It seems like for the past few months everyone in the beauty industry has been buzzing about one particular brand that has re-launched in South Africa- Benefit Cosmetics. Benefit used to be in select Woolworths stores across South Africa, but a couple of years ago they packed ship and left. I am not exactly sure as to why (Pricing too high? Not enough customers?), but that was before my beauty blogging days, so when I did start blogging and wanted to try out Benefit, I had to purchase it overseas. I remember buying one of their sets (I think it was Do The Bright Thing), but after trying it out a few times, I wasn’t too impressed and gave it to a friend. With all the talk surrounding Benefit lately, I wanted to try their “cult” products and see if they were worth the hype, and I am here today to share my thoughts with you.
On the menu (or the saucer plate ;)) today are 3 Benefit Cult Products– the much talked about “Porefessional”, the “They’re Real!” mascara and the “High Beam” highlighter. I wanted to purchase all 3, but given the price of Benefit in South Africa (it is still pretty expensive) I couldn’t bring myself (or my bank account) to purchase all 3 of these. Luckily, I have some lovely friends and blog readers who gifted me two of the products, shout out to Kristi and Chicara for feeding my make-up addiction!
The Porefessional (R395)
Every beauty blogger will tell you that you need to own this in your life for a few reasons. It promises to minimize pores, acts as a primer, and allows for make-up to go on smoothly.
When I first tried it out, I wasn’t super impressed, but something kept me coming back for more of the Porefessional. It is a little bit tinted, but slightly so, and it will actually suit every skin color. It is very light(almost airy) and goes onto your face very easily. It does minimize pores as promised, and although I don’t have a huge pore problem, I do have a few open pores on my cheeks, and so it really helps with that. What are the negatives?
The downside for me is that the tube is tiny (for a heavy price tag) and I ended up going through it quite quickly.
My verdict: If you have a pore issue and you want to minimize the appearance of pores, then yes you should definitely invest in the Porefessional. If you are just looking for a good primer that makes make-up last, then I would suggest investing in something a little cheaper like the Inglot primer.
The “High Beam” highlighter(R325)
I love me some highlighters, and to-date the MAC “Soft and Gentle” has been my favorite. Firstly, lets talk about the packaging- Benefit is great with their packaging all around, but this one is super cute! It looks like a nail polish, and it is packaged like that, so this was a first for me, trying out a highlighter with an application tool like that.
It is surprisingly easy and quick, as I “draw” a line down my nose, add a little bit on my cheekbones and my cupids bow, for that “inner glow”. You have to be a little light-handed with it when you apply it, because you don’t want to look like a Christmas tree, but the color it has is very soft, and not too glittery. It has almost a pearl-like appearance on the skin, and with strobing being such a trend right now, this baby does a good job. However you should swatch it on your skin first to see how much of it will show up(different skin tones will reflect the highlighter differently). Also check out another Benefit highlighter favorite, Girl Meets Pearl. The High Beam is a nice alternative to powder highlighters, and I suspect this will be my favorite throughout the hot summer season.
You can see the light shimmery effect on the right side, once the highlighter has been blended in.
My verdict : Easy application, great formula, beautiful color and shimmer. The High Beam hits all of the high notes in my book! Worth investing in!
“They’re Real!” Mascara(R295)
I am on a constant search of the perfect mascara, and with a name like that, I was very intrigued by this product. I’ve also heard good things about its little sister- the “They’re Real!” Push Up Eyeliner, so when I give that a go I will let you guys know what I think. What I enjoyed about this product was its brush, as it gives you great length, doesn’t clump the eyelashes together and the short bristles in the brush let you get in to the bottom of your eyelashes and lift them up.
However I do feel that you need several layers to get the full lash effect, and the formula isn’t a very fast-drying one, so you have to be patient with it.
How the lashes look with 2 coats
My verdict: For its price, it does a good job of giving you sexy lashes. Save this for the nighttime when you are hitting the town with the girls.
I think their powder blushes look amazing, and I am thinking of investing in “Dandelion”, and the “They’re Real!” Push up Liner is next on my list.
What products from Benefit have you tried out? What are your thoughts?
The Push Up Liner is amazing, have it in both black and brown, definitely a product that is worth it.
Never use 1 of these products , thank u for sharing these products 🙂
I am currently using the They’re Real!” Push up Liner, I have mixed emotions about it. i’d love to read up on your thoughts if you ever do a post on it. Thanks for sharing, xx
Rivania | “They’re Real!” Push up Liner
Lovely post, Irina! I’m really enjoying PoreFessional and They’re Real mascara at the moment, and I’m dying to get my hands on the They’re Real Push Up Liner and the Bo-Ing Concealer – but yes! Pricey!