Best Benefit - Christmas Present

Hello Chicas!!!

I hope you all had a splendid Chirstmas!  I had a lovely time back in my home time with my family - and even though it was me who ended up cooking lots of the Christmas dinner, everybody seemed to enjoy it!

Below is what my darling sister got me - the best of benefit as she knows I'm a sucker for all things Bene!

It's pint sized versions of their number one products and though I've tried them all before I'm super excited to have this as their small enough to go in my handbag to carry everywhere with me!

It features:

1) Benefit POREfessional - I love this mattifying primer
2) They're real Mascara - fantastic separating mascara that comes out in the blackest of blacks
3) Hoola Bronzer - SO happy to have this as it's my number one personally as it has zero shimmer and comes out beautifully natural but gives a real sun kissed glow
3) Cheek stain - honestly - I hate this...nothing personal but I really hate all cheek stains as their come out unevenly and un naturally
4) Bo-ing concealer - perfect for under eyes and contouring, I didn't have this so mega pleased to see this one!
5)High Beam highlighter - LOVE this gives such a beautiful glow on the cheeks

On the whole , i love 5 of the 6 which isn't bad at all! So thankful to have received it as it is just full of goodies!

Did you ugys get anything nice this Christmas?? Let me know!!
xxxFiocco Bianco xxx

My Top 5 mascaras!

 

Morning my delicious ladies!

 

I hope you're all having a lovely week so far??

 

I opened my mascara draw the other day and was a little bit disgusted at myself at quite how many mascaras I own.  Often I buy a mascara to try it out, hate it, and never use it again.  I can't bare to throw it out so I just accumulate dozens upon dozens of mascaras.

 

BUT, there is a plus! I have discovered some exceptional mascaras.  Below are my top 5, but made up of just three brands.  Below is a quick summary of the best points of my top 5 mascaras to help you make your descions when buying!

 

From Top downwards in order of favorites we have:

Benefit Cosmetics badGAL lash RRP £17.50

10/10

• FAVORITE MACARA
• Good price considering the quality
• Creates huge lashes without clumping
• No fallout

DIORshow blackout waterproof RRP £23.00
9/10

• second best mascara
• LOVE how black this one is
• lasts all day
• loses a point on price as it is a little steeep when badGAL lash produces the same effects for much cheaper.  Then again I prefer to see dior in my makeup bag....you pay for the brand I guess

DIORshow waterproof RRP £23.00

8//10

Instantly transforms lashes - great for when running late

very black

seperates, lengthens and volumizes

down point - after a couple of months the product dries out (badgal lash doesn't do this)

Also it is a little pricey for a product that dries out quickly

Benefit Cosmetics They're Real RRP £19.50
8/10

• best point of this mascara is its applity to seperate and lengthen
• Creates very elegant long seperate lashes
• It lost two marks as I prefer heavy, volumized black lashes, compared to elegant long seperate lashes.  If you prefer a less heavy look, then this mascara is for you.
• Beautiful foruma, no fallout

Lord & Berry Scuba extreme RRP £12.00

8/10

• Considering its cheap price this mascara works very well at creating thick, volumized lashes
• I don't like the colour - it isn't black enough, it is like a black / brown
• Fantastic application though which I cannot fault

And there we have it - my top 5 mascaras!! I hope oyu gugys found this review useful, let me know!!!

Fiocco Bianco x x x x

How to look POREfessional in under 5 minutes

Morning Ladies!

During the day when sometimes the low key is best,  primer is a god send. It immediately gives you a lift without looking too over the top.  This is why I find it as an absolute essential for when you're short on time.  It looks great matched with good mascara, eyeliner and lipgloss. Best of all, it takes less than 3 or 4 mintues to do.

Benefit's POREfessional is one of the better primers when worn alone as it does a great job in smoothing your pores to give you a more flawless complexion.  It's also got a hint of beige to it, so it also evens out any discoloration and gives you a more even skin tone without masking your natural tones.

All you need to do is smooth in a pea sized amount onto your face and neck and then add a little bit more to your problem areas (sides of nose and under eyes).  Most primers have a matt finish too so look great on their own without the need to waste time on powders.

Benefit's POREfessional - guaranteed to make you look fab in an instant!

Do you guys include primer into your work makeup routine? Let me know!

Zara SALE - white silk blouse

Hey,

I really hope its not just me whose been indulging in the ZARA sale!!!  Working in central London its really hard sometimes to try and resist all the shops, especially when they're in the sale!

I found this gem - a white silk blouse for just £17.99 - see here on the zara site.  Its a long sleeve number made of silk with a low narrow V neck with black detailing on the neck and cuffs.  I love its elegant style and is great for a night out with some black shorts or some jeans.  But I'm even thinking about wearing it to work with a pencil skirt.

Zara silk blouse with combination lapel £17.99 available here on in stores

Makeup: Number 17 primer, YSL la teint touche foundation B50, mac prep + prime transparent finishing powder, Benefit sun beam illuminator,  clarins splendors colour quartet eyeshadow , Dior Show mascara in waterproof

  What have you guys got in the Summer Sales? Let me know!

Kisses!

They're Real! Mascara by Benefit

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I swear by two brands for mascara - Benefit and Dior. Of those, until today, I had my two top mascaras listed as Benefit's BADgal lash and Dior's Show in Blackout.  Both have wands that just say OOMPH when you look at them.  Great big wands with huge bristles that twist your lashes into beautiful great big curls.

 And then today, something crazy happened.  I bought a silicone wand mascara. A mascara with a sensible, small and extremely non excitable looking wand.  Why??  Because it was rated the UKs number one -  Benefit's "They're Real" mascara. All my fellow mascara loving Brits couldn't be wrong, could they? I had to see it for my self.

Benefit's They're Real Mascara with cute packaging.

Review: 10/10
Excuse the sweaty face (its been kinda hot here in London).  But I hope you guys can agree that They're Real Mascara has really done a great job.

I'm not going to lie. I WAS ASTOUNDED. I don't know if its the small innocent looking wand or some kind of mad formula, but this They're Real mascara seriously doubled my lashes.  It had them flicking upwards and it lasted all day.  From the first brush stroke, I could tell it was good - it gripped to all my lashes and litterally tugged them upwards covering them all with a layer of this super lack mascara

What do you think?  Have you guys tried it, or do you prefer its sister BADgal lash.  I'm currently torn between the two!

Fashion in Paris

Good morning my beauties!

I've been away the last few days in Paris which is why you haven't seen a post off me in a while!  It was my first time there and an absolutely wonderful experience and a great time to try out some fashion in Paris.  

After setting off from Kings Cross on the eurostar within two hours we were in the heart of Paris! These snaps are from the hotel balcony - I thought I'd share a couple of the outfits I wore over there and some of the more 'romantic makeup' looks I did.  Because, well, if you can't wear red lippy in Paris where can you?

I went for a simple but chic look consisting of jeans, white cotton shirt from The Kooples (perfect for the changes in weather!) and my favorite pair of cream Ugg wedges.

 Clothes: Cotton White shirt- The Kooples (link), jeans - Italian boutique (old), shoes - Ugg wedges (link)

Makeup: Number seventeen photo flawless primer, YSL teint touche eclat foundation b50 , Urban Decay primer potion origional, Urban Decay blackout eyeshadow, Mac Prep and Prime loose white powder, Benefit blush in dandelion, Diorshow waterproof mascara, Soap and glory lipstick in man trap

There will be more snaps coming up from my trip in Paris! Hope you guys enjoyed!
Kisses!

Berry red lips

Happy Bank Holiday!

It is definitely time to celebrate the gorgeous long weekend we have ahead of us so I hope all you guys paint the town red!  And your lips too!

This is a fairly romantic look as it enhances your natural beauty with its focus on red lips and shimmering brown eyes. I love this as both a day and evening look as it can be dressed up or down with your clothing. The look focuses on natural, wavy hair,  gray-brown eyeshadow and a matte berry red lipstick.

Makeup used- YSL Le teint Touche Eclait foundation, Benefit Hula bronzer, Nars The Multiple cream blush in Orgasm, Urban decay eyeshadow in Verve , DiorShow mascara, 

And the grand finale, the red lips- Soap and Glory's fabulips in Pom Pom.  This was my first try of their makeup line, and though I was cautious at first, I will definitely try more of their products.  This lipstick gives you berry red lips which has a touch of pink.  It comes out matt and so lasts for ages and doesn't get on your teeth!

Aztec Gold Earings

Hello by beauties,

I've always been a fan of gold statement pieces which means I'm going mad on this seasons trend of Aztec jewellery.  I find that you just need one piece to completely transform your outfit and makeup, whether it's a heavy necklace, bracelet or earings.  But if you heap it all together it may end up as overkill.

Makeup: Benefit Playstick, Diorskin Nude, Urban Decay in Blackout, Diorshow Waterproof, Clinique Longlast lipgloss in guavagold, Bareminerals Brow Color    

I thought I'd match these heavy gold earings with strong black eyeliner...I guess trying  to get my Aztec swag on.  These are last season, but I'm lusting after these from Topshop.

These and similar jewellery would go great with a colourful Aztec bustier....unfortunately it's faaar too cold today for me to be wearing mine so it's been artisically paired with my black heavy winter coat.  Thanks London.

Over and out!

Casual Makeup

Hello!

Here's just a quick post showing the difference a little bit of makeup makes, but still creating a very natural and casual look.  As you can see me without makeup leaves a lot to be desired, but it doesn't take much to create a 'flawless' complexion or show off your eyes.

Buongiorno!

Volevo fare sola una post veloce per mostrare quanto e' grande la differenca con un po' di trucchi!  Ma il look creato e' ancora molto casuale e naturale!  Come potete vedere, sensa di trucchi non sono molto bella, ma con un pochino ti trucchi posso creare pelle liscio e sfruttare al meglio i miei occhi.

Creating the Look:

Prep:

The most important part to achieving  a 'natural' look is creating clear skin.  The below picture is after the application of the following:

La cosa piu' importante per riuscire a fare un look naturale e di creare pelle liscia.  Nel foto di sotto si puo vedere come sono dopo che ho applicato le seguente:

1) Primer - in order to create a natural look , its important not to use a dewy primer.  Much better is a mattifying, pore minimizing primer. 
Splurge: Benefit's Pore-fessional
Steal: Number 17's primer.

2) Foundation - I'm currently in love with YSL's Teint Touche Eclat foundation in B50.  It's got a gel like texture so it easily glides on and it can also be built up as well depending on how much coverage you want.  It is also great for covering those bags under the eyes.

3)Set - I set this foundation with MAC's Prep+Prime loose white powder and MAC's magical cool powder

Now it's time for the fun part - really bringing out the best of your features

Eyes

4) As this is a natural look I didn't want anything heavy.  Instead, Ijust lightly lined the eyes with a small angualr brush with a gold / black eyeshadow.  I then put on lashings of mascara - I love Dior Blackout as it really builds up your lashes and exaggerates their natural length.

Lips

5) As you can see I had covered my lips lightly in foundation too - this is to bring out the most of my light pink lipgloss as otherwise on red lips the colour wouldn't show up.
I used Clinique's but Boots no7 do a similar one for a cheaper price.


And that's it - it's really simple to create a causal makeup look - don't go to heavy with your eyeshadow and no blusher is even needed.  Keep your lipstick / gloss light in colour and be sure to remember lashings of mascara!

Hope you enjoyed

Fiocco Bianco
xxx