#SBBC – What I Take When I Travel

Day 3 of the September blog-a-day challenge started with the exciting news that I now have 300 wonderful followers. I think I’ll do another giveaway at 500 followers. I’ve been blogging 10 and 1/2 weeks and I still can’t get pver the fact that people actually read what I write!

Anyway, into today’s post. I take so many things when I travel so I decided to just show 7 of them. I tend to over-pack and take everything including the kitchen sink, you just never know when you’re going to need that bright pink eye liner you bought when you were 13.

• The Body Shop All-in-One BB Cream is multi-purpose, I use it in place of my moisturiser and foundation in the morning saving my precious space in my bag and time for enjoying my time away.
• I always have a concealer with me, I’m currently using an MUA one and it’d be one I took travelling as it’s cheap and easily replaceable.
• Nail polish, I always take the nail polish I’m wearing seeing as I’m prone to chipping and I’m guaranteed to need to touch them up.
• They’re Real – this mascara literally goes everywhere with me, I may be busy travelling but that doesn’t mean I can let my lashes go!
• L’Occitane Hydration Cream – I always take a sample size moisturiser with me for night time skin-care. I take a full skin regime but this is the most important part for me as I get really dry skin.
• DKNY Be Delicious Perfume – This is my all-time favourite perfume and it holds a lot of memories from weekends away so I always refill and take along my sample size one whenever I travel.
• Lip Balm – The Figs and Rouge Lip Balm is a current favourite as it works really well but can also double up as a cheek tint,

There are literally so many more products I take but we’d be here all day! Hope you’re all having a good Tuesday!

Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara Review

I received this sample of Bad Gal Lash Mascara when I purchased Rockateur weeks back. I’m so in love with They’re Real that it’s taken me this long to try it out.

Naturally, I am going to have to compare it to They’re Real, it’d be weird if I didn’t. (Pssst, links to reviews of Rockateur and They’re real are at the bottom of this post).

I don’t feel that this mascara is in the same height of heroism as They’re Real but then again it has been out much longer and Benefit have certainly progressed since then. That said, it is still a fantastic Mascara. It lasted well all day and had a more subtle and natural result than They’re Real.

It was quick to use and speedy to dry, brilliant for those mornings when you just can’t get out of bed and end up rushing around like headless chicken, yeah that’s me most mornings if I’m honest. It has a lovely big brush that coats every single lash in one small swoop.

It didn’t clump or smudge either, so by time I get to the school gates after my hectic morning, I look like the primed and organised mum I’m supposed to me, thank goodness for Benefit!

I’d still go for They’re Real above all else as I do like my lashes to REALLY stand out but this is a product that we be part of my handbag hero group while I have the sample size.

Try it: £17.50 http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/

Rockateur – https://nakedbeautyblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/benefit-rockateur-cheek-powder-blush-review-and-launch/

They’re Real – https://nakedbeautyblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/reach-for-the-stars-benefit-theyre-real-mascara-review/

It’s in the Bag – Show-stopper Edition

Hannah is a busy lady indeed. She’s used to going from every day wear to show-stooping performances and therefore needs a loyal kit that won’t let her down on the stage.

At first glance Hannah has a plethora of good quality products, from Estee Lauder to MAC and Benefit and I was excited to see how she gets a look that won’t melt under the bright stage lights. Today we showcase the top 3 as selected by Hannah.

Estee Lauder Deluxe All-Over face compact

This product is a total life-saver for Hannah. As she does go from a hectic schedule to a performance in very little time it’s so important that she has a good compact in her life, and this is it.

It is long-lasting and resists the heat of the stage without any problems. I love the shades in this compact, they will give a rosy but bronzed look for a natural healthy glow, perfect for energetic and passionate performances.

It’s a great size to fit into a handbag with a thousand other things Hannah will need throughout the day. These can easily be used as eye shadows as well as the blusher and bronzer’s they are meant for.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation

Hannah gushed about this foundation, she loves it. It’s so light the she doesn’t even feel like she’s wearing foundation, fortunately this doesn’t stop it giving a full coverage. It lasts all day and has saved Hannah during pre-show photo-shoots on a number of occasions. It covers all break-outs and gives a flawless finish.

It comes in an amazing 39 shades so there really is one for every skin tone. I’m personally dying to try this product and have been a while, hearing Hannah’s thoughts has made me even more eager to splash out on it.

The coverage is buildable so you can use as much or as little as required and it provides a matte finish. Perfect for those of us with oily skin.

MAC Studio Fix Boldblack Lash Mascara

This is an everyday go-to item for Hannah. It doesn’t clump and it’s waterproof. Perfect for beautiful natural-looking lashes that will survive when the going gets tough mid performance. Hannah says she can go from subtle natural lashes during rehearsals to bold and striking lashes for a night out in just a few extra coats.

This is always in Hannah’s bag, simply because it takes her look from day to night in seconds. Hooray for our Handbag Hero!

Hannah looks amazing all the time anyway but it’s always fun to see how other people achieve their makeup look and I’m excited to try al of these products at some point. Thank you Hannah for letting us take a peak today!

I do need a volunteer for next weeks edition, if you’d like to volunteer either comment on this post, email me on tams.watt@hotmail.com or contact me on Facebook!

If you’re a blogger or have a website I will link back to that in the post too.

 

Emite Eyelash Curlers Review

I’ve always doubted the worth of eyelash curlers, why bother when you have mascara that does the same job? That was until this little friend sauntered into my life courtesy of Glossybox.

I have used eyelash curlers before but never really seen any difference, these have changed all that! I didn’t worry about heating them up as I don’t fancy burning myself and I’m lazy but they still gave a great result.

I just pressed down on my eyelashes a few times starting at the base and working up, I held for 4-5 seconds each time and voila! Beautiful curled lashes BEFORE my mascara had even been looked at! I then added a quick coat of They’re real and walked out with eyes that appeared bigger and wider, and it’s all down to the super-curler lashes gifted by the Emite Eyelash Curler.

As a bonus it also comes with spare red pads, ideal for when you’re ready to show them off to a friend but more so for makeup artists. I would never have paid near on £20 for eyelash curlers before but these are definitely worth the price, after al they will last a life time!

Try it: www.emitemakeup.com or go subscribe to Glossybox now and get them plus 4 other fab items for £12.95 inc postage!

It’s in the Bag!

It’s that time of the week again where we take a little snoop inside someone’s makeup bag. Tonight is the turn of another lovely lady on our panel, student Megan.

I always admire Megan’s style, she know’s how to dress to her personality and her makeup style follows suit. She’s also a wonderful and supportive friend of mine. I’m blessed to have her in my life. Without further a do let’s take a look at what she uses most.

The things that caught my eye first was the gloriously colourful eyeshadow palette and luscious brushes but those are not Megan’s top 3, these are:

L’oreal Paris – Natural Colour Riche 390

The shade of this lipstick is Nude Treasure, as the shade indicates it’s a wonderful natural colour. This is Meg’s favourite for everyday where. Nude lips are also very on trend as we speak so it’s perfect for when you want to be subtle. It’d also compliment a striking eye look. This lipstick comes from L’oreal’s ‘Made for Me’ range which was created to suit every woman’s (or man’s) skin tone and hair colour. It makes picking a shade so easy, this one is suggested for lighter skin. The ingredients are also fantastic, it contains omega-3 and vitamin E to protect your lips and keep them soft and beautiful.

Miss Sporty – So Clear Foundation

This little gem is new to Meg’s kit but has already made a substantial difference to her skin. She’s had far less break outs than when she uses other foundations and  it also provides a great coverage. The shade match her ski pretty well too. And the best part is it only costs £3.69 from boots. We love a beauty a bargain! It’s specially formulated to look after young skin, it doesn’t clog precious pores or cake up. It also lasts up to 9 hours and absorbs excess oils from the skin. It has a beautiful natural matte finish.

Rimmel – Scandal Eyes Mascara

When it comes to mascara Meg’s is as loyal as can be, she hasn’t tried many but has purchased this one 3 times running. Why risk change when you’ve found one that works for you? This one provides Meg with lovely long lashes whilst avoiding clumping and overly thick lashes.  The brush is also curved for a gorgeous uplift and is also a breeze to use at the corner of the eye. This mascara gets full marks!

I’m going to finish with a photo of the lovely lady herself. Thank you Meg for working so hard today on getting everything I needed over to me. If you’d like Naked Beauty to take a snoop through your kit drop me an email on tams.watt@hotmail.com.

It’s in the Bag! Donna’s kit

             

 

This week we’re delving into our reviewer and my best friend Donna’s gorgeous Ted Baker makeup bag to see what lovelies it holds. It was totally jam-packed with Donna’s favourite products and here is the one’s we picked out to show you all.

 We’ll start with the lips, this is a Rimmel London lipstick, and I think you’ll agree it is a gorgeous colour. Donna loves that it stands out and lasts an age, I say an age, I mean it lasts all days which is totally an age compared to most!

It has a gorgeous sheen and looks utterly beautiful on and Donna highly recommends this one!

On to the eyes, this mascara is Donna’s must-have, she can’t be without it, even though she has lovely long lashes all on her own! It is Rimmel London Scandal Eyes in black, it’s a really reasonably priced high street mascara but it has been working hard for Donna ever since it came out.

Donna reports fuller, longer looking lashes that last all day, sounds like she’s onto a winner!

Next up is Bio-oil, like me Donna uses it for stretch-marks and scars and it works a treat. I found this item when I was pregnant with my son but most of us can admit we have the odd stretch mark, I think they’re beautiful, they show a woman as grown but if you do feel the need to fade them a little this is our go-to product. Always.

It not only smells great, it feels great and does what it says it will do. I definitely saw a reduction in the redness of my couple of stretch marks, that was 5 years ago and I don’t need to use it any more, in fact I haven’t for a long while!

 

No7 Stay Perfect foundation is just one of Donna’s favourite bases. She also loves  L’Oreal Paris Matte Moprhose Foundation.

This one gives a beautiful even skin tone that lasts all day. It blends beautifully and matches Donna’s skin tone perfectly.

This foundation has a huge thumbs up from us.

There were loads of gorgeous goodies in Donna’s makeup bag but we’ve saved some for full reviews another time! We’ll finish with a photo of Donna looking stunning!

 

 

 

 

 

Top 5 Thursday: Mascara

Mascara is probably my favourite, can’t-be-seen-without product. It is my secret addiction and so it makes sense that not only have I tried hundreds but I also have plenty barely used, sitting in my drawer. These 5 lovelies however, have been used, used and used again.

It can be so difficult standing in Superdrug trying to decide which new mascara to choose, they all boast fantastic abilities and very few live up to expectation. Rarely can you try them out before your shell out and so you only have advertising to go by, leading to let down and a second trip to town. This is why I’ve put together a list of my top 5, these ones will not let you down. Arm yourself with my easy list before making your trip and you’ll waste less time on wonga on mascaras that just don’t cut the mustard.

1 – Benefit – They’re Real

This is my top mascara at the moment, it is hard-working and looks amazing. It also stays on far ages, actually it’s quite a job to get off at the end of the day, perfect for the working girl! It also doesn’t melt and run in the heat! See my full review of this here.

2 – MAC – Zoom Lash Mascara

This one doesn’t give so much volume as number 1 but it boy does it provide length, this is for you if you want lashes that go on and on and on. It is much easier to remove than They’re real but still stays on for a fair amount of time. Full review here.

3 – Jelly Pong Pong – Fairy Lashes Mascara

I love this mascara, it comes in a cute purple tube and a gorgeous box too. It feels really light to wear but looks beautiful on. Full review here.

4 – NO7 – Extravagant Lashes Mascara

This one is great for boosting the volume of your lashes without clumping. I haven’t reviewed many No7 products lately but this is one of my favourites.

5 – Rimmel – The Falsies Volume Effect Express Mascara – Flared

This mascara comes in different styles from rocket to flared. This is the flared one and it is fantastic for giving definition to your lashes. You use one side to lengthen and curl the lashes and the other to flare out the corners. It works really well and is a good price but perhaps doesn’t last as loon during the day as others.

I hope this has been useful and I’d love suggestions for next weeks top 5!

Tams xx

 

Reach for the Stars – Benefit They’re Real Mascara Review

Reviewed by Tams

I finally got on the band-wagon and tested Benefit’s well spoken about Mascara – They’re Real and I am not disappointed!

This mascara performed well in a consumer panel survey. 94% saw dramatic length & volume, 90% saw base-to-tip curl, 94% saw visible lift and 100* saw long-wearing results. It has a lot to live up to with statistics like that and I was really excited when it landed on my desk this week.

I m happy to say I agree with the majority and saw amazing things happen to my lashes in one lovely swoop of this mascara. My lashes were definitely a million per cent curlier than normal, thicker and longer.

It was really friendly to my sensitive eyes and they haven’t been agitated at all by it. It didn’t smudge or clump and was really easy to use. It also dries really quickly which I always give a bug thumbs up to. It also lasted all day.. it’s still exactly the same s when I put it on this morning… 12 hours ago!

Below are photos of this mascara in action after just one coat.

What I love most: Everything, this mascara deserves the hype it gets.

What I like least: NOTHING!

Try it: RRP £19.50, www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk

Drum Roll please…

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition to win a MAC  ZoomLash Mascara in ZoomBlack. It was great to hear everyone’s favourite Mascara’s too.

Each entry was assigned a number and I randomnly generated a number on http://www.random.org/.

Congratulations to Jodie Sprake who is our winner this time.  Jodie’s favourite Mascara was They’re Real by Benefit, I have also now purchased this one and I will pop up my review during this week! Jodie if you could email me your address to tams.watt@hotmail.com I will send this out this week for you.

Once again thank you to everyone who took part.

Tams

Don’t forget!

Don’t forget to enter our competition to win a MAC Zoom Lash Mascara in Zoomblack!

This is one of my current favourite mascaras and I’m giving one away to celebrate a fantastic first week (last week) blogging about beauty. I thought I’d throw in a couple of images of this mascara in action today.

 

For all the details on how to enter and about the mascara CLICK HERE 

The competition closes on Sunday and is open internationally so don’t miss out!

On a side line.. It’s good to be back wearing make-up today but if you didn’t get a chance to send my your photos over for The Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Challenge Yesterday please do send them to tams.watt@hotmail.com and I can still add them on!

Don’t forget to stop by and congratulate all our girls on their bravery yesterday and see the photos HERE.