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

June 2010 Favourites

Yes, I know I'm a bit late with this maybe, but still, I wanted to let you guys know what I've been loving this June! So let´s get started!

This one is to the side, just flip your computer if you can... or tilt your head! This is OPI's Chicago Champagne Toast. A really pretty pinkish plum colour, and a nice break from this season's bright corals!

This beautiful blush to the left is simply love, love, love. It is in shade 02 and it is by Golden Rose (I got in a pharmacy). I have absolutely been loving the gorgeous pink glow that it gives. You can see it swatched on the bottom.

The lipgloss is by GOSH and the shade is 0058. This is a really nice rosy pink colour with shimmer. Looks good on its own but is still sheer enough to be put over lipstick. It is swatched on top.

The lipgloss is 6H Glam Shine in shade 103, called Forever Nude, by L'Oréal. My aunt gave this to me for my birthday in April, and I love it! Love the texture, the colour, the shimmer, the consistency, the packaging, everything! It is a pinky nude, wearable enough to wear on its own but simply outstanding over lipstick! It is swatched on top.

The lipstick is my favourite lipstick, and it is by Dior, in shade 559, called Rose Drama. It is so wearable, a pinkish mauve colour, with a hint of plum maybe, and has a beautiful sheen to it. No chunky glitter here. Very sophisticated and goes brilliantly with the L'Oréal lipgloss. Swatched on the bottom.

This is a beautipowder by MAC, and it came out with the Liberty of London collection. It is called Shell Pearl, and the name really tells you all about it. This is a gorgeous pale pink powder. I love the pearly sheen it gives, and I use it either as a pale blush or over another blush to give me that nice, pearly look. Great to wear out in the sun!

FYI, you're looking at a miracle product here! This is Cover All Mix (in the lighter shade) by Make Up Store. I don't use the red colour, and the lightest shade I only use to prime my eyelids (works well as a primer, but not as a concealer!), but it's the green shade that I'm in love with! I use it on my chin and nose to conceal any redness that I have and this works wonders, covers well and blends in perfectly. Does not look green on the skin!

This is probably my number one summer product (though I do use it a lot no matter the season, this is one of my makeup collection's stars!). It is Dior's Diorskin Poudre Compacte in shade 001, called Transparent Light. I use it either to set my makeup or as a 'foundation' on those "almost no makeup days". It makes my skin look healthy, even and it mattes the areas which get shiny in summer (my forehead and my nose) without making them look powdery, chalky or 'made-up'. Just beautiful.

This is my summer foundation, Nature's Minerals by The Body Shop. Mine is shade 03. This is a powder foundation, but it gives me a very glowy, almost dewy look, and does not feel or look powdery at all. It is very sheer coverage, but on the other hand it looks so natural. The kabuki brush is necessary to apply it and I love this brush, so dense and soft.

This is it for now, I hope you enjoyed and please comment and tell me your favourites, or if you have tried any of the products above!

Dior-ish regards,

Miss Diorista