Blogmas 2014: Day 21 ~ Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation Review

I've had this foundation for quite some time now, but I've been waiting to review it since I wanted to share my full opinion! I've been using it for long enough to know my full thoughts on it and I'm so happy to finally be reviewing it! I got this with my Sephora gift card from my Birthday since I was wanting to try a high-end foundation. I had someone in Sephora recommend this for me so I trusted them and got it! I hope you enjoy this review and I cannot believe Christmas is less than 4 days!

I bought this at Sephora for $44, which is pricey for foundation however cheaper than many other high-end foundations. It came with a small sample of Benefit's Stay Flawless Primer, which I only used a couple of times. It seemed to work fine for me.

When I tried this on in the store, it felt slightly heavy on my skin but the feeling didn't last. The sales person said it was good for my skin type (oily/combo) and my concerns (long-wearing, not shiny etc). It seemed to match me alright in the store, and I had previously heard positive comments on it so I decided to go for it.

When I got it home, I noticed it was darker than the rest of my foundations, but I decided to keep it anyways. I wore it for a while, usually applying it with a brush or beauty sponge. I found it took quite a bit of foundation to cover my whole face (around 1-2 pumps). Without powder, it left me looking quite shiny and it was a tiny bit darker than my skin. After powder my skin looked pretty good. It covered my redness but not much else. My acne still showed through even after multiple layers.

It's a fairly thin and liquid-y consistency. I've started using it a lot more often recently and I'm still not loving it. It doesn't really cover everything I want it to, and it doesn't last as long as I'd hoped either. After about 3/4 hours of application, I notice my redness coming back and my skin looking shiny again. It is a bit dark for me although it's not too noticeable.

I really wasn't that pleased with this foundation, and I kind of regret buying it. It's just nothing special. I much prefer my Covergirl 3 in 1 foundation which is only $10 compared to $44!
Even the lightest shade, which is ivory, was a tad too dark. There is not much shade selection with only 7 shades.

 PROS:
 Blendable
 Even coverage

CONS:
Shade selection
Not long lasting
Light coverage
Uses a lot of product each application

 Shiny

 OVERALL:
Blendability: 9/10
Lasting Power: 7/10
Price: 5/10
Coverage: 7/10
Would I repurchase?: No
Would I recommend?: Not unless you're looking for light coverage
Overall: 7/10

In the end, I was quite disappointed with this foundation and expected more from it. I've heard many good things about this so maybe it was just me personally!

Benefit POREfessional Agent Zero Shine (Sample) Review

Today I have a quick post on a sample I received a while back at Sephora.

A little while after the launch of the new POREfessional powder, Sephora (or at least my Sephora) was giving out free samples of the the product. The sample looked tiny and I expected it to last for 1, maybe 2 uses, but it actually lasted a lot longer. The sample even came with a brush, although it's very useless it was still a nice addition and I can't complain about something that was free!

I'd also like to apologize for the quality of the photos. I took these photos a few months ago in dim lighting, and I accidentally threw out the package before I could retake the photos. The quality will defiantely be back up by my next post!

xx

They've packaged the sample very nicely. The colors and pictures are very similar to the full-sized  package. The brush is very harsh and flimsy (as to be expected) so I prefer to use my own powder brush.

It doesn't look like a lot of product in there, but I don't usually use a huge amount of face powder, so this lasted me around 5 uses.

The powder is a bit messy and I found a lot of it sticking to my brush so I needed to tap it off.

I didn't notice any amazing staying power, but it did reduce my shine for the most part. I expected more out of a high end powder, but it just wasn't anything special. This gave no coverage as it is a translucent powder. It is very lightweight but it did not do anything for my pores. I would not buy the full-size, based on my experience and the other reviews I have read. It's also $36 which is a high price to pay for an average product. 

I hope this was helpful!

February Favorites! (2014)

Hello everyone, I'm back for another favorites post!

I love doing these to reflect on what I've been consistently using lately. I wasn't very proactive this month (what's new?) and I forgot to write down my favorites as I noticed them. I had a little trouble remembering all of them but here they are!

I actually have a re-favorite from last month! I've been using the Benefit World Famous Neutrals most glamorous nudes ever palette ever since I got it! It has very wearable shades and the pigmentation is amazing! I definitely want to eventually purchase more Benefit shadows.

 Another eyeshadow I've been loving I don' think I've ever talked about on my blog. It's the essence eyeshadow in strawberry ice cream. It says new, but it's definitely not new anymore as I got it over a year ago for only $2. I've found it sold at Shoppers Drug mart and I don't go there often so I never remember to try more shades of it.

And lastly for eyes I've been brightening my lower lash line with the Rimmel Scandal Eyes waterproof kohl kajal eyeliner (that's a mouthful!). It makes me look more awake on the days I don't get enough sleep.

For lips, I've only been using a few products apart from my usual Nivea lip balm.

The first thing is the Maybelline Baby lips in Grape Vine. It's a very subtle berry color which looks great with a very natural eye look! It's also super moisturizing! Check out my full review here!

I debated putting this lip gloss in here because I got it around 4 years ago at Garage, which is a clothing sale! On top of that, it was on clearance for $3 so I highly doubt you could find it anywhere anymore. :( I apologize about that but it is a really pretty lip gloss. it adds a lot of shine and a fair amount of color. It also smells super sweet which is amazing!

A have quite a few face favorites form this month, I've been really into creating a flawless complexion!

First off, I've been blending my foundation with this sponge I received for my birthday. it's from Winners and I like to use it damp. It gives a very natural look. I need to buy a new one, this one's getting a bit old.

I recently purchased (and reviewed) The Covergirl 3 in 1 foundation. I really like the appearance of this but I won't go into too much detail as I recently posted a full review.

I've been in love with MAC's fix+ this month! I won't go into too much detail, as I'm planning an upcoming review, but this gives a dewy look and helps my makeup stay for hours!

For cheeks, I've been using the elf blush in tickled pink! It adds a really natural coral tint to your cheeks and I adore it!

Lastly, I have a  random favorite! During the after Christmas sales, I picked up this bracelet form Walmart for only $3! It looks like Pandora and I really love the colors. Quality isn't great, a few things have already broke, but I love how it looks!

That's all of my favorites! I hope you enjoyed, see ya next month!

Benefit World Famous Neutrals-Most Glamorous Nudes Ever

Hey! So today I'm doing a review on one of my new favorite things, the Benefit World Famous Neutrals set!
I've been using it for about a month now and I've really been loving it. It's really convenient in the sense that you can create numerous eye looks with one palette! I'm really like it and I'd love to try the others shades!

It's quite a bulky palette which takes up a lot of extra space, although I think the packaging is really cute.

It comes with 4, 0.04 oz long-wearing powder shadows is call my buff, kiss me, i'm tipsy, it's complicated, and gilt-y pleasure, as well as 2, 0.11 oz creaseless cream shadows in birthday suit and my two cents.

It also has a good sized mirror and 2 tutorials.

I was SO impressed with the quality of these shadows. I had never tried Benefit's shadows before and I was so surprised when I first swatched them. The cream shadows went on so smoothly and felt so velvety! The pigmentation was also amazing! The cream shadows lasted all day with absolutely no creasing, which is saying something because ALL of my eyeshadows crease on me.
As for the powder shadows, I fell in love with those too. They went on really smooth and had great pigmentation. They blend so effortlessly to create a gorgeous look. I can't say enough good things about them. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this product other than the bulkiness of the packaging which I can deal with.
I would definitely try out more Benefit eyeshadows in the future. I'm so thankful for receiving this as a gift on Christmas!
I really hope this helped, bye!

They're Real

Hello there!

So today I thought I'd show my new favorite mascara. I've recently been using Benefit's "They're real" mascara, and I've been loving it.

I got this from the Sephora birthday gift set (as most people did).

I love many Benefit products, the cute packaging always draws me to the display. The quality is great too! The wand is really unique because it has a dome shaped tip.

After one coat my eyelashes already looked longer than ever! The wand made it possible to reach all of the little, hidden lashes.

I really like this mascara but the full size is quite pricey at about $30. I don't think I could bring myself to pay that for a mascara, but I've heard the new Rimmel London Scandal Eyes mascara is similar. I'll have to try that out too!

That's all for today, have a good day!