Accessorize Blushers

Whilst browsing in my local Superdrug the other day, I came accross the Accessorize make up stand. I have known for quite some time that Accessorize had branched out into the cosmetic world, yet I hadn't purchased any of their offerings... Until now. These gorgeous pots of blusher found their way into my basket and into my life. The packaging is typical of Accessorize products, with the product encased in gold packaging that is adorned with butterflies and proudly displays the Accessorize logo.
These blushers are merged baked blushers and they look gorgeous in the pan!! I settled on the shades Sensation and Wowzer. 

Sensation is a lovely peachy/coral colour with pink veins running through it, however once on the brush and applied to the skin, the colour is strictly peach - the pink gets totally lost! Which I don't mind as it still looks lovely!
Wowzer is scary (yet beautiful in the pan). It is a ridiculously vivid, cool-toned pink with veins of purple. Unlike Sensation, these veins of colour do not get lost and they merge with the pink to provide a gorgeous pinky-yet-slightly-purple shade. (Sorry for the terrible description but I don't know what to call it as its a shade I've never seen before..) Oh and do not be alarmed, this blush does not appear as bright on the skin as it looks in the pot - unless you have a very heavy hand! 

natural light, no flash

with flash

 These products are quite pigmented so you don't need to apply too much to bring a healthy glow to the cheeks! They are also a dream to apply - very finely milled and there are no chunks of glitter but the slight shimmer does help to provide you with a dewy look. 
I have currently been using Wowzer more at the moment, as I am still quite pale facially and personally I think pink cheeks and light skin is a winning combo, however I will definitely be putting Sensation into my holiday makeup regime as I think it will look lovely with a tan!
Overall, I'm really pleased with these blushers and can't understand why it has taken me so long to buy an Accessorize product - I'm definitely going to be checking out their makeup stand more frequently from now on! 
Accessorize makeup is available from superdrug and from the accessorize website.

Have you ever tried any Accessorize makeup before?

Sugar Sweet

I'm not going to lie, I do have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Benefit products! I love their ideas, the colours, the quirky packaging however I hate the price. I find Benefit to be very overpriced and since I'm forking out for the product, I have high expectations of them and quite a lot of Benefit products fall short, in my opinion. It's not that they're bad products or anything, its just that sometimes they aren't exceptional - which is what you want when you hand over £20-30 for 1 item.
With that in mind, I decided I would try out a Benefit box, where you get a range of complimentary products for £23. (find it here)
I opted for Sugarlicious which is the nude kit, as I wanted something I would get plenty use of. 
Within my kit, I recieved a mini Sugarbomb blush + brush, mini Benetint and Highbeam and a tube of Sugarbomb lipgloss. The box also has a handy mirror on the lid, plus a little fold out booklet of tips and tricks - very nice touch!

Now.... How did I feel about the actual products themselves?

Sugarbomb - I'm not going to mince my words here, I was very let down by this blush. The sheer lack of pigmentation in this blusher is horrdenous...it barely shows up on skin (and I am very pale), it basically just provides shimmer and sheen. I think I have used this once since purchasing the box - all I can say is I am grateful I didn't fork out £23.50 for the blusher alone, at least there are other products for me to try. 

Benetint - Benetint was a tricky one for me to figure out as its not a cream or powder formulation - its a stain. The consistency of the liquid is quite runny so you need to be quite quick at blending it out but once you get used to it, this is a nice product to use. It provides a nice, natural flush to the cheeks and is nowhere near as dark as it appears in the bottle! 

High Beam - High Beam is another funny product for me. I know its a total cult product and everyone raves about it, but I just don't get the hype. Don't get me wrong,  I don't dislike this in any way and its a good highlighter, but thats all it is...good. Perhaps I am using it wrong? I like the colouring of this highlighter though, its pearly and irridescent and suits pale skin very well. 

Sugarbomb lip gloss - Another product in the box I don't use! As this is a nude kit, I expected the gloss to be nude - its not! It is a kind of plummy, brown colour which just doesn't flatter my skin tone at all. The consistency of the gloss is lovely, it goes on smooth and doesn't dry out the lips, its just the colour I dislike. I probably would purchase this lipgloss but in another shade - perhaps Dandelion or Coralicious? 

from top to bottom - sugarbomb blusher, benetint, high beam, lip gloss in natural light with no flash.

from top to bottom, suagrbomb blush, benetint, high beam, lip gloss with flash

All in all - the box wasn't all that. I use 2 of the products quite often (Benetint + High Beam) and the other 2 remain untouched. 
I am glad I got the box though as it means I didn't splash out on the expensive full size versions!

Have you tried any products from this Benefit kit? 

May Wishlist...

In this post I thought I would share with you a few things I am lusting over atm...hopefully my bank balance will allow some of these beauts to make their way into my life.....

I don't want for much do I? :) 

Lets start from the top left + work our way around...
First we've got the printed mini skirt from Zara. I love the aqua and blue colours together as I think they look lovely and summery and this would be a perfect addition for my upcoming summer holiday!


Then we move onto a pair of nude sandals which are also from Zara. I've been loving the minimalistic look of high heeled sandals lately and I think this nude pair would make a good addition to everyones wardrobe, as the neutral shade means they will go with everything and anything!! 

Next up is a floral crop top from my dear old friend Mr.Topshop. This again is very summery and would look great with high waisted denim shorts. 

Another Topshop number, these black floral print high waisted shorts are beaut! The floral print makes them summery however the dark colour means they won't look out of place paired with black tights, which is perfect for our, ahem....'summer' and it also means they will be a great transitional piece and could be worn through to autumn/winter. 

Yet another topshop piece with this floral corset dress. The fitted tip and skater style skirt  make this a great holiday buy for when you've indulged in 1 to many Tequila Sunrises and need to hide the belly bloat! Plus the pattern is uber cute :) 

Next up is makeup I have been lusting over foreveeeer! It's Liz Earle's sheer moisture tint which I think will be perfect for summer weather when you don't want anything heavy on your face. The shade range is rather limited however according to online reviews the pale shade is perfect for us whities...score! 

Ahh Benefit Bella Bamba! One of the few Benefit boxes I haven't added to my collection however I am dyiiiing to! I love a pink blush and after looking at various swatches online this looks like it won't disappoint! 

I heart Xen Tan and this facial tanner is at the top of my holiday list! My face sometimes takes a tan, sometimes it doesn't - my skin is fickle that way! However this light gradual tan helps out when my face decides it wants to be a pain! 

Then we have a jacquard playsuit from Topshop which I think looks very unique and a great summer piece! 

I'm a pencil skirt newbie but this looks like a gentle way to break me in as I LOVE florals. This is from Zara :) 

*almost done* 

Next up is 2 skincare products available at boots - Soap + Glory Hocus Focus, a brightening blurring lotion and Palmers gradual tan cocoa butter. This lotion smells heavenly, adds a subtle glow and provides intense moisturisation...perfect! 

Sorry for the text heavy post, but I hope you enjoyed reading my rambling wish list! What are you lusting after? 

Benefit Coralista

Well, well, well...everyone raves about Benefit boxed blushes whether they are talking about the powders appearance on the skin or even just the dinky packaging which Benefit has become associated with...and its about time I threw in my 2 cents aswell! Lucky you's....

The blusher I am going to be reviewing today is the world famous Coralista! This is described by Benefit as "coral blush for a tropical flush! This shade cheers up every skin tone in seconds"...Big claims from such a little box....

can it live up to its claims...?

But Coralista definitely delivers, well for me anyways. I find the colour warms up my alabaster skin without looking to obvious and adds a healthy dose of shimmer for a dewy look but not too 'glitterball',  making this blusher ideal for day or night time use. It has a decent wear time (around 5-6 hours) and doesn't become patchy throughout the day (score!). 

The packaging is girly and very Benefit, however it doesn't withstand much wear and tear within my handbag or make up bag and the box can end up looking tatty ... See my above pictures for evidence! 

Aside from the packaging getting a bit 'rough around the edges', do I have any other gripes with Coralista? Weeeeell, yes I do actually. Number uno is definitely the price, £23.50 for a box of blush is extortionate, lets not beat around the bush here...that being said, you do get a decent amount of product for your dosh and I've had my blush for around 5/6months and I see no sign of the pan, therefore when you spread the cost over the length of time the blush will last you, its pennies really (I really need to stop justifying these splurges..)

This is rather heavily swatched - there is less colour payoff when blended or applied with a brush

My final issue with Coralista isnt't a personal one as the colouring works for me however I feel that this wouldn't work as well on darker skin tones due to the fairly light pigmentation of this product however if you are darker and you rock Coralista, let me know and I will take this last remark back! 

Coralista retails at £23.50 and is available from Boots, Debenhams, Benefit...and a host of other places! 

Right, I'm away to put the kettle on before I write an epic novel here.....*must stop blabbering..*