Category Archives: beauty news

So, by know, we all know about—and are totally obsessed with—roller lash. The #struggle that most of us are facing now is this: how are we supposed to decide between they’re real! & roller lash!? They’re both so good. They’re real! is that guy you’ve known forever. He’s totally hot, super familiar, and you know you’ll never get sick of him. But roller lash is new. It’s fun, exciting, different. It’s like the sexy and mysterious new guy—once you kiss him, you just can’t get enough.

So with all that goodness, how are you supposed to choose!? Which one is right!? We’ve got good news for you, curlfriend—you don’t have to choose! The BEST part about these ah-maze mascaras is that they go together like a wink & a kiss! It only takes four simple steps to become a real high roller: 

1. Apply roller lash to both eyes using the hook ‘n’ roll method (hook the base of your lashes with the outside of the brush & slowly curl upwards until the brush is hugging the tips of your lashes).

2. Apply they’re real! to your lashes horizontally, wiggling the brush from the base of your lashes through to the tips.

3. Finish by applying they’re real! vertically, using the ball on the end to separate and add super length and drama to your lashes.

4. Step back and examine your gorgeous self—va-va-voom! 😉

In four simple steps, the great debate is solved! Never again must a Benebabe be forced to make the nearly impossible choice between they’re real! and roller lash! Like we always say, if you can’t decide, have them both. 😉

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Well, hello! Things are busy over in these parts and I have really been struggling to find the time to blog between other projects in the past few months (FYI, you can hire me for freelance work and I’m just a joy to collab with ;)). I have about twelve million posts photographed and ready to go and SO many things to share with you, so it’s time to make some time to blog! And first up we have a few favourites from the past couple of weeks…

Since bleaching all of the life from my hair I’ve had to up my haircare game x1000 to keep the straw feeling at bay. I’ve been religiously using the Swell Hair Ultimate Protect & Renew Serum after every wash mixed with some of the John Masters Rose & Apricot Hair Milk. The Swell serum is a silicone-free hair serum to banish frizz, conceal split ends and offer heat protection. I really like this because of it’s super thin/watery formula that disappearers into the hair without a hint of grease or stickiness, plus it mixes with and thins out the thick-ish cream John Masters hair milk nicely. I’ve been using the JM milk for so long now it’s got to be a firm favourite, it has managed to keep my hair feeling soft and in a semi-okay condition throughout all the colour, so that’s a-okay with me.

I’m not much into nude lips at all but recently I’ve found myself reaching for the Beauty Counter Lip Sheer in the shade ‘petal’. I got this in a Beauty Heroes box at the beginning of the year and even though it’s a totally gorgeous product (um hello, that packaging!) I didn’t reach for it at all after the initial excitement wore off. I’m not sure what’s changed, maybe just an unconscious switch up, but I like it a lot at the moment. It’s sheer enough to not be too pink, too nude, or too pale. Perfect.

Perhaps the most out of place in this bunch is that little pot with an illustration of Voldemort on the lid. That is the ‘You Know Who’ Face Highlight from Brija Cosmetics, and oh boy it’s beautiful. I love love love it. I had been looking for the perfect powder highlighter for ages, it was surprisingly difficult because every natural brand out there only seems to be releasing cream highlights! What’s that about? But Katie came to the rescue and added this to her recent Brija order for me after I had tried a sample. It’s not too shimmery and has a gorgeous, ethereal blue/purple glow, so pretty!

Lastly, the SkinOwl Mangosteen Beauty Drops have been pretty much all I’ve used on my skin at night. The 60ml bottle is huge and never ending – I’m really afraid I’m going to waste it and have it go off before I can use it up, I’m not even a third of the way through! It does smell divine, even Mikey notices when I use it and says I smell nice (and he notices literally nothing). The oil is just simply baobab and mangosteen oils, it’s simple, rich and calming. I only need about 3-4 drops for my face to leave it perfectly nourished and feeling cushy – I use extra to spread down my neck and chest now too (gotta use it up!) and love how calm my complexion looks every morning after use.

What have you been loving lately? Have you tried any of these?

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What’s better than getting new makeup? Winning it, that’s what! Thanks toBenefit’s latest Instagram giveaway, you have to opportunity to win an entire makeup haul. It even includes a the ultimate beauty-lovers sweatshirt to round it out. The best part is that it’s super easy to enter. I’m talking “it will take less than 30 seconds” easy.

When makeup companies do giveaways, there’s sometimes a catch. Maybe you have to buy a certain amount of products or sign up for something. Well, not this time. All you have to do to enter Benefit’s Instagram giveaway is like their photo and comment with the heart-eyes emoji on the picture. That’s it. It’s honestly doesn’t get much better than this. Plus it also means that everyone has an equal chance to win, which is also pretty great.

Now let’s get to the fun part. According to the company’s Instagram photo, it looks like you have the chance to win an entire collection of Benefit goodies.Up for grabs is a “Benebabe” sweatshirt, a hand-held mirror, Benefit sandals, and $250 worth of different yet to be determined products from the makeup company, according to the official rules. That’s a whole lot of beauty goodness. Basically, it’s everything that a Benefit Cosmetics fan could possibly need.

According to the official rules page, the giveaway will be open from now until Aug. 14 at 3am ET. So I’d head over there and enter while you still can. After all, it doesn’t cost you anything but a few seconds. Here are some amazing Benefit products that we can only hope might be among the official giveaway prizes. Bear in mind that the brand still hasn’t announced the rest of the items yet, so there’s no guarantee any of these products will be part of the sweepstakes. But hey, a girl can dream, right?

1. Hello Flawless Foundation

Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation, $36, sephora.com

This would be a serious win all on its own.

2. Porefessional License To Blot

Porefessional License To Blot, $20, benefitcosmetics.com

This stick product disguises pores in just one swipe.

3. Watts Up Highlighter

Watts Up Soft Cream Highlighter, $30, benefitcosmetics.com

This highlighter has been raved about since it came out.

4. Roller Lash Mascara

Roller Last Curling Mascara, $24, benefitcosmetics.com

Fingers crossed this cult classic mascara could be included.

5. Dandelion Dew Liquid Blush

Dandelion Dew Liquid Blush, $28, benefitcosmetics.com

Cream blushes are perfect for summer, so this would be a great product for them to include.

6. Sugarbomb Face Powder

Sugarbomb Face Powder, $29, benefitcosmetics.com

With four different shades, the site says that this is great for all complexions.

7. Dandelion Finishing Powder

Dandelion Finishing Powder, $29, benefitcosmetics.com

Watch the video below to witness a full-on disintegration of my mental faculties. It happens at around three or four o’clock every day and apparently this isn’t a temporary pregnancy thing: it stays after the baby has been born! Please someone tell me that their brain went back to normal? It takes me about twenty seconds to find the word I need and by then I’ve forgotten the entire sentence!

More monthly beauty videos…

Anyway, a nice little mixture of beauty favourites this month, though I fear things are a little predictable on the skincare front: MV Organic Skincare Rose Moisturiser again. Can’t get enough of it. It’s not my favourite texture of cream in the world, but it’s very soothing and light and it seems to simply “reset” my skin again and again, returning it to its hydrated, non-spotty self if I ever go OTT with my beauty product testing. (Which is a lot. I should lay off, really, but I can’t help myself. Always so many exciting new things to try…)

So moisturiser, some body oils, some makeup, some cotton wool mega-pads….enjoy. And if you’re thinking of grabbing a rose moisturiser, then please wait until tomorrow. You’ll see why!

February Beauty Favourites:

 My Pregnancy Blog: http://www.theuphill.com

Glow Video: http://youtu.be/Mjm5rm1hr2E

Paris Vlog: http://youtu.be/x9ytrtmvlxs

Burt’s Bees Mama Body Oil: http://tidd.ly/bc614ed1

Balance Me Super Moisturising Body Oil: http://tidd.ly/40a2454

Lancome La Base Pro Hydra Glow Primer: http://tidd.ly/36a25f1a

Phillips Sonicare Pink Toothbrush: £112 at Amazon http://goo.gl/VV25vv or at Boots.com: http://tidd.ly/f34683a1

Clinique Brush-On Liner in Black Honey: http://tidd.ly/eff00a0b

Bobbi Brown Calypso Blush Palette: http://tidd.ly/99848aa7

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in Sensible: http://www.amodelrecommends.com/2015/02/18/gloss-can-love-chanel-rouge-allure/

Chanel Les Beiges in Shade 10: http://tidd.ly/aec26e78

MV Organic Skincare Rose Balancing Moisturiser: http://goo.gl/BHuADu (Spoiler Alert: there is a goody bag running on Cult Beauty from March 1st so maybe wait if you’re thinking of getting this!)

The post February Beauty Favourites appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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Oh ho ho, I am so ready for deep and sexy wintertime perfumes and Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium is just about as sexy as they come. I mentioned Chanel’s Coco Noir Parfum last week – it’s a very concentrated, sexed-up version of the popular eau de toilette – but I must say that Black Opium has knocked my socks off. (I’d use ruder terminology but I’ve already said sex three times and we haven’t even got to the good part.) Black Opium is dark, naughty and almost overwhelmingly warm and spicy – I’m half wishing for the nights to get longer just so I can prowl around town intoxicating unsuspecting people with my scent!

Read more fragrance reviews…

Partly, I know that I love Black Opium because there’s something of the original Opium in there and Opium was always my Mum’s perfume. She still wears it occasionally even now, but when I was a small child it’s the smell that I remember lingering on her coats and scarves and in her hair. Black Opium isn’t as grown-up as the original, I don’t think – it’s darker and spicier, but it’s not so…cloying? I don’t know whether “cloying” is a fair description, because I don’t mean it negatively, but I can’t think of a better word; it’s so strong that it makes me dizzy. Black Opium feels much less heady. It has a little trace of the original scent (maybe it’s the jasmine?) but the rest is warm and spicy – coffee, vanilla, pink pepper, patchouli. It seems a bit younger and edgier and I’d hazard a guess that YSL are after a new generation of Opium wearers; it’s all sparkly, tactile packaging with sultry, rock-chick advertising campaigns.

Read about some dark, “naughty rose” scents… 

Whatever; I love it. I seem to be changing in my perfume tastes, as I get older – stronger, darker, more exotic. Rarely do I go for a fresh kind of scent, now, unless it’s over the proper summer months or I feel as though I need something light and girly. But for the next few months, as the long, cold evenings draw in, it’s dark and sexy and spicy all the way. I’m already envisaging the outfits I’ll be wearing with Black Opium; skinny black jeans, high black boots and a rock ‘n roll faux-fur. (I like this one from Unreal Fur – it’s on the wishlist.)

Black Opium starts at £44 for 30ml,  but it’s cheaper (as usual!) on the amazing Escentual.com – find all sizes here, the 30ml is £37.40 with free delivery.

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