Review: Benefit Erase Paste

Review of Benefit Erase Paste in No.1 Fair

Today's review is of a concealer I've been wanting for a long time, and one that I finally got for Christmas. As you can see above, Benefit Erase Paste comes with an instruction booklet and a little spatula to scoop out product. 

Since I'm very pale, I got the lightest shade they have available, No.1 Fair. I was originally wanting this to cover up my under eye circles. A salmon toned concealer is the best shade to cover up blue toned under eye circles, so that's why I was interested in trying this.

But since I've been using this, I really like using this to cover up blemishes too, since this blends so seamlessly into the skin.

Benefit calls this a "brightening camouflage" and it definitely does brighten. It brightens up your under eye, but it also doesn't call attention to any blemishes you might put this one. Best of both worlds!

I really like this concealer. I wasn't too sure about it at first; I thought it might be too orange and too thick to work on my skin. But it really does blend easily, despite being such a thick consistency. It's on the thicker, creamier end of the spectrum of concealers. It covers up very nicely; it's very opaque. When applying this, I would advise patting this on, instead of swiping. 

Despite being so salmon toned, it looks very natural, even on my cool toned skin. 

Another great thing about this concealer- it lasts very long without fading or creasing. If you have older skin, it might crease more.

I also really like the packaging of this. It's a sleek little pot, which looks really cute, but also practical.

Benefit Erase Paste costs $30 CAD for 0.15oz, and is sold at Sephora and Benefit stores.

Thanks for reading!!

Melissa

Review of Maybelline DreamLumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

Sorry for the long gap between blog posts! I've been super busy.

Today's post is going to be a review of the not-so-new-anymore Maybelline DreamLumi Touch Highlighting Concealer. For starters: that's rather a long name!

Maybelline DreamLumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

I really like the packaging, although I'm disappointed the tube is only half full of actual product. Using this everyday, I went through a tube of this in a little more than a month (maybe longer; I can't really remember). I had to repurchase so I thought I would blog with pictures of a brand new tube.

Maybelline DreamLumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

As you can see, this does have a brush tip. When you first get the product, you have to twist the bottom a lot of times before any product actually comes out. In the second picture, you can sort of see a little blob of product that I twisted out.

I have the colour Ivory, the second lightest shade. The lightest shade is Radiant, which is the same shade as Ivory, but it has significantly more pink tones. Ivory definitely has more yellow tones in it.

swatch

Obviously, this swatch isn't blended out; this is what it looks like when you first apply it on your skin. If anyone needs colour reference, my skin tone is very pale; I am generally the lightest shade in any foundation or concealer I buy.

Now onto the technicalities of the concealer:

Colour: The colour is a really good match for my skin. This concealer is available in six shades, so there is a range for everybody. However, there is no deep dark colours available.

Pigmentation: This is not the most pigmented concealer out there. However, it does have very good coverage. I use this for my undereye circles, and it does a pretty good job of covering them up.

Longevity: This usually lasts a good five hours on me. It's still there after that time, but it has faded a little. This doesn't fall into fine lines on my eyes, but for those with more fine lines, or oily skin, this might settle or fade a little more.

Consistency: This isn't a super thick concealer, but it's thick enough to do the job. 

Claims: This product claims to highlight your face while concealing imperfections. I've already touched base on the coverage it gives, but as for whether it highlights or not- yes it does. It isn't super obvious, like a whole bunch of sparkle on your face, but it subtly makes your face glow.

swatch

No, this isn't just a random picture of my hand. I blended out the swatch above in an attempt to catch the highlighting on camera, but unfortunately the camera does not want to pick it up. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure why I'm even putting this picture in. Because I bet the entire internet wants to see a picture of my hand. You're welcome, Internet.

But at least you can see how well the colour matches my skin!

My Rating: 9/10 

I knocked off a point because it could have more coverage, but all in all, I highly recommend this and will be repurchasing this again!

Thanks for reading!!

Melissa

July Favorites!!!

So since it is now the beginning of August, I thought I would share some products that I was loving in the month of July. So let's get started, shall we?

Benefit's They're Real! Mascara

1. Benefit's They're Real! Mascara: I got this mascara a couple of months ago, along with two other  high end mascaras. When I first started using this, I absolutely loved it. It was my most used out of all three.

But about a month into using it, I started getting really into the other two mascaras and stopped using this one. One day, I decided to use it again, and I didn't really like the results. It made my eyelashes too clumpy. So I put it aside again, and then on my third day of vacation, I decided to try it again...and loved it!! I don't know what changed, maybe the formula dried out enough to give those results? But whatever it was, it made my eyelashes longer, fuller and could hold a curl. A definite favorite!

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Stickers in Kitty Kitty

2. Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Stickers in Kitty Kitty: I bought these for my vacation before I left. I had used one of these packs of stickers before in "Laced Up", but never this one. I really like this one better, to be honest. It stayed on longer, and looked more realistic.

This is the look I did with them on my vacation. Sorry for the visible nail beds; these have been on for eight days. But no chipping!! :D

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in Cia

3. Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in Cia: I got this for Christmas, and up until recently I hadn't really used it much. I had other concealer that I used, and it was just too thick for an undereye concealer.

swatch...sorry for the blurriness

It just kind of sat in my makeup drawer, until one day, on a whim, I pulled it out to use on a tiny blemish. It worked wonders!! I couldn't see it after one swipe!! Now it is part of my daily makeup routine.

Smashbox Metallic Cream Liner Palette

4. Smashbox Metallic Cream Liner Palette: I had been eyeing this palette in my Sephora for a long time before I finally broke down and bought it.

Top Row (from L-R): Onyx, Topaz, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold

Bottom Row (from L-R): Amethyst, Blue Topaz, Graphite, Platinum, Bronze

Being a neutral eye makeup lover, I was quite surprised that I preferred this palette over the more neutral one that Smashbox also offers. 

My most used shades are Amethyst, Sapphire and Graphite, as you can see from the dents. These are really good shades for any colorful and neutral looks, although I don't quite see the purpose of having a sparkly silver cream liner. But ah well. One out of ten going unused isn't bad at all. I paid $40 CAD for this palette (it is Smashbox, after all) but that's still $4 CAD per eyeliner, which is pretty good. Anyway, these are pigmented and stay on well. Not much more I can say!

Essence Cream Liner Brush

5. Essence Cream Liner Brush: I don't actually use this for cream eyeliner, as all my cream liners have their own little brushes. I use this to darken my lower eyeliner by running some dark eyeshadow under my lower lashes, all while staying close to the lashes, so it blends in with my eyeliner.

I also use this on my upper lashline, too, when I'm using dark eyeshadow for eyeliner. I think I paid $2 CAD approximately for this, which is pretty good for the amount I use it!!!

So that concludes my July favourites!! 

Thanks for reading!!!

Melissa