Long air-flights, taxi’s, public transport and hotels are all usually a sign that you are traveling for more than a weekend get away. These turn of events can make you feel and look pretty shocking! We can’t all take our whole beauty collections with us when traveling so here are a few tips so you still look fresh faced.

I usually pack my products in  my *Tender Love + Carry Topiary folding pouch  because it fits in my suitcase well and holds a lot for the size. It contains two zip sections that are plastic and waterproof which means I can keep my skincare + makeup separate and leaking isn’t a serious problem. The products I take are beside the essential body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc are:

Skin/body: Nude Skincare Perfect Cleansing Oil, *Argania Hair Oil, Origins Gin Zing eye cream, U Little Beauty Night Cream, Bioderma Crealine H20, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse,  Nude Skincare Progenius oil, *Urban Rituelle Cotton Candy Perfume and Lanolips Golden Ointment (not pictured)

Makeup: Urban Decay Naked Palette, NARS Smudge Proof Pro Prime, Benefit Hoola Bronzer & High Beam, MAC Lipstick in Honey Love, Smashbox Photofinish Oil Free Primer & Hyperlash Mascara, *Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer, Too Faced Three Way lining lash tool. Nail Polish remover pads, Revlon box o files, Sally Hansen Quick Colour Pen (better than a bottle of nail polish as they are less prone to leaking) and Urban Decay Brow Box (not pictured)

Sample size:

Ask your local beauty counter for some samples or buy travel size items.  “Try it” kit’s from a brand like Benefit, Too Faced or Smashbox; these come in sample size and are much more convenient for traveling than lugging along your full size product. Otherwise buy some travel containers (or bead jars) and fill them up with your product. For perfumes and oils I prefer to take pre-packaged travel sizes as they are often prone to leaking. I recommend you leave your loose powders at home and take pressed powders instead (bonus points if they are packaged in cardboard which absorbs shock, meaning no broken products!) Should any powders  break you can use this method to fix them.  I also like to take products that can double up like lipstick as cream blush, bronzer as eyeshadow, etc. 

Chlorine:

If you aren’t the proud owner of a swimming pool or hot tub/spa bath/jacuzzi and are staying at a hotel that has one chances are that you’ll probably go for a dip or two. These are overly chlorinated to kill all the germs and can take a negative toll on your skin and hair so make sure to take a quick shower after your swim and wash all that chlorine out of your hair + pop in a hydrating mask and slather on your body lotion.

Climate:

Wherever you’re traveling off to will probably have a different climate than you (and your skin!) are used to, if it’s a tropical destination make sure to pack the highest SPF you own and don’t bring your most super charged extra hydrating products, a chilly climate? The heating can dry out your skin so make sure to pack a little something extra to give it that bit of hydration it needs.

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Benefit is renowned for their concealers (think Erase Paste and Boi-ing, neither of which I have tried) almost as much as they are for their tints. When I started to see hype building up around the product from the US I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, so when I was invited to the Benefit Fake Up Launch back in February I got a wee bit excited.

I am super fussy with my concealers so I couldn’t wait to see whether this one would “wow” me. Out of the 50 odd billion concealers I’ve tried I’ve only ever liked three; Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer, Maybelline Fit Me and L’Oreal True Match Stick concealer have been the only ones I have loved.

Benefit makes some pretty big claims with this new baby! They claim it hydrates, feels comfortable, is silky, long lasting, lightweight, crease-proof and that it conceals dark circles. To me that instantly makes me think “Perfect Concealer Alert!” but is it? Let’s uncover the mystery….

Coverage wise, it is a little sheerer than I would like my concealer to be. I like to be able to put it on, tap with my finger tips and be done with it. To fully cover my dark circles with the Fake Up I usually need to apply around 6 layers which is an awful lot, but as it doesn’t turn cakey after so many layers and the end result still looks natural I can live with it.

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The “Adventures” series is just a bit about my adventures as a beauty blogger like traveling and attending events! Part 1

Whilst Sydney is a little fast paced for my liking there is no denying that I love the place. For one I still get that warm buzzy “I’m an Australian” feeling inside when I see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Most importantly though it is beauty event city which I LOVE.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Benefit Fake Up launch. As most of you probably know I’m already a bit of a Benefit fan, the Hoola bronzer, High Beam, Posie Tint, They’re real, Watts Up, Benetint, I could go on for hours. So naturally being a benefit fan + a beauty blogger a new product is bound to excite me. (I haven’t actually tried a Benefit concealer before!)

Photo: Benefit Cosmetics.

The event was held at the Benefit Boutique in Paddington and was everything you would ever expect from Benefit. Shirtless waiters in bow ties, Dr Feelgood and a short theater act from the Benefit Australia team, which was a little different but we all secretly enjoyed it and it gave us all a good laugh.

Photo: Benefit Cosmetics. Dr. Feelgood also known as Justin Fullerton General Brand Manager Australia and Professor Pink who also goes by the name of Sara Botwood the Global Vice President of training for Benefit

Benefit claims the new concealer is hydrating for up to six hours (thanks to the hydrating ring around the concealer which contains vitamin E & apple seed extract ) and will not crease. It reportedly instantly hides dark circles, diffuses fine lines and gives silky smooth coverage. Some pretty big claims there so I am interested to see if the product lives up to it. So far it seems quite good.

Photo: Beauty Directory. The new concealer launching April 20th for $35.

Appetizers and cocktails circulated around the event and me having the sweet tooth that I do went straight for the AMAZING cupcakes (I secretly might of eaten a few to many) and the delicious, refreshing apple sorbet.

Photo: Lather Rinse Rpt Instagram, yummy cupcakes!

We all left with cute Benefit makeup bags filled with some of their best sellers (They’re real and POREfessional, it should come as no surprise I have tried both before!) and the new concealer. I had an amazing time (huge thank you to Maxed Thomas PR & Benefit for having me!) and it was a great event, well worth the trip!

* I was a guest at the Benefit Fake Up launch for Benefit and was compensated for my travel costs. I was not under any obligation to write this post and as always my opinions remain 100% honest and uninfluenced in accordance with my disclosure policy.

As many of you may know benefit is one of my favourite brands. They are quirky, cute and of course unique. The second I saw Benefit’s fine one one, I wanted it and I had to have it on my cheeks right then and there.

Benefit’s fine one one is a good idea in theory… but doesn’t translate as well into the product as I would of liked. It promises to lift, shape and pop your look using a pink champagne highlighter, a sheer watermelon and a soft coral, to me it gives a subtle flush to the cheeks, but that’s about it.

It’s housed in a small wind up, rose gold tube and contains 8 grams of product, It’s easy to use and perfect if you are on the go and don’t want to carry a brush, two different shades of blush and a highlighter with you.

Application for Benefit’s fine one one is pretty basic, whether you are a makeup fanatic or a coat of mascara and walk out the door kind of girl you shouldn’t have a problem with application. You are meant to swipe the product onto your cheek (with the highlighter facing up towards your cheekbones) and blend either in an upwards motion to lift the face, or in a circular motion to fake more shape.

The formula isn’t as creamy as other cream blushes I have tried. For me I prefer my cream blushes to be like butter and melt into the skin easily. I would say the formula and texture is similar to Revlon’s Photoready cream blush and has about the same staying power too.

Unfortunately with this products I have a few gripes. The whole “swipe on” idea results in half your foundation transferring onto the product (and leaving a little rim of foundation around the product, a bit unhygienic if you ask me!) and whilst this can easily be fixed with a little bit of rubbing alcohol it defeats the purpose of it being quick and easy. In the end I found that taking the colours onto my fingers or onto a brush and applying them was the best way to prevent this from happening.

Unlike other Benefit blushes which I am a fan of (Coralista, Posietint, Bella Bamba and many more) this lacks in the pigmentation department. The shades are very sheer, this is great if you are prone to going a little over the top with your blush but most people will find they need to layer the product at least three times until they get a decent amount of colour. On my fair skin tone I found that one swipe was enough but those with a darker skin tone will probably want to build it up a little more. Out of all the shades the watermelon has the most colour pay off, the coral isn’t too far behind but the highlighter may as well be invisible and is so sheer that it doesn’t require blending into the skin.

Benefit claims that this can also be used on the lips which to me is probably not the smartest idea. To apply you’re meant to swipe the whole product onto your lips. This causes all of the colours to smear together and leaves an uneven looking colour on the lips. It gives a barely-there colour and feels silky on the lips, although I did find it accentuated my dry patches.

Benefit’s Fine One One is available from the 2nd of February and retails for $44 in Australia at select Myer stores. In the United States it will cost you $30 at Sephora, Ulta and Benefit counters. It is available at Boots & Benefit counters for £23.50.

*This post contains a product/sample which was sent to me for editorial consideration in accordance with my disclosure policy. This does not alter the honesty of this review or this blog, all opinions stated are honest and my own.

Illuminator is one of the main things I use everyday and just about every time I apply makeup I’ll use it, even if I’m not wearing a base like tinted moisturiser or foundation, it just gives my skin that perfect little pick me up and it’s great for faking that “just been on holiday glow” especially when you’ve actually been unwell!

Benefit’s High beam is something I use time and time again it ticks all the right boxes for me when it comes to illuminator.

This illuminator has a natural looking tone to it which for me is something important, don’t get me wrong I love illuminators that have that blue or purple runway tone to them but they’re not really all that fantastic for day time. High beam however has a gorgeous light natural pink undertone to it which is flattering to just about every skin tone.

I tend to prefer cream/liquid based illuminators apposed to powder which can often be chalky, but I’ve definitely experienced my up’s and down’s with creams to with them often being streaky and not blending into the skin, instead creating an obvious line of illuminator which doesn’t really give you that desired glowy effect. This cream/liquid however does not do that, instead it gives a subtle highlight that looks natural but glowy and when you get the sun shinning on your face while wearing this little guy it gives you a gorgeous effect.

Being of a liquid formula it makes it difficult to highlight areas such as the inner corner of the eye, the cupids bow and the brow bone as these areas tend to require more precision instead of straight out blending and even when used to highlight the brow bone it can sometimes look a little fake as it has a good pigment to it and having a pink tone it can result in looking like you’ve just tweezed the brow bone. However for areas such as the bridge of the nose, the cheekbones, the forehead, and the tip of the chin it works fabulously!

The packaging isn’t the best thing in the world but it’s not the worst either, I wouldn’t class it the most hygienic option as when you open it each time and take the brush out bacteria flys into the tube and the brush, similar to a mascara, but I can’t really think of any other way it could be conveniently packaged, in a pump bottle to much product would be dispensed, in a squeeze tube again to much product would probably be dispensed and in a jar well let’s not even go there. The good thing about the way it’s been packaged however is that you are easily able to control the amount of product you want, meaning you don’t end up looking like a disco ball.

Your eyebrows frame your entire face, and having them to thin, to thick or to arched can look terrible, so it’s important that you have your brows close to your natural shape, and not any different.

- Get your eyebrows professionally shaped. Whether it be waxing or threading as the method that you choose getting your eyebrows done by a professional is the best way to go, it hurts a bit but normally normally soothing treatments are applied after. It’s important that you get your eyebrows done around a certain time, you should always avoid any hair removal around that time of the month as your skin is much more sensitive. You only every need to get your eyebrows professionally shaped once if you are able to maintain the shape well, but it may take you a few shaping at a salon to get the shape you want. When getting your brows shaped ask for a small amount to be taken off, and check your brows after each wax, this way you can tell the salon person how much more you want off. A great tip that I learned is to look back at some of your old school photos from when you were about 8 or 9, this way you will be able to see your natural brow shape, you can take a photo in with you if you like but a good brow specialist should be able to determine  your natural brow shape just by looking at them.

- Avoid using brow Stencils. Although brow stencils are quite a handy tool avoid using them to shape your brows, the shape is often not natural enough for a persons brows and often the stencils are to big for most brows (unless your a guy!), although brow stencils do come in handy when your filling in your brows so you don’t go outside of your natural brows, and they are also not to bad if they match your brow shape well enough so you can then determine which hairs need to go and which ones can stay.

- Invest In good quality tweezers. A pair of good quality tweezers will effectively pull out an entire hair follicle with little to no pain. Brands like Tweezerman are expensive but are extremely well know for their good quality tweezers, used by professionals all over the world, they are also well known for their free tweezers sharpening service. I recently tried a pair of QVS tweezers (a cheapo brand at target) and they are the best tweezers I have ever used, A lot cheaper then Tweezerman and very comparable. Try: Tweezerman Slant Tweezers $20 USD, QVS Retro Flower Tweezers, $6.95 AUD.

- Pluck after showering. If you notice you’ve got some hairs growing back and want to tidy up your brows, do it after showering, the steam from the shower will help to open up the hair follicles making it easier and less painful to pluck the hairs.

- Do not over pluck. It’s seriously important that you do not over pluck, brows should be natural looking and should still be semi-thick. At younger ages you should always try and keep your brows full, but maintain shape, once you get older your brows start to thin out and fade they also stop growing as fast, and thin brows don’t look good on anyone, especially those above the age of 40.

Handy Tip: If you have glasses or a monolid keep your brows thick but still very well groomed.

Handy Tip: If you have seriously busy brows you can lightly trim the long hairs to make them look shorter.

MAKING YOUR BROWS FULL WITH MAKEUP.

- Determine your brow shade. Filling in your brows a shade to dark will look un-natural and editorial which isn’t what you want for an everyday look. Generally for people with dark hair your brow shade will be one shade lighter then your natural hair colour, sometimes the same shade as your natural hair colour. For light hair/blonde’s your shade will be a shade darker then your natural hair colour.

- Choose which formula you prefer. So many brands now days have come out with brow fill ins as they are becoming more and more popular, from pencils, to shadows and wax’s there’s a formula for everyone, over all I prefer brow pencils as it’s easier to find your shade, you have a bit more control, and you can just pop one in your bag and your out the door. Try: Prestige Classic Brow Pencil, Maybelline Define a brow pencil, Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow, Benefit Brow Zings.

- Fill In your Brows. When filling in your brows its super important that you don’t use a heavy hand, the key to filling in your brows and making them look natural is by using light, small feathering strokes from inner corner of your brows to the outer point of them, ensure that you follow the direction of the hairs and that you make sure your brows come to a point.

- Blend the colour. I would say this is one of the most important steps to creating a full natural looking brow. Whether you choose to use a mascara wand (one included in a brush kit or a disposable one), a brow comb or you can even use a clean eyeshadow brush!

- Set your brows. In order to keep your brows tamed and in place instead of unruly, set your brows with a gel. Many professional brands like MAC carry these in clear and in coloured (coloured if often saved best for the runway) but I think a clear mascara works just as good or you can ever try a multi-purpose balm like Lanolips, Suvana Paw Paw Ointment or Vaseline. Try: Maybelline Great Lash Clear, Maybelline Define a Brow Gel.

Handy Tip: If you’re using a brow pencil and find that it looks harsh, feather it onto a cotton tip and apply it with that instead.