length but I wouldn't add more than two coats as on me it had a tendency to clump. My lashes definitely looked longer and it lasted all day long on me every time I've worn it. It's harder to remove than regular mascara so if that's a big factor for you and wanting it to last right up until you take it off, then this is a product for you.

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Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Volume Express Mascara

I love reviewing mascaras since I feel like I've only came close to finding the perfect one once in my life. I have huge expectations for new releases and always hope that they'll fulfill my dream to having long, volumous lashes with minimal effort. Maybelline have released their new mascara: the Colossal Big Shot Volume Express Mascara (£7.99) that they sent me to try out. It claims to create fully-loaded, 'boss-babe volume', making your lashes bold from root to tip. It's the newest edition to the Colossal family and I was excited to try it out.

I like how the wand is the perfect size, not being too big to get into the roots but big enough to create volume. From my experience trying it out over the past few weeks, it seems to separate the lashes which I love, but it doesn't create a curl. Now I know you can curl your lashes yourself, but I've not done that probably since 2007 and don't intend to anytime soon. Most mascaras can create the curl somehow but this seems to make my lashes more straight. Aside from that, I think it's a great product. I've not tried it with a lash primer underneath, so maybe that could fix the lack of curl in the lashes. On the other hand, it's a great mascara for bottom lashes thanks to the wand separating the individual lashes well. 

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Battle Of The Lashes #2: Do Expensive Mascaras Work Better?

I love mascaras, but sometimes the bold claims just don't live up to your expectations. I've previously done another mascara showdown which displayed the pros and cons of mascaras from £3 to £19.50, and now I'm topping it by showing twice the amount ranging from £6.99 up to £25 with surprising results that prove that the price tag isn't everything. I'm showing them all in price order to show you how wide the range is in price difference!

Rimmel Volume Shake £6.99
I've recently reviewed this mascara and said that the bristles could be longer but the shake up gimic impressed me. It comes in the cutest cocktail shaker packaging and formula worked well for me. If the wand itself was improved I'd start using this more often.

L'Oréal False Lash Superstar X Fiber £7.99
This is my joint favourite mascara, with it being a double-ended product with the second part adding small fibers to add length and volume. Whilst I hadn't previously tried a fiber mascara and was dubious about the actual fibers themselves, these haven't ended up in my eyes yet so I'm pretty damn impressed.

Revlon 3D Volume (Discontinued)
I took the photos for this post before I did a quick Google search and realised that this is discontinued. I'm not too sad however, as the bristle didn't give me the '3D Volume' I was expecting.

Revlon Ultimate All In One £9.99
Revlon brought out a year or two ago, a new set of mascaras that were tailored to different areas you wanted to target, and within the range they brought out an 'all in one' version. Although I love Revlon as a brand, I don't like how tiny the wand is. It feels like it takes forever to apply and for volume I use wands with long bristles on to really get the product onto my lashes.

Maxfactor False Lash Effect £10.99
This mascara claims it has up to 50% more bristles for 'never ending volume' and I'm not overly mad at this. It definitely has a ton of bristles but they aren't long enough to add enough volume in my opinion. It doesn't give me a false lash look but the formula lasts all day and looks just as good as when you first applied it.

No7 Lovely Lashes £12.95 This is my 'natural lash' mascara for days when I don't want to wear makeup but still want to have visible lashes. It's the only mascara in a different colour as it's in Brown/Black which looks more natural. It doesn't add a ton of volume which is fine by me as the name suggests a more natural look.
Tarte Lights Camera Flashes I bloody love the bones out of Tarte but I really do not like this mascara. The packaging is very unique which I adore, but the mascara itself is lacklustre and makes my eyes water because the spiky bristles poke me in the eye. I've kept this mascara purely for comparison in posts like this.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof £19 I had previously tried the non-waterproof version of this mascara and loved it but even with an eye primer it seemed to end up underneath my eyes and just underneath my brow bone so I thought when it came to getting the full version I may as well try the waterproof version. Definitely the right decision and it is one of my favourites.
Urban Decay Perversion £19 This was the first mascara that I tried that really made me say oh wow. The first time I tried it I used the Subversion Primer too and fell head over heels for the combination. I ran out of the primer and recently rebought the mascara alone and it works almost as well as with the primer. 
Illamasqua Masquara Gain £20 This is another mascara I've reviewed and I genuinely love it. You'll see a pattern of big fluffy wands = nice lashes for me but for a while it overtook other mascaras on my list until it unfortunately ran out. 
Benefit They're Real £20.50 When I first started using They're Real I was over the moon with it as the wand really separates the lashes, but I found that the formula made my lashes feel odd. The formula sticks to the lashes and makes it a bit hard to remove which is great if you need it to last all day. 
Dior Diorshow Blackout Waterproof £25 The most expensive mascara on the list but not my favourite. The wand is pretty big and gets every lash which I love but the length isn't quite how I'd like it because of the stubby wand shape. All in all it's a good mascara but there are others I prefer.

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Rimmel Volume Shake Mascara Review

Mascara is an item that we all use but often have very different opinions about. Some want light and natural looking lashes, others want length and volume and almost a false lash effect. Regardless of effect, a key item when buying mascara for me is the price. It's a product that only lasts a few months and not something you can keep in your collection long, so why pay out £20+ for one? This new mascara is £8.99 and is the Rimmel London Volume Shake Mascara* who aim to shake things up in the lash world.

The Volume Shake Mascara features a "first-to-market patented shaker system" that aims to refresh the volumising formula inside whenever you go to use it. The flexible fibres separate the lashes and add volume for a more defined look. You shake it 3-5 times vertically just before you use it so the formula is refreshed, ensuring 'optimal product performance'.

I like the formula of this mascara, but I do wish that the bristles were a tad bit longer to get in from root to tip. I do love the cocktail shaker packaging, and if you like the new shake products, make sure to check out my review of the Rimmel London Brow Shake Filling Powders.

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L'Oréal False Lash Superstar X Fiber Mascara Review

I've always wanted longer lashes, but sometimes the fuss of applying false lashes isn't worth your time. Don't get me wrong, I love a good pair of falsies, but on a daily basis it's just not do-able. What would you do if I told you that you could have a similar effect everyday without messing around with clue and a pair of applicators? L'Oréal Paris have released the False Lash Superstar X Fiber Mascara (£10.99)* to create the ultimate false lash look without the hassle of putting on falsies everyday, or having your weekend appointment for eyelash extensions.

I've never used a fiber mascara before so went in expecting the worst; fibers falling into your eyes and clumpy lashes that reminded me of the spider lash trend about ten years ago in school. This is not the same as the fibers stick to the lashes to extend the length whilst keeping the look natural. L'Oréal have brought out their most 'x-treme' false lash mascara to help you build up length whilst increasing the volume for your own desired look. Because of their two step method, you can repeat the steps to build up the look. They say that it's "so excessive, it's obsessive".

The first step is using the volumising black primer to thicken the look of each individual lash to build up the volume. After using this the lashes still look natural and fluttery, but if you were looking for a more dramatic look you can keep building it up. The second step is using the mascara that has a formula enriched with 20 times more fibers than the original Superstar Mascara for extreme length. This step aims to make the lashes appear longer and lifted, for the most 'x-treme' false lash look. This is done by pressing the wand into the lashes to help the fibers stick, increasing the length and volume.

There has been a ton of hype around this product, as it launched this month. I was keen to try it out for myself, seen as 8/10 women they surveyed agreed that it was as dramatic as wearing false lashes. I'd say it was just as good as wearing a pair of natural fluttery lashes, but again I've not built it up to look like I'm wearing full-on lashes yet. So far, so good. No fibers in my eyes, no clumpy lashes and plenty of compliments that my lashes look amazing. 

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Battle of the Lashes - Which Mascara is Better?

I've always been picky with mascaras. With having very light blonde eyelashes I need a jet black mascara to make them look a normal colour. I'd say I have a good length to my eyelashes and I almost never use eyelash curlers since a mascara can usually curl them enough. Here are my current mascaras that I'm using at the moment.

Benefit They're Real £19.50 The comb applicator is great for separating lashes and making them look lovely and long. The only downside to the comb shape is that if you attempt to apply the mascara as close to the root as possible, you can sometimes end up poking yourself in the eye. I adore this mascara, but since my lashes are blonde I can never get close enough so they don't completely look black. I did a mini review here.
Makeup Revolution Viper* £3.00 The brush on this mascara reflects the name. It is thinner than the usual brush but wider, meaning it can apply the mascara to the whole of your lashes in one go. It lasts the majority of the day before flaking which for the price is pretty good! I included it in this post.
Urban Decay Perversion £17.50 At first I thought "this is the best mascara ever" but I realised that it is only absolutely amazing if you apply the Subversion Primer (£15.50) first. To buy both that would be a whopping £33 just for some mascara that looks wow. I'm extremely lucky to have been bought both of these, and they are my favourite when paired together. My eyes look super long and black without looking like spiders legs. My first review is here, notice my opinion has changed!
Yves Rocher Vertige* £7.50 Another comb applicator with the same issues as with Benefit's mascara. The upside to this is that it is £12 cheaper than They're Real and is almost identical once on your eyelashes. I love the metallic packaging too. I did another review here.
Ted Baker Mascara This isn't sold separately and I was lucky to get a Ted Baker makeup set for Christmas. I'd say this is potentially the worst mascara out of them all. The comb-brush mix is good but the formula of the mascara isn't very long lasting.
Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin Curves £6.99 The cheapest of them all with high volume and a jet black colour. I have this in both in Black and Extreme Black but they look the same to me! If you want a drugstore mascara that works - try this.

What is your favourite mascara?

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Benefit Roller Lash and Puff Off Review

Since becoming a fan of Benefit in my early teens, their packaging and promotion has always stood out to me from other brands. I have a fair amount of makeup, from Porefessional to tons of boxed blushers, including products like They're Real Mascara and Liner. When I heard Roller Lash was coming out, I was intrigued to try it out. I am personally a big brush kinda gal, loving volume and incredibly black lashes. They're Real Mascara looks lovely on my eyes, but I'm so clumsy that I tend to poke myself in the eye with the spiky wand that I only use it when I make extra time to do my makeup otherwise I end up with a watering eye, not an attractive look. When I had the opportunity to try the sample sizes out, I seized it. The day I bought the Elle magazine, was also the day I received this lovely gift, including another sample size.

The 'hook 'n' roll' element of this mascara stood out to me. Having curled, long lashes is an attractive quality in lashes in my opinion. If you look on my photo, you can see tiny little hooks that help grip your lashes and pull the mascara through, making you say goodbye to eyelash curlers. Confession time - I'm lucky not to use them anyway. I even have Ted Baker rose gold ones, and they sit as an ornament next to my makeup palettes... The mascara is significantly black, accentuating my lashes without them looking like spiders legs.

Another thing is the lasting time. According to Benefit, it is said to last for 12 hours as it has a curve-setting formula. Does this last? Yes. I've never had a mascara that lasts all day looking the same as it does when it first goes on. With this said, I need to use more Bioderma on a pad to gently lift it off my lashes. The lasting power is the best feature, since other mascaras I've used have began to flake off, especially on those long hour days.

Overall, I like this mascara. I don't think I'll ever be completely sold on a comb-type wand as opposed to a brush, because I am dosey and brushes don't hurt my eyes when I am quickly applying mascara. The lasting time is great and is definitely worth the investment, especially if the main element for you is lasting power. The fact I have two sample sizes instead of a full sized product is fabulous to adding to my handbag or travel bag, since I have a lot I like to carry around with me. If this formula came with a brush, it would be on a whole new level, but that's personal preference, not a fault of the actual mascara. The Roller Lash mascara is valued at £19.50.

Puff Off is designed to smooth out creases and reduce the look of 'puffies' under the eyes with light diffusing particles in the formula. It is an eye gel that should be applied in the morning to reduce puffy skin under the eye. I applied this for a few days on the run, in the morning before my makeup to see whether it was worth the hype. I have been using It's Potent since around September and whilst I haven't really tried other eye creams or gels, it has been doing the job for me pretty well. You may have noticed I sometimes have 'double' bags under my eyes in photos, but this is down to a chronic condition I have, not so much lack of sleep, so I have to bear this in mind when trying eye products.
Anyway! The full sized sample has an 'iron' applicator to go with the promotion of the product, which I think is so different to what you see normally on the market and the inner magpie in me loves the sight of a shiny element to a product, it reminds me of the iron you used to see on Monopoly. The product is a peach kind of colour, to blend in with skin tones well, including mine. 
On application, it instantly feels like it is soothing my skin, absorbing relatively normal in relation to other products. Once I applied foundation and concealer over the top, I didn't see the application of products on top any different to normal, meaning I can go about putting my makeup on without it moving all over the place. I have combination skin, and did not notice it affected this in any way. Overall, it did it's job and I have decided to wear this every day if I'm not wearing It's Potent, since it makes my eyes brighter and I look more awake. If I ever run out of It's Potent, this will be high on my shopping list, and is valued at £22.50.

Have you tried out any of the new Benefit products?

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Perversion & Subversion Review | Urban Decay

Hey Lovelies, This was a post that is on Georgina's blog but as I've been loving this mascara so much lately, I thought it was worth a mention on my own blog!

Last week, I was doing my usual cup of tea and sitting at my laptop at 6pm, awaiting what beauty products were going to be on the latest cohorts. I saw that Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara and Subversion Eye Primer had a discount and had to buy it. I saw years back, a lot of drugstore beauty brands had eye primers, or just simply white mascaras, to go under black mascara to make your eyelashes stand out more, without the clumps. I knew Urban Decay's mascara was going to be amazing due to the thick brush, so it's win-win to have my eyelashes looking thick, long and black, without looking like spiders legs. After applying the primer, my eyelashes just looked a tiny bit lighter, as I have really blonde natural lashes. I let it set in a little, then applied the Perversion mascara. After 1 coat (yes, just one!) my eyelashes looked long and full, like I had an extra set of thin false eyelashes on. To me, this is how eyelashes should be. I don't tend to wear "no makeup - makeup" looks as I want to feel like I have it on, and its obvious, but not like I'm about to go out on the town. I like my eyelashes to be full as my eyes are my best feature, I think.  Usually, I'll apply a few coats of mascara, to get the desired look, but with this I need one. That means more for your money, in terms of how long my mascara will last. Plus with the discount from Cohorted, my bank barely noticed that I had spent money! If you're looking for a semi-expensive mascara that is worth the money, go to your nearest UD and ask about this, because I will definitely be repurchasing this.

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BVL's makeup essentials

I thought I'd share what I wear on an everyday basis with all you lovely people!

Primer - No7 Shine Free Primer "stops shine for a matte finish". This stuff is amazing. My mum gave me it a few years back, and I'd never even heard of a primer before. If I put it on and wait 5 minutes, then apply my foundation/concealer, it makes my makeup stick all day without fail. It also reduces my red patches for some reason! It is my must have. This is the first and only primer I've ever used! I'm currently saving for Benefit's porefessional primer.

Foundation - Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid in Ivory. Over the years I was very on and off with foundations. When I was 13 I had Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse and it was the worst foundation I could have chosen for my skin type but because everyone had it I thought I would use it for ages. Oh dear. This however is nothing like the matte mousse. The only thing I would say is that it does sometimes highlight any scars/blemishes you may have so sometimes I fight a losing battle with this. I want to try Estee Lauders Double Wear foundation next, but again, student probs - I'm skint :')

Concealer - Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Concealer in Light Beige. Here you can see my problem. I bought the wrong shade. If i apply it before my foundation, you can't tell, but if I apply it on a blemish after foundation you can tell so much in the difference! I have learnt my lesson.... But it really does stay and it is quite a thick formulation so I love it, just not the shade.

Powder - Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Waterproof Powder in Sand. I know what you're all thinking, why is your foundation, powder and concealer all by the same company but different shades. The answer to that is because I was desperate for this powder and just picked a shade. It wasn't available in Ivory so I grabbed this. Until about 4 days ago, I didn't notice a colour change at all. This was until I did some OOTD pics down by the river and it looked like I had an orange face and a white neck. ASAP I am buying this in Ivory ahhh.

Mascara #1 - Maybelline the Mega Plush Volume Express Mascara in Very Black. I love the thick wand on this which makes my lashes look super long and a bit thicker without looking clumpy. I just wish the end of the wand didn't pick up loads of product because I end up sometimes blobbing a bit on my nose and using a wipe..adding more foundation bla bla. That's annoying. But I love this mascara. I have been through so many and this is one I'm not bored of.

Mascara #2 - Rimmel Scandal Eyes Rockin' Curves in Black. I bought this before I even knew there was a big rave about it which pleased me as I bought it because of the wand not because of what a lot of people say, which I have learnt my lesson about! The wand is curved which means it picks up your lashes easily and makes them look longer and fuller. The wand is amazing but as with a lot of mascaras, it picks up a lot of product on the end of the wand which does annoy me. However, it feels very wet which I like if I have spare time to wait for it to dry as the effect is better. I'd recommend this to people who like longer and fuller looking lashes.

Eyeliner - Maybelline Master Duo "thin or thick glossy line" in Black. I have now seen there is a bit of Maybelline loving here! I have issues with this eyeliner and is due to my lack of experience applying eyeliner rather than the product. I always seem to make one line thicker than the other. It is great for applying either a thick or thin line, it just depends on how you hold it. It lasts all day and doesn't smudge when you first apply it if you blink which is a huge bonus.

Brow Pencil/Highlighter - Soap and Glory Arch de Triumph. I have gone through so many of these beauties! The shade is perfect for people with blonde or light brown hair as it doesn't make your brows look too full on compared to your hair colour. As a natural blonde, I have translucent eyebrows which is SO annoying. This is my perfect eyebrow fixer! The highlighter is also amazing too. The only problem is, if like me, you use it mainly for the brow pencil, you find out it can run out pretty quick. On the other side it is a product I re-buy every time and lasts long on the eyebrows without making them look too fake and drawn on!

Lipstick - Rimmel in Sloane's Plum. This is my go-to lipstick for a vampy sort of look, which is often considering I'm so pale and don't use fake tan. It is a smooth formula which compliments any lip shape. I've never gone to any other plum lipstick, this is my rock and I shall remain forever in love with it!

Blusher #1 - Benefit Powda Wowza in Coralista, Hoola (bronzer) and Bella Bamba. As you can tell by the packaging, I've had this quite a significant time. Apart from my one other blusher, this is my favourite powder blusher as both blush shades are gorgeous on any skin tone. I hit pan ages ago but the powder has never broken and it comes with a small brush to make applying it easy. I don't really use the hoola bronzer at the moment, but I'm going to make it my next mission to start contouring.

Blusher #2 - Benefit Mousse Blush in 04 Dist. I don't even know if Benefit still make this! It is a lovely creamy blush that gives a natural flushed look. I think it looks best on pale skin personally, as it wouldn't give off such a natural look on medium-darker skin tones but it suits my just great! 

Please don't shout at me for getting the wrong shades in concealer and powder! I seriously would buy more but money is tight being a student sometimes and I simply can't afford to! (sob). I'm excited to save and buy some higher end products, but I have no issue with drugstore makeup in the slightest, as long as you test the products and get the right shades to suit you, you can pick up some amazing bargains!

I know this is a bit different to usual, but I wanted to show you guys I do like beauty blogging too!

Much love, BVL x

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