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Benefit Cosmetics! New Products!

I received a very cute package in the post this week from Benefit Cosmetics.

Seriously, they do the cutest packaging in the business! The Hoola family has expanded and there is also a new box highlighter in the mix too. I thought I would give a closer look at them, and of course swatch all the products here too.

I am a big fan of the original Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzer.

It’s just a really good, build-able matte bronzer. You can find it on the Debenhams website here. At €34, it is pricey, but they do last a really long time.

They’ve now released a new version, Hoola Lite.

As the name would suggest, it’s Hoola, but lighter 🙂 It is matte and slightly cool toned. Definitely more suited to paler skin tones.

It is in the same box format, containing 8 grams of products. You can find it on Cloud 10 Beauty here.

The second new product being welcomed into the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola family is their Quickie Contour Stick.

This is a cream stick version of Hoola.

It’s super creamy and easy to blend. I think I would personally use this for warming up the face or for layering colour to help with longevity.

You can buy it online from the Debenhams website here.

The last newbie on the scene is Dandelion Twinkle Highlighting Powder. Packaged the same as any of the boxed products. You get 3 grams of product within.

Benefit describe it as as, ‘delicate strobing powder’. It is a really soft light pink shade with a silvered sparkle running through it. It gives a very subtle highlight to the skin.

Dandelion Twinkle is available from for €34 from the Debenhams website here.

And now, you’re up to date with the all the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola news 🙂

Any of the products tickle your fancy? Have you picked up any of them yourself?

xxx

*******PR SAMPLE*******

June 14, 2017/by Gem

Skincare

La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour

I am on my second bottle of the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour.

I picked this up after seeing Sinèad from The Beautiful Truth talking about it. And, I am so glad I did!

As you probably know because I always go on about it. My skin is predominately oily. However, I do suffer with dryness under my eyes. So, I was on the hunt for an eye cream that cleared it up as it can not only be uncomfortable. It can make applying makeup a pain in the bum too. I also didn’t want to spend a tonne of money on something, in case it didn’t do the job. I can say hand on heart the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour has ticked all of the eye cream boxes for me 🙂

It is specifically designed for sensitive eyes. And according to La Roche Posay here, it is ‘preservative-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, alcohol-free, colorant-free, lanolin-free.’

It comes within a pump dispenser which I always find handy.

And the formula itself is in a separate airtight bag within the bottle.

This is supposed to keep the formula fresh. On a side note, the pump doesn’t dispense too much product. You can somewhat control the amount of cream you want. The pump has a spring mechanism. I don’t find myself rubbing excess cream into my hands after applying it 🙂

The formula is what I would describe as a creamy gel.

Even though it feels hydrating on the skin, it absorbs really quickly and doesn’t feel tacky or leave a film behind. I have been using it both morning and evening for the past few months and have found a significant reduction in the dryness under my eyes as a result. I use a probably a pea sized amount tapped out around each eye.

Overall, I am a big fan of the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour. To be fair I would have to be to repurchase it. I can be a bit flaky when it comes to my beauty products (no pun intended 🙂 ) I think it is a really good price too. I got mine in a local pharmacy for €14. You can pick it up from Boots in store or online here too.

xxx

November 6, 2016/by Gem

Makeup, Skincare

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +

I have used and loved the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo for literally years and years. There is always a tube of it in my skincare stash.

As a beauty blogger, I am very lucky to be able to try and test new products all of the time. But, as someone with oilier skin, I am always hesitant with day time moisturisers. I need one that adds moisture without interfering with my makeup. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo is one I can apply and I don’t have to think about it. I just know it works for me.

It is specifically made for oily, spot prone skin. It is non- comedogenic and doesn’t contain any parabens either. The ingredients include: Niacinamide, LHA, Piroctone Olamine, Linoleic Acid, Zinc PCA. They say it helps prevent shine, my take on that would be that it doesn’t add any extra oil to the skin.

My non science interpretation of La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo is that along with helping to alleviate any active breakouts, it still makes my skin feel hydrated. Even if are more oily, your skin can still be dehydrated and in need of moisture and I think this gives a balance to the skin without leaving any residue behind that might interfere with makeup application.

It has a gel like consistency and blends in super easy and quick. You don’t have to wait around for it to soak in. I think it does have a strong floral scent, which I personally don’t mind. It doesn’t really linger after the product has soaked into the skin.

I am not saying by any means it’s a miracle worker (what is really?) I just find Effaclar Duo works really well for me and it doesn’t cost a whole load either. At the moment it’s €11.99 in Boots here on offer. But, usually it’ll set you back around 17 quid or so for a 40ml tube.

This year La Roche Posay released the Effaclar Duo + Unifiant.

This is basically the moisturiser as we know but with a tint. I went to the launch of and I was super excited to give it a go because of course I love the original.

It only comes in two shades, light and medium. The one I use is light and it is a pretty ok match for me.

I use this as I would the original. I would say it has light coverage but the ability to cover redness. I apply it as a moisturiser, let it sink in and then put primer on top. I like using it for ‘no makeup days’. I’ll then skip foundation and just used concealer and whatever other makeup I want to use that day. It wouldn’t last on my skin just on it’s own.

Are you a fan of the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo + range?

xxx

**** PR Sample

September 23, 2016/2 Comments/by Gem

Skincare, Youtube Video

Garnier Micellar Oil Infused Cleansing Water

I thought rather than just tell you about the Garnier Micellar Oil Infused Cleansing Water, I would make a video showing in action.

This is the first time I’ve ever taken my makeup off in video form so it felt a little strange, not going to lie 🙂

Garnier say of their new Micellar Water on the Boots website: ‘Is Garnier Micellar Oil-Infused Cleansing Water Right For Me? Yes, if you are looking for an efficient, yet gentle cleanser that removes all make-up (even waterproof), impurities and dirt and leaves skin feeling nourished. Suitable even for dry, sensitive skin. Why Is It Different? Micellar Oil-Infused Cleansing Water is an easy way to remove even waterproof make-up, and cleanse and nourish the feel of skin, in 1 step without rinsing. How Does It Work? For the 1st time Garnier Micellar technology is formulated with oils. The micelles (cleansing agents) capture impurities like a magnet & lift away dirt from the skin, whilst the oils instantly dissolve all types of make-up. The Results:Perfectly cleansed, nourished feeling skin without rubbing or rinsing.’

In this video I show you the Garnier Micellar Oil Infused Cleansing Water in action on a full face of makeup including waterproof mascara and gel eyeliner. As well as giving you my two cents on it. I’ll give you a hint though….

I think this picture give you my true feelings, right? 🙂

The Garnier Micellar Oil Infused Cleansing Water is always on special it seems. I’ve seen it in Penneys, Dunnes and even Tesco discounted and it currently €5.53 on Boots online here. The normal price for a 400ml bottle is usually €8.29.

As always you can watch by clicking on the video above or you can head straight over to watch it on my Youtube channel here.

Have you used the Garnier Micellar Oil Infused Cleansing Water? Are you a fan? I would love to know your thoughts 🙂

Thanks for watching.

xxx

August 26, 2016/by Gem

Makeup

theBalm Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer

Through the years of wearing makeup and then becoming a bit of a makeup fiend, I’ve realised just how beneficial eyeshadow primer really is. I haven’t strayed very far from the cult classic Urban Decay Primer Potion. I’ve bought a lot of their palettes. And with alot of the palettes you get a sample of the primer potion. It works well for me so I never really felt the need to try something else. However, I received a few pretty decent samples of theBalm Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer in a goody bag a while back and I must say, tentatively… I think I prefer it 🙂

I’ve been using theBalm Put A Lid On It for a good 3 months now, so I think I’ve given it a fair trial.

I have two 3.7 ml sample sizes and I am still on the first on! When it comes to eyeshadow primer, like your face primer, less it more. You only need a very small layer of it under your eye makeup to do its magic. I sometimes use it under my eyes too to help my concealer sit a bit better too!

theBalm Put A Lid On It comes out of the tube in a skin colour, but when you blend it across your eye lid, it is pretty much undetectable.

It has a really light texture and smooths over any imperfections you might have. It dries down really quickly too and makes it very easy to apply creams or powders over top.

Of course, the main job of a eyeshadow primer is to make your eye makeup last and theBalm Put A Lid On It does a really good job at that. I have oily lids so I think I am a pretty good judge because without a primer, within a couple of hours I get creasing on my eye lids.

If you are looking for a primer that makes you shadows more vibrant, this probably isn’t for you. There are others on the market for that. But, if you are looking for one that smooths out your eyelids, is not sticky or tacky and makes your shadows last for the whole day, I wholeheartedly recommend this. As much as I like the Urban Decay Primer Potion, it can be a bit drying on the lids, whereas theBalm Put A Lid On It is a bit more fluid in texture and is easier to blend.

A 11.8 ml tube of theBalm Put A Lid On It will set you back €20 from Cloud 10 Beauty here.

Do you use eye shadow primer?

xxx

August 15, 2016/3 Comments/by Gem

Nails

Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat

If you follow me on Snapchat (my username is Beautynook if you don’t, shameless plug), you’ll know I’ve been testing out the new Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat pretty vigorously.

I’ve used it about 5 times on top of different branded nail polish and base coats and I pretty much had the same outcome with them all. Boots describe it as “Rimmels first ever 2- step Super Gel nail polish for superior colour and shine that lasts for up to 14 days. Easy to apply, it dries like a regular nail polish, no UV lamps needed.”

It has the standard Rimmel nail polish packaging, which I am a fan of.

I love that the brush is quite large,flat and rounded at the tip. For me, this makes application easier.

Just to show you the process quickly:

Here’s my bare nails.

Here’s the base coat applied.

Two layers of nail polish.

I let the nail polish dry for a few minutes before applying the Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat.

You can see, it definitely adds a lovely glass like shine to your nails and really finishes them off. It’s easy enough to apply and doesn’t drag or move the nail polish underneath. It also dries reasonably quickly, which is a plus too! I painted my nails in the evening time, so the next morning, they were still looking good!

My Nails The Next Day After Application.

My Nails On Technically The Third Day.

After the second full day of wear, you can see (especially on my pinkie finger), bubbles have started to form.

By the third full day, this had happened.

The nail polish on my little finger had completely come loose and just peeled off. Not ideal!

Overall, and after testing out the Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat on numerous occasions, I really can’t say it lasts as well as gel UV nail polish. I got pretty much 3/4 days before it started to crack and I was at the stage where I could just peel it off my nails (I do really enjoy doing that though) :). For me, I will use it because I have it, but I won’t be repurchasing it any time soon.

You can get the Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat from Boots in store or online here. It will set you back €7.99 so definitely not the cheapest version on the market at the minute.

June 1, 2016/by Gem

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