MAC Paintpot Rubenesque vs Benefit Sippin n' Dippin

Just wanted to post a blog of two delicious cream eyeshadows, which are super similar....

I love MAC paint pots. Mostly because I love cream shadows. I don't know why I do, I always get frustrated that they dont blend as well, and they tend to crease over the course of the day, but, I still love them! Saying that, these dont crease, they nearly always stay put, maybe thats because I use it as a base rather than a solid colour...

So, we have MAC Paintpot in Rubenesque - £14.50  and Benefits Creaseless cream shadow/liner in  Sippin' n Dippin'  £14.

So right off the mark, price difference is minimal. MAC weighing 5g and the Benefit 4.5g. again minimal difference

I love these colours...love them.

Beautiful warm golden coppers, very very similar, the MAC is the lighter by a smidge, but still very pretty and the more you use the deeper the colour.

Texture wise, the MAC is the pot is hard to the touch, whereas the Benefit is very creamy, allowing more pigmentation in one sweep which I like.

They both dry soft and silky and don't budge, I always apply with a finger as the warmth through the product makes it easier to apply, then I'd blend the edges with a brush, or smudge sponge.

These both make for a fantastic base before applying shadows on top, make the colours really shine with warmth.

Top photo natural light...

Photos below; with and without flash...

I love them both, but I have parted with the MAC so it can be loved by another. I have no need for two items nearly identical.

All in all, two shadows, nearly identical, both beauts - its pure label fever....

What do you prefer?

MAC Eyes - a little play time

A wonderful lady from the much hyped BBS group sent my little sprogling a box of goodies, full to the brim with beautiful drinking bottles, sweeties, arts and crafts items, a bag, toys, and more!

The beautiful Stacy sent this out of the kindess of her heart, and also tucked away inside a little box of goodies for me!

My face was a picture and I had a wee tear emerge over the kindess that another human being can be so wonderful and generous to another that she has never met. Wowzers doesnt cover it!

Inside my box I had, a revlon lip butter, lipgloss, sweeties (eep yes I ate them!)and other items and a selection of MAC Pigments.

I had been speaking to Stacy for a while about buying some sample pots off her of some colours but funds just wouldnt allow for the amount I wanted - so you can understand my utter elation when I saw these beauts staring at me!!

I love pigments, they are so blendable, and vivid, the possibilities are literally endless with them!

SO many colours to play with!!!

Well, I promised Stacy I'd post each time I used them....so heres my first play with them. The sun was shining and I was in a good mood....so here is what I came up with....!

 

Heres what I used - Golden Yellow in the corner of my eyes, Kelly green over the main part of the lid, Golden Olive over the crease and just a touch of Steel blue in the outer corner.

I also have a thin amount of my uber fave Bobbi Brown Gel liner in black, and my new fave mascara which is the Lancome Hypnose!


So...what do we think!? Im looking forward to having a spare moment to have another play!

Ma Boite a Beaute! My first french beauty box...

Here it is...

Ma Boite a Beaute! 

I was very kindly sent this box, in exchange for an English beauty box - which I hope my French Swappette LOVES eep!

I was tempted by the french Joliebox, and I'd have loved the 'Mylittlebox' but that's not available until June :( but i rolled with this....

I love that it didn't come in a box. It was a large canvas shopper. Cute.

The smell opening the cardboard was immense...and delicious....

My French isn't great...any translations would be great!

Luckily the individual items have English on them!!

LeBain Black Orchid Petal Soap. Soap...hmm...wasn't sure on this, but it smells AMAZING. 

An Ethical Brand - and its black. Hope it foams black...goth bath!!

Science et Mer, a body cream. Super smooth on the skin. I look forward to giving this a further go...though I'm not overwhelmed by it at first.

The only website I found for this, was open for French customers only.

Le Bain Malachtite Effervescent,  here's what i found on it ;

This smooth, rounded pebble combines the anti-oxidant properties of a semi-precious stone rich in oligoelements with a delicious fragrance.

A superb source of minerals for combating fatigue and stress, this effervescent pebble is placed under the back so that the little perfumed bubbles delicately massage it as they rise to the surface of the bath, releasing a divine fragrance of soft, sweet melon wrapped in fresh freesia and lily of the valley, with a hint of water jasmine.

A pack of these online costs 36 Euros for 8.

Sounds like I need to book some bathroom time to enjoy this!

Nvey Lip Gloss in Amour.

http://www.nveymakeup.com/

I cant find this specific lipgloss online, however they had a similar at $17 in America.

The colour is a lot darker in the photo, its a lot more pink. The gloss isn't to tacky on but as I don't wear glosses really I wasn't fussed on this.  Was nice to have a make up item in the box though.

Cebelia Face and Neck Comfort Cream, looking at the packaging, it seems to be aimed at people who have undergone chemical peels, or other aesthetic medical procedures....hmm that's a bit of a niche item to put in a general box!! I'll see how it holds up with my 'au natural' skin...!

This was 20 Euros i found online

Unfortunately, looking on other reviews and you tube etc, I'm missing an item from my box :( a shame....I'd have loved to have the full box but unfortunately that happens, even here.

All in all I'm glad I have had the opportunity to do this and I look forward to hopefully trying another one next month!

Have you had a beauty box from another country? What did you think?!

A Suprise Love for a Freebie!

After being made aware of the amount of freebies coming with this months monthly glossy mags, I went to the shop and had a wee look at what was on offer!

I wasn't particularly bowled over with the Nails Inc available with In Style mag, or the Rituals with the whatever it was (see how much I don't care - I don't even remember!)

But I do genuinely like to read Marie Claire... and this month my lady crush Angelina Jolie was on the cover...and with a body shop freebie attached...how could I not!

The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain, in 02 Bronze Glimmer - a full size treat which is £10.

I picked up this one by chance, they do have the red one, a dupe for the  Benefit Benetint, but I already have that, so this was a happy coincidence to collect a different shade.

Ms Jolie (yum)

The applicator was a bit scary to look at colour wise...the pink part was very pink, but the swatches come out alot more subtle!

with flash (L) and natural light (R)

The colour is a surprise! I LOVE it. Really very impressed with the shimmer, and the subtle pink underneath is laffly too!

For a magazine costing £3.70, this is a bargain, and a find too.

If I walked into the Body Shop, I'd probably not have given this a moments notice, but I am glad I have Marie Claire!

Have you been surprised by a freebie before?!

The Mutli-Tasking Readathon.....

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but all the time I seem to have about 3/4 different books on the go.

Maybe its because I like to read a certain book depending on my frame of mind, does anyone else do that?!

Anyways here is what I'm reading at the moment....

Re-reading the Harry Potter series....literally every time I finish the Deathly Hallows, I'm back to number one again!!

Pan-daemon-ium, about 3 chapters in...awaiting its take off....

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax, again another re-read, found it at the bottom of a box in the garage, forgot I had it!

Rob Brydons Autobiography. A gift from the Big Person, very funny read, half way through....

I struggle to get into books, but when I do I cannot put them down...I'm always looking for a good next read to add to the pile at the side of the bed....

Does anyone else have so many going at once?!?!

Latest in Beauty CEW(UK) Beauty Awards Box 2012

The beauty about the Latest in Beauty Boxes (esqueeze the pun!) is that you know what your getting BEFORE you get it!

As much as other boxes have the mystery factor, all the excitement, it comes part and parcel with disappointment with the duff boxes....

With Latest in Beauty, they show you whats inside and then you can buy the box or not! No subscriptions to worry about, no scary surprises! Super!


This box featured in the Mail on Sundays You Magazine (ish) and featured finalists for the CEW Beauty Awards.

The box itself is worth over £50 and contains 8 amazing items. And all for just £8.95 plus postage! 

In no particular order here we go!

Benefit Porefessional (boxed contained either this or the Weleda Firming Day Cream),

Fragrances from Elie Saab and Mont Blanc (that's right - a little something for the men)

Elemis Pro-Collagen Body Cream,

Percy and Reed Dry Conditioner

L'Occitane Nourishing Hand Care,

Nails Inc in Porchester Square Nail Polish,

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish,

Liz Earle Skin Tints (not pictured)

Information Card

Swatch of Porchester Square

and a lovely little surprise for the Elster came in the post too - Mr Tumbles Spotty Bag! Courtesy of another MASSIVELY generous lady from BBS :)

I love literally ALL the products. Even the Mont Blanc Legend aftershave went down with the Big Person as a little extra!

Carmine always had the option to buy individual boxes after they had been sent, but often ran out of the more popular items in the boxes. This however is always a winner.

LIB also sell mini-boxes of 3 samples at just £1.50, luxury size sample boxes, and themed boxes every now and then.

Have a look here!!

Maybe this is the way forward for Beauty Boxes?

Pixi Sticks

Another bumper value pack from the wonders of TK Maxx!

I managed to pick up for just £8 three Pixi lip items!

Lip Blush in No 3 happiness, No 4 Love, and a Rose Lip treat in No 3 LipPeach.

The blushes are tints, that sell for £12.50 in their website and the Lip treat is £10.00

I love the cutesy packaging. Though some may see it as childlike.

The lip blushed are lip big felt tip pens! They are very well pigmented and stay well put.

These two colours are SUPER bright too.

The great thing about lip-tints is that they dont need re applying like a lipstick does.

Which is perfect for someone like me who cant be bothered.

The LipTreatment is like a light balm with a tint to it, very subtle and moisturising on the lips.

Once again, another AWESOME find in TK Maxx...!

Do you own any Pixi items? What do you think?

The Very First Lux Box

Well, here we have it the long awaited LuxBox!

After initially being told we would have it by the weekend, postie arrived some time Monday afternoon with my long awaited box!

The only reason I bought this was it was the FIRST box, which they should really be trying to impress with. and because they where offering a discount.

I actually bought two, but I have recently befriended a lovely french lady who has agreed to swap this box for La Boite à Beauté! An organic beauty box from France! (watch this space for the big reveal!)

So here we go....!

Standard Beauty Box packaging really...

.

I like that the inside of the box is black, but again. no real changes or differences to others!

TADA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inside we have:

2x1g BM Beauty Eyeshadow Pigments in 'Her Majesty' and 'Wolf Howl'

Eldora Lashes in H101 - I have 5 diff Eldora lashes...

Steam Cream - love this stuff...just like LUSH dream cream YUMMERS

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream - love an eye cream

MOA The Green Balm - The 'Miricalous' Balm

So - 6 items, 2 full size (not that theres sample lashes I'm sure) pretty good your thinking....?!

Well...here's the killer.....

Apart from the Wonder Eye Cream, ALL these items have been in other boxes.

Now, I personally don't find it too much of a problem as I will use them ALL, however, that's probably because I have already had them, and know I like them.

So I haven't really tried anything new here.

The Eye Cream, I haven't specifically tried this cream but the Balance Me range has been featured in other boxes.

A lot of people like the items, and were upset when Carmine failed to let us all have the Steam Cream, so this should please some.

I think they have done well to get so many different variations of colours of the shadow...seems to be quite a few about and its also nice to have two..so you can create a look rather than plastering one colour...

Lashes where quite dramatic and definitely wont be to every ones tastes.
The rest is very easy going stuff. I'd say 6/10 for you  LuxBox!

All in all, though I am happy with the contents as I've just replenished stocks of items I'd have bought anyways, its a shame there wasn't really anything actually NEW......I wonder what next month with bring.....
I really hope my French counterpart likes it!

Did you get a LuxBox? What do you think?!