My 12 Hour Makeup Edit

What is that strange warm glowing ball in the sky I see before my eyes, oh yeah it's the sun? Something here in the UK we have all been unfamiliar with the last couple of months. The weather is slowly starting to warm up and the days are lasting longer, which is great for us blogging gals wanting that bright photo. However, the weather isn't that great for our make-up. These are the makeup products I tend to reach for if I am on my feet all day and don't really have time to be touching up my face.

If I know I am going to be wearing makeup all day a primer is essential for keeping my makeup at bay. The primer I tend to reach for at the moment is the Hylamide HA Blur*. This product is amazing to use as it not only minimizes pores, it blurs and plumps the skin too. Which is exactly what I need if I am working a long shift at work as this keeps my foundation in place all day. I find my foundation glides onto my face so much easier when I have this on my skin. Speaking of foundation if I want full coverage I reach for Estee Lauder Double Wear every time. This foundation is amazing for covering imperfections and giving you that flawless base that doesn't move all day. It's a little bit pricey but totally worth it. Similar is The Ordinary Fluid Primer £5.00.

A concealer I absolutely swear by that has changed my life and my skin is Urban Decay Naked Skin. This concealer is amazing for hiding dark circles, covering spots and brightening your complexion. It can sometimes be a little too heavy which is why I tend to only reach for it when I am wearing makeup all day. I have tried loads of highlighters over the years and the only one that I'd go as far as to say is my holy grail is the Mary Lou Manizer. This powder highlight is incredible for giving your face a healthy glow. I find the more hours I wear it the healthier my skin looks, not sure if that's because I have oily skin but hey it's a good'in!

To set all my makeup in place I tend to reach for either the NYX Matte or Dewy Setting Spray, depending on what I fancy. These sprays are affordable and help keep your makeup in place for a little while longer. The Urban Decay Setting Spray is my favourite setting spray, but unfortunately, I ran out and I now use this as an alternative.

What makeup keeps your face in place??

9 Gross Beauty Things All Girls Do

source – Makeup Savvy

If you haven't gone a week without cleaning your makeup brushes then you are probably lying, but after you read this post you will feel reassured that every girl does this and a whole lot more gross stuff. It takes a great deal of time to look after our skin, but not everybody knows the extent it can go to. For today I wanted to share with you 11 gross beauty things that all girls do which you can hopefully relate to.

Sorry guys but girls are pretty disgusting too.

1. Not Cleaning Brushes - I think this is a pretty obvious one that every girl can relate towards. In our defence it takes us alone half an hour or more to apply the makeup and then another 10 minutes to remove it every day, so where do we fit in the time? And don't get me started on the Beauty Blenders.

2. Out Of Date Products - How would we know when a product goes out of date? Do we care? Unless there is a label telling me my Benefit blusher expires March 22nd, 2015 or the product has started gathering wildlife, then I will keep using it until I get bored.

3. Tasting Lip Products - 9 times out of 10 lipstick reviews will comment on how good they taste which seems strange but for some reason we all do it. If a lip product smells or tastes nice it definitely makes a difference.

4. Using Your Fingers - Whether it's blending concealer, wiping away mascara smudges or over lipstick marks, we have all used our fingers for our makeup. I'm pretty sure when I was younger, I guiltily used my fingers to blend my foundation in.

5. Sharing Makeup - You get together with a few of the girls and you realise you forgot your mascara so your friend kindly lets you use hers or you let her borrow your lipstick. We've all shared 1 or 2 lipsticks over the years and it is kinda gross.

6. Picking Nail Vanish - If you've chipped a nail, it just seems so much more satisfying picking the rest off than having to reapply it all.

7. Slept In Makeup - Guilty of doing this more times than I care to admit.

8. Repurchasing Razor - Buying a razor is just as bad as buying sanitary towels and it is such a boring product to have to constantly repurchase and they aren't cheap! But we all reuse that razor that we know needs thrown out.

9. Pulling Hair - This is so gross but so true, we all enjoy after a shower, pulling out all the loose strands of hair and seeing how much has fallen out. This is quite scary the more you actually think about it.

What gross beauty things do you do??

5 Body Essentials For The Colder Months

Usually, I get a little lazy with keeping my body hydrated during the colder months, simply because it is just too cold to be standing around half naked for 5 minutes applying products. I'm now a changed woman. Lately, I find myself reaching for body products more frequently and have now got myself into a little routine.

Today I am sharing what my top 5 body essentials are that do wonders during the colder months.

Grounded Chocolate Orange Coffee Scrub

I am sure you are all aware of coffee scrubs, they are something original and unique that is very beneficial. This scrub is available from Boots and they come in a variety of flavours, I, of course, went for chocolate orange purely because Christmas is upon us and I want to be using exciting, nostalgic products. As you take a shower/bath you apply this scrub all over your body/face and let it sit for a while before you simply wash it off. These are incredibly messy scrubs, but the results are amazing, my skin always feels incredibly smooth after I have used this.

Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturizer*

If I can double up having an extra layer of hydration then I will do it. The Nivea In Shower is the perfect product for upping moisturizing. If I am having one of those 'I can't be bothered' days, then I will go ahead in the shower use a normal shower gel and then apply this all over my body and rinse off. I love this product as once I am towel dried I don't feel the need to apply lotions. This product sets me off for the rest of the day and I just love that you can use it in the shower.

Fair Squared Shower Gel*

I like to reach for the Fair Squared Shower Gel before I apply the Nivea In Shower, which smells amazing. I love shower gels that smell yummy and leaves your body nice and hydrated which this product does. I also really like using the Shaving Soap* for shaving, some products leave my skin feeling dry but this doesn't and it again smells amazing. Fair Squared is a great brand to check out if like organic products that don't contain all the good stuff.

Nivea Cleansing Lotion*

For those days I can be bothered to moisturize my body after a shower I like to reach for this product. This smells so lovely and really helps not only keep my skin hydrated but relaxes my body too. I like to apply this just before I hit the hay and I always wake up with smooth skin.

LUSH Coconut Hand Scrub

This coconut hand scrub is something else; I don't even think I've got a hand scrub in my collection. I love anything coconut and this just screamed at me for whenever my hands are feeling a bit on the dry side, I like to wet them and scrub them with this. I am left with very smooth and coconut-smelling hands and I cannot recommend this product enough if you suffer from dry hands, you could probably get away with using this on your feet too.

What are your body essentials for the colder months??

Brand Focus: Benecos Makeup

I mean, who doesn't absolutely love a budget-friendly, au natural makeup brand right? I was kindly sent a lovely surprise package from Benecos filled with stunning makeup products to try out. I have heard and mentioned Benecos in a blog post before so I was so excited to try more of their range out.

This is a natural cosmetics beauty brand that is animal-friendly, BDIB certified and have a colourless eco look. If I'm being honest when I read the term 'natural' I do sometimes make a quick judgement and assume they won't be as wonderful as some brands, but this really made me think differently.

Bronzing Duo £4.15 | Link

This bronzing duo did take me back a little since I am quite pale and this doesn't look like my shade. However that didn't stop me trying it out, it reminds me of Solar Powder by S&G in the sense it blends in so nicely to how you want it to look. That rose hues shade with the warm brown gives you a lovely sun-glow effect perfect for a sunny holiday.

Natural Lipstick 'First Love' £3.90 | Link

This lipstick really excited me as the shade is something I tend to reach out for quite often. These wonderfully creamy lipsticks nourish, protect and soften your lips with active ingredients including jojoba, sunflower oil and organic beeswax. This lipstick shade really matches my skin tone well which makes it the perfect everyday lip.

Natural Lip Gloss 'Natural Glam' £3.73 | Link 

Not the biggest of fans of lip glosses but this shade really struck me to give them a try more. These are wonderfully nourishing lip glosses that give your lips a berry-tone gloss and don't leave you with a sticky texture. I think this is perfect for those 'no makeup' days or over a nude lip, I really love this gloss!

Mono Eye Shadow 'Forget Me Not', 'Apricot Glow' and 'Soft Vanilla' £2.49 Each | Link

I think out of everything the eye shadows were what I was sceptical about since I've found a lot of inexpensive shadows tend to not be as pigmented or stay in place for long. These softly shimmering eye shadows are the perfect subtle shades for a natural look. These are very powdery and go onto my lids so easily without having to reapply. I love the soft vanilla shade as a base eye shadow I use this all the time now and it just stays in place all day. I can see these being a staple in my everyday makeup routine.

Nail Polish 'Hot Summer' £3.23 | Link

The nail polishes are not a natural cosmetic product from Benecos but that didn't stop me from trying it out. This shade is perfect for summer! The shade is very rich and looks lovely on my nails, it somehow makes them look healthy. It dries fairly quickly and stays in place for a few days without chipping.

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*PR Sample/gift.

Have you tried Benecos out yet??

Girl Tries Nivea Men's Shaving Balm

Never thought I'd see the day where I try out a Shaving Balm for men I mean, I'll use my boyfriends Nivea Face Wash if I stay at his but other then that I stick to my own facial products. After reading so many great reviews on Nivea Men's Shaving Balm for keeping your makeup in place all day as a primer, I finally decided to see what the hype was about and put this balm to the test.

I haven't grown a beard, yet.

You can pick this balm up pretty much in any drugstore or supermarket for around five pounds so not at all expensive or difficult to find. I decided to trial this product out on a day I was off from work but still went out as I wasn't sure how my skin would react to it. Once moisturized, I went ahead and applied this all over my face and down my neck. It has a creamy white, almost runny consistency and the scent isn't the best, it definitely has that manly scent to it which I'd usually like but it also smelt a little bit sickly as well. It blended into my skin very quickly and didn't leave me with any sticky or tacky finish which I was expecting. It doesn't reduce the appearance of imperfections or pores like most of my primers do so I was sceptical on how my makeup was going to look during the day.

I went ahead and applied the rest of my makeup and I must admit my foundation glided on so much nicer and effortlessly than normal. When all my makeup was applied I did notice my skin had a little bit of a healthy glow to it, I have oily skin anyways but this balm gave me a little healthy glow where the sun naturally hits my face. Once ready I went out and got on with my day keeping a tab on how my makeup was holding up throughout.

4 Hours Update

Once I checked my makeup I noticed my face looked a lot more dewy than normal. Usually, I go all matte with my makeup but this balm has definitely made me think twice on embracing more of an oily, dewy look. I really like how my makeup has that healthy glow to it. However, it did feel as though it would get a little bit shinier during the day so I popped a bit of powder onto my forehead and chin.

7 Hours Update

By this point, I did notice the tip of my nose was starting to melt, but this was the only area on my face that looked as though it was melting off. Therefore this could have been my own fault not the balm as I may have missed applying it to the tip of my nose as everywhere else looked fine.

9/10 Hours Update

As I was taking my makeup off I definitely noticed my makeup was still pretty much in place and nothing had budged since the last time I checked. I am really quite impressed with how this product has turned out. However, I did find once I removed my makeup my skin felt a little bit greasy so I am worried that maybe this could make my skin more oily if I was to use it all the time and maybe even spotty.

Overall though I am really impressed with this balm it definitely kept my makeup in place all day and I only touched it up once. I loved how it gave my face a dewy, healthy glow it's definitely made me rethink how I'd like my makeup to look. I would definitely use this again on those days I know I will be wearing makeup for a long time, but I don't think I'd wear it every single day purely because I think it will make my skin more oily than good.

Have you tried this balm out yet??