Hello Flawless Custom Powder Cover up - A review

A few months ago, I think October, I purchased Hello Flawless from Boots.  I hadn't intended to, I was on the lookout for a loose powder so to come home with a pressed, expensive powder was a bit of deviation from plan but I had high hopes as A) I have always loved Benefit and 2) I had seen a few good reviews about it.  So, does it meet those expectations?  All will be revealed...

These pictures were taken when I first got it and it was all pretty and new.

I love the packaging, its very similar to Topshop Cosmetics packaging though with the white background and black polka dots.  It comes with a handy instruction leaflet which gives you a brief 'how to' depending on the method of application and type of coverage required.

The compact itself contains 7g of product and has an SPF 15, I'm not sure how well it photographs with regards to flashback as it contains SPF so that is something to be wary of.  It has a nifty little compartment in which resides a wee brush and a wee sponge.  They are cute but as with the benefit blushes, the brush is a bit meh.

And this is it in it's untouched state, I got this in shade 'Ivory - gee I'm swell' which annoyingly isn't the shade I wanted as it is darker than 'Ivory - I love me' and yellower than 'Champagne - Me, Vain?'.  I wasn't informed by the Customer Advisor that there were two shades of Ivory! Grrr! for £25.50, I want this to be the right one for me.

It's not this little fella's fault though, although what happens next is not for the faint hearted and if you don't like cosmetic abuse, please look away now...

I broked it! *sobs* the works night out where I lost like half my stash? this happened.  I lost the brush before I had even used it, miraculously saved the sponge, cracked the powder so that I left half of it in my work chums hubby's car and the powder now comes out completely!  Whoops! 

This is the sponge, it's spongey... recommended for use if you want a fuller coverage and so you just pat it on the areas where you need a bit more coverage.

This is my hand with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum on in shade '51 Light Vanilla'

And this is my hand with Hello Flawless over the top.  It may just be me that is hyper critical but how yellow does that look?!? The skin on my hand is relatively similar to that of my face, it is my neck that is really pale and man alive this is waaaay too dark and too yellow!

And again, at a slightly different angle to show it in a different light, it's still yellow folks.

This is it after I have taken my RealTechniques powder brush over the top and unforuantely, it's still yellow. 

And look at how much is left on the sponge, that is the one and only time I have used the sponge and look how grotty it is, there is so much product left on there.

There is a fair bit of fall out too when used with a powder brush, so if you are wanting to do some 'finishing touches' once you have put on your LBD then I strongly advise some sort of bib device.

So, onto the actual finish, is it worth it?  No.  I really wanted to say yes, I have a lifelong affinity to Benefit products and used to have quite a stash of them but this has me thrown which is why it's taken me so long to review it.  

The shade range is not exceptional, I really wish brands would start making their light shades lighter, they need to spend some time in Scotland and see what no sun does to a complexion! Apart from being too yellow and too dark, I found that when this was applied with the sponge is was a wee bit too cakey for me, but again I think that was more due to the shade rather than the formulation.  I would say I have normal/combination skin although on some of my spotty bits there was some dryness and I definitely feel that was accentuated rather than masked by this powder.  I felt that it oxidised during the day too, which means it got darker and more yellow! it does last fairly well on the skin, albeit clinging to said dry bits and can lean towards patchy on me as the rest of my makeup where I have lightly powdered this has disappeared and I'm left with a slightly yellow, flaky muzzle - schexy, no?!

As I say, I wanted to love this but as it turns out, I can't wait until it's finished.  I think I might try Soap & Glory's 'One Heck Of A Blot™'  next or if I'm feeling flush, I quite fancy trying out Illamasqua's loose powder,I have never tried any of their products but have always heard good things (the nail polish 'Facet' and the lipstick 'Shard' are both high on my 'if I ever put an order in' list, oh and so is Perseid, Raindrops and Pink Raindrops - uh oh!). 

Have you got a 'Holy Grail' face powder for me to try?

Do you find it easy to find shades to suit you?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Thanks Santa!!

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and new year, now that the fun part is over it's time for putting away the decorations and finding space for all your lovely goodies!

I was quite lucky this year and below is my 'stash' minus the chocolates, they are long gone! 

This is my goodies from my partner.

Owl slipper boots, they are cute and have a pink fluffy inside.  I also got some angora wool blend socks, they are from primark.  They again have a cute owl pattern but I won't use them as I am not comfortable with angora and the way it's obtained.

Some royal jelly bubble bath, I must admit, my initial reaction was that I'm not 70 and this is for old ladies but it's ok, it doesn't have a particularly strong scent and it creates decent enough bubbles. One major plus for living in the north east of Scotland is that we have soft water which means we get a good lather going on.  When I was at my partners mums in Kent, I thought I had forgotten how to wash my hair, there was nothing!! The book is a recipe book full of chocolatey goodness, not ideal for the New Year diet!

The Opi (I picked up this one in Sally's and told him it was from him!) is 'Black Cherry Chutney', it is a very dark, vampy colour but it has a shimmer in it that just catches the light beautifully.

This is my favourite and this was the result of an email being sent to him telling him 'I want this one please!'.  The parfum is Botannical Essence No15 by Liz Earle and I love it.  I spritzed this many moons ago in John Lewis and have longed for it ever since! At the time of the email, there was a special offer on if you bought a botanical essence, you got the nail polish and lip gloss free, absolute bonus! It also came with a mini cleanse and polish.

The rest I got from my mum and step-dad, brother and my auntie, bless their socks, we weren't supposed to be doing gifts this year (although I did get my mum and step-dad a wee pressie each).  My partner and I were cooking dinner for everyone though, I think there ended being twelve of us! 

So alongside the super cosy dressing gown, with a hood, the obligatory socks and pitch perfect dvd (it has a uv code too so it has now found a place in my ipad!). I got Lady Millions perfume, totally unexpected, I have had a quick sniff and it seems lovely but nothing can drag me away from the Liz Earle at the moment.

This opi was part of a set I bought at TK Maxx and said to my mum to get my brother to give it to me but she ended up giving it to me - monkey! It's called 'Current Crush' and it is a lovely purple with silver sparkles through it, it is a liquid sand and is one of several new liquid sands I have added to my collection recently! Oopsy! 

A nice bracelet to add to my collection, apparently it is pearl and supposed to promote calmness and relaxation - not sure if mum is trying to tell me something?!? One of my aims this year is to accessorise more and so this is perfect!  

It's not christmas anymore without a soap and glory gift set! I love soap and glory products so this is most welcome and will most definitely get used!

And last up was this Glade 'Winter Berries' candle.  It's a lovely little candle and initially I thought the scent would carry well but once lit, I couldn't really smell it unless I was at a certain distance and angle.

Just wait til you see what I bought myself for Christmas though, I have probably made it on to the 'naughty list' for next Christmas already!

Did you have a good Christmas and new year?

Was 'Santa' good to you?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Gone in November...

So the title of this post is inspired by this song by Wyclef Jean 'Gone 'Til November', it's quite a chill tune for a monday night!

So these are the products I have used up in the last month or two, I have been trying to 'shop my stash' I just seem to have a lot more in my 'stash' than I realised! Ooops!

There is a bit of variety here, some I will repurchase others I will not.  I make it sound so complicated eh?!

So, the hair...

Batiste Dry Shampoo for dark and deep brown hair.  I posted about this waaaay back in March, here, and this is me just finishing up the can! I won't be repurchasing this which is a shame as the shade is great for my dark hair but the fallout is not a good look.  Also, I find this seems to make my scalp feel quite itchy and irritated, not something I usually have a problem with.

Percy & Reed  Totally TLC Hydrating Mask.  I used up some Percy & Reed products in my September empties post, here, and my opinion of the Totally TLC hydrating mask is similar.  It is a bit too hydrating for my fine hair so I use it before shampooing.  It contains marshmallow and coconut oil to nourish and moisturise.  As with the other products, I feel this is overpriced for what it is, it has a subtle, clean smell but no coconut.  It is easy to apply, it's not thick like alot of other hair masks.  I didn't notice much a difference in my hair.

Finally, KMS Hair Play Makeover Spray from my recent birchbox, here.  This is nice, my boyfriend sniffed my head and told me I 'smelt like fruit' thanks to this little nugget! I do like it, the powder is quite white unless you do it from a good distance.  I would repurchase but £10+ for a dry shampoo is a bit on the steep end for me. 

The face...

Rimmel Match Perfection Loose Powder in Transparent.  Rimmel are pretty dependable and I would say this powder has never completely blown me away but it sets my make up well enough, doesn't oxidise (get yellower/darker) throughout the day like the Clear Complexion one, doesn't cake and isn't too yellow.  I think I would repurchase this as it is good for the price and it does last quite a while.  It doesn't really do much in the way of minimising pores though. 

Elizabeth Arden All Gone Eye and Lip Make up Remover, phew, that's a mouthful! I got this deluxe sample size as a gift with purchase last year and it has lasted me for quite some time.  I Like the duo-phase make up removers, I think oil is much more efficient at removing mascara whilst still being gentle to the eye area.  You just shake this up so the liquids mix and put a dash on some cotton wool and apply to eyes, simples. I would repurchase this but would like to explore other varieties from other brands - I have heard the body shop camomile one is really good.

The Bod... 

Soap & Glory Heel Genius.  I think this is my third tube of this and I have a fourth waiting to take its place.  This is best applied after you have given your feet a bit of a pamper and finished off with some cotton socks or booties overnight and you will wake up with lovely, soft feet.  It has a slightly menthol smell to it and is lovely and cooling on hot feet after a days work.

Soap and Glory Mist You Madly fragranced body spray.  As much as I love Soap & Glory, I am actually glad this is finished.  This is a rather heavy floral, I didn't think it was a fruity floral as it claims on the bottle and a few minutes after spraying this on my body or my clothes, I couldn't really detect any scent.  This has been living in my work locker for the last year and a half trying to be used up!  I won't be repurchasing this I'm afraid.

Lastly, Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Intensive body moisturiser.  If you don't like the smell of the original 8 hour cream, chances are you won't like this.  I found this easiest to use on my hands and arms, it is a very thick cream and it felt quite 'stiff' to rub into my skin, almost like using a shower gel without being in the shower... Was great on my hands though.  I think this would be best for targeted areas such as knees, elbows and shins but as an all over moisturiser, it just requires too much elbow grease.

And that's that! 

Scary to think the next time I do one of these posts will be 2014!

One point I will mention, I  cut the ends off most of my squeezy tubes etc as there is often a few more uses worth left in the tube.  I got another 5 applications from the Elizabeth Arden!

Have you tried any of these products?

What scents do you like in your lotions and potions?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Meet the Infamous Mary-Lou Manizer

Ooooh, I love me some cheeky packaging! Benefit, Soap & Glory and now theBalm cosmetics.

Wanted for being too pretty, meet Mary-Lou Manizer. This is a golden honey hued highlighter that is rather multi-talented. 

Love the packaging! I'm all for the cheeky, retro pin-up style so this is right up my street, so kitsch it hurts!!

The compact itself is a sturdy silver job complete with mirror and weighs in at 8.5 grams of product.  For £15 this is slightly more expensive than Soap & Glory's 'Glow all out' luminizing powder, which retails at £11 for 7.5 grams.  I got this as a pressie fromThe Boy, it was in the feelunique sale and he got 10% off too as a first time customer (he bought my Caudalie Eau Fraiche that I posted about here at the same time). 

The highlighter itself is a golden champagne colour, usually I would go for a more pearlescent type such as Benefit high beam but I find this actually adds a really lovely warmth to my face.  

It can be used as an eye-shadow, an all over shimmer or as a highlighter on cheekbones, brow bones etc.  I particularly like a really light dusting of this down the centre of the nose.  

Look at how pigmented it is! 

It has a buttery soft texture although there is a little fall out.  Personally, I feel the shimmer would be too much all over the face but as a highlighter, this really is lovely. it is also great as a shimmery base for a smokey eye as it really helps brighten up the inner corners of the eye.

I use my Real Techniques blush brush or contouring brush for this along with a very light hand.

I have got my eye on several other theBalm cosmetics offerings, first on my list is the Nude'Tude palette.

Have you tried theBalm cosmetics before?

Do you like gimmicky packaging?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Oh look, I've been to Boots...

Tonight in Aberdeen, there was a 'grand re-opening' of Boots Beauty Hall in what I call the 'Main' boots in the city centre.  Keen to see what was new and improved about it, I trotted along after work.

It was nice, althoug I didn't find it that different.  There was two new additions in the form of bareminerals and Molton Brown and I think the Bumble and Bumble stuff was new too, I think in the past I had only ever seen it in John Lewis here but I may be wrong.

So, I may have bought a coupla things...

I did pay for most of this (freebies detailed below) and it came to about £54, not nearly as close as I was expecting to spend, in a good way.

Origins Best At-Home Facial, this was free with any skincare purchase.  Smashbox Liquid Halo HD Foundation SPF 15 sampler.  Max Factor Whipped Creme foundation in 50 Natural. Philosophy Microdelivery triple acid brightening peel (1 pre-saturated pad).  The perfume strip has a skoosh of Molton Brown 'Londinium' unisex fragrance. It is a unisex fragrance that lasts for 24 hours or until you wash it off, it's nice and clean and cosy and I like.  FYI, Skoosh is a technical term...

Some essentials, ish.  Cutex Ultra Cleansing nail polish remover, does the job and lasts a long time.  Radox Moisture Soak, a continous repurchase for me, Nivea In-Shower moisturiser, I'm looking forward to trying this.  Soap and Glory Pulp Friction Body Scrub, Soap and Glory really do scrubs well and so I have every faith that this will be a winner too. Brown metal-free hair bands, super handy for work.  Moist towelettes, I have decided these are a handbag essential now for when I am getting ma swatch on!

Some skincare treats.  Simple Kind to Eyes revitalising roll-on.  Since catching a coldy/ fluey thing a couple of weeks back my eyes have felt so tired and this promises to cool and refresh, nice! And my proper luxury items, Origins Ginzeng moisturiser.  I am not that keen on the smell of oranges but the texture of this felt nice on the back of my hand so I'll give it a whirl and lastly, Origins Super Spot Remover.  I have heard great things for this teeny tiny little bottle and so I have high expectations, super handy as I have about four volunteers on my face right now.

Next Thursday the 10th of October, Boots in the Bon Accord centre are having a points event until 9pm where you can get £12 of Advantage card points when you spend over £50 in-store.  So if you are local to the area, it's worth a visit.

Any Super Spot Remover success stories? 

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Hello Softy!

Recently, I may have mentioned a mini splurge in Boots - shock!

I couldn't help myself when I spotted this Soap & Glory 'night in shining armour' cream in the reduced section - reduced you say?! Instead of the usual £13 this cost me £3.25, happy birthday to me!

So, contained in this screw top, pearlescent tub is a myriad of skin-friendly ingredients.  There is the patented Superpeptide complex, which is scientifically proven to reduces wrinkles, increase elasticity, improve skin smoothness and also skin firming effects.  It also includes antioxidant EFA oils (I've yet to find out what the EFA stands for but it would appear to be vegan?!), Vitamins A and E and lastly, aromatic fragrance oils which include orange, mandarin, geranium and lavender.

One major thing that I will point out is that the scientific evidence and statistics are based on testers using this twice daily over two months, so unless we live on mars which has two moons, we earthlings would only be applying a NIGHT cream once per NIGHT! So, any results would possibly take up to four months to become visible.

All in all, I found this to be pretty effective at giving my skin a moisture boost, it would be awesome if it had maybe some salicylic acid or hylauronic acid in it, but for a mid price moisturiser it's pretty decent. I reckon one tub will last a good couple of months too as a little goes a long way.  My face definitely felt softer in the morning and looked a bit brighter too which is always a bonus.  The scent is a floral herby kinda mix, I don't detect so much of the citrus in it.  After applying this to my face, I feel a brief, invigorating sensation, if you have ever used original source tea tree shower gel, it's a bit similar! 

It's available at boots, in stores and online here.

Do you have a magic night time cream?

Are you a fan of soap & glory?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Another trip to Boots!

I really should be banned from that shop!

I went in to get a white nail polish and spent about 31 shiny pounds!  

Here's my purchases...

I couldn't resist the Barry M as it was a 'spend £6 and get a free ltd edition bottle' deal and I was getting the white anyway.  I got the sequin effect in pink as I have been wanting to try these for ages and so I got the yellow limited edition one free! Yay!  I will review this in a separate post very soon! 

I got the radox as it was only £1 and I love the smell of this one and so does my other half.  I wouldn't say the scent lasts particularly well on the skin,  it it makes our flat smell nice whilst the bath is running. To quote my man 'if pink were a smell, that would be it!'

I was going to a wedding the next day and so was looking for a good tanner that wasn't too expensive.  I came across this No.7 'perfectly bronzed' and it was buy one get one free on their suncare and tanning and so I picked up the anti-ageing sun protection spray in SPF 30.

The Soap & Glory 'night in shining armour' was in the clearance section for £3.25 when it's usually £13! I've seen some good reviews of this product with regards to helping even out skintone and replenish moisture (particularly helpful in this warm weather that I keep harping on about!).  I used it for three nights and on the first day after I would say I felt my skin was softer and my make up sat better however after the third day I have had quite a few (7 12!) spots pop up all over my face :-( .  Now, this may be nothing to do with the cream, I only put on a light layer and I have been having spotty chin issues lately but these appeared on my chin, cheeks, temples and even the top of my nose! I'm going to wait until these painful pests go away and I will try the cream again. 

Do you use a night cream?

Do you go into a shop for one thing and come out with 7? And a bored looking other half?! 

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx