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!

Review: Benefit They're Real! Mascara

I have heard such wonderful things about Benefit's They're Real! mascara so when I got this sample version in my Sephora VIB birthday gift I was pretty excited to try it out. Now, as many fellow Asians know, we have some sparse, short lashes that don't really hold a curl unless it's waterproof mascara. So I usually steer away from non-waterproof formulas don't even bother with regular formulations. If a mascara interests me, I just wait for the waterproof version to come out. 

What do I think of this mascara? It does almost everything for me. The only thing it doesn't do is hold my curl. As you can tell from the picture, you will see the curl drop dramatically the moment I put on two coats. Putting aside the curl hold, this mascara lengthens and adds volume. You can see how much longer my lashes are after the mascara has been applied. The brush is exceptional. It separates and combs through all my lashes. The spiked end on the tip is great to reach the inner corner of my lashes without smudging the mascara all over my lid. Perhaps my only gripe about the brush is that it picks up a tad too much product but I just wipe it off with a tissue. 

Since this mascara doesn't hold my curl, I probably won't use this on a date night when I line my eyes, but I will use it when I'm out running errands. I can probably layer this over a waterproof mascara if I really wanted to, now that I think about it to add some more volume and length. If you don't have any curl concerns and what that Va-voom effect, try this out. I know that there is a mini version of this if you don't want to fully commit 23 dollars to a mascara.

Pros:
-Lengthens
-Adds volume
-Lashes don't feel hard
-Easy to remove

Cons:
-Doesn't hold curl (for me)
-Too much product on brush
-Expensive

Repurchase: If Benefit makes a waterproof one then yes!
  

Review: Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit

Since the weather has been getting warmer, I've been looking for makeup that is smudge proof and also easier to apply. As avid of a MAC fan I am, I still haven't invested in their paint pots yet. However I did recently purchase Benefits creaseless cream shadow. After testing it out, there are some hits and misses for this.

This cream shadow is easy to apply and comes in a jar form that is similar to the MAC paint pots. Packaged in a cute black box, the retail price is $19 USD. Since I picked up a light neutral shade, this is in the Lana line. You also get a cute saying from Lana on the back of her picture.

Since the product is in a jar, it is recommended to keep the lid tight when not in use to keep the product from drying out. I have a feeling that this will dry out way before I will be able to finish it. I do wish more cream products came with a pump so you wouldn't have to worry about germs and wasting product.

As for the product being creaseless, to me it's not. However, I do have to say that lately, nothing is creaseless on me, including my UDPP in Eden. I always find my shadows creasing as of late, which is a seriously annoyance. This would probably work for people who have slightly oily lids, for those ladies with really oily lids, I would recommend putting a primer on before applying this.

I usually wear this when I'm going out to work and I don't have time to be creative with my shadows. I slap this on and blend it, having it fade out towards the brow bone, wing out some black eyeliner and mascara. It's a perfect neutral look that looks professional without looking too done up.

Pros:

-Great neutral color
-Can be used as primer or base for slightly oily to dry lids
-Easy to use
-Smudge proof

Cons:

-In a jar

-Can crease on oilier lids
-May be too shimmery for some

Repurchase?

No, since I doubt I will even finish this one before it dries out.