The Good Ship Benefit Launch + Cheekathon Palette

I was super lucky to be invite to the Benefit Good Ship* back in April to celebrate its launch and also try out the newly launched House of Fraser Exclusive Cheekathon Palette*. You can already imagine my excitement  because I had told myself I need to get on the beautiful Good Ship. I had seen several swoon worthy photos on Instagram so I was more than excited to have a chance to get on it.

It was such a lovely day to host a beautiful event as spring had already sprung. I love going for events when it is not pitch dark. The Good Ship Benefit is on Victoria Embankment which is also an incredible tourist attraction as you can see the beautiful sights of London from there. I honestly can’t remember if I have been on a proper ship or not so I was not sure of what to expect.  I was seriously hoping that I won’t be seasick and thank goodness, I wasn't. It was such an enjoyable experience and I didn't even notice I was on a ship.

I got here nice and early and was welcomed by the lovely House of Fraser and Benebabes team. The ship looked so gorgeous and it’s housed in the R.S. Hispaniola which is a full time restaurant overlooking stunning London views including the London Eye.The Good Ship Benefit is open now until 31 August 2016 so there’s plenty time to visit. It is very popular now that Spring and Summer are at our door steps.

I popped in to the lounge area (Pinkton Parlour) which was decorated with everything pink which is part of Benefit’s signature colour. There were drinks (all pink as well), cake pops and sweets beautifully arranged around the room and of course I helped myself to a few. There were other bloggers snapping away as you would expect in such a beautiful venue. Soon it as time for the live demo of the Cheekathon Palette. I will be reviewing this separately otherwise this post will be super long. 

We were shown how to create a nice spring/summer look using all majority of products within the Cheekathon Paletteand other Beenfit products. The model was absolutely gorgeous. I was there thinking she looked familiar and then I realised she reminded me of Scarlett Johansson (not that I know her in real life though). The look really complemented all her features. 

The Cheekathon Paletteis exclusive to House of Fraser and it retails for £44.50 which is an absolute bargain is seeing that you get 5 full size products (which cost from £23 each). Inside the Palette, you will find Dandelion Blush, Hoola Bronzer, Rockateur, Coralista Blush and Dallas. There is also a nice brush which picks up the product really well.  I am so pleased it works so well with all the products in the palette.

Once the demo was over, we were given a tour of the entire ship and it was spectacular as you would imagine. We were also treated to makeupovers including a brow makeover. I believe there are 5 special rooms/restaurants/lounges in total including the Lashitude at the Upper Deck, Porefessional Vault, Brow Lounge, Hoola Decks and Pinkton Parlour. All the rooms looked so gorgeous and perfect for a proper girly day/night out or even a normal date. Benefit Cosmetics designed the Good Ship Benefit to give us (over here in Europe) a taste of what the Benefit headquarters in San  Francisco looks like and I think they nailed it. It's such a dreamy venue and I know I will be visiting again soon.

The Brow Lounge is a really chilled area where you can get your brows magically transformed while sipping on a glass of bubble or enjoy an afternoon tea. The Benefit Brow experts are on hand to provide a personalised brow experience using the best selling Benefit brow products. I did not wait to do my brows on the day because you  can imagine it was a popular spot for bloggers.






The Porefessional Vault was my favourite room because it looked so serene with the light blue-green designs similar to the Porefessional primer packaging. The best part was being able to see some lovely fishes swimming in an enclosed area and it was truly spectacular. Apparently, there is a secret vault in there full of primers and a sexy head bar man- Matt Rescue. This room is perfect for lovely cocktails after work and I think it will be my first choice when next I visit.


The Lashitude at Upper Deck (inspired by the They're real Mascara) was definitely the most popular choice for both men and women and they serve either lunch or dinner in there. I really liked the ambience there although it was quite busy. The fact that it's on the upper deck means you get a richer experience of the stunning London views and I can only imagine how spectacular it would look at night.



The Pinkton Parlour is definitely a proper girly girl room and I know my sister would adore this particular room. She loves everything pink!! This was where the demo part of the event was held and it's seriously the perfect place for a girly chat or gossip. You can have either coffees or beautiful cocktails and of course, any other drinks you fancy.



Last but not the least  was the Hoola Decks which was on the Upper Deck open space and it will definitely be a popular place this Summer (if Summer eventually shows up). It has a really relaxing ambience complete with Tiki Huts and Cabanas to create a Hawaiian experience. In the summer, there will be a range of exclusive fitness classes held on deck.




It was an amazing experience and I did not even notice I was on a ship as it was quite stable (so minimal chances of being sea sick). I was given a lovely goodie bag which contained the lovely Benefit Cheekathon Palette* and some other lovely Benefit Cosmetics goodies.  I will be reviewing the Cheekathon Palette in another post.  I was also super excited to see a 20% off VIP card from House of Fraser* in my goodie bag and it has been so useful (and dangerous as I have even more excuses to shop but I am trying to be very good). A massive thank you to House of Fraser and Benefit Cosmetics for inviting me to such a wonderful event. It totally made my day and week. Hope you enjoyed this post and see you in my next. What do you think of the Good Shop Benefit?
*Gifted PR Sample + Affiliate Links used, read my full disclaimer here.

Next Beauty Launch Event and Review

I was invited back in March to attend the Next Beauty launch in Central London and I was super excited as usual. I think it was definitely one of the first events I attended this year so it was a pretty special one for me. I love to shop in Next for other non-beauty items because they have great quality. I don't think I had tried anything from their beauty section apart from their fragrances and body mists which I really like. I was really curious to see what was on offer and how the quality compared to other beauty products on the high street.


The event was held in the lovely Ice Tank which is such an amazing venue for blogger and press events. I think I may have attended quite a few blogger events here in the past and it always looks stunning. I got there slightly late because I was working so late that day but I was happy to be out mingling with other bloggers and learning more about the new launches.



In addition to trying out the new range (also known as the Make Me Beautiful range) and getting pampered, YouTuber and Blogger Lydia Millen was going to show us two tutorials- A day look and a night look. I decided to take some photos while everything was looking pristine and the products looked incredible and so Instagram worthy. The venue was packed full of bloggers and other beauty enthusiasts and you could tell people were quite curious to check these products out.





I was just in awe at the wide range of products available. I was like "when did all this happen?" I honestly had no idea. There were eyeshadow palettes including quads, bronzers, lipsticks, highlighters, etc. The only thing I did not notice was foundation and I wonder if they will launch this at some point. However, they had some lovely bronzers which works on a variety of skin tones and I think that's commendable. The best part is the prices are super affordable and the quality is quite good compared to other high street counterparts (although I prefer Next Beauty packaging).




I have to say I am well impressed with the products available. There were lovely shades of purple and plum which will always have a soft spot in my heart. I also spied warm bronze shades which made my heart flutter every time. I also have to mention that I love their packaging as it is quite attractive. It's quite sturdy as well and it does not look too cheap at all. 





Of course, there were some home ware goodies which I know many bloggers will adore and I just could not get over how cute they were. Next has always been known for their amazing home ware section but when they add some beauty elements to their home range, it becomes quite spectacular. I know I will be popping over for some blogging props much later although my room is so full of them but a blogger can never have too much props. 

When I got there, I think Lydia was rounding off her first tutorial/look and she looked lovely. I have to say it can be nerve wrecking doing your makeup and filming it in front of many watchful eyes but she did an amazing job. She also interacted with the audience really well which is by no means an easy feat. I can’t even talk properly while doing my own makeup how much more making eye contact and conversing with people I don’t really know. A big well done to her!!


Once the first tutorial was over, we had a little break and I decided to sample the delicious menu. Seriously, the organisers went out of their way by providing a nice three course meal in bite size bowls. There were canapés, noodles, wined chicken (delicious) and other desserts. There were also an assortment of drinks on standby.



Once I had stuffed my face, I went downstairs to get pampered. There was a makeup station and a nail bar but I didn't end up getting any makeovers because there was a little queue (and I was distracted by the gorgeous Next Beauty products). Everything looked so beautiful and you can imagine I went a little crazy with the snaps.

Soon it was time for Lydia’s second tutorial- Her night look. I was quite keen to see and learn new tips on converting a day makeup to a night one. I loved her night look and she finished it off with a red lip. I tried to take a nice shot of her but believe me, the venue was well packed and I am only 5ft3 (hehehehe excuses). I did not get a good shot of her finished look but it looked beautiful as you would imagine.



Once the tutorial was over, I chatted a little bit more with some bloggers and the PR before I left for home. I was kindly gifted a Bornzer, Chubby Lippy, Nail Polishes and an Eyeshadow Palette. I have tested them out for almost a month so I feel I can give a detailed review.





Make Me Beautiful Eyeshadow Palette* //Link // £10
I was super excited when I saw this in the goody bag because you all know I am a proper eyeshadow palette junkie. I loved the colours as I knew they would be amazing to create a light everyday neutral look. The packaging is really compact,  cute and very travel-friendly. It also has a small mirror which I love because it makes application easier. Inside the palette, you get 10 eyeshadows which are made up of neutral colours and a brush (not a fan of any eyeshadow brush that comes in a palette except a few rare ones). The color pay off and pigmentation on my skin tone was surprisingly better than I thought but I think it may be best suited if you have a lighter complexion. However, there are a few colours in the palette which I love and use often. They eyeshadows have a metallic vibe which I like because it improves their pigmentation but again the texture is nor buttery or easy to blend. The eyeshadow works so much better on my skin tone with a primer and sometimes a cream eyeshadow as a base. One I added a primer and/or a cream eyeshadow, the pigmentation and lastign power greatly improved.  If you love a light neutral look and a palette that has easy to use colours, you would love this palette. I do have my eyes on the Quads which I think are baked and their texture seemed better so I will be treating myself to one soon.





Make Me Beautiful Bronzer*//Link // £8
This is definitely one of my favourite products from the entire range and it's also multi tasking for me. I use it as a highlighter, bronzer and an eyeshadow and I love it. It has five mini sections which starts off as light shades (for highlighting) and ends as golden or darker shades (for bronzing). I don't really use the highlighting side on my face because it can be slightly ashy or too out there but it is amazing as a brow highlight or lid colour. I absolutely love the darker shades because they complement my complexion so well. The golden hues really looks flattering on my skin tone especially when it bounces off good lighting. I am really impressed with this highlighter and I love the packaging. It is also very pigmented so a light hand is very much needed if you want to avoid looking like a disco ball.





Make Me Beautiful Cherry Red Chubby Lippy* //Link //£8
This is another favourite of mine and I love how pigmented it is on my lips. It is a beautiful cherry red shade which I think would be flattering on many skin tones including darker ones. The formula is super smooth and applies so well regardless of how chapped my lips are. I love the chubby packaging and most importantly, it can be rolled up and down which is so handy. The lasting power is rather impressive as I have put it on in the morning, eaten, had some coffee and yet it was still on my lips. It did fade after a good while but it left a beautiful stain on my lips which I love as it looks quite natural. It is a creamy finish but it does not sit heavy or greasy on my lips. It is just the perfect lip product for me because I can hardly feel it on my lips which is my preferred finish. It's totally worth a try if you are looking to try at least one product from the range



Make Me beautiful Nail Polishes* //Link  //£4
Last but not least are the nail polishes which have such pretty packaging. I don't know why but I am quite partial to square shaped nail polish bottles. I feel like they are look so much more elegant than the traditional round bottles. Anyway, I received two gorgeous shades - Frozen and Molten Platinum. I am not too fussy when it comes to nail polishes per say but I do like a good formula that lasts long without chapping. The formula is a good one and you can achieve a good finish with just one coat. I don't really like going for darker nails during Summer/Spring so I know Molten Platinum will be perfect for the Autumn/Winter season. The second shade Frozen is a pretty colour that can be worn on its own or over another nail polish. It has a pretty iridescent blue shade that catches the light in a flattering way. It has some tiny glitter particles in it which adds some character when you add it on top of other regular nail polish. Most importantly, it is quite easy to remove because I love adding glitter but I dread having to remove it but I didn't have that problem with this nail polish.


Overall Thoughts
I am really impressed with the Next Beauty range particularly the bronzing block and lip products. I know I will be in store checking out some of the baked eyeshadow quads I saw displayed. I swatched a few of them and the pigmentation and texture was incredible. I really enjoyed the event so much and it was one event that was packed to the brim with loads of bloggers and beauty enthusiasts. A big thank you to Next Beauty for inviting me to this lovely event and for all the goodies I was kindly gifted. I hope you enjoyed this post and see you in my next one. Have you tried any products from Next Beauty range?
*Gifted PR Sample, read my full disclaimer here.