Haul! Benefit, L'Oreal, Stila

I recently splurged on a bit of make-up, so I thought I'd talk through the products and sort of mini-review them.

1) BENEFIT HIGH BROW GLOW

High Brow Glow is described by Benefit as a "luminous brow-lifting pencil". It's a shimmery and more warm-toned version of their matte High Brow pencil, which already has many fans. You draw a line under your eyebrow, and then smudge it down, to create a brow highlight which lifts and defines the brow.

I usually use a shimmery pale eyeshadow to create a similar effect, but this pencil is so much easier (and doesn't require a brush). It's a really flattering colour, with subtle shimmer rather than all out glitter, that will bring a gentle glow to your face.

Here's a photo with one eye without and one eye with the product:

As you can see (hopefully - apologies for the poor quality!), there really is a big difference. This is definitely going to become a staple in my make-up box.

2) L'OREAL STUDIO SECRETS GLASS SHINE LIP LACQUER IN 831 DARK SKIN TONES

This is a peachy bronze lipgloss packed with gold shimmer. It's slightly sticky (but still slides comfortably around the lips), and is really long-wearing. I wore it out the other day for drinks, and it was still mostly there after 2 hours and 3 drinks!

I would really recommend this lip gloss for anyone with warm-toned skin. The shade is for "dark skin tones" but I think it would look good on anyone with medium/tan skin tones and darker.

I haven't included a picture but I'm wearing in my Arabic-inspired make-up look, so check it out there!

3) STILA LIP AND CHEEK STAIN IN CHERRY CRUSH

I've been coveting this for ages, and I finally went out and bought it. I love the idea of lip stains, but I hate lip markers as they usually dry out really quickly and apply streakily. I was therefore excited to try these Stila Lip and Cheek stains, which have a brush applicator, where you twist up the bottom to get more product into the brush.

Cherry Crush is an orange-toned red which leans warm, but could be made to work on cooler skins. It's got subtle shimmer when swatched, but once on the lips it doesn't really show.

Here is what it looks like with one layer:

It gives a light wash of colour that looks very natural.

It takes about 30 seconds to sink into the skin, then another layer can be applied over it (or lip balm, or whatever). It can be built up quite a bit.

Here's what it looks like with 2 layers:

It's possible to get an even stronger look with a 3rd and even 4th layer, but I would say it's not really designed to be a strong opaque product. However, it does look like a very natural flush, which is what lip stains general try to mimic.

It's a thumbs up from me, and I'm looking forward to getting other shades!