Monthly Must-Have! May

 When it comes to monthly favorites I have to admit I am useless. Some months I have a shed load of products I adore, others I'm stuck in a rut using the same thing and if I attempt to get it all together for a blog post you can bet I will always forget something! So with this in mind I have decided to start a new series on my blog called...

...Monthly Must-Haves!

Each month I will choose just ONE product, tool, or beauty related 'thing' that I feel every beauty lover needs in their life! So for the month of May I have chosen...

The MAC 217 blending brush!

 This little brush is a miracle worker! I use it every single time I do my eye make up as it is incredible for applying and blending eyeshadow, creating a really smooth finish. The goat hair bristles are soft and dense and for the many months I have owned, used and washed it I haven't experienced any shedding!

The MAC 217 Blending Brush retails for a pricey £17.00 but is honestly such an investment, and if properly looked after will last a long while. If there is one brush you definitely need in your collection, it's this one! Once you have it you will honestly wonder how you got along without it!

MAC Springsheen Blush

I love blusher and the way it can pull a whole make up look together. Whether it be a bright pink adding a flush of colour, or a subtle coral creating a healthy glow, I just love it! I have a variety of different shades and styles of blush in my collection but always find myself reaching for the warmer toned peachy corals. I just love the way they look on my skin and give a warm, fresh faced look. Springsheen does exactly that and is definitely a favorite of mine!  

  

I would describe Springsheen as a peachy pink with a golden sheen. It is a Sheertone Shimmer finish which can be swept lightly across the cheek bones for a subtle glowy finish or applied more heavily for a flush of peachy colour. The golden shimmer is not obvious but adds a healthy glow. It blends very easily and has superb staying power, needing minimal touch ups throughout the day.

L: Springsheen lightly swatched R: Springsheen heavily swatched

I love using Springsheen for an everyday look, especially in the summer for a natural healthy glow.

This product is included in MACs permanent Blush line and retails for £17.50.

What's your favourite summer blush?

Benefit They're Real! Mascara Review

This mascara has received numerous rave reviews within the beauty community and is currently the UK's number one best selling mascara...and I can totally see why!

 

I first received a sample size in a Christmas gift set and have been in love with it ever since! I have searched high and low for a mascara that actually delivers the promised results and I can safely say that Benefit have definitely blew all other brands out the water with this one! (So much so that as soon as I was running low I swiftly repurchased the full size!)

 

As ever with Benefit the packaging is unique and has sleek, metallic casing. The wand has plastic bristles (a drawback for some but I personally don't mind them) and a domed tip which allows easy application to the corners and bottom lashes. The bristles are of varying lengths which allows the wand to glide through every lash, separating them for an even application. Just one coat leaves the lashes looking dramatically lengthened, volumised, lifted and very black.

  

Top: Naked Lashes. Bottom: One coat of Benefit 'They're Real!' Mascara

 

The formulation allows you to apply multiple coats but you have to work quickly as I find it very difficult to build up once dry. It is a very long wearing mascara and doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day. It can be every so slightly difficult to remove but with a good cleanser it's no trouble.

Benefit 'They're Real!' mascara retails for £18.50 and in my opinion is definitely worth the hype and the price tag!

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette

Along with the original Naked Palette, Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette is a product I completely adore. Filled with both matte and shimmer shades this really is a palette capable of creating a variety of beautiful neutral looks.

This palette definitely out does it predecessor in terms of packaging as it's metal casing makes it much more hard wearing and easier to keep clean. I also really love that the case clips shut making it perfect for mess free travel. 

The dual ended brush is a nice addition to the palette and unlike many brushes included in sets, is actually useful! It has one flat end perfect for packing the shadows all over the lid and a fluffy blending brush on the other (a decent blending brush but not a patch on my MAC 217!)

 Also included in the set is a miniature 'Lip Junkie' in the colour 'Naked' (not photographed - oops!) I would have proffered a Primer Potion as I think it would be more apt for a shadow set, but it is a lovely pinky shade with a minty taste.

At first glance it may appear that the two palettes are practically identical but only one shade (half baked) is a repeat. The Naked 2 offers a slightly cooler toned selection of colours than the original and each shade is soft, highly pigmented and blends easily. There are 12 shadows included in the set, 5 of which are brand new shades. Whilst the shimmer shades are beautiful, I do feel that I would get much more daily use out of it if there were a few more matte shades included!

 

Left To Right: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite

Left to Right: Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

My favorite and most used shades from the Naked 2 palette are Foxy, Chopper, Tease and Busted. 

In all honesty I don't think I could choose between the Naked and Naked 2 palette as I love them both very much and I feel they compliment each other well allowing you to mix and match between the two palettes. 

The Naked 2 palette retails at £36 is widely available online and in stores.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in 'Stellar'

Recently Rimmel have really upped their game and raised the bar for 'drug store' brands with the release of some fantastic collections and, in my opinion, the Apocalips Lip Lacquers are no exception.

Stellar

At first glance the 8 shade colour range may appear slightly limited and some shades not so appealing but there are definitely a few must haves amongst them! 

The formulation is a winner for me, creamy, highly pigmented and opaque with a pretty impressive lasting power. The wand style applicator makes it so easy and hassle free to apply - brilliant to pop in your handbag for on-the-go touch ups! (however, be warned! Being so highly pigmented, you could get in a mess with the brighter colours!)

One coat of Stellar

Overall I really love this product and would definitely recommend it. It retails at a bargain price of £5.99...a perfect excuse to go back for more!

Have you tried any of this range? What shade is your favourite?

xXx

Sunday Neutrals

FOTD: Neutrals!

Face

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser

The Body Shop Wise Woman Eyecream

Benefit Porefessional Face Primer

No7 Instant Radiance Foundation

MAC Studio Finish Concealer NW25

BareMinerals Bronzing Powder in Warmth

Benefit Sugarbomb Blush

Eyes

Urban Decay Naked all over lid

MAC Charcoal Brown in outer corner

Urban Decay Virgin in inner corner 
Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara

Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in noir 

Lips

MAC Lip Liner in Brick (very lightly applied)

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick in Rose Tea

What have you been wearing this weekend?

Benefit Sugarbomb

Whilst perhaps being a product more suited to the spring/summer, Benefit's Sugarbomb is my current 'go to' blusher. It has just enough shimmer to provide a healthy pinky peach radiance to the cheekbones whilst still remaining a subtle and natural blush. It includes 4 individual shades of coral, rose, pink and a subtle plumb which can be used alone or swirled together to create a beautiful glowing complexion. However deeper, darker skin tones may find this to be too soft as a blush, as it is not hugely pigmented, but it would make a lovely highlighter!

As with all Benefit products the packaging is quirky and unique and Sugarbomb also includes a handy mirror on the underside of the lid and a small brush that fits neatly inside (my brush is a tad neglected as i always find this kind of brush to be completely useless!)

As with all Benefit blushers, Sugarbomb retails at  £23.50 for 12g (0.42oz), which may seem a huge amount to splurge on a blusher but compared to weight-to-price value for money, is far better value than the likes of MAC and Nars! 

Which Benefit boxed powder is your favorite?