The Tuesday Review: Benefit Dandelion Box Blush

I've had this product for a good few months now, having kindly received it as a gift on my birthday, back in the summer. At first I was quite unimpressed with how little it showed up on my tanned skin, and ended up rarely using it, other than occassionally as a subtle highlight as it was so pale compared to my skin. Fast forward a few months, and my skin is a good few shades lighter and I can finally see why people give so much love to this product.

I have to say, I'm really not a fan of the scent of this powder, to me it smells very grannyish, but to be honest the scent of a product really doesn't have an overall effect on whether I like it or not. As with all of Benefit's boxed powders, the packaging isn't the most practical thing in the world, but I am impressed with the brush that it comes with. I don't keep it in the box as I find that it tends to chip bits off the powder, and I actually use the brush for a different product: bronzer. I find that its the perfect shaped brush to contour with, but more about that in a later post.

The blush itself is a pale pink colour with a hint of shimmer, and isn't overly pigmented. It gives you a really fresh and alive look when applied to pale skin, and helps to brighten up your complexion. You can never go over the top with this, and you don't have to be too precise with your application as it is quite sheer and looks good as a highlight. In fact, Benefit actually suggest applying a small amount over your whole face as a brightening finishing powder. I am yet to try this but I can imagine it will work very well for me as I have yellow toned skin so this should help to neutralise it a little.

As for wear time, I find that this does last me through most of the day, and when it does fade, the shimmer remains so my skin still looks lovely and glowing. Having tested the wear time in the colder months, I actually wouldn't consider trying to carry on using this in the summer as my skin needs something super long lasting to keep it in place throughout its oiler moments, however it is absolutely perfect for a light flush of colour in autumn and winter.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Benefit's The Porefessional

Hey guys, I'm back with another review today and this time it's a high end product. This is my second ever high end product, the first being a MAC Mineralize Skin Finish, however I have since bought a couple more items. I didn't buy this product, it came as a sample in a magazine, however I did buy the magazine just so I could get the product as I had been wanting to try it for a long time, but the price had been putting me off.

The primer comes it a squeezy tube which is good for controlling how much product is dispensed. Overall I really like the packaging as the colours and design make it very attractive.

Having only tried one other primer (which was awful) prior to trying this, I don't have a lot to compare it to, however I am really impressed. This has really helped to keep my skin matte for longer and has increased the wear time of my foundation. It does also fill in and blur pores, meaning foundation applies better as it is being applied to a smoother surface. On a day to day basis, I only apply this to the sides of my nose, my forehead, and a little bit on my chin, but when I'm going for a full makeup look that I need to last all day, I will apply it to my entire face. I have been using this tube every day for the last two months and it is showing no signs of running out, so I am really pleased. 

Having had a really good experience with this primer, with no breakouts or side effects, I would consider purchasing the full size version of this product when mine runs out. However, I would like to try some cheaper alternatives first because, although I would deem this to be worth the money, if there's a drugstore dupe, I may as well buy that instead.

Have you tried The Porefessional? What do you think about it? Let me know in the comments.

emma x