YOU'RE SO OVERRATED #3 // Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Hey guys!

Last year, I started this series that is quite possibly one of my fabourites to write about - and it's called You're So Overrated. For a recap, this series is to write about all the products that I personally have been persuaded to buy because of all the hype and excitment from Youtube and the blogsphere, and have failed to meet expectations. This doesn't mean they're bad products in the slightest (well.. some are..), just that I don't think they're deserving of the hype that surrounds them. I've previously talked about the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer and the Lime Crime Lipsticks - and now, I'm talking about a huuuuuuuge cult favourite.. The Benefit Hoola Bronzer.

Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun.

Don't get me wrong - I love most Benefit products. I don't think that this a terrible bronzer in the slightest. However, for the amount of time this is talked about and raved about, I really don't think that it is quite deserving of the praise.

Read on to see what I think!

Hoola is, in my opinion, a neutral toned bronzer that most people use for the dual purpose of contouring and bronzing. The consensus is generally people loving this product because of this purpose, and its supposed ability to match your skin tone whether light or medium. But personally, I just find this way too hard to work with.

Maybe I got a dud, but this honestly is pretty hard to blend on my cheeks. It just ends up looking really mud on my face rather than bronzed goddess. I still bring it out from time to time, but the times where it hasn't worked for me outweigh the times it has unfortunately. I don't think its necessarily a bad product - it is a nice enough colour, but because it really doesn't work for me, I definitely think the money ($51 is no small change) could have been spent better elsewhere. If you were buying this, I'd try and get another smaller size (they have them sometimes in their kits or holiday packages) before committing to a full size purchase, as I have normal, non problematic skin and I'm still not completely in love.

There you have it! What I really think about the Hoola bronzer and whether you should purchase it or not. If you've tried this bronzer, and have had either the same experience as me or otheriwse,lease leave it below! If you have a magic way to use it and love it, let me know that too!

Until next time...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

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MONTHLY FAVOURITES // June 2015

Hey guys,

It's that time of the month again! I honestly love writing these - as I've probably stated before - because it's my chance to get down to the nitty gritty and really decide which products I have really been turning to this month. This month it's a little different. As I haven't done a favourites since January at the very least, this is a compliation of products that I have seriously been OBSESSED with since April/May, as well as June. Some you may have already seen in previous posts, or will feature in those upcoming, so I won't go into too much depth.

Read on to see which products made the cut this month!

1. MAC Prep & Prime Natural Radiance Primer in Radiant Yellow // $65

Three words - HOLY GRAIL PRIMER. Yes, you heard that correctly. Lawd almighty, this primer is everything. Its a gel based primer, and is yellow to correcr uneven tones in the skin as well as to hydrate and provide a base for your foundation to hold on to. Oh my goodness, this is like glue. My foundation literally goes nowhere when this is on my face. Not only does it provide that base, it also really hydrates and keeps my skin feeling absolutely lovely. You can also get this in a pink shade, rather than yellow, to brighten up the face, but I really like the yellow as it starts correcting any breakouts or redness in my skin. I paid a pretty penny for this, but I would pay it all over again. Honestly.

2. BareMinerals Complexion Rescue // $38 & Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation // $74

I've already written all about these - you knew they would be in here! I'll say it, these are major all time favourites, especially for my winter skin. The combination of both of these makes my skin look photo filtered without being caked or over the top. I'm just honestly in love with this combo - here's the post where I detail how I use them and why - and I'm going to be devastated when I run out because I won't be buying more for a long time... I'll be doing a seperate review on each as well for you when I get the chance, so be on the lookout for those!

3. MAC Studio Fix Powder // $49

Yep. I'm using powder. I always swore that I wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't use powder, because my skin is dry and honestly every powder I have used made me look even drier and my skin ever cakier. Until I met the MAC Studio Fix Powder - this sh*t is bananas! I use this to mainly set my nose and chin, as those are the places that foundations wears off really easily for me, and the lightly press a dusting over the rest of my face. It does have colour to it, which i like for my nose and chin as it provides the extra coverage when the foundation does decide that it's had enough of my face that day. Plus, its amazing for touch ups. Another repurchaseable item fo' shizzle, and I recommend the heck out of it!

4. Too Faced Dark Chocolate Soliel Bronzer // $44

This is new to Mecca, but I've honestly wanted it in my hot little hands since i saw Jaclyn Hill (typical) talk about it in one of her favourites videos in the recent months! I've owned it since the beginning of June and I love it - the colour is perfect, the blendability is perfect, the smell is perfect - ugh, I'm in love. I also have the Milk Chocolate Soliel (also adore it), but unfortunately I can only pull that off as a bronzer when I am quite pale. I definitely recommend giving this at the very least a swatch in Mecca, and taking it home with you if you love it. You're definitely getting good quality at a great price, in my humble opinion!

5. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask // $34

Another product I talked about here - this stuff is literally saving my skin. I use it three times a week, and it is honestly holding my breakouts at bay and helping my skin rejuvenate in between uses. I could honestly see a major difference in two uses, and it doesn't disappoint every time I use it. If you have dry skin, and are really after a product that smells INCREDIBLE and will really smooth and give your skin a radiant glow, I highly recommend this mask!

6. MAC Lipstick in Honeylove // $36

Ugh, yes, I'm a MAC whore, I admit it. But this lipstick is amazing - I love love love it, and it's no joke when I say that it's been my go to 99% of the time since I purchased it at the beginning of May. This lipstick is almost like Myth and Velvet Teddy had a little nude baby. It's gorgeous pinky brown beige nude, which makes the perfect shade when mixed with Whirl Lip Liner. If you're after a nude lipstick at MAC that isn't too nude, nor too pink or brown I would definitely try this one out!

7. Adult Colouring Books // $10-11

I'd seen these literally everywhere online, and when I found these in my local Target I decided to pick them up. Between work and uni, it's safe to say I was feeling just a tad stressed out, so in my spare time I started to colour in pages to try and feel a little more relaxed. Well, these definitely helped for sure, just to take my mind off everything else I had going on and it was also a lot of fun! I'd definitely recommend these if you are after something to do thats fun and creative, and that also helps out your mind at ease!

And that's it for this month's favourites! What are some of the products you've been turning to during June?

Until next time...

xxxx 

in between blogging, you can find me here!

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WORTH THE SPLURGE // My Top Five Products Worthy of their Price Tag

Hey guys!

Having been a full time student and working as many hours as I could fit in with my schedule in order to save, I know what its like being on a tight budget. I used to want to just spend my money on the cheaper products from the drugstore, but as I've gotten older (and further into my makeup addiction), I've started to want to save a little more and spend it on something high end rather than blowing it in Priceline.

However, as we all know, being on a budget means you can only splurge every once in a while  - and its tough walking into Mecca or Sephora and realising that you can only pick one or two items out of the vast majority that you want to hurl into your basket. As such, I've compiled a quick list for five items which can possibly help you when trying to make that decision.

Read on to see what made the cut!

1. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette // $76

Yes, this has been spoken about to death but I legitimately use this pretty much every day I do my makeup. Considering you get three powders, which although originally intended to be setting powders, can be used for so many different purposes. For example, I use the first shade as a setting powder, the middle shade as a subtle highlight and the third to warm up my complexion. They're incredible - they blend out so well and look so subtle on the skin. Not to mention it's such great value for money - you get three powders for $ and ONE of these powders costs $ at Mecca!

2. MAC Lipsticks // $36

Take it from someone who owns way too many of these lipsticks - y'all need at least one in your life. I say that these are worth the splurge purely because they have such a wide array of shades and finishes, that there would have to be at least one for everyone out there. There is one for every skin tone, every preference, everyones favourite colour - you name it, they have it. I am personally a nude girl, and own way too many MAC nudes and pinks, but also have purples, pinks, red, maroons oh my goodness, there's just way too many to choose from (which is probably why I own so many!)

3. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask // $34

Lawd, I have just started using this in the last week (check out my post here to read more!) but it's already become something that I will 100% be repurchasing. Besides the magic that it has done for my skin, it smells absolutely incredible - seriously, get down to Mecca and smell this now, and tell me that you can't bear to leave it behind - and feels so unbelieveably luxurious on my skin. It is a mask that can be used both as a 10 minute mask (although they do have a seperate mask made for that) but really it just feels like a really lovely thick night moisturiser, which is how I personally use it. Just trust me - get a sample (or purchase the tube, either or) if you have normal to dry skin, and I'm sure you won't be turning back!

4. Stila In The Light Palette // $49.90

Of all the eyeshadow palettes that I own, this probably my favourite. Don't get me wrong - I'll always love my Naked palettes, however, I've noticed more and more that whenever I use eyeshadow, I always go immediately to this palette. The shade selection is amazing, neutral and easy to blend and work with - plus it goes with every occasion and includes the cult favourite Kitten shadow. I definitely recommend it for all those neutral obsessed addicts and also for beginners or anyone looking to get value for their money! And I personally think Stila is really reasonably priced in Australia too, so you really can't go wrong.

5. Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade // $18USD

What did my brows do before this? I am OBSESSED with this stuff for my brows! I use the Anastasia Brow Wiz on an everyday basis, but this honestly makes my brows look so incredible that I will never be able to go without it. Its a moussey, creamy texture that makes it super wasy to sculpt out dem brows and make them look super duper amazing. Plus, you only need a teeny bit of product for each brow each time - definitely value for money, as it lasts forever!

And that's my take on what products are 100% worth their price tag! Do you agree with me, or do you think that there are some others that should have made the cut? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

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MOTD // My Everyday Face Routine

Hey guys!

Oh boy - as you'll have seen, if you've read my earlier posts, my skin has been having a time of it lately. This in part due to Winter (allow me to link you here to find what skincare products I'm loving to beat that Winter skin), and also due to a variety of reasons. Due to this, I decided to find a new everyday make up routine that complimented my skincare and didn't harm all the good things those products were doing - I really wanted my makeup to work with my skincare to keep improving my skin.

As such, I went on the hunt - what base products (in particular) could I find that would help and improve my skin so that it wasn't suffocated under a caked on face of makeup to hide the flaws I was experiencing? And I accidentally stumbled upon the goldmine.. My official everyday makeup routine that has my skin looking amazing all the time, and isn't damaging my skin in any way shape or form. And I am going to share it with you today!

And here is the magic combination... Are you ready?

Bareminerals Complexion Rescue AND the Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation!

Y'all, I will never find enough good things to say about either of these products - I'm completely in love with both and I doubt I'll ever find a combo as good as this to get my skin looking its best. If you'd like an indepth review of both of either foundation, I'm happy to do so - however, this won't go into detail of each. Just how I use them, and a little bit of why.

I basically mix a squeeze of the Bareminerals Complexion Rescue with a pump of the Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation and apply with either a brush or my hands. At the moment, I find my hands the best way to apply the products to my skin, as the warmth of my hands really help to melt the product into my skin. I will always use a primer underneath (that's just me personally), and these just apply so well to give my skin that flawless once over while also keeping it hydrated throughout the day. The Complexion Rescue is marketed as a tinted hydrating gel cream while the No Foundation Foundation is formulated with mature skin in mind, helping it to hydrate and smooth the appearance of skin. I then use my Maybelline Fit Me Concealer on any spots I have - mostly on my chin - and my MAC Studio Fix Powder (another amazing find recently) lightly over my nose and chin, as those areas wear off easily on me. I don't use ANY other concealer under my eyes or on any other areas! Finish off with a light setting powder under the eyes, a 'lil bronzer, brown mascara and natural lip colour and I am ready to start the day!

And here's me after - still looking like me, without a huge amount of makeup on, but looking flawless and put together! PS this is just with natural lighting - no filters or edits whatsoever!

Neither of these are cheap, let me tell you. The Perricone MD foundation retails for $74 at Mecca alone.. BUT, I'd repurchase both of these products again and again when I run out no matter the price!

And that's it! As I said, if you'd like an indepth review on either of the products mentioned in this post, please let me know! I am more than happy to cover the amazingness of both products and how they can be incorported into your routine!

What are your current 'no makeup' makeup products? I'm always on the lookout for suggestions!

Until next time...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

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collective haul #1 - sephora austrlia & mac

Hey guys!

During Christmas time, I was lucky enough to be given a couple of vouchers that allowed me to do some serious damage WITHOUT spending all of my own money! So this is for you friends and family - thank you for allowing me to support my addiction without breaking the bank, especiallt after Christmas time!

The two vouchers I was given was to Sephora and MAC - quite possibly two of the holiest of churches in the make up world. I will admit that some of these purchases did come before Christmas BUT I of course had to check out Sephora when it opened to know exactly what was in there, the layout and all that before I decided to go completely cray with my spending.

This will be a quick post, as I'll just be recapping what I picked up. Some purchases in both hauls were made before Christmas, but I've included everything from both stores that has been a recent purchase. If there is anything you'd like to see a more in-depth review of, I'd be happy to oblige!

First up, Sephora! Sephora AUSTRALIA! How crazy is it that we can actually say that now - Sephora has finally caught up, and now is actually something tangible in our country! I've only been twice, because it's in the city and I don't visit there very often but I had a ball each time I went. Not to mention the damage to my bank account..

In my first haul, I picked up a Sephora lipstick (although I couldn't tell you the name, can't find the bloody thing anywhere), Tarte's Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Angelic Nude, Tarte's LipSurgence Lip Tint in Energy and a sample size of the It Cosmetics Tightline Mascara! I've used them all, and definitely looooove the Tarte products the most. Angelic Nude has a permanent place in my makeup bag and Energy is such an easy colour to wear as it self adjusts to your very own lip colour. I also picked up the Elizabeth & James perfume in White Nirvana for my boyfriend to give me as a Christmas present!

I have my second haul to thank my Christmas vouchers for because wow, I literally spent $7 out of pocket with them! I picked the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask in Natural, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, a sample size of the It Cosmetics CC Cream (review coming) and two of the Sephora branded masks - one in Rose and the other in Pomegranate. Again, impressed with everything in this haul EXCEPT the Bite Beauty Lip Mask. But that's a rant for another day.

From l-r: Prabal Gurung in Light English Red, Costa Chic, Sunny Seoul, Runner & Gunner

Now onto my MAC haul! I picked up two in a haul from the US and three with my Christmas voucher. The first three pictured were brought with my voucher, one from the LE Prabal Gurung Collection and two from the permanent line, and the last two pictured are from the US and are apart of the LE Nasty Gal Collection which has just hit Australian shores recently!

I do have another haul coming that is full of Black Friday and Christmas sale purchases - and that will probably make its way up early next week! In the meantime, if you like anything you see here and would like a more dedicated post, let me know in the comments!

Until next time...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner

high end haul: mac, anastasia beverly hills & sephora

Hey guys!

First of all, I'm going to straight up apologise for the quality of these photos. It is absolutely disgusting weather in Sydney at the moment, and I just couldn't catch a break with the lighting. BUT I've been way too excited for this post, as well as being asked to do it, that I decided to forgo shitty lighting and photos and just get on with it.

Now not only is today's post a high end haul, it is also a review of the shipping service I used. I'd been going back and forth about ordering with another shipping service (I wasn't exactly thrilled with my last - see here), especially because makeup is just so incredibly expensive in Australia and because I attend university full time, I only work two days a week. I finally bit the bullet after speaking to Melissa from Loads of Lifestyle, and reading her post on the service she used. She gave such a glowing review I thought that I may as well try it - so I did! I'll first go through what I grabbed from MAC, Anastasia Beverly Hills and Sephora, and then give a quick overview of the service and my experience with them. Spoiler alert: I'm so damn impressed with the service, and everything that came with it!

If you've been like me, a bit indescisive about ordering through a shipping service, this is the post for you! 

First up, here's my MAC haul! I ended up mistakenly ordering two empty MAC palettes, and the wrong insert for it as well - oh well, I'm sure it'll come in handy soon! I also ordered two Pro Sculpting powders in Sculpt and Emphasise, a lip liner in Nightmoth, travel sized Fix+ and two lipsticks In Viva Glam II and Heroine. I've been using alot of these daily, and I love everything I picked up! It was so inexpensive as well, compared to the Australian site!

Next, I made a stop off at the Anastasia Beverly Hills website! I have wanted the contour kit forever, and Sephora was sold out at the time, so I just quickly grabbed it there. Instead of getting the original I ordered the one for light skin tones - although honestly, I think its exactly the same as the original contour kit.. But anywho, I've also been using this, and so far I love it! I'm also working on a comparison between this and the Australis Contour & Highlight Kit that I reviewed last week - it will be up in the near future!

And lastly, my Sephora haul! This was so nervewracking to order - all websites I ordered off either accepted international credit cards or Paypal so I ordered it myself, but Sephora is known for cancelling or rejecting orders with mail forwarding addresses. Luckily, it went through, which I was ecstatic about because I really wanted to get my hands on some things!

First up I ordered two limited edition Christmas sets - the Top Faced Melted Kisses Set and the Hourglass Ambient Blush Palette! These are due to hit Aussie shores on November 9, but let's be real, I'm super impatient and really the price was right. I've wanted to try the Too Faced Melted Lipsticks forever, and these are four travel sized ones which seems perfect for me - reality is, I'll probably never finish them, so this is a great solution to that problem. I've wanted to try Hourglass Ambient Blushes forever, and this was the chance to try three of them! Why wouldn't I jump on that? This is so gorgeous as well, I really don't wear blush that often, but these are a dream to use. Definitely want to get my hands on the original Lighting palette now. I'll be doing a quick review of it next week, so if you want to see swatches before purchasing it, don't worry I got 'chu!

After that ramble, I also picked up the Josie Maran Argan Lip Treatment, which has been on my list for over a year, the Tarte Power Pigment in Exposed and the Make Up Forever HD Foundation! They also included three samples - the CoverFX Cream Concealer, Elizabeth & James Nirvana White Mini Rollerball and the Soap & Glory Super Serum. The rollerball was taken off me by the US warehouse as it would delay the arrival of my items to Australia - no biggie though, but I still want to try it! I was so impressed with how quickly this order got to my US address - only two days!

Swatches of all lip products (bottom to top): MAC Viva Glam II, MAC Heroine, MAC Nightmoth, Too Faced Melted Lipsticks in Nude, Peony, Fuschia & Berry

Now onto my experience with my shipping service: holy cow, I am sososo unbelieveably happy! I used a service called Comgateway - you sign up with them for free, and are assigned a US address to which you can send all packges to and hold onto them for free for 30 days. Once all your packages have arrived, you can them combine then and ship them altogether. Shipping is a little expensive, but it does come with compulsory insurance, so I honestly didn't mind paying it especially considering that I didn't have to pay for signing up. I ended up paying $60 for shipping for all of this (which equaled 4kg with packing), and $1 was consolidation (combining packages). Consolidation is free for three packages and I ordered four, but $1? Pssh, take it!

I sent this all on a Wednesday, with an estimated date to be the following Friday, and it had arrived at customs two days after being sent! I then had it in my hands by the following Monday! That was a exactly two business days after it was sent that it arrived in my hands - and I only paid for standard shipping! Colour me impressed and absolutely so happy! I have made another order, which will hopefully be shipped tomorrow, and I'll test that arrival time again but either way a week is still a great amount of time for the package to arrive! Considerinf most packages from the US take 2-3 weeks, and sometimes longer, to arrive in Australia I practically cried with delight as I watched its tracking be updated and saw how close it was to me.

I did purchase everything myself with either my credit card or my Paypal, but incase you wanted to order from a place that doesn't allow international payment, Comgateway do have a 'Buy For Me' service in which they order everything for you and have it sent to your address for you. There is a fee associated with the service, but I'm not sure of how much that would be. I will try it out at some stage, but I'm considering I just ordered this lot as well as another 4.5kg currently on its way to me, it won't be any time soon. But I 100% recommend Comgateway! Cannot wait to shop with them more!

Let me know if you've been impressed (or unimpressed) with a shipping service you've used and why?

Until next time...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner