2 Coats LEFT, 1 Coat RIGHT

I've been meaning to do this post for a while after acquiring quite a few clay masks. I have quite oily, blemish prone skin and since clay masks are meant to be really good at clearing the skin and drawing out all the impurities, I love using them. I tend to use a clay mask once/twice a week depending on the time I have.

First up is:

Lush Mask of Magnanimity

I bought this mask thinking it was a cleanser to be honest, I didn't really twig it was a mask and certainly didn't realise it was a clay mask. It has a very thick consistency, the thickest of all of the masks I own, and it has a strong minty/peppermint smell. Its also quite gritty which does make spreading it pretty challenging, however once you have applied a generous layer and leave it for 20 minutes, it makes your skin feel seriously clean. It does feel a little tingly on the skin as with all clay masks there is a slight tightening as well as it dries. I personally love that because it makes me feel like it is working! This is probably my favorite out of the clay masks.

Consistency: Very thick

Time Left On: Approx 20 minutes for it to fully dry

Result: Very clear skin

The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask

This mask has to be my least favourite, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Just for me I find that it doesn't work as well on my skin. Its probably the lightest of the masks and it doesn't really dry with a tightening feeling like the others do. Its a slightly thick consistency but also very spreadable. This is probably the mask I'd recommend doing regularly, its light enough not to strip your skin each time and so you could probably get away with doing this daily. It also has a strong tea tree smell which personally I'm not too keen on.

Consistency: Fairly thick but spreadable

Time Left On: Approx 5 - 10 minutes

Result: Fresh skin but doesn't really feel like impurities have been lifted.

The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask

This is my most recent clay mask, and although I certainly didn't need it, it is one I really enjoy wearing. I really like all of the Body Shop Seaweed range and I certainly wasn't disappointed with this one. Its a fairly thick consistency but it is also a little creamy too, very easy to spread and it feels nice and tingly when on the skin. This dries quite quickly and definitely feels like it is working on the skin. The feeling isn't quite as clear as the Lush one but this definitely comes in a close second.

Consistency: Fairly thick but also a little creamy

Time Left On: Approx 10 minutes

Result: Clear skin

Boots Botanics Ionic Clay Mask

I find this mask quite strange although I do quite like it. It has quite a runny consistency, so much so that you have to shake it well before applying it to make it slightly thicker. However once on it is really nice. It dries quite quickly and although there isn't much tingling it really feels as though your skin is much clearer and fresher after washing it off. 

Consistency: A little bit runny if not shaken

Time Left On: Approx 10 minutes

Result: Fresh, clear skin

After 10 Minutes - L-R [Lush Mask of Magnaminty, BS Tea Tree Mask, BS Ionic Clay Mask, Botanics Clay Mask]

I have been after this NYX Blusher for absolutely agess! Everyone kept saying how it was the perfect contour colour for pale people and having spent years looking for the perfect contour I knew I had to try this. I'm so glad they've made it easily accessible to the UK now.

Anyway its a really lovely Taupe colour (obviously!), its a lot more lilacy than I expected, if that makes sense. This did make me a little apprehensive at first however I have quite a pink toned cool skin colour and so I think it goes perfectly. I like to contour from the top of my ear down to about where my eyebrows start, I know a lot of people like to brush the line down a lot further than that but since I have quite round cheeks, I just didn't think it looked natural go down any further. Anyway its all about personal preference:)

One thing I'm still not sure about this contour powder is, I have to brush quite a lot over the powder to get enough on the brush, it does seem as pigmented as I'm used to. However I think I will grow to like this as it makes it much harder to overdo it! Its just a little strange and different to me at the moment aha.

This really is well worth it for me, I love the really natural effect it has and I now much prefer a contour powder over a bronzer for contouring, never will I return to bronzer! Bargain at £5.50 (I got mine from 123HairandBeauty with free delivery)

WARNING: Picture Heavy Post

Benefit FakeUp Concealer - £18.50*

I was invited to my first ever event on Tuesday by the lovely girls from Benefit! I was super excited as I'd never been to an event before and plus the event in question was held in Fenwicks, Newcastle... a mere 10 minutes away from where I live, which was perfect! I was quite nervous but everyone else I had spoken to on twitter beforehand was too so that eased my nerves a little. We got champers, canapes and a lovely demonstration from the Benefit gals, and probably one of the most exciting parts of the night was getting to take home all three shades of the new FakeUp concealer!! I had a really lovely time and can't wait for future Northern events but anyway onto the review:

Benefit FakeUp Concealer is a brand new hydrating and crease-control concealer!

It contains a hydrating ring with vitamin E and apple seed extract and an inner concealing core.

First impressions I was immediately slightly dubious, what with my oily skin, I thought adding moisture to my face for the day seemed like a bad idea. However I was very pleasantly surprised!! This concealer has an incredibly silky texture, not at all oily like I was expecting, and glides on so well. I was colour matched to the shade Light (obviously, I didn't expect anything else aha) but it also comes in two other shades, Medium & Deep; although that isn't a huge variety of shades they blend into the skin really well! The coverage, lack of creasing and staying power is amazing, definitely rivals my Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in terms of under eye coverage, only it does so much more. I thought the hydrating ring would make this concealer just slip off my face but it didn't, it stayed on all day, I did set it with a little powder but that was purely to set my face a little. Normally when I get to the end of the day my under eyes are feeling a little dry and sometimes a bit sore, so my under eyes are where I slather on a load of eye cream every night. But with this I am sitting here at half 11 on wednesday night and my under eyes are still silky soft and hydrated, which is a miracle in my eyes. Probably wouldn't recommend this for blemisehs and spot cover ups but for under-eyes this is a dream come true.

As you can probably tell I can't stop raving about this concealer enough and I think it is going to be a huge hit when it launches on the 30th March. I predict long queues for this little baby!!

Thanks once again to Benefit for the invite!

xxx