6. My Benefit Experience

I have read, heard and seen a lot about Benefit. Their products stand out both in name and in packaging making them quirky and memorable. Several of my friends prize their products and name them 'favourites'. My knowledge of Benefit before I visit their counter in my local department store was tiny - I had tiny samples of 'HighBeam' and 'SunBeam' - and that was all!

So I went in and asked if I could try some of the products, the lady sat me down and started to show me things. I asked for very easy products that I could just use in the day.

To begin with she used 'Remove It Makeup Remover' and didn't irritate my skin. I wasn't wearing any makeup so I have no idea how effective it actually is! I usually just remove my makeup by washing my face and using a face wipe because I don't tend to use items that are hard to get off like waterproof mascara.

Next she used a moisturiser 'Total Moisture Facial Cream' the lady was keen to tell me that Benefit make all their products with sensitive skin in mind which is a total bonus for me! This cream felt and smelt lovely, it definitely moisturised my skin and I wasn't left with any areas feeling tight. Reviews say that in time it does help to revive skin so I may add it to my skincare regime at some point. The only may it could possibly be better is if it had an SPF.

The last product from Benefits skin care range was the 'It's Potent! Eye Cream'. Straight away I loved this product. It is designed to reduce dark circles under eyes which I suffer from even when I sleep 8 hours. The difference was seen pretty quickly right there and then in the shop. I was able to compare as she did one side of my face first and then let me compare. The scent of this cream is gentle and it felt luxurious on my face.

Next was the makeup. Benefit make a lot of makeup! Luckily the lady gave me a leaflet telling me what I had on my face so I didn't have to remember it all!

The first product she used was the one I was most desperate to see. 'The POREfessional' Benefits pore shrinking wonder product. I love primers and I love things that make my pores vanish so I thought this would be great. It is just for use on areas that you are concerned about the size of pores. I didn't actually see such a huge difference, I think I would like to take a sample home and try it myself before considering adding it to my makeup box.

Alongside 'The POREfessional' the lady used 'Stay Flawless' which is a primer for the whole face. This product is in a stick which you apply to the face using circular moments. As soon as it was on my skin it felt sticky and like it was clogging up my skin. It boasts about lasting for 15 hours and I can see why; I wasn't impressed at all.

After all that priming we moved onto concealers. Firstly 'FakeUp' which is designed for the eyes. I am often loathe to putting things right under my eyes because often the product gets stuck in the creases of your face and then you end up with lines under your eyes. This concealer avoided that issue very well and didn't feel too heavy. 

The second concealer was 'Boi-ing' and since looking at the description on the website as 'industrial strength' several things become clear. On top of the 'Stay Flawless' this definitely felt like too many skin suffocating products.

The liquid foundation was 'Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow' in the Champagne shade. Finally a product with some SPF! This is also oil free so it shouldn't make skin worse, it is also brightening. I liked the feel of this foundation to begin with, however in the end it is just not matte enough for me. By half way through the day my face was shiny and I was having to blot it. This may have been due to the masses of primer and concealer, but this foundation won't be making it into my makeup box anytime soon.

On my cheeks went 'Dandelion Face Brightening Powder'. I loved this blusher it was a good colour for me and I really liked the box. Pretty standard blusher really. It has good wearing time it was clearly still there on my cheekbones a good ten hours later.

And last but by no means least 'They're Real Mascara'. Everyone has heard about this mascara. It made my lashes look amazing! I think as soon as my other mascara runs out I will be hot footing to buy this. Only downside in my opinion is that it is waterproof and does take some removing, but I'm pretty sure I can cope to have lashes as full and long as produced with this. Definitely worth going to the Benefit counter just to have this put on!

So all in all, not as blown away by these products as I thought I might be. I was definitely more impressed by the skincare products than the makeup. Here is what it all looked like after a day at work plus dinner with friends. Apologies for the quality - good old iPhone pictures