The Review: Benefit Stay Flawless 24 Hour Primer

In light of the recent hot weather I have rediscovered an old fave. I purchased the Benefit Stay Flawless 24 Hour Primer on New Years Eve in my annual mad dash around boots for fake lashes and I was honestly impressed at the staying power this gave my makeup. Even at 2am in a very blurry state my makeup looked a hell of a lot better than I did!

This product applies a lot like a Pritt Stick...yes I know I'm not selling it too you but trust me on this one. I tend to swipe it across my cheeks, chin, nose and forehead before blending it in with my fingers, It doesn't not have any colour too it so your usual makeup will sit normally on top it it. It keeps foundation in place, stops concealer creasing and evens out the skin tone and any pores that can cause headaches and stress. 

The product itself lasts a long time as you use so little on each application and I started using mine daily for work for lazy girl makeup needing no touchups, particularly when I was doing very long days. Even after daily use this did not break my skin out into spots (a concern I had pre usage) nor did it irritate my sensitive skin. A winner. Not the cheapest of the primer posse, coming in at £24.50 (available online and on Benefit counters) but I find it a lot more long wearing than other primers I have tried including the Revlon PhotoReady Primer and the Benefit Porefessional.

Are you a convert to Pritt Stick for makeup? Its worth a try and you may well find you soon are!

Summer Bronze All in One Palettes

I love an all in one palette, great for travelling and take up much less space in my makeup collection than individually packaged products. Both of todays products fall within the 'higher end' spectrum with regards to price etc so I would love to know if you have tried a budget alternative such as the Sleek Palette.

The Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette was first brought out last summer and relaunched this summer with additional colour ways. This one is the "Naked" variant. It has a large orange toned bronzer, a pink toned shimmer highlight and a pink coral toned blush all in one palette for £22 (available from Debenhams) which is a bit of a steal in my opinion. The bronzer isn't my favourite colour, I normally prefer something with a cooler tone but lightly applied over the forehead and tops of the cheeks will give a natural sun kissed look. It does have a slight shimmer running through so this is not one to use for contour.

The highlight and blush however are both absolutely lovely and great either applied separately or swirled together with a large fluffy brush and applied to the back of the cheeks. 

The Chanel Tan de Soleil in Bronze Rose was a limted edition palette a few years ago and after utterly falling in love with it I quickly repurchased before they sold out. They have however brought out a newer edition tied in with the Les Bieges range called Healthy Glow Multi-Colour which is of a similar vain.

This one has two bronze shades, a highlight and a pink toned blush and is the least fussy product I own. I can apply it using the brush that comes with the palette either taking a sweep across all the colours for a low maintenance holiday look or take a little more time to use the thin brush to contour, blush and highlight across my cheeks. This product retailed around the £50 mark however the newer compacts (which are smaller) are only £39 and available online or on Chanel counters.

A no fuss solution to packing multiple products? Oh yes, now just to stop myself buying more palettes and defeating the object. Sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing!

The "If I Could Only Choose One" Makeup Brush Edit

So if you haven't guessed by the picture above...I lied. I couldn't only choose one, instead I chose five. Still a small enough selection to take on holiday without needing to sacrifice valuable luggage space. The majority of the below are Real Techniques brushes, available from Boots and are great for travelling as they wash and dry quickly for optical multitasking purposes. (Yes that is the theme of the week!)

I use this Real Techniques big Duo Fibre Face Brush mainly for bronzer. I find that the long bristles get in and around the cheek bones with ease and due to the duo fibre they blend seamlessly with minimal effort. This one is a winner. 

This Cosmopolitan Smokey Eyes Angled Brush I have had for years and find it great for eyebrows or adding an eyeshadow as a liner across the upper lash line. Its nothing fancy but it does the job.

The Real Techniques Contour Brush is great for both creme and powder products. I like to use this for creme blushers and highlights on holiday but it is not adverse to being used for a little translucent powder under the eyes either. Another great brush that blends everything easily for a very natural look.

And then, probably my most favourite Real Techniques brush, the Buffing Brush. I liked it so much I have two. I use this brush for applying and blending foundation, applying a little of the product directly to the end of the brush...no messy fingers here. It keeps the skin looking natural and helps work the product into the face so that it lasts a little longer. I find this brush great for both dewey finishes (e.g. Chanel Vitalumier Aqua) and more matt/satin looking finishes (Chanel Perfection Lumier Velvet). A great all rounder.

And then finally, the Multitask Brush by Real Techniques.  I could possibly miss this one out however I think it is a useful brush and at the moment I use it to powder lightly around my T Section. This could also be done using the duo fibre face brush or even the contour brush so I would perhaps instead switch this one out for a MAC 217 or other tapered blending brush for eye shadow.  Personally however I don't wear a lot of powder products on holidays so don't find myself missing a blending brush oh so much. 

Multitask Makeup Must Haves

We're staying on the theme of packing light this week and in terms of multitask products, these two are by far the ones I reach for the most and would ALWAYS make it into my travel makeup bag.

The All Occasions Palette - This great neutral offering from Soap and Glory is honestly my go to option if I know space is at a premium. The shadows are all heavily pigmented and have great colour payoff. I use the palest shade (top left) all over the lid, under my brow bone and lightly as a very light highlight if I am looking for a more dramatic evening look. 

The dusky pink shade (top right) is great as an every day neutral or can be layered under the shimmer shade (bottom right) for the evening. The taupe colour (bottom left) I use for my eyebrows, in the crease of the lid and even lightly as a contour in the hollows of my cheekbones as it has no red undertone. 

A great palette that offers a huge range of options for relatively little space. It is also more affordable that the equivalent MAC quad pricing in at only £11 from Boots.

The Summer Shimmer - MAC's Bare Study paint pot is another great multi task product. On its own for a subtle shimmer on the eye or layered under other products to prevent creasing and keep everything in it's place, this one is a keeper for sure. I also love using this champagne shimmer as a creme highlight on the tops of the cheekbones, under the brow bone, down the nose, in the sup id's bow and on the centre of the eye lid for a great bronzed look which with a tan is an unbeatable combination.

Of course other products with an honourable mention would include the Revlon Baby Stick (used in my 5 product face here) and maybe also something like Benefit's Hoola Bronzer (review here) which can also be used on the eye to create depth. 

What is your go to all in one product?

The Must Have Miniatures

There are some products for which travel sized miniatures were invented. Personally whenever I travel I try to only take small sizes of my products so that I can either leave the empty bottle at the end of my stay or at least know that it won't take up too much valuable suitcase space.

I haven't included everything here, just the ones I think are the most convenient to have a travel size of. I would also include a shampoo and conditioner but I don't currently have a mini version so would be likely to just decant some of my regular products into small bottles like the ones available from Boots.

First off, a travel sized moisturiser. It doesn't matter if you are going on a sun holiday or a snow holiday, you will need moisturiser equally in both. I personally like to take a small tub of something very nourishing rather than a large bottle of something thinner. I find this size of Soap and Glory's The Righteous Butter will last me a week of post shower slathers and can even be tucked into the beach bag for a hand cream on the go.

Secondly, travel size Bioderma. Reviewed here, it goes without saying that you will want something that will rid you of makeup and temporarily make up the gap of a proper skincare routine. No one has room to be hoiking a 500ml bottle around in their luggage, this 100ml bottle will last a good couple of holiday/weekends away.

I also LOVE that Clinique give out miniatures in their Bonus Time promotions. I got this 15ml sample of my regular moisturiser last year and it is great for taking away without trying to squeeze in the 125ml bottle with pump (reviewed here). Glamour magazine is giving away a free gift with purchase of this for July, so worth a peruse of your local supermarket for either this, a mascara sample or a miniature chubby stick.

Deodorant....everyone needs it particularly on holiday. Sure and other Unilever brands have started producing smaller compressed versions of their products. Great for avoiding the large bottles without the fear of running out mid holiday.

Shower Gel is one of those things that normally come free in hotel rooms. With my sensitive skin however I always find it to be a good idea to take a small version of my current shower gel as no one wants an allergic reaction on holiday...it's not fun *voice of experience*

A small dry shampoo will be enough to get you through the week when you need to add some volume to lack lustre hair (too much chlorine/sun) or you just CBA to wash your hair before an early flight on the way home. 

And then finally, a body scrub. This one is the amazing smelling grapefruit one from The Bodyshop. If you have fake tanned in holiday preparation to avoid looking like a moo min by the pool on the first day (yes thats me) then this one is a must. Cholrine or sea water will wear this off quicker than usual and unfortunately not evenly. A scrub helps even everything up and *hopefully* ease you into a seamless transition from fake bake to sun kissed.

Where are you off on your travels this summer? 

The OMG "the Guests Arrive Tomorrow" Checklist

Having people to stay is great. It means no one has to traipse back to a hotel late in the evening and that  everyone can have a drink without worrying who is going to drive back. It can however be a bit of a nightmare if you are not used to hosting people or are generally a 'leave it to the last minute' type. If any of the above sound familiar then this list is your new BFF.

1. Beds/Bedding

Do you have somewhere for these people to stay? If not, can you make somewhere for your guests to stay?

When people are only staying for a night or two most are happy on a sofa bed or airbed if it comes to a push. We have a spare bed, a sofa bed and then a spare mattress if push comes to shove. The next thing to consider though is do you have enough bedding. In this hot weather people may need sheets/blankets rather than a 14 tog duvet, are these clean?

I tend to try and do all my laundry a couple of days before so that I know everything is dry. Top tip, if the bedding is sulking and not quite dry, whip the iron out and give it a once over. Not only will your guests have lovely crisp bedding but it will half the drying time.

2. Food

Your guests will need feeding. It is worth going through each meal of each day and making sure that either you know what you have on offer to give them, or you can plan to get things in. I personally never really have toast for breakfast but I always make sure I have enough bread and a few toppings as it is a lot of peoples breakfast of choice.

Also if you are planning on going out, gather potential options ahead of time so you can present them as ideas without that awkward conversation where no one seems to mind where they go, and will 'just go with the flow'.....so annoying when 'the flow' still haven't made a decision hours later!

3. Activities

What will your guests want to do, does any of this need pre booking/arranging? 

4. Evenings

If your not going out for dinner what are you planning on doing in the evenings? Yes sitting around and watching the telly is fine for a usual night in but it's nice to do something different for guests. It doesn't necessarily have to be a night out on the tiles, boardgames can work equally well. Bananagrams is a personal fave which gets everyone involved and avoids the awkward 'sitting round and looking at each other' hours that can occur of an evening.

5. Sunday Night Jobs

Chances are that its been such a busy weekend you've neglected all the usual jobs and forgotten quite what needs to be done for Monday morning. As long as any essential ironing is done and there is stuff for lunches in the week everything else can wait....chances are you'll be knackered and it will be an early night all round.

The Weekend Round-up

So this weekend has been a bit of a different one. Amongst all of the football we have had a full house. Jake's family came to stay for the weekend so here are just a few snaps from along the way. The first picture above is of the last cupcake (recipe here) which I had without the tiniest bit of remorse after tidying the house for our visitors. I am going to do a 'preparing for guests checklist' tomorrow as this time of year it seems like if your not travelling yourself people are travelling to see you!

On Saturday we all went to Henley in Arden for a bit of a wonder and most importantly an Ice Cream. Ever since we moved to the midlands people have been telling us that we must try it, and let me assure you the long queue was worth the wait! Honeycomb ice cream is a winner!

We then spent the rest of the afternoon in a pub garden, ironically named 'The Secret Garden' which was very well signposted! There were giant wooden toadstools and the pimms was flowing. We definitely got our 5 a day from the drinks.

Saturday night we went out for dinner at Chimichangos which is a mexican restaurant nearby. They also served truly HUGE cocktails which despite the picture above, Amy managed this lush gin and melon concotion solo! Yes it might have been a fairly boozy weekend. I stuck to Sangria which sadly was better than my main which I had to send back. An hour and a half late and not too warm? I came home and had a bowl of shreddies instead.

And then Sunday, after the family had gone home I popped into town to do a bit of shopping and picked up this cute keyring from Cath Kidston. It is an engagement gift for our friends Chris and Donya as they have a brilliant airedale called Brian and I could not resist picking this up for them.

What have you been up to this weekend? Let me know in the comments below.