Today I'm coming at you with a concealing and highlighting kit from Benefit. I've been a huge fan of Benefit for years now and they are definitely one of my favourite high-end brands. I love the kitsch packaging and the quality of their products always lives up to the hype.
This 'mini "fake-it" kit' was a gift from my aunt and uncle for Christmas (they know me so well!) and contains five sample-size products to hide any blemishes you might be suffering from.
Firstly, the packaging is so lovely. It's a small brown polka-dot case with a magnetic opening and a mirror in the lid. It's perfect for travelling with as it easily fits in the palm of my hand.
Then inside, there are three small vials of liquid products - each containing 2.5g of product - and then two trays of cream product which range from 1g-1.2g.
From left to right we have lip plump; ooh la lift; high beam; lemon aid and then boi-ing concealer in shade 02.
I'm not too keen on how Benefit package their cream products in their giftsets - I prefer having the option to take just a concealer with me rather than having to take the entire set with me - but at least this one is a smaller set.
On the other hand I really love the vials of liquid product as they can easily be taken singley, plus they have a doefoot applicator which i prefer compared to the brushes you sometimes get in the full-size products.
Now onto swatches;
lip plump: described as a neutral toned primer for the lips, it helps to 'smooth and fill in lines while building the lip contour'. This sounds like a wonder product that helps to make lipstick last longer and fill in any lines. Sadly, I've had really dry and chapped lips for the past couple of weeks so haven't been able to properly road-test this product. I did try it on a better day though and found it really emphasised all my dry patches so you really need lips in tip-top condition for this one!
high beam: Benefit's famous highlighter also features, and this satin-pink one can be used anywhere you want to draw attention to - cheekbone, browbone, cupid's bow etc. - and I've been a fan of this for a while. It adds just the right amount of sheen without being too much like a glitterball.
ooh la lift: this product has extracts of raspberry and chamomile in it, and you pat it under the eye to 'help de-puff and firm'. I absolutely love this product - I wear it under my under-eye concealer and I think it really helps on those days where I haven't had any sleep (and look haggard!) as it brightens everything up.
lemon aid: this is a yellow-coloured correcting cream that you apply to the upper lid to cancel out veins and any discolouration. I've never really had a problem with veiny eyelids but this works as a good base for eyeshadows as it gives them something to cling to. Not a product that I find myself reaching for often.
boi-ing (shade 02): I've had this concealer before in previous sets and have found it to be pretty good at hiding blemishes and anything else on my face. However, from the swatch you can easily see that this is way to dark for my current skin tone so I prefer to use '01' over winter and '02' in the summer months when I have a tan. I can get away with wearing this shade now - as long as I take time to make sure it's well blended.
Overall I'm really happy with this kit - I've been able to try a variety of new products that I wouldn't have bought full-size and been able to use a few old favourites. I'm definitely contemplating buying the full-size version of ooh la lift once this one runs out as it's becoming a daily staple for me!
What do you think of this kit and Benefit?
Benefit's realness of concealness retails for £23.50 and can be bought from Boots
here.
