The Tuesday Review: Benefit Dandelion Box Blush

I've had this product for a good few months now, having kindly received it as a gift on my birthday, back in the summer. At first I was quite unimpressed with how little it showed up on my tanned skin, and ended up rarely using it, other than occassionally as a subtle highlight as it was so pale compared to my skin. Fast forward a few months, and my skin is a good few shades lighter and I can finally see why people give so much love to this product.

I have to say, I'm really not a fan of the scent of this powder, to me it smells very grannyish, but to be honest the scent of a product really doesn't have an overall effect on whether I like it or not. As with all of Benefit's boxed powders, the packaging isn't the most practical thing in the world, but I am impressed with the brush that it comes with. I don't keep it in the box as I find that it tends to chip bits off the powder, and I actually use the brush for a different product: bronzer. I find that its the perfect shaped brush to contour with, but more about that in a later post.

The blush itself is a pale pink colour with a hint of shimmer, and isn't overly pigmented. It gives you a really fresh and alive look when applied to pale skin, and helps to brighten up your complexion. You can never go over the top with this, and you don't have to be too precise with your application as it is quite sheer and looks good as a highlight. In fact, Benefit actually suggest applying a small amount over your whole face as a brightening finishing powder. I am yet to try this but I can imagine it will work very well for me as I have yellow toned skin so this should help to neutralise it a little.

As for wear time, I find that this does last me through most of the day, and when it does fade, the shimmer remains so my skin still looks lovely and glowing. Having tested the wear time in the colder months, I actually wouldn't consider trying to carry on using this in the summer as my skin needs something super long lasting to keep it in place throughout its oiler moments, however it is absolutely perfect for a light flush of colour in autumn and winter.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Kiko Glow Touch

For today's review I wanted to talk about the Kiko Glow Touch because it's a limited edition product so I wanted to get a review out before they stop selling it. I have been using this product for a couple of months now so I feel that I've tried and tested it sufficiently to give you guys an honest opinion about it. I have the shade Wave Hibiscus which is a lovely pinky coral that is perfect for summer. I love this shade for both my cheeks and my lips because, on my cheeks, it gives a bright flush of colour that's a bit more interesting than a boring pink shade, but without looking unnatural, and on the lips it also looks great, especially when wearing the blush at the same time.

In terms of wear time and formula, as a blush I only apply a light layer to even out my natural flush, and it wears for about 6 hours, which isn't bad for a cream product on my oily skin. I apply this with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, after applying my foundation with the same brush, so that the colour is not so intense due to the remaining product on the brush. As a lip colour, it is very sheer and feels like a tinted balm. This also gives it the wear of a balm, meaning it only lasts a couple of hours and comes off easily when eating or drinking. However, it is not a hassle to reapply so I don't mind too much, and the formula is really hydrating so it doesn't cause any damage to my lips to be continually applying product.

I would definitely recommend this product, especially if you are new to Kiko makeup and are wondering what product to try first.

emma x

Kiko Haul

For today's post I wanted to share with you what I bought on my first ever trip to Kiko, which, for those of you that don't know, is a cosmetics brand that can't be purchased in other retailers such as Boots. I was very excited to have a browse around the store as I had heard a lot of amazing things about the brand, and I was overwhelmed with the amazing range of products. There was so much more makeup than I thought there would be, a surprisingly large skincare range, and a good selection of brushes. I went to the flagship store on Regent Street (it's basically on Oxford Street though as it's on the corner where they meet), so there may not be as greater selection in other Kiko stores, but I was truly spoiled for choice. It's a miracle that I didn't buy more than I did, but I managed to restrain myself, and tried to pick the cheaper products rather than the 'pro' versions.

The prices in Kiko are really good and are equivalent to the middle range of the drugstore, with most everyday products ranging from £3 to £8. Some products, such as setting sprays and complete brow kits were more expensive, but that's the case with most brands. For the price you get excellent quality packaging, and a lot of the products came inside boxes which makes the products, and store as a whole, seem more luxurious.

The first product I got was an eyeshadow in the shade 143 which is a really nice pale pink shade with a little glitter in it. This is a good colour for a quick wash over the lids when I don't have time to do anything special. From the couple of times I've used it, I've found that it applies really nicely. It creases slightly throughout the day but because it's not a bold shade you don't really notice. For £2.90 I think this is a good eyeshadow and is perfect for travel if you only want to take a shade or two.

The next product is a nail varnish in the shade 363, which is a dark reddish pink. I really like this colour as I think it's good for summer because it's bright, but the deepness of the shade makes it suitable for winter too. The brush is quite wide, which I like as it makes application easier. I haven't used it yet so I can't comment on the formula, but I'm really excited to use it. These nail polishes are £2.50 which I think is a good price for a nail varnish.

The next thing I bought was an eyeliner from the Smart Eye Pencil range. It is a lovely turquoise blue colour in the shade 813. I thought this was perfect for summer to add a pop of colour to my eyes. From swatching it on my hand, I found that it was a little on the solid side, but for £2.50 I can't really complain, and I will only be using it on odd occasions. They do have similar shades in their other eyeliner ranges though, if you are interested in a slightly softer pencil from the brand.

I also bought a lip liner from the Smart Lip Pencil range as whenever I go for a bold lip, it's nearly always a bright pink, so I knew it would be worth it as it will be a shade I use often. The shade in question is 708, which as I said, is a bright pink. Because I will be wearing it under lipsticks and glosses, the exact tone of the shade doesn't matter to me too much but I do really like the colour so I could potentially wear it alone.

Lastly, I picked up the Glow Touch Lip and Cheek Colour in the shade 102 Wave Hibiscus, which is a lovely peachy coral colour. I have been wanting to try a cream blush for a while but wasn't sure if they would be for me, so I figured that this would be a good solution because even if I didn't like it on my cheeks, I could use it on my lips. What really lured me towards this product is the gorgeous packaging which is unique to their summer collection. This was on sale for £4 so I would hurry if you want to try it as they won't be around much longer.

I hope you enjoyed this haul as I haven't posted one in a while. I will be sure to review most (or maybe even all) of these products after I have tested them for a couple of weeks. Be sure to leave a comment telling me whether you've tried anything from Kiko and what you thought of it.

emma x