Benefit Boi-ing Concealer [Product Review]

Concealer was something I never used to splurge on. I stuck to Rimmel's Hide the Blemish concealer mainly, occasionally used the Natural Collection ones and then discovered the famous Collection Lasting Perfection which quite frankly, is so good, I didn't see myself ever straying from it, as at £4.19 it's an absolute bargain. And then I had a Benefit makeover. In all honesty, I was quite horrified about going to see a professional makeup artist with my skin as horrific as it is. I was worried about how she'd work around that. Turns out I needn't have worried as she pulled out the Benefit Boi-ing concealer and well, it was love at first sight. As she only did half of my face to begin with, I was able to see the difference this concealer truly made and boy does it make a difference. I could believe how well it hid my blemishes and scarring, not mention the sleepless nights my life is so full of! So, naturally, one of these made their way into my bag after the makeover was finished.

Back home, I haven't been disappointed by this product at all. It's even better than my Collection concealer and I truly stand behind its description as an industrial strength concealer. The thing I like most about this concealer is that it is fine for both under my eyes and my blemishes - many concealers seem to work well at one or the other, but this one is great for both. Under the eyes it doesn't crease and it lasts all day there. On my blemishes, it did tend to wear off a bit quickly, but generally, the lasting power was great there too if my skin was being as well behaved as it ever gets. The main selling point of this Boi-ing Concealer over the Collection one however, is it comes in a little pot. This means I could use a clean brush to apply it every time I used it. This concealer is also antibacterial. These points are very important to me because there is nothing more comforting to me than using a product on my face and knowing it isn't going to make my skin any worse. My spots always lingered a little longer while using the Collection concealer - and I suspect its doe foot applicator was the culprit of this. Using a clean brush or finger to apply Boi-ing Concealer however, meant my spots seemed to disappear much quicker.

My one gripe with this Benefit concealer is the price point. While I have absolutely no qualms about dropping £18.50 on a product that I know works, the sad truth is I'm not the richest of girls and I go through concealer like no one's business - therefore, I can't really afford £18.50 every time I want a new concealer! For this reason, when I ran out of Boi-ing a few weeks ago, I did actually repurchase the Collection concealer instead. However, should my circumstances change/I stopped being horribly reckless with my money, this concealer is definitely going to come back into my life one day.

Finally, I haven't included any pictures of me actually wearing the product which I know makes reviews almost pointless. However, in most posts tagged with FOTD, I am actually wearing this product, so if you want to see it in action, please click the link!

Have you tried this concealer?

The Vixen Thinks: Give Yourself a Break

The Vixen Thinks is an almost weekly feature on this blog. Posts vary in topic, I'll talk about anything I have an opinion on! From blogging to relationships and anything beyond. If there's anything you'd like me to write about, feel free to get in touch: theglittervixen(at)gmail(dot)com! Thank you!

When I think about, I'm pretty sure I've written about giving myself a break before. It would seem I still haven't learnt. Today I've had a day off work and it's finally hit me just how burnt out and exhausted I truly am. I only get out of bed properly on days where I have work these days. Even for things I look forward to, like visiting my dad, I can barely get myself out of bed in time anymore and that resulted in me going for a pub lunch with wet hair last weekend. Now to a lot of people, this probably seems so silly: I only work part time. But that's exactly why this is bothering me so much, a girl shouldn't feel as tired and exhausted as I am when she doesn't even work full time. In uni, I worked, I worked hard for uni, I had a social life, a boyfriend and still managed to cook myself proper meals and have "me" time. Now, all I really do is go to work, yet here I am, 20 past 9 on a Friday night and I wanna go to sleep even though I didn't get up until about 1. 

The trouble is, I put way too much pressure on myself. I think the reason uni life worked for me is because I had so much responsibility. My biggest strength is the ability to organise myself in the best way possible for maximum productivity, so when I had things like a job, an education, a social life, a love life and a real life (you know, cooking, cleaning etc) to balance: I was in my element. I could write To Do Lists every day and get immense satisfaction from completing them. I really got to exercise my organisational muscle and in that kind of environment, I absolutely thrive. Even while I was doing my A Levels, I worked very hard to balance my life although during A Levels, I would often be woken up by my then boyfriend sitting on my bed saying he'd come to see me and I'd be lying in bed with York Notes or my Psychology textbooks on my face. In uni though, I honestly think a little bit of me was superhuman because I managed to get things done - I had to get things done.

Now I'm home, the only real responsibility I have is to go to work. My lovely, structured life that was based on To Do Lists has fallen away from me. What on earth am I meant to do with my time? Do you know what I've finally realised I've been doing? I've been making up responsibilities and "must do" tasks for myself. My daily To Do Lists are actually insanely big. I include mundane things like making sure I'm awake by a certain time, breakfast and my daily workout in them even though these are things I do without fail every day and are so ingrained into my routine I do not need a list to remind me to do them. But besides these routine tasks, I add blogging as a "must do" thing. I add reading and commenting on blogs as a necessity. My little hobby of making custom clothes suddenly turned into a business plan that I have to stick to and if I don't, I'm an absolute failure. Basically, things that are meant to be fun and relaxing for me, have suddenly turned into tasks that I automatically don't want to do anymore because I'm viewing them as essential but ultimately feel so miserable and guilty when I don't get them done. For example, I said I'd open my shop in January. We're now halfway through May and yet there is no sign of my shop and while my stock is nearly finished, it isn't actually finished and I've been procrastinating like crazy with it because I don't view it as something fun anymore, it's something I have to do. 

As you can see, I really need to just lighten up a little a lot. And as I write this post out to myself, I realise it's probably relevant for a whole lot of you right now? How many of my readers have graduated when I did but aren't working a "real" job yet? How many of my readers are in their final year of uni right now stressing about their last exams? How many of you have GCSEs or A Levels or just exams in general right now? I'm guessing a lot of you do and if you don't have any worries like that, more than likely you'll be stressing about something else! My guess is that just like me, you're a little too hard on yourself sometimes...

So my message to myself and my readers today is: stop taking life so seriously. You do not need to be an absolute productivity machine. It isn't the end of the world if your grades aren't perfect. Hell, it's not the end of the world if your grades are "bad" - I promise you on that one because my degree is completely irrelevant to my job yet I love it. While it's good to work hard the majority of the time, it's also good to spend a whole day in bed watching The Voice if that's how you feel. If you're in your final year of uni - use your time wisely and have fun, don't make it just about that grossly expensive and over priced piece of paper. As someone whose opinion I value very much keeps saying to me: "just relax."

Travel Skincare and Makeup

My latest YouTube video is LIVE and in it, I'm talking all about travel skincare and makeup. I don't know about you, but whenever I go away, I am so guilty of over packing, every single time and recently I've been trying really hard to sort this out. I decided the best area I could cut down on was the amount of skincare and makeup I took with me. However, I wanted to do this in a way that didn't leave my skin looking and feeling horrific, and I like to look pretty wherever I am so I do need some makeup with me.

For my skincare, I decided the last thing I want to do when I'm not at home for a night or two is spend half an hour over the sink carrying out my usual skincare routine. Despite this though, it's really important I make sure my face is truly clean both morning and night to keep my skin as clear and healthy as possible. My solution to this issue was to start using the Simple Cleanser and Toner religious. After I've used my face scrub in the morning (seeing as I use this in the shower, it doesn't really bother me to bring it along) I will then apply my Simple Cleanser to a cotton wool pad and sweep around my face. I then repeat this step with the Toner. After I've done this, I apply my Freederm gel to any blemishes on my face. I then follow this with moisturiser! In the evening, my routine will be much the same except instead of my face scrub, I will remove the first layer of my makeup with a Superdrug Cucumber Face Wipe and then repeat the steps I took in the morning. While it isn't something I'd keep up with at home as I much prefer knowing I've washed my face with copious amounts of water etc, this routine is quick and easy for while I'm away and means my skin isn't left totally neglected.

Choosing what makeup to bring on holiday with me is always a tricky one. I'm a girl who likes to have a lot of choice when it comes to getting ready in the morning, so packing my makeup minimally is always a task. How do I know what makeup I'll feel like wearing each day beforehand?! Luckily, I've finally picked up some products that don't take a lot of space up in my bag yet still give me a little bit of that choice I love so much. I can't go without my essential products so I will always take these with me: a foundation, a concealer, a powder and a mascara along with a face and an eye primer. Choosing what blush, eye makeup and lipstick to take however isn't so easy. I decided that multitasking products were my best bet here, or products that are two products in one. This is where my B. Glowing Shimmer Block in Blush comes in handy. This product can be used both on the eyes and face. To give myself a bit more choice though, I popped in two of my E.L.F eyeliner and shadow sticks as these are shadows and liner in one. They are very compact and therefore perfect for my travel needs. I use my E.L.F Eyebrow Treat and Tame pretty much everyday and it's a super quick and easy way to get lovely looking brows so that of course made its way into my bag. I didn't actually take any lip products with me; but as I actually forgot to pack my foundation, and there was a 3 for 2 offer on when I went to buy foundation, I ended up with two of the Apocalips in there.

How do you find packing skincare and makeup for travel?

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude [Product Review]

Before Application

After Application

Why it has taken me this long to get round to doing a whole post about this product I will never know, but since I bought this product, I have worn it every single time I have worn makeup with the exception of a day or two where I had misplaced it. I love this product so much and I honestly don't feel complete without it anymore. Previous to this, it had been a good long while since I'd worn any eyeliner on my waterline. When I did where liner on my waterline, it was always black and it always wore off in the first hour, leading me to believe it just wasn't worth it anymore but after reading a few blog posts about the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude, once again, I was drawn to lining my waterline.

This product is absolutely brilliant, make no mistake. It feels strange liking a product this much when in reality, it's such a tiny part of my overall makeup look and I literally use it for one purpose and one purpose only. As you can see from my before and after pictures, using this product seriously brightens my eye area. I was worried it looked a little unnatural at first but while I still feel you can tell I'm wearing it, I don't think it looks strange. It's seriously easy to apply and it's such a soft pencil that it's perfect for this delicate earlier.

However, what impressed me most about this product is the lasting power of it. As I said in my little introduction, I'm used to product promptly disappearing when used on my waterline. As this is such a nude colour, I didn't really expect it to last. So imagine my surprise every day when I go to remove my makeup and it's still there. Granted, it's much more faint by the end of the day, but I'm still wearing it. My eyes still look wider and more awake than they do without it. For an eyeliner that only costs a few pounds, this is just too good to be passed on. I've currently got an Urban Decay liner in black to use up, but once that goes out, I'm definitely going for this brand but in black. There's also a taupe liner shade I'd love to try out.

Have you tried this wonder pencil from Rimmel?

Classic Emily

Outfit Details:

Cardigan: Topshop

Top: Lipsy

Skirt: Miss Selfridge

Bag: Missguided

Tights: Primark

Shoes: Primark

Necklace and Flower Ring: Cheap Frills

Camera Ring: Temporary Secretary

Makeup Details:

B. Flawless Complete Coverage Foundation

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer

Loreal Lumi Magique Highlighting Pen

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Pink (not sure of exact name)

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eyeliner in Zero

E.L.F Cream Blusher in Flirt

Benefit High Beam

E.L.F Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph

Benefit Lipgloss in Sugarbomb

Nails:

Barry M Nude with Models Own Blizzard on top

If only I had a pound for every time I've worn this outfit! I'd be so rich, that's for sure. Well, poorness aside, at least I've got some fantastic memories while wearing this outfit. I wore it when I went to see Hole and cried from Courtney walking on the stage until she left again, I wore it while visiting Notre Dame in Paris, just to name a couple. I love it so much. Recently I've been neglecting the side of my wardrobe that is home to pieces like this Lipsy top but whenever I notice I've been doing this, I always end up digging this top out again. It's just so pretty. Whenever I wear it, I choose to keep the rest of my outfit pretty simple because I think the top does all the talking by itself. I chose a few delicate jewelry pieces from my collection: my Cheap Frills teacup necklace and floral ring along with my Temporary Secretary Pink Camera ring. The reason I've called this outfit Classic Emily is because I used to have quite the thing for pink pastel tights and they adorned my legs on much more regular basis than they do now. I'm hoping to build up a collection of interesting tights again one day! Pink and black also seems to be my most predictable colour scheme.

What do you think of my pink and black ensemble? 

Birthday WISHlist

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Hello! Today I thought I'd share just a handful of items I've been lusting after for a while now. As my birthday is coming up rather soon, I thought I'd title it "Birthday Wishlist" although I already know full well that my mum's side of the family don't buy you presents after your 21st so the emphasis really is on the wish part of wishlist. Even if I was getting any presents this year, I still wouldn't expect all this. In all reality, it's more a list of things I will buy for myself at some point this year...All links to buy these products can be found in the caption underneath the photo.

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette: I love Too Faced. I have no idea why I currently don't own any of their products. For a while I was in love with the Naked Eye palette but I accidentally lost it to the hands of my sister. Since then, I haven't really had any more but I want to rectify this! The Boudoir Eyes palette looks like a great night time palette for me. At the moment, there's not really much difference between my day makeup and evening makeup and I'd quite like for there to be a difference again. This palette is so pretty though, I'd probably just end up wearing it on a daily basis.

Crown and Glory Tea Rose Headband - gah, I love Crown and Glory. When I first discovered them I had such short hair that any head gear just looked appalling on me but now that Spring is trying to arrive and my hair is shoulder length, I really, really want some pretty floral crowns to wear. While I love the Whole Lotta Rosie headbands, my head is tiny and I fear they would look too big on me but this Tea Rose Headband just seems like the perfect colour and size for me.

Too Faced No Makeup Makeup - yeah, just had to sneak another Too Faced item in there! I'm obsessed with the idea of this palette: it's got a few concealers, blushers and bronzers in there for creating a natural makeup look. It's so compact and has a few products in one so it'd be great for going to see my long distance lover. Not to mention it's just so pretty looking!

Etsy Floral Necklace - can you tell I like florals when the sun starts shining? I love pastel colours too so this necklace is a dream. I was actually searching for Marie Antoinette necklaces when I found this but stumbled on this instead. It was promptly added to my Etsy favourites! I think this would look great with my range of sheer collared shirts.

MeMeMe Cosmetics Little Angels Collection - this gorgeous little set features two lip and cheek tints and two liquid highlighters. One tint looks incredibly similar to my much loved Benetint while one highlighter looks a bit like Benefit's High Beam highlighter. I'd love to try out some cheaper alternatives and MeMeMe is a brand that is starting to really appeal to me.

Tresemme Volume Curling Wand - I'm rubbish at doing my hair. Having it big and curly or wavy is my favourite thing to do but I am absolutely hopeless at creating this style without the help of my trusty sister. I saw a handful of reviews of this wand online and I think it could be the solution to my problems. I have the Volume Styler from this particular Tresemme range and I adore what it does for my hair so I'm quite fond of the idea of owning the curling wand too.

Wreck This Journal - creativity is so hugely important to me, and outside of blogging, I so rarely exercise my ability to be creative. I've known about Wreck This Journal for ages and I don't know why it's taking me so long to get hold of one as it would bring the creativity I love so much bank into my life.

Real Technique Core Collection - this brush set needs no introduction in the world of beauty bloggers! I have a brush in my collection that looks incredibly similar to the Buffing Brush from this kit but it was part of a 32 piece kit from eBay that cost a tenner so as you can imagine, it sheds like crazy. That being said, I love the way my foundation applies with it and now I've decided I need this high quality yet affordable set in my life.

Silver Fox Ring - ok, yeah, I already have 9408604393773 fox rings but they're all gold/bronzey colours! This is silly because the jewelry I primarily wear is all silver! Once again I was on Etsy searching for something completely different when I stumbled across this. It was love at first sight. Like serious love. There's also a rose gold one I'm eyeing up...

So, yeah, a limited list of things I want! What do you think of my taste?

Instavixen #6

attempt at healthy eating, failed attempt at healthy eating, back on the healthy eating, my sister's custom Fashionista palette, "Prown" Puri, delicioussssss Graze box, my new owl ring, shots!, Sunday night outfit, my version of Sudoku..., a present from one of my team members, another new playsuit, baby spiders, enchiladas at a pub for breakfast, my favourite: melt in the middle chocolate pudding!

Life has been pretty eventful since my last Instavixen! I've actually been having something resembling a life, although granted a lot of my life is my job now but hey, aren't most adults lives all about work?! So, one thing I've been trying to do is eat more healthily. While I've definitely upped my intake of fruit and vegetables,  as you can see from the pictures my diet still can't be classed as healthy! The highlight being my waking up too late to have breakfast this morning and going straight out for pub lunch and ordering some of the worst things on the menu. Gotta be said though, enchiladas are some of my favourites and I've been obsessed with melt in the middle chocolate pudding for a good while now, and this one was huge! What I do wish is that I could afford more Graze boxes. While I know they're highly overpriced, they do make it a little bit easier and a little bit nicer for me to have something instead of crisps or chocolate. I currently receive one box a month as I was given three half price boxes, but my June one will be the last of these, sob!

So, the reason I didn't get round to do an Instavixen post last Sunday is because I decided to say "yes" and go out with a good friend who I haven't been seeing as much as I'd like to recently. We went out on Sunday night as it was a bank holiday and we went to something called Insomnifest. Full of chavs and names of people like Tom Zanetti that I recognise but don't really have a clue about, I was a little bit terrified of paying £20 for a ticket for this as I was pretty sure I was going to hate it. Truth be told, I actually had suuuuuuch a good time. The music wasn't *so* bad and it felt really good to be out in warehouse in Leeds rather than doing the same old Wakefield pubs. I also felt a lot safer in Leeds because it meant less chance of seeing any unwanted faces. Sadly, disaster struck. My brand new playsuit broke on me! Luckily I have the best dad EVER and he drove all the way to Leeds to come get me, take me home, let me get changed, and then drove me all the way back to Leeds. But when I got back to Leeds, the girls I was out with were heading into a taxi back to Wakefield! Me and my friend really weren't happy about this but we couldn't be bothered fighting it and it would be too expensive to get taxis home if the two of us stayed in Leeds so off to Wakefield we went. After some cheesy chips, I perked up and Wakefield wasn't so bad. I met some nice people which is always cool, and unexpected in Wakefield.

Unsurprisingly, I've been doing a fair bit of shopping recently and that's what a lot of my pictures this week focus on. I've also had a sleepover with the same friend I went out with on Sunday and besides that I've just been at work. At the minute I'm really, really exhausted all the time so I've just been saving all my energy for work. After that, I really can't manage anything else. It's a good job I'm really enjoying my new role at work! Oh, and although I've been buying clothes, jewelry and hair care products, I've actually been resisting the 3 for 2 offer on ALL makeup at work, so that's one thing to be proud of!

What's your week been like?