Top 4 Foundations

Hey Beauties,

First of all i'd like to apologise for being MIA lately, I've been super sick with bronchitis, conjunctivitis and pneumonia and I'm still getting over it all whilst I've been going to uni, working part-time, dancing, trying to have a social life and help my sister plan her wedding. So unfortunately blogging has taken a back seat and will continue to until my life calms down a bit which i don't see happening for awhile.

So anyway today ill be talking about my top 4 foundations! These foundations are my all time favourites and my most used. Unfortunately i don't own many foundations these top 4 were my only foundations until last month when i managed to get some other foundations, but regardless they are top 4 worthy products so read on to find out what foundations they are.

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow

This isn't the first time I've spoken about this foundation and it definitely won't be the last. This foundation feels so light on your skin and it makes your skin feel like its able to breathe whilst giving a flawless look. I must admit when i first started using this I didn't like it because I felt like it was just like a BB Cream with a little more coverage but it grew on me and now I love it. The only down fall is it doesn't have very good staying power at all, on me it last a max of 5 hours if I'm at uni or at a squeeze it may last all day if I have a quiet day at work, but its still a wonderful foundation.

Rimmel Match Perfection

I honestly didn't think I would like this foundation as much as I do. I brought this for when I am tan purely cause my best friend uses this when she is tan and I know it suits my tan well. It literally doesn't look orange or patchy and it literally squashes any doubts I had about using a darker foundation (I've always been scared too incase it came out orange).  I like that the colour range for this foundation is quite of a range in colours which I think is super good. Although i do find that it is true to the name of 'Match Perfection' where i feel like it adjusts to my skin tone a bit and ends up a bit lighter than my tan but thats nothing a bit of powder won't fix. It does also have a dewy finish which i don't exactly like purely because I have combination skin but that is easily fixed as well.

ChiChi Super BB Cream

I won't harp on too long about this product although its technically not a foundation i definitely needed to include it. I love love love this BB cream it is purely amazing. I find it has more coverage than a normal BB cream but it feels so light and weightless and breathable on your skin all while being super moisturising as well. Its got SPF 30 which i love because I don't actually put sunscreen on my face unless I'm going out into the sun all day like at the beach or wherever because sunscreen makes me break out and makes my skin super oily so this product is like my saviour in summer as well for days where my face my catch a little bit of rays.

Loreal True Match

Last but not least one of my holy grail foundations. I love this a lot probably as much as every other Lauren Curtis lover loves it. Its literally an amazing foundation that leaves you looking flawless and fresh until the end of the day which I found it oxidises on my face by the end of the day, but not all the time which I find weird. Anyway this has amazing coverage and its so buulable and just wow, i don't think there is really much else to say about this product because you have all probably heard it a thousand times before.

So those are my Favourite foundations, leave a comment below if your favourites are the same as mine or let me know what your favourite foundations are!

Until next time..

Love Always,

Beauty with Claire

xx

Inbetween blogging you can find me on instagram: @beautywithclaire

The Best of Benefit Cosmetics

Hey Beauties,

This post as the title suggests is about Benefit Cosmetics, which if you follow me on instagram you will know that Benefit is my favourite brand ever which is a big call to make. The love affair with Benefit started in 2013 when i was in Melbourne, i needed a new concealer so naturally i went to MAC because i was young and naive anyway i stood at the MAC counter for 15 minutes and wasn't even acknowledged or anything, even though two employees looked at me so i walked away because i wasn't going to give my money to a store that didn't acknowledge my presence. So i wandered over to Benefit where i was greeted by this infectiously bubbly employee who was more than willing to help me. I ended up walking away with more than intended but boy am i glad she up sold as i wouldn't of experienced possibly my favourite Benefit product ever. The purpose of this post is to give you a bit of my opinion on Benefit products and to share my favourite products as i still find quite a lot of people unsure about Benefit products. So read on to find out my favourite products

the POREfessional Primer

This is a cult favourite without a doubt and is probably one of the most talked about primers I've found. Its a pore minimising primer that is also oil free and leaves your skin feeling silky and smooth and keeping your makeup on all day. I have combination oily skin and big pores so this baby is my saviour. I don't use it all over my face but instead i opt to use it just in places needed. Its quite pricey as its $53AUD but you can get it online on the Benefit site for cheaper.

Hervana

Benefit is renowned for their Box o'Powders which are essentially blushes in beautiful boxes. Im a sucker for packaging and Benefit always manages to ace it in that division. Anyway Hervana is a beautiful rose coloured blush that is so subtle but at the same time noticeable as well. Perfect for lighter skinned girls like myself, plus it smells amazing sometimes i just smell it because i can haha.

Hoola

Hoola is another Box o'Powder but this time its a matte bronzer that is perfect for contouring. The one i have is a deluxe sample i got in a kit my parents brought me for christmas and its lasted so long its astounding. This is another cult favourite as its the perfect contour shade no matter what skin colour you are. I will definitely be buying the full sized product once this one runs out which i don't see happening anytime soon.

BeneBalm

This is a new one to the collection but i can already tell its here to stay. These were only recently released on the US site and only very recently released in Australia i think last week. Anyway these balms are balm form of the infamous tints that Benefit makes, this one is of Benetint. I love the tints but i mainly use them for lip stains so when they released these i jumped on them. They are so easy to apply and you don't even require a mirror to apply them and they are super moisturising swell as their staying power is amazing. I am definitely going to buy all four of these.

Brows A Go-Go

Ahhhh last but not least Brows A Go-Go is literally my holiest of holy grails ever in the hall of holy grail products. This product is amazing and what started my love for Benefit and for brows in general. It contains two matte powders and a pomade swell as a powder and cream highlighter and tweezers and a little brush and mini eyeliner. As you can see this is well loved and sadly its coming to an end but its lasted me almost two years and i use it daily. The powders last all day and are perfect to fill in my brows and the pomade was good to fill in my gaps and line my brows. Im sad that they're not selling this anymore of the US site but once this runs out i will probably purchase Brow Zings which is similar to Brows A Go-Go.

So those are my holiest of holy grail Benefit products that are my go to's no matter what. I have so many products that i highly rate and i haven't actually used one of their products that i haven't loved. So if you're unsure about Benefit i definitely recommend going into one of their counters and having a play with their products or even getting your eyebrows done at their brow counter. 

That is all my beauties

Until next time..

Love Always,

Beauty with Claire

xx

Inbetween blogging you can find me on instagram: @beautywithclaire

Disclaimer: All products have been purchased by me and in no way is this post affiliated with the brand itself, it is simply my thoughts and opinions on the products

July Favourites

Hello Beauties,

Its that time of month again! and not the bad time of month either hahah. You know the drill by now ill just show you what i was reaching for this month which has drastically changed since last month cause my skin has gone crazy and dry and weird. So read on to find out what my favourites are!.

Skincare:

Indeed Labatories Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Mask and  Serum*: These are two different products that i was so kindly sent to try out and i am so glad i tried them out. The masks are sheet masks and they come with 4 in the packet. I find they're quite moist for sheet masks but so so so hydrating! I generally have soft skin that isn't really ever dry except the rare occasion in winter but these masks make my face feel like a baby bum! As for the serum i alternate between the serum and my rose hip oil just to keep the moisture in my face and its a wonderful light serum that i think would be perfect if you had super dry skin. I will definitely be repurchasing these products and possibly some more Indeed Lab products considering I'm so impressed with these ones.

Strepsils Plus Lozegenes: So i thought id include this one for a bit of a laugh, considering most of july i was super sick. I actually cursed myself because at the beginning of july i actually said 'Oh i haven't used up any of my sick days' the next day i woke up with a horrendous cold that only got worse and developed into bronchitis and conjunctivitis, who knew bronchitis could cause conjunctivitis. Needless to say these babies soothed my throat and kinda helped lessen the feeling that i was swallowing razor blades. Ahhh the joys of winter

Makeup:

MaxFactor Excess Volume Mascara*: This mascara is huge, like I could probably knock someone out with how big it is. That being said it does have two wands, one for voluminzing and one for darkening and they both do such a wonderful job! I absolutely love this mascara and definitely recommend it to everyone!

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer: Ive heard good things about this concealer so of course being the makeup lover i am i went and brought it. I was actually surprised how much i like this concealer cause sadly every other Maybelline face product i have used just hasn't agreed with my skin.

Smashbox Color Adjusting Primer: I got a sample of this from kit and i loved it so much i got a full tube. I have quite a lot of redness in the morning mainly under my nose and on my nose and sometimes foundation doesn't cover it so this primer is perfect!

theBalm Girls Lipstick in 'Ima Goodkisser'*: This lipstick is the perfect peachy corally shade that goes perfect with stripes and boyfriend jeans i found. It smells divine and is so moisturising as well.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer: Ahhh finally i have this after lusting over this highlighter for months! So of course I'm using it all the time and its such a perfect champagne gold highlighter that doubles as an eyeshadow too. I can't wait to try the other 'Manizers' out.

theBalm Instain Blush in Argyle*: I feel like this blush is the perfect shade no matter what time of year it is. These blushes are designed to stain your cheeks for super long wearing which i love about this blush. Its so beautifully pigmented and just wow i want all the Instain Blushes.

So those are my July favourites. I hope you enjoyed this post.

Until next time..
Love Always,
Beauty with Claire
xx

Inbetween blogging you can find me on instagram: @beautywithclaire

*I was sent these products to consider but as always i have provided my honest opinion on the products and wouldn't rave about them if i didn't feel they are worthy of it.

Beauty Favourites under $20

Hey Beauties,

So this is an exciting post for me because if you follow my instagram you'll know by now that I'm a lover of drug store products and most of my collection is drug store as I'm a broke uni student and I'm always on the hunt for bargains. So i decided i would share my absolute favourite products that are under $20AUD. As I'm from Australia its actually amazing when drugstore products are under $20 as the mark up over here is ridiculous which sucks but I'm not going to dwell on it because I'm used to it and thats just how it is. So read on to find out my beauty favourites for under $20.

Models Prefer Perfect Canvas Mattifying Primer: This primer has been mentioned in so many posts because well i really love it! I have combination/oily skin and this does wonders to my skin. Definitly worth checking out as its only about $16.99AUD and it last forever!

Australis Fresh and Flawless Pressed Powder: Whenever i write about this powder the song 'I will always love you' by Whitney Houston instantly starts playing in my head. I have been using Australis for what seems forever and i will continue to use it forever. This powder literally leaves you looking flawless and its amazing and compact and so easy to just throw in your bag for touch ups during the day. The only down side is there are literally only 3 shades available and i have all three, the darkest being for when I'm tan and its not even dark at all. That being said if you are lighter skinned or tanned definitely give this baby a go as its only $11.40AUD.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer: This baby is amazing! I have horrendous dark circles and for a drug store concealer this little guy is always saving me from looking like i haven't slept in 10 years. As per the 'unwritten rules of drugstore products' there is only a few shades of this concealer but I'm fair so this is perfect. Its about $18AUD and I've had this for awhile now. Its a bit on the higher end for a concealer but its definitely worth it.

Australis Finishing Powder: This finishing powder is so finely milled for a drug store product it constantly amazes me. It leaves your skin so soft and keeps your makeup amazing all day and its something ridiculous like $12AUD so its practically a steal and wow. I will always repurchase this finishing powder and i have recommended it to so many people that are just buying their first finishing powder.

Nyx Blush: This isn't drugstore per say because its from Target but still its under  20 dollars and i love it so I included it. This is in the shade 'Pinched' which is supposedly a dupe for Nars 'Orgasm' Blush which i don't actually own. Regardless this blush is so pigmented and full of colour with a tiny gold flecks in it which you can just notice when you put it on. I literally always grab this blush when I'm unsure what colour i feel like wearing. I wish we had more colours of the Nyx blushes in Australia.

Maybelline Color Tattoo: This guy is probably my most worn eyeshadow ever, its in the shade 'Barely Branded' and it literally is the most perfect everyday shade to wear. Its a light cream colour with the tiniest hint of shimmer and it stays on forever, to the point that i have to scrub my eyes to get it off. The only downside is that i found using a brush to apply this just doesn't work as it can come out quite patchy and weird but thats because the product is in cream form and i think it needs to be warmed up a little before hand, so i just use my ring finger to apply it which warms it up as well and its perfect. I literally went through a stage where i wore this everyday for about a month.

Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara: This is probably the longest used product i have in my makeup collection, i have been repurchasing this since it came out which was a few years ago now and before this i was using the Falsies mascara by Maybelline which i think is exactly the same. Either way i absolutely love this mascara as it lengths and adds volume without making my eyelashes clumpy at all, which is hard because i have long spidery lashes which are sometime impossible to build volume with but this bad guy always saves the day. I will always repurchase this mascara no matter what.

That is all my beauty favourites under $20 dollars. Leave a comment below letting me know your beauty favourites and if you liked this post.

Until next time.

Love Always,

Beauty with Claire

xx

Inbetween blogging you can find me on instagram here

The quest to find a Beauty Blender dupe, Part 2

Hey beauties,

So as the title suggested this is the second instalment of my quest to find a dupe for the Beauty Blender. I won't go into too much detail about what the Beauty Blender is as you can read it here in my first instalment of this quest. I was suggested by one of my followers on instagram to try the Manicare Precision Blending Sponge, so of course i couldn't pass it up when it was on sale at priceline for $3.99AUD. Read on to find out my experience with it.

Okay so as you can see its actually a completely different shape to the BB but i understand the reasoning behind the different shape. The idea was the wider bottom is for the base such as foundations and the pointed top is for concealers and blending out highlights and contours etc. In theory the shape is well thought out but it just wasn't working for me. I didn't wet it like you usually wet the BB as i had asked my instagram followers if they had wet theirs and the general consensus was no. The blending sponge isn't as squishy (great wording) as the BB in a way that it feels quite a lot more denser and harder like i could throw it and it would bounce back.

So those were my first impressions before i even began using the sponge. I applied my foundation to the bottom of the sponge and started a bouncing action on my face as i would with the BB, and ouch it hurt a lot! I never thought a blending sponge could actually hurt my face and induce a headache as much as the Manicare Blending Sponge did, that being said i was getting sick so my body and pain receptors were not exactly working very well. I actually couldn't finish my face using the Blending sponge as it hurt my face that much and i wasn't using force behind it either, it also sucked up my makeup and didn't deposit much on my face at all.

So needless to say that the Manicare Precision Blending Sponge is definitely not a dupe for the BB and I personally wouldn't recommend buying it at all unless you want to have a sore face after doing your makeup. So the quest to find a Beauty Blender dupe continues..

Until next time.

Love Always,
Beauty with Claire
xx

Inbetween blogging you can find me on instagram here

Lip Product Addict Tag

Hey Beauties,

Todays post wasn't a planned one until my gal beautybybek tagged me to do the Lip Product Addict Tag. I actually had never heard of it until Bek tagged me in it. If you follow my blog or instagram you will know that I'm a makeup hoarder in general, i don't discriminate against any beauty products that i hoard, but i do have a special spot for primers, lipsticks and blushes. Im a huge fan of pink lipsticks as well as nudes and corals and i also love the occasional lilac lip once in awhile. 

Continue reading if you want to know my answers to the Lip Product Tag and i hope you enjoy.

1. Favourite Lip Balm/Treatment

I honestly always have lip balm on me, like i don't actually think youll ever see me without a lip balm in my bag, its pretty much and essential part of living for me. My lips have the tendency to get quite dry quite quickly so I'm always applying lip balm to prevent that because nothing annoys me more than chapped lips. Chapsticks Night time Repair is a night favourite of mine, i lather it on before i go to sleep and wake up with baby soft lips. Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Butter is my absolute favourite lip balm ever (apart from Lucas PawPaw) it smells divine and it stays on my lips for hours on end, it also keeps my lips super hydrated. Another one of my must haves is Lucas PawPaw Ointment which isn't pictured because I've just run out of it, but its so handy to always have.

2. Best Eye Catching Red

I am as much as a sucker for red lips as the next girl, i just think they're so classical and go with almost anything. My favourite eye catching red is MAC Red because its a beautiful classical red thats got just the right amount of depth in it and it lasts all day. My opinion is red lips and stripes never go a stray.

3. Favourite Luxury/Drugstore Lipstick

So i don't own a lot of 'luxury' products unless you count MAC, Benefit and other higher end brands 'luxury' so my favourite luxury lipstick is the Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipstick in 'Hess'. This colour is the perfect nude colour with a bit shimmer, i actually wore it to my year 12 ball and i kind of forgot about it for awhile then rediscovered it this year and haven't let it go since. My favourite drugstore lipstick would have to be Sportsgirl Pout About It Lipstick in 'Beauty Queen'. This colour is the perfect pale pink and goes with literally everything and suits just about everyone. Although it isn't 'drugstore' its still drugstore price and quality is on point.

4. Favourite MAC Lipstick

So until this year i owned one MAC lipstick as i never really set foot in a MAC store for about a year and a bit after a bad experience at one of their counters. Needless to say I'm so glad i brought Saint Germain as it is the perfect barbie pink and i love that its not matte because I'm kind of over matte lipsticks to be honest. This pink is nothing like any pink lipstick I've ever purchased and thats precisely why i love it, it makes you stand out.

5. Most Disappointing Lipstick:

The Nyx Soft Matte Lipstick in Tokyo Tokyo is without doubt the most disappointing lipstick that i own. I expected so much especially after using Australis Velour Lips which have amazing staying power, this Nyx Matte Lipstick is nothing like them. I love the colour but the staying power is horrendous and i found that it cracked on my lips after only a short amount of time. So many people love these lipsticks but I'm definitely not one of them.

6. Lip Liner - Yay/Nay?

So i don't own any lipliners (gasps) I'm not entirely sure why but i just don't feel the need to own any. The closest to lipliners that i own are the Sportsgirl Pucker Up Lip pencils, although i don't actually use them as lip pencils i use them as lipsticks, but when I'm feeling a little wild ill do a bit of a darker pink lip liner then a soft pink on my lips.

7. Best Gloss

This little Benefit Hoola Lip Gloss is the most used lipgloss i own. It smells divine and has the tiniest hint of shimmer in it. Im not a big wearer of lipgloss because i hate when my hair gets caught in my lipgloss which is often i must say considering i have long hair. But when i do i always seem to grab this little guy, it actually is perfect over a nude lipstick as its quite sheer but has a tan tinge to it. Perfect for a summer touch up as well.

8. Something Extra

I couldn't not do this post without mentioning the Australis Velour Lips which are matte lipsticks that are purely amazing. When they first came out i saw 'Mal-I-Bo' which is the hot pink and i fell in love, sadly i didn't have any money to buy it at the time but i vowed to go back the week later and buy it, needless to say i didn't need to go and buy it as my best friend brought it for me for my birthday before i could go buy it. Its my favourite lipstick ever as it stays on forever and doesn't dry my lips, as for the purple which is 'Tok-i-o' it is such a beautiful rich purple that for some reason makes me feel like a teenage witch even though I'm not a teenager (I've clearly been watching too much Sabrina the Teenage Witch). I do believe though that not all the colours of this range are available anymore which sucks but definitely go and grab one if you can.

So that is my Lip Product Tag, I'm actually not going to tag anyone specially but instead I'm tagging all you beauty bloggers and beauty lovers who are reading it now. If you decide to do the tag leave a comment below so i can read it.
I hope you enjoyed this post,

Until next time...
Love Always,
Beauty with Claire
xx

Inbetween blogging you can find me on instagram: @beautywithclaire

Brow Routine

Hey Beauties,

This is actually one of my most requested posts since I've started my blog. Ive always had naturally well shaped eyebrows I'm not going to lie, I've literally grown up with people telling me i have amazing eyebrows. This was until my eyebrow waxer started hacking at my brows leaving me with tiny thin brows and seeing as i split my brow open when i was about 12 and i have a gap in my brow where hair doesn't grow. I decided to grow my brows out and went to  a Benefit Brow Bar and the lady that does my brows is a goddess! She has literally saved my brows. So below are some pictures and a little bit of what i do to create my full brows. I hope you enjoy.

Before:

Products I use:

Step 1:

To begin with i use a spooly to comb my brows into the shape i want. I then use my EcoTools Eyebrow brush and slightly dip it into my Anastasia BH Dipbrow and line the top of my brows and then line the bottom of my brows to outline the shape i am aiming for. I then use upwards motions with the brush to blend in the bottom line and also to fill in the gap i have from splitting my brow open.

Step 2:

After i have lined my brows and filled in where the hairs don't grow, I then go over with Benefit Brows A -Go-Go which is my holy grail brow product and actually the first product i ever brought from Benefit. It comes with two brow colours as well as a pomade which I've used up and two highlighter colours swell as a brush and tweezers. Anyway now i have darker hair i use the darker shade of brown to fill in the rest of the gaps and to make them look fuller. I do this using the Real Techniques Eyebrow Brush which is amazing. I then go back over with the spooly just to get the few stray hairs i may have missed.

Step 3:

Last but not least to define my brows more and to clean them up a bit i line and highlight under my brows with Benefit Boi-ing in Light. I do this using the Real Techniques Precision Brush which i find perfect for doing this step. I then blend it out with the brush a little then use my pinky finger to blend the rest out a little more.

After:

So that is my brow routine, its kind of hard to master and don't get me wrong somedays i still do them and i just end up looking like i have caterpillars as brows. This is just how i do my brows but in noway is this post intended as it being the correct way because there is no correct way to do brows, you can do them how you like wether they be gradient or full like mine, their your brows so do them how you wish and how you like to do them. Remember beauties there is no rules for makeup, just do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

Until next time..

Love Always,

Beauty with Claire

xx

Inbetween blogging you can find me on instagram:

@beautywithclaire