Cosmetic Collections: Benefit

This is the first of a new series I've been eager to begin over the past month or so on my little blog. The Cosmetic Collection series will basically be a weekly upload of each and every product I own from a certain brand with brief comments outlining wether I like, love or loathe each product. I am in no way trying to brag about the products I own and I completely understand if some of you think this is nothing and others think that my collection is slightly excessive but as I have mentioned in previous posts, make up is a passion for me and I will continue to collect it for along as it still makes me happy. The reason I wanted to begin this mini-series is because I quite often found myself wanting to try out an unfamiliar brands products but never know which item(s) to opt for first, I felt if I make individual posts on each and every brand I own, showcasing the products I found to really work for myself, it may help some of you select products that you will be pleased with too. So without further ado, here's post number one..my Benefit collection! 

1. Whole Lotta Lovin' Limited Edition

A Christmas Beauty Kit, made up of the perfect products that will come in handy on a day-to-day basis. With both Benefit's award-winning mascara, They're Real and their perfect bronzer Hoola, you really cannot go wrong with this little beauty. Not to mention a decent sample size of their industrial strength concealer, Boi-ing, the perfect trio of eyeshadows eg. Kiss Me, I'm Tipsy, It's Complicated and one of their creaseless, cream shadow in No Pressure! This really is worth each and every penny. I know it's limited edition but I'm just pre-warning you just incase it's re-released this Christmas and you want to get your hands on it! 

2. The POREfessional (£24.50) (full review here)

Probably one of the most talked about primers out there. Benefit's Porefessional has taken the beauty world by storm which is really no surprise with its smooth to touch, pore-minimising attributes and long lasting formula that keeps that foundation in place all day. There is really little to disagree with when it comes to Benefit's Porefessional being one of the best primers on the scene and believe me when I say if you haven't tried it yet, you really need to. 

3. Rockateur Blush (£23.50) (full review here)

A rose gold blush laced with shimmer to not only add some colour and definition to those cheeks but highlight them too. The flush this blush gives is pretty and practical and I often find myself reaching for this little boxed blusher more so then anything else. 

4. Sun Beam (£19.50 full sized)

A golden highlighter that works perfectly in the Summer upon sun-kissed skin. The liquid consistency emphasises the subtle glow that really takes on the effect of sunshine in a minature gold bottle. If you are interested in this product definitely get your hands on it now to sport over this Summery months. You honestly won't regret it. 

5. BADgal Liner Waterproof (£15.50) 

Really an average product when it comes to Benefit. I have mine in the shade Charcoal, a smokey grey that looks fine on but the application process isn't as seamless as it could be. I find the formula almost too soft and the staying power nothing to get excited about. It's certainly not a bad product but one I wouldn't hurriedly opt to buy again. 

6. Realness of Concealness (£23.50) 

A cute concealer kit that's armed with some of Benefit's best products. Put together with mini's including Ooh La Lift, High Beam, Lip Plump as well as Lemon-Aid and once again Boi-ing this really is a great starter kit for people who are new to Benefit but wish to try a range of products. 

6. Posie Tint (£24.50 full sized)

A pretty in pink tinted lip and cheek stain. This is great for when you want to achieve a natural 'no make-up' make-up look. I love this product for days when I want to wear as little products as possible. Plus a little bit really goes a long way, so even though the price is high, it is slightly justified. 

7. Bene Tint (£24.50)

A product that I believe to be Benefit's first ever cosmetic item. Similar to its neighbour Posie Tint but instead a rosy red shade that gives a natural flush to the cheeks and a 'your lips but better' hue to the lips. It's sheer but still has good pigmentation and once tried, it's easy to understand why this is one of Benefit's most hyped about products. 

8. Coralista Blush (£23.50 full sized)

A pretty, pigmented blush in a lovely, you guessed it, Coral shade. This blush is perfect for the Summer and is suited for ever skin tone. With a slight subtle shimmer, this product will look perfect for those Summer evenings or au naturel days on the beach. 

9. Dr. Feelgood (£23.50) 

Not one of Benefit's most talked about products but it's lovely all the same. The extra gimmicky packaging, finished off with the name was one of the reason why I was first drawn to the brand as a whole. A mattifying balm that works lovely under make up as a sort-of primer or above to blot away shine. This is a perfect product for oily to combination skinned girls like myself. Plus the extra bonus of it containing Vitamins A, C and E to help reduce the appearance of fine lines makes it a great multipurpose product that can't be argued with. 

10. Erase Paste (£20.50) 

A thick creamy concealer that camouflages blemishes and does a fine job of covering under eye circles too although the extra cream consistency has a tendency to crease after too long. This is a lovely product, not my go-to concealer but does what it says on the 'tin' all the same. The main downside to this product mostly being the limited shade range as unless you match the three melon-undertoned hues, you'd have to look elsewhere. 

11. Love At First Shine Ultra Plush Lipgloss Set (£19.50 £13.00)

Six mini lip glosses that come in an affordable set that showcases every shade from the Ultra Plush Lipgloss collection. This is a great kit as it allows you to try and test each and every shade before  splashing out on the full size product. Not to mention every shade included is ultra glossy and extra wearable. 

12. Lipstick in 'Finders Keepers'

I believe both the packaging and the shade have been discontinued to make way for the new swish lipstick designs from Benefit. Never the less, still a lovely pigmented lipstick in a mid-tone brown colour that saw me through many wintery months. I still have my fingers crossed that brown lips will be back in fashion this coming Winter. 

13. You Rebel (£24.50) 

Probably my least favourite Benefit product I've tried. A tinted moisturiser with SPF 15 with an extremely limited shade range of only two colours - You Rebel and You Rebel lite, both of which are very unusual colours that I cannot imagine suit a wide variety of skin tones. This came to be the first tinted moisturiser I used and for a long while after the only one, as the formula, consistency and application of this product put me off the idea as a whole. With the strong suncream smell, impossible blend-able formula and bright orange shade, this is a product I have struggled to get rid of for a while now. Alas, not all is failed as now Benefit have bought out a brand spanking new BB cream that claims to be bigger and better then anything else. I'll certainly be the judge of that! 

14. Watts Up! (£24.50)

A champagne coloured highlighting stick that works beautifully applied to a buffing brush and blended onto the cheek bones, brow bones and down the bride of one's nose. The cream to powder finish looks beautiful once applied and lasts a long while too, making this one of my favourite products from Benefit. 

Of course, I have used other Benefit products in the past that I have either used up or didn't have on hand during the making of this post but those products include multiple BADgal Lash Mascaras, multiple full sized They're Real Mascaras, Sugar Bomb Boxed Blush, "That Gal" primer, Brow-zings Kit, Hoola Ultra Plush Lip Gloss, the list goes on and on. If you'd like any information on said products, please let me know in the comments below and I'll get right on doing so. 

I hope you enjoyed the first post of this 'mini' series. Come back next Monday to find out the next Cosmetic Collection I'll be focusing on. Thanks for reading!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

What is your favourite Benefit product?

Beauty| Sleek Make Up Blush in Rose Gold with Swatches

Sleek Make Up is one of my all time favourite drugstore brands as except for the more then affordable price tag, the quality and packaging of each product resembles nothing less then something more high end. I've been swooning over Sleek's Blush By 3 palettes for a while now but have been hesitant to buy based on the fact that I had never tried one of their blushers before and well there seemed little point buying three if I ended up not agreeing with the formulas. Instead I opted to buy one of Sleek's Single Blush (£4.49) in the most popular shade Rose Gold a renowned dupe for Nars Orgasm blush.

 Firstly, I must mention that the name couldn't be any more spot on with this shade. A beautiful mid-toned pink with a warm gold shimmer running through the powder making a beautiful, illuminating flush of colour once applied to the cheeks. This truly is a beautiful blush shade and would be great all year around, an absolute bonus in my eyes. The forumla is beautiful with amazing pigmentation, buttery soft to touch and heaven to apply. There was still evidence of this colour on my cheeks a good six hours after application, not bad for a drugstore dupe. The packaging does nothing less then resemble the brand name, 'Sleek' by look and touch, with its matte black extrerior that makes up this petite, little rectangle that is no bigger by length then my ring finger. After giving this product a go, I can't wait to try out more of the blushers that Sleek has to offer. 

Let me know what you think in the comments.

What's your favourite drugstore blush? 

Beauty| Benefit Rockateur Boxed Blusher Review

Benefit's Rockateur Blush (£23.50) hit the market with a bang at the end of last Summer and even still the hype surrounding this little boxed blush seems to be ever-growing. I've been lusting after this product for a while but tried to tell myself that I didn't need it because I have 'plenty of other blushers' but my rational thoughts were quickly trumped by my shopaholic mind which screamed 'but you can never have too many' and I popped my card into the machine without a second thought. The first thing that attracted me to this product wasn't the bold, cheeky if ever-so-slightly garish packaging but actually the beautiful rose gold interior which really came as a blessing to my eyes. I love the geometric designs created in the actual product and the embossed Rock that really sets it aside visually from most other competitor blushers on the market. 

The product is a subtle two-toned, muted pink shade with subtle hints of shimmer laced through the powder. In the pan the shimmer can appear slightly overwhelming and I was slightly precarious on whether it would result in the 'disco ball effect'. Luckily the shimmer transferred in a very simple but beautiful way and instead I was left with beautiful rosy, glowing cheeks that deemed an added highlighter as unnecessary - a bonus that can't really be argued with.

The product lasted well once applied and I still found traces of the pinky glow on my cheeks a good six hours later. The pigmentation is reasonably good but the long lasting formula will ensure for less re-applications which therefore results in less product usage and so you can save those pennies for a few extra months!

Overall, I'm very impressed with this product and if I'm honest I really didn't expect anything less when it comes to Benefit. I'm glad I finally bit the bullet and bought it and I'm sure my bank balance will forgive me soon for setting it back by £23.50.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

What's your favourite blusher?

Beauty| Clarins Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Colour

If any of you have read my previous post on my favourite Mac Blusher (here) you would know that I am a Blush fanatic so it's no surprise that this little beauty has become, to me, one of my all time favourite cosmetic products. The Clarins Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Colour has everything a blush needs to make it perfect for whom ever chooses to wear it. Clarins themselves describe it as the The Perfect Blush and I definitely don't disagree. It's a powdered blush, with a silky, lightweight formula that applies to the skin beautifully to give that added bit of extra colour. 

I have mine in the colour Rose Wood 05 a subtle pinky-red which I find to be the exact, perfect colour for mine and many others skin tone. When doing other's make up this usually happens to be the blush they pick which comes at no surprise with its amazing quality and excellent performance. It's not too pigmented which is perfect as it's easy to apply, build and blend to get the exact finish one desires. 

The mosaic pattern of the product adds a variety of different tones along with smaller blocks of shimmer that are perfect for adding that bit of highlight. This is great at enhancing the apples of your cheeks, really brightening the face and creating a healthy looking glow, perfect for those who need to fix a dull complexion! The product comes with a good sizeable amount of product making it worth the high end price tag. I've had mine for coming up to two years and as you can see I have only just about dented the 'oh so perfect' surface. 

It's no surprise that Clarins didn't disappoint with the beautiful packaging considering they're a brand who never fail to make their products look classy and luxurious. The reflective, gold exterior is what had drawn me to this product in the first place and when I saw it was repeated on this inside I knew it had to be mine. I like the added touch of the Clarins logo imprinted onto the blushers which, unlike some powdered products from other brands, hasn't disappeared easily with use, something that is always a nice touch. The gold-coloured compact also came with a brush to match which I never intended to use but may be an added bonus for some of you. 

The best thing about this Blush is the variety of colours in its sister products that will sure be mine in the near future. There is literally a colour for everyone in the collection with a colour scale ranging from soft, baby pinks to spicy red-browns. Priced at £26 they're expensive but most definitely worth it, with it's long-lasting quality and beautiful finish. It's definitely a product that every Beauty blogger can't go without!

Let me know what you think in the comments. 

What's your favourite Clarins product?

Make Up| Accessorize Merged Baked Blush

There's honestly nothing quite like finding that great product that performs just as well as something high end but for a quarter of the price. This is my thoughts and feelings regarding the Accessorize Merged Blusher in the colour Sensation With Love.  I've had this for just over a year now and as you can see I have barely even dented the rich, baked formula which gives excellent colour and glides on so smoothly. I was a bit hesitant to try this at first as Accessorize being a company mostly renowned for their stunning jewellery and lovely winter wear, make up seemed slightly..random? 

When it comes to appearance and packaging I really would expect nothing less then for it to be beautiful considering it is created by Accessorize, a company that always excels itself in its girly, bohemian designs. Its cute and compact and I love nothing more then being able to see the actual product underneath a clear, see-through lid so this already ticked that box. Add in the gold decorative, butterflies and the italicised Accessorize logo, all in all this makes to be a very attractive overall product. 

The blusher itself is a lovely light pink colour which is merged with a gold shimmer that creates a pretty-in-pink look once applied with an added bonus of the shimmer also doubling up to be a highlighter - perfect when you can't be bothered to add both. The formula is easily build-able and lasts a good six hours which I think is more down to the pale colour then the actual product. Taking in the appearance of the product and the actual formula, I definitely think these could be a decent dupe for the Mac Mineralized Blushers and better yet these only cost about £5!  Perfect for a natural look in the summer or to emphasise those cold, rosy cheeks in the winter, this is definitely something you could get a decent use out of all year round. 

I purchased mine from the Accessorize stand in Superdrug but I believe most of the Accessorize stores stock the majority of them too for the same price. I honestly think I could own all of the different shades and colours and not look at another blush ever again (and that's really saying something)

Let me know what you think.

What's your favourite drugstore blusher?