I'm a huge fan of Benefit Cosmetics, their packaging is so unique and their products are too die for, especially their mascaras and box blushers. Although often pricey, they are so worth it every penny! I'm sure you've all heard that they are bringing out a new mascara, which i'm so excited for and I thought i'd do a mini review/first impressions.

As you all probably know, with this months Elle Magazine you receive a free sample size of Benefit Roller Lash. Seeing i'm not as lucky as some bloggers out there, I just knew I had to try out this mascara and when I heard about the freebie in this months Elle, I practically ran into my local Tesco to get my hands on it.

With They're Real Mascara being the number one selling mascara in the UK, they had to try and bring out one just as good, or even better. The new Benefit Roller Lash, which doesn't launch until February 26th is said to curl your lashes and lengthen, so no need for eyelash curlers anymore. I really liked the sound of this mascara from the get go and with any new Benefit release i'm always curious.

I've been using this since picking it up last weekend and so far i'm loving it. It applies lovely to the lashes as it separates, lengthens and gives them that curl that I find they often lack with other mascaras. I also really like the wand to this, I personally prefer a plastic wand as I find they just grip the lashes so well and this applies so black. Even though this is a mini, I love the packaging and I will definitely be picking up a full size when this one runs out.

Make sure to grab your copy of Elle Magazine as soon as you can, as they are practically sold out everywhere!

Have you tried out the new Roller Lash yet?

In the new year I decided that I needed to make some changes to my skincare and the products that I was using on my skin, as it was becoming more and more dry - no matter how much facial oil I applied, nothing seemed to be working.

In a moment of desperation, I thought back to the products I was using the winter previously and I remembered how much I loved my serums but face oils had taken over and given the serums a back seat. Now I never thought that the oils would be the cause of my dry skin, but I do believe that they were a big contributing factor and since i've not been using them as much, my skin seems to slowly be getting better. 

Anyway onto the products that i've recently switched into my skincare routine..

Starting with two serums that i've really gotten back into using after neglecting them for quite a while. Starting with a slightly more budget friendly option and one of my favourites is Hydraluron (£24.99) and when I say slightly, I mean compared to the next product. This is just a great moisture boosting serum that absorbs almost instantly, leaving my skin feeling less dry and looking slightly more radiant. I've been through a few tubes of this stuff and is one i'll always repurchase as I find it works really well for my skin. Another serum i've been reaching for more is the Jurlique Daily Moisture Balancing Serum* (£40). Again a great serum that boosts your skin moisture and helps to reduce any dry skin. This one is a lot more watery compared to Hydraluron, which is almost like a gel consistency but this absorbs just as quickly and leaves my skin looking so much better.

Moving onto moisturisers now and I found that again I was skipping out on them quite a bit and always opted for an oil, as I found it sorted out my dry skin almost instantly. One of my all time favourites is the La Roche Posay Hydreane Light (£12), which is aimed a dry skin. This is the light version but they also do an intense one for really dry skin but I find that one just a little too thick. This one great and I can use it day or night, and I find it does exactly what I want it to, whilst also tending to my dry areas. A recent favourite is the Benefit Total Moisture (£28.50) and this again is a lovely one to use both day and night. It's not too thick but thick enough to pump some moisture into my skin and it smells quite nice too!

Lastly I have been using a facial oil still but just for overnight purposes and this is The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil (£13). This one is great as it's a serum and oil in one, so it's not too harsh on the dry skin and applying it before you go to bed allows it to really soak into the skin. I've really been enjoying this as well as the other products from their Vitamin E range.

Have you switched up your skincare recently?

It's safe to say my Lush addiction has definitely come into full effect after going a bit mad in the Boxing Day sales, and when they released their new Valentines collection I just knew I had to pick up a few to try - they are limited edition after all!

After seeing a fair few products from the Lush Valentines range floating around the blogosphere, I knew which products I wanted to get my hands on and I only ended up picking up two products - I was well behaved.

As I love the bath bombs from Lush the Floating Flower (£3.50) was one that I knew I needed to try and when I first I smelt this, the scent was to die for. It has a lovely sweet floral scent that has filled my bathroom with the scent and I haven't even used it yet! I can't wait to see what patterns this will make in my bath, as it looks very promising on their website.

The other product I knew I had to get was the Unicorn Horn (£3.25), how cute is this?! I honestly don't want to use it, but I can't wait to either! As this is a bubble bar I know i'll get a fair few uses out of it and it smells so lovely, quite similar to the previous one but not at potent. 

So those are the few bits I picked up from their Valentines range. I was going to get another Love Locket but they are quite expensive and i've got a fair few others one to get through, so I couldn't really justify it and the other products from the range I doubt i'd use.

Have you picked up anything from their Valentines Collection?

For a while now a lot of you have asked me to do a desk tour style post, but whenever I try to photograph it the images just don't portray how I see my desk - I'm going to reorganise it and try again but for now I thought i'd share some of the essentials that you will always find on my desk.

For the most part I keep my desk quite tidy and organised, which I touched on in my Organisation Tips post, as I can't concentrate when there is clutter but I will always have a small selection of items at hand to guide me through whatever it is i'm doing.

The most important thing is definitely my MacBook Pro and a pretty obvious one, as I wouldn't really get much blogging done without this little baby. I've had this for a couple of years now, as I mainly got it for when I was at uni and I cannot fault it. As I did a design based coursed it was necessary but I also hands down prefer it to any Windows computer, it's easier to use, the software is a lot more sleek and no viruses! 

Next we have my iPhone 5, another piece of Apple divineness I wouldn't be without. I keep it with me at all times as it's so handy to respond to emails on but to also procrastinate with as I love scrolling through my Instagram feed or just having a cheeky look on Twitter. My case is the Cat Sims Feathers Case* (£9.99) from Iconemesis, which i've seen floating around on the blogosphere and i've always had my eye on it. I love the design as it's completely different to any other case i've previously owned, and it's of really good quality - cannot fault it in anyway.

Moving away from the technical objects and onto a recent love or even addiction - stationary! I recently got myself a diary in the attempt to organise myself a little more and so I could actually remember what i'd gotten up to each day of the week. I went for this beautiful Go Stationary Clover Leaf Diary (£8), which is the perfect size to fit in any bag as it's A6 and so far i'm filling it up. I also picked up this cute Eco Geo Notebook from Paperchase during their sale and this again is A6. I've been using this for my blog post schedule, writing down all the blog posts that will be going up on the blog, so I can keep track and also note when they are written. Last of the note books, and this Emma Bridgewater Black Toast Notebook (£10) is one I just jot down anything in - post ideas, to do lists etc.

I also have a few miscellaneous items, usually a magazine or two and currently i've got this months ASOS Magazine that i've been flicking through. Also I love a good candle, keeps me relaxed and also maybe a cuppa!

What essentials do you keep on your desk?