No7 beautifully matte primer vs smash box primer vs benefit porefessional

Hi guys!
Over the past few months I have tried 3 different primers, the no7 beautifully matte primer, benefit porefessional and smashbox oil free primer.

The no7 beautifully matte primer is my least favourite primer of the three. It is very hard to rub into the skin, I'm not really sure how to explain it, as soon as I apply it to my face it instantly dries my skin which then makes it extremely difficult to do anything with it. This is a good thing in a way as it does mattify my skin but I hate the way it feels. At one point I had to use a flat foundation brush to apply it as it was the only way that I could get it to cover my whole face but it actually ruined my foundation brush! Occasionally it will also leave white lines on my face where it won't rub in properly. It doesn't keep my skin matte all day either.

The benefit porefessional is the one that I love the feel and appearance of the most but it doesn't keep my face oil free at all. The packaging is my favourite of the three, as with all benefit products it is super cute! The product itself is like a nude colour and blends really well into the skin, and it does blur imperfections but I stopped using it everyday as it just didn't keep my skin matte and didn't stop my makeup from disappearing throughout the day. It also has the least amount of product in the tube by at least 8ml (it has 22ml, smashbox has 30ml and no7 has 40ml) so although it is slightly cheaper than the smashbox primer it is much less value for money.

The smashbox primer is the one that I use daily, mainly because I paid £25 for it and LJ would get a bit mad if I didn't use it! But also because it is nice to use. The packaging is pretty cute and allows you to see how much product is left in it which is very handy as the other two don't,  and it is a white, creamy product. When applied with fingers it smooths on much the same way as the porefessional does and leaves the skin feeling silky smooth. It doesn't minimise pores like porefessional does, but it does keep my skin slightly more matte for a bit longer. It is the most expensive of the three primers so although I do use it every day I am not sure if I would purchase it again as because it doesn't keep my skin matte all day I'm not sure it is worth the money.

Overall, I'm not sure which primer I like best.  If you don't have a problem with oily skin then porefessional is the one for you! It is the best at minimising pores and imperfections and seems to reduce areas of discolouration too. It would be nice to wear alone if you had blemish free skin too! For oilier skins like mine, the smashbox primer is fine for days when I'm not at work but when I'm at work the air con plays havoc with my skin and dries it out making it produce more oil to compensate. If this isn't a problem for you and you don't mind spending a bit extra, smashbox would be fine.
I'm not sure I will ever find a primer that will keep my usually-not-too-oily skin oil free when I'm at work, but until I do I will just have to keep looking.

Have you tried any of these primers? Or do you know of a primer that will keep my skin matte all day?

X

Benefit they're real mascara

Hi guys!
As you all know I haven't been overly impressed with benefit lately (as much as I really wanted to! ) but I started using the sample of they're real mascara that I got a few months ago.
I wasn't expecting much and I will be honest and say I only used it because it was the only mascara I had and the no7 one had run out.
But oh my word I am so glad that I have it! The brush is similar to the no7 one, which separates the lashes and stops clumping. The mascara made my lashes look amazing and the best thing is that it didn't even smudge when it rained.
The only downside is that the micellar water I have doesn't remove it so I might have to purchase some proper eye makeup remover or even the one made specifically for the they're real range.
When this sample runs out I think I will repurchase it!

X

Review- benefit hello flawless oxygen foundation

Hi Guys! Hope you are all having a fab day!!
This post is going to be about the benefit hello flawless oxygen foundation.  I only got a sample of this which did only last three applications so my opinion is based on this.
I was in the palest colour they had, which is pretty usual for me!! The packaging of the actual product is pretty cute, it is a see through plastic bottle so you can see how much product you still have left, and it has a pump which is great as you can control. how much product you are getting.
This foundation doesn't have a noticeable smell (or at least I didn't notice one!) I applied it using my fingers as it was runny compared to the foundations I am used to wearing and I wasn't sure how it would cope with a brush and I didn't want to waste any of the sample.  it was applied over the porefesisonal (also by benefit) and seemed really light comapred to the revlon and n07 ones.
It did blend easily but it was a light coverage which I am not used to, so I was a bit unsure as to whether or not I liked it as I couldnt really tell where I had applied it- as if I was just rubbing the product off my face.  But the second time I applied this I used a bit more and it seemed to work better.  For the first hour or so this foundation looked amazing on my skin, not too matte and not too dewy.  i do tend to go for more matte foundations as I do have oily skin and I feel like dewy fou ndaitons will just make my face look like a sweaty mess, but this didn't.  it actually looked really natural and my face looked brighter than usual.
I wore this for a night shift and when I got to work my colleagues commented on how good my skin looked which they have never done before, and even went as far as to say that I looked too good for a night shift!!
However, after a few hours in the air conditioned lab I couldn't even tell I had applied foundation, and  not in a good way.  It was if the whole product was just drank in by my skin!! I did try it again once more and used the last of the sample but the same thing happened, the product just didn't last long at all.
This may be because I have oily skin so this foundation may work brilliantly for people with normal or dry skin, but it just did not work for me at all.
I was actually a bit gutted as I had such high hopes for this foundation, but I am glad that I managed to get a sample rather than buy the bottle for £26 and hate it.

Have you tried this product? What did you think?

X

B.right face emulsion and moisture prep

Hi guys!
So I've already done a review on the foaming wash and polish but I am going to review all of the products in the mini box I bought.

This post is about the moisture prep and the face emulsion.
The packaging for these two products are identical, I think that the bottles are super cute and I love having them in my bathroom. Unfortunately the cap of the emulsion broke, I am not even sure how it happened. I didn't drop it and I kept it in the little bag with the other products but when I picked it up a couple of days ago the cap had broken.

The moisture prep I love. I am not really sure how it works, it claims to basically make your skin more receptive to moisturiser. I don't know if it works but I do like the feel of it so I have been using it every day. It doesn't have an overbearing smell like the wash does either ☺
To use this I get a cotton pad and hold it over the top while tipping the bottle so only a very small amount is used as a little does seem to be enough. I haven't noticed much of a difference in my skin other than it feels softer straight using this. 
I am unsure whether I will purchase the full size of this as I don't know how much it costs and I am not convinced that it works. But I do still have most of the bottle left so I have plenty of time to decide!

The facial emulsion I use on a night time before my clinique moisturiser. It is really runny so be careful when trying to get the product out as it comes out really fast and again you only need a little bit! This does take a few minutes to sink in but when it does my skin feels amazing! it can probably be used alone but I use it under my moisturiser as I have a fear that if I stop I will start to get spots again! This has spf 15 in it which is really good so if u can pour it into different packaging I will probably take this on holiday with me! It says that it is to help with dehydrated skin as you don't always know your skin needs hydrating. It is oil free which is perfect for me! It is said to capture and maintain water on the surface of the skin.  I don't know if it does as I don't know how I would be able to tell but I do love using this just for how it makes my skin feel so I probably will purchase the full size of this.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think of them?

X
Prettyinpeach04

Benefit facial wash and facial polish

Hi guys!!
Well it has been a little while since I last posted a review, there are many reasons for this and for why I haven't been posting regularly but hopefully I will start again soon!!

This post is about the benefit facial wash and facial polish which I got as part of my mini boots haul.  I haven't been using these for very long but sometimes I do form an opinion on products really quickly and that is what has happened here, the other benefit products I got I haven't got an opinion yet but I will review them at a later date.

Firstly, the facial wash.  The packaging that this comes in is super cute, and is probably one of the reasons that I wanted it if I am honest.  That and I was starting to read beauty blogs more and people were saying great things about benefit and I wanted to get in on some of that benefit action!!
The product is white and looks a bit shimmery to me but that could have just been the lighting in the bathroom, and a very small amount goes a very long way! I was using a pea sized amount and it was foaming up loads and covered my whole face which is good as it is quite expensive for a face wash but is good value for money if it lasts a long time!! Now onto the smell, I hate it!! After using the instant comeback serum I thought I wouldn't mind the smell but for some reason the smell of this actually makes me feel physically sick.  I don't know what it is about the smell, maybe because I use it first thing on a morning?  I am a bit weird when it comes to the smell of products, I can't use the hair removal cream by Veet because it makes me feel sick so maybe it is just me. But this is probably the only reason that I will not repurchase this product.
This foaming facial wash claims to be a one step cleanser, meaning it removes makeup etc. I will be honest and admit that I don't use it to remove my makeup as I use it on a morning before my clinique soap (I am a bit paranoid that if I stop using the clinique soap that I will start breaking out) but there has been a few occasions when my makeup has been left on overnight (I know, I know I am a bad beauty blogger but sometimes when I have been awake since 3am and don't finish work until 9pm I just go home and fall asleep) and this wash has removed all traces of it.
All in all I think this is a really good product and worth the money but I will not be purchasing the full size because of the smell. Sorry benefit!!

Now onto the facial polish. It has the same cute packaging as the wash, which I love as it makes my bathroom look so cute! I will be honest and admit that I haven't really noticed a smell with this, I'm sure it has the same smell as the wash but it must not be as strong as I haven't noticed it.
The polish is meant to be used once or twice a week and gently exfoliates skin and refines pores. It is white and feels like it has little beads in it (obviously it has something as it exfoliates) and usually these products aggravate my skin but this does seem to be quite gentle. I'm not sure whether I will purchase the full size of this but again a little goes a long way so to me you do get value for money with this product.

Have you tried these products? What did you think of them?

X
@prettyinpeach04

Products I want to try

Hi lovelies,
So I'm still on my spending ban 😢 only a month and a half to go 😀 !! But I have already seen the products that I want to buy as soon as I get my £50 that I will be allowed to spend on makeup.
The main thing I want to buy is the chanel vitalumiere aqua foundation as I have seen some good reviews (and fleurdeforce says it's good). I have never tried any chanel foundations before so I'm super excited to try it but if anyone knows if chanel give a sample to try before I buy it please let me know as it is a bit expensive and I'm not sure I will even like it! I was considering getting the benefit hello flawless oxygen foundation but I got a sample of it and honestly I was not impressed at all. I will be doing a review properly but I thought I would explain why I was considering the chanel foundation.

Clinique all about eyes concealer, I have got the erase paste by benefit one but it seems to collect in the lines under my eyes. I got the palest shade and even that makes my eyes look orangey and doesn't really cover the dark circles.

All of the lip balms by benefit, I already have cha cha balm and it is my favourite lip product this year!! I think the others are called posie balm and lolli balm and they look so cute. I genuinely need these all in my life!!

The easiest nudes ever by benefit. I have tried benefit eyeshadow once and loved it.

That's all the products i want for now.

Have you tried any of these? What did you think?

X
@prettyinpeach04

My mini boots haul

Hi lovelies,
I have also done a video on this :-)

L temporarily lifted my spending ban at the weekend while we were in Sunderland and we were in boots so I had to buy something :-)
We also bought my mam a burts bees hand cream, cuticle cream and lip balm and a vanilla body set but I didn't take any photos before I gave them to her 😯

Firstly I bought the no7 protect and perfect serum, I am not too worried about wrinkles yet but it promises to clear skin too. It was £23.95 I think but we had a voucher to get a fiver off! I haven't really read any reviews about this but I wanted a serum and this is as good as any. I started using it this morning and the only thing I noticed was how much thicker it was than the benefit instant comeback serum (which I want when I have money to spend).

I got the benefit mini box which was £14.50 but we used the points on our boots card to buy it (I persuaded L by saying technically we weren't spending money 😛). I can't wait to try these properly!! I already have a skincare routine in place so I'm in the process of working out where these can fit into it. I have wanted to try these for a while but didn't want to buy the full sized products in case I didn't like them as they are quite expensive. 

Lastly I bought my favourite thing of the whole trip, the soap & glory breakfast scrub. I mentioned on twitter and Instagram how amazing this is. It smells of maple and I am in love with it!! I didn't even want a Scrub, I still have most of the scrub of your life mini that I got at Christmas but I had to have this! I have used it every time I have been in the shower since then as it smells so delicious!! I am hoping they bring out more products with this smell as I will buy them all!!

Have you tried any of these products?

X
Prettyinpeach04

Benefit instant comeback serum

I haven't been using this for long but I wanted to do a first impressions post on it. I got a sample of this from the benefit counter in house of fraser and have been using it twice a day since then.
The first thing I noticed was that it smells so gorgeous. To me it smells florally and makes me think of summer which I love especially when I have just worked a really long shift at work and am feeling tired and cranky.
It is a pinky colour (I'm not sure if it appears this colour in the actual bottle but it does in my sample) which is cute, and it is such a lovely texture. It feels really light when I apply it all over my face and not greasy at all.
Since I have been using it I have noticed a difference in my skin already, it seems brighter and there are less blemishes (I had a mini break out just before) but this could be coincidental.
I am planning to keep using it until the sample runs out (as only a small amount of sample is needed I think my sample will last at least another week maybe more) and then I will do another post stating my final thoughts on this product and whether or not I will purchase the full sized product when my spending ban is over.

Have you tried this product? What were your thoughts?

X
@prettyinpeach04

My benefit shopping trip

Yesterday L and I went to meadow hall at Sheffield to do some shopping and to go to the cinema. L had seen some posters in boots about a big beauty event so we thought we would go and see what it was all about. The posters said that if we bought 2 products from one of the participating makeup brands we would get 500 points on our boots card which seemed good, and it said the participating brands were giving free makeovers and samples. As I really want to try out some new benefit products we went there, which was located in front of a massive poster about the beauty event. We read the small print to make sure we were getting a good deal and then enquired about it at the benefit counter. The girl didn't mention the makeover just said we could buy two products and get boots points so we bought the porefessional as I needed it, and erase paste as it claims to erase dark circles.
We then had to go to the cinema as we had already booked the tickets but we went back afterwards and asked again about the makeover. The girl seemed really put out that we asked about it and tried to talk me out of it but I said that I wanted to find out how to use their products. She told me there was a minimum spend of £30, I said this wasn't mentioned on the posters anywhere it said a free makeover if a consultant was free and benefit was listed on the poster but she said they had decided to set a spend limit. This annoyed myself and L as surely it is false advertising to say it is free then change your mind, especially as we had read the small print. We told her we had already bought 2 products so she said that would probably do.
She asked what type of look I was going for and I said something that would be good for the summer but not be too heavy. She started with the flawless foundation with the oxygen (I can't remember the name) and asked me what colour I thought I was. Surely the makeup girl should know? But I said I was usually the lightest colour in other brands, so she used the ivory shade. I was already wearing makeup and when I have been to things like this before with different brands, they have removed my makeup first. This girl didn't she just applied the foundation over the makeup which made it look awful. It caked on. She then asked me what other products I wanted so I said ones that I wanted to try and she put cha cha tint on my cheeks and lips but she kept adding more and not blending it correctly so it looked really really patchy. She added a blusher on top of this which just made things worse. She asked me if I wanted to try the new eyeliner and I said yes but that I didn't want a flick but she gave a flick anyway. She applied eyeshadow and that was me done.  She asked what products I wanted to buy and I said I would get the eyeshadow, and asked if I could have a sample of foundation as I didn't want to buy it until I had seen what it looked like when applied properly as it was over my already applied makeup. She said no. She said I couldn't have any samples at all and then said they had no eyeshadow left even though she hadn't checked. L and I left and I went straight to the toilet to wash everything off. While she was seeing to me she also kept leaving to try and get other people walking past to buy some products, I understand that this is their job but there were three of them and the other 2 weren't busy.
I have honestly never had such bad customer service in my life and L was fuming.
We went into house of fraser for some clothes for L and ended up walking past their benefit counter and L said we should ask there for a sample of the foundation. The girl couldn't have been nicer, she pumped some into a little container to try and gave me a sample of the comeback serum. We bought the cha cha balm there as it looked nicer than the tint and I wouldn't be wearing it on my cheeks anyway and she was so lovely. A woman came over to ask her for a makeup tutorial and she was so lovely to her. She was so much better than the girl in boots. L now doesn't think that I should buy any benefit products because of that one girl and as we.make all decisions together about how we spend money, he might insist on it which is a shame.

Have any of you had any bad experiences with any customer service?

X
@prettyinpeach04  

June favourites

Hey lovelies, I did try to do this as a you tube video but then I got a bit shy so here are my June favourites:

Benefit porefessional; I think everyone is loving this product right now.  It can be used alone or under foundation and it feels so amazing. It minimises the appearance of pores, and it smooths out the skin so creates the perfect base to apply makeup over.

Soap & glory one heck of a blot: I have been raving about this product so much but I love it. It is so cute, and it makes my skin so matte and doesn't remove any of my other makeup which is perfect.

Soap & glory peach party:this is in my favourites because I think it is a really good colour for the summer but it is a little too shimmery so I apply powder over the top of it to reduce the shimmer slightly.  You can build up the colour as required, and can use each triangle of colour separately if you want which I think would be good for contouring and highlighting. 

Garnier ultimate blends shampoo for dry dull hair: I don't actually have dull hair but L bought it as it was in offer and I love it!! It smells so nice and a little goes a long way!  Normally I go through about 6-8 shampoos every month as my hair is so thick so I have to use quite a bit but I have been using this bottle for about 5 weeks and it's still got about quarter of a bottle in it which is amazing!! It makes my hair feel so soft and gorgeous too and even L loves using it. I haven't tried the conditioner yet as L didn't buy it but that is on my to do list.

spa sanctuary hot cloth cleanser: I have done a post about how amazing this product is and I love it so much. I use it whenever I am in the shower and it removes all traces of makeup. It smells so gorgeous and leaves my skin amazingly clean. It is definitely worth a try.

No7 lip crayon and soap &glory sey mother pucker in pink out loud: together these lip products make the perfect colour. It is so girly, summery and gives my lips a gorgeous shine. I don't know what the colour of the No7 crayon is as it has worn off but it is like a darker pink colour.

None beauty favourites:
My favourite TV show: devious maids- it is so interesting and I can't stop watching it.  My sister actually made me watch the first season on skygo and I got hooked. There is so much drama and you get to follow the lives of maids who work for rich people and there are so many secrets and plot twists.  The second season is on now and I love it.

Books: I have just reread the Robert Langdon books by Dan Brown, I love these and if you haven't read them you should. They keep you guessing and there is so many twists in the story lines. I love these so much.

Food: I am addicted to poached eggs right now. I can't get enough of them and the yolk is so yummy when the egg is poached.

That's all for my June favourites, hope you have enjoyed reading.
What are your June favourites? Send me your links on here or on twitter ☺

X
@prettyinpeach04

Get unready with me shower night

Hi lovelies,
I was meant to post this yesterday but due to unforeseen circumstances I was unable to so here it is today :-)
I actually have 2 getting unready routines, one for the night that I am having a shower and one for the night that I'm not. I do only shower every two days except when I am on holiday as I then go swimming everyday so also wash my hair everyday.
This is the routine I use while in the shower.

I always wash my hair first, and at the minute I am using garnier ultimate blends shampoo for dry dull hair.
This shampoo is amazing and only a tiny amount is needed to wash the hair as it lathers up really well. It leaves my hair looking and feeling so clean and smells nice too. It is my favourite shampoo currently so us worth a try if you're looking for a new shampoo. I don't always condition my hair (hear me out, I have really sensitive skin on my scalp and a lot of shampoos and conditioners aggravate it, so I can't use 2 in 1 products and can't even use t-gel products so I do have to be very careful with what I use. When I use a conditioner, even when I don't apply it all the way to the roots my hair either looks so oily or my skin starts to flake. I do rinse my hair really well so I am not sure why it looks so oily but that is why I don't always condition. If anyone knows any really good conditioner that won't do this then please let me know ☺)

After I have washed my hair I shave (in the summer I shave my legs every two days while in the shower, in the winter it is maybe once a week as I don't show my legs off as much). I then use the soap & glory sugar crush.
This smells amazing, I do prefer the original scent but L likes this one better so this is the one that is currently in our shower. It smells citrusy which is why L loves it but it does make me feel so refreshed which I love. I use the soap & glory pouffe thing to wash too as I don't feel as clean if I just wash with my hands.
This is when I move onto my face. I use the spa sanctuary brightening facial hot cloth cleanser. I have done a review of this product and I love it. It is so creamy and smells so nice, but also manages to remove all traces of makeup without a fuss! I try to clean the cloth after I have used it but there is a small amount of makeup on it at the minute so I am going to have to wash it in the washing machine.
After this cleanser I use the clinique 3 step soap, I got the bar rather than the liquid soap as it was recommended by the lady at the counter and so far it has been good. I actually use the cloth from the hot cloth cleanser to wash this off too as it just makes me feel cleaner.
After I get out of the shower I do steps 2 and 3 of the clinique 3 step (I am number 3 for those of you that are interested). I use a cotton pad for step 2 and apply step 3 with my fingers as I feel like it melts into my skin a bit better this way.

I then apply eye cream, which at the minute is benefit it's potent eye cream.

I dry my hair and then I am good to go to sleep.

Do you use any of these products?what is your night time routine?

X
@prettyinpeach04

Benefit products I want to try

Hi lovelies,
Since I have started blogging I have come across some really good brands that I didn't really consider using before. One of these is benefit.
I had seen benefit products before I started blogging but I didn't think much of it, but after reading other bloggers reviews about benefit I have started trying it out.
I have previously written about my love for porefessional, and I have ordered the beauty box that's on offer currently but I have made a list of the products I would like to try by them, which hopefully I will be able to buy within the next couple of months:

Benefit porefessional

I got this sample sized porefessional in a benefit box which I mentioned in a previous blog (may have been on mackeminscouselandreviews.blogspot.com) and have been using it ever since.
Firstly, I love the smell! I can't quite describe what it smells like but it is amazing. It is a pale brown/ natural colour and goes on so smoothly. It is meant to reduce the appearance of pores, which it does fantastically, and it also makes my skin feel so smooth and actually a bit powdery which I can't explain, and makes the perfect canvas for the application of makeup. It leaves my makeup flawless all day, which I have never had with a primer before.
It says you can apply this over makeup but I don't think I would, I just apply it over my moisturiser and under foundation. It does suggest to only apply it in problem areas but I do apply it to my entire face.

The full sized version is £24.50 I think but it is worth it and I will be buying it when this sample runs out. I am so in love with this primer it is unreal.

Have you tried this product? What did you think of it?

X
@prettyinpeach04
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