Hello everyone!
Here's a little review and mini tutorial of a Benefit kit I got from my sister for Christmas. Everyone that knows me knows that I'm a huge Benefit junkie! I'm slowly building up to owning EVERYTHING they make! I love the make-up, it's great quality in my opinion and the packaging is always so cute! I put a few things of theirs on my Christmas list but obviously didn't know if I'd get any, and if I did, I didn't know what it would be so I was really excited to get this kit! I already had the Most Glamourous kit and really, really like it (blog post to follow!) so I knew I'd like this one too!
Disclaimer #1: I'm not sponsored by any of the brands or companies that produce the products that I've used. I wish I was, but no, sadly not!
Disclaimer #2: You might notice that eyeliner wings are slightly uneven. I experimented with Scotch tape and positioned one of them slightly different than the other. If any of you have used the gel liner that I used, you'll know that it's one of the most stubborn liners to remove, so to be honest, once it's on me, it's on. I ain't going back in there to correct that! Also, my eyes are actually quiet uneven anyway, so they're never going to look 100% symmetrical.
Disclaimer #3: My roots are disgusting. I know that too ;)
This is the make-up with the flash on.
So, inside the kit you get 2 cream shadows and 4 powder shadows. It also comes with a mirror in the box and a few little hints and tips, which is something Benefit include in pretty much all their products. I think that's a really nice touch because if you're experienced with make-up or just starting to use it, there might be something there that you pick up.
The cream shadows are in the shades RSVP and No Pressure. RSVP is a soft pink-ish copper colour and No Pressure is almost a shimmery cocoa kind of colour, although it's not super dark as you can see from the photo below. The cream shade is Call My Bluff and is great as a base or subtle and matte highlight. Then there's a very light pink called Pinky Swear, a shimmery brown called Thanks a Latte and a dark brown called Quick, Look Busy.
Sorry that RSVP (pictured left) is used. I was so excited to try these out on Christmas day that I didn't think about taking blog photos, I'm afraid. But never mind, you still get the idea of what they look like!
Here are the swatches that I took. I am so in love with Thanks a Latte and Call My Bluff! They are a great combination to wear for daytime and create a really quick eyeshadow look!
No flash.
So here's my little tutorial. Hope you like it!
Start by applying moisturiser to your entire face and neck, concentrating on any patches of skin that might be dry. For me, it's the space between my brows and nose that can get quite peely.
Next, I like to apply colour correcting creams so that my foundation goes on in a more flawless way. To do this, I apply the green cream concealer from the Coastal Scents Eclipse concealing palette - which I got from amazon - to any redness on my skin, which could be on blemishes or areas that get over stimulated through washing my face, cleansing and moisturising. I then take Benefit Lemonaid which is a yellow toned concealer cream perfect for neutralising areas of skin that are purple toned - 2 words people: DARK CIRCLES! This is a great product, but I'm not 100% sure if you can still easily buy it. I got mine from Debenhams, anyway, so you'll probably be able to.
You'll end up looking a bit crazy after the colour correction, so that's where foundation will come in. I apply Benefit Big Easy in 01 Fair to my entire face, making sure I cover the colour correction, using the Real Techniques foundation brush which is the thin slanted brush. I then use the expert face brush to buff it into my skin.
I follow this with concealer, I'm using Rimmel Wake Me Up and then I contour using the Illamasqua sculpting duo. After this, I apply blush which at the moment is Dandelion by Benefit.
I then took the Easiest Nudes kit and started on my eyes. First, I apply RSVP to my lid and crease of my eyelid. I then applied a little Call My Bluff on my lid, brow bone and inner corner of my eye. After this, applied Thanks a Latte to the crease, outer third and just on my lower lid close to my lashes. I used a slanted fluffy brush from Real Techniques which is great as it helps create more of a slanted, cat eye effect with your eyeshadow, blending it towards the end of the eyebrow. I applied Pinky Swear to the inner third of the lid.
I then lined my tightline using Urban Decay 24/7 liner in black and applied winged Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner on my lid. I experimented with Scotch Tape to create a nice, sharp, straight line. It worked so well on my left eye because I took my time! I rushed the right eye a bit and it was at slightly the wrong angle. Oh well, no harm, no foul!
I finished with a few coats of Max Factor Clump Defy False Lash Effect mascara, a generous application of EOS pomegranate lip balm and then Go Guava lipstick by MAC, which is part of the Trend Forecast Spring 15/Lip and Cheek palette.
All done!
SOTD - Flawless by Beyonce
IOTD - Caroline Flack
