Benefit Girl Meets Pearl | Review

If you've read my blog for a while you'll know I'm not always bowled over by Benefit's products and found that they don't normally live up to the hype surrounding them. Nevertheless, I was on the lookout for a new blusher and having never tried one by Benefit despite their good reputation, I thought why not? So, I originally went to the Benefit counter with my eyes set on grabbing myself Rockateur. I tried it out and found it made me look like I'd had one too many glasses of wine so decided to see if there was anything else that took my fancy.

I happened to give Girl Meets Pearl a quick swipe and fell in love with the golden pink sheen it left on the back of my hand. I swiftly moved over to a mirror to give it a go on my cheekbones and found that it left me with a gorgeous glow - no glitter, just a 'lit from within' glow.

We'd had a chat with a lovely girl who was on the counter about the best makeup brushes after she'd caught me eyeing up Benefit's offerings and between her and my sister telling me that they thought it looked nice, I decided to buy it there and then.

I bought it as an early Christmas present for myself and I struggled to keep it smuggled away inside it's packaging for 2 weeks before Christmas but it was worth the wait and I've been loving experimenting with how best to wear it. I've tried it out as an all over primer underneath my foundation, blended in with foundation and applied over the top. 

The packaging is super cute with the rose gold finish and you dispense the product by twisting it up from the bottom. I usually twist it a full twist or less to give me a generous amount and it's not particularly messy to apply as you can quite easily control how much you want to come out rather than it all splurging out suddenly.

Girl Meets Pearl is lightly fragranced, it's a bit fruity and smells like raspberries to me but it is very subtle and you don't notice it after you've applied it.

Using it as a primer, the glow doesn't show through quite as obviously as it does when blended with my foundation. I haven't noticed it give my foundation any extra staying power but it doesn't go patchy or uneven throughout the day. My favourite ways to apply it are definitely mixed in with my foundation for an all over subtle glow and then apply it directly to the high points of my face. When applied to cheekbones etc it looks so pretty, you can dab it on quickly to brighten your face a little or build it up to give you gorgeous, luminous skin. 

Overall, I've been really impressed by Girl Meets Pearl and it's probably my new favourite highlighter. 

What are your favourite Benefit products and highlighters?

January Wishlist

Even though I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas, I still find January a pretty grim month. All the festive, pretty lights have gone and the holiday cheer has evaporated. All we are left with is short, dull days and a looooong month until pay day arrives.

I haven't spotted a great deal in the sales but I have still managed to compile a little list of items to covet. 

I ordered a Stila bronzer in the sales but then a couple of days later received an email telling me that it had actually sold out and was issued a refund instead, good for my bank balance but a tad disappointing. I've been searching around for a good bronzer and Soap & Glory's Solar Powder has received rave reviews all around.

I haven't had a good illuminating under eye concealer in so long and the Estee Lauder Double Wear Brush On Glow BB Highlighter has taken my fancy, despite it's hefty price tag. 

This Alphabet Spotty Mug I spotted on a 'What I Got For Christmas' post and just thought it was so cute! I don't even drink hot drinks that often but seem to have a mini obsession with hunting down cute mugs and cups.

My hands get seriously dry in the winter months and I'm always neglecting to moisturise them. When I saw this Mango Hand Cream I wanted it straight away, I have the Mango Body Sorbet and it smells so, so good.

I've only recently heard all of the rave reviews of the La Roche Posay Serozinc Spray but it's now available on escentual and they have a code on with 20.15% off until 12th January making it only £6.79 before postage. I've suffered with bad breakouts the past year and this sounds like it's worth a try!

Finally I spotted this Flowerbomb rollerball and I think it would be great for popping in your handbag. Sephora won't ship it to the UK but I'll have to hunt one down from somewhere!

What's on your wishlist?

2014 Beauty Favourites

I don't tend to change up my products all that frequently, one I've found something I love I tend to stick to it until it runs out. I've tried a few new products this year but for me, these are the ones that have really stood out and impressed me over and over again.
I received the Naked 3 Palette last Christmas and it is one of my most used makeup items and definitely most loved. With it's versatile colours giving you the option to keep it basic or dress it up, it's been used daily and a travel essential for me.
When my HD Brows quad smashed into smithereens on the floor earlier this year, I nearly cried. I dropped it on the day of a job interview and was panic stricken... who would want to employ someone with no brows? I jest. After hearing lots of wonderful things about Anastasia, I decided to try the Brow Powder Duo and actually preferred it to HD Brows. It looks tiny but I've used it virtually every single day since March and there's only a small dip in it. It's ashy tones suit my brows more and I can build up the powder so that I can keep it natural or make it bold.
The Collection Extreme Felt Tip Liner in black was one I'd been meaning to buy for ages but every time I went to get it, something got in the way. One time I got as far as putting it in my basket and making my way to the checkout only to find it had fallen out somewhere on the floor of Morissons, wonderful. This makes lining your eyes a breeze and I no longer suffer from wonky winged eyes. I've had it since October and it's not dried up or lost it's pigmentation yet so it's a winner for me and I'll definitely repurchase.
After trying the famous Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and being left a little underwhelmed, I decided to purchase Seventeen's Stay Time Concealer and it is the perfect shade for me. It works wonders on my blemishes (and there has been a need to conceal A LOT this year) and also does a nifty job on my dark circles too. I've already come to the end of one tube and repurchased it and for under a fiver, I think I will continue to do so.
It wouldn't be a favourites post without a Max Factor mascara appearing somewhere along the line. I got Clump Defy when it was on offer in Superdrug and it has become a staple for every day use. One coat gives me natural looking lashes but when I layer it up, they look volumised and long. I've also been able to ditch the eyelash curlers with this one which is really impressive for me as normally, my lashes fall flat without being curled but with this one, they look perky all day. 
Finally, I got a couple of eos balms for my birthday and I love them. I think mine are Strawberry Sorbet and Passionfruit and one lives in my handbag and the other on my dressing table. They taste amazing whilst giving my lips a boost of hydration leaving them feeling soft and nourished.
What were your favourite products of 2014? What are you looking forward to trying in 2015?

Christmas Beauty Bits

Helloo! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are ready to celebrate the New Year!  I was super lucky this year and got a few lovely beauty bits and bobs for Christmas so I thought I'd just do a quick post. 
First up my parents got me the Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar which I was so surprised with! My mum decided to wait until Christmas day to give it to me as she thought I'd open them all in one go if I'd got them on December 1st (she's probably right.) It had so many amazing minis in it and it would have been dark by the time I'd got a decent photograph with them all in but my favourites at the moment are the Lancome Lip Lovers, Urban Decay Primer Potion and Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate.
Another major surprise was the Lorac Skinny Palette in Nude. I only own the Naked3 out of the whole range so having a nude palette containing more bronzey shades is great. All the shades so far are really pigmented and so far I've worn it every day and managed to come up with a slightly different look each time!
Last on the surprise list was Lancome Hypnose mascara which I've wanted to try for so long but knowing my track record with high end mascaras equaling disappointment, I never got round to taking the plunge and treating myself. I'm pleased to say that it does definitely not disappoint and it's probably the best mascara I've ever used. A bold claim I know but the only thing that could knock it off the top spot would be if it dries up too quickly. 
My fiance's mum gave us some money for Christmas so I decided to get myself Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl which is the most gorgeous rose gold highlighter, Seventeen Falsifeye HD mascara & Stay Time Concealer (a repurchase) and Essie's Set in Stones which I've wanted for about a year.
Finally, I got Viktor & Rolf Bonbon and I can not explain how much I love this fragrance. I gave it a sniff in John Lewis a few months ago and I loved it so much that every time I went in I gave myself a cheeky spray (it seemed to be the same woman who was patrolling the perfume section each time and she gave me weird looks haha.) I saw it on a site where they had 20% off all perfumes for 2 hours, it's like it was destined to be mine...
Edit: somehow, I managed to forget to photograph my Zoeva Rose Golden Brush Set.... there are no words. I'm going to pop up a review of them in the next week or two anyway.   So that's all for my beauty gifts from this year, I've got a post coming in a couple of days with my favourites from 2014!  What were your favourite presents this year?

The Christmas Tag

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I thought what better way to kick off  December than with a festive themed post? Here's my Christmas Tag that I spotted on Beth's blog and couldn't resist posting on here!

What's your favourite Christmas movie/s?

My favourite Christmas Movie has definitely got to be National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! I just find it's cheesiness so hilarious and the fact that it's not about a perfect Christmas, but one that goes disastrously wrong! I also love Jingle All The Way with good ol' Arnie in it. 

Do you open presents on Christmas morning or Christmas evening?

It has to be on Christmas morning unless I'm seeing family later on in the day. I still get waaay too excited about opening presents and I want to use them straight away and to beautify myself for Christmas Day as I'm normally asking for makeup/beauty related things.

Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

I think it's hard to pin point one but I'd have to say all of the Christmas times where all my grandparents were still alive. It was really nice to see all my family in one day and now that they're all gone, I really wish I could just spend one more Christmas with them all here. It really makes me appreciate the family that I have left and enjoy trying to create new memories with Oscar.

What's your favourite festive food?

Pigs in blankets, without a doubt. Every year I wills stuff my face with as many as I possibly can, they are just.so.good. I'm also partial to stuffing, roast potatoes.... the whole lot really!

What's been your favourite Christmas gift?

My Beatrix Potter Book Set that I got when I was 5, because I got a free Jeremy Fisher cuddly toy with it and he was my all time favourite toy as a child and he's still really precious to me now, I have him sat on my bedside table and he goes on every single holiday with me... Please tell me I'm not the only one? 

What's your favourite Christmas scent?

I'm really loving my Yankee Candle tealights at the minute, Belle got me onto them as they're only £1 at Asda and I've picked up a few festive scents which are amazing. Cranberry Zest, Rainwashed Berry and the name of the third escapes me at the minute but it's a fresh pine scent that fortunately doesn't smell reminiscent of toilet freshener haha. 

Do you have a Christmas Eve tradition?

When I was little, we would always be allowed to stay up really late to watch a Christmas film. I remember staying up to watch The Borrowers one night and it seemed super late, I guess mum & dad were hoping it would make us sleep in past 5am but I don't think it worked too well... Now I just try and have a relaxing evening watching something festive and having a glass or two of wine.

What tops your tree?

A sparkly silver star which we used to have on top of our tree when I was younger. My parents gave it to me as it doesn't go on their tree.

As a child, what was the one (crazy, extravagant) gift you wanted but never got?

I'm gonna be boring and say I don't think there was anything really crazy that I wanted! Normally a barbie, chocolate, books and some stationary and I was one happy chappy.

What do you think is the best part of Christmas?

I love the fact that everybody is off at Christmas time so I get to spend a whole week with my boyfriend being off and it's nice to know he isn't getting up at the crack of dawn every morning so we can just hang out all day together.

What are your favourite Christmas traditions? I tag anyone and everyone!