Day 20 of 30: Benefit Lipstick – Breakup Rumor

Paris B 34 Comments

Benefit describes this as “Jeweled Berry”. Jeweled Berry is a colour I’d wear, and often. However, looking at it in the tube when I received it made my heart sink.

benefit breakup rumor lipstick

Did you think this photo unrepresentative of the colour of this lipstick? You’re wrong. The product does look like this. Dark, unassuming and frankly, boring. Oh dear. Christine and Karen had made it look so good, hence prompting me to go for this colour. However, perseverence and determination has its virtues. You can’t tell how a colour will work until you wear it yourself. And I’m so glad I did!

Continue Reading

Bella-la-la Bamba! Benefit’s newest blush has its day

Paris B 44 Comments

Are you sick of reading about Bella Bamba everywhere already? I must tell you that I was. I mean I jumped on the Bella Bamba hype the minute it launched about 5 months ago and I ordered it online; and then Bella Bamba exploded on the interweb into this “must have” blush and was everywhere! So much so, I got turned off, and didn’t try it until much later.

And once I did, I could not stop using it. So I’m afraid you are going to have to sit through another Bella Bamba rave-fest 😛

bella bamba benefit cosmetics

Bella Bamba is the newest blush from Benefit Cosmetics and it comes in the new packaging which is a flip top box with a mirror inside. Truth be told, I don’t like the new packaging. I had no problems with the previous packaging i.e. cover separates from the box and I don’t need a mirror. The eagle-eyed have also noted that the new blush contains less product than the previous ones. However I did a quick look through my stash and I noted the following weight of Benefit’s blushes:-

  • Dandelion – 10g
  • Georgia – 11g
  • Sugarbomb – 12g
  • Thrrrob – 12g
  • Bella Bamba – 8g

So I personally don’t think its less product per se, but might have to do with density of the powder? Or maybe its less product. Either way, I’m not complaining very much because at 8g or 10g or 12 g its going to take you a while to get through a box of blush 🙂

Another packaging gripe is the psychedelic box. It makes it easy to spot in my stash, but otherwise, I don’t like it. Xin has showed you how the flip top can hurt your blush so you really have to be careful when closing back the cover which closes with a magnet. Thankfully, due to her early warning, I am more careful when I close the cover.

Continue Reading

Turned On by Benefit’s Thrrrob Face Powder : Yes that’s 3 R’s in Thrrrob!

Paris B 21 Comments

3 years ago, I slammed Benefit Thrrrob Face Powder as being a useless piece of sparkly pink crap. So why I ended up purchasing it some time last year is beyond me. Isn’t nice to know that I’m able to admit to mistakes? 😛

benefit thrrob face powder blush swatch

I still stand by a lot of what I said previously. Benefit Thrrrob (3 r’s – WHY?!) face powder is not for use all over your face unless you are thinking of joining the circus or auditioning for the Chinese opera. Its too pink and people at Benefit Cosmetics must be on something if they thought this powder could really be used all over.

However, use it just as a blush and ahh…. that’s another story altogether! Having owned Dandelion, Georgia, Coralista and Sugarbomb and liking all of them (much to my surprise) I had to see just how good or bad Thrrrob was by comparison. You don’t read a lot about Thrrrob online. I’m not sure why because its quite a pretty pink blush.

Continue Reading

Yes you can do a full face of makeup in 8 minutes!

Paris B 48 Comments

I woke up early one morning, lumbered sleepily to the kitchen to boil water for a cup of coffee… and stepped into a puddle of water. Opening the cupboard under the sink unleashed a torrential waterfall. Apparently there was a leaky pipe dripping water into some pots under the sink, and it had overflowed. So instead of making coffee before I left, and taking time to dress and put on my face, I was left mopping and cleaning up the kitchen for about half an hour, leaving me about 10 minutes to get out the door and to work.

To add insult to injury, I had an early morning start and I had a long day to go so I had to have makeup that would last. Here’s how I got my makeup on in 8 minutes or so, and the products I used (and why I chose to use them) 🙂

what I use for a full face makeup in 8 minutes!

Foundation – Clarins Everlasting Foundation (1) + I Nuovi Illumina Heaven (2) + loose powder (3) + Dior Skinflash (4) – 2 minutes

I chose the Clarins Everlasting foundation because I knew from experience that the medium coverage and long lasting power was what I needed. I added the I Nuovi Illumina to add glow to an otherwise flat foundation. Pumped 1.5 pumps of foundation into my palm, added a squirt of Illumina and applied it to my face quickly. Brushed on some Dior Skinflash concealer/highlighter on the undereye and I looked alive! Puffed some Lavshuca loose powder over to set and I was done in about 2 minutes. Patting on the loose powder helped set the liquid makeup and helped it last.

Continue Reading

Instagram @parisbmws – You don’t know what you’re missing