Benefit - Finding Mr. Bright

Finding Mr. Bright is a brightening face kit by Benefit Cosmetics, which contains the following products:

• Girl Meets Pearl (7.5ml)
• Posie Tint (4 ml)
• High Beam (2.5 ml)
• Erase Paste in No. 2 (3.2 g)

Girl Meets Pearl is a golden/pearly face primer which smells like bubble gum. It's ok under foundation, but I love it as a highlighter, it is so unique! So golden and lovely... it's really just liquid gold... but prettier!

Posie Tint is not something I would recommend, sadly, and I am glad that I didn't get a full-sized version of it. This is a pink lip and cheek stain, but there has to be something better out there. I know it is called a stain, but you should still be able to blend it, right? This one is very hard to blend onto your cheeks and leaves pink spots (stains) wherever it goes on. It also offers very little colour on your lips, I could just as well pinch my cheeks and bite my lips... it would be a whole lot prettier, easier and more affordable. Cute packaging though.

High Beam is a liquid highlighter, a milky pink one with loads of shimmer. I actually already had the full-sized one, and I do really like this, but a little goes a very long way. The one from this kit will last you for ages!

Erase Paste is a very creamy concealer, and I already had the full-sized one in No. 1. This small one is in No. 2 which is their medium shade. It is a bit too dark but I can still get some use out of it. This concealer is something I use almost every day under my eyes, and I can definitely recommend it.

As always with Benefit, you get cute packaging. This little kit comes in bright pink (or magenta) with all kinds of "men" on it... amongst others, I've spotted "the heart-breaker" and "the alcoholic", as well as of course "Mr. Bright!

The box has a magnetic closure, and a very nice mirror inside. What I really love about this packaging, is that you can pop out the paper insert which holds the products, and then you can use the box itself as a really chic way to carry your every day makeup! It is small enough to fit into any medium sized purse, yet big enough to hold my essentials. So cute!

I love how they capitalize the first three letters in "manual" into "MANual". Benefit always gets it right with cute packaging and ideas like this!

I really like Erase Paste, but the colour (no. 2) is a little too dark for me, although I can actually use it under my eyes if I blend it really well. And the small pot is so adorable... it's a baby concealer!

L-R: High Beam, Girl Meets Pearl, Posie Tint, Erase Paste in No. 2

L-R: High Beam, Girl Meets Pearl, Posie Tint, Erase Paste.

Those second swatches are smoothed out a bit, so that you can see the shimmer in the High Beam and the Girl Meets Pearl. You can also see the smoothed-out Posie Tint swatch right next to the original Posie Tint swatch.

Overall, I think this kit is rather well put together. Of course, whether or not you like this kit can come down to so many factors, since it holds four products. And also, if you can use the Erase Paste (if it isn't too dark or too light for you) then you will get more use out of it than the rest of us. Personally, I liked the products except for the Posie Tint (which can be used in emergencies, though), so I do rather like this kit, for example for travelling. I also really like that you can buy a kit like this with smaller sized products, figure out what you love and then buy that and skimp on the others - it can save you a whole lot of money.

 

Product (65%) - 8/10

Value (10%) - 7.5/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 6.5/10 (I would rather buy individual products, now that I know what I like)

Packaging (10%) - 9.5/10

Overall - 8/10

 

Miss Diorista

 

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. - Maya Angelou

My Current Foundation Routine

Some of my favourite posts to read are all kinds of routines - foundation routines, skincare routines, blush/bronzer routine... you get the idea :)

So I thought I'd share my own foundation routine with you. This is my liquid foundation, I'll post my powder foundation one later (which is quite simple, though...). But let's get into it, hope you enjoy it ;)

1. First off, I prime my face with the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, using clean fingers. Now I love this stuff, but I've been hearing from people who break out from it, so be careful... try before you buy :) 
2. I like to put on foundation before concealer, so next up is my current go-to foundation, Dior's Nude Foundation. I prefer using my fingers for this foundation, I just make sure they're clean. I can't say enough about this foundation!
3. Now my foundation is in place, I can see where I need some extra coverage. I'm currently using Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer under my eyes, but I also use Benefit's Erase Paste. If I have anything else than has to be concealed (for example redness on my nose and/or chin), I generally use the "green" side of Make Up Store's Cover All Mix. This stuff really hides redness. Again, I use my clean fingers for both concealers.
4. For a setting powder, I've been using Dior's Diorskin Poudre Compacte in "Transparent Light" for quite some time now. I use the included sponge for this powder, and I feel it actually does a great job.

That's it! Really quick and simple, and I've been using this same routine for a little over a month now... ever since I got the Dior Nude Foundation actually :)

What is your fave foundation routine? Please tell me in the comments! Oh, and don't forget to include your favourite foundation, I'm always on the hunt for new ones to try out.

And finally: Have you tried Sigma brushes? What did you think of them? I'm looking into buying a brush kit from there...

Yours,

Miss Diorista

Benefit - Dr. Feelgood

Ever heard of this product? Well, I bought it last summer, hoping it would do me some good... You see, like many, I have some slightly visible pores around and on my nose, and also like many, I want to hide them a bit. This product is supposed to "smooth away the appearence of fine lines while leaving skin feeling and looking more silky, flawless and matte to the touch." This is what Benefit claims it does, and yes, it actually does all those things, I can't deny that... and it's also blended with Vitamin C, which of course is a plus.

However, this product broke me out... not just a bit but rather badly. So despite how much I loved the pore-free look this product gave me, I had to give it up. Disappointing, to say the least.

Also, what's up with the smell? It's a rather strong, kind of menthol scent... doesn't smell bad, just not like anything you'd ever think of putting on your face.

And the packaging? Looks cute, but it is so impractical! How on Earth am I supposed to get the product out (which has a stiff tecture, like balm) with a sponge, without getting clumps of this on my face? I think Benefit Cosmetics sometimes think more about the way the packaging looks, than how it works, which is not good at all.

Product (65%) - 6/10

Value (10%) - 6.5/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 1/10

Packaging (10%) - 5/10

Overall - 4/10

Sadly, not a product I would recommend. However, this does not break everyone out, hopefully your skin will react better to this than mine did, just try it before you buy it!

Yours,

Miss Diorista

January Favourites!

It's already February! I can't believe it :) So it's time for another monthly favourites post, yay! I don't have an awful lot of products to show you, but I have also included one TV show and one foodie... or maybe it's a drink. Yes, water it's definitely a drink :) Enjoy!

L-R, top row first: I don't know why I haven't mentioned the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer to you before - 'cause I love it! I have seriously come to the point where I can't wear foundation without applying this to my skin first!

The Diorskin Nude Glow Foundation you already know - I've told you how much I love it, been wearing it non-stop this month! You can find my review here.

How come I am first now discovering the wonders of blotting sheets?! I've had those Bourjois Anti-Shine Blotting Sheets forever... maybe three years, I think, but I never used them until three weeks ago. Now I can't leave hourse without them, these are a lifesaver.

The blush is by Make Up Store, Frozen Daiquiri - it is a beautiful, bright colour with shimmer (see my haul and swatches here). I love this for a pop of colour on the apples of my cheeks - but be careful! This is very pigmented - which is why I use the next and the last product on the picture to apply it - the MAC 188. In case you aren't familiar with it, it's a small duo-fibre brush which can be used for mineral blushes, regular blushes (if very pigmented) and even foundation. I find that by just tapping the brush twice, very lightly, in the product, I get about the amount I need. Then I blend out with a kabuki.

Mixing blushes - I love this! It gives you such a natural flush, much more natural than you could achieve using just one product. I will do a separate post on how to mix two blushes for a flushed but contoured blush-look, without having to use a contour colour!

Dexter - Is loving him wrong? Because I can't help it :)

Sparkling Water - I can seriously drink dozens of bottles of sparkling water!


What are your favourites for January? I'd love to hear, please comment and tell me ;)

Love, Miss Diorista

P.S. I'd be happy to review any of those for you - let me know if you would like to see reviews, and then I'll be sure to put them on the top of my list!