Review + Swatches | Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in 'Glisten'

There's always those products that are extremely raved about. Whether it be drugstore or high-end, the beauty world just loves to hype up products. These products always leave me with the question 'Are they really worth the hype?'. Well I fell into the trap of hyped products and bought myself just that, in the form of an Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush from Tarte in the shade 'Glisten'. 

The blush is very prettily packaged, in a sleek pink compact with the Tarte logo embossed on the front. The colour of the compact coincides with the colour of the blush. There is also a decent-sized mirror when you open up the compact - handy for on-the-go application. I decided to go for the shade 'glisten' because it has been compared to the likes of Nars 'Orgasm', which is a shade I've always wanted to try. It's a gorgeous peachy pink with a slight shimmer which gives a rose-gold finish.

The product is quite pigmented, so only needs a light hand when applying. It gives the most gorgeous glow to your cheeks. I've never been a huge fan of blush, but this product has converted me! It is the perfect blush in my opinion. I would imagine it being suited best to light-medium skin tones, but could be used more as a highlight for deeper complexions. Please don't judge the blush entirely from the swatch alone- as it really doesn't do the shade justice. Hopefully you can see the rose gold sheen I was talking about. I'm not entirely sure this lives up to its claim of lasting for 12-hours, but it does have good lasting power. I would say it lasts well for the day, about 8 hours before fading. Then again I have oily skin and nothing seems to last very long for me as others claim it does live up to its 12 hour claim.

Another unique selling point for this blush is its origins. It is infused with natural clay from the banks of the Amazon River and was naturally baked by the sun. It benefits all skin types as it is infused with nutrients. It claims to minimise oil whilst also nourishes and hydrates the skin. This is an all-natural blush free from parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances, phthalates, GMOs and Triclosan. All the better!

If you're on the hunt for a new blusher, I would definitely recommend this product. This shade may not be the shade for you, so not to worry as there are a total of 16 blushers in the range. Unfortunately, it's not the easiest product to hunt down in anywhere other than the USA but with a bit of luck you may be able to hunt it down on eBay. I picked mine up in Sephora when I was recently on holiday in Florida.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush- $26 Sephora

Review + Swatches | Benefit Go Tropicoral Lip & Cheek Kit

I hope you're all doing well and getting all set for Summer! One thing that's fun about Summer is the excuse to wear brighter makeup and experiment a little. One of my favourite colours to wear on my lips and cheeks is coral as it's bright, but not too bright. Benefit have come up with the perfect kit to create a gorgeous coral look and it comes in the form of their "Go Tropicoral" lip & cheek kit. 

This kit is one of three kits in Benefit's lip & cheek kit range. The other two being "Feelin' Dandy" and "Sugarlicious". This kit is based around their infamous blush, "Coralista". The kit comes with a mini (3g) version of blush, along with their signature blush brush. It also comes with a mini (4ml) high beam and Cha Cha Tint. I have pictured their mini "bene tint" as my sister and I swapped but it did originally contain a Cha Cha Tint. The final beauty product in this set is a mini (6.5ml) Coralista lip gloss. The kit is complete with a small handbook of tips and tricks which instructs you on how to use the kit.

This kit is perfect for travel as all the products are miniature and it contains everything you need to brighten up your makeup. The tint can be used on your lips or cheeks as a long-lasting stain. One of my personal favourite Benefit products is their "HighBeam" highlighter. It provides a gorgeous sheen to your face. I love to apply it to my cheekbones or my brow-bone as it gives a gorgeous glow that looks especially great in the Summer time.

The final two products are the corresponding "Coralista" blush and lip gloss. The blush is one of Benefits bestsellers and is always raved about, and for good reason too. It is a shimmery coral that isn't too bright and adds a gorgeous, natural flush to the face. The gloss is a great size to pop in your handbag and sheers out to give a pretty pop of colour to the lips. It's not as bright as the swatch below once applied- don't worry! It also smells yummy and fruity which is always a bonus!

Swatches from top-bottom: Coralista lip gloss// Coralista blush//Benetint//High Beam

Overall, this is a great kit and perfect for the Summer time. All the products are great quality and none of them disappoint. If you want to try out a few products from Benefit, this is a great and more affordable way of doing so rather than purchasing each product individually. 

Benefit Go Tropicoral Lip & Cheek Kit: €35 available from Brown Thomas & Debenhams as well as Benefit counters nation wide.

Review + Swatches | Topshop Lipstick in 'Saint'

Hey Everyone.

Topshop makeup line is loved by the beauty world, and is one of the best highstreet makeup brands, in my opinion anyway! I've reviewed a few of their makeup items before, including a lipstick and a few of their gorgeous nail polishes. I've been recently longing for a nude-pink lipstick but didn't fancy forking out close to €20 for a MAC lipstick so I decided to try one of Topshop's offerings.

 The shade I went for is entitled 'Saint' and is the perfect peachy nude-pink. It is nude enough without looking like you just slapped foundation on your lips! I love Topshop's makeup packaging. The lipstick comes in a sturdy cylindrical tube. The details of the packaging are the stripes in the lower half of the tube and the writing 'Lips' in a pencil-written style. The sticker at the bottom of the tube is very handy as it is the same colour as the shade encased.

The formula of the shade took me a bit longer than usual to get used to, as it does tend to stick to any dry patches on the lips, so make sure to apply a lip balm prior to applying the product. Besides that slight glitch, it glides on smoothly but does need to be layered if you desire a more prominent nude lip. It gives a natural, yet pretty colour. 

Above: lip swatch Below: hand swatch

Overall, I think this is a great product and very pretty colour. If you're on the hunt for a new nude lipstick, this one is a great high street offering.

Available from selected Topshop stores and their website for €12

Review: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Milk'

Hey Dolls,

I'll start off by wishing you a very Happy Valentine's Day. I don't have strong feelings towards Valentine's day, in my world it's no biggie. You can probably tell that I'm not all loved up at the minute. I'm spending my Valentine's Day curled up watching a movie and typing up this blogpost, and to be honest, I don't have much of an issue with that! Anyway, on with the review!

When I was in Germany back in November, I picked up this little wonder in a local beauty store. I was delighted to see these in store, as NYX is a difficult brand to get a hold of here in Ireland. Especially this shade, Milk. It's become a bit of a cult product in the beauty world, and it certainly lives up to its expectations in my opinion.

The product is essentially a thick eyeliner. It has a creamy consistency and glides on very smoothly. I like to apply it in the inner corners. It really brightens up your eyes, perfect for those early mornings! It also works great as a base, before applying eyeshadow.

As you can see, I've been using my jumbo eye pencil quite a bit, which has caused it to become a little grubby looking (sorry about that!). The good thing is, that when applied it still comes out crystal white!
The only gripe I have with the product is the packaging. I actually quite like the look of the packaging, it's just that the cap isn't very sturdy. Mine is cracked and I didn't even throw it around too much!

Overall this is a great product. It's very well pigmented, glides on smoothly and does a great job of making me look awake in the morning when I really don't feel it!

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils are available here for €5.75 

Max Factor Colour Effect FlipSticks: Review & Swatches!

Hey Ladies!

I hope you're all doing wonderfully! I'm off on holidays in Portugal at the mo. It is truly glorious here and I'm having an amazing time! Apologies for lack in blog posts but I'll do my best to blog on the go. Also apologies if this post looks a bit iffy, as I'm writing it on my phone via the Blogger app so I'm not sure how it'll turn out!

Anyway..on with the review! I've recently been loving these little beauties. They are basically two separate lipsticks on each side and when combined, create a beautiful ombré lip effect with ease. They come in 6 different shades, pictured is "Gipsy Red". This particular shade is a gorgeous orange-red and a pretty shimmery gold. They may seem a little far fetched but when paired, they create a stunning effect.

I am incredibly impressed in the quality of these FlipSticks. Each lipstick is extremely pigmented. They are a little drying so I would recommend applying a lip balm prior to applying this product. I didn't find them incredibly long lasting either but I do think they're worth checking out. They are extremely original and innovative and overall a great product!


They are available from Boots for a reasonable £8.49/€11.99. Thinking of it this way it's really only about €5.99 per lipstick!


Thanks for reading Dolls! Let me know if you've tried these out!