Benefit Bling Brow launch and Brow Bar Experience

When Benefit's Global Brow Expert, Jared Bailey, made a pitstop in Birmingham to launch Benefit's Bling Brow set to a bunch of beauty bloggers, I went along to meet the pros and talk brows.
Held in Staying Cool apartments in the Rotunda, Jared Bailey and Lisa Potter-Dixon, Head Make Up and Trend Artist for Benefit welcomed us in with champagne and macarons.

Hailing from San Francisco, Jared was an absolute riot and great company, as well as a font of brow and beauty knowledge.

As well as hosting a brow Q&A, we were treated to an eyebrow tint and shape too and got to watch as blogger brows were transformed into marvellous masterpieces.

I managed to take a few snaps on my phone before I had to rush off but the Benefit gals were kind enough to invite me back instore for a Benefit brow experience as I couldn't stay long.

I was booked into Debenhams Bullring and the Benefit counter was heaving when I arrived! Girls and ladies of every age were booked in to have a brow tint, shape and wax and I couldn't believe how busy they were! Apparently, they usually have two girls on counter doing brows.

These pictures are seriously unflattering but I had to give you an honest look at what we were dealing with brow wise and I had purposefully left my brows to grow out before my appointment.

First off, marks were made on my brows as per the Benefit Brow Mapping technique nicknamed the Benefit Arch. The first mark is a line from dimple of the nose straight up to the brow. The next mark is made by drawing a line from the edge of the nose through the iris or the eye to find the perfect arch. This is great for lifting the eyes! Lastly, mark 3 is made by drawing a line from the edge of the nose through the outer corner of the eye to the brow; this has an eye opening effect.

 Following these points, my brows were waxed into a perfect arch.

Here's the best bit - as you're on counter and yes, you will look a little red, Benefit will cover up any redness and fill in your brows for you as part of the Brow Bar experience. Unlike other salons etc where you're left to walk out looking a little flushed, Benefit will have you party ready in minutes.

I headed back to the counter to have my brows filled in using Brow Zings in Dark. A combination of powder and wax, we used both on my brows to fill them in and create an even, polished finish.

I was so impressed with the Brow Zings that I purchased my perfect shade, Dark, and took home this fab little kit. As well as the wax and powder, the compact also includes a mirror, mini pair of tweezers and two brushes to help you get the perfect arch at home.

I also got to try out a few other products such as Watts Up and the new Push Up Liner.

As well as Brow Shaping and Tinting, from 1st November Benefit will also launch the Bling Brow service. For a limited time, you can visit a Benefit counter to have your brows blinged up! From £4 for one brow or £8 for two, you can have a Touch of Bling (3 Swarovski crystals under the outer corner of the eye), Over the Top Bling (floating bling above both brows) or Big Time Bling (crystals over the top of the brow). Even better, theres a huge choice of colours from Light Pink to Green to match brows to outfits over the party season.

A big thank you to Jazz at Benefit, Jared and all the guys at the event for having me as well as the Benefit Debenhams Bullring team!

Bling Brow launches nationwide on 1st November, just in time for Christmas and New Year.

Christmas presents – What Santa got me for Christmas 2012

So this is super late, but hey, let me explain. I’ve finally managed to squeeze in some time for blogging after the madness of Christmas. Work was so busy that I only had time to take pictures in readiness for writing and posting later. But never fear, I can finally share with you the pictures of what I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas.

First up, my fellow beauty addict friend got me a personalised Glossybox! This was in fact a pink Glossybox filled with minis from L’Occitane, a brand that I’ve been meaning to try out more and did in fact ask for.  Inside the box I got a Verbena Shower Gel, Pivoine Flora Shower Gel, Essential Water and Cooling Hand Cream Gel as well as a red Yves Rocher lipstick which actually did come from a previous Glossybox. This was such a thoughtful present and I love things like this! I’ve used the Essential Water so far and really liked it as a toner.

Next, more beauty from a male friend who I was super impressed with! When asked what I wanted, I basically directed him to the Harvey Nichols beauty hall.  He did so well! This Korres Lip Butter has been on my Amazon wishlist for a while and the rose colour is exactly what I would have picked myself. It hasn’t left my handbag since I got it, and I really use it as a light lipstick as the colour is so pigmented it’s more like Benefit Benetint lipbalm. This nail polish is OPI, another brand that I’ve been meaning to try out more.  The shade, every month is Oktoberfest, is part of their special edition Germany Collection from Autumn Winter 2012 and is in my opinion the standout shade. A deep rich metallic red, I was so impressed by the consistency of this and it went on really easily. I’ll do a NOTD for you guys later.

This No7 Art Deco Palette was a Secret Santa gift from work. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet but the colours are a great mix of smoky browns, greys and blacks in this gorgeous handbag sized palette!

I’ve been going on about how much I wanted these UGG Scuffette II slippers for ages now, everyone is so sick of me talking about them! But, I finally have them! I got them in grey/black because I wear a lot of black, and they are ridiculously comfortable, much more so than cheaper imitations. So in short, get some!

I got a cupcake gift bag full of cupcake making bits and pieces as everyone knows how much I love baking! Inside are some cakes, sprinkles and a professional tin so next time I make cupcakes I can get really creative!

A few pieces from the family, I asked for the Benefit High Flyin Glosses set, Nivea minis and Harvey Nichols fudge (I love fudge!). The gloss set is perfect for me because I never finish any of my products and I get to try out all the shades, which are Coralista, Dallas, Bella Bamba, Hoola, Sugarbomb and Dandelion.

More family presents, a half bottle of Harvey Nichols champagne (which I got to enjoy at THIS event), Dior Addict Eau Fraiche perfume, Tweezerman Slant Tweezers (mine have gone blunt and I wanted to have a pair ready for when I send them to the USA to be sharpened), and finally, the Real Techniques Core Collection brushes. I can’t wait to use these!!

And finally, I got a bottle of Soap & Glory Clean On Me from my friend in Secret Santa (that's me sorted for shower gel for months!) as well as some gift vouchers which I’m going to spend on a NARS makeover and put towards some blusher/bronzer, as I always hear such good things about their products.

That’s it! I’m so lucky to have received such lovely gifts this year, beauty themed now more than ever as my friends get to know about the blog. What did you get for Christmas? Show me your links guys!!

November 2012 Magazine Freebies - Marie Claire In Style Benefit and L'Occitane

Do you ever feel like it's feast or famine when it comes to magazine freebies?

Some months there's nothing, and other months I end up blowing loads on multiple copies of the same magazine just so I can get the gorgeous products they come with.

This month was a definite feast! I purchased In Style and Marie Claire (three times, I'll explain later!).

First up is In Style with Naomie Harris on the cover.

I bought this for the Benefit products it came with as I wanted to try out Sun Beam. For the £3.80 cover price there is a choice of Benefit Sun Beam, Cha Cha Tint or Benetint. These are all 4ml in size.

Inside, there's also a voucher for a free sample of Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara which I've pictured with the magazine.

Next up is Marie Claire with Taylor Swift on the cover. I knowingly purchased this twice. The first copy I got is the full sized edition which came with the L'Occitane 30ml Mango Flower Hand Cream. In some places it seems you also get a free 50ml sample of a Dove product which doesn't seem to be advertised in the magazine. I got Dove hair Therapy Conditioner Colour Radiance.

I then bought the travel sized edition to get the Rose Petals Hand Cream.

When I actually started reading Marie Claire I realised it was looking really familiar. Which is when I realised I'd started a subscription for Marie Claire (it was a special offer of 3 issues for £1) but had received the magazine ages ago and forgotten all about it. Needless to say, the subscription version doesn't come with a freebie which is one reason why people are often put off subscribing.

Marie Claire is also meant to come with a three sample packet of Tresemme Split Remedy Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave In Treatment, but I only received this once with my travel sized edition from in store. But I'm glad I;ve got one sample at least and I'll definitely be trying it out.

Which magazines did you get this month?

July Magazines Beauty Freebies – Benefit, Leighton Denny, Body Shop

Show your local newsagent some love this month and head on down to see the great freebies on offer with this months’ magazines.

Image sourced from glamourmagazine.co.uk

Glamour

First off, Glamour has once again collaborated with Benefit to offer a choice of 3 freebies. Choose from BadGal Lash Mascara (4g), The Porefessional (7.5ml)and That Gal Primer (7.5ml). Personally, I adore Benefit and have already purchased the first two on the list. I’ve searched high and low for That Gal as I’m desperate to try it but it looks like these aren’t even available anywhere in the Birmingham/West Midlands area. At just £2 for the magazine with the products worth £10, £10 and £15 respectively, it’s a bargain! Look for Kylie Minogue, Fearne Cotton and Eva Longoria on the cover.

Marie Claire

Bringing you the cutest nail polishes around, pick from three Ciate colours, taupe, hot pink and pastel purple, worth £9 each. With a cover price of £3.70, it might be worth getting them all if you’re a fan.

Harpers Bazaar

Leighton Denny is a popular freebie and you can choose a full sized bottle worth £11 in pink, orange or taupe with the £4.20 magazine.

InStyle

For the £3.80 cover price, you can choose from either a Body Shop mascara (worth £10) or 2 eye definers (worth £16).

Also worth an honourable mention is the free Reiss vest with Elle magazine (£3.90) in 3 different colours and the free sunglasses in Tatler (£4.10) in a choice of 4 different colours. Perfect for your holidays! Plus, Vogue is just £2 this month! You know what they say, buy nothing until you buy Vogue.

A Belated Christmas Present Post

So how's this for a super late Christmas post? Hate to join the party late but better late than never.

Here's a few pictures of my wonderful gifts. Plenty of beauty bits in there as all my beauty products ran out just before Christmas so it was a good opportunity to stock up.

L-R - Top - Versace Bright Crystal, Clarins Hand and Nail Cream, Per Una Perfume. Bottom - M&S polka dot and bow cosmetics bag, Bare Minerals Foundation, Benefit Powda Wowza.

Now 80, Vintage Fashion Source Book, Hotel Chocolat chocolates

Origins Never a Dull Moment, Make a Difference, High potency Night a Mins, Drink Up Mask, Modern Friction (the mask and exfoliator were from ebay but thought I'd show you the whole lot for good measure)

Love cushion, Cath Kidston fabric cushion, scented hearts

Powda Wowza close up (Coralista, Bella Bamba, Hoola)