benefit cosmetics Archives - FashionForRoyals

What’s in My HandBag – Summer 2018

Ladies, it has been a hot minute since the last time I did a ‘What In My Makeup Bag’ post. In the spirit of summer, I decided that now would be a great time to take a peek into my daily kit – and bring you along with me.

‘Yes To Cucumber’ Facial Wipes

Facial wipes are an essential in my makeup bag – they’re a great way to refresh my skin after a long day, fix makeup mistakes on the go and gently remove the dirt and grime that accumulates after a day out. In the summertime, I prefer facial wipes that are cooling and soothing to my skin – and these ones by Yes To, enriched with cucumber and aloe extract, are excellent at doing just that.
Product Link: Yes to Cucumbers 30 Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes

Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Bang! Mascara

Whether I am wearing a full face of makeup or going au naturel, I never leave the house without a volumizing mascara – and this is currently one of my favourites. All you need is a couple of swipes to have you looking like you’re wearing a full set of falsies. It doesn’t clump, transfer or smudge during the day, so that makes this mascara perfect for the summer weather as well.
Product Link: BADgal BANG! volumising mascara

Bioderma Photoderm MAX SPF 50 Tinted Moisturiser

Another product I never leave the house without is a good moisturiser with a high dose of SPF. The best part about this one by Bioderma is that along with being SPF 50, it is also tinted, which means that it evens out your complexion, brightens up your skin and reduces the appearance of blemishes. It’s perfect for warm days when you don’t feel like sporting heavy foundation – one application of this, a couple of coats of mascara and you’re good to go.
Product Link: Bioderma Photoderm MAX SPF 50 Tinted Moisturiser

Clairins Lip Balm

Many people forget to nourish their lips and give them the TLC that they need, but your lips need moisture too – not only in the summer but all year round. Clarins does great tinted lip balms that not only give your lips the moisture they crave but also, a slight hint of colour as well. These balms are perfect for no makeup days, quick trips to run errands around town or some post-beach colour. I can’t get enough!
Product Link: Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector

Accessorize London Travelcard Holder

If you tend to lose your cards a lot, like me, I have a solution for you. I picked up this sweet pouch from Accessorize, because I love the London print, which pays homage to one of my favourite cities in the world. Plus, it’s a great way to make sure that I have all my cards in one places and its compact enough to carry even in small bags.
Product Link: Accessorize London TravelCard Holder

Grazia

For those long tube rides or in-between-meeting breaks, we all need some fashion inspiration to keep going! Grazia is my go-to magazine for the latest trends, the best fashion inspiration, and the most entertainment. I always have a copy with me. You never know when you need it!

Product: Grazia Magazine
Use Code: FFRTEN%! for 10% OFF any order over the value of £24
Valid on: All print, digital and package magazine subscriptions.
Code Expires on 31 Dec 2018

Sunglasses

Another essential that goes with me everywhere – my sunglasses! Whether you’re trying to cover up a hangover, dark circles under your eyes or simply trying to shield your eyes from the sun, sunglasses are an excellent, multi-purpose product to have with you. Plus, it’s a little-known fact that they actually help your skin as well! If you drive without sunglasses, you tend to squint more, which means you’ll develop lines around your eyes much faster. That isn’t a good look, so I always have a pair of sunnies in my bag and my car.
Product Detail: Accessorize Bella Extreme Cat Eye Sunglasses

Loving It Series – New Makeup Products

People often say Money can’t buy happiness. But, hey what about makeup. Makeup is not a mask. It’s your art and expression that keeps you happy and puts negativity aside. Life is all about how much you experiment and try out something new. It is a self-confidence that you apply directly to your face. With the right products, any woman can be a good makeup artist. You just need to invest in the good ones and feel powerful and confident.

Here are the few products that I used and I’m in love with. These make me look so natural and beautify my skin perfectly. So, Let’s ride in and explore my Loving It Series.

Maybelline Volum Express The Colossal Washable Mascara

The must-have mascara. It adds dramatic volume without adding clumps to the lashes. It has a mega brush that instantly adds 9* the volume. Just sweep the brush from root to tip of your lashes to instantly add volume to them. Do not let it dry in between coats.With 100% carbon black lash look, it is even suitable for sensitive eyes and for the ones who wear contact lenses. Get this if you want to highlight your lashes and make them look more attractive.

Price: £6.99
Link: (link)

Miracle Silicon Sponge
Just Keep Calm and blend on with the new and amazing range of silicone sponges by Brushworks. These ultimate ranges of silicone sponges give you a superfast flawless look along with a super hygienic look. As compared to traditional products, this super fine range of silicone products uses 50% lesser of your product. They work best to offer you a perfect impeccable look. This flawless skin product doesn’t harm your skin. Thus, keeping your skin safe and not even harming your pocket by saving half of your products. Therefore, you must invest in this.

Price: £7.99
Link: ( link)

Eye Candy Lashes Multipack

Eyes are the window to the soul and they are incomplete without lashes. No doubt, our lashes have the power to speak louder than our words do. So, If you want to highlight and make your eyes attractive, this product becomes a must have. These lashes are high quality and are really light in weight. This stylish product can even be reused if removed carefully after one use. These lashes last long to give you an even more perfect look along with the beautiful eyes look.

This pack of 5 has lashes for different kind of looks, to make it natural and to make it wide-eyed. You can choose which one you’d like to use. They are really easy to use and also has a small glue along with the pack. No worries of finding the perfect mascara. Just get this multipack for yourself and get your lashes on fleek.

Price: £18.0
Link: (link)

So Eco Brush:

This amazing product is not just face friendly but eco-friendly too. A complete range of eco-friendly brushes is suitably designed to transform a woman into an artist. They are made of highest quality bamboo, beautiful rose gold ferrules and have soft taklon bristles. You can purchase their face brush kit that consists of brushes for every occasion. Thus, at a very minimum price, you get branded different makeup brushes. From finishing brushes to blush and lip brushes, all of them gives perfect and flawless results every time.

Price: £ 15.00
Buy from: (link)

Gimme brow volumizing eyebrow gel

Get this one, if you want to own those killer brows. Their tinted eyebrow gel contains microfibers that stick themselves to skin and hairs giving a natural look to your brows. This product helps you to volumize your brows and even tames and tints them. The best thing is that they are long-lasting and even water-resistant. So, there is no need to worry about your look. You can spend hours on that perfect look. This is available in three shades. They also have one new shade, Medium shade. Now, you can also have those good-looking brows. Just brush up and get fuller-looking brows in easy fingertips.

Price: £20.00
Buy From: (link)

You must include these products in your routine to get a beautiful, flawless and healthy skin.

My Favourite EyeLiner – Benefit Cosmetics Magic Ink Liquid Eyeliner Review

Hi All!

This review post is on a brilliant product which validates the belief that “Old is Gold”. The Benefit Magic Ink Liquid Eyeliner is one of those classic black liners that end up being a staple product in every diva’s makeup bag.

Honestly, this eyeliner is my favourite till date. I have been using it since 2011 and in the past 4 years, have finished numerous bottles with repeat purchases. It comes in a small, 2.5 ml bottle witha tight, sturdy cap and elegant plastic body. The packaging is perfect for travel purposes as well as keeping on your vanity – so compact and completely leak-proof.

Once you open the bottle, you’re delighted by the jet black liquid therein – it has an even consistency and dark pigments for a bold finish. On application, it dries in a jiffy so even novice makeup users are protected against wet-liner-smudges. As far as smudging and staying power after drying goes, this Benefit liner is virtually impossible to critique. It remains on my lids without flaking or getting lighter for many hours. I have combination skin and tend to sweat when it’s hot, but with this product, I’ve never been left with streaky, raccoon eyes.

What I love most about this eyeliner is its thin, stiff wand which allows for precise, one-swipe application. When you’re running late in the morning and rushing to get your makeup done – that’s when you truly appreciate the ease of application it offers. Perhaps this is why when I buy this liner, all others I own remain ignored and untouched till it gets over. And you might think that given that it’s just 2.5 ml, it would get over very quickly. But it actually lasts for long; I’m on my 3rd month with my current bottle.

Final Thoughts: Great Product, No Issues. Recommended for Repeat Buy

Star Rating – 4.8

Price – £15.50

As is pretty obvious, I’m a big fan of the Benefit Magic Ink Liquid Eyeliner. What has your experience with it been like? I’d love to know…

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen SPF 25 Review – Swatch Beige

This is a review of another product from my Benefit Haul last month. Now, if you’re wondering why this review is coming up so late – I don’t pen down my opinion till I have tested a product myself over a significant period of time. After one month of usage, I’ve experienced this foundation’s effect in all kinds of conditions – daywear, nightwear, long hours, etc – and so can make a better, more informed judgement.

So here goes – I bought the Beige shade of Benefit’s Hello Flawless Oxygen SPF 25 range. This foundation is meant for light to medium coverage and promises a healthy, luminous glow. Apart from its hydrating benefits, this it has an oil-free formula and SPF 25 PA+++. For those who are not aware of this, SPF denotes the grade of protection against UVA rays, while PA stands for that against UVB rays. Three stars are the highest level of UVB protection possible, and thus, this product is great for the summertime when chances of sun damage are high.

This is what attracted me to the product first – I exclusively use cosmetics with high SPF in summers, it’s not something I can do without. But even other than the sun protection quotient, this foundation worked wonders for me. It provides a great finish that is natural, yet gives my complexion a flawless glow. I generally build to medium only on special occasions since light cover is good enough for ordinary days.

I have noticed that being water-based, this foundation never feels heavy on the skin. It lasts longer when I wear it with the Benefit Porefessional Matte Rescue Balm which is meant for pore reduction. You can also wear it with Benefit’s 15 Hours Stay Flawless Prime. But the product is so good, it hardly needs any fortification from other products in general.

Here you can see a picture of the foundation blended on my hand and another at bottom where I’ve used it with the Benefit Porefessional Matte Rescue Balm. The shade is one tone darker than what I normally use, but that’s how I prefer it in summer months. This is because skin tends to get darker due to tanning in this period and one shade darker foundation tends to blend better.

So this was my review of Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen SPF 25.

Final thoughts: Great for Summer Months with a decent SPF built in, good for daily wear and even buildable.
Love the fact that it helps in preventing the signs of aging as it contains Vitamin C & E derivatives as well

(my LOTD- wearing the Hello Flawless Foundation and Benefit Porefessional Matte Rescue Balm )

Star Rating – 4 Stars

Price – £26.50 / 30 ml.

PS: For more tips and tricks such as the one about darker foundation in summers, follow my account and I’ll keep helping you with such titbits!

*The products in this post were sent to me for review, but all comments and review of the product is my own.

BeneFit Cosmetics POREfessional Matte Rescue Review

I’ve recently come across many ardent fans of the BeneFit POREfessional range, and so got really curious about these products. I finally got my hands on the newly launched Matte Rescue Gel which claims to reduce pores, tackle excess oil problems and also keep the skin hydrated, thanks to the Benefit Haul.

I have combination skin and am always on the lookout for good mattifying products, especially during the warmer months of the year. This gel based formula seemed to be perfect for my needs, since it also contains diamond powder for a soft focus pore-blurring effect. I was surprised by the light blue shade of the gel and the cooling effect it had on my skin. It felt nice though, and a small amount was enough to cover the entire face. Plus is that it comes in a tube and is very handy to carry around as well.

On putting it on, I immediately noticed that my face looked fresh and oil-free, with none of that off-putting shiny finish. Thus, it can be used directly as a moisturizer or even as a primer too. In fact, some foundations react with excess facial oil, making the skin look darker as the day progresses; but with the BeneFit POREfessional Matte Rescue Gel, this can be prevented to a great extent. My recommendation would be to use it for sure if you are going to be wearing makeup for more than 8 hrs in a day as it will help protect the colour of the foundation and make it look fresh all day.

My final take on this product it is that it’s wonderful for those with combination or oily skin. It has great hydrating ability and keeps your face shine-free for longer, while also reducing visibility of pores. I think I might be buying this again once I’m done with this tube!

Price: £21.50

Star Rating: 4 Stars

Pros:

Great price
Does it what it says

Cons:

not recommended for dry skins
can be drying in winter months

*The products in this post were sent to me for review, but all comments and review of the product is my own.

Benefit Cosmetics Porefessional Instant Wipeout Masks Review

As part of the Benefit haul that I spoke about earlier on my instagram account, I snapped up an exciting product from the brand’s Porefessional series – behold the Benefit Porefessional Instant Wipeout Masks!It goes without saying that the packaging was really good – as it usually is with most Benefit products – so this one made a great first impression. The two-step application process was rather interesting as well. The product comes with sheet masks (these are all the rage right now!) and serum in a plastic bubble which you must “pop” to soak your sheet mask in the serum. Fascinating, right? The serum is loaded with mushroom extract which is known to clarify and tighten pores.

What I absolutely loved about the sheet masks was that the sheet was custom made to sit comfortably on the nose and cheeks, where most people have a plethora of open pores. I tend to have open pores on my chin from time to time as well so I tore off some of the sheet for that region of my face. The product has an immediate cooling effect on the skin which lingers long after you have removed the mask. It really feels like it goes to work on your skin!

You apply the smooth side to your skin and let the mask work it’s magic for ten minutes, after which, you can use the rough side to remove the excess product. It is small and thoughtful features like this, that I absolutely love in a product.

Overall, this is a good face mask to attack your open pores, remove dirt and rejuvenate your skin. I would give it four stars out of five. I’ve used it a couple of times so far but with eight masks in a box, I know that it will last me a while. I have dry to normal skin so I use this product every few weeks, but for those of you with oily skin, once a week is a good idea.

Pros:

It does what it says
Really good and hygenic packaging
Travel Friendly

Cos:

Slightly Expensive (£3.06 per sheet mask)

Rating : 4 Stars

Price: £24.50 for 8 Sheets

*The products in this post were sent to me for review, but all comments and review of the product is my own.

Makeup Bag Essentials Series-1

This post is inspired after my initial guidance talk to my friend, who was looking for that perfect mix of makeup essentials to get The “perfect day” look without looking overdone. And I thought why not bring you all into what my make-up essentials are for the day time look, for that natural glow around without carrying all the extra layer of foundation and makeup on my face.

Mac Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation

I always liked the idea of a powder, all in one step, foundation. The problem was that the powders I tried (mainly loose powders) often settled in to every line and crease of my face, or would not blend in with the skin as much as they should. So I gave up for a few years hope of finding one, and moved on to some very good liquid foundations.

But then I took a chance one day on Mac Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation. I liked the sleek black design of their products and the thought that I wouldn’t have to fool with liquid foundation and then a compact over, as I wanted something that was super quick and that covered and stayed well.

So I had very high expectations for this foundation and didn’t believe that it would be able to live up to them, but it did all that and more. Mac Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation is the only foundation I have used in the last year.

I love that I have found a year round powder foundation that is this easy to use.

Benefit Cosmetics Girl Meets Pearl

This is my personal favourite product when I want to cheat that dull looking. It makes my young, healthy skin looks luminous and has a lovely glow to it.

Even if your skin isn’t as luminous as it used to be, it’s easy to cheat with Benefit Cosmetics‘ Girl Meets Pearl, a golden-pink, pearly illuminizer. It gives skin a gorgeous golden glow. From personal experience you can wear it under the powder or alone for that Greek goddess look.

Body Shop Born Lippy Passionberry Lip Balm

I am crazy about lip balms and for last year or so I have experimented a lot with lip colors. The benefit of using Lipbalms is that, they are very moisturising but I prefer their Tinted cousins a little more, as they can brighten up my day any time. It resembles a lip gloss in terms of application as it turns out glossy but it is not sticky and smells exactly like the fruit it is supposed to!

Tip: I sometimes use this over my matt lipstick as well to add shine to them or change their color a bit.