Benefit Sets- Bronze 'N' Dandy

Benefit has fast become one of my favourite make-up brands. From the cute packaging to the amazing products they seem to have everything on point (except maybe the price could be a wee bit cheaper!). 

Although it is more expensive than some other beauty brands I would definitely say that a lot of their products are worth it. I have previousy blogged about their amazing primer, great mascara and a bunch of their mini's. 

A great way to try out a product without having to dive straight in and pay the price without knowing if it would work for you is to pick up a little set of mini's. We all know I love a good mini so when you get four in one it's a happy day for me. 

There's many Benefit mini sets out there but the one which was given to me from my sister is this one- the Bronze 'N' Dandy gift set. This features a blush in Dandelion, a bronzer in Hoola and their matching lipglosses.

The bronzer my current favourite bronzer to use for contouring and general warming of the face and I'm about to run out of the one I'm using so was very happy to spot this in here. I've also never tried this blusher before but know it's one of Benefits most popular and I can see why. Although it looks very pale in the packaging it goes on beautifully and gives a really natural flush of colour to the cheeks- a possible new favourite blush! 

As for the lipgloss's- they are not the most pigmented in the world, nor do they last a long length of time but they're a great size to through into your bag and go on so smoothly. They give a great shine and I still really enjoy using them.

Sets like these are brilliant for trying out new make-up and I would recommend them if you're unsure if something would work for you or if you're going travelling and the set contains your favourites as it could save a whole lot of room in your case- room for another pair of shoes!?

I've seen these sets being sold in Boots and Debenhams but I'm sure there's plenty of other places to pick one up so now there's no excuse!

Thanks for reading

Iona x

Bloglovin'- TheLittleLassie

Twitter- ionaTLL

Instagram- thelittlelassie

Youtube - TheLittleLassies

Tweet

'What's In My Bag' Tag

I think this is my first ever 'Tag' blog and it's one which I've been extremely excited to write ever since I got my new Zara handbag. I've got a feeling this may be a fairly long one today so grab a cup of tea and get ready for delve into my portable world. 

So without further a-do here's a list of what I carry around each and every day and which I can't leave the house without.

• Purse- obviously essential
• Camera- never missing a kodak moment
• Portable phone charger- tiny blue tube which allows my to charge my iphone which we all know it needs it
• Tissues- sometimes I believe I'm allergic to the outdoors as my nose is forever running when I'm out!
• Kleenex blotting paper- for all my oily moments
• Chewing gum- always comes in handy
• Tartan and koala purse- to keep little bits and bobs from getting lost
• Sunglasses- always a must when in Australia
• Hand sanitizer- keeping all the bad bacteria at bay
• Lipgloss- mini benefit number for touch ups
• Lipbalm- Babylips one to stop the dry lips coming out to play

I got this koala purse for my birthday this year from my sister and I think it's the cutest thing ever! It's from New Look and is perfect for my time in Australia. Inside it I keep Rennies, paracetamol, kirby grips (bobby pins), spare hair bobbles (always seem to lose them) and an iphone cable for the portable charger.

I also got this tartan purse sent over from home but at Christmas time and love the Scottish feel of it to remind me of home. I use this as a mini make-up bag as it's big enough to carry a powder, concealer, eye liner and a little foundation.

My mint green purse is from Kmart (Australia) and I absolutely love it. It's big enough to easily fit in all my cards and cash but also big enough to squeeze in a couple of extras. Again I have another hair bobble, a slim notebook, a tiny pen, a re-useable to-do list and a mini pack of sticky notes. As you can tell I like to be prepared.

The bag itself is from Zara and is the Mini Office City Handbag and was £29. I fell so in love with it that I bought it, got it sent to my sister then gave her the money to send it over to me. I clearly just had to have it. It's bigger sister (the City Tote) was on my want list as it's basically a bigger version which is equally as beautiful but it sold out before I managed to make it to the shops so I snapped this one up as soon as I saw it. It's a beautiful deep navy colour and has 3 sections. The section in the middle is padded so perfect for ipads/kindles/any electronic or with a screen. Another one of the sections contains a pouch for your phone and card slots which are useful to pop in train tickets so you don't lose them and can easy find them.

As you can tell I like to be prepared for any situation and only get worse when I use a bigger bag.

What can't you leave the house without in your bag? 

Thanks for reading

Iona x

Bloglovin'- TheLittleLassie

Twitter- ionaTLL

Instagram- thelittlelassie

Youtube - TheLittleLassies

Tweet

Cleaning Make-up Brushes on a Budget

I love using brushes while applying my make-up as I think it gives a great effect, however, using brushes means there's going to be cleaning brushes. I can never be bothered with this but know it has many hygiene benefits as well as allowing the brushes to work at their optimum.

I aim to clean my brushes once a week but obviously this doesn't always happen so sometimes it's more 2 or 3 times a month. Still ok I think but not perfect. Back home I would use the MAC make-up brush cleanser as I found it was easy to use either for a full wash or just a quick one using a paper towel. It left the brushes soft and returned them back to white. But now that I am travelling around I don't have such a disposable income which means that MAC has gone out the window. So I researched a bit into what would be a good alternative and found that many people have said Johnsons Baby Shampoo.

This may sound a little crazy but when you think about it, the shampoo has been made for the most delicate of skin/hair so it'll be the most gentle there is out there. I love using this Shampoo for my brushes as it does leave them really soft and looking like brand new. They lather up nicely (just like when you wash your hair) which I think gives a slight deeper clean than the MAC cleanser. I also love the smell of it...is that weird?!

Tips for washing make-up brushes:

1. Using warm water- not hot as this will damage the brush
2. Place a small amount of the shampoo into the palm of your hand
3. After dampening the brush swirl it in the shampoo- use the ridges your fingers make to get right in between all the bristles
4. ALWAYS make sure the brush is facing down the way (bristles at the bottom) as this will prevent water going into the brush which will damage it and cause the bristles to fall out
5. Rinse the brush well to ensure all the shampoo has been washed off
6. Make sure to dry the brushes upside down for the same reason in number 4

Hope you found this useful- clean brushes are happy brushes after all!

Anyone got any other tips for cleaning brushes?

Thanks for reading

Iona x

Bloglovin'- TheLittleLassie

Twitter- ionaTLL

Instagram- thelittlelassie

Youtube - TheLittleLassies

Tweet