If you were to go way, wayyy back to some of my early posts then you would notice a couple of things, namely Benefit and well, a whole lot more Benefit.
You see, even then I knew that Benefit were capable of producing quality make up products and often did/do with a price tag to match. I've never been particularly loyal to individual make up products yet top notch offerings such as Benefit's Erase Paste and That Gal primer secured their own place in my make up stash frequently. To be honest, when I find a product I like from Benefit, the quality has always been good enough to hit pan and to repeat the purchase again and again.
Yep, three Erase pastes (and let me tell you those little pots last forever, that is probably over two years worth), three or four That Gals down the line and now, I'm here, well on my way to finishing a third or fourth Dandelion blush (quite an achievement for sure, you Guys know how much product Benefit deliver in those boxes!).
So it is no surprise that after a casual visit to say hello to one of my little sisters in her new job on the Benefit counter (and yes, I am more then a tad jealous about that), I soon walked away poorer.
Yes, people, there was a small Benefit haul!!!
First up is Jing-a-ling. A lippie I have cavorted from afar for a while.
It is early days, I only purchased this beauty less then 24 hours ago but at the moment, I adore it and can't stop looking at my lips. Yes, it falls in the same family as my other lipstick regulars Angel, Creme Cup and Beehive and my lips just look pink again as normal but woah, what a pretty pink.
You've heard it all before but there does seem to be something a little different about this mid pink neutral and that makes it so easy and enticing to wear. For a start, it is light to mid pink. I wouldn't say it is a cocher light pink and it certainly doesn't wash me out. There are slight hints of red and maybe even a little blue(?) in there. I think it looks a little brighter in real life. It really brightens the face up and just looks so healthy. Now healthy, what a boring term for make up but honestly, this lippie is so pretty especially when it catches the light. It seems to catch it in the most flattering manner showcasing just enough shimmer (gloss NOT required although I had to er, try one or two out. Y'got to be polite!) and that too makes it different. I remember saying in the past that one of my handbag favourites, another Benefit offering, Skinny Dip really seemed to soften my pale complexion. It instantly seemed to wake my skin up and I can say the same here. Jing-a- ling appears to possess the same magic. I've got to say from the three or four I've encountered, these silky finish lipsticks from Benefit always seem to equal instant radiance to some degree. Got to love that! : )
Yep, so, soo pretty but then many a lipstick is but the clincher here was just how moisturising the silky finish felt on my (Very dry, of late) lips. I have yet to regret this purchase as for three or four hours, the soothing feel seemed to last on my lips. Given the current state of my lips, this means the world (not that I'm overly dramatic or anything ; ) ) and the beautifully smooth, strongly pigmented finish is just a bonus.
So right now, I've got to say I'm pretty excited about my first lipstick purchase in a while and can see it getting a lot of wear. In fact, I must admit if Jing-a-ling lives up to early expectations then a further purchase WILL be made and you will find Lady 's Choice, the stunning lipstick sister to Jing-a-ling, featured here soon!
I also picked up Hervana. As soon as I saw the colours in the box, I just wanted to swirllll. My initial thoughts again are cor, there is some mighty pigmentation here (as usual from Benefit, I've always found their pigmentation fab) so I must remember to apply with a light hand and blend, blend, blend.
I do like these Benefit boxed powders and have purchased a few but my go-to would be Dandelion and I think, this is just because the light colour means that what appears to be a heavily pigmented product never appears too much on me. Hervana seems a little more obvious on me but I think tentatively, I like it! Here is a little peek at a swatch on my hand.
My initial thought is that when applied just above the apple of my cheek, it really draws attention to my eyes. However, I'm going to wear this one a little bit more and then I will probably do a post. Some things never change, I always take a while to form an opinion on blush products but one thing is for sure, Hervana would look lovely on a dressing table and just taking the lid from the box and peeking at the multi-toned powder inside makes me smile.
Finally, we have an eyeshadow, Rich Beach. Again, this one is not a million miles away from the eyeshadows I already own. I'm thinking All That Glitters, Tempting, Modellette and like these it just looked great on my lid (considering we're talking my lids. It's all relative, people!!) and seemed to bring out the golden specks in my eyes and make the green look that ever so more alluring. As long as it can last a good few hours on the lid, I have hopes that this one will get a lot of wear and we will reach pan. I just know this one was an investment purchase and it will be reached for. A lot! I love golden, sandy shades. They are so easy to wear. This one crosses over to the light brown/bronze end of the spectrum with some depth and without any horrible cheap-looking orange tones or chunks of glitter. Ideal!
Here is a very blurred snap (every post needs a pic fail!) but I feel it does show what the colour looks like on my lid quite well when it fleetingly catches the eye.
Ahem, sorry, I will try to do a proper FOTD/EOTD soon.
So there we go, that was my little "haul" and yes, I'm quite chuffed with what I picked up and can see myself returning soon as a few other gems caught my eye.
My word, the newish 'They're real!' really gave me some lashes. Now we all know that I can never have too much lash. Well, that was until now! This mascara really, really worked my lashes and honestly completely transformed my eyes delivering glossy, defined, very, very long and thick lashes. It almost seemed to encase each lash creating even more lash then L'Oreal, Million Lashes and I don't think I've ever been able to say that about a mascara before! I actually felt it was a little much since I was going straight back to work after my make up play and I actually removed 'They're Real!' and then reapplied it very lightly over the Benefit faithful, Bad Gal. Although I'm not convinced that alone, They're Real! would be a practical every day product for me, I'm still tempted to return again today and make a naughty purchase crossing the line hitting destination, excess lash! We are talking about one mighty mascara that would certainly shake my look up a bit, it could be the perfect weekend/night out mascara especially for someone as cack-handed as me who struggles to work falsies. On a more serious note, for anyone who feels they lack in the lash area, this IS more then likely your remedy.
And finally, I have made a mental note to investigate the Benefit skincare further. The products smell divinnneeee. A beautician told me once something along the lines of, that when it comes to skincare, give the product a sniff and if you feel compelled to take another sniff then your skin is needing those ingredients and the product is likely to work for you. Now I absolutely loved the smell of the Benefit products (though I suspect there are 'fragrance ingredients' added to this line, I think my beautician was talking about more natural products. Still, a good scent always means something. . .) and they felt so gentle and soothing on my skin. I'm pretty happy with my current skincare routine right now but a mental note has been made and I can see the Ultra Radiance Facial Re-hydrating Mist sitting in my handbag very soon.
Phew, that was quite a post. Now I think I deserve an episode or two of Miranda, how late am I with this but I love it, it's so funny.
I hope you are all well and have a fabulous weekend. A special little *wave* to my new followers, thank you! And now one for my not so new followers *wave* and finally, finally a quick thank you, 'Thank you' for all the comments on my River Island watch post. I love hearing from you xxx
Do you buy Benefit? What is your favourite Benefit product?
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