Benefit world famous neutrals: most glamorous nudes ever

I'm a huge fan of benefit makeup so far I haven't found a product that has disappointed me, i've always liked the look of the benefit world famous neutrals palettes but never picked one up so when I got this little beauty from my brother and his fiancé for my birthday I was more than excited, out of all the eyeshadow boxes that they do most glamorous nudes ever would have been the one that I picked up. most glamorous nudes ever is the palette with the warmest, golden tones in which floats my boat perfectly.

The kit contains four longwear powder eyeshadows:

• Call my buff - creamy pale shell
• Kiss me, i'm tipsy - spiced brown
• It's complicated - golden peach
• Gilt-y pleasure - golden sand

And two creaseless cream eyeshadows:

• Birthday suit - brushed chrome
• My two cents - polished copper 

I've been reaching for this palette over all of my others recently and has become a staple in my everyday makeup routine, I like that the formula isn't too powdery instead the eyeshadows are buttery soft and blend together nicely which is what I look for in eyeshadows. i've especially fallen in love with the shades it's complicated and Kiss me, I'm tipsy as they're both unique to my eyeshadow collection and pair really nicely together, the pigmentation of these eyeshadows are fantastic. I like that they have offered two all over the lid colours, a definition colour and a highlight for the inner corners and brow bone, I feel that this really makes the product a good investment as you have everything you need in a neat little box, this palette is basically fool proof.

It's complicated all over the lid and kiss me, i'm tipsy in the crease

I do love the packaging, once again benefit put a quirky edge to what could be boring packaging but It's not very travel friendly as it's too bulky. I really liked that it included a tips and tricks leaflet attached to the top so if you're unsure how to use or where to place the eyeshadows it's a nifty little guide that tells you how-to, I ripped out the guide and kept it to the side as it kept falling down and I was worried that it was going to damage the eyeshadows. 

I already own a benefit creaseless cream eyeshadow in R.S.V.P and i've fallen in love with it, it seriously doesn't budge off the eyelids so when I saw that the kit contained two mini samples sizes I was beyond excited. the shade 'my two cents' is the one that caught my eye the most as i'm currently loving the copper eye look. 

Overall I'm completely loving this eye kit and would recommend it to anyone that wants to try some products from benefit - it's a good place to start!

How to get natural looking blush

Choose a colour that's similar to your natural flush

To find your natural flush colour just pinch your cheeks slightly until you see your natural flush come through, if you choose a colour that's way-off your natural flush colour then it won't look convincing. this will also be the colour that's most flattering against your skin tone as it will look natural.

Where to apply your blush

Applying blush too close to your nose can make it look very unnatural as blush doesn't tend to appear near the centre of the face, lay two fingers next to your nose and where your fingers end is where your blush should start.

• heart-shaped faces - Apply beneath the apples of your cheeks and blend lightly towards your hairline.
• Round faces - Apply blush to your cheekbones and blend upwards towards your temple, this gives the appearance of a slimmer face.
• Square faces - Apply blush across your cheeks towards the hairline.
• Long faces - Only apply blush just below the apples of your cheeks and leave it as it is. don't blend towards the hairline or towards the temple. 
• Oval faces - Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks, make sure it's well blended around the edges to avoid harsh lines. 

Don't go too heavy

Applying too much blush can result in it looking unnatural and you resembling a clown, it's not a good look so make sure you use a light hand and use a brush that doesn't pick up too much product, my favourite is the real techniques stippling brush as it picks up little products and blends beautifully. 

I'm on instagram!

I love following other beauty bloggers on instagram and seeing tid bits of their personal life, so if you like beauty products, chihuahuas and the occasional selfie then that's all on my instagram! My instagram is @SimplySteadman or Instagram.com/SimplySteadman

Brightening up your complexion | The body shop vitamin C range

Vitamin C is commonly known for it's brightening properties within skincare and for making tired skin look more alive and refreshed. Many times I have looked in the mirror and thought to myself that my skin looked dull and a bit lack-lustre, so I have slowly been picking up bits from the body shop's vitamin C range to help brighten up my complexion. 

Vitamin C Microdermabrasion (£13)

is essentially a finely milled face scrub that buffs away dead skin cells and lets the brighter, newer skin underneath show through giving you a more glowing, healthy complexion. I have a full review of the vitamin C microdermabrasion that goes into more detail but I can tell you now that it's a good'un and my favourite product from the range. (review)

Vitamin C Energising face spritz (£9) 

this is a facial spritz which I use every day before my moisturiser, it gives my skin such a beautiful healthy glow that looks extremely natural. I love how refreshing it feels to spray onto my face on hot days and how it doesn't leave my face looking greasy.

Vitamin C Skin reviver (£14) 

when I first purchased this I had no idea what it was, it come as a duo alongside the microdermabrasion and thought it looked pretty good, and trust me when I say it is! I apply this after my moisturiser and it was a primer-like feel to it and really smoothes out the skin and makes it feel incredibly soft, and gives the skin an instant radiance boost - perfect for those days where you didn't get much sleep or are a tad hungover. 

Vitamin C Eye reviver duo (£12) 

this is probably the least exciting product for me personally from the vitamin C range, this was one of the casualties in my hunt for the perfect eye cream which I have now found! (link here) I like the concept of this product, it's an eye rollerball on one end and an eye cream on the other, the rollerball is there to reduce puffiness and make your eyes look more refreshed and the eye cream is to moisturise and give radiance to the under eye area but I personally felt it didn't do much for me, possibly because it wasn't moisturising enough for me. 

I have tried a lot of skincare products from the body shop and the vitamin C range is my personal favourite, I use the vitamin E day and night cream which are both lovely, and I found that the tea tree range was too harsh for my skin. The radiance boost I get from the vitamin C range is unbeatable and perfect for summer. 

Four products to help boost radiance

Summer is the time where everyone wants a lighter base and glowing skin, myself included. I like to use the body shop's vitamin C skin reviver as a base for my makeup as it's really smoothes out the skin and makes it soft to touch as well as giving the skin an instant radiance boost which is perfect for the summer months, this can be worn on it's own or under foundation and it still gives the same effect. In the cheek department I use Mac well dressed blush as it's a pale baby pink with a slight shimmer running through the really brightens up my complexion and makes me look more awake. well dressed was the first product I purchased for mac two years ago and I find that my skin always look really healthy when I use it. a light dusting of mac's soft and gentle highlighter is the main contributor when it comes to achieving that summer glow, the peachy-gold tone compliments a lot of skin tones and gives the skin a gorgeous sheen. finally, I like to set everything in place using the mac fix + as it makes everything look less matte and a lot more glowy. all of these products can be switched out for other products that do a similar job but for me these four standout among all of my other products.

My go-to method for facial hair removal

When I was born apparently my brother said to my mother "is she always going to be this hairy?" when he first met me and noticed my hairy little face, with a father with darker skin and hair in comparison to my mothers fair complexion and blonde locks I took after him, especially in the excessive amounts of hair department. lucky me. I used to get picked on for having a hairy face and was very self conscious about this during my school years, I started plucking my eyebrow (yes, I practically had a mono-brow) when I was about 12/13 and started using hair removal methods when I was about 14. I have tried waxing and hair removal cream and If i'm completely honest I don't have the patience for wax anymore and find hair removal cream 100x easier.

I have been using the nair facial brush on sensitive hair removal cream for over a year now and is my go-to method of hair removal, I apply this above my eyebrows, my upper lip and the sides of my face and leave it for a couple of minutes. do not leave this on for too long it will burn! I've made this mistake a few times and left it on for a tiny bit too long and have been left with a very sore face, which is always fine by the next morning. If you're going to use this product I recommend using it at night so that you're not going to be applying makeup after using it, giving your skin time to 'recover' over night. I wash it off with a cool, soft wash cloth and then pat (don't rub!) my face dry with a soft towel, this will help reduce any damage to your skin after using the hair removal cream. nair have recently changed their packaging for this product and whilst it's larger and looks nicer they have changed the brush on the inside which is now a huge let down, it's extremely floppy which makes it hard to get precision application whereas the old brush was firm and easier to handle.

This is really effective for getting rid of facial fuzz, because I'm quite hairy in the face department I have to use this once a week - week and a half if I'm feeling daring, obviously the effects aren't as long lasting as waxing but it's definitely easier and less time consuming.

possibly the best eye cream ever?

I've always had a problem with my under eye area, dark circles have been my worst enemy but that wasn't my main issue, it was that it always looked extremely dry and my concealer would just crease and when I applied powder there to set it, it looked too dry and it was really beginning to get me down.
I have tried out a lot of eye creams and was previously using the body shop's vitamin E eye cream and it just wasn't doing the job, even the girl at the Laura Mercier counter commented on how dry my under eye are was! I heard Tanya Burr talking about the origins eye doctor eye cream on her youtube channel and how good a job it does of moisturising, so obviously being the sucker that I am bought it and i'm so glad that I did!

The origins eye doctor eye cream includes cooling cucumber, soothing rosemary and ginseng which helps energise the skin and are free from parabens, mineral oil, glycol, PABA, paraffin, synthetic colours/fragrances and all that other bad stuff, origins are a brand that pride themselves on not using 'nasty' ingredients in their products. the ingredients are supposed to counteract the appearance of crows feet and fine lines, I do have some fine lines under my eyes but I feel as if they were mainly down to how dry my skin was in that area, since using the origins eye doctor eye cream they have reduced in size but I can't speak for long term effects or dramatically reducing the appearance of ageing.

A little bit certainly goes a long way, I just tap my finger lightly over the surface of the product making sure I don't pick up too much product, on the packaging all it says is "moisture care for around the eyes" which is what it does plain and simple. I use the morning and night after I have cleansed my face and pat this on gently with my ring finger (as this finger applies the least amount of pressure) and whilst it sinks in quickly you can still see and feel how much it has moisturised that area, I love how this smells lightly of cucumber as it's refreshing and a very inoffensive smell, the cucumber plays a massive part in the cooling sensation I get when I apply this in the morning which helps de-puff the eye area and make me look more awake. the consistency of this eye cream is very thick but it sinks in wonderfully and doesn't make my concealer slip and slide, my under eye area has never looked healthier and my concealer doesn't look cakey at all anymore, I could really see a difference in how my makeup looked even after the first application.

The small plastic packaging makes this travel friendly and easy to just chuck in an overnight bag without the worry of smashing glass. I'm extremely impressed with this product and didn't really expect much from it when I first bought it, who knew an eye cream could be so perfect? it's definitely worth the £27 price tag as you get a lot for the money!

The perfect mint green

Essie mint candy apple has become a favourite among my summer nail polishes, I bought this last year and was so excited to try it but thought that it didn't suit me, this summer I have dug it out again and have fallen in love with it, especially with a glitter top coat. I really dislike the shape of my nails and can never get them right, so I think I would love this polish even more if I had even nail beds and all that jazz. the pictures above were taken after 3 days wear and as you can see, no chipping! truly amazing. the glitter topcoat I used over the top of Essie mint candy apple was 'diamond glitter' by Barry M which is different size chunks of holographic glitter, I think that these two make a beautiful combination.

Summer nail polish picks

Summer is all about the bright and pastel nails, goodbye blacks and burgundy's and hello pinks and corals! I prefer brighter coloured nails so I'm for it

Barry M blueberry is a gorgeous bright blue that's slightly purple and looks beautiful on the nails, I love the gelly hi-shine formula as they're thick and almost look like gel nails and last a good 3 days without any chipping.

Essie mint candy apple is a cult favourite in the beauty community as is a pastel mint green, Essie polishes last about 4 days with a little bit of tip wear on my nails before I get fed up and repaint them. this polish is opaque in two coats and is the most gorgeous colour! 

Rimmel salon pro simply sizzling is one of my current favourite nail polishes and is a mid-toned pink with a glossy finish. I love the wide brush as it covers the whole nail in one swipe which gives you less chance of smudging the polish going over it a few times. 

Essie mod squad is a bright pink than simply sizzling and it more blue toned. one thing I will say is that I don't like how small the brush is on this polish but the colour's too gorgeous to pass up. 

Barry M Papaya is a bright orangey coral from the gelly hi-shine range, I mainly love this colour on my toes with gold glitter and it looks beautiful. 

Bourjois rouge edition velvet lipstick 'frambourjois'

there has been an increase in the amount of liquid lipsticks popping up on the market recently and there has been a lot of hype in the beauty community surrounding the bourjois rouge edition velvet which are bourjois's take on the liquid lipstick trend. The formula is matte and opaque in one coat but you can intensify the colour even more if you build it up it in layers, I normally apply around two coats which you can see with the shade 'frambourjois' above. Frambourjois is a pink toned red, it's a good middle ground for anyone that's scared that they can't pull off a bright red lipstick as it's bright but not too 'wow that's red', I don't really have a colour like this in my collection. With the doe foot applicator it makes the product really easy to apply and get nice neat lines, I'm all about fuss free application and this one makes the cut. 

do you know what I hate the most about lipsticks? when they get on your teeth, which is something I haven't experienced once with this product which is mainly down to the kick-ass matte finish which isn't too drying on the lips, the matte finish also makes the product stick around for an extremely long time because it isn't going to smudge off too easily. I wore this lipstick all the way through a 9.5 hour shift and only had to reapply it once, and I had been chatting away, eating and drinking, it's simply amazing. I've named this product my 'going out' lipstick choice as I know I won't have to reapply it through the night, when the product had faded slightly I wasn't left with that odd looking coloured rim around your lips that looks like you went a bit heavy handed with the lip liner, the downside to it's amazing lasting power is how hard it is to get off at the end of the day... it literally stains your lips. For those of you with sensitive noses this product doesn't smell offensive in the slightest, I personally don't really notice a scent with it.

This is by far my favourite drug store release this year and I can't wait to get my hands on some more shades, they're available from the boots website for £8.99.

The BodyShop vitamin C microdermabrasion

The bodyshop's vitamin C microdermabrasion caught my eye whilst taking advantage of my £5 off birthday treat for being a love your body card member as well as it being on offer I got this product along with the vitamin C skin reviver for £9 when the microdermabrasion is £13 on it's own - bargain!

The bodyshop claim that the exfoliating particles in this scrub help buff away dead skin cells leaving you with bright and radiant looking skin. I like to use this product about twice a week when I'm in the shower and the grains are really fine but so densely packed together it really makes a difference, although this isn't the gentlest scrub I have used it's not 'too grainy' and as rough as other scrubs I have used. after using this my skin is left looking smooth and radiant plus it's soft to touch which is lovely as I can get quite dry skin on my chin and jaw. A little bit goes a very long way with this product as I use about a pea sized amount for my whole face and neck and that's plenty to massage in on damp skin to get rid of any dry patches. what I love about this scrub is I generally have quite a dull complexion and this really unclogs my pores and makes my face look healthier and feel extra clean as well as brightening up my complexion.

Because this is microdermabrasion it's a bit harsh on my skin and will leave it slightly red afterwards but it will calm down after a couple of minutes, for people with sensitive skin this may not be for you as it also smells of citrus orange which may irritate the skin as well as how abrasive it is. Although saying that my boyfriend Aaron has dry sensitive skin and he used this once and although he was left red skinned it really exfoliated away all of his dry flakey skin and it's left looking smooth again. I like to use my origins drink up intensive overnight mask after using this as you're stripping the skin slightly so you need to moisturise well afterwards.

Lately I have become a lot more confident in going out of the house without wearing foundation which used to be a big no no for me, but now I'm completely content with just putting some concealer under my eyes and on my nose and that's it. I've noticed a lot of improvement in my skin since using this, the tiny under the skin bumps have reduced in size and the very few spots I had cleared up quickly, so it most certainly hasn't broken me out! I think that this product has given me more confidence in my skin as it just looks so much healthier and clearer, I'm hoping to see more changes to my skin the longer I use this as I have heard a lot of glowing reviews about this scrub fading acne scars and all that good stuff.

Although I got this for a discounted price I would 100% pay the full price again for this as I love how it's benefiting my skin, I've heard a lot of controversy in the beauty world about using exfoliants with particles in but I feel that using a scrub once or twice a week really clears out my skin and makes it feel cleaner, on the other days I will use a chemical exfoliant but something you just need something to buff away all the dead skin.

May Favourites

Due to laziness I haven't really been wearing too much makeup throughout May, for my birthday I got the Mac pro long wear concealer and it has become a staple in my makeup bag, on days where I don't want to wear foundation I have just been dabbing this under my eyes and onto my nose and calling my base complete. it's high coverage and doesn't crease under my eyes which is a miracle because concealer just loves to crease on me.

Since going blonder I've wanted to keep my hair extra nourished to ensure that it stays healthy and soft, my hair dresser recommended to me the uniq one all in one coconut hair treatment and I have fallen in love with the scent more than anything, it lingers around after I apply it to damp hair and who doesn't want their hair to smell like coconut? this product leaves my hair looking extremely healthy and touchably soft.

The body shop vitamin C microdermabrasion has helped exfoliate away any dry patches on my skin and keep it looking smooth as well as giving it a radiance boost. I picked up the microdermabrasion and the vitamin c skin reviver in a set for £9 when the set retails for £27 which was too good an offer to pass up on, I had been eyeing up the microdermabrasion for a while so it seemed like the perfect time to pop them into my basket and it has certainly impressed me.

I think that the Lanolips lemonaid lip aid is the only product I have used on my lips all month, I've avoided all other lipsticks and lip balms and have stayed true to this little beauty. this product has been featured on my blog a lot over the past month and for good reason. this leaves my lips looking healthy, plump and keeps them nourished all day. it's exfoliating properties help to buff away any dead skin which leaves them looking extra smooth.

A little update

I haven't really been focused on the blogging front throughout may and often found myself leaving a weeks gap between uploading posts. May was a very exciting and stressful time for me if you're at university then you will probably know that a massive bulk of the deadline are in may which meant I had more than a few late nights and last minute cramming sessions. I had an all day exam on my 20th birthday which wasn't all that fun but I'm really proud at the outcome of our television show that we created. Juggling work, education and a blog as well as wanting to spend quality time with Aaron can be quite challenging because it means I don't always have the time I need to work on blog posts, for example sunday's are my only day off so that is normally 'blog day' for me, but with college deadlines I have been spending those sundays doing work.

I went away for a nice long weekend away with Aaron's family for his mums 40th birthday which was lovely and just what I needed - to chill. On the 29th may I passed my car theory test and realised I spent the majority of my time cramming for my theory on the thursday instead of my first and last written exam on the friday, oops. After some very last minute and lenghy revision I finished the exam and celebrated by going out with some college chums... which meant that I had one day to finish an assignment which I spent my sunday, hungover doing from 12:30pm - 3:30am, 7000 words later and it was done and dusted and ready for hand in! On top of that I was a a makeup artist on a short film called 'The burning' I've done a post all about this, doing driving lessons and I went to Aaron's dads wedding... what. So here I am now writing this on the 3rd of June at midnight because my sleeping pattern has gone a be awol and I can't sleep. Online shopping is keeping me busy though.

I have one more deadline on the 6th June and I'm officially free for summer, I'm excited for this summer as I will hopefully be driving by the end of July and I can sense that it's going to be a good one.
I'd just like to apologise for being a bad blogger but sometimes life gets in the way and it can't be helped.