Beauty: Benefit Make Up Haul

I recently treated myself to a load of new Benefit beauty goodies after having not used the brand for years! I often read a lot of good things about their products on other blogs, especially the bronzers and mascaras, so I decided to give some things a go for myself...

Brows A-Go-Go brow and eye shaping kit £26.50

First up is the Brows A-Go-Go brow and eye shaping kit. It really has everything you need to get both your eyes and brows in shape, including a shadow duo in light and dark, a mid brown brow wax, mini black eyeliner, brush applicator, highlighting powder and illuminating cream plus a pair of mini tweezers. This has become a staple in my make up bag. I like to keep my day time make up as fuss-free as possible, so I use the light brown on both my brows and eyelids in the morning. You could always add the darker tone to the outer corners for a simple smoky eye, but I tend to use that in the evenings on my brows for when I'm going out. The tweezers are fantastic at grabbing tricky little hairs and the eyeliner is the perfect size for popping in your handbag on a night out. Overall, this is the perfect all-in-one kit for your eyes and brows! 

Hoola Bronzing Powder £23.50, Little Flirt Lashes £11.50

Like the brow kit, the Hoola bronzer has gained an essential place in my make up bag. It's so pigmented that you only need a tiny bit of product to gain an instant effect. It's the perfect shade for me and is brilliant for sculpting your cheekbones. It's the best bronzer I've ever used and I'll definitely be buying it again. I'll admit the brush has become my kitten's new favourite toy - it wasn't great for applying or blending the powder - so I now use an Avon sculpting brush, which works really well.

As for the Little Flirt lashes, they are exactly what they look like - dramatic! I can't say they're easy to apply because I really think lashes are only easy to apply if you're good at applying them! I loved the spiky, wide-eye lash look they created, but for the price I will be sticking to my Ardell favourites.

They're Real Mascara £18.50, Magic Ink Eyeliner £14.50

They're Real mascara - this is one of the best mascaras I've ever used. The brush is one of those plastic, flexi brushes, but it's not as densely packed as MaxFactor's False Lash Effect (my ultimate mascara). The formula is what I would describe as quite 'wet', so it can go a bit gloopy on your lashes, but it does create a full, super long lash look. Again, it's the price point that brings the review down - while it was a fantastic mascara, False Lash Effect does an equally good (if not better!) job for a cheaper price.

Magic Ink eyeliner - I've tried pretty much every eyeliner form there is going: gel, liquid, pencil, pen and I still can't decide which one I'd opt for. If you're looking for something quick and simple this is a great option as it gives a really opaque black line with a slightly glossy finish. It lasts around 9 hours before I find that my kitten flicks start to fade, which isn't bad!

Overall, I'm really impressed with Benefit products. The downside is their price, but on the other hand they are genuinely fantastic products, so it's well worth the indulgence. I'll definitely be buying Brows A-Go-Go and Hoola bronzer again, if not the eyeliner too!

Do you use Benefit products? Which are your favourites?

Beauty: Big Bed Head Hair with Lee Stafford

Unfortunately the big, voluminous hair gene doesn't run in my family. I got the short straw having both thin and fine locks, which means I am constantly seeking to find new ways of obtaining bigger hair. As my hair is so fine, it also has an annoying tendency to become tangled really quickly, so I find it easier to just go with it and have a messier, bed head style. 

I've tried pretty much every volumising product there is available and I've never found anything to swear by. When I walked into Boots the other day there was an offer on 3 Lee Stafford products for £10. As each product was around the £6-£7 mark it was a pretty good deal, so I bought the Matt Fat powder, Big Fat Texturised Hair Spray and Dry Shampoo.

Dry Shampoo
I've been using the renowned Baptiste Dry Shampoo spray for as long as I can remember, as it really does the job well, but now I'll definitely be going for Lee Stafford's version. It removes oil from my hair and makes  it voluminous without matting it up like Baptiste does. The only downside is that it's quite a heavy white powder, so you have to really blend it in well to avoid looking grey! However, the fact that the chore of brushing my hair isn't made 10 x harder as it is when I use Baptiste means I'll definitely keep buying this.

Matt Fat Powder
I've only tried a Label M hair powder before, which made my hair feel quite gritty and matted. I think all powders are going to have a slightly sandy feel, but this one blends well. As long as you're not too vigorous with your hair messing, it's good at getting a bed head look, and when it starts to go flat again, you just need to give your scalp a good rub to revive it. 

Texturising Spray
The Big Fat Texturising Spray was a completely new product for me. It's a pink wax in the bottle with a small air space at the top. You have to vigorously shake the bottle to make it transform into a liquid that's ready to be sprayed directly onto dry hair. The only thing I can compare it to is sea salt spray, but it doesn't leave a greasy look or feel. I've found it's ideal for using on just curled hair to get messed up beach waves. My hair is poker straight and I managed to get a tousled effect by just spraying this onto it and scrunching it with my hands - I assume it's down to the waxy formula!

All in all I'm really impressed with these products. I've been using the Dry Shampoo just to revive my hair and give it some oomph when it's straight, but I'd definitely recommend using all 3 products in conjunction for a serious bed head look. I'm now three steps closer to locks a la Kate Moss:

Have you used these products before? What do you use to get big hair?

Beauty: Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura with Mon Shu Girl

It's rare that I get truly excited about collaborations in the beauty world, but when I heard earlier this year that Karl Lagerfeld would be working with Japenese beauty brand, Shu Uemura, even I had to admit this was one collaboration I couldn't wait to get my hands on. Admittedly, the launch of the collection isn't until Christmas, but the first teaser video has been released featuring a cartoon creation of Karl's called 'Mon Shu Girl'. 

Karl has previously revealed that he often creates his fashion illustrations using Shu Uemura make-up as they come in such a rare array of truly beautiful colours, so it's no surprise that the video depicts Mon Shu's creation from the brand's eyeshadows. 

Some of the staples of my make-up bag are Shu Uemura's eyelash curlers, false eyelashes and Chanel's foundations and nail polishes, so the launch of this collection (which will feature blushers, lipsticks and eyeshadows), will be sure to make some welcome additions to my collection.

Are you excited for this collaboration? Do you love Chanel or Shu Uemura's make-up already?

Beauty: No7 Gentle Foaming Cleanser

Writing reviews of products is an area of blogging that I have never tried or wanted to venture into. There are so many reviews and video tutorials out there that will you tell you every single good and bad point of a product, that I've never felt a need to add my two cents. More often than not I will research product reviews on blogs before I make a purchase (and they do influence me!), so I do find them genuinely useful, I just feel there's only so many ways you can photograph and discuss a product before your blog post is just the same as everybody else's. However, on rare occasions, I come across products that really impress me and it's always been at the back of my mind to share them with you. So, with 2012 being my year to become more organised with my blog, I've decided to stop thinking about it and finally share some of my top products with you. 

First up is No7's Gentle Foaming Cleanser.

Having extremely sensitive skin, this hypo-allergenic cleanser instantly appealed to me. The product states that it is a 'luxuriously soft, foamy facial cleanser' that will 'wash away make-up and impurities' to leave your skin feeling 'fresh, clean and invigorated with a healthy glow'. For once, I can agree with everything on the product label. My past experience with cleansers has usually been that I've had to partially remove my make-up before or after use, and I've often have to cleanse twice, if not three times, to really remove all traces of my make-up and to leave my skin feeling deep cleansed. Thankfully, just two pumps of this cleanser removes all traces of my make-up and leaves it looking incredibly fresh and clear. Although it contains bilberry and sweet maple, it has a very, very mild fragrance - subtly sweet and slightly reminiscent of plain soap. I've often found that cleansers which successfully clear your skin of make-up and impurities, also tend to leave it feeling uncomfortably tight and dry. The opposite is true of this one. I really can't tell you enough how wonderfully soft this left my skin feeling. I couldn't stop touching my cheek! At £8, this cleanser is only slightly higher in price than the typical drug-store brand, but it leaves your skin feel so luxuriously soft that it's entirely worth it. As I said, my skin is ridiculously sensitive and is often left a shade of burning red after cleansing even when I use products that are intended for sensitive skin. I experienced absolutely no irritation with this one whatsoever, so I'd say it's ideal for sensitive and acne prone skin types. 

At the moment, when you spend over £5 in Boots you get a free £5 voucher to spend on No7, which makes this cleanser just £3. I really can't recommend it enough!

I'd love to know what you thought of this cleanser if you've used it, and what cleansers you'd recommend.

I'm in no way affiliated with Boots. I just want to share any products with you that have truly wow-ed me!


P.S If there's ever a quiet spot in my blogging, or you just want to explore more Dressing Miss Dolly, then take a look at my Tumblr, which acts as my moodboard and online inspiration scrapbook and is updated more than anything else!
www.dressingmissdolly.tumblr.com

These Days Are Spent

...reading Coco Chanel's biography by Justine Picardie and the latest ELLE magazine, wrapped up indoors because the weather is far too hostile outside. What is up with the weather at the moment? It's typical that there was too much sunshine when I had essays to write, and now there's none. Every day is like a winter afternoon! 

On a plus note, with the last of my student loans I managed to replenish my rapidly depleting makeup stocks. On Flying Saucer's recommendation I bought Rimmel's Lasting Finish (25hour!) foundation, which is working out quite well at the moment. I have dry to combination skin and this gives a dewy finish without looking oily. It also gives good coverage, which is a saver as I've run out of concealer. 

If you're a fake tan lover then I have a must-have recommendation for you. Palmers (the brand which brings us the delicious smelling cocoa butter moisturisers) has just brought out their own brand of tanning moisturiser. It was on offer in Boots for £3.79 when I bought it, but I think it's now gone up to a fiver, which still isn't bad considering you get quite a hefty bottle. I apply it with a tan mitt and it gives me a really good, even cover after just one application. It doesn't have a horrible fake tan smell to it either, just plain cocoa butter. I would say for the price and the amount you get, the fact it doesn't smell, and the depth of colour it gives, this is a real winner and I don't think I'll be going back to buying standard fake tans again. (Tip: the bronzing butter is £3.99 in BodyCare if you have one near you!). 

I also picked up MaxFactor's new False Lash Effect 'Fusion' mascara. Their original false lash is my ultimate favourite mascara, and that's after trying out numerous High Street and high end brands. This mascara is pretty much exactly the same as the original, just a little....wetter, if that can ever be an adequate description. It still makes my lashes super long and full, but it's clumpier so I would go back to the original. Also, No7 are offering their £5 vouchers when you spend over £5 in Boots, which always makes me happy, so I picked up their face wipes, which come to a bargain of £2 with the vouchers.

What beauty brands have you tried out recently? Any goodies? Any recommendations for concealers?

Why Don't You Love Me?

Ahhh there is nothing she can't do. I love the retro, pin up style of this video and just plain love Beyonce to be honest.

To pin point one thing out of it all though, I love her lipstick. All of them - even the blue-grey. Living in Manchester (as opposed to Devon), means that I have easy peasy access to MAC, which means if there's £12.50 to be spared, it's gunna be spent on a lipstick. As I mentioned in my post on Models Own nail varnishes, buying cosmetics is the simple way to get that 'treated-myself-to-something-new' feeling, without splashing money you might not have, as is often the case for me. Inspired by Beyonce, I think the next lipstick in the line is going to be one of these....

The orange/coral ones:

Mac - Morange

Mac - Vegas Volt

And the nude to match the smoky eyes, I'm going to attempt as always...

See, no clothes involved and I'm still excited :)

Daydream

The spring looks are dropping into the stores rapidly now, and we're being told in abundance what we should be looking to wear in the coming months. However, what I haven't seen much of are the new beauty trends. As changing your hair and makeup is a far easier, quicker and cheaper way of updating your look now, if you're still embracing the Winter season, this might be a simple idea for you.

Whilst the heavy side plaits at Alexander Wang are sure to be a talking point soon enough, I loved the crimped curls at Diane Von Furstenburg. Created with multiple wet plaits (I gather from the photos at style.com), the look was classically girly, fun and pretty, and is something I haven't seen on the catwalk in a while. It looked perfect for that idealistic picture I create of spring in my head every year: green meadows, lots of daisies and lazing around in warm sunshine and gentle breezes, (maybe I should live on the set of Little House on the Prairie?). With added golden leaves and flowers intertwined in their hair, the models looked stunning, and the look was captured most perfectly on Arlenis Sosa.

Similarly to the plait seen at Alexander Wang, I loved the messy undone look seen at Miu Miu. I think hair extensions will definitely be in order come summer, but I might change the plait to a fishtail braid. I've always wanted to be able to do them, and have just learnt how!

So come spring time, I'll take the heavy fringe from Alexander Wang, the hip length plait at Miu Miu, make it my own with a fishtail and then undo it all later for the Furstenburg crinkles! Phew...sounds alot more complicated than I thought! ;)

What beauty trends do you want to try this spring??