☆What's In The Box: Day SEVEN☆

Hello everyone!!
I'm so terribly sorry for missing the past few days, I've just been suuuuper busy organising things for Christmas and getting gifts together etc.. you know how it is! This is the CRAAAZY season! Hahah
But as I've said before, I'm trying not to pressure myself to get a post up every single day, coz I obviously have other commitments during the week and the posts won't be as good if they're rushed. But this will still be my December series and upload all before Christmas :) SO DON'T FRET!! :D

And anyway, on to today's window.
Again, this is a product that I was quite curious about and interested in trying out.. but was a tad disappointed in. And it wasn't the quality of the product that left me in shambles... but the damn smell! I wish my nose wasn't so sensitive, otherwise I could completely enjoy this product :(

DAY SEVEN
On the seventh day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in A-Lister :)

At first, I was surprised to find yet another lip gloss in the calendar, but hopeful it would be better than the Dandelion gloss. But after one sniff, I knew this would go in the "stocking stuffer" pile. It had that same orange-esque smell that makes me feel queasy, which is super disappointing considering how cute the packaging is!

Again, this is a very wearable colour, and the sample packaging makes it really easy to just chuck in your purse on the way out without taking up too much room, yet still serving the purpose of a quick and simple application. There's nothing worse than a sample lip gloss in a tiny pot that you have to jam your fingers into to get a small amount of product out!

A-Lister is a pretty peachy-pink colour that is very similar to Dandelion, but possibly a few shades lighter. Dandelion was quite a sheer lip gloss with a hint of colour and sheen, whereas A-Lister is creamy and more pigmented yet still a wearable every day gloss.
I'm really disappointed I won't be able to wear this, but again, it will make someone else very happy this Christmas :) and if you don't mind the smell, then I think this would be a great gloss to add to any collection :)

I hope you enjoyed Day Seven, and I shall see you in the next post :)
<3 Hannah Kate

☆What's In The Box: Day SIX☆

(Edit: So hopefully after this post everything else will be perfectly fine! Haha)

Welcome back to "What's In The Box" with the first 'gift' day!
Throughout this advent calendar, Benefit have been sneakily hiding cute little gifts that I'm fairly certain you're unable to physically purchase. So today, I found my very first gift...

DAY SIX
On the six day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

 A 2013 Advent Bow Hair Clip :)

This is such a cute little bobby pin-esque clip to hold back your hair while still looking fashionable. The little white bow has a tiny rhinestone in the middle that adds a little glitz and glamour to such a simplistic design.

I'm forever using bobby pins and cute little bows when I style my hair, so I think I can get a lot of use out of this :)
Things like this are great stocking stuffers for little girls, too (or not so little girls like myself, haha). They can cost anywhere between $0.50-$5, so find ones with cute details like this one to give a girl some sparkle to add to her 'do'!

And with that, I shall see you all tomorrow :)
<3 Hannah Kate

☆What's In The Box: Day FIVE☆

(Edit: Again, this was a scheduled post that never made it to the outside world!)

I want to start this post off by saying last night was the best night of my life. You know that feeling you get when everything in the world suddenly feels perfect and you're left with a sense of euphoria? That's exactly how I felt, and I want to feel this way for the rest of my life! Muse put on the best live performance I have ever witnessed in my entire life -and if you see my wall full of ticket stubs, you'll know I've been to thousands! There is just something about them that always amazes me each time I see them, and it inspires me both musically and in life to strive for greatness haha.

Anyway, back to the point behind this post! Today is now Day Five and again I was very happy with what lay behind the box...

DAY FIVE
On the fifth day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

 Benetint Lip and Cheek Stain :)

Now, I already own this wonderful product as it came in the "Primping With The Stars" box I bought on my trip to the States this year, but I'm thankful I have another sample bottle as I was too afraid to start using my other bottle more often in case it ran out super quick! The full size retails for around $30 online and close to (or over) $50 in Australia, which makes for a very pricey stain! So having two samples will last me quite a while.

The brush inside is very good quality, and makes it easy to sweep a few lines on your cheeks and blend in with your fingers to create that natural looking flush. This is perfect for those days when you just want a simple makeup look to rush out the door for class or work. It also works as a lip stain, so if you're in a hurry, just swipe this across the lips for colour that will last all day and weather any storm.

As you can see, the colour can be buildable, from a flush of red to a vibrant rose.
Because this is such a small size, I can see myself carrying this around on a night out for quick touch ups, or adding it to my travel makeup case seeing as it takes up barely any room and offers another option for colour choice.
I can't wait to wear this more often and possibly try out all the other tints. These are great little products to help in a bind haha

I hope you enjoyed today's post, and I shall crawl into a little ball and feel sorry for myself for I moshed too hard and now my entire body hurts. But it was totally worth it!
<3 Hannah Kate

☆What's In The Box: Day FOUR☆

(Edit: So, apparently clicking "Schedule" at 2 am and thinking it would post later that day did in fact NOT work out in my favour and these posts have been sitting in my draft box this whole time. Frustration maximum! But here are the posts from the past few days!)

So tonight I shall be rocking out to my favourite band, Muse!! And hopefully I can still schedule this post to be on time today regardless. I am beyond excited to dance the night away and watch the fabulous Matt Bellamy hit those high notes in very tight pants ;P
But back to the reason why you're here. Today is Day Four on the calendar and I have to admit I was quite excited for this surprise.. but then very quickly disappointed. Read on to find out why...

DAY FOUR
On the fourth day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

 Dandelion Ultra Plush Lip Gloss :)

At first, I was so excited to finally have the chance to try one of the Benefit lip glosses, especially one from the boxed blush sets. With 6.5g of product, I knew this would be perfect to carry around in my clutch or handbag when I'm out at night or running errands and need something that won't take up much room. The sample packaging for Benefit overall is great, but the fact that their mini lip glosses have the same applicator as the full size, it gives you the "full gloss experience", rather than it being in a sticky pot or a less than average brush.

So as I went to swatch the colour, I couldn't help but smell the actual gloss -because as I've said before, smell is important for me when it comes to products and there's nothing better than a yummy gloss- but I actually regret using my senses for this gloss, because it completely ruined it for me.

Ok.. let me tell you a story as to why this gloss smells absolutely repulsive to me..
When I was younger and I played with Barbie's, there was one doll that was a witch... or sorceress or something. Anyway, the point is she came with a "potion" set, where you mixed powder with water and drank it. The first one I tried was some sort of orange flavour, and I literally threw it all back up. Ever since then, I can't drink any fizzy orange drinks or stand anything that reminds me of that smell. This lip gloss included. So, disappointment aside, I swatched it and was pleasantly surprised with the lovely colour.

A peachy-pink that when applied on the lips gives a hint of colour with a pretty sheen from the gold flecks. If I could get past the smell and the fact that it tastes like glycerin, I think this is a colour I could wear every day. But unfortunately my senses are far too particular.
But it hasn't all been a disappointment! Luckily I have stockings that need filling and people who will appreciate this more than me, so hopefully this little baby gloss can make it's way into someone else's handbag.

I hope you enjoyed Day Four and I will hopefully see you all tomorrow -unless I'm all rocked out!
<3 Hannah Kate

☆What's In The Box: Day THREE☆

Hello again everyone, and welcome to Day Three! :D
This post is late today because I wanted to physically use this product before I went to bed to give a proper review rather than "this looks pretty" haha. I have been "eyeing" off this product for some time and have considered purchasing several times when browsing online, but was very unsure whether it would be worth the money. But I was super excited to open the little box today and find a sample!

DAY THREE
On the third day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

It's Potent! Eye Cream :)

My first thought was how absolutely gorgeous the packaging was! Usually when you get samples of creams, they come in a dingy plastic container with the tiniest scraping of product which is nowhere near enough to justify how well it works, so you end up buying the full size anyway!
But this eye cream sample comes in a similarly styled container as the full size. Made of a cool, green glass that gives a very vintage-esque look on your vanity, which is just absolutely beautiful! And I was so surprised to see that this very small sample was completely FILLED with product! With 3.0g of eye cream, this gives you enough to ensure a) the product is working for you and b) you'd want to purchase the full size.

So, naturally I tried it straight away!
This eye cream is marketed towards people who have very dull and dark under eye circles. Whether from hyper-pigmentation or lack of sleep (I suffer from both), it aims to brighten the area and smooth any noticeable lines to give you that younger, healthier glow that makes you look completely awake.
On first impressions, it has a very creamy and smooth texture that glides onto the skin and soaks in as you gently apply to the under-eye area. It kind of smells like grapes, but it's not that sickly sweet smell of grape that you have with some sweets. It's just a subtle hint, and smells are important to me when it comes to all products! There's nothing worse than using something that makes you want to gag every time you open the container!
I have tried several "eye brightening", "send those dark circles to the depths of hell", "wake me up please!" products over the past few years, and so far nothing has really done the trick. Or they've worked for a few weeks and suddenly my skin either gets used to the product or they've simply reached the end of their limits (I swear, my eyes looked like a panda before I started!). And eye creams are mighty expensive for such little containers! This particular one from Benefit goes for around $36 online and probably double that to buy from a counter in Australia! So hopefully it will prove to be worth the price tag and I can purchase it for myself :)

I've had it on for an hour or so now and already I can feel the area being cooled down and there's a slight sheen of light on the skin, almost as if I've added a highlighting cream (which would make sense considering it containers an illuminating agent haha)
I'm really looking forward to putting this on every night and I shall report back at the end of this series if it made any difference and maybe include pictures of the progress :)

I hope you enjoyed reading Day Three and tomorrow's post may be up earlier than usual (and I will explain why in that post :P).

And also, because today is the 3rd of December I wanted to wish my boyfriend a very happy 45th monthiversary (or 3 years and 9 months!) and to thank him again for gifting me this wonderful calendar, which has already provided some lovely surprises!

I shall see you all in the next post! :)
<3 Hannah Kate

☆What's In The Box: Day TWO☆

As I woke up this morning, feeling those dull aches from the day before, I almost forgot that I could open a new window today!
I was pleasantly surprised with today's 'prize' because it's a product I've wanted to try out for some time :D

DAY TWO
One the second day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Stay Don't Stray primer in light/medium :)

This is an almost cult-loved primer for keeping your under eye concealer and eyeshadow completely budge proof! I have a massive problem with every concealer either creasing, smudging or ending up half way down my face by the end of the day. No matter what product I use or how much I prime before! But I've heard that there are many others who have similar issues and recommend this to the ends of the earth. So I'm very happy to now have it in my possession to play with :)

This sample is very tiny -about the size of my pinky- but I feel a little can go along way with this product, and it's a great size to test it out.
With a sponge-y applicator, it would seem that the actual product would blend and sink in really well into your eye area. There's nothing worse than having a harsh applicator around the tender skin of your eyes!
From what I swatched on my skin, the product inside is very creamy and milky and surprisingly a good match for my skin, which means it won't show through when I add concealer or eye shadows over the top.

I'm really excited to try this out and see how well it really lasts and whether my concealer will in fact "stay and not stray".
I've decided that on Christmas Day and maybe even Boxing Day (which is a big family day for us in my household) I'll do a makeup look using the products inside this calendar so I can report back on how well they lasted and how they worked etc and then I'll be able to give a just review. So stay tuned for that in.. a few short days :O Christmas is so close!
I shall see all you lovely readers tomorrow for day three!

<3 Hannah Kate

☆What's In The Box: Day ONE☆

Today is the first day of my December series "What's In The Box"! If you missed yesterday's post, I was graciously bought the Benefit Cosmetics Countdown To Love advent calendar as an early Christmas present. So each day, I'll open the little windows and show what's inside and share my first impressions :)

DAY ONE
On the first day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

 Coralista miniature boxed blush :)

This was such a surprise, as I thought there was only one boxed blush in this entire calendar, so I'm very excited to try this out!
The first thing I noticed was how bright and brilliant the colour was. Such a lovely pinky-coral that will be PERFECT for summer, which is just around the corner!

It's quite small, maybe about an inch or so, but for a sample I think there's quite a lot of product in the packaging. And I think I prefer the blushes to be smaller purely because they're easy to travel with. I own the Hervana boxed blush and I have to leave it at home whenever I go anywhere because it just won't fit in my makeup bag :(
So having such compact packaging is great!

I couldn't help but swatch it right away, and was so surprised at how pigmented and creamy the actual product was! It's not as super bright as it looks in the box, but it's definitely a buildable colour which I really love. Some days you just want a nice hint of colour and other days you want it to be like "woah look at my radiant cheeks!", so I feel you could achieve both looks with this one colour.

It almost has a dusty rose look to it when swiped across the cheeks, but obviously not as 'hard-hitting' as something like Rockateur. So it's a just a very pretty rosy coral with small gold flecks to give you that healthy summer glow.
This retails in Australia for around $55 as the full boxed blush and $28 from the Benefit website. I'm about 80% sure you can get these sample sized blushes in their sets they have every year, though I'm not entirely sure if Coralista is one of them. The two they have out now on their website are Sexy Little Stowaways and Little Love Potions. So if you were bummed you missed out on the calendar, you can still pick up these great deals online for some quality samples at a fantastic value :)

I hope you enjoyed Day One and I shall see you all tomorrow!

<3 Hannah Kate