Brand Overview: Benefit

First of all, can we just admire at the adorable packagings from Benefit? I feel like Benefit probably has the cutest packaging on the market, which makes me love their products even more. I did not realize the amount of product I had from Benefit until I started to gather products for this post. Most of these are loves, but I do have a few misses unfortunately.

Benefit Fake Up Concealer is my latest purchase from Benefit, and what drew me to this is the fact that it's supposed to be super hydrating. I suffer from super dry undereyes and I find that most concealers tend to accentuate the fine lines in my undereye area and make them look cakey. This Benefit concealer is super unique in that it has the concealer in the middle and a layer of hydrating balm on the outside so it helps to keep your undereye area hydrated throughout the day. It doesn't have the highest coverage so I wouldn't recommend it to people with serious dark circles, but if you're like me where you just want a bit of hydration and brightening then this is perfect for you. This looks super natural and does not crease or settle into fine lines.

Benefit Watts Up Luminizer is a peachy champagne highlight that helps to impart a sun-kissed glow on your face. The fact that it's in a stick form makes it super easy to apply and blend out.

Benefit They're Real Mascara was a miss for me, unfortunately. I tried it several times and just found that it did nothing for my lashes and even weighed down my curls. I know it's a favorite of many people but it just did not work out for me.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer is definitely one of my favorite bronzers of all time. I'm the type of person who has to wear bronzers all the time because I have a pretty chubby face, and this one from Benefit looks super natural on the face and helps to make my face look more defined and chiseled. It has a grey undertone so it won't look too orangey or muddy on the face.

Benefit Porefessional was one of the first primers that I purchased and I used to love it, but after trying out so many primers over the years I found that it was just mediocre. I feel like there are much better primers on the market and this one is just overhyped. At the moment I'm just trying to use it up but I probably won't be repurchasing it.

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Buckle Bunny is a must-have if you're a neutral shadow lover. It's the most gorgeous shimmery rosy taupe color that's super soft and easy to blend out, and lasts well on the eyes. I love using this shadow for the single-shadow look because it is one of those shadows that just has so many dimensions to it, so you can wear a sheer layer all over the lids and build it up in the outer corner.

Benefit Highbeam is another great luminizer from Benefit. It's a pinky beige highlight that comes in a liquid form so you can use it alone or mix it with your foundation to create a dewy complexion.

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Disappointing Products #1

In my past posts, I've only talked about products that I liked; I thought it's about time that I mention some products that I didn't like so much. It's rare for me to find products that I don't like because I usually do pretty thorough research before I purchase anything, and a lot of these products that I'll mention are actually cult favorites of many but they just didn't work for me. A disclaimer that I want to make is that what works for you may not work for me and vice versa, so hopefully you guys won't be offended if I'm bashing on products that you actually enjoy using; these are just my personal opinion. I will also be mentioning some alternatives that I think work much better.

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray is a salt spray that's meant to give you tousled beachy waves, however I found that it made my hair look dry and crunchy, and actually weighed my hair down instead of giving it volume. It was hella expensive too. A cheaper and better alternative would be the Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray, which acts as a leave-in conditioner and a salt spray in one to help to hydrate the hair while also giving it texture and volume.

I decided to try the Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Liner because it's supposed to be the longest wearing gel liner on the market. Unfortunately, it did smudge on me, even with the help of a primer. Keep in mind that I have super oily eyelids, so if you have normal or dry eyelids it might work for you. I have yet to find a gel liner that lasts on me so if you have any great suggestions please leave them in the comment area below!

Benefit They're Real Mascara claims to give the false-lash effect in a tube, however I found that it did nothing for my lashes. It did not lengthen nor volumize, and it also weighed down my curled lashes. The only good thing about it was that it lasted pretty long without smudging. For a better alternative, try the Kiss Me Long & Curl Mascara, which will definitely give you the false-lash effect and I always get compliments from people when I use this.

YSL Touche Eclat is meant to act as a concealer and a highlight in one to brighten up your undereye area and erase any signs of fatigue to make you look more awake and rested. However, I find that it is far overpriced and over-hyped. It just didn't cover anything and the formula was way too dry for my undereye area; I would prefer a drugstore concealer over this. If you want a concealer that's going to cover and brighten your undereye area, try the Clinique Airbrush Concealer. It is super creamy and hydrating, and is one of few concealers that doesn't emphasize the fine lines in my undereye area. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

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Products I Can't Live Without - Makeup

Because I have extremely oily skin, the products I'm sharing today are products that help to keep my face matte and help to keep my makeup from melting off my face throughout the day. These are products that I have to use whenever I wear makeup because without them, my makeup would just slide off my face the second I walk out the door. So if you want to achieve long-wearing makeup, these are the products for you.

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Brand Overview: Clarins

Clarins is a brand that I've loved and adored for years, and every single product that I've tried from them have never disappointed me. The price point is also quite good for the quality of product that you're getting.

Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch is one of my favorite makeup primers of all time. It is non-comedogenic and helps to smooth out any unevenness in my skin, making my makeup go on so much better. It also helps to camouflage my pores and makes my makeup last all day.

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Current Favorites #1

I want to start this new segment on my blog where I talk about my current favorite beauty products. Although I'm constantly trying out new beauty products, I do want to make sure that I use a product for at least two weeks before I mention it on my blog, so I will try to do these posts every other week.

First up is Buxom Lipcream in Berry Blast, which is probably the only lip gloss that I wear on a daily basis. It glides on the lips buttery smooth and doesn't feel sticky at all. It is extremely pigmented and can be worn alone. This is great for those of you who want bigger lips because it will make your lips look super juicy, glossy and moisturized. It also has a slightly tingly sensation when you put it on, which doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. Berry Blast is a gorgeous hot pink color and I definitely want to go back and pick up more shades. I used to hate lip glosses, but this has me totally converted.

The Clarins Evermatte Foundation is an oil-free foundation that gives medium coverage yet still feels light and natural on the skin. Clarins is a brand that never lets me down; all of their products that I've tried so far have been super impressive and this one is no exception. This is definitely gonna be my go-to foundation for the summer.

The Dollywink Volume Mascara is my newly found holy grail mascara. For many years, I relied on the Kiss Me Long & Curl Mascara as my go-to mascara; it is extremely waterproof and smudge-proof, which is just a godsend for my extremely oily eyelids. Personally, I find that Asian mascaras in general are better at being smudge-proof and waterproof than a lot of the Western mascaras. I have to say that the Dollywink mascara is just a little bit better at giving my lashes length and volume than the Kiss Me mascara does, while still being waterproof and smudge-proof. I still wear the Kiss Me one for everyday just because it looks more natural, but if I'm going out or if I just want my eyes to look extra big, I will go for the Dollywink one.

This is a fiber mascara which I prefer because the fibers really help to lengthen my lashes. It has a pretty big wand with a small tip, which helps to get to the really hard-to-get corners of your eyes. You can find this on Ebay or any other Asian beauty sites for around $15.

Turquoise has been the IT color this spring and summer; I've been seeing it everywhere from the runways to magazines. Dior and Lancome have both came out with a turqoise liner in their latest spring collections, and I've been coveting them for a while, but I wasn't about the spend almost $30 on an eyeliner. So I did a little search online and stumbled onto the Holika Holika Waterproof Eyeliner in Emerald Green, which is only $6 on Ebay. Color-wise, it is an exact dupe of Dior's Diorshow Liner in Aqua Green. It's also super creamy and pigmented, and lasts all day on both my upper lash line and my waterline. This will just give your makeup a bright pop of color that's super on-trend for the spring and summer.

Since the weather has been getting warmer, I've been opting for more simple makeup. I've just been wearing Benefit's Buckle Bunny all over my eyelids lately. It is a beautiful shade that has so many dimensions to it. When worn sheerly, it gives your lids this beautiful rosegold color; when you build up the color, it looks more like a warm bronzy brown. What I do is that I put a sheer layer all over the lids and build the color in the crease. This color works to brighten and define your eyes at the same time.

Here are the swatches:

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