To say sorry for the lack of posting would be an understatement. So I'm just gonna get on with giving you guys what you've all been waiting for and what you all come here to see...!
I got hold of Benefit's Realness of Concealness kit a while ago and I must say I'm very impressed. It makes a great addition to my personal and professional kit and I'm always grabbing at least one of the products it offers. This kit is perfect for any of you on a budget, those of you who like to try products in miniature form before committing to the larger versions or those of you who like to have a few back-up pieces in your handbags for that night out/morning after. Benefit describe this product as their:
Portable mini kit containing Benefit's top selling concealers and enhancers. It's your solution for beauty dilemmas on-the-go.
The kit contains small versions of the following Benefit products:
Ooh La Lift - "instant under-eye brightening boost"
Lip Plump Primer - "for full sexy lips"
High Beam - "luminescent complexion highlighter"
Lemon Aid - "colour-correcting eyelid primer"
Boi-ing in Shade 02 - "industrial-strength concealer"
Ooh La Lift - instant brightener for under the eyes?
This is a cute little pearlescent pink highlighter fluid that comes in a bottle much like a lip gloss with the same kind of applicator. There are several tips to using this product in order to get the most out of it:
1. Less is more - don't go crazy with it or it will interfere with the rest of your makeup that goes on top next. This isn't a concealer but a highlighter for under the eyes and you should only need what comes out on the brush to do both eyes.
2. Apply it to the shadowy areas underneath your eyes. Don't go outside of this area or the effect will be undone. What you're trying to achieve is lifting the darker area of skin to make the skin appear lighter and therefore less sunken. I like to apply three dots along each circle and blend in by patting along in an upwards motion.
As I said, it won't conceal the circles so don't expect them to disappear, but the light-reflecting particles in the liquid will lighten the area making you appear less tired. Combined with concealer it works a treat.
I love this eye brightener, but the one thing that prevents me from getting it out everyday is the fact that after a long day it does interfere with the concealer I place on top causing it to crease and fade. 3/5
Lip Plump Primer - fuller, sexy lips?
I love this primer. Just like Ooh La Lift it comes in a lip gloss-style bottle, is of a creamy consistency and a slightly taupe shade. Don't be put off as to how brown it is in colour. It's merely to neutralise the colour of your lips to stop it interfering with the shade of lipstick you'd put on top. It won't affect the colour of your lipstick!
The great thing about lip primer is that it fills in all of the lines and generally, like a face primer, provides a smoother, more refined surface for lipstick to glide onto. As a result your lips will appear a little fuller (please don't expect a surgery-style collagen pout though).
But the effect I love most from this primer is that you get the colour you see on the lipstick bullet and you also get more mileage from your lipstick as primer helps to lock it down (much like eye primer for eyeshadow) 4/5
High Beam - luminescence in a bottle?
This highlighter in it's larger version comes in a bottle you'd be forgiven for thinking is a nail varnish bottle! A highlighting fluid that's slightly pink in tone - Benefit offers Moon Beam which is yellowy in colour for olive and darker skins - this highlights all of the areas of the face that you want to catch the light to give you that fresh, well-rested radiance.
This product it great along the cheek bones, above the brown bones, on the centre of the chin, above the Cupid's Bow and down the centre of the nose. It perks up tired, dehydrated skin - ideal for when you've been naughty and had one too many the night before. I like to use it a lot as it offers that subtle shimmer that gives you that glow as if coming from within! This is by far my favourite product in the whole kit - 5/5
Lemon Aid - colour-correcting eyelid primer?
You'll find this is the creamy yellow base that sits in the palette next to Boi-ing in the box. I really wanted to like this primer and don't get me wrong, I use it when the circumstance is right (e.g. dark, shadowy eyelids that need a bit of a pick-me-up). But if your lids are only mildly red/purply then all this primer does is leave an obvious, unnatural yellow tinge to the eyelid. I'd rather leave my eyelids natural or use a concealer to be honest.
The other unfortunate outcome with this product is that it creases and fades after several hours' wear so you may as well have left your eyelids untouched in the first place. This is therefore not a staple of mine, although I welcome anyone who disagrees to let me know their application tips in the comments box below : ) I give this little number only 2/5
Boi-ing - industrial-strength concealing?
Boi-ing is a cream concealer which as you may have guessed from their product description, is quite pigmented and does well for concealing even the most gruesome of blemishes. However I haven't tried this on my own face as - and this is my only other qualm with the kit - it's not the right shade.
That's right, all kits come with only the 02 shade of Boi-ing so it's not great for anyone with pale skin as 02 is much too dark. A bit of a down-er if you're wanting the sample-size version of this before deciding on the larger version!
I have however tried it on others and it does seem to cover up well. I'd still like to test for longevity though which is something I'm also unsure of having not yet tested it on my own skin. 4/5
Overall...
As a whole, the kit scores 18/25 which isn't too bad. At £23.50 it's really one of those decisions you weigh up on the basis of whether:
- You think it's a wise investment to test all of the products in sample sizes before picking up your favourites in larger sizes
- OR you feel that it's a waste of cash considering factors like Boi-ing may be no use to you or that you'd rather just buy what you need, e.g. highlighter fluid and not have excess products floating around.
I personally feel that this kit is still a worthwhile investment even if you are only going to use it for personal makeup application. It's just a case of being resourceful with the products. If Boi-ing isn't the right shade concealer for you, why not use it to contour your cheekbones and lightly apply it beneath cheekbones and blend in creating a subtle, softly-bronzed look for the summer? If High Beam's not the right shade of highlighter for you why not swap it with a friend for a sample-size of their lipstick, etc? There's always ways round these dilemmas : )
