Face Facts: Orange Pop

It's been quite a while since I've written one of these Face Facts posts!  I hate taking photographs of myself.  If you didn't know/couldn't tell, all of my blog photography is done on my phone.  I don't have a super fancy camera and I don't have fancy lighting so something I find quite hard is taking a quality photograph of myself.  All of this said, I really enjoy doing these types of posts and maybe in the future when I maybe have invested in some kit, I can look back on these and compare my old style to the new!

Onto the look...I'm fed up of being cold now, I'm just not a fan of Winter and can't stand being freezing all the time.  I decided I was going to hop into Spring a bit early this year - I've started to dismiss my darker lips in favour of bolder and brighter ones and the look I've been reaching for a bit quite lately is this one!

FACE FACTS

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer in 002

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in Ivory

Maybelline Instant Anti-Age The Eraser Eye Concealer in Light

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent

Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Delirium

Naked Palette - Buck

NARS Eye Paint in Black Valley

Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara in Black

Barry M Brow Kit

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Iberico

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Real Techniques Setting Brush

Eco Tools Complexion Blending Brush

Eco Tools Full Powder Brush

Naked 3 Palette Dual Ended Eyeshadow Brush

Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush

Topshop Nails in Concrete

I started by prepping my skin with the Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer in 002.  I won this on a giveaway before Christmas (it and some other goodies look a total state because a nail varnish smashed during transit!) and haven't really used it too often.  It's really nice actually; velvety rather than feeling like your skin is coated in silicone so I'll start making an effort to use this more.  For foundation, I have been using my Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in the shade Ivory.  This is actually my second bottle and it's currently my every day foundation - really illuminating with a medium coverage.  I concealed my under my eyes with the ever hyped Maybelline Anti-Age concealer and I like it, but I'm not sure if I love it just yet.  I only got it the other week, and I'm pretty hard to please concealer wise.  I set that with the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder.

I contoured my cheeks with the Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Delirium and ohhhhmahgod...I love it so much.  I only got it last week, but I've used it every single day since I bought it.  It creates the most perfect shadow that looks really natural.  I then blended that up lightly to give a hint of colour to my cheeks but nothing to dramatic because I wanted quite a simple look.  I used the shade Buck from the Naked palette to quickly add some depth to my eyes by applying that into my crease, and lined with the NARS Eye Paint in Black Valley.  For mascara, I chose the Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara.  I hated this when I first got it because the formula was so wet and application was always so messy, but it's okay now - I don't think I'd buy it again though when it runs out.

For my brows, I once again used my Barry M Brow Kit.  I use this every day, but again I don't think I'd buy this again.  It's pretty warm toned and I just feel that there must be something better out there to try.  I have a review of this coming this week so keep an eye out for that!  And for the main part of the look, I used NARS Iberico on my lips.  This was a lip pencil that came in the Digital World Lip Pencil Coffret and is currently my most used shade!  It's a warm toned orange red which is really in your face - I love it and don't own anything like it already!

What's your current go-to make up?

HealGel Intensive

For the last month or so, my skin has been graced with an amazing product - the HealGel Intensive*.  It's not often that I am particularly bowled over by a skin care product, and usually hop from brand to brand picking up whatever I fancy or whatever is on offer at the time, but HealGel is something else.

As we know, I have oily skin which is often ruined with blemishes.  My spots are much easier to control now I'm older and am embracing a proper skincare routine, but I still have some scarring from old, bigger blemishes.  I must admit that I don't help myself though in the scarring department as I am a picker - I hate the thought of a big black head or white spot standing on my face for all to see, and I know it's a terrible habit, and I know people can't see what I see, but...well I'm just working on it.

HealGel has been cropping up a lot on blogs lately, and I can just about say that all the positivity surrounding this product, and no doubt the two others that are part of the Heal Gel range (Face and Eye), are totally justified.  This is a product that I definitely need in my life forever now.  At £37.50, it's very pricey for the 30mls that you get, but it's not a product that I use daily, only as and when needed.  I find that two pumps of product covers my face and neck properly, but you can use this to target specific areas that need it most.  I won this particular bottle on a giveaway, but I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it again myself.

HealGel Intensive has worked better on my acne and blemishes than any other spot treatment that I have tried, trust me - I've tried a LOT of treatments, as well as prescription medicines and tablets from the doctors and this little serum has really cleared up my skin.  It's made with a perfect blend of active ingredients which helps to soothe irritation, reduce redness and puffiness, helps repair the skin and helps to increase the skins natural collagen production!

On first use, my skin looked glowing and to me, noticeably plumper.  I felt fresh, clean and the light fragrance was really refreshing.  I love the light, gel texture which is absorbed easily into the skin, leaving little residue.  It's perfect for use in the morning as a make up base, and is very hydrating.  I also found that when used under my make up, it acted similar to that of a primer and definitely kept my shine at bay.  I'd love to try the other products in the range, and if anything, I really hope that they release some sort of body gel as I have the worst acne scarring on my back as that would be something I would definitely invest in - HealGel, if you're listening...pretty please!

Have you tried any of the HealGel products? What's your skin saviour?

*This HealGel was won through a Twitter giveaway.

Benefit It's A Love Fest

Hello again everybody, and a belated Happy New Year!  You might have been wondering where I had gone off to, well you probably weren't, but all has been quiet on the blog since before Christmas.  I haven't done anything in particular, but I've felt so busy!  I have a LOT of things to share with you, including some gorgeous goodies I got for Christmas, as well as some bits that I've had stored for a while.  I am on a blogging mission in this new year, so expect more regular posts!

It was my birthday yesterday, and one of the things I bought with my Christmas money was this Benefit set using a discount voucher ASOS sent as a birthday present!  It arrived some time last week, but I saved it to get my first uses of it on my birthday weekend!

A few Benefit tins had been released as their Christmas gift sets, but the Benefit It's A Love Fest tin has always been on my radar as it was the only set that contained two full size products.  It was more expensive than the other tins, but what's inside, and the fact I had a 20% discount voucher to use, meant that it was definitely going to be mine.

Inside there are four different products to try; a full size Porefessional, a full size They're Real mascara, a mini Sun Beam and a mini Coralista Lip Gloss.  I have tried, and loved the Porefessional, and the mini that I already had has only just ran out so I was always going to be spending £25 to repurchase a full size Porefessional.  The They're Real mascara was always something that I'd wanted to try aswell as everybody is always telling me how amazing it is.  With my 20% discount code, this gift set cost me just over £31 so I couldn't at all say no.  

I have used everything, and everything as you would expect is gorgeous, so I will post individual, more in depth reviews of each product at a later date!  I don't quite know what I will be doing with the tin just yet, but I don't want to throw it away!  Maybe a flannel storage tin or something...

If you'd like to bag a bargain, or try a selection of Benefit make up, then definitely get this!  I have looked all over for this set, and the only place that I have found to still stock it is ASOS, and you can get it here for £39.50!  For my birthday, I also got a £30 gift voucher for a local department store which stocks Benefit...any recommendations for what I need to try?

Did you manage to grab this in the sale?  What Benefit products are your favourite?