Benefit Agent Zero Shine Review

A while ago I posted a wish list with some high end products I was lusting after. One of these was Benefit's Agent Zero Shine. When my student loan came in a couple of months ago, I decided to treat myself to it.

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed with this product. It cost £23.50 and I just don't think it's worth the money. I'll start with the stuff I do like.

When I read other reviews, a lot of people say they don't like the packaging, but I personally think it's perfect for just popping into my handbag. I'm a bit heavy handed with my bag and a lot of things get broken, most of these including makeup. Either the packaging cracks or the pressed powder smashes and gets every where. With Agent Zero Shine, I have no worries about that happening and the worse that could happen is I leave the lid off.

I thing I dislike the most about this product is the brush. I like to apply my powder with a big fluffy brush, so when I try and switch to this Benefit one, the stiffness of the bristles just doesn't do it for me. It takes me so long to apply powder all over my face, that I just use another powder and save my Agent Zero Shine for touch ups.

As for the actual powder, I don't notice any dramatic difference from my trusted Rimmel Stay Matte. But like I said, I mostly use it for touch ups and not to set my makeup. The powder is translucent so you don't have to worry about finding the right shade.

Overall, I think this product is perfect for nights out and popping in your handbag, but I wouldn't use it in my daily makeup routine. I'm usually a fan of Benefit's products, but sadly this one just didn't hit the spot.

Have you tried Agent Zero Shine before?

My Top 10 Travel Essentials

It's holiday season and with this comes the dreaded packing part of a holiday. I go on holiday every year and because of this, my list of essentials have been refined to these ten. They're all beauty related, because, let's face it, you don't need me to tell you to bring travel adapters and mosquito spray.

1) Plasters- Not that exciting I know, but these are first in my bag when I travel anywhere. In the heat your feet swell and they get a bit sweaty and things rub against other things and you end up with massive blisters. Better to be safe than sorry.

2) SPF 50 - I always like to take a small bottle of SPF 50 to pop into my bag, no matter what factor I'm actually wearing. I never usually go lower than 30, but sometimes, I start to feel my face or feet burning. The worst look ever is a bright red, peeling nose. I don't take a full bottle, but a travel size you can get for about £3. Or you can even buy a little travel bottle from Primark etc, and put a little bit in there from a bigger bottle.

3) Blotting Papers - This will actually be my first year taking these away as I've only recently found out they existed. I bought mine from Boux Avenue for £1.50, so they are very cheap. I just think when you're in a hot country and you're getting a bit hot and oily, the last thing you want is to apply a lot of powder. These blotting papers mop up the excess oil. Plus, they're nice and small to fit into your handbag.

4) BB Cream - I know a lot of people aren't keen on wearing foundation in hotter countries, so my alternative to that is a good BB cream. I like the Maybelline Dream Pure BB cream as it still has some colour to cover any blemishes, but isn't as heavy.

5) Cheap Summer Fragrance- I put the word 'cheap' there as I honestly don't see the point in taking an expensive perfume abroad with you. I love my Marc Jacob's Daisy but it cost £50, plus it's really heavy. There's not only risk of it smashing, but also being stolen, going over your luggage allowance etc... I've found Next do some great perfumes; there's a massive variety and they are long lasting. Plus they aren't very expensive. I recently bought Milan and Define, two very different smells. I get 30 ml for just £8. Not only are they perfect travel sizes, I won't be too distraught if they go missing or break.

6) Lip Protection Lip Balm - I know most girls take lip balms away on holiday anyway, so this is really more aimed at the men who you may be travelling with. The first holiday me and my boyfriend went on, he got really bad sunburn on his lips and it kind of ruined the holiday for us. So the next year I made him buy his own lip balm, as he wouldn't be too happy applying my Maybelline Baby Lips in front of everyone haha.

7) Detangling Brush - We all know what chlorine does to our hair and it isn't very nice. I like to brush through my hair everytime I use the pool, but usually end up ripping half my hair out. This year I'm taking my Tangle Teezer; it's small enough to pop into my bag and it does the job of getting the knots out my hair gently.

8) Baby Wipes- No, I don't have a baby, but I've always took baby wipes on holiday with me for as long as I can remember. Not only are they great for taking makeup off when you're very drunk (we're going all inclusive so there's a good chance of that), they're really useful to just wipe your hands before eating, cleaning up excess sun cream... The list goes on.

9) Antibacterial wipes/gel - Linking onto my last point, although baby wipes are good for quickly cleaning your hands before a ice cream etc, I also take some antibacterial gel and wipes to make sure they're truly clean. I actually prefer the wipes, as I don't like using gel. It makes me think that my hands aren't clean (although they're probably cleaner than washing them in a bathroom.) I've always liked a wet texture, so I bough the wipes too. No one wants to come down with a bug on holiday so these are very important.

10) Nail Polish Remover - A holiday is probably the only time when I make sure my nails are done everyday. Plus, it's the only times when my toes are constantly out. I think nail polish remover is essential to neaten up nails when painting them, but also to change the colour. Having just one colour for two weeks is boring.

So there's my travel essentials list :) What do you make sure you always pack when going on holiday?

I'm back! :)

You probably never noticed I left, but I just thought I'd write a quick blog post to inform you that I'm back from my holidays :) I did plan to have 6 posts schedule when I was away, however, being the dafty that I am, I didn't realise you had to press publish for them to go live when you want them to. Nevermind, at least I have some posts already written.

A lot has happened over the last few weeks, the major thing being that I got my results back and I can finally say that I have a 2.1 joint honours degree in English Lit and Creative Writing. I've been writing a post about my university experience for a few weeks now, but don't want to publish it until it's perfect (writer problems hehe) but after three years of stress, tears and phone calls to student finance, I can honestly say I'm so proud of myself for my achievement. Not to mention the fact that I got a first in my creative writing prose portfolio (which was my version of the dissertation.) It makes me think that I'm actually a good writer and I'm capable of writing a fiction book one day which people will want to read.

I chose my wedding ring a couple of weeks ago (as you'd know if you followed me on instagram). It's crazy to believe that in one week, it will be officially one year til I'm walking down the aisle. The fact we haven't settled our guestlist, chose a photographer, or even decided what last name we're taking makes my head hurt, but I know I'm going to have to buckle down and get things organised.

The two weeks off meant I had a lot of time to think about my blog and where I want it to go. I've even considered creating a blogging schedule (something that horrifies me), as at the moment, I seem to post as and when I like. I've decided to post a series every Friday, called 'Five Friday' where I write lists or reasons, linking to various topics like '5 Reasons to Start a Blog' and '5 Beauty Rules I ignore.' Hopefully, I'll stick to this, as it's only one day a week and it will be something consistent on my blog. I've always failed when I've tried to do stuff like this previously; I just about manage to churn out a favourites post once a month.

I want to do more wedding related posts, as my last one went down a treat. I've jotted some notes down and I'm looking forward to writing them up. I also want to write some book reviews. I read 8 books over my 2 week break, and it was nice to remember what it felt like to read for pleasure.

Sorry for the very rambly post. I leave you with a photo of every cat I made friends with in Bulgaria.

Soap and Glory// Clean On Me Shower Gel Review

I've not really met anyone who says they don't love the smell of Soap & Glory products (apart from my Nan who says they smell too sweet.) I'm nearly coming up to the end of my S&G Clean On Me Shower Gel and thought I would write a quick review.

This product retails in Boots for £6.00 for 500ml which I think is amazing. There's nearly always a 3for2 offer on as well.

I really enjoyed using this shower gel. I've used it most days since Christmas and there's still some left. The thing I like the most is the pump as it means I can control how much shower gel I use, rather than squirting too much out. It also looks great on the side of my bath with it's pink, retro packaging.

S&G claim there's a built in body lotion to leave your skin extra smooth, but to be honest, I've not really noticed it. However, I don't get problems with my skin anyway. There's no denying this gel is really creamy though.

The smell is simply S&G signature scent; a bit fruity but very sweet.

I would definitely buy this again, once I've used all the other bath products I received at Xmas.

Do you enjoy using S&G bath products?

Guest Post// Fishtail Braid Tutorial

Summer is coming and it is always nice to try doing different things with your hair, I am starting with the fishtail braid.

This does work best on long hair, I have medium length hair and I can do it on mine it just is a lot harder to get it how I like. I will find something for you short to medium length haired people, but for now long hair it is.

To start the braid pull all your hair to one side.

You want to secure this with at least two hair grips.

When I put hair grips in I try and hide them by other pieces of hair.

Next you need to split the hair into two sections.

Once you have done this, taking pieces from the outside and bringing them into the middle to the opposite section.

Again pulling the outside across to the middle every time.

Continue doing this all the way down to the end,

Once all braided tie the end of with a clear elastic.

When you have tied the braid we can star pulling it to make it wider. 

As you can see it is really skinny when you are finished this is why you pull it to make it wider and give it that messier look, you don't have to do this part it is optional. 

Keep pulling at the braid until you have the desired look, after these we have to sort all the fallout hair from the back of the head.

I hair gripped all lose hair down making it secure so no more would fallout throughout the day and hid this grips after this also.

I wanted this look to be more summery so I put a flower at the back, before you put any flowers or anything else into your hair just be sure to put a light coating of hair spray on this will prevent any fly away hairs and help keep you hair in place.

I did also pin the fringe back on this but again this is optional depends how you like it as i know on myself i would pull my fringe down as it compliments my face more.

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading,

Love

@YouOverDidItDol

Blog -  http://youoverdiditdol.blogspot.co.uk/

Guest Post// Inika Makeup Review

Hi, my name is Beth and I'm Lucy's younger sister. I've been thinking about starting my own blog for a while now so thought I would try it out here writing a guest blog post for the sis!

I have always been interested in beauty so followed out a career as a beauty therapist. I am also a mummy to a very cute but very hyper 11 month old so I am always on the look out for beauty products which are quick and easy to use!

When my sister asked me if I wanted to write a guest post about my best beauty products the first things that popped into my head was INIKA. I first heard about this make up range when I started working in a salon as it was the range they used and all the clients raved about it but as I was saving up my pennies for nappies and bibs I had to wait until Santa Claus had bought me them!

The first Inika product I'm going to talk about is the Kabuki brush (£26.00) I always use this brush when applying foundation power form and setting powder. I find the brush is soft and gives me full coverage in a number of seconds and doesn't leave odd darker patches of foundation which I've found in the past with other brushes! Although the brush is on the expensive side I think it does last a while which is a bonus if you're like me I hate parting with money!

The second product is the Inika Mineral Foundation (£27.50.) The shade I use is strength 02. The reason I absolutely love this foundation is one- it's mineral so all good ingredients and two- it works not only as a foundation, but as a concealer and powder all in one! It's quick and easy to apply which is what I need as I have to do my make up in between putting Frozen-Let it go on for my little one to keep her occupied as I make myself look more human in the morning! With the weather getting hotter (supposedly) I like the fact this foundation is light so I feel like my skin can breathe.

The mineral blush is also one of my favorite products in the summer! I use the shade pink pinch 02 (£17.00) Again I love the fact I feel like my skin can breathe but it also gives my cheek the peachy pinky tint which I love in the summer. I also find that the blush stays on all day so I don't have to keep reapplying it throughout the day.

Thanks for reading my post; I hope you enjoyed it! Have you tried Inika products?

June Favourites

As you're reading this, I'm probably on a beach somewhere, sweating profusely and possibly hungover in Bulgaria. However, I didn't want to fall behind on my favourites posts as I like writing them just as much as I like reading them. So here it is, five products I've been loving in June.

1) Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - I actually received a sample of this at the Debenhams beauty lock and fell in love with it. I was debating hard whether to buy it, when lucky for me, I won one in a blog giveaway! I was so chuffed as I hardly ever win anything. I'm sure most people know about this foundation so I won't go on too much about it, but it's already one of my faves. It is almost matte and I don't have to apply powder to set it. This makes my skin look so good, almost sun kissed.

2) Batiste Dry Shampoo - I feel a bit late to the party with this, as I am with most things. I actually bought a bottle in 2010 for Leeds fest and use it for that weekend, then stashed it away in a drawer. I didn't understand the idea of ​​dry shampoo as I didn't get why someone just didn't wash their hair? However, I received some dry shampoo for Xmas, a different brand, but fell in love with it. When I used this up, I ventured to Superdrug and rediscovered Batiste. I use this all the time now, and now know it just freshens hair and adds texture and isn't just for covering up dirt like I originally thought. I received a small sample of this in the Lincs Meet goody bag, so perfect for popping in a bag.

3) Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner - I think this is normally about £ 12, but like most bloggers, I received this with this months Glamour Magazine which only cost £ 2. Unlike most bloggers (going by the complaints on twitter) mine actually worked. My friend Abbey kept going on about this eyeliner, so I was glad I got a chance to try it myself. The nib is so thin, I can create the perfect cat eye flick.

4) Hand Food Soap and Glory - I actually received this for Christmas but have only just taken to using it. I'm not a big fan of hand creams, but I'm forcing myself to use this up, and I'm actually quite enjoying it. A dry bit on my hand is slowly disappearing thanks to this.

5) Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - I know that I've put two different foundations on my favourites, but I honestly think this deserves a mention. This is my first Bourjois foundation and it gives my skin such a nice, glowy finish, I wonder why I haven't bought one earlier. As you can see, it's a bit dirty because it's well loved. The smell is gorgeous as well, as are all Bourjois products.

I hoped you enjoyed reading this blog post, and don't forget to follow via bloglovin :)