Benefit Cosmetics: Erase Paste Concealer

Hi everyone,

Today's review is of the Benefit Cosmetics Erase Paste Concealer. The full-sized product retails for $26 for 0.15 oz of product from Sephora, Ulta, and the Benefit Cosmetics website. Sephora describes this concealer as "Benefit Erase Paste is a concentrated, creamy, blendable concealer that instantly brightens and camouflages all-in-one. It has an innovative formula which makes sure signs of stress and fatigue are a thing of the past."

The concealer comes in a small box and includes a mini plastic spatula to scoop the product out and a step-by-step guide with tips and tricks for application. While it is more sanitary to use the scoop to get the product out, I found that as you use up the product it can be difficult to get the final bits out with the scoop and I ended up just using my fingers. Since this product is a thicker and very creamy consistency, you really want to use your fingers to apply this product because the warmth from your fingers helps to heat up the product and apply it smoothly and evenly to the under eye area.

This concealer comes in three different shades: No. 1 Fair, No 2. Medium, and No. 3 Deep. I purchased the shade No. 1 Fair. This concealer has a salmon/peach/pink color to it which acts as a corrector to help brighten the under eyes. While there are only three shades available, since this product is a correcting concealer, you can use it in conjunction with another concealer that perfectly matches your skin tone.

As I mentioned above, the formula of this concealer is very thick and creamy, and it is incredibly moisturizing while still providing great coverage. I struggle with extremely dry under eyes, so not only does this concealer help to correct the dark shadows and bags under my eyes (which we all definitely have), it also provides a lot of moisture and keeps my under eyes hydrated all day long.

As someone with large pores, I was very worried that the moisturizing and light reflecting qualities of this concealer, while canceling out my dark circles, would actually highlight my large pores. I'm happy to report that is definitely not the case! It's amazing how smooth this product makes my under eyes look and how much brightness it brings to my face. I was also extremely impressed with how well this product layers with other concealers, foundations, and powders without looking cakey. I have a ton of fine lines around my eyes and didn't notice this concealer creasing, which is a miracle for me! I think people with more mature skin would also really enjoy this product for that exact reason as it won't settle into wrinkles.

While a lot of pot concealers will dry out pretty quickly (within 6 months I'd say), Erase Paste lasted me for over a year without drying out. 

Final Verdict:
I absolutely love this concealer and it's definitely holy grail status for me. Not only does this product conceal it also color corrects my dark under eye circles and helps bring so much brightness to my under eyes. I really enjoy the thick, creamy formula of this concealer because it provides a ton of coverage but it's also very moisturizing at the same time. Overall, I absolutely love this concealer and I always need to have it on hand. I highly recommend you check it out if you haven't already!

What do you think of Benefit's Erase Paste Concealer? Have you tried any other Benefit concealers like Boi-ing or FakeUp? (Click here to see my review of FakeUp). Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!
-Meg

Benefit Cosmetics: FakeUp Hydrating Crease-Control Concealer

Hi everyone,

Today's review is of the Benefit Cosmetics FakeUp Hydrating Crease-Control Concealer. The full-sized product retails for $24 for 0.12 oz of product from Sephora, Ulta, and the Benefit Cosmetics website. Benefit describes this concealer as "Cover-up goes incognito! This hydrating crease-control concealer - with Vitamin E & apple seed extract - hides dark circles & diffuses fine lines for a silky smooth, ultra-natural look. Available in three shades, it’s proven to keep skin hydrated for 6 hours!"

This concealer comes in three different shades: light, medium, and deep. I purchased the shade light and I found that it runs very light, so I think it's best to swatch this product in a store before purchasing so that you ensure that you get the right color. I wish this concealer came in a couple more shades so that it provided a better match with all skin tones, but because it's very moisturizing and doesn't provide too much coverage, it isn't too hard to match it to your skin tone.
The packaging of this concealer is gorgeous, as per Benefit's usual style. It comes in a sleek silver tube, like a lipstick, that twists up as you use it. I think this is a very travel friendly as it's quite small and easy to take on the go.

Benefit advises that you apply this concealer by "Stroke(ing) fakeup underneath each eye. Using your ring finger, pat gently outward to blend. You can also use it to touch up throughout the day…this “double duty” hydrating & concealing formula won’t cake, crease or settle." Unfortunately, I did find that this concealer settled/creased in my under eye fine lines, which I think is in part, due to how creamy and thick the concealer is. I also found that it was a little difficult to blend out this concealer because of how thick it is.

While I like the packaging of this concealer, I find that I really didn't like the formula of it. It's almost too hydrating and creamy if that's possible.  I have dry skin so I was drawn to this concealer because it's advertised as being a hydrating concealer, but I find that it lacks the coverage I require from a concealer and it almost feels greasy on my skin because of how hydrating it is. Because this is a greasy/moisturizing concealer I found that it was hard to layer products on top of it without it moving around on my face. In addition, it is also a very heavy concealer and I found that if you try to use it in conduction with another concealer for better coverage it looks very cakey and thick on your face. I also found that this concealer didn't do a very good job of hiding my under eye circles. I almost felt that it accentuated them because of how greasy the formula is, as it made my under eye area look very shiny and oily.

Final Verdict:
I really wanted to like this concealer because I know it's a holy grail concealer for so many people, but it just didn't work for me. I think the formula of the concealer is very moisturizing but unfortunately greasy at the same time. It also doesn't provide very good coverage for under eye circles so if you have any that you're looking to hide, this isn't the product for you. I also think if you have combination to oily skin this concealer would probably be bad for you as it would add even more grease/moisture to your skin.

What do you think of Benefit's FakeUp Concealer? Are you in love with it or do you prefer other concealers? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!
-Meg

Benefit Cosmetics: They're Real! Mascara

Hi everyone!

For this week's Mascara Monday, I have decided to review the They're Real! mascara by Benefit Cosmetics. I'm pretty late to the game on trying this mascara, as it's been out for a while now and there are TONS of reviews out there on this product, but I decided to let you guys in on my thoughts and do a review.

So to start, the full size of this mascara retails for $23 for 0.3 oz of product and the deluxe sample size retails for $10 for 0.14oz of product. You can purchase it from Sephora, Ulta, and the Benefit Cosmetics website. I actually purchased this mascara as part of the Real Steal set, which retails for $24 and includes a full size of the mascara and a deluxe sample of the They're Real! Push Up Liner. It is also available at Sephora, Ulta, and the Benefit Cosmetics website.

So all in all, this is an awesome mascara! I love the design of the bristles, they're short rubber bristles and there's bristles along the end which is great for easily doing inner and outer lashes. The bristles are ideal for brushing the product onto the lashes without them clumping together. The wand is a little flexible but mostly pretty rigid and solid. The formula of this mascara is on the wet side and it can be a little messy so do apply it carefully so you don't get it all over your face. Whether you do one coat for a more natural look or three coats for a dramatic look, I find that this product looks amazing and doesn't clump. Also, I know that some people have said that this mascara is difficult to remove, but I haven't experienced that problem. If you find that to be true, I recommend trying out the They're Real! remover.

I absolutely love the look this mascara gives my lashes! They're thick and full and look beautiful! The color is very black, but no so intense that it's unnatural. They're bold but very wearable for everyday. It's not clumpy and it doesn't make my lashes stick together. I also love the packaging of this mascara, it comes in a shiny gunmetal gray tube. The only negative I really have with this mascara is that there is a tiny smell, kind of that typical mascara smell, but it's not overwhelming or overpowering. It isn't so bad that it doesn't make me not want to wear it.

Final Verdict:
I absolutely love this mascara and would 100% buy it again! I highly recommend it and if you're interested in trying it, definitely check out the The Real Steal set! It's a great deal and only a dollar more in price than the cost of the full size mascara.

Have you tried this mascara yet? Is this a new holy grail product for you? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Sephora Haul! The Holidays are coming!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to give you a sneak peak of some new holiday gift sets and products that I recently purchased from Sephora. I have a couple more in mind that I want to get but here's some of the items I've already purchased in case you're interested in buying them too. Reviews on these products to come soon!

Makeup Gift Sets


Benefit Cosmetics - Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes
This palette retails for $36 at Sephora and contains six of the well-known Benefit blushes (Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Hoola, Coralista, Rockateur), Watt's Up! highlighter, and a blush brush. The palette comes in an adorable tin that looks identical to the box the product is in.

Tarte - Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette
This palette retails for $42 at Sephora (exclusively, I believe) and contains five blushes in a beautiful clutch case and comes with two beautiful hair pins. This item is part of the Tarte Sweet Dreams Holiday Collection.

Sephora Collection - Bottled Dreams Fragrance Sampler For Her 
This is a perfume sampler set exclusively sold Sephora for $58 that contains 8 deluxe sample size perfume bottles and a voucher to redeem a full size of one of the eight perfumes. There are several different perfume sampler sets available at Sephora, but I picked this set because I liked that you got deluxe size samples in cute bottles, rather than the usually small plastic tubes.

Holiday Products
Philosophy - Sparkling White Ginger & Have a Cherry Christmas 3-In-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath (Also pictured below are the Philosophy Fresh Cream body lotions, but they aren't holiday products as they are available year-round)
I actually purchased these as gifts for friends because they're a product I never seem to buy for myself but I know I would appreciate getting. Who doesn't love a relaxing bubble bath and some nice body lotion, especially in the chilly winter?!? The Sparkling White Ginger and Have a Cherry Christmas 3-In-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath retail for $17 and the Fresh Cream body lotions retail for $17 at Sephora.

Which holiday gift sets and products are you most excited to buy? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!