Boi-ing!

To be honest, I've kinda been scared to try concealer. I've heard such horror stories about it caking and cracking and basically looking obvious (which kinda ruins the whole ffect of using it to begin with). So I've kinda stayed away for a while.

But then I started looking through Benefit catalogues and such, and I have such a hard time resisting their products.... So one day I went to Sephora and just tried a ton of their products (the staff there mujst've thought I was nuts, I kept running back and forth from the Benefit aisle to the mirrors to where they stashed the cotton balls and q-tips, etc). And when I tried Boi-ing($18), I was quite pleasantly surprised to notice a difference. A good one. And suddenly I just had to have it.

I got the middle shade (02) which is the one suggested for anyone who isn't super light- or dark-complected, and I've been gloriously happy with it. It has NEVER caked or creased or cracked on me. By the end of the day it usually looks the same as it did when I put it on that morning. Sometimes I use my fingers to dot it under my eyes, sometimes I use my concealer brush, the effect is mostly the same either way.

Basically.. this stuff is awesome. And it certainly was a lifesaver for me recently, when my girl friend and I went to Vegas for the weekend and I had to cover up the massive circles under my eyes from getting absolutely no sleep. ; )

PS- In case you need an excuse to buy Benefit products, they're currently giving away a free Color Plump pencil with any orders of $65 or more. Check out the website for more details!

Benetint and BadGal Lash and Dandelion... Oh My!

I was at Sephora yesterday (bad Marcy! You know only bad things, and spending too much money, come of this!) and found this adorable and awesome gift set of The Best of Benefit. You get Dandelion (a "ballerina-pink facial luminizer", $26), Benetint (a rose cheek and lip stain, $28), and BadGal Lash mascara ($19), ALL in an adorable little keepsake box. This is a $73 value, folks, for (wait for it) all of $42!!! (Also available at www.BenefitCosmetics.com)

How was I expected to resist this?? ; )

Ok, so I had already been contemplating buying Dandelion, and I bought Benefit's PocketPal a while back so I know of the wonders of Benetint (and am starting to run out, by the way) so this really was a great value.

I used Dandelion today, as part of a neutral and light pink makeup day, and I have to say it is quite nice. Gives a very soft hint of pinkness. On those with medium to darker complexions it might be too light to show up well as a blush, but it might still work well as an all-over face powder, lending that hint of a pink glow that warms up your whole face. I think I'm much more likely to use Dandelion as an all-over face powder (as opposed to Dallas, which I use more strictly as a blush since I don't think the color is that great for a full-on bronzer. BTW check out the incredibly adorable limited-edition Dallas makeup palette! $28).

I must admit, I'm almost a bit scared of trying the BadGal mascara. That wand is huge! lol It's definitely a mascara for big nights out on the town. But my best gal friend and I are going to Vegas for a long weekend in November, so I will definitely be putting it to good use then!

Benefit Dallas

I've heard so much positive buzz about Benefit's Dallas bronzer/blush powder, that I fanlly gave in and forked over my $26 at Sephora to try it myself.

And now I finally know what all y'all have been talking about. = )

Lately I've seen a lot of beauty articles advising readers how to get that gorgeous "natural glow" by using bronzer on your forehead, cheecks, nose, etc (wherever the sun hits) and then topping it off with a rosy blush on your cheeks. Well, Dallas has done that for you-- it's a perfectly gorgeous shade of bronze and rosy pink mixed together. One step and you're good to go. I haven't tried it as an all-over bronzer yet (I've been using Bare Escentuals Warmth all-over face powder for that lately) but I think Dallas has just become my new favorite blush.

Benefit Eye Bright

Some days, you need some help looking "bright eyed and bushy-tailed." This is when makeup can do its best work. It can make you look alert, awake, and neat when you feel the least bit like any of these things. Benefit Eye Bright ($18) is one of these such tools. It's a light pink colored pencil that hides the dark coloring that can creep up underneath tired eyes. Just slick a little bit over your dark circles and blend just a bit (on light-skinned gals like me, there's hardly much blending needed at all) and your eyes look instantly much more awake.

You can also dab a bit right in the inner corners of your eyes, near you tear ducts, for a nice brightening effect, or just under the arch of your eyebrows for an instantly more groomed look and to add a bit of depth to your eye shadow job (Benefit sells a separate brow highlighting pencil, also $18, but they really seem like the same thing to me).

So, while you really *should* be getting a good 8-9 hours of sleep a night, we all know that on occasion that is just not quite possible. On those days, Eye Bright is your friend.

Made You Blush

Blush is one of those make-up items that I've always viewed as pretty essential. If I only have time to put on a few key make-up items, it'll usually be a spot of eyeliner, some blush, and lipgloss. Blush, to me, should achieve the look of naturally flushed cheeks, as if you'd just ran a few blocks or just came in from the cold. I love the rosy look.


Photo courtesy of Revlon.com

I went through a phase for a while where I got tired of powder blish and began experimenting with cream formulations. My favorite for a while was Revlon's Skinlights Color Lighting Blush (in Rosy, $7.99 at drugstores). It was my go-to blush for a good year or so, but eventually I started to dislike the shinyness of it (the "dewey look" it tried to achieve). So, several months ago while on a trip to Vegas, I decided to splurge and try out the Benetint Pocket Pal ($18, available at Sephora), which I'd had my eye on for a while.


Photo courtesy of Sephora.com

I immediately loved the stain-- it was just enough to give a subtle flush, but could also give you a bolder look if you applied more of it. I found out quickly that it's best to layer it if you're trying to go for more color, as the liquid dried quickly and can be harder to blend in well if you apply too much at once. You also have to be pretty careful when using it-- it's called a "stain" for a reason. I'm not real crazy about the color it gives me when I use the stain on my lips-- it looks a bit too bright and even slightly orange-y on me for some reason. But I love the color it gives my cheeks!

Unfortunately, the gloss end kind of... sucks. The gloss is frankly kind of hard to apply, it doesn't feel good on the lisp, and doesn't seem to last very long. I was quite dissappointed, especially since I'm a bit of a lipgloss fiend. It's not very cool to pay $18 for a product and have half of it be useless. I'm still quite happy with the stain (as a blush) and will get my use out of it. Though I doubt I will buy it again when it's all used up.