Benefit Dandelion Twinkle

I've been a fan of Benefit's makeup for years and my favorite product from them, is their Box Blushers. They have brought out many over the years and have even discontinued a few. So when I hear they are bringing out new ones I get really excited and one of their latest ones in Dandelion Twinkle.

You may be aware of Dandelion which is this pink colored blush. Dandelion Twinkle on the other hand is a nude pink powder highlighter. It comes in this awesome pink packaging with a design very similar to Dandelion, only the box is pink instead of green. It also comes with a brush applicator, although I prefer to use one of my blusher brushes to apply.

As this is a highlighter, the best way to use this is to put it on areas of the face such as cheekbones and nose. I applied my blusher color and then dusted some of Dandelion Twinkle on top to give my cheeks this awesome glow.

I just loved how this looked on, it's not too overpowering either and really does give your face a glowing complexion. The texture is great too and it doesn't feel to powdery like some highlighters do.

Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner

If you are familiar with Benefit you will know all about the They're Real range of products. They started out with the They're Real mascara a few years back and have developed the range into push up liners, lipsticks and even a makeup remover. I've tried the mascara and while there is nothing wrong with it and is a not bad mascara, I just think it is really overrated and actually prefer Benefit's other two mascaras - Bad Gal and Rollerlash. As I've been to the Benefit counters many times I've seen the staff rave over the They're Real Push Up Liner. As I needed a new eyeliner I decided to get it. This one was £18.50.

This is a really hyped up eyeliner and I was expecting a lot from it. It looks like a really good design. Comes in a pen and is designed with this flexi tip which is supposed to make applying your eyeliner really easy. It's not a liquid liner, but actually a gel liner. I love gel liners. I have tried the MAC, Illamasqua and Bobbi Brown ones and think they are great.

The Tip

To use you have to twist the bottom to get the liner to come out. This eyeliner pen may look great but that is where it ends. I've tried getting used to it by using it time and time again, but I just find the thing not easy to use. It's really hard to get the right amount out and if you are not careful you can get too much out at once.

It has a really dry formula too it and flakes like hell. It also dries really quick and I mean extremely quick. Once dry the color stays put so if you make a mistake or need to build it up, correcting is virtually impossible. If you try building it up the color will flake. The dry formula it has makes it very difficult to work with.

The design of the tip is really flexible, Benefit call it the AccuFlex. It may be alright to start with but after a few uses the tip just gets a bit too flexible and is just useless. And yes I did clean the tip and wipe off the excess just like Benefit suggested, it made no difference.

After using this I had read a few reviews, thinking it was just me who couldn't use this. A google search of many reviews of this will tell you that this is not a good liner. All the bad reviews I read seem to say exactly the same thing - too dry, extremely flaky and difficult to use. In work today I was telling someone about it and she told me her daughter hated it. She then got given it instead and found it awful too.

This is one of those products I just regret buying and this one will be going in the bin. I went and bought another eyeliner called Supercat by Soap And Glory. It's a felt tip liner and is far superior to this one. It was only £6 and a lot cheaper than this They're Real one. Supercat is very pigmented, easy to use and long lasting. It's not dry or flaky either.

Benefit used to do a really good liquid eyeliner called Magic Ink. It's now discontinued. This They're Real one is absolute rubbish and not worth the money at all.

Benefit Defined And Refined Brows

So last year Benefit launched a brand new range of eyebrow products from pencils, pomades and even a primer. They even re packaged High Brow along with a new one called High Brow Glow. A lot of the brow products have been put into some really nice sets. I got one called Defined And Refined Brows. It comes in a really nice tin, allowing you to store all of your brow products in along with a guide giving you tips on how to wear your brows.

In this one I got High Brow, Precisely My Brow Pencil, Browvo Conditioning Primer and a brow mapping guide. Each individual set comes in different shades. As I like my brows dark, I got shade 3. I really like how the items in this set are full sized ones. Every Christmas, Benefit seem to keep releasing these awful gift sets. They are basically the same products every year but in sample sizes. I do wish Benefit would make better gift sets. I mean it's almost predictable what they will release this Christmas.

Fortunately these brow sets are full sized and not a load of samples. I use Benefit's Goof Proof Brow Pencil and think that is great, along with High Brow and High Brow Glow. My High Brow pencil has now worn down, so I'm really glad there is High Brow included in this set as I needed a new one.

Browvo Conditioning Primer
Before I saw Benefit's new brow range, I never even thought about an eyebrow primer. When you first start using this one you have to twist the bottom round for quite some time to get the product to come out. After it's first opened all you need then is one click to get it out. To use I just draw this over my brows. It feels like a gel, but not too thick or thin and not sticky either. It doesn't take too long to set either, giving a really nice base for the brows.

Precisely My Brow Pencil
This is the other brow pencil that Benefit do from this new range. The other being Goof Proof which I really like. This one has a very thin tip to it allowing you to get a nice fine point to your brows. The pigment is quite good in it too and even though it is one shade darker than Goof Proof (I use shade 2) it's not that much darker. It doesn't need sharpening either, all you do is twist to get the color out. The pigment isn't too bad either and you can really build the color up with it.

High Brow
I've been using the original version of High Brow for some time and since using it I wouldn't be without it. The new re packaged version seems a bit more creamy and blendable compared to the old one. After drawing on my brows, I use this on the brow bone to highlight and finish the brows off giving a nice neat finish.

Brow Mapper
I'm not quite show how you use this and I haven't really bothered using it as I don't really need to map out my brows. Apparently this is the product Benefit use at the counter to draw your brows on with.

This is a really good set to have as it has all the products you need in it to create eyebrows. Benefit do other brow sets with different products in. They are definitely worth checking out.

Benefit Hoola Goodies

Those of you who are familiar with Benefit, will know that they do a really awesome bronzer called Hoola. This year they released a brand new range of products all themed on Hoola. Now available are Zero Tanlines Body Bronzer, Dew The Hoola Liquid Bronzer and Hoola Bronzing and Contouring Brush. Also available online is a personalized Hoola. You can have your name put on the box, which I think sounds great.

I saw the new items when I was shopping in Debenhams. I decided to get the Hoola Bronzing and Contouring Brush along with Dew The Hoola. I do love a gift with purchase and when you bought two items from the Hoola range you got this makeup bag for free.

It's a really nice makeup bag and looks great for summer. It's a good size too and is great for storing all of your essential products and even brushes in.

Dew The Hoola

This is a liquid bronzer and is described as a soft matte color. Unlike the body bronzer this one is only really designed for the face. It comes in a really nice gold tube with a pump applicator. I really like the design as the applicator allows you to get just the amount you need and is zero mess too.

This liquid bronzer gives your face a year-round glow without the gleam. The smoothing effects and lightweight texture melt in for a shimmerless, natural look that’s so sheer, it’ll have you saying hoola-la!

I like to mix this in with my foundation to give my skin a nice warm glow to it. If mixed in with your moisturizer it also makes a good tinted moisturizer too. It's also possible to dab a bit of this onto your cheekbones too if you like a bit of a glow but not an all over look.

As it is a liquid it is best to use this before powdering as creams/liquids on top of powder do tend to go a bit patchy. Once on it does keep you glowing all through the day.

Hoola Bronzing And Contouring Brush

Also new for this collection is the Hoola Bronzing And Contouring Brush. To keep in with the Hoola theme it's this really nice gold color and has the softest hairs ever on a brush. It's so soft it doesn't actually feel like a brush when you put it against your skin.

It's a really good all around brush for bronzing. I like to use it to apply blusher too but don't really like to contour with it. Theres no reason why you couldn't contour with it, for me it's just personal preference. When I contour I like to use a flat brush as it makes it a lot easier for me.

Benefit High Brow

Brows are all the rage right now and finding the right products is a must for getting those brows perfect. There are many different products around right now and one I tried recently is High Brow by Benefit. My favorite product for brows is Dipbrow Pomade by Anastasia Beverly Hills. It's fantastic for coloring in your brows, but if you want your brows to look amazing, finishing off is really important. This is where High Brow comes in.

High Brow is described as a brow lift pencil. It's got a really creamy texture and has a linen pink hue to it. Once you have shaped your brows you basically get this pencil and highlight around them. It's great because it neatens up the brows and gets them looking fantastic. 

The highlight isn't too harsh too and has just the right amount of color to get those eyes standing out. The pigment is amazing and it doesn't take a lot of effort to use it.

High Brow is definitely my product of choice for when I fill my brows in. You wouldn't think that a pencil like this could make so much difference to your brows, but it really does. 

Benefit Masterclass Cardiff

Last Wednesday I went to a masterclass by Benefit at Boots Cardiff. The theme of the event was a summer look which was created by makeup artist Ant on the model - Lauren. It was quite a small masterclass, there were 2 other people there apart from me, so it was nice and relaxed.

Waiting for us were some nice glasses of Bucks Fizz.

When we had all settled down Ant showed us all step by step how to create a nice look for summer. He went from everything from complexion, to eyes and then brows. The masterclass was great as we were free to ask any questions about the products or how to apply them.

After the event we were able to look on the counter at different products and try any on if we wanted. The masterclass was only about half an hour, but I thought it was great as it covered everything and gave us all good tips, especially on things like eyeliner application and filling in brows. 

I'm really looking forward to the next masterclass the will be coming up. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks Ant and Lauren at Benefit, Boots.

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl

Girl Meets Pearl from Benefit has been around for some time now and is described a "liquid pearl for the face." It's basically soft gold pink liquid luminizer that can be worn under or over foundation, or on it's own. It comes in packaging similar to That Gal. The packaging is a lovely metallic pink color and has the most amazing scent to it. It smells a bit like raspberry to me, which is probably because raspberry is one of the ingredients in it. To open, you twist the bottom and product comes out the top. When I first used it I did have to twist quite a bit to get the color going, but once it's finally open product comes out with just one twist.

I wore this in two different ways. First way was after I had put my primer on, I got a foundation brush and applied this all over to my face. I didn't have to use a lot to cover my whole face, a small amount goes a long way. I then applied my foundation on top and then powdered. By applying it like this, you get a nice glow, even under foundation and powder. I loved how Girl Meets Pearl made my skin look, it looked even better in the sunlight.

The other way I applied was over foundation and powder and put a very small amount to any areas I wanted to glow. As this is a liquid product it is best to only use a very small amount. On top of powder, liquids/creams can go quite patchy so using a small amount helps to stop makeup going like that. I quite liked wearing it this way too, it gave my cheeks a nice glow.

Once it was on, it stayed on and kept my skin glowing all day long. It didn't dry my skin out either.