Bene-Faves! Benefit Cosmetics Goodies

Happy Friday! I recently received an amazing care package from one of my all time favorite beauty brands and I couldn't wait to test everything out for you guys! I opened up the box to find an assortment of their most favored products. Benefit has always drawn me in with their stand out packaging, unlike a lot of the typical stuff we see. I remember one of my very first concealers (that started off my concealer obsession) was Boi-ing, their industrial strength concealer. They pretty much had me in the palm of their hands since.

Not to anyone's surprise, I've found some must-haves out of the bunch that I needed to swatch and share with you guys!

These Creaseless Cream Shadows are exactly what the name implies. The color pigmentation is amazing but it's the creamy, smooth texture that makes them my new favorite. They glide on effortlessly and blend easily with your fingertips. I've been using "No Pressure" almost daily! They work GREAT as an eyeshadow base or worn alone and you don't have to worry about them smudging or budging at all because they are long lasting.

Lets talk about this packaging!!!! I instagramed a photo of these babies right when I saw them and it was reposted on the Benefit Instagram page and my head just about exploded with excitement :D 

I did, however made the mistake of calling them "lipsticks" because they are actually Hydra-Smooth Lip Colors. They are enriched with shea, mango butter and vitamin E. So think- a super hydrating lip butter with great color pigmentation. The two colors I got are "Juicy Details" (Top pic), which is a pretty neutral pink and "Tutti-Cutie" (Bottom pic), which is more of a bright coral compared to Juicy Details. Both are a gorgeous wash of color on your lips that are buildable for a more intensity.

And last but not least, a BRIGHT pop of color from their newest lip and cheek stain collection -Lollitint! The name itself would sucker me into buying it (see what I did there?) But their lip and cheek stains are serious business. They leave a bright and long lasting color that you don't have to think or fuss about. After I snapped this photo of the swatch, it stayed on for well into the night. I also own the original Benetint which is a rosy red color that actually smells like a bouquet of roses! 

Keep an eye out for some upcoming makeup tutorials on my channel, with these goodies and more. I'll be doing a separate post and review about the Big Easy BB Cream soon. Hope you guys have a great weekend!

xo Winnie

Flawless Face Makeup

I searched high and low (literally) for the perfect 'Summer' foundation that would meet my laundry list of expectations- works well with my combo skin type, light weight, skin like, not cakey and wont cause any breakouts. When I came across the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua 'Ultra Light Skin perfecting' foundation, I knew I found my holy grail foundation. It is everything I was looking for and it lead to my newest video - 'Flawless Summer Face Makeup' tutorial. 

I have partnered with www.Luvocracy.com to cultivate my list of 'Flawless Face Essentials'. The items in my collection are featured in my video tutorial. The best part is the GIVEAWAY to win $50 credit to shop my store on www.Luvocracy.com. Sign-up for Luvocracy through me and you are automatically enter for the giveaway! ** See official giveaway rules here **

You can also view my video here:

Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Collection 2013

If you guys have seen my past favorites videos i have mentioned my love for Maybelline Baby Lips on several occasions. One of my favorite shades that i always keep around is in "Cherry Me", which is a sheer red tint. If you are someone who is still afraid of too much color, i highly suggest trying these lip balms because of the nice sheer color payoff they give.

I've found that these are either hit or miss with a lot of people because they either expect it to be the best moisturizing lip balm or the most pigmented in color but i actually think the Baby Lips are a perfect medium in that they give a good amount of build-able sheer color while also keeping your lips fairly moisturized. More than anything, i really like these because of the easy to wear color it gives your lips but i would not solely depend on these lip balms to keep your lips moisturized for 8 hours, as the packaging suggests.

Maybelline recently released the NEW Baby Lips Electro Collection 2013 and i just couldn't resist in picking a couple up. They spruced up the packaging of the tube and changed it to all black with bright variations of neon writing. I am loving the aesthetic appeal of these for the summer! The colors and the full collection can be seen here.

1. Strike A Rose

2. Berry Bomb

MissKL Beauty Haul Swatches

Here is a closer look at the beauty items i hauled from MissKL on my recent "Summer Clothing Haul" video on my channel! In case you were not aware that MissKL carried beauty products- they have some of my favorite brands available! I was excited to be able to haul some new items i have yet to try.

1. theBALM Bahama mama bronzer, this is the perfect matte shade for contouring without looking too muddy or orange! The pigmentation is well worth it because a little of this goes a long way! I love the packaging of this brand- its cheeky and so compact to take along if needed.

2. LimeCrime Opaque Lipstick "Poisonberry", This is my very first LimeCrime product and i was so excited to try it! It definitely lives up to the hype in quality and pigmentation. This lipstick is super creamy and smells like delicious vanilla! I'm going to need to stock up on more LimeCrime products in the future. 

If you thought the initial color from the tube was a bit intimidating (like me), don't worry because the deep plum color is actually very wearable on the lips! The swatch shows the color is actually closer to a plumy fuchsia pink! This lipstick is extremely long wearing and it even leaves a tint of color on your lips afterwards.

3. theBalm Stainiac lipstain "Beauty Queen", I've been dying to try a nice lip stain for days when i don't want to fuss with lipstick or gloss. This is the perfect thing to throw on if you're on the go! It pairs well with a fresh face if you just want a wash of color to brighten your complexion. The actual product has a very slight and non-offensive floral scent and no real taste. The consistency out of the tube is almost gel-like and very easy to blend onto the lips. 

This is what i was left with after wiping off the initial swatch. The stain is subtle but build-able and it has a pretty decent staying power. The color is a pretty hot pink/red stain and looks like you've eaten berries on your lips :)

What i wore: Sheer Maxi

I love summer sun but lets just admit it that sweating from a heat wave isn't the cutest. I always gravitate towards simple and chic pieces for an outfit to stay cool in the heat. I decided to pair my sheer maxi skirt (seen on my most recent summer haul) with a basic tank top and balance the look with my favorite vintage belt.

Since the outfit is pretty muted with my classic black and taupe, i added an arm full of brightly colored bracelets for color and fun! As much as i love the current color trends, black will forever be my staple go-to color. So to stay trendy and at the same time add color to my wardrobe i use a lot of colored, statement accessories. It's such an easy way to change the look of basic pieces!

Black basic tank, Forever 21

Sheer maxi skirt, TJmaxx

Vintage leather belt, thrifted

Marc Jacobs satchel, Nordstrom

Arm accessories, H&M

I'm not the biggest fan of wearing a lot of makeup during the summer but there's always tricks to creating a natural summer look without overdoing it. For my makeup i decided to go with a dewy, summer glow look and to help the makeup last under the sun and heat, always remember to set your makeup!

Bareminerals "Tinted" Mineral Veil

Revlon Whipped foundation "Warm Golden"

Revlon Photoready concealer "Medium"

Benefit bronzer "Hoola"

Maybelline Eyestudio gel liner "Blackest black"

Wet n' Wild Coloricon eyeshadow "Walking on eggshells"

Benefit highlighter "High beam"

MAC Mineralize blush "Super Nova"

NARS lipgloss "Chihuahua" 

MAC lipstick "Shy girl"

EOS lip balm "Strawberry Sorbet"