My Back 2 MAC Pick: Faux

I had finally accumulated enough empties to bring back to the MAC counter at Macy's for their Back 2 MAC recycling program. I'm sure many of you already know about this, but if you don't I'll give you a brief description of what it is. Back 2 MAC is a recycling program in which you can give back six of your empty containers (with certain exclusions) to a MAC store, counter, or online and receive a free lipstick or eye shadow in return. From what I understand, you can only choose an eye shadow from the store. Also the containers you bring back don't have to be fully empty, any expired makeup just sitting around can be brought back too. For full information check out MAC's website here. 

So knowing that I was going to get a lipstick, I browsed online at MAC's collection of lippies to ultimately decide what shade to get. I didn't want to pick a color I would never wear, to be honest, I have a few already that are just collecting dust, so I wanted to get a color that I would wear often and finish. In the end I was torn between Brave and Faux. I know these two have been all the craze everywhere because of Kylie Jenner so I had hoped that these shades would still be available. Of course when I got to the counter Brave was sold out so the decision was made for me to get Faux.

Faux is described as a mauve, muted pink and is almost an identical match to my natural lip color. I find it to be a great color for every day and also for work. I was a little hesitant to get this lipstick because it is a Satin finish but after trying it on in the store, I was sold. It felt very comfortable and easy to apply.

I really enjoy the fact that MAC does this and will continue to use the program. Hope you guys enjoyed my mini post! Talk to you all very soon.

Review: Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner

So I jumped on the Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner wagon and decided to get it about a week or so after it was officially released. I was originally on the fence about the product but was eventually sold when I saw a few gurus talk about it on YouTube. Now that being said, I'm going to tell you flat out I don't love it. I don't hate it either but it's nothing mind-blowing or holy grail material.  

According to Benefit, the They're Real! Push-Up Liner is an innovative liner that is "the first foolproof and budge-proof gel liner in a pen. This eyeliner’s soft AccuFlex™ tip is custom-angled to draw an easy line. Its flat, wide guard gently pushes lashes aside to get close to lash line. A gorgeous way to open up eyes, this matte black gel formula won’t dry out, and its cutting-edge tip ensures a precise line every time."

Sounds great right? While the tip of the pen is pretty unique and nifty, there is something off. It sits perfectly on my lid but when the actual gel liner is dispensed, something goes wrong. The gel product itself is very nice but it begins to pill and ball up while you are trying to line your eyes. Now some people may think that it's because that's old liner I need to wipe off. I tried it and still have the same results. I even tried to draw some on the back of my hand before applying it to my lid and I found that to be the most successful method. Even then the liner still balls up. 

Another gripe I have about the Benefit Push-Up liner is that it skips over itself if you try to reline an area. The gel starts to pull on my lid and I sometimes end up with patches. There have been a few times where I've gotten so frustrated that I've used my Stila Waterproof pen liner to go over the patches. Now for a liner that boasts ease and quickness, doing all these extra steps goes against these statements.

The last vice of this product is trying to get a cat eye with this. According to Benefit, you can "stamp" a line and then easily draw a cat eye perfectly every time. Now, maybe I'm inept but I my cat eye lines never come out even on each eye and I end up over drawing and will usually have this super thick, dramatic look. Not that I mind it, but I don't want to look so made up all the time.

Now there are some things I do enjoy about the liner. The first this is the staying power. This liner does not budge from my lids until I remove it which is great for people with oily or hooded lids. Another thing I enjoy about the liner is how black it is. The black is supremely matte and well black. As I stated, I do enjoy the tip and how flexible and comfortable it feels I just wish the after gel product would work more cohesively with it to create that smooth and beautiful line we are all looking for.

Benefit's They're Real! Push-Up Liner 

All-in-all Benefit's They're Real! Push-Up liner failed to really impress me. I understand that there may be a learning curve for new products and I really gave this a chance. I think multiple uses for over two months would suffice as enough time to learn how to use a product efficiently. It's highly unlikely I would repurchase this product. Did this product work out for you? Please let me know your thoughts!