Review - Benefit Watts Up Highlight

For you contour & highlighting gals.. this one is for you. 

This is one that I've been drooling over for months but could never justify paying £24.50 on something that puts a little sparkle on my face. Of course i finally gave in.. for blogging purposes only. 

The Packaging - Well like all benefit products, this comes in cute quirky packaging. Im not 100% sure about the weird little sponge thing at the bottom.. its hard to use and i think to blend the highlighter its much easier if you just use your fingers. 

The pay-off - There is no denying it with this one, it is not subtle at all. You can easily go OTT if you just whack it on without caution. When i was at a benefit counter once, the woman told me just to place it on the top of your cheekbones and drag it upwards. Id say this can put way too much product on the face for a day to day look, i find it works best by dabbing it on the tops of the cheekbones and anywhere else you choose to highlight or dragging it then blend it in with fingers. 

Below is one swatch before blending: 

Below is after the swatch has been blended to create a more natural and subtle highlight:

The highlighter has a champaign shimmery colour that can be very complimentary to warmer skin tones. I personally love using this when I'm doing a bronzed look and i can imagine this looking gorgeous in the summer to add a natural sunkissed look with some bronzer. I can however understand why people find this highlighter too glittery, but i personally don't mind a little shimmer. 

The sum up - Id give this product a 8.5/10. I think its so versatile and can be used in so many different make up looks. I also inserted that last picture to show how much product you get for the price. It doesn't seem much but i can see that this is going to last me ages and i would say it is so worth the money. 


Have any of you tried this or any other highlighters, let me know in the comments :) 

Amber x

Bronzed Makeup Look

The Eyes - My trustee MUA palette came in handy for this bronzed make up look. Even though they're only around £4, the MUA eyeshadows are really pigmented and have a gorgeous pay off. I started with a lighter shade all over the lid and then the 5th shade on the bottom row (the shades don't have any names) to create the bronzed effect on the lid and crease. To apply the eyeshadows i used my Victorias Secrets eye brushes that i got as part of a travel kit. They're nothing amazing but they do the job i suppose. I also used a tiny bit of my eyebrow shadow on the outer corners of my eyes to create some definition. I also tight lined my top lashes with my SmashBox eye kohl and put a tiny amount on my bottom lashes to create a more smokey effect. 

The Eyebrows - My unruly brows really need some TLC but for now I'm just making do with the bushy brow look and filling them in with my Browzings eyebrow shadow from Benefit. 

The Lashes - I have to curl my lashes, if i don't mascara just doesn't apply well at all and i end up with straight flat lashes that looked weighed down with mascara. So the first step is to curl. Then i go in with my Thick and fast mascara for some volume and my They're real mascara to lengthen.  

The Base - I usually keep it simple on the base and don't go for anything too heavy. I concealed my under eye circles with my illamasqua concealer, then went in with my borjouis CC cream. Nothing too heavy as this was just a day time look. Bronzed and highlighted then done. 

Hope you liked this look, leave a comment on what you think. 
Amber x

Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil

The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil - £12

I'll put my hands up and admit that although I love buying skincare, I have never used or tried a serum before (yes a beauty blogger who has never used a serum in her life)! 

However I've always been one that uses oils, especially natural oils such as almond oil and coconut oil. So when The Body Shop released there new 'Serum-in-oil' I had to buy it. 

The science behind it: This overnight serum in oil is The Body Shops product with the highest concentrate of wheatgerm oil. Wheatgerm oil is a natural oil that is high in Vitamin E which is an antioxidant that helps protect and repair the skin. This product also contains other natural oils to nourish the skin including Sweet Almond oil, Sesame seed oil, Sunflower oil and Jojoba seed oil. Now some of you might be thinking it seems a little cray to be slathering all those oils on your face, especially those with oily/combination skin, but have a little trust in me, all these oils are really beneficial to the skin and I plan on doing a post soon with my favourite natural oils and their benefits. 

The packaging: How cuteeeee is this! I know its pretty much the same as all of the vitamin E range but i still love it. I adore the little pipette on the lid,  it makes it so much easier to get the right amount of product and it makes it feel a little more expensive and a little like the Estee lauder advance night repair serum. Plus its baby pink, and  girls love cute pink packaging right? well done body shop.. 

The results: I've been using this serum-in-oil for a few weeks now and I'm happy to say that The body shop has done me proud once more. I used to always use the coconut beautifying oil at night and I would wake up in the morning with plump soft skin but for the past few weeks I replaced it with this but I'm not sure which I prefer. This soaks in almost instantly and doesn't leave you feeling greasy at all. I wake up in the morning with lovely soft skin however I don't think it is as hydrating as the beautifying oil. I find this oil works best after exfoliating at night before bed, in the morning you can really see and feel the difference. My verdict on this one would have to be a 7.5/10. I think it is ideal for anyone who is starting to explore facial oils and i would say its perfect for any skin type (yes even you oily skin gals).

Leave a comment and let me know if you have tried it or what your favourite oil is. 

Amber x