Benefit Box O' Powder in Dallas

Benefit Box O' Powder in Dallas - £23.50 here.

 Ah Dallas, a true old favourite of mine that is sadly rumoured to be discontinued shortly. As soon as I heard, I knew I had to get my mitts on one just one more time.

Dallas is a blush that I used faithfully everyday for a good few years until it finally was all used up. I will give it to Benefit, their boxed blushes are really fantastic quality and they last forever! When I finished my little box I didn't bother to replace it and went on to try something new, but it has always had a special little place in my heart.

Dallas is a gorgeous, neutral blush shade with plum undertones and shimmer that looks almost like a bronzer on the skin. I love it because it really sculpts my face and gives a natural sunkissed sheen. The shimmer isn't over-kill or really glittery, it's very sheer and gives the cheeks a real glow which I love.

I'm off on holiday soon and this is definitely going to be my 'go-to' holiday glow blush shade, I absolutely love it. I really recommend getting your hands on one before it's gone forever, and I just can't believe Benefit would discontinue such a fantastic blush powder - I am gutted.

Swatches of Dallas with flash.

Have you tried Dallas or any of Benefit's Box O' Powders?

MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone - Review

MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone - £18.00
(or £15.00 for the PRO Refill Pan) at maccosmetics.co.uk

I decided to buy this MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone after seeing it on Barbara, a YouTuber who goes by the name of 'thepersianbabe' on YouTube. She is really lovely and I adore her style, I really recommend her videos! When she mentioned this in a video and said she was wearing it, it looked like a really nice accompaniment to bronzer. Coppertone is described by MAC as a 'Peach Brown' and is perfect when you want a bit of colour on your face in terms of looking 'warmer' but without having a pop of colour on the face like a pink or a coral. 

Coppertone gives a nice 'peachy tan' wash of colour to my cheeks and is the perfect accompaniment to a bright lipstick as it doesn't compete with the colour or clash. I have been wearing this a lot with my Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep 4 (review here) as they go together really well. I use the bronzer under my cheekbones, on my temples and under my chin, I then use Coppertone more on the fleshy part of my cheeks and blend down towards the apples. I've especially been loving this blush for the Summer weather we've been having in the UK at the moment as I've been going for more of a bronzed look as of late (I get a tad bronzer happy!)

As you can see, it looks really natural on, although you could apply more if you wanted to. It helps to give my face a bit of a bronzed look and adds some healthy colour that looks great with everything from a nude lip or a bright lip. 

This blush has really become an everyday staple for me as it's so easy to use, you can never 'over-do it' with this blush and it works really well with my skintone. I think fair skins would get on with this really well as it has a nice neutral undertone and never looks orange. I don't think this is pigmented or bright enough to suit deeper skins however, but that it just the nature of the shade.

If you are looking for a natural, understated blush shade then Coppertone is a great one to try! It's available in all MAC stores and online at maccosmetics.co.uk. 

What's your favourite natural blush shade?

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Make-Up Base Review

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Universel Bronzing Make-Up Base - £31.00 here

Since watching lots of beauty gurus on YouTube and reading lots of beauty blogs, I have heard so much about this product. I've had this for about a year now and I purchased it when it had a lot of hype around it, mainly to see what the fuss was all about!

Originally, when I got the Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel, I didn't really get on with it. This is a very tricky product to make work for you and despite the name, I don't think it is a 'Universal' bronzer. This product is a creamy-mousse like bronzer that it supposed to suit all skin types and can be used as a base or a bronzer.

I purchased this in Duty Free when I was flying out to Turkey with my boyfriend last year. Really excited, I gave it a go in the hotel room on the first day and while it looked nice, I was unsure. I think I used my Elf Powder Brush which I absolutely love for foundation (it gives such a flawless finish), but for this bronzer it was just too big and didn't pick up enough product due to it's flat top. I then proceeded to get VERY tanned and tried this bronzer to realise that it was in fact the same colour as my skin! *doh* This bronzer is not universal - LOL. So the Chanel was tucked away in my make-up box and left until my tan faded. When I decided to try it again, I used my Real Techniques Buffing Brush from the core collection, and the rest is history!

Like I said, the Elf brush didn't work because it was so big and it had a completely flat top, the Real Techniques one is smaller, and has a slightly round top, perfect for swirling and buffing product onto it and buffing it into the skin to get a dewy bronzed contour.

As the name also suggests, you can use this as a base before you apply your foundation to give you a bit more of a bronzed look, or simply add some colour to your face. Depending on your skin tone, you can be lighter or heavier handed when using it this way, and the finish on me is subtle but really nice. 

Me wearing the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel as a bronzer to contour my cheekbones, but not as a base.

In my opinion, the third photo represents the bronzer the most accurate - very glowy and with quite orange undertones as opposed to red undertones which I usually look for in a bronzer. As you can see, on me the colour looks so natural, and although the shade of this bronzer is slightly on the orange side, it fares well on my skintone. I think if you are very fair, you would have to be so careful when applying this and be sure to use a light hand as it could look like you have been tangoed - not a good look!

Being mixed race, I do have quite dark facial hair around the perimeter of my face and I have to be careful when applying make-up as it can sometimes interfere with the hair. This bronzer blends like a dream and doesn't accentuate my hair which keeps it looking natural. 

Swatched on my hand in natural lighting (no flash)

The bronzer itself is semi-matte but it has a lovely glow to it that looks really lovely in person (the pictures don't do it justice). It also has very very subtle shimmers and sparkles in it, that don't transfer onto the skin but help light to reflect off of your skin to make you look luminous and healthy.

Does this bronzer have any bad points? Yes. I always get fluff and hairs in this bronzer as it is a cream product and I use it with a brush. After a good few uses it starts to look like it's growing lifeforms *yuck* so I always try and keep it clean by scraping the top layer away or pulling out any fluff with tweezers. The formula is just sticky so it is inevitable that fluff and hairs will get stuck which doesn't bother me too much. Also, like I said before, if your skin colour is the same as this bronzer then it will do nothing. If you are very fair skinned, it may look very orange on you if you apply it to heavily, so be careful. 

Apart from those points, I love this bronzer and have been using it loads recently with my buffing brush , which is the best brush I've found to use it with as it buffs the product so that it looks natural. The product itself, although quite pricey is very versatile as you can use it as a base, for cheekbones, temples, arms, legs....anywhere really. The consistency is slightly sticky so it really stays on your skin all day, it's very blendable which means it looks natural and never cakey or dry. 

I really recommend the Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel, and you can pick it up at any Chanel counter!

Have you tried this bronzer?

P.S If you wanted to know, heres the rest of the make-up I'm wearing in this post:

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Primer

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in 190 True Beige

Mac Pro Longwear Concealer in NW25

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronze Universel

MAC Eyebrows Pencil in Lingering

Estee Lauder Double Wear Liquid Eyeliner in Black (Upper lashline)

Sleek Eyeshadow in Noir from the iDivine 'Au Naturel' palette (Upper lashline)

MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy (Lower lashline) 

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara in Extreme Black

Jouer Tinted Lip Conditioner in Cosmo

Mac Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel Review

MAC Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel - £17.50

I stopped by MAC Pro in Carnaby St the other week and I decided to pick up a product that I have been lusting after for a while. The 'Lustre Drops' are described by MAC as:

" A bronzer that applies like liquid sun. Water-based, beautifully smooth to apply with added pearlized lustre. Inspired by the popular M∙A∙C Face and Body FX. Provides sheer, natural-looking highlights 

with a luminous, shimmering finish. Limited edition. " 

Pink Rebel is a gorgeous champagne/gold shade with a hint of pink and gives a really natural glow to the skin. 

I've been using the lustre drops on the high planes of my face - cheekbones, bridge of nose and cupids bow. You can also mix the drops with your foundation or moisturiser for a natural glow all over - making this product so versatile. You also don't need a lot, a tiny dot will do for highlighting the face and a few drops to mix with is fine. 

This product is great if your skin is feeling dry or dull from the cold weather or if you're feeling drained - it helps make your skin look healthy and dewy.

For me, this is a great product to have in my collection as I am a big fan of glowing, healthy skin! You can pick up this product up online here or from any MAC store.

Have you tried the Lustre Drops?

The January Glow featuring Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All-Over Radiance Créme

 Who says that we can't still get that summer glow in the winter? I have been going back to my Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow in 02 Rose Gold for a few weeks now and applying it on the tops of my cheekbones, my brow bones and down the centre of my nose. 

As well as liberally applying Hydraluron, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream and Clarins Hydraquench Lotion, this product has allowed my skin to look healthy and glowing like it does in the summer. I've been suffering with quite dry skin in this bitter weather, and for someone with combination/normal skin with quite an oily t-zone in the summer, this has been a nightmare for me as my skin kept looking dull, flaky and red - when the Winter hits I just turn into Rudolph!

After addressing my dry skin issue, I would apply a generous amount of a hydrating moisturiser, my foundation, and then pop this on for lovely, luminous skin even in this bitter January weather.

Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow in 02 Rose Gold swatched on my hand - no flash - natural lighting.

This product is fantastic and I was so sad to see that Jemma Kidd went into administration as their products have been highly rated in the beauty world. I love this product for all year round and I just wish that it contained more product! As you can see from the photo above I've hit pan on it, which pretty much happened not long after I started using it *sigh*. This aside, I really love this product and the 'rose' gold shade is a great match for my skin.

How do you keep your skin looking healthy in winter?