Benefit Cosmetics - Boi ing Concealer Review

Hi beauties,

Happy weekend! All I can say is phew - we made it! I've been waiting all day to snuggle in my duvet and write this post for you guys.

So I'm keeping to my promise and talking about something other than foundations today :o) On my quest for flawless skin, I wanted to explore concealers and on doing some research came across a fair few reviews for this little beauty! Benefit Boi ing Concealer is described as industrial-strength and I had high hopes that this would sort out my under eye bags and blemishes. A creamy, easy-to-blend formula, I most definitely wasn't disappointed. 

Available in five shades, number 1 was a pretty good match for my pale complexion. A great concealer for covering up any blemishes - I would liken it to Mac's Studio Finish. Although, I prefer to stick to a liquid concealer under my eyes (just my personal preference) but this did have great longevity on the skin, and I didn't find it to crease.

At £17.50, it's definitely on the more high end of concealers, but due to the pigmentation and consistency a little will go along way, so it offers great value for money. Find it here.

Has any one else tried any of Benefit's other concealers?

Lots of love,

Wedding Sparrow Blog - Photoshoot

Hi beauties,

I hope you're all well!

So in my last post I mentioned that hubby and I were going to be taking part in a very special photoshoot. Last Sunday (22nd September) was our first wedding anniversary - and still being wedding obsessed, I spotted an advert by the fine art blog the Wedding Sparrow asking for a real-life couple to be a part of wedding photoshoot in Dorset - at Thomas Hardy's former home to be exact!

As the shoot was due to take place on our anniversary weekend, something said to me that perhaps this is meant to be! Oh and of course the fact that I'd get to wear a designer dress swayed my decision to send off a pic of me and my hubby. Well, the lovely Sara at Wedding Sparrow got back a few days later and said they'd love to have us on board! I literally let out a little squeal whilst sat at my desk.

It was an early start as we had to be there fore 8am for hair and make up (and it was about a 2.5 hour drive from our home). The inspiration was botanical, with a soft up-do and quite a strong eye. Here's a cheeky snap of me on the way to our location in the car.

The photographer was the lovely Michelle Boyd who is Texas-based and had made a special trip over to the UK. She was so nice and made us both feel at ease straight away in front of the camera. I was also really lucky as I had some gorgeous flowers to hold for the most-part (love a good prop). I even got to take these beauties home!

Now we're excitedly waiting for the professional pics which we should hopefully see in a couple of weeks!

I decided that this year I was going to seek opportunities and grab them with both hands. It's amazing to have such great opportunities - you only live one life so go get them!

Life update - Instagram week

Hi beauties,

I hope you're all having a great week!

I thought I'd do another update post on what I've been up to - for those who follow me on Instagram, you might have already seen, but for those who haven't here's a little round up!

1. Wedding season has still been going on strong, and I had the pleasure of doing the make up for 3 last week. It's such a joy to be a part of someone's special day. I've been particularly loving taking my new red bag along with me. It was from New Look and was only £19.99. They have some amazing bags in at the moment, you should definitely check them out.

2. It was my husband's 26th birthday yesterday, and to celebrate I got these amazing minion cupcakes made. You're never too old for themed cake and he loved them!

3. We went to London for his birthday and spent the morning at the V&A museum - we both hadn't been before and really enjoyed it. The cafe is pretty great too... a day out wouldn't be complete without tea and cake! Loved the fashion exhibition - vintage Dior!

4. And lastly today I went to get a manicure as on Sunday my husband and I are taking part in a styled photoshoot for a wedding blog! Seriously excited to dress up as a bride again! Can't wait to share the pics with you all.

That's all for now folks!

Japonesque Make up Set Bag

Hi beauties,

I thought this might be a helpful post for any of my lovely followers who are just starting out in make up artistry. Building a kit can be expensive and daunting and I know that when I was getting started I wanted to focus on the contents of my kit. So when it came to looking into bags and train cases to transport my make up kit around, it was looking like a rather big expense. Now don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a professional Zuca case which I could wheel along, but for now that was the difference of a good few hundred pounds.

So when I spotted this beauty I was so happy! I purchased my Japonesque Set Bag from the Guru Make up Emporium for a amazing £28.95. It has great space inside, and I love the pockets on sides which are are a perfect for my Mac Fix+ and Bioderma.

Inside I can fit a couple of palettes laid down and two full clear zip bags. It's got a side section, but I don't tend to use it, I just stick to the middle section. It's wipe clean, sturdy and amazing value for money.

Hope you found this useful! What are your favourite storage solutions?

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - My thoughts

Hi beauties,

Now I promise to write about something other than foundation for my next post, but I've been naughty and made another purchase - Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - a firm favourite of many beauty bloggers!

I purchased this from my local Space NK as I wanted to get matched. At £30.50 a bottle I didn't want to risk buying the wrong shade! She matched me with the shade Mont Blanc - I normally go for the lightest shade, but this was a tad too fair (this never happens!). In this respect I'm really impressed with their colour range and it's great to find a brand that caters well for us more pale gals!

It says it suits Normal to Dry skin, which I would agree with. It gives a lovely brightness to your complexion, and I really love the coverage.

Now the only downside is that this product is of the 'precariously pour from the bottle without getting it on your clothes or cream carpet type' which is slightly annoying! But fear not, you can buy a pump as an extra. Although this does mean you can't use the lid which isn't so great for carrying around and I don't know if this has an effect on the product with it being slightly exposed to the air. Let me know if you use a pump on yours?

I will definitely be purchasing a range of these foundations to go in my kit, as they'll be lovely to use on brides.

Let there be scrub! My favourite exfoliators

Hi beauties,

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.

So for today's post I wanted to talk exfoliating - I can't stress enough the difference it can make. Remove those dead skin cells and reveal a brightened complexion! Here are my current favourites...

Face: Good Things Deep Clean £4.99 at Boots

I really love this brand - I've got through quite a few of their shower products and moisturisers and this one doesn't disappoint either. It focuses on exfoliating to help clear away those blackheads, and has a nice gritty texture without feeling too harsh on the skin. I tend to exfoliate in the evening as part of my night time routine before I moisturise, and this product is perfect as it has a really relaxing scent of papaya and licorice.

Lips: Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub £5.50

Now I've never really been into lips scrubs, but found that this Summer my lips were really suffering. As much lipbalm I could smother on, I just needed to give them a good exfoliate. Lipsticks look so much better on with a smooth base! I've seen some great home recipes for lip scrubs so you really don't need to folk out for one you could always make your own. I was just feeling lazy and wanted a quick fix and this one smelt of bubblegum - sold!

Body: Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub £8 at Boots

Now this is by far my favourite scrub of all time. I know this product gets a lot of love from bloggers and I can totally see why. If you haven't smelt it you are seriously missing out. A fragrance of sweet lime and almond oil - it smells like summertime... that you get to rub on your body! I love it which is why I'm almost out of this pot, so will definitely be re-purchasing. It's a big tub too so will last you a good amount of time. What are you waiting for!?

Do you have any favourite scrubs/exfoliators? Be sure to leave a comment!

Lots of love,

Samantha xo

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation Review

Hi beauties,

Happy Friday!

Now as you might already know, foundations have become a little obsession of mine. I'm always reading about them - adding them into my kit is quite a considered process!

I want to talk with passion about the products I use, and know that I can trust they will do the job. So when I was chatting foundations with the lovely Zoe Newlove - I knew I had to give this one a whirl! Illamasqua Skin Base retails at £27. Inspired by the cult Asian market Beauty Balm creams it creates a beautiful soft focus effect, blurring out imperfections without feeling heavy on the skin.

Exactly as it's described, it's an 'easily blendable formula effortlessly creates a perfect complexion'. I use my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to buff this one into the skin. I also love it when brands include a pure white within the range of colours, as that way you can custom mix to your hearts content!

Not completely compatible with my dry skin, but to be honest that's more of a skin care issue that I'm working out as we transition into Autumn. 

Here's a snap of me with this foundation on -

Has any one tried this foundation? What are your thoughts?

Lots of love,

Samantha xo 

20 Facts About Me

Hi beauties,

As most of my posts are beauty related, I thought it would be a nice change for you all to get to know me a bit better. And if I'm honest, I love reading these kinds of posts so here it goes - 20 Facts About Me (they are all quite random!):

1. I'm a vegetarian
2. I don't have any cousins - I have quite a small family and so does my husband. We're keen not to follow this trend :)
3. My biggest fear is flying but I'm trying not to let it stop me from travelling. Up until the age of 20 I had no problem at all, but over the last 5 years it's got progressively worse. The thought of getting on a plane again gives me heart palpitations.
4. I never had any pets when growing up.
5. I have a cat called Richard. He's two.
6. I wish I had blonde hair.
7. I don't like fruit but will try and eat an apple a day.
8. My favourite food is pizza.
9. I do not watch scary movies - thrillers are the furthest I'll go.
10. Sometimes my nerves get the better of me.
11. I like to bake - I wish I was better at it.
12. When I was 10 I was shortlisted for a competition to design the 1st birthday cake for my local Sainsbury's. I didn't win but got to have a tour and free doughnuts.
13. My mum calls me her little dumpling.
14. I still have my blanket from when I was a baby.
15. I LOVE salted popcorn.
16. I hate the taste of wine.
17. I wish I could do make up everyday.
18. I truly believe that if you want something in life you should go for it.
19. My happy place is by the beach - Bournemouth to be precise as this is where my husband proposed.
20. I want to help people and spread some happiness.

Leave a link if you've written a post like this as I'd love to check it out. Also, any post requests are always welcome.

Lots of love,

Samantha xo

A week of #Instagram

Hi beauties,

So this past week I've been getting into using Instagram - I'm a little obsessed. Who doesn't love a good filter! Think food, FOTD's, and outfit pics - you can find me here. As I'm quite new to it I thought I'd see if any of you lovelies are on there - leave your links in the comments so that I can take a look :) And if you're on the land of Twitter please come and say hi too - @samanthadavismua.

Lots of love!

Samantha xo