August 25, 2015

Beauty Haul: Denise Campbell

Last week I hit the shops to stock up on some of my beauty essentials and here I give you the details on my recent beauty haul here:

Bobbi Brown’s BBU Palette | Size 6.33”L x 0.8”W x 3.84”B

I had to see what all the hype was about for Bobbi Brown’s BBU palette that’s been packing a punch and has reached cult status in the makeup world. So off I went and after a sharp intake of breath, departed with £200 minus my Bobbi Brown Pro discount of course!! This compact palette is a must in any MUA kit and could possibly be your best investment ever. It’s cute and so sexy and it fits in the palm of your hand. It saves time and you don’t have to carry around full sized products with you. It opens up like a little trinket box and the 14 x concealer’s, 13 x corrector’s and 20 x Foundations are presented like the pages within a book. There are so many shades that you can mix and blend the right shade for each skin tone, you’ll never be without the correct foundation! Oh and did I say that the coverage is amazing, so a little goes a long way. There’s nothing I don’t like about this product, and definitely can’t live without it.

Ben Nye Glitter Glue | Size 1fl.oz/ 29ml. Yield 20-75 applications
*Not recommended for use on eyes*

The rise and rise of Ben Nye products especially the face powders in my humble opinion falls neatly at the feet of one socialite we know and love dearly – Kim Kardashian. Since the day I tried the glitter eyelid look and failed miserably I’ve never tried again! Glitter went everywhere, and trust me it wasn’t a good look at all. I stumbled on Ben Nye Glitter Glue at IMAT’s and ‘HELLO’, my dreams had come true. I bought it blindly; all I knew was that I wanted to put glitter on my lids period. I got the bottle home and tried out my purchase. The glue is slightly thicker than water with an alcohol base and not meant to be used on eyes, which if you know me I totally ignored – as they say there’s no beauty without pain. Amazingly I had no adverse reaction, no stinging, watery eyes. All you need is a thin-thin layer on the eye-lids and it dries in seconds with a little tackiness. I must say my glitter lasted all night and there was no fallout. I’m very pleased with this product and will buy again

Ben Nye Luxury Powder, Banana & Topaz | Size small 1.5oz Shaker
Even though it has been the powder of choice for many makeup artists since it’s inception in 1967, it is now one of the most well know makeup powders on the market today. I have used this product for a while now and it’s the only setting powder that stays matt on my face all day! If you haven’t tried it yet you need to know what all the fuss is about. The consistency is like fine powder that can get everywhere if you let it, so be careful how you remove the protective covering. I use this powder mainly to set my under eye highlight and anywhere else that I have highlighted. With this product there is no creasing which I have found annoying with previous powders. I also have oily skin, and this product absorbs any sheen and allows me to stay oil free throughout the day. When taking pictures this powder is phenomenal, there’s no white under-eye caste and my makeup looks flawless. I have a dark skin-tone and I use the banana and Topaz with no problem. The best way to use this product is to apply to the areas you would like to highlight and let it sit for a few minutes, otherwise known as ‘to bake’. Your skin absorbs all that it needs and you can then just brush away the excess powder. The trick is to blend and blend and when you have finished blending, blend some more.

MAC Vanilla Pigment Pots | Size 4.5g
This is a little pot of magic! You have to be able to visualise what you can achieve as just looking at this product doesn’t stimulate you on first glance. Let your imagination run wild as this little pot is multipurpose and versatile.
First of all, be very careful when opening as this goodness can get everywhere as there is no sifter. It consists of lightweight non-chalky soft particles and blends effortlessly. Don’t let the colour deter you; it’s a shimmery off-white colour with tiny gold sparkles. I must tell you that this product will be with you for a lifetime, there is so much pigment in this little jar and a little does go a long way. There are so many ways to use this pot but I use this for highlighting. It’s brilliant as a cheek and nose highlighter which I use sparingly. When the light hits this ‘badboy’ my face lights up, photos look amazing! It can also be used as a brow highlighter, a lid colour, inner tear duct highlighter to give the appearance of wider set eyes. It can be mixed with other products – lipsticks, blushers, moisturisers, it’s limitless.

Denise Campbell