Hello lovelies!
So... today's post brings something very different! It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and part of my present from my mum was to go into Benefit have my make up and brows done (AMAZING brow service! highly recommended!) and then purchase the bits I liked afterwards! I brought a few bits and had a couple already at home so thought I'd take the time to review (well sort of) and show you guys the few products that I do have and what I think of them!
A little bit of a disclaimer - I am by no means a make-up expert! It has taken me 20 years to purchase my first blusher and highlighter! Nor do I think make-up is an essential! I only wear make-up foe special occasions and am a massive advocate of letting my skin breathe thus reducing horrible breakouts! I may do a facial routine another day but one beauty blog at a time! As I said, this is by no means a professional opinion! I NEVER wear make up and have taught myself everything I know about it! So, if your looking for a review that is in layman's terms with no complicated description words then this ones for you! Also, benefit is the most expensive beauty item I own! apart from a MAC foundation I have but these have only been in my limited (very small!) collection for a few months and have lived by brands such as Rimmel and Maybelline before I had the justification to spend a little more on make-up! So if you have anything that is similar to what I have then leave them below for others to see and buy!
- My current collection minus Porefessional
This is all the Benefit makeup I own, minus the Porefessional since that went on a little adventure when I took this picture, and my Sugarbomb Lipgloss which had joined the Porefessional on a walk but has failed to return :(
My first impressions on the packaging will always be good! I love the branding and names of all their products and can put a smile on your face before you've even opened a lid! The Benefit Counter is also incredible to look at, especially at this time of year with all the candy canes and gingerbread houses!
- Rockateur
This is the first blusher I have ever owned as they have scared me if I'm honest! I never knew what colour would look best or how to apply them, and the amount of girls who looked like they had a bad rash on their cheek was another put off! So the lovely lady at the counter colour matched me when I went in for my makeover and although in the palette it looks quite dark, they colour is lovely and rosy when it's on the skin! I have quite dark skin naturally so this is the perfect shade for me and I don't bronzer with it either! Also, the texture of it when it's on your skin is so soft and silky and gives a lovely finish (you'll see that in a picture down below)! Like all they're blushers, the packaging is great and comes in a compact with a mirror and brush which is great for first time blushers! I know these have been a bit of a beauty bloggers cult since Benefit released them starting with Dandelion but I love it and if your in doubt as to what colour you need, ask one of the lovely ladies at the counter and they'll be more than happy to match you! I put this just on the apples of my cheeks and sometimes, if i want a more 'done up' look along my temples too!
- Watts Up
- Watts Up product
- Watts Up applicator
This is another product that has scared me for a long time! I'm sure we've all seen the Kim Kardashian pre blending photos of her contours and boy does it look terrifying! I have tried the highlighter Girl Meets Pearl before but found it so shiny and too iridescent (is that the right word? Lets go with too 'pearly'). This one, as you will see if the photo down below, the champagne colour of the product is so beautiful on the skin and catches the light so well and in a very subtle way! I love the fact that you can put it on and it look translucent but when you face catches the light it glimmers so very subtly! The applicator is okay but prefer to put the product straight on my fingers and blend it just below my eye socket along the side of my face and on my brow bone too! Again, if I'm going all out, I will put it along the bridge of my nose and the inner corners of my eyes!
- That Gal brightening primer
- That Gal product
I've been through a few primers since my skin doesn't like to hold a product for any longer than an hour, especially when your trekking through London on the tubes! I initially had a MAC primer, which I still use on occasion, but this one is beautiful mixed in with your foundation! It's a brightening primer so gives you a lovely glowing finish, even under my matte finish MAC foundation! As I said, I mix this in with my foundation on my hand before application then buff it into the skin with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush! I love it so much as a finishing primer and would recommend it over my MAC primer. The finish it gives is a glow rather than a shine and makes you look so healthy and radiant!
- On top: That Gal
On the left: Watts Up
On the right: Rockateur
As you can see the payoff of the face products is so lovely on the skin. I have built up the blusher so you can see the difference in colour on the skin and the pan. But you can build it up or leave it subtle depending on the look your going for. I think the Watts Up highlighter goes so well with it and the champagne colouring looks so nice on my skin tone. This picture shows the amazing glow the primer gives on the skin too and that has been applied straight to the skin.
- They're Real Mascara
- They're Real mascara applicator
I think I may be well behind the craze with the Benefit They're Real mascara which has put pretty much every beauty blogger into a frenzy! I definitely think people have a love hate relationship with this product. My mum hated it and much prefers a fibre brush but I have loved it since I got it a year ago! It gives my lashed amazing length and if I'm looking for a fuller lash a use it as a second coat over an Avon mascara I also have. This is another reason I love this product, it doesn't clump if you build it or use it as a second coat. No one like the spider lashes clumped into 6 chunks on your eyelid! I would definitely recommend it but if your unsure pick up a mini version of it and try it out before you buy!
- Erase Paste concealer
This is a must have for anyone with under eye circles that they want to cover up! I have quite deep set eyes and that can cause a dark circle under the eye which is a bugger to hide when your going out and trying to look a little more awake than what you are! I use this under my eyes after the primer but before my foundation just to give a base cover up before a highlighting concealer and keep my eyes looking bright. The coverage of this is incredible and is better than any other concealer I've used from a wide range of high street brands, its creamy and doesn't cake on as long as you blend it in, yeah, this is a product that will always be in my collection!
- Benetint Lip and Cheek tint
This is a mini product I have after I went to a Benefit event this summer and alongside the free bits I got in my goody bad (Porefessional and They're Real Mascara) I got this for just two pounds. I think this is the perfect size as you don't need a lot of it to get the colour! Despite being branded a lip and cheek tint I prefer it on my lips under a lip gloss to give a more long lasting and pigmented colour payoff! On the cheeks I don't feel like it blends in properly when you have the colour but lose the tint the more you blend, so have a strange relationship with this. I think it was worth the two pound I paid but wouldn't be rushing out to buy a full sized product any time soon since I think they're blushers are nicer and on the lips I love a good lip crayon from Rimmel.
- They're Real Gel eyeliner
- They're Real applicator
This was another birthday goody I got after I brought a magazine, Cosmo i think, that had a mini version in it so I could try it. I was disastrous with liquid and gel eyeliner and had pretty much given up. The brushed liners that you get were too shaky and i could never get a smooth and straight line with them! I also found they were too wet and smudged if you blinked too hard so left them at the bottom of my bag never to be seen again! When I tried this product I was so impressed! The applicator is super easy to use, especially for beginners and the design is genius. It moves the lashes out the way as you glide it over the lid to create a line that is close to the lash line and smooth along the top. The product sets matte but is still a rich black rather than grey and patchy! For anyone trying to achieve the best cat eye, I would rush out to get this!
- Porefessional
This is another mini that I have been praying never ends! This does exactly what it says and smooths out your pores ready for foundation. I only use this on my nose top of the cheek area (clinical name of that?) it sets the skin ready for a flawless foundation look and isn't oily or super thick! Massive thumbs up for this if you have particularly obvious pores that your uncomfortable with and want to hide.
So thats my entire Benefit collection, minus the lipgloss, which is super sad as it's brand new and still nowhere to be found. But i recommend those too! Especially since you match them to the blusher pots they have! If you have any dupes of any of these products do leave them in the comments for everyone to see! I know that Benefit is quite expensive so would be good to know any high street dupes for me and anyone else!
I am by no means saying that you need to cover up bits of yourself that you don't like, but I am a twenty year old who has to compete with girls on magazines looking flawless. Its a sad reality that this is the case, and as much as it's great to enforce the idea that girls don't need make up, it's something that is just there! It would be a perfect world where girls don't need make up to cover up bits they don't like, but unfortunately, we don't live in that world and fingers crossed that day will come! As i said, I don't wear make up everyday and only put it on to go out so that I'm not conscious about how I look or what people think about me. Whilst I encourage people to look beyond what they look like to be comfortable with themselves, i' only half way to being that comfortable with my appearance but am hoping the growing online presence of strong women that come in all shapes, sizes and looks will help me and all other girls be as comfortable with our appearance!
Love and Hugs,
A xx
PS sorry about picture/light quality! These were taken on my iPhone so had to utilise the dwindling British sun to get enough light!
PPS I am no longer going to commit to a certain blogging time frame! I don't want to post because I have to but because I want to and have something worth writing about! So blogs will be varied in topic and posting date !
TWITTER: @wonderfulramble
PRODUCTS (all are full sized equivalents)
