Benefit Erase Paste Review

Hi Girls! If you read my Feel Unique Haul post here, you will know that I recently picked up Benefit Erase Paste. I bought it with some of my birthday money after umming and ahhing over whether or not I should buy it for quite some time. Now I'm sure you have all heard of this product before as it has been highly hyped all over the blogging scene for a while now with a very mixed bag of reviews. It has always stood out to me as one of those cult beauty products that people either love or hate and something I just had to try for myself. To be honest, I don't suffer badly with dark circles or bags. Yes, I have them as much as any other person but it isn't something that has caused me too many problems. With this being said, concealer is one of the beauty products I have never really bothered with. I have tried a couple from MAC that have been average and more recently the infamous Collection 2000Lasting Perfection concealer which I absolutely hated. (Ooh, controversial!). 

After trying said concealers and not seeing any improvements to the overal appearance of my makeup, I stopped using them and just stuck to foundation. However, recently I felt like something was missing from my makeup and decided I needed something to brighten my under eye area. I've always loved that Kim Kardashian bright eyed look so I began my quest of finding the perfect under eye concealer. As I said, this product has received mixed reviews but after reading the good ones and seeing various before and after photos, it seemed like everything I would need from a concealer and more. 

So, what did I think when I received it in the post? On first impressions, I loved the packaging. The box this product comes in is so beautiful and quirky like all Benefit products and the fact it came with a lesson book and spatula was a nice added touch. However, what I did notice is how teeny tiny the actual jar of concealer was. This product cost me £19.50 so I was quite alarmed to see a tiny pot staring back at me. Nevertheless, I was excited to try it and set about popping it under my eyes. The instructions on the box direct that it should be applied with the spatula included but I have to say it is a silly invention and I wouldn't waste your time. It creates large dints in the product and picks up way more than is needed. Sorry spatula, you are pants! Instead, I dab my finger lightly on the surface and then apply it in dots under my eyes, mainly concentrating on the inner corners. 

The first thing I noticed upon application was the salmon toned colour and creamy consistency. As you can see from the swatch above, there is an evident salmon tone to this product which is known to cancel out dark circles. As for the texture, it is amazingly smooth and blends into the skin like a dream. As well as being very creamy, it is relatively thick meaning the tiniest bit goes a long way. I didn't find that it caked under my eyes but I imagine it could if too much was applied, much like any product. It didn't settle into any fine lines and it instantly made my under eye area look brighter. As you can see from my before and after pictures above, it has taken away most of the darkness from under my eye and looks very natural. Just for reference, apart from the concealer I had no makeup on in the above pictures so the coverage is even better with foundation as well. The only slight criticism I would give this product is that I find it needs to be set with a powder or it begins to look oily and shiny. This wasn't a huge issue for me though as I always set my foundation with a powder anyway.

Overall, this is the best concealer I have ever tried. Apart from the price tag, I have no complaints about this product. As I said above, I was alarmed to see such a small pot but since using it I have realised that it will last months due to only needing a tiny amount each time. I would highly recommend this product if you suffer with dark circles and want something to cover and brighten without looking thick or cakey.

On a side note, I would like to thank each and every one of you who read/commented or tweeted about my dealing with OCD post. I was really overwhelmed by all the nice comments and am so glad I plucked up the courage to write about it. I would also like to give a lovely young lady named Felicity a mention for providing me with a beautiful new blog design. I emailed her after being impressed by some of her other work and within minutes she got back to me and set to work on customising my design. She was so helpful and efficient throughout the whole process and really took into account everything I said I wanted and more. I am over the moon with the new look of my blog and can finally stop winging to my boyfriend about not liking this or that - I'm such a perfectionist! So thank you very much Felicity and if any of you fancy a spruce up be sure to drop her an email at felicitynielsen.89@gmail.com. (She didn't ask me to write this by the way, just so you know).

Sorry for this mammoth post, I realise I'm a chatterbox!

Have any of you tried Erase Paste? Do you love it as much as me?

Lots of Love,

Monthly Favourites | July

Hey Ladies. Can you believe it is Monthly Favourites time again? It only feels like two minutes ago I was sitting down to write my June favourites so the fact a whole month has passed seems a little bit crazy. As it was my birthday in July, I was lucky enough to get some lovely new products making it easy to decide my favourites this month. So without me blabbering on any more, here are the products I have been loving for the past month.

Elemis Freshskin Dreamy Sleep Night-time Moisturiser - I bought this moisturiser recently with some of my birthday money after deciding I would like to try a moisturiser specifically designed for night time use. I had always heard people say they use different moisturisers for morning and night but it was just something I had never seen the point in doing. I thought, surely a moisturiser works the same morning or night? However, temptation got the better of me and after seeing the huge range of 'night' moisturisers on the Feel Unique website, I just had to try one for myself. I am going to do a full review of this product soon so without saying too much, I am really enjoying using it and my skin has been feeling softer than ever in the mornings. If you are interested in hearing more about it, keep an eye out for my review.

Models Own Hed Kandi 'Hedonist' Nail Polish - I got this from my mum as a birthday present and I absolutely love it. It is a bright neon orange and unlike any other shade I have ever used. The formula is great too and I have had it on my nails and toes a lot since the start of the month. I have done a blog post here including swatches if you are interested in seeing how it looks on the nails.

Yes to Carrots Nourishing Exfoliating Cleanser - I bought this on a whim a few weeks ago after my Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish irritated my skin. I was on the hunt for a cleanser that didn't contain any harsh chemicals and this brand claimed to be paraben-free and full of natural ingredients. It also contains small exfoliating particles which meant as well as cleansing it would give my skin a light exfoliation. So far, I really like this product and have found my skin looks clearer after using it. Again, I will be reviewing this soon so I will explain why I like it in more detail then.

MAC 'Sail La Vie' Lipstick - I won't say too much about this as I have explained why I love it here in my review. All I will say is the colour and formulation of this lipstick in beautiful. Why oh why is it limited edition. 

Topshop 'Infrared' Lipstick - My lovely boyfriend bought me this for my birthday and it has been my most worn lipstick this month. I love the vibrant orange colour, the formula is great and even though it is bright, I find it very easy to wear during the day. I am sure most of you have seen this colour before but if you would like to see a swatch, I have included one in this post here.

Benefit Erase Paste - I bought this product at the same time as the Elemis moisturiser after reading a tonne of good reviews. I have been using it most days since for the past couple of weeks and I find it works perfectly for covering dark circles. I will be reviewing this product over the next week so if you want to see before and after photos, keep an eye out for that.

Joico K-PAK Reconstructive Styling Oil - If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have read my post about the Joico K-PAK hair range here. I have been really enjoying using the whole range over the past few weeks but I have particularly enjoyed using this oil. I am a real lover of hair oils at the moment and this one is great. My hair is left soft and shiny after using this product and if I didn't already have other hair oils, I would be tempted to buy the full-size version.

NARS Isolde Eyeshadow Duo - Again, this was another birthday present and I love it. I won't go into too much detail as I have done a full review here. I would really recommend these duos if you are looking for a handy high quality compact suitable for everyday use.

Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara - Sorry if I keep repeating myself but I will also be reviewing this product soon so I won't say too much about it other than it is a great mascara for length and thickness. It also claims to help the lashes grow which I am currently testing after a set of eyelash extensions has left me with snapped lashes.

What are you favourite products this month?

Lots of Love,

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A Small Feel Unique Haul

Benefit Brow Zings 

Elemis Fresh Skin Dream Sleep Night-Time Moisturiser 

Benefit Erase Paste 

Clarins Daily Energizer Cream-Gel 

Hey Ladies! I recently ordered a few goodies from Feel Unique with my birthday money and wanted to share with you what I got. I'd had a couple of these things on my wish list for some time so I was very happy to finally get my hands on them. I absolutely love the Feel Unique website as it offers such a huge range of products from a variety of brands. I purchased the following four things - Benefit Brow Zings, Benefit Erase Paster, Elemis Fresh Skin dreamy sleep night-time moisturiser & Clarins Daily Energizer Cream-Gel Moisturiser. I decided to give the two Benefit items a try after hearing nothing but great reviews on both. I have tried both items since they arrived and I love them so look out for upcoming reviews. I also repurchased the Clarins moisturiser after loving it for the past few months. There literally wasn't a scrap left in the jar I loved it so much. I have reviewed the Daily Energizer range here if you are interested in it. After popping Clarins in my basket, I then found myself looking at moisturisers from other brands and decided I would like to try a night cream. I would normally use the Clarins moisturiser both morning and night but I decided I wanted to see if a mosituriser specifically designed for night time use would make any difference to my skin. The 'Fresh Skin' range is designed for young skin and Elemis is a brand I have always been interested in after hearing fab reviews. I used this for the first time last night and on first impressions, its great. Again, look out for a full review to come soon. I am very happy with each of my purchases and certainly love browsing through the hundreds of amazing products on the Feel Unique website. Seriously, I could of gone absolutely wild. 

Do you own any of these products? Do you like shopping on the Feel Unique (link) website?
P.S - If any of you lovely ladies are on Instagram, feel free to follow me. My username is kayleighjcouture and I am often uploading beauty related snaps. To anyone who has seen a picture of these purchases already, I apologise for the double whammy.

Lots of love,