Benefit Watts Up! Review

Watts Up! (£24.50) is my favourite product from Benefit. This beautiful gold toned highlighter stick makes it super simple to highlight cheek bones, brow bones, the cupids brow or any other area you may wish to illuminate.

This pretty purple tube has been whipped out every morning without fail for the last couple of months because I just love it so much. The soft golden tone warms up my pale skin without looking too much and due to the blending sponge on the other end of the product you can gently blot it until blended into a softer, more daytime friendly shade.

This chubby cream stick has a twist up design that has a protective cap that prevents any damage to the product and helps keep any powder products that may be stored with it from causing any trouble. To use all I do is twist it up a little, swipe across each brow bone and cheek bone before popping the lid back on and flipping over to use the blending tool on the other end.

The blending sponge is domed and just firm enough to keep its shape nicely whilst being soft enough to blend the product into the skin nicely and give a diffused effect. The size I find is perfect for using on the brow bone but for cheek bones I would personally prefer something slightly larger so I use my Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

The photo above shows a swatch of Watts Up! both straight from the stick and blended into the skin using the blending sponge. As you can see, the colour is nice and warm but doesn't look too over the top on my fair skin and where the consistency is nice and creamy it's great for achieving a subtle look as well as something more dramatic for the evening. When light hits it, the formula is designed to bounce light and create an illuminated, soft focus effect that is incredibly flattering. And to cap it off, the staying power is great too! Holds in place all day!
If I'm totally honest, I simply cannot fault this product. With most things if I think hard enough I can find some sort of negative factor that I'd like improved but with this I really can't. I love it and if I was going to advise you to try just on product from Benefit, this would be it, hands down.

Annie xx

Lush Tea Tree Toning Water Review

Everyone knows how much of a Lush fan I am, but today I am writing about my very favourite Lush product that I have ever tried; the Tea Tree Water which is a toner for oily, blemish prone skin.

I like to keep my cleansing and toning routine nice and simple because I do it sat at my dressing table so only use products that don't need rinsing off after use so this is perfect.
What I do is spray a couple of squirts on to a cotton pad to tone one side of my face and then repeat the process with the other side before holding the pad for a few seconds over any blemishes to help kick start the healing process.
The reason that this toner is so great on spot prone skin is because tea tree is a wonder product which acts as an antibacterial, antiseptic and also helps to reduce any redness or swelling. I bought this originally because I was looking for a light and natural product. All of the ingredients are natural and come from fruit and plants which is lovely as you don't need to worry about spraying anything nasty on your face. The toner is also vegan so is suitable for just about anyone.

One of the great things about Lush's Tea Tree Water is the spray pump dispenser. This allows you to use as much or as little as you wish and means that you get no wastage at all. You can either close your eyes and spray directly on to the face in a nice refreshing mist or do as I do and spray on to a cotton pad to target more precise areas. This spray is also suitable to put in the fridge so during the summer you can keep it nice and cool for an even more refreshing pick me up which will rehydrate the skin.

A common worry with Lush products is that some have a very short shelf life due to the natural ingredients (the face masks are one example of a product that is hard to use in the alloted time) however, as you can see from the above photo, you get plenty of time to use this toner, and whilst I have been using mine for several months now twice a day and still have around 2/3 of a bottle left, if you are using this every day, then you won't need to worry about it expiring.

My only little niggle with this product is that it isn't the easiest in the world to travel with. I popped this in my makeup bag when staying the night at a friends and found that there was a little leakage when I opened the bag, however, I think that may just be my bottle because I picked one with a slightly wonky lid, however, just be aware of this and check yours before taking it on a long flight or anything, we don't want any disappointment!

Over all, this really is a fabby product and one that I will buy again and again. It is my Holy Grail skin care product and I think I would struggle to use anything else now. And for just £3.95 for 100ml (enough to last me at least 6 months) it doesn't break the bank either so well worth a try. If you have dry skin then there is also the Breath of Fresh Air Water for you, or for sensitive skinned ladies, there is the Eau Roma Water so theres no excuse to not give it a go :)
What do you think? Have you tried any of the Lush toners? What is the toner you use and couldn't live without?
Annie x