Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Manchester Road show Event

Lisa doing a demo on Jasmine.

The importance of using make up brushes!

Views from our afternoon tea!

Lisa and her gluten free afternoon tea!

The most divine chocolate caramel macaroons.

So as many of you will know today is the day that the much anticipated hello flawless oxygen wow foundation goes on sale in stores. To drum up some interest the Benefit team have been up and down the country on their hello flawless road show. I was lucky enough to be asked to their Manchester event last Sunday and boy we're we spoilt! We all received a cabanna glama kit (review coming up soon), the foundation itself and the most adorable little post it's I think I've ever seen in my life!

We were taken through to the VIP suite in Harvey Nichols where the gorgeous Jasmine showed us all a quick presentation on hello flawless. Shortly after the gorgeous Lisa, Benefit's Lead & Trend Make Up Artist showed a product demonstration. She listed all the fabulous benefits of the foundation including that it's quite liquid meaning you can build it up in layers, it contains SPF 25|PA+ and it had a very hygienic pump that allowed you to dispense just the right amount of product. Lisa then showed us all a very cool demonstration on why it's so important to use a make up brush when applying foundation which you can try yourself at home. She took a mirror and applied some foundation directly to it with her fingers, she then did the same with a a brush. Where she had applied with her fingers the foundation was very uneven and looked well, messy, but with the brush there was a clean, fluid mark that was completely even. I've nearly always used a brush purely because I think it gives a more flawless finish and Lisa's little demo most certainly proved this!

Afterwards we were taken to afternoon tea in Harvey Nicks where we enjoyed an absolute feast of delicate profiteroles, macaroons, elegant tea sandwiches all washed down with champagne and tea.

As the foundation itself I really, really like it. I was shade 'I'm pure for sure' the lightest out of the bunch and it really suits my skin. I also like that you can build it up and even use it as a concealed under the eyes. It wears well-ish - I'd say it gets me through about 7 hours in a day without any touch ups. Overall, if I wasn't such a foundation whore I'd probably buy this again when it runs out as I love to chop and change foundations like there's no tomorrow!

Have you tried a sample of the hello flawless foundation or are you planning on buying the full size thing today or online?!  

Spring Pastel Nails - Barry M

Base Coat: Barry M "Berry I/C" Top Coat "White" Unbranded. 

Spring pastel nails. What do you think? 

*apologies for the crappy iPhone picture*

O.P.I Dutch Treats Review

First off, how gorgeous is this glorious weather? I hope you're all enjoying it as much as you can! The sun has made me want to brighten up my nails so this week I've been reaching for my OPI dutch treats collection that I bought not so long ago. OPI are known for their quality nail varnishes so when I saw the opportunity to buy for mini sizes on buyapowa I jumped at the chance. I've now managed to try all four in the range so here's my verdict on each one. 

"Kiss Me On My Tulips"

I was very excited to try this shade because, well, who doesn't love the pop of hot pink on their nails every now and again?! The colour was stunning but unfortunately the consistency was awful and it ended up streaking on me despite using a base coat and layering it up. You could see the brush marks which was such a shame considering it was such a divine colour. 

"Red Lights Ahead... Where?"

My favourite of the bunch. The consistency was great - it gave a nice finish after two coats with no streaking. I can't fault this one at all and the colour is SO summery. 

"Pedal Faster Suzi"

A very sheer, light lavender colour that takes two coats. Even with three coats it's still quite sheer and to be honest, it's just not my cup of tea. It chipped really quickly too even though I used thin layers and a base and top coat which was quite disappointing. 

 "I have A Herring Problem"

I've just put this one on now and with two coats it made me look a bit corpse like. Three coats has made a mild improvement but still, it just looks a bit 'off' to me. Again, it's a similar formula/consistency to the sheer lavender colour and I have a feeling it's going to chip just as easy. 

Overall I'm quite disappointed with the range. I did love the coral red but apart from that I wasn't that impressed. The consistency of some of them were shocking and the colours just didn't translate on to the nail so unless you like quite sheer colour or really want the coral colour I'd probably give this one a miss! 

Have you tried the dutch treats? What did you think? 

Ojon Damage Reverse Hair Treatment

Ever since I started getting my hair dyed a couple of years ago I've always struggled with dryness unless I keep on top of it with replenishing and nourishing hair masks. So I was chuffed when I got sent a replenishing mask by a brand that I've been hearing so much about. I received the Ojon damage reverse hair treatment and was so excited that I used it straight away. I'm usually very good and don't use anything until I've photographed it properly but in this case I couldn't wait. 


"New lighter scent! This cult classic is now purified using an exclusive double-filtration method and fortified with nature's golden elixir plus Rouge Oleifera to create the next generation of our deeply restorative treatment. After just one treatment, it helps restore vibrant health looking health to damaged hair. Plus helps increase hair's strength against breakage. Hair is soft, silky and manageable. A must-have for lifeless, dull, brittle, frizzy, flyaway or unmanageable hair."

After one use it's not difficult to see why this has become a cult classic. The way in which you apply it is something I've never done before with a hair mask. The mask itself is quite a hard solid, almost wax like, that would scoop out and rub between your hands until it turns into an oil. You then run it all over your hair and ideally leave it to penetrate your hair. They even suggest you leave it on overnight but I just used it whilst I did my work out. Then rinsed it out when I shampooed my hair later on. 


I could feel the difference immediately after washing it. My towel dried hair felt a whole lot smoother and once dry, it felt lovely and hydrated. In terms of how much you use per application it totally depends on how long and thick your hair is. I used quite a bit  because I've got masses of thick hair but even then I reckon I could get a good 6-8 treatments out of it. 


Now for the bad news. It retails at £32.50 for one pot which is a hella lotta money for a hair mask/treatment. That said, when you break it down it works out at about £4 and could easily last me 8 weeks. It's a nice treat but I'm not sure I would repurchase it again. 

Overall I really liked this product and would totally recommend it. The only thing that slightly let it down was it's price tag but other than that I can't fault it. If you fancy trying it for yourself you can buy it directly from their website (here). 


Have you tried any ojon products? If so let me know what you think as I'm thinking of trying a few other bits from the range!

Blog Sale Includes OPI, Jessica, 17, Bare Minerals, MAC, NYX, Barry M & More!

Afternoon all! So I've been having a bit of a clear out and have decided to do a small blog sale. If you want an item simply let me know in a comment below leaving me with your paypal address. I'll then send you an invoice as soon as I can. Once an item has gone it'll get a strike through it so you know it's gone. Postage and packaging is £1.25 with an extra 50p per extra item. UK only. Have fun browsing and be sure to let all your friends know! 

Models Own Nail Varnishes L-R: Grace Green, Becca's Brown, Champagne, Mystic Mauve. £2.00 each  

George Indigo Dazzle 50p, George Cloudless Sky 50p, Accessorize 3D Glitter Magic £1.50, Accessorize Pink Spice £1.50, MUA Gold Nail Quake £1  

No7 Salsa £1, No7 Milan £1, No7 Blackberry £1, Barry M Limited Edition Silver Glitter £1, Barry M Pink Iridescent £1, Barry M Blue Moon 50p

Virgin V Red Hot Chilli £1, Virgin Rio Carnival Copa Cobanna £1, 17 Supreme Shine Coral Pop £1, 17 Lasting Finish £1, Collection Sparkle Top Coat 50p

Andrea Fullerton Purple Grey £1, OPI Play In The Peonies £2.50, Jessica Fiesty £2.50, Orly Ruby £2.00  

Andrea Fullerton Sparkly Red £1. 

BRAND NEW Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Fairly Medium C20 £8.00

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 618 Purple £1.40

BRAND NEW 17 Instant Glow Pink Bronze Bronzing Rocks £2.50

BRAND NEW 17 Blemish Balm in Light SPF15 £3.00 

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Gun Mental £3.00

MAC Solar Bits Impassioned Pearlised Pigment Clusters £2.00 

Bare Minerals 'Warmth' 1/2 - 3/4 full £3, Mineral Veil 1/2-3/4 full £3, Concealer 'Summer Beige' 1/2-3/4 full £3. 

Happy Shopping! 

Battle Of The Brushes: Real Techniques Stippling Brush VS Sigma F80

Real Techniques on the Left, Sigma on the right. 

*My mum has just text me to tell me that Real Techniques are on 3 for 2 in store at Boots at the moment*

My mum has been after a Sigma F80 for a while now after I absolutely raved about how it made my make up look airbrushed when I used it. I promised I would buy her one from Love Make Up but haven't got around to it yet. So last night my mum came home and she had bought the Real Techniques stippling brush as it was the closest thing she could find to the f80 in Boots. I'm not gonna lie, I was quite excited as I've been reading loads of reviews recently hailing the real techniques brush over the f80 so I decided to weight them up against each other!

Application

I much prefer the grip and handle on the real techniques brush. The sigma f80 seems very heavy in comparison and a bit too chunky. The real techniques brush stands up on its own too which makes storage easier if you want to store them that way. The sigma brush comes with a brush guard to keep it clean. The bristles on both brushes are extremely soft to touch but the sigma brushes bristles are all the same length as opposed to the real techniques brush with has longer and shorter bristles dispersed throughout.

Coverage

Due to how compacted the bristles are on the sigma brush I've found this one to give a really good airbrushed like effect. I've found this to be a bit too heavy during the day though. When I used the real techniques brush it did give a lovely even coverage but was a lot lighter. So I literally can't decide which one I like more. It's nice to have two though so when one is drying after being washed I have another one to use!

Price

The sigma flat top kabuki brush costs £13.99 and can be bought from Love Make Up (here). The Real Techniques brush is £11.99 and can be bought from Boots online (here) or in larger store.


Overall, I love both brushes and will use them for different purposes; it's impossible to choose a favourite. The Real Techniques brush will be for day make up whereas the Sigma brush will be used for evening make up when I want a fuller coverage.


Have you tried the Sigma f80 or the Real Techniques stippling brush? What did you think?

A Rather Unusual Use For Moroccan Oil

I did a bit of experimenting last night. I went about my usual hair care routine of combing Moroccan Oil through my wet hair when I had a thought - "If this oil makes my hair so soft surely it'll do the same to the hair on my legs?" Now I'll admit, I'm very fortunate. I have very fine hair that you can't even see half the time meaning I don't have to shave very often at all. That said, after I applied some Moroccan Oil and went to bed the next morning I couldn't get over how soft and smooth my legs were. 

I have used body oils before (my own concoctions if you're interested) and they do indeed make my legs soft but no where near as soft as Moroccan Oil made them. 

An additional benefit is that it gave my legs a wonderful sheen too so if you use leg oil on nights out etc just whack a bit of Moroccan Oil in them in future and save yourself some dosh - one pump per leg does the trick!

I'm sure this trick will work well with other hair oils too - I just happened to use Moroccan oil. So there you go, that's my little tip for the day! 

Gorgeous Spring Jackets From Miss Selfridge

CORAL BLAZER, QUILTED JACKET, NUDE KIMONO, NUDE BLAZER, CREAM JACKET

I've been trying to inject a smidge of fashion here and there on Be Beautiful and so far the response has been very positive! I'm going to aim to start doing a weekly fashion-y type post so let me know what you think.

I just had to share these gorgeous jackets I found whilst browsing the Miss Selfridge website the other day. Pastel coloured blazers are so in at the moment and I can't wait to get my hands on one once pay day comes around next week. I can't decide between the pink and the nude blazers so help/feedback would be appreciated!

I saw the quilted jacket in the middle in a blog post by the gorgeous Really Ree and decided there and then that I needed it in my life. I'm also slightly in love the Nude Kimono. I can see me throwing it on as a cover up in the Summer.

What are your favourite fashion trends at the moment? Is there anything that you are lusting after at the moment?   

Clinique Bottom Lashes Mascara Review

So just before I set back off to Manchester from Newcastle yesterday I got a text off my mum yesterday saying that she had bought me something off the wish list I made on my blog earlier last week. I had an inkling what it might be and I was right! She had bought me the clinique bottom lashes mascara!

I'm really into coating my bottom lashes at the moment, I'm surprised by how much it opens up the eyes but with a normal mascara brush it can be a bit difficult so this teeny weeny little brush is perfect! It gets even those super tiny lashes in the inner corner of your eye which I find nearly impossible to catch usually. I've included a few pictures of it next to my Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation to show you just how small the brush is.

It retails at £11.00 from Boots and is well worth a try! If you have tiny top lashes you can use this to really define and separate your lashes far better than you would any other normal mascara. I LOVE it!

Have you ever tried the bottom lashes mascara by clinique? What did you think?!