There are a lot of fake Benefit products on ebay and I have been stung a few times now. Firstly with the Smokin Eyes kit and now with the Powda Wowza so to warn others I have kept the fake one here to compare with the genuine one bought from Benefit.
The first thing to look for is the genuine quality of the packaging and product as Benefit is always very good quality. Especially on ebay be wary if it says no box, no brush or damaged box. Sometimes they say they are seconds which is probably untrue it's just a way of disguising the shabby quality of the product.
This Powda Wowza seems like a good fake but if you know what to look out for you can easily spot a fake. Luckily I got a refund for this product.
Differences between the genuine and fake:
Box - on the fake the ink isn't printed very good and is smudged. The big give away is where it says 'peel me' in the corner to reveal the product info as on the genuine it is a sticker and peels back easily to reveal the ingredients underneath. On the fake it doesn't peel and rips off untidily.
Lid - inside the lid of the real box the pattern follows through onto the inside lip where as on the fake there is no pattern.
Brush - The fake brush bristles are terrible quality and look very messy. They are all different lengths. The real brush is a bit smaller but good quality with neat bristles. Also the real one comes in a plastic packet inside the box the fake does not.
Smell -This is the biggest difference as the real blushers smell very fragrant and fruity smelling where as the fake smells a bit chemically. The powders look very similar in colour and they are all shimmerey.
I bought this from Asda for £5 as I was looking for a product that got rid of any eyeliner/mascara smudges throughout the day. As usually by dinner time if my eyes have been watering due to the high winds out or whatever my make up smudges underneath my eye on top of my concealer. The only way to banish this is to use make up remover so I thought this handy make up remover pen was the answer to my prayers but I was sadly wrong. This is awful it does nothing. The product stays on the nib staining it for the next use and even after cleaning it some transfer may occur. I could live with this if it actually got rid of the make up smudges but it doesn't so I wouldn't waste your money ladies. This one is rubbish unfortunately. I've seen Revlon do something similar but I'm to wary to get another. As for the pesky smudges I still have no solution as I don't want to carry around cotton buds and make up remover. Putting more concealer on top doesn't cover it either. My eyes end up looking dark underneath all day. So I am open to suggestions.
So it was my birthday the other day and today I went into town to spend my birthday money. It all went on Benefit off course so off to my local Debenhams counter I went and this is what I got:
*Some Kinda Gorgeous Foundation Faker- Lite
*Bad Gal Primer
*High Brow pencil
*Girl Meets Pearl Primer.
I was reluctant to try the Some Kinda Gorgeous foundation faker as I've read bad reviews on it but I'm going to test it and see what I think. Some reviews reported that it smelled really bad and plasticy but when I tried the tester in didn't find that at all. So maybe these reviewers bought fakes off eBay or something.
Bad Gal primer smells so delicious like strawberry, I have a little mini tester of this and I really liked it so I was keen to get the full size. I love the Porefessional primer best but it good to have a change.
I saw the High Brow pencil on a Benefit brow YouTube tutorial video and in thought it looked amazing and really helped to open up the eye. As you know I go on about how I love my Brow Zings so with this too I should have the perfect brows fingers crossed.
Lastly I got the Girl Meets Pearl primer as to be honest I was enticed by the super shiny pretty packaging and I liked how to tester looks. I can't imagine using this daily like the other primers but I wanted to give it ago. This product might be more for evening makeup looks.
I will let you know which I like best and I hope to post some YouTube reviews and tutorials soon once I've tested out the products.
This isn't out in shops until March 30th but after trying it at my local counter I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I was worried that with the moisturiser it would appear greasy and sheer but when I tried it it was amazing and gave great coverage.
Luckily Benefit's UK website have started selling it early.
My first thoughts are that the packaging is adorable as always! I have gone for the light shade as I'm pale. I am going to give this a test run today as my favourite concealer is Erase Paste without a doubt so it will be interesting to see how this compares. I have bought this product solely to keep In my handbag for touch ups as Erase Paste is a bit bulky to carry around.
I will report back with my findings ladies and I plan to do a youtube video comparison of this against Erase Paste and Boi ing.
The make up that I carry with me on a daily basis is constantly changing as I try out new things. So this is my March round up of must have essentials. I keep them all in a little make up bag that I keep in my handbag.
This month I am carrying around:
- Benefit Porefessional mini
- Benefit Hello Flawless powder in ivory
- Benefit Fine One One
- Benefit Coralista lipgloss
- Benefit Laugh with me Lee Lee perfume mini.
I use the Porefessional daily as it is silky and feels great on the skin. It reduces the visibility of pores, I don't know how it does it but it does. Most days I use this solo with no foundation. I have a full size of this in my make up bag but a mini is great to carry around for any needed touch ups in the day as you can wear this over or under make up it is truly a wonder product.
The Hello Flawless powder is great as you get a sponge and a brush applicator with it so you can get as much coverage as you want with this product. You use the sponge first on any areas you want more coverage and then the brush after for lighter application. I love how it has room to store these underneath the powder. I don't like liquid foundation so I prefer to use this on days when I want to wear foundation.
As I have mentioned before I am a huge fan of the Fine One One as it is a blusher and highlighter all in one just sweep across the cheek and voila instant colour. I use Hervana blusher and Watts Up highlighter when I'm getting ready in a morning but this is great for touch ups as the colours are so nice. You can build up colour too I recommend trying this out as if you are worried that you will look like a clown after one sweep across the cheek don't worry you won't. I introduced my best friend to this and she went out and bought it straight away. It is any girls handbag must have.
I've never really been one for lip glosses as I don't like the stickiness and the fact that my hair gets stuck to it as soon as you step outside but this isn't that sticky at all so that's a plus.
I had the Life on the A list gloss with my jetset kit and found the colour a bit too light for my liking. After looking online I had it set in my mind that I would buy the Dandelion lip gloss but when I tried it out in store the colour of that was too light too so I went for Coralista it gives great colour. It's good as I hardly wear lipstick and this is great for everyday colour.
I adore the Laugh with me Lee Lee perfume that I got with my Primed For Takeoff set it smells truly amazing. This is weird as when I tried them out in store on those wooden test sticks I didn't like any of them. But since getting it I love it as it smells so different when on the skin. So when you try them at the counters I would recommend testing them on your wrist to get the true smell.
I keep all these is a cute little Benefit make up bag called 'Bermuda Betty' the size is perfect for me as it keeps all these things In with room to spare. It fits perfectly into my handbag and it has a nifty mirror inside too.
There is just one item missing which I haven't received yet which is the new Benefit Fake Up hydrating concealer. I am so excited about this it isn't in stores until March 30th but they have started selling it early online si I an hoping to receive it tomorrow March 21st. I will keep you updated on this. I was lucky enough to try it in store and I believe it will be great. I tried it as I was worried that because it has a moisturiser around the concealer i thought it would leave under the eye looking shiny and greasy but it doesn't. I will post about it when I get it. Please check out my YouTube channel for Benefit make up tutorials. Comment me any requests you have :-)
These Benefit mascaras are both pretty popular and 'high end' beauty products, but if you want to part with the best part of £20 you will want to know which is best.
The brushes for the mascaras are very different the brush for the They're Real is made of rubber and has lots of small bristles to comb through the lashes covering a bigger surface area of lashes. Where as the brush for the Bad Gal Lash has more traditional thicker bristles so I personally don't think it combs through the lashes as good. This leaves it more susceptible to clumping.
Overall my favorite is the They're Real!
Please check out my youtube video of me testing them both out.
Since I've been buying Benefit they have opened my eyes to products which I previously deemed unnecessary these include primers and highlighters to name a couple. As before I would never try these products but they have become a staple in my make up bag.
I got a Benefit mini Highbeam highlighter in their Realness of Concealness kit and i instantly fell in love with it, it is such a great product you can use it on various parts of your face but I only use it on the top of my cheekbones. It helps to shape your face and give your cheekbones more structure.
I bought the Benefit Fine One One and the highlighter in it is amazing, so on my hunt for something similar to it I've just bought the Benefit Watts Up. It is more of a skintone colour compared to the Highbeam and i love it. It looks more natural than the Highbeam and really makes your face glow and beam radiance.
I've not tried it out all day yet but the good point about the Highbeam is it lasts all day and still shines through the powder blush.
I love both of these highlighters but I think overall I will go to the Watts Up for everyday use as it's more of a natural colour.
The packaging is so pretty and i love how it has a blender on one end to blend into other make up.
A highlighter is a must for any ladies makeup bag.
I will soon do a youtube video comparing these highlighters but for now check out the swatches of the colours below. My skin is fair in colour, the Watts Up is the one on the left and the Highbeam is on the right.
Benefit Smokin Eyes is the perfect go to kit for a night out. It has 3 complementary eye shadows to give the you the perfect smokey eye look and it has a black eyeliner, mini tweezers, eyebrow wax and an eye brightener.
It includes a step by step guide of how to apply and it's nice and compact to keep in your handbag to go from plain Jane by day to a sexy siren at night.
Just beware of fakes on ebay as there are a lot about at the minute especially of this kit do I would recommend buying direct from Benefit or from one of there counters in Boots or Debenhams.
If you are unsure whether to part with £28.50 for this or not just get a free demo of it at your local counter as they will try a tester on you for free to see if you like it or not.
Please check out my youtube tutorial of this below where I go through It step by step.
