When it comes to concealer, women seems to want them to do everything. Realistically, I’d go as far to say that there’s not one concealer in the market that can address all your concealing needs. You see when it comes to covering up eye bags, swallow areas, dark eye circles these are very different to covering up an angry zit, acne scar, pitted scarring and so on. Therefore, you’ll need different types of concealer for different concerns.
Today, let’s talk about covering dark eye circles and eye bags because I have them. To make a great undereye concealer it needs to tick a few boxes to address some pretty universal concerns like – dryness, fine lines, dark circles and the appearance of eye bags. There are many concealers in the market that works pretty good at covering dark circles but not many are able to cover AND remain hydrating. One too many times I have been disappointed with formulas that nails the concealing bit but not great at camouflaging my fine lines under my eyes despite using crazy amount of eye cream to prep.
So recently, I was introduced to Benefit’s Fake Up crease control hydrating concealer. This concealer comes in a moisturising balm and a concealing core twist stick that you apply under the eye area and use your ring fingers to dab and blend away. This concealer contains both moisturising and skin healing properties to diffuse fine lines and cover up dark circles.
Mine was a #01 light.
Since receiving this concealer I have been experimenting with this concealer to see how it performs. My usual routine has always been foundation first then concealer but for some reason due to how moisturising this creamy balm concealer is, it makes sense for this to be in the under layer to A) hydrate the under eye area and B) since it brightens the eye area (I find this not really great at colour correction more so for brightening), I dab the slightest hint of foundation over the top to give it a coverage boost and to seal it in.
Texture wise, this concealer is silky smooth, I had no issues blending with this and it is super easy and quick to blend – did someone say time saving? I have also been using this on its own for days when I go for no foundation but needed a little brightening action under the eye.
If hydrating and fine line under your eyes is THE issue then you must get your paws on this concealer, the most hydrating concealer I’ve tested to date, two hands down.
RRP AUD$ 35
Available in Benefit counters from mid April onwards
It is no secret that I love liquid foundation. So when a new one comes along that promises oil free properties, brightening (very rare) and provides moisture to the skin – I knew I had to give it a whirl.
Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow SPF 25 blends well with fingertips (my preferred way) application, no issues there. With the current trend of “skin loving foundation” aka foundation that contain skincare ingredients, this liquid foundation contains Vitamin C (for brightening) and Vitamin E derivatives (to repair skin and prevent signs of aging). While I haven’t seen a huge improvement on my skin by using this foundation, I firmly believe that having skincare ingredients in a foundation is BETTER than not having anything in it at all.
Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow SPF 25 comes with 8 foundation shades to choose from and they have some really dark shades to suit all types of skin colour too. My match is the lightest shade – #”I’m pure 4 sure” Ivory. I really liked how the colour matches my skin tone perfectly and doesn’t have any annoying white cast like most brightening make up does. Recently, I also wore this foundation for a photoshoot and here are the pictures.
Taken by photographer’s professional camera, unedited (only cropped). The coverage of the foundation is medium and helps to even out all my imperfections. I only had a very light dust of translucent powder around my t-zone area.
Another picture taken by my iphone, unedited.
Needless to say, this is my current go-to foundation especially during winter and we all know how drying and unforgiving the weather can do to our skin. If you get a chance, trial it on the counter, I am sure you’ll love it as much as I do.
RRP AUD$55
Available on Benefit counters now
Recently, Benefit released a full colour photographs book all about BROWS! If anyone know about brows, apart from brow goddess, the Benebabes at Benefit brow bar are the go-to places to keep your brows tidy and well shaped.
You see there’s been books released about skincare and make up but brows are often the most neglected one. The extremely talented Cameron Tuttle made brows fun and this guide has everything you need to raise your brows to their beautiful best. Whilst I know waxing is not everyone’s cup of tea including myself, you’ll love this book for showing you other alternatives and how-to discover your brows potential.
Most importantly this book illustrates how-to maintain your brow sanity at home and comes with heaps of tips & tricks from eyebrow experts to keep your brows timeless, natural looking and complements your features.
Remember how your brows will make or break your look so make sure you consult an expert when in doubt and never, ever over wax/pluck. It’s never a good look.
RRP AUD$25 or
RRP AUD$19.95 with any purchase of ‘the POREfessional’
Stockist: 02 8353 5000
Available at Benefit Myer and Adorebeauty
Make up artists and professionals will always tell you make up tools will make of break your make up routine. I personally agree to this to an extend; while you don’t need make up brush for every single make up step, there are a few that you most possibly can’t do without for example the blush brush, powder brush, eye shadow brushes to name a few.
I have been raving about how much I adore those make up brushes from Bobbi Brown & Hakuhodo and they certainly are not cheap either. Recently I’ve trialled brushes from a few other brands and is quite happy to report back with the following. They all work just as good and is relatively heaps cheaper than BB. So let’s begin shall we?
Benefit Cosmetics is one of those brands that takes us by surprise with their quirky packaging and quality of products. I am pretty surprised to see their brushes look so ‘normal’. They are sturdy, doesn’t shred when I wash them and is soft and does its job.
Benefit brushes starts from $28 – $30++. I find them very reasonable for the quality of their brushes. Brownie points for its quality of the bristles without any fall outs. The range is however quite limited, there’s only 6 brushes to choose from, great for beginners who aren’t too sure how many brushes they need and what they can do with it.
Royal and Langnickel Silk Green Line brush is the perfect eco-friendly option if you like your products natural and is environmentally friendly.
This 12 piece brush set is retailing for around $120, making each brush approximately $10 + a brush case that is comes with. Travel friendly and comes with all brushes that you need unless you’re a pro that requires 20,948,395 brushes. The brushes are super silky soft as they are 100% synthetic brushes.
Great option for someone who have very few brushes and require a complete set of make up brushes, you can’t go wrong with this.
NP Set brushes ranges from $9.99 – $29.99. Another affordable range with great quality brushes. They are soft to touch and picks up colour just as good as the expensive brushes.
There are around 14 make up brushes all up from NP Set with a few double ended brushes mostly under the $20 mark. Comes with NP Set signature white colour, I especially love the Crease Blender Brush and Primer Brush, they are the clear stand outs.
Benefit Hello Flawless SPF15 is available in 9 shades to choose from – I am using a neutral champagne shade in #Me,Vain?
- Comes with a brush (for sheer finish) and a sponge (for spot cover-up) housed at the bottom of the pan
- One of Benefit’s best selling make up product and why am I not surprised because it is so easy to use and delivers this gorgeous and smooth finish
- The powder is silky and glides onto the skin effortlessly, I use a powder brush (keen to trial it with a foundation brush too), dab onto the powder and gently buff outwards all over my face and neck
- It doesn’t leave skin cakey (important to ensure you regularly exfoliate and use a good moisturiser/sun screen for a smooth base) or powdery and because it is powder you can skip your usual powder step altogether
- Coverage is sheer – medium and is buildable thanks to the versatility of the sponge spot coverage to work on areas that needs a little more coverage
- One thing to look out for is that it can get messy it is powder after all we are talking about
- Great for combination to oily skin
RRP AUD$63
Available on Benefit counters now
For glowy healthy skin and make up to last, here are some of the trialled and tested handy tips that has worked for me and helped me overcome skin issues. Hopefully you’ll find it useful during this silly season.
1) Wear a primer
One for the face and one for the eyes. Especially if you have oily eyelids NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base is god sent. Whatever you do, don’t put silicon based primer on your eye lids or else even the toughest long wearing shadows won’t be able to stay in place.
Other primer recommendations include - Benefit Stay Don’t Stray Primer $45, Napoleon Perdis Autopilot Pre Foundation Skin Primer $55, Face of Australia Face Base Primer $11.95, NP Set – Pre Foundation Brightening Primer/Calming Primer $33 each
2) Use mask regularly
5 years ago, I banged on about my obsession with facial masks. 5 years later, I still do and commit time and effort to do at the very least two facial mask sessions a week. Be it cream, gel, facial cloth, clay variation I make sure I do masks according to my skin’s need.
Facial masks that I recommend – Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask (for boosting), Rodial Snake Mask $85 (for tightening), Shu Uemura Depsea Hydrability Intense Moisture Filling Mask $95 (for moisture), Jan Marini Skin Zyme Mask (for brightening)
3) Use lash strengthening products
With sparse eyelashes like mine and daily abuse (curling, mascara, make up removal), I find my lashes fall out faster than they can replenish that was until I met lash boosting products. These products not only work for lashes so if you have brow sparseness you can use it too. It helps to prevent lash prematurely breakage and to keep lashes healthy, strong and boosts the length.
Highly recommend – Rapid Lash Eyelash Renewal Serum $65, Xtreme Lash Amplif Eye Lash & Brow Fortifier $129, MAC Prep + Prime Future Lash Serum $60
4) Never neglect eye cream
It worked for me and I firmly believe eye cream works. With new technologies, eye cream helps to de-puff, tightens, reduce dark eye circles and plump up the eye area.
Try: Garnier Skin Naturals Caffeine Eye Roll-On $17.95, Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator $95, AUM Anti Age Organics Firming Eye Cream $26.95, StriVectin-SD Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles $69
5) Arm yourself with make up spray
Think of it as your “hairspray” for your face. Helps to lock in moisture, make up and to help blend everything together. Usually just spray 2-4 pumps all over face after make up is done and gently pat everything in place and viola, long lasting makeup all day!
Love: Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray $29.95, Clarins Fix Make-up Mist $34, Kora Balancing Rose Mist
Clinique – Chubby Stick
RRP AUD$59
One of 2011 best beauty innovation, the Chubby Sticks are definitely lip friendly and lip loving! I’m stocking one up just for ‘back up’ and if you’re not onto it yet, GET ON IT!
Clarins – Limited Edition Passion Face Palette
(Festive Face Collector Palette)
RRP AUD$65
Beautifully housed in a luxe compact and sprinkled with touches of gold pearl. Definitely a collector’s blush palette and it also gently illuminates the face and décolleté.
Estée Lauder – Starry Nights Swarovski Clutch
RRP AUD$125
The clutch also comes with a eyes & face palette, lipstick, lipgloss, eye liner and 2 travel sized makeup brushes. They all fits perfectly into the clutch that brings you from day to night look effortlessly.
Benefit – ‘I’m glam therefore I am’
RRP AUD$69
If party is your thing, you won’t want to miss this set. It covers everything party essentials from eyeshadows, face powder (with brush), girl meets pearl liquid pearl for face, lip gloss and mascara.
Benefit – All Decked Out
RRP AUD$109
My personal favourite pick only because I am a devoted fan for the POREfessional, Some Kind-A Gorgeous and Benetint! Classic and you can never go wrong with these 3 combo.
Benefit – Ticket to Glossytown
RRP AUD$49
You know how most of the beauty kit in the market always comes with shades that are undesirable and you’re always end up stuck with shades that you’ll never end up using? Well, you won’t have that issue with this because all the lip shine shades are actually very wearable and you’ll get plenty of wears out of them.
Jane Iredale – Chocoholicks
RRP AUD$50
These babies are good enough to eat out from the palette. Smells delicious, pigmented and minus the stickiness. The four flavours from these lip glosses are Blood Orange, Espresso, Very Berry and Chili Pepper. Amazing combination isn’t it?
Sally Hansen – Salon Effect Christmas Collection
RRP AUD14.95
I am obsessed with Salon Effects. You’re probably sick of listening how I love them but I’ll do it again anyway.
They are quick, comes with so many amazing designs, easy to use, doesn’t have any down time and definitely no smudges. What’s there not to love?
This month, Benefit Cosmetics released new eyeshadow shades and a new creaseless cream shadow liner.
#Farenheit fab – A gorgeous shimmery gold shade that doubles as an eyeliner or an overall eye colour.
Here’s a tip you can use this to accentuate your eyes: Apply a thick black eyeliner over your eyes, be sure to wait for it to completely dry out and apply the creaseless cream shadow liner all over it for extra longevity and for the black and gold to stand out.
RRP AUD$35
Left to right: #Tickled mink, #Raining men, #Snow job
RRP AUD$35 each
These eyeshadow delivers a velvety finish. The colours are medium sheer and are builadable to your preference.
For a more intense look, try layering your eyeshadow on top of the creaseless cream shadow liner.
