Benefit Concealer Special

Following on from this week's other review Clinique Airbrush Concealer I thought I would look at some of Benefit's offerings of concealer products. As you can see there are quite a few!

I was going to review Lemon Aid (not pictured), a colour correcting eyelid primer - £16.50  but unfortunately I was unable to do this as it made my eyes water too much.

From left to right

Boi-ing - Industrial Strength Concealer - £16.50


A concealer, available in 3 shades, I am using number 02 medium.

I love this product and it goes everywhere with me and has even made my beauty essentials list.

It is in an attractive container with a clear lid, blends easily and conceals really well. I use it to hide my blemishes but it claims to conceal under eye shadows and discolourations - Fab product.

You're Bluffing - Redness Concealing Wand - £17.50


I have developed a bit of redness around my cheek area so I was keen to try this product to disguise it. Again attractively packaged and in a very usable and appealing rollerball style wand.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed, it didn't really do much for me to hide the redness which I don't think is that excessive. However,  I have better luck concealing the redness just by applying Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation.

Perhaps tellingly, this product appears to be discontinued as it is no longer listed on the benefit website, it is still available however at a few other stockists.

Stay Don't Stray - Stay Put Primer For Concealers and EyeShadows - £19.50


This liquid product comes in a pump action tube.

I really like this product, it provides an excellent base for eyeshadow and  really does make your eyeshadow last for hours on end as if you have just applied it.  Your under eye concealer will not budge also. You only need a tiny amount to go a long way.

My one gripe is that it is messy coming out of the container, it is really hard to just pump out the little bit you need,  so what happens is that it ends up around the entrance of the pump and too much in your hand. I cannot be the only one that has complained about this as there is a video made by benefit on YouTube on how to use it!!

And finally -

Erase Paste - Brightening Camouflage For Eyes And Face - £18.50


Comes in a little pot, in a dry creamy consistency. Available in 3 shades.

This is meant to brighten and camouflage in one step.

This is a lovely product, and it definitely does leave the eye area brighter and ever so slightly shimmery. I found it a bit hard to blend even after warming my hands up (as instructed) but after quite a few goes I have finally got the hang of it and now I think it a fab product for concealing under eye shadows/bags. I get a tiny bit, warm it on my hand and then dab gently.

All products (unless stated) available from www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk and Benefit Counters and stockists.

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

When I have dark shadows, not so often now granted as I am using Clinique's All About Eyes, I like to use this liquid concealer.

What Clinique claims - Not only does it hide shadows but it also illuminates and perfects your complexion and eye area.


What I think - I use the Neutral Fair as it is a mix of pink/yellow tones which is perfect for my yellow based skin tone but it is available in Fair and Medium. The first time I used this, I went a bit twist happy and ended up with loads of the liquid on the brush applicator. By the second use I had mastered the twists and you only really need to click 2/3 times max, dab on and blend in. Easy, blendable and light.


Result - Very natural and bright with not a hint of shadow, perfect!


Cons - The only one I have is that you cant see how much you have left....


Clinique Airbrush Concealer - £15 from Clinique counters or www.clinique.co.uk

Peony Rejuvenates Foaming Facial Cleanser and Juniper Exfoliating Crystals

Peony is a new skincare range that was launched in Spring of this year and is based upon the benefits of the white peony plant. It is a range free from chemical additives and parabens.

I think the packaging is pretty and fresh looking,  good enough to be left on show in the bathroom.

Foaming Facial Cleanser -

What Peony says - A rich foaming cleanser which removes make-up without stripping natural oils. Gentle cleanses and removes impurities whilst maintaining the skin's natural pH level. Suitable for the sensitive eye area, leaves skin feeling soft, supple and clean. It is suitable for all skin types.

What I think - The cleanser comes in a pump action bottle, and when it says it's a foaming cleanser, it really means that. The product came out as foam, to be used with water to lather up,  massage into the face for a couple of minutes and then washed off. It smelt lovely (I think it is the Green Tea, smells fresh, similar in scent to Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea perfume).  It does leave your skin looking bright and feeling clean,  unfortunately though I am not a fan of the tight feeling that it leaves the skin with, so this cleanser isn't for me. If however you don't mind that, then you may want to give this product a try.

Gold Juniper Exfoliating Crystals -

What Peony says - A gentle dissolving exfoliator & detoxifier, eliminates dead skin cells, unblocks pores and helps stimulate the skin's cell renewal cycle. Visibly reduces pore size and helps minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

What I think - The crystals are to be used in conjuction with the cleanser to make an exfoliator. It smells strongly of lavender and on closer inspection I saw that lavender was one of the ingredients. However,  I found the smell doesn't really materialise when the crystals are mixed with the cleanser. I cannot comment on claims that it minimises the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, I saw no evidence of this but I haven't been using the product long enough to tell.

I liked the exfoliator a lot, it left my skin extremely soft and my pores were so clean, they were barely visible.

In conclusion, although I wasn't overly keen on the cleanser on its own, it was a great exfoliator when used with the crystals. The tight feeling disappeared when a toner was used afterwards.

Coming soon - reviews of the Green Tea & Collagen Eye Mask and Pro Collagen & Cell Renewal Serum

Products available at Fenwick or www.peonyskincare.co.uk

Foaming Facial Cleanser 150mls - £24.25
Juniper Exfoliating Crystals 15g - £22.75

Look what I came across!

Driving along on the M25 and just in front of us we see this :-) Beauty must be my destiny!


It is a shame I never managed to get to it but it made the motorway interesting on a Friday evening.


Elemis launched this in May to celebrate 20 years of success, taking treatments on tour and raising money for charity. If you would like to know more you can find out by clicking the link below 
http://www.elemis.com/BreakingNews/SpaBusDetails.aspx?naid=284celebrate 20 years of success, we are taking our products to the people with our “Treatments on Tour” Sp
 Has anyone hopped on board?

Soap & Glory Flake Away Spa Body Polish

I have heard good things about S&G, they seem to have so many fans. So when I wanted to be lovely and smooth for my holiday I popped down to Boots and picked up Scrub of Your Life and can honestly say I was so disappointed when I used it. I hated the smell, so synthetically soapy and chemical, it was awful and really got up my nose. Using it made no difference to the softness and smoothness of my body and definitely didn't do anything for the bumps on my arms which was the reason that I had bought it. And the bobbly bits didn't even seem to dissolve. A real waste of my £6.50.

To the credit of Soap & Glory, when I complained about the product (I felt that strongly) they offered to send me Flake Away to try, and what a difference!

I love this product, it smells utterly gorgeous, sweet and feminine and actually works. Not as abrasive as a full sugar scrub but just enough to do the job. I now have THE most fabulously smooth, soft and silkiest body I have ever had. The ingredients of this skin smoothing spa body polish are - Shea Butter, sweet almond oil, peach seed powder, sea salt and sugar.

Highly recommended.

Flake Away is £6.50 for 300mls and is available from Boots, ASOS.com and Harvey Nichols.

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner

I love Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, readers of the blog will know it is my No1 beauty product. So I was delighted to be sent the latest products from Liz Earle - Shampoo and Conditioner - to review.

Those of you who already purchase from their website will know that when your order arrives it comes beautifully packaged and wrapped. It really is a pleasure to receive the items and this package was no different.

I was pleased as I knew that they would not contain parabens or SLS (sodium laurel/laureth sulphates) and although the jury is out as to whether they are harmful, I prefer, where possible, to err on the side of caution.
These were 6 years in the making and requested by thousands of Liz Earle customers.

Botanical Shine Shampoo 200ml - £7.50

Comes in a fresh blue, easy to use flip top bottle. Nice design.
With shea butter, vitamin E, apply and orange extracts and naturally derived cleansers. The shampoo claims to cleanse without stripping to leave hair soft, shiny and smooth.

Just like their cleanser, one product has been developed and deemed suitable for all. I have dry, coloured hair. I found the smell very fresh although I couldn't detect fruit when just smelling from the bottle, once on the hair it was nice. Somehow the fruit smell burst through, as if it had been unleashed but it was not overpowering. I really liked this product. I noticed immediately that my hair felt different, a lot smoother and clean when normally the texture is not pleasant and doesn't feel like it has been really washed. My hair lapped it up, like a thirsty puppy.

You can see the consistency of the shampoo and conditioner in the photo above, the thick white one is the conditioner.

Botanical Shine Conditioner for dry or damaged hair 200ml - £7.50

Same packaging as above except in white, handily different.

The claim - Specially formulated with shea butter and yangu oil, the ultra rich-rich colour safe conditioner leaves hair hydrated, under control, soft and smooth.

I loved this conditioner and could feel the difference immediately to my hair. It is quite thick but applies easily and washes off just as easily. It smelt gorgeous and when rinsing off, my hair was left feeling so silky, I knew straight-away it must have done something.

As I often leave my hair to try dry naturally and then scrunch with mousse, it gets very tangled and knotty and I can spend ages trying to brush it through after washing. After using these products, it was left pretty tangle free and easy to manage. I was suitably impressed by this as I have yet to find a good product to help this until now...

On the second use, I dried my hair with a hairdryer and then straightened it - it looked,smelt and felt amazing. Shiny and incredibly soft.  My sister said (without me even mentioning I was using anything different) that my hair hadn't looked that good in ages. Praise indeed!!

So in conclusion - More great products giving fab results. I love these products and will be adding them onto my Liz Earle order list.

The two other conditioners in the range are for normal hair and oily hair.

Products are available to purchase from http://uk.lizearle.com/ Travel versions also available - 50mls at £4.

Olympia Beauty Show/Face Mapping at Dermalogica

This was my first visit to a beauty show and after a hard week I was happy to dispense with the toddler for the day and enjoy some grown up company (my beautiful little sister) and perhaps learn about some new brands...

It was busy, very busy. I didn't need to walk, I was carried by the crowds. Every coffee shop was heaving. Can you tell refreshments were at the top of my agenda?

I think the show, as it is a trade show, is aimed very much at the beauticians and therapists in the industry. Nails featured heavily, whether it was colour or technique. Equipment, treatments and tanning were well represented and make-up artists were catered for. So, plenty for the professional and perhaps less so for the beauty blogger but no matter it was an experience.

So what was there for me? I noticed that the newer brands that are launching are using buzz words such as natural and organic. Not a bad thing in my opinion. I definitely think that this is shaping the industry now. Consumers are seeking out natural products more and more.

Well, I politely declined offers of spray tans and the ladies with their huge brushes to give me the ultimate glow and found my way to the OPI stand where I picked up two nail polishes - Dulce Du Leche - a gorgeous neutral colour for winter for the bargain price of £5.50 and one of their Designer ranges - Glow - again at a bargain price of £8.50!

Glow - as worn by my sister

I left the Dermalogica stand till last and waited patiently in the queue for the free face mapping service.

Can you see me?

What is face mapping ?

The concept is that your heath is written all over your face and using Chinese Diagnosis - the belief that the skin provides an outside view of your body's internal health - A therapist maps your face with concerns like fine lines, milia, dehydration, redness/sensitivity etc

It is an analysis of the skin by scrutinising it inch by inch using both a magnifying lamp and sense of touch.   The face and neck having 14 different zones, for example Zone 7 is the nose - A reddened nose can indicate high blood pressure or early signs of Rosacea and so on. The therapist will look at each zone and then prescribe products to deal with your skin's outer problems...

Once this is done, they have a prescription sheet recommending what products you should use, again the idea being that you only use what your skin needs.

Now I have never had this done (they do recommend it as they promote themselves as a prescriptive brand) but I have used the odd Dermalogica product, in fact my favourite mask is the one from their youth range - Clean Start - Ready, Set, Scrub. I was interested therefore to see what happens during this process and what they made of my skin.

It was explained to me that usually they would spend 20 minutes or so in a Salon doing this but this was a 5 minute one special for the show. Obviously it wasn't as in depth.

Here is a picture of Becca doing the face mapping

I was told I had really good skin - I think it is generally good, the odd break out but nothing overly concerning. I look after my skin, cleanse, tone and moisturise twice a day. I use a scrub/exfoliator twice a week and drink plenty and (usually) eat quite well.  My hydration was good and the only major concern was my oily/shine t zone. Pretty much spot on I would say. Although if I was picky I would say that I am starting to be concerned about the fine lines around my eyes but have taken steps to rectify that.

I was prescribed the following to use

Precleanse
Daily Microfoliant
Special Cleansing Gel
Skin Smoothing Cream
Intensive Eye Repair

I will try these out and let you know how I get on with them in a later post.

Did you go to the show? What did you think?
Do you use any of these products, I would be interested to hear your views on them.

Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation

I honestly didn't think I could find a better foundation than my all time favourite from Chanel, Vitalumiere.  As always though, I love trying out new products and what better way to share my love of trying things out than with a Beauty Blog to shout about the ones I love and to tell you about the products I hate or that are just 'OK'.

When I heard that Lancome had a new foundation out and you could pick up a 7 day sample at a Lancome counter - guess who headed down to her nearest counter to pick one up - Yes, yours truly. The experience was fun actually, the lovely lady at the counter was new so was desperately trying to find a pot to put my sample in, opening every draw (there were loads) and getting quite flustered and apologetic in the process! She also did make it clear that they only had a few shades to give testers of (3). Once she found me a pot, she suggested I tried shade 01. Which is fine with me as I warm up with a bit of bronzer. The lady asked if I would like to sign up to their newsletter - no problem and then proceeded to tell me all about Genifique - another new product and thrust a promotional leaflet in my hand with info on it.

Teint Miracle is marketed as Lancome's first foundation which recreates the aura of perfect skin. Instantly complexion feels naturally bare, beautifully flawless and luminous, as if lit from within, hydrating for 18 hours. Suitable for all skin types.

Well.. what can I say, I am in love with the way it made my skin look and have been using it ever since.

It was the perfect match for my skin tone. It is bright, flawless and glowy without being too dewy. It covers up my pores, so I don't need a separate product to do that. It feels so light like you have nothing on your face at all. I also found it easy to apply and blend. Lasts all day and coverage is adjustable too. Just amazing with the added bonus of SPF15. I feel so confident that I just beam all day and all evening :-) - see my beaming face.

So as soon as the Chanel is finished I will be heading back to the Lancome Counter to pick up a bottle of this fantastic liquid foundation.

I know, I feel like a traitor.......but this is too good to ignore!

Teint Miracle is available from your nearest Lancome Counter priced at £25 for 30mls and is available in 7 shades.

Have you tried it ? What did you think?

The Occasional Tip...

Today I am going to share a great tip with you..

Use a man's razor and not ones made/advertised specifically for a lady and you will get super smooth legs and even less nicks than usual - honestly, it is a great idea!

Just think, these have to wrestle with your man's bristle and then leave him soft as a baby with a very kissable face.

A simple Gillette Mach 3 will do the job. Let's face it the guys are always stealing our products...

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Summer and my hay fever have disappeared and thus my water-proof mascara is now consigned to the bin, timely really as it has been 3 months. I was getting ready to start the search for a new (non water-proof mascara) when the postman knocked with my delivery of the Revlon A/W collection. I was pleased that it included this, their latest mascara. I felt that Grow Luscious was so impressive that it warranted its own post.

I have never used Revlon mascaras so I was keen to try it but didn't have any expectations....

My first thought was I am not keen on the bright shiny green packaging, I much prefer a more muted colour and then my second thought was - actually it will be really easy to find whilst rummaging in the make-up bag.

The wand is huge and bushy which was my next surprise.. much bigger than my small eyes so after application I had to clean up around my eyes as it got messy but I felt it was a small price to pay for the results - sexy, long lashes. I am using Blackest Black and I love it.

Here are the before and after pics

No lash inserts or enhancement in post production!

I think this is an excellent mascara and I would definitely repurchase. It says it will make your lashes appear longer and fuller which it certainly did. These pictures were taken hastily but I wore this at the weekend when I had longer to apply and people were asking what I was using. My mum could see my lashes from 3ft way!!

As a bonus this claims to be the first mascara to strengthen lashes with each use, I can't verify this after a few applications but it is worth trying.

What do you think?

Revlon Grow Luscious is usually £9.99 at Boots but they currently have £2 off making it even better value.

Also available at other Revlon stockists.

Revlon Autumn/Winter Collection 2010

Named the Suede Rhapsody Collection, this offering by Gucci Westman (Revlon's Global Artistic Director) is inspired by women in fashion in the 1920's Art Deco period and is available to purchase now.

There are 3 lipsticks in the collection - in order of swatch

Mink in Creme Super Lustrous Lipstick  - A nice rich chocolatey shade which I personally think suits redheads and brunettes with gorgeous rich toned hair and dark eyes.

Smoked Peach in Matte Super Lustrous Lipstick - A pretty muted peachy colour for an understated look.

Stormy Pink in Matte Super Lustrous Lipstick - A vibrant striking shade to stand out from the crowd

I found all the lipsticks to be quite heavy on the lips and a bit drying, I have only just restarted wearing lipsticks after a summer of glosses though....But all are gorgeous shades worthy of attention.

Shades available -

Emerald City Matte
Ruby Ribbon Matte

Now these looked absolutely gorgeous in the bottles, all sparkly and vibrant in tone and I must admit I was a little disappointed that they had to turn matte. Two coats gave excellent coverage and they were easy to apply. Although the flash has given them a sparkly appearance, they are definitely matte.  If you are fans of matte (huge as a trend this A/W) then I do think these rich shades will appeal. My favourite is the Emerald City.

Shade Silver Fox - ColourStay 12 Hour Eye Shadow

In order of swatch

A muted purple shade (my favourite for a smoky eye)
A shimmery white
A gorgeous delicate green
A silver, which comes out bluey on my arm for some reason but was a nice grey shade on my eyes

These shadows are long lasting and I will definitely be using them as they are so pretty.

Lipsticks - £7.29 each

Nail Enamels - £6.29 each

ColourStay Eye Shadow Quad £7.99

What do you think, will some of this collection find its way into your make-up bag this Autumn/Winter?

Elemis Eau De Parfum Exotic

I know what you are thinking.... A review of perfume on the web is as much use as Richard and Judy wine tasting with Charles Metcalfe on This Morning. The enjoyment is all mine - right..?

Well ok,  I don't profess to being an expert on perfumes but I have clear ideas of what my preference is when it comes to fragrance. I generally tend to be drawn to lighter perfumes rather than the heady scents that were all the rage in the 80's but are still selling strongly today. I am not really keen on those scents that claim to be Unisex either, I like smelling all woman and if I am honest love rose and similar scents. I an not overly keen on ultra fruity ones either but I know that these are rather popular.

So I think BeautySwot as a beauty blog wouldn't be doing its job if it didn't bring to your attention and review from time to time fragrance releases and existing fragrance on the market.

Elemis have recently launched what is incredibly only their second perfume. The original being called Elemis.

Exotic is described as an experience -  taking you on a journey via your senses and I think this one is a journey into the East.

Warm Top Notes: Pink Pepper, Clove Bud and Cinnamon Bark - (this is what you smell when you first apply the perfume)

Precious Floral Heart Notes: Ylang Ylang, Tuberose, Indian Jasmine Sambac - (the heart of the perfume)

Woody Base Notes: Frankincense, Cedarwood, Somali Incense, Sandalwood (As the perfume lingers, these are the scents you are left with and last the longest)

I found this perfume to be quite peppery in scent and initially for me it had a definite coconut smell, this isn't mentioned in its description so I could be imagining it....The bottle is pleasant enough but quite basic when you see the other pretty bottles on the market but it does come with a gorgeous "Cadbury's Purple" travel pouch.

So in summary, if you adore classic, spicy and heady scents that will definitely get you noticed, then this perfume could well be worth seeking out.

Elemis Eau De Parfum Exotic - £35 for 28mls is available at Elemis spas, salons, Elemis counters at Department Stores and at www.timetospa.co.uk

Yes To Tomatoes Range - Facial Wash, Facial Lotion and Facial Mask

The Yes To Tomatoes range is from the creators of the Yes To Carrots stable of products and is aimed at people with oily / combination skin. As my skin is "combination", I was very interested in trying out this range.

Once again it promises that it is 99.6% Natural, Petroleum SLS and Paraben free - this time using tomatoes as its vital ingredient: lycopene is a known and powerful anti-oxidant. Other key ingredients are Rosemary, Red Peppers and Water Melon!

So what did I think of it ....

Facial Wash - £8.99 for 100mls

This product claims to maintain your skin's pH balance while removing excess oils and impurities, purifying the complexion.

Readers of my blog will know I have a strong preference for hot cloth cleansing. For some reason I just prefer it to splashing water on my face directly. However, if you prefer facial washes I think you will like this. From the description I was a bit worried about what it would smell like but I needn't have worried as the smell was rather pleasant and not overpowering.

I put a small amount on my wet face and then massaged it in. Washing it off was interesting... it was really bubbly and felt like it was fizzing and foaming around my nose, which I found strange as we are in a hard water area. I found it quite time consuming as I wasn't really sure whether it had all gone! Afterwards my skin tightened once dried which I don't really like either. It did leave my skin very clean though and blemish free after a few uses.

I am aware that some people like the tightening effect, it just wasn't for me.

The packaging is a screw top tube which will mean you will need two hands to open it which you may or may not find an issue, but I do find the packaging design appealing, fresh and clear.

Facial Mask - £11.99 for 50mls.

This is described as a deep pore treatment that refines, purifies and moisturises.

I was looking forward to using the mask. I really enjoy my current twice weekly treatment from Dermalogica and was ready to see if it was going to upstage it and provide even better results.

This is similar to a traditional clay mask - green in colour, cold and thick. You only need to apply a thin layer  for it to dry quickly and evenly drawing out the impurities.

Unfortunately I was only able to use this once as it stung. Actually, my face felt like it was on fire around my nostrils and cheek area!  I kept it on for the 5 minutes as per the instructions and the sensation did subside. I then used a damp face cloth to wash it off, followed by a splash of cool water before finally patting dry.

My face was a little red after use but did not feel tender. It felt very soft and hydrated but not exceptionally clearer than when I have used other masks. As it stung I don't think I will be trying it again.

Facial Hydrating Lotion - £11.99 for 50mls.

I absolutely love this moisturiser.  It smells lovely and pleasant, very hard to describe actually but definitely not tomatoes! I would say, if anything, with a very slight hint of Vanilla. It goes on very smoothly, absorbs quickly with a nice texture and doesn't feel heavy or overly rich. This left my skin feeling extremely soft and hydrated all day. I have been looking for a new moisturiser and this product has been sent to the top of my favourite moisturiser's list.

It comes in a pump bottle which I like as it isn't messy at all. The only minor bugbear I have is that the label is just stuck on so it is rolling off already -  not a great look when on display in the bathroom.

All products are available to purchase at victoriahealth or Debenhams Stores Nationwide

The Holiday Post - Venetian Riviera (Includes Waitrose Pure facial wipes review)

I was rather quiet last week, you wouldn't have needed to look far for me though - a short hop on a plane found me in Marco Polo Airport ready for my break in Lido De Jesolo. Although, the hours it took to get to the airport, check in and get onto said plane - I may as well have been heading to the other side of the world....

The week wasn't without incident, my little boy had a choking incident at the Airport Hotel we'd booked into the night before. I'd thought that each time he gagged when weaning and beyond that he was choking, I now know that real choking means silence. He turned blue and we knew it was serious. Springing into action I didn't notice the staff on the sidelines waiting to intervene if necessary, but I was aware of the lack of noise in the packed bar that evening.

He also burnt his finger on an exposed lightbulb in the hotel room and cried for me to "kiss it better". I can only imagine how much it hurt and stung. It only takes a second when you take your eyes off them.

The holiday was fab, I love Italy - Coffee, paninis, pizza and panna cotta - Mmmmmm.

Jesolo was perfect for relaxing - It had the sun, a great beach, children's playgrounds, crazy golf, bars and clubs both your cheesy themed ones and classy, sophisticated ones. Restaurants of all types and the ubiquitous waterpark.

A very easy 50 minute journey by bus and ferry and you find yourself in Venice. I have always wanted to visit and it didn't disappoint. The place is something like straight out of a film set, unreal. Looking back at the photographs it is just so pretty and unique.

You will find plenty of shops to cater for the shopaholics amongst you and oodles to see for the sightseer.  The sites are breathtaking and you do need to be fit to take in all those steps, so a little difficult if navigating a pushchair or similar. I just loved the place and it did remind me a little of Capri, another favourite of mine.

Unfortunately we didn't manage to ride a gondola but I guess this means I just have to return for a second visit.

Here are a few indulgent pictures of our trip:

Hundreds of intricate masks - absolutely stunning!

Nik & I on one of the many bridges in Venice.

A beautiful Venetian Gondola going under the Rialto Bridge

Enjoying a spritzer at the LP26 bar in Jesolo. Highly recommended!

And finally - my little boy playing by the pool!

So back to beauty - I wanted to travel light, mainly because I wanted to see if I could, afterall don't we always pack too much.... 

• Waitrose Pure facial wipes - £1.99 for 30 -  Review below...
  Wipes are a great idea for travelling light as they are meant to cleanse, tone and moisturise. I liked the idea of these as they claim to be suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin. Perfume and colour free with no unnecessary additives.
  
  Unfortunately the reality was rather different - I didn't like them at all and in fact threw them away at the end of the holiday despite some being left over. I found I had to wipe hard to remove all my make-up. It made my skin red and stung it, particularly around my nose and chin. Very disappointing.
  
  Next time I think I will decant my usual cleanser etc or purchase travel size versions.
  
• You Rebel Tinted Moisturiser - Benefit (See my review here.)
  
• Korres Colour Organic Face Primer (See my review here.)
  
• Benefit Boi-ing Industrial Concealer  (Review coming soon)
  
• OPI Nail Lacquer in Kyoto Pearl
  Gorgeous white pearly shade, looks fab with a bit of summer sun, exceptionally easy to apply.
  
• Gina K Bronzer
  A fantastic market find, always have great compliments when I wear this but no idea where to find it again....
  
• Estee Lauder Blusher in Sepia Passion
  My trusty friend but I am long overdue a new blusher plus this is no longer produced.
  
• Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara (See my review here.)
  In hindsight I possibly should have taken a non waterproof for extra glam in the evenings.
  
• Rimmel London Soft Kohl Eye Pencil - 021 Denim Blue
  Great Summer colour.
  
• Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Sand & Sea Eyeshadow Palette (2009 Ltd Edition)
  This was brilliant, took me from day to evening creating lots of different looks.
  
• Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss - Mochaboom (See my review here.)
  
• No7 Limited Edition Soft Matte Finish Lipstick - Nude Rebel (See my review here.)
  I cannot be parted from this!
  
  
• ...And finally (not pictured) - All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage (See my review here.)
  So cooling in the heat.