June Favourites

So my blogging schedule last month was pretty abysmal. I'm not going to lie - I've had a pretty crappy month, however I'm back on track now...she says!

Okay so lets jump straight in with my number one product I've been obsessed with.

MAC's Expensive Pink Eye Shadow (£10.00 / £13.00) - This is a staple in any beauty obsessed's pallet. The colour is a mix between rose gold and pink and can be made to look completely different when using a MAC paint pot as a base.

From left to right: MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot, MAC Expensive Pink Eye Shadow, Combo of both

MAC's Rubenesque Paint Pot (£15.50)- This leads nicely on from the above. I use this paint pot as the base for Expensive Pink. The beautiful iridescent golden peachy tones really bring out the rose gold tones from the shadow. In short - a must have. This also last an absolute lifetime - I've had mine for years and as you can see, I've only just made a dint.

F & F Floral Top (£18.00) - A first for my blog by including a fashion item but I have received SO many compliments when I wear this I can't not add it. It's made of a silky material and has a fabulous floral pattern running through it. The cut is very flattering for all shapes and can be worn in many different ways for different events. I like to pair mine with my denim straight cut jeans rolled up with converse or ballet pumps with a vest top underneath, or rolled down jeans and a bright coloured heel and matching clutch. Love it! In fact whilst I was at a Benefit Event recently once of the lovely Benebabes thought it was from somewhere like Zara or Ted Baker....hell yes! (Click on the following link if you'd like to see the top in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1MsUkmr9cQ )

F& F Necklace (£12.00) - Again, another fashion piece and pretty much the same as above...I've received a lot of compliments on it! It just add's a nice pop of colour to any outfit.

NYX Lip Butter (£5.00) - My go to lip product this month has been the NYX Cosmetics Lip Butter in Vanilla Cream Pie, this is such a pretty colour that can go on the lip on it's own or be worn over the top of your favourite lipstick. The consistency is really creamy, not sticky and they smell divine. Not only that but for £5.00 you can afford to buy yourself a few! Go on treat yourself...

Liz Earle Cleanser (£13.75) - So my eyes have been opened these last two months to the wonder that is Liz Earle. This hot cloth cleanser is just amazing and I've been completely converted! Late as always on the band wagon with this but I can assure you it is now a firm favourite in my skin care regime.

Benefit B.Right 'Instant Comeback Serum'* (£36.00) - I was lucky enough to receive the Benefit B.Right skin care range and I can honestly say it's possibly the prettiest and easiest skin care range I've ever come across. I know the prices are a bit hefty but in all honesty these do come up to the same level as some of the high end skin care products out there. This particular product is a serum you apply to your face after you've cleansed and toned, but before you moisturise. It absorbs fast into the skin and adds a boost of hydration and it really does hydrate your skin to give it that instant comeback....see what I did there?

Benefit B.Right 'It's Potent' Eye Cream* (£25.50) - This product has been out for a while and I'd previously got a small size of this for Christmas in Benefit's gift set. However on receiving the full size I fell in love again. The consistency of this is really moisturing and creamy but nothing too heavy. It literally melts into the skin, instantly plumping it to get rid of those horrid dark circles. I love this. - On a side note Benefit offer a 28 money back guarantee on their B.Right range so if you are apprehensive you've got this to fall back on.

Power Bank (£19.99) - Okay so a bit of self promotion here, but this product is something the company I work for, imports into the UK, so naturally I made sure I got a freebie when this arrived! We don't deal direct with the public so I'm not gaining anything out of this financially. I just can't get over how much a simple power bank has changed my life. Literally this is with me everywhere I go, so when my phone goes down to the dreaded red line of 10% I whack this on and it charges my phone over 50% in less than 30 minutes. Life saver.

Sally Hansen Shine Airbrush Legs Lotion Tan (£13.99) - Stop the press! This is a game changer. Any girl, any size, envies women's legs that look like they've been airbrushed...well I do anyway. Perv alert! Hide your legs ladies! hahahaha. I'm obsessed with this product, to be clear this is not a fake tan - it is leg make up so it will wash off when you get in the shower. This smooths over all your lumps, bumps, veins & anything you wish to hide! I am no longer apprehensive about getting my legs out this summer - Hello Barbie Legs!   

Diptyque Eau Rose Eau de Toilette (£65.00) - Okay so I purchased this about 3 weeks ago when I was in London from Space.N.K and I am obsessed with it. It is my new signature fragrance! As some of you very well know I am addicted to the Diptyque Rosamundi candle and this scent smells just like it. This is a true rose scent, very natural and not at all over powering or synthetic. Please do go and have a sniff when you're next passing a Space N.K as you won't be disappointed! 

There we have it! I hope you've enjoyed my monthly favourites, leave me a comment below if you've tried any of the above and what you think of them! 

Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter & Instagram!

As always it's been a pleasure.

Char

xXx

*This posts contains PR Samples

Benefit New Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm Review

Recently I was sent one of the new Benefit Hydrating Tinted Lip Balms. The colour I got sent was Cha Cha Balm, a lovely orange coral tint which looks lovely on the lips.

To start, lets talk about the packaging. It is seriously beautful. I love the rose gold tube with the coral pink swirls on the lid. It just looks chic, and one of those stand out products in your lip collection, that would automatically catch anyone's attention. I haven't physically seen the other tints but I'm sure they will be just as beautiful!

The formulation; This actually surprised me quite a lot as I'm used to the tints (benetint, posietint etc...) being quite drying on my lips and skin. This might just be my own experience of the tints, let me know if not! However these are really hydrating. They use mango butter to create that creamy moisturing texture that provides high level antioxidants and beneficial vitamins A,C and E emphasizing the hydration element.

Price and release date: So these are coming in at a hefty £14.50 which I don't know how I feel about really. I don't think I'd personally spend that much on a lip balm...I say that, but I quite easily would spend £20 on Dior Creme De Rose Lip Balm. I don't know...you know me - I have no control when it comes to spending money therefore you decide! I believe the release date of these will be June this year, so keep a look out on Benefit's site!

Anyway, that's all for now folks, I hope you enjoyed this post. You can follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter and Instagram.

As always, It's been a pleasure!

Char

xXx

* This post contains a PR sample.   

Not So Flawless | Benefit Stay Flawless Review

 I am a sucker for good packaging, and sometimes this can get the better of me! I always used to be a Benefit fan, but now, not so much. However, I still hold a special place for it in my heart as it was the first brand I ever bought! 

I haven't done a negative review yet however this needed to be done. Since November last year I have gone through 4 of these. I would like to add that I only purchased the first one and the rest have been replacements from the store. 

I am at my wits with this and I think I've given this a fair enough trial to be able to give you some valuable feedback. 

What Benefit say about this product - 'Hello 15 hours of flawless! Benefit's invisible PRO-long primer acts like a magnet to instantly lock-on your foundation. This innovative stick formula makes your favourite hello flawless make-up looking fresh, hour after hour.Go longer. Stay flawless! Glide this innovative primer stick directly onto skin, then immediately apply foundation, blending together on face.'

So let's start with the pro's.

1. The packaging. It really is lovely. I love the polka-dots! 

2. Formulation - This really does work well. It stays on for hours and does not shift, however not the 15 hours it says it does. Lets say about 8-10.

3. Concept - I like the idea of having a primer in stick form, that you can just roll up and down like a lip balm. 

Unfortunately that's it for the pro's.

Con's:

1. The packaging - I know I mentioned this as a pro - however this also goes for a con too as this is packaged in such a way, it is too bulky for my make up storage & takes up a lot of space. 

2. With each one I've tried the lid popped off quite a lot and you really had to shove it on with a bit of brute force. 

3. Practicality - the shape is not right for the product. As a cylinder shape you can not apply this into the nooks and crannies of your face. You can try and get close by using the edge of the stick but this can assist in making it crumble.

4. Formulation - This is a soft, creamy formulation in a stick form, so I found that after several uses the damn thing just crumbled on me. I was so annoyed by this as I expect a product to be functional and this just wasn't. 

5. Price - For the eye-watering amount of £24.50 I expected a lot more from this product. I don't mind paying big bucks for a products so long as it works and in this case it wasn't.  

6. My 2nd try at the product lead to mould! I couldn't believe that it had turned a greenish colour, so a that point I took it back to the store and they gave me another one to try. I unfortunately didn't take any photos of this as I hadn't started blogging yet!

7. The twist up motion kept on breaking!

Uh-Oh - Crumbled AGAIN!!

In the end, I contacted Benefit's Head Office and spoke to their customer care department. They were very friendly and once I had explained my issues, they told me to send it in to them and they would have a look at it. Once they received it, they emailed me to confirm that there was indeed an issue with this product and that if I wanted I could have another one. I declined this offer (as like I said above), I'd given this a fair enough trial, so instead they told me to choose a product of similar value and they would send me that instead. 

I'm still currently looking through and deciding on what I want as I'm quite tempted by the new Gimmie Brow...however I'm not committing yet until I see a few more good reviews about it!

Have you tried the Gimme Brow?

Overall, my plea to Benefit is when it brings out new products; spend more time on the actual product than the way it's packaged!

I hope you've enjoyed my post today and lets hope the next Benefit review I do will be a positive!

Have any of you had this issue? Let me know in the comments below!

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Bloglovin

As always, It's been a pleasure!

Char

xXx

Love Lost | Lost Love

So there has been a reoccurring theme this last week I feel, with bloggers from all corners of the globe talking about products that they had either lost or forgotten about and whether or not they still love them or not. 

So I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and give you...drum roll please....!

Love Lost | Lost Love

The title maybe pretty self explanatory to me but I'll explain it so there is no confusion. 

Love Lost - Used to love it, now don't.

Lost Love - Used to love it, still do.

Simples - Let's crack on! I warn you - this maybe pretty lengthy so I apologise in advance. Let me know if you read until the end ; I would be honoured to find out who finds this interesting :)

Eyeshadows - How did i forget these?!

Lets start with the Shadows

So you may be asking how I forgot about these, the answer is, there is no answer - I'm just a bad person! I was attempting to tidy / organise my room last week and found an old make up case that felt rather heavy. On opening it I found a tonne of make up! Of which I felt very bad...Bad Charlotte! 

Benefit Eyeshadows

Benefit: 

Miss Moon Shimmer Pot - This pearly white pigment lasts you years...I'm being serious guys! I think this was one of the first make up products I bought with my own money. It has a beautiful shimmer to it with blue undertones. Perfect for brightening the inner corner of your eyes or blending out to create a stunning smoky eye. 

Verdict : Lost Love

Miss Moon

Next we have another Benefit duo shadow and for the life of me I can't remember the name! I've looked for it all over the web and it's nowhere to be found! This is really old and I totally forgot about it. However I do really like the grey shimmer with it's violet / brown undertones. Great for a smoky eye. Loved the pot too. 

Verdict : Lost Love

Jane Doe of Eyeshadows

Finally we have the other Benefit pot - Don't know the name - it's rubbed off! I'm coming across a bit rubbish on this name game but honestly I get better :) This, if I remember correctly was a multi-use product so I could use it as a shadow, blush and lip stain. To be honest it takes a lot of blending and I've got better ones now sooooo I think this is going to be given away. 

Verdict : Love Lost

Benefit 3 in 1 Blush Powder

MAC:

Yes. I forgot all about these, my excuse is that I've been using my Laura Mercier palette & Urban Decay palette which duped a lot of the 'normal' shadows in this palette. Apologies! 

Pressed Powder Shadows:  I'm only going to swatch the unusual colours from this palette. 

Overall : I know some of these colours are a bit out there, but I just can't be parted with them. I think they are simply beautiful.

Verdict : Lost Love

From Left to Right: Beautiful Iris, Stars n Rockets, Da Bling, Newly Minted, Chrome Yellow

Okay so this next one stumped me! My fantastic brother bought me this for a Christmas present last year with his own money (Guy is 18 now but for a 17 year old to choose something for me and buy it, I was seriously impressed!) 

If anyone can advise me as to how to use this palette I'm all ears as I find the consistency really tough, they are cream based?! Also I don't think the names are at all pleasant. So at the moment i'm not loving it, but will keep hold of it for sentimental reasons.

Verdict : Love Lost

Spring 2013 Forecast Eyes Palette
From Left to Right: Runway Rose, Now Mustard! Must Have Brown, Top Soil, Sunshine, April Mist

Eye Pencils

So two old eye pencils I used to love were the Benefit Eye Bright & Bad Gal Eye Liner

These are far too chunky for my liking and not something I'd use now as I have better alternatives. Also the formula of both of them seem to be quite dry - that may be something to do with the fact I forgot about them but still not impressed. 

Verdict : Love Lost

Eye Bright : Bad Gal Eye Liner

Face Powders

The final installment of this post is on face powders. I'll be amazed if you're still reading this! 

Benefit Hello Flawless - Okay so this may look like I used it a lot but this is such a shallow pan, after a few uses I met the bottom! Sorry to be so blunt, it may have cute packaging but that still does not justify the £25.50!!! price tag. The powder itself was nice, gives you a good coverage but I would want more for my money. I'm all for paying good money for a product so long as it's justified - in this case, it isn't.

Verdict : Love Lost 

MAC Pinch Me : This is described as a 'dirty rose coral' which is actually the best way to describe it. It's halfway between a blush and a bronzer and I love it!

Verdict : Lost Love

Chanel Blush Hot Pink - We've got a love hate relationship. I adore the packaging (as lets face it - it's Chanel!) However I had to seriously rub the powder to even get the slightest bit off! I love the colour and think it's a beautiful pink with a touch of shimmer but it's too bloody stubborn! 

What do you guys think?

Verdict : Love Lost 

From left to right: Benefit, MAC, Chanel

Congratulations if you're still reading this! You might have aged a year but you still look fabulous! :)

I'm always interested in what you guys have lost and found so please keep this 'theme' going!

On a final note, to keep up to date follow me on: 

Twitter @charlie-teee ; Instagram @charlottelouisethompson89 ; Bloglovin Charlotte Louise Thompson 

Have a wonderful Valentines Day ladies, and as always, It's been a pleasure. 

Char

xXx