Boi-ing your way to complexion perfection with Benefit

 

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hanging out with the Benefit Cosmetics team to have a play with their new concealer in the range and check out the cute restyling of some old faves!

Some of you may remember Fake-up, Erase Paste or cult fave Boi-ing? These are the previous names of the newly repackaged concealers and now with a new formula, the Airbrush concealer, the entire range will fall under the name Boi-ing, in honour of their best seller. But don't be fooled by the cute pink packaging, these products do their job well! What ever the dilemma, Benefit's got you covered with 4 different formulas for complexion perfection - Brightening, Hydrating, Industrial Strength and the new Airbrush

All $38nzd, $34aud, $20usd each SHOP HERE

Brightening Concealer (Erase Paste)

4.4 grams
No.1 Light - No.2 Medium - No.3 Dark

Claims = Full Coverage, Ideal for dark circles, Brightening melon undertones, Creamy blendable formula and Radiant Finish

Opinion = I disagree with "full coverage", its more a medium coverage. It has a light peachy undertone to correct the purple/blue tones in dark circles, once it's blended out it looks natural and even. It has that radiant glowy finish to prevent cakey undereyes. I found using my fingertips was the best way to blend while still keeping the coverage. It does look a little dry once it's set but lasts all day without creasing. If I don't set it however, it will start to crease in my expression lines. I also use this as a eyelid primer to correct veins.

Industrial Strength (Boi-ing)

3.0 grams
No.1 Light - No.2 Medium - No.3 Dark

Claims = Full Coverage, Ideal for blemishes and heavy-duty dark circles, Creamy formula with a matte finish

Opinion = It is more a medium buildable coverage but be sure to only use a small amount, spot conceal. If you use too much it will need more blending which almost moves the product around and lifts it off the skin. Applying a small spot of this concealer on a blemish or 3-4 spots under the eyes and blending out with your fingertips or a beauty blender seems to give the best results. Also using any more product can cause it to crease and cake up. For blemishes, it's good to have a matte finish but still have a creamy consistency otherwise it could look dry and make pimples stand out.

Hydrating Concealer (Fake-up)

3.5 grams
No.1 Light - No.2 Medium - No.3 Dark

Claims = Sheer coverage, Hydrating, hides dark circles and visibly smooths lines, lightweight formula and natural finish




Opinion = This concealer has a layer of vitamin E and apple seed extract with a concealer center, perfect for hydrating the under eyes and keeping them fresh all day. I personally love this concealer and use to keep Fake-up in my bag for everyday touch ups. I use it under the eyes or over blemishes that are looking dry to hydrate skin and blend it out with my fingertips to boost the coverage. Because it is only sheer coverage, it doesn't fully cover blemishes or dark circles but would be perfect for someone who doesn't have dark under eyes but wants to look fresh all day!

Airbrush Concealer (NEW!)

5.0 grams
No.1 Light - No.2 Medium - No.3 Dark

Claims = Sheer - medium coverage, Waterproof, lasts 10 hours, airbrushed finish





Opinion = I'm loving this concealer so far, it's almost like a whipped texture with a lightweight, buildable coverage. This concealer does what it says and literally looks airbrushed on the skin blurring pores, fine lines and unevenness giving you a flawless finish. I personally like to apply this with a beauty blender, I just squish the sponge in the concealer pot and bounce on areas I want to look airbrushed, normally under my eyes and around my nose. You can build up the coverage using your fingertips. I didn't have a problem with it caking up or creasing either.

I'm very impressed with these concealers, especially the new Airbrush concealer! Of course I think they need to extend the colour options with a lighter and a deeper shade, because these being the lightest I can tell they will still be too dark for fairer people. The price of these is a little steep in my opinion, $38nzd is a lot of money for one concealer, but if you find one that works for you, it's totally worth it! The Airbrush concealer seems to be the best value for your money with 5.0g of product. It all depends on what you want to cover whether it's dark circles, uneven skin tone or blemishes, surely one of these will work wonders for you! And remember that these are not a liquid cream but solid cream concealers to ensure coverage, use small amounts because using too much will pretty much guarantee caking and creasing. 

Available at Sephora online, Benefit Cosmetics counters and Smith & Caugheys

- Lucy Maria xx

Colourpop Cosmetics - Yes Please! Palette review

If your on Instagram, I'm sure you would've seen this stunning little palette floating around the popular page. Colourpop have done it again bringing us the ultimate warm toned palette, with 12 matte and metallic to-die-for shadows - this is the Yes Please! palette

At a ridiculously affordable $16usd you can't go wrong adding this baby to your collection. She's an absolute must-have! You can create a multitude of looks with these shades, go all matte with a pop of yellow or take it in to nighttime with some shimmer and deep brown outer V! Or play around with some sunset shades, you can go day-to-night with this palette. Plus it's perfect to travel with, it's compact and thin so it won't take up space in your makeup bag. And because it's so cheap, it's not the end of the world if it breaks in transit.

Swatches

Top to Bottom 

Full Zip - Matte Warm Ivory

Big Cocktails - Matte Orange

Champs - Matte Pale Peachy Nude

Bling - Metallic Rusty Rose Gold

Louie - Metallic Duochrome Red with Gold flip

Butter Cake - Metallic Light Yellow Gold

Spoiled - Matte Brick Red 

Gno - Matte Burnt Orange

Mischeif - Matte Warm Yellow

Note To Self - Matte Warm Caramel

Chauffeur - Metallic Duochrome Bright Orange with Gold flip

French Kiss - Matte Deep Red Brown

Every shade in this palette is pigmented, smooth and easy to blend with very little fall-out! The shade "Spoiled" is slightly drier in texture than the other matte shades but still performs perfectly on the eye. The metallic shades are so soft they're almost like foiled shadows. And every shade in this palette is new and exclusive to this palette except for "Note To Self" & "Full Zip" which you can buy in single pans. The pans in this palette are a little smaller than their single shadows - each pan has approx 0.85grams per shadow in this palette, whereas the single pans have 1.5grams of product. Still very good value for what you're paying for 12 shades!

There really isn't anything negative I can say about this beauty, maybe besides the fact it's limited edition -.- just like everything good these days! I really hope Colourpop makes this a permanent item or bring the shades from this palette into singles if we run out of a fave (I can see that happening!) and I hope they make more palettes like this one in different colour schemes for everyone, maybe a cool toned palette? Some silvers, blues and greys? What are your thoughts??

SHOP HERE

** Currently unavailable but always restocking! **

Follow @Colourpopcosmetics or @trendmood1 on Instagram for updates on restock dates and times

- Lucy Maria xx

MECCA MAX - PR Package Review & Swatches!

It is officially launch week for Mecca Maximas new signature brand - Mecca Max

Starting with a massive 200+ items, all ranging from $5 - $50nzd, we beauty junkies are bound to find some new holy grail products in this collection! Not to mention everything is 100% cruelty free!

FULL LIST OF PRODUCTS AND PRICES CLICK HERE 

I was lucky enough to get sent this amazing package full of Mecca Max goodies to try out and review for you all! And upon swatching everything, I now want the entire collection! I'm so impressed with the quality and price point of these products and have already made a list of a few other things to try!

Available in store and online Mecca Maxima HERE

Bring On Bright - Illuminating Primer

$20aud/$22nzd each

I am loving this glow-injecting primer at the moment! It lightly illuminates your skin for a glowing base under your foundation. I love the scent, it smells familiar like really fresh and clean skin care. I love the glowy finish it gives to your base and it stays glowy all day under other makeup. I haven't had a problem with this primer causing my foundations to move around, fade or cake. I love it!

Shimmer Shot - Illuminating Wand

$25aud/$28nzd each

These are available in 3 different shades - Pearl, Soft Gold and Bronze. 

Here I have the shade "Pearl" and OH MY GOD how stunning is that highlight?! The packaging is a push/pump wand with a brush tip where the product is pushed out and you apply it straight from the brush tip on to your face. I love the look of this highlighter when swatched, but it dries quite quickly on the skin and leaves the foundation looking patchy where its applied on top, almost lifting the foundation.. When using a beauty blender sponge and working quickly, it looks very pretty but it's a little hard to work with like most liquid highlighters. Maybe on bare skin it would work best..?

Sunlit Skin - Bronzer 

$22aud/$24nzd each

This bronzer is available in 3 different depths of shade - Light, Medium and Dark

This shade is "Medium" and is totally universal! It's such a soft, natural looking bronzer with a subtle sheen giving your skin that sunkissed bronzey glow. This is probably my fave product so far, the formula is so smooth and buttery! I use this everyday at the moment, no exaggeration, this is the prettiest bronzer for light to medium skin tones I've tried! 

Eyephoria - Eyeshadow Palette

$45aud/$50nzd

This palette has 10 gorgeous plummy shades - 2 larger shades, one matte and one shimmer perfect for highlighting the brow bone. And 8 shimmer/ satin shades. Not one matte colour for transition. Straight off the bat I know I can take this alone when travelling because I'd need more matte shades, a bone coloured matte isn't going to work in the crease..

I'm not the biggest fan of plummy shades on myself. I feel this palette is a little repetitive with the golds & purple shades looking very similar to each other and the colours may blend and start to disappear together. The formula is very soft and consistent in every shade but I would've loved to see a little more variety in this palette. Maybe a dark matte brown or matte purple?? Definitely a transition shade like a light/medium brown. And a difference in the gold shades, maybe a bright gold and a deeper bronze? Just some thoughts, the formula is amazing they nailed that for sure! But I personally wouldn't pay $50nzd for this palette..

Pout Pop - Lipstick

$20aud/$22nzd each

The lipsticks are available in 29 shades and 3 different formulas - High Definition, Matte and Sheer

I have 2 shades in the high definition formula "Hey Lover" is a vibrant, warm, hot pink and "Freedom Fighter" is a bright orange red, both incredibly smooth and pigmented. Very long-lasting, hydrating and creamy, I LOVE this high definition formula. I can't wait to try the matte formula and I don't tend to go for sheer lipsticks but I bet the Mecca Max formula is super soft and hydrating. I like these so much I went and purchased two more hi-def shades when they were available in store, "Mean Gal" & "Heaven Sent" both gorgeous nudes!

Gloss Boss - Lipgloss

$18aud/$20nzd

Available in 10 shades, I have the shade "Pow Wow Pink" and it's a a sheer hot pink, not too sticky, just glossy and shiny on the lips. 

City Slickers - Tinted Lip Oil

$16aud/$18nzd

Available in 3 shades - Nude, Rose and Apricot

I have the shade "Rose" which is a very pretty, sheer warm pink. This hydrating and repairing lip oil is very soft and juicy with a hint of colour. I love this for 'no-makeup' makeup days

Eye Max - Double Ended Mascara

$38aud/$42nzd

This double ended mascara has a big, chubby wand at one end for coating every lash, lifting, curling and creating length! And a micro brush at the other end perfect for the bottom lashes or to help separate and define the top lashes before using the big wand. It definitely works, but I prefer to use the chubby wand alone for the top lashes and the small wand for my lower lashes. 

 Before and After - Here I used the smaller wand first to coat all the lashes then used the chubby wand to thicken and add volume. On the lower lashes I only used the small wand

 Before and After - Here I tried without the smaller wand and only used the chubby wand on the top lashes and smaller wand on the smaller lashes

Flawless Blender Sponge

$18aud/$20nzd
Available in 3 different shapes

Ok..Out of everything I've tried so far, this has to be the worst. First of all it smells really weird, I can't explain it, it's like a mouldy smell? And when you wet it, it doesn't grow as you can see in the before and after --> And it's so hard! It doesn't get all squishy and bouncy like a normal blending sponge. I tried it anyway to see if it would work and no..It doesn't blend anything. I don't recommend.

PACKAGING

The packaging is stunning, feels high-quality and looks super luxurious and well-thought out throughout the entire range. I love the gold, orange, black, white and pink together 

Pop Pout Lipsticks

These babies have the cutest packaging of the lot! They have a push-pop design, push down the lipstick and it pops back out for you to pull out, wind up and apply.  The names are 3-D bubble labels in the shades of the lipsticks on top.

 

Shimmer Shot Illuminating Wand

I also love the packaging of these highlighting wands with a brush tip and click pump that pushes the liquid glow out through the brush so you can apply straight to your face. So luxe!

 Sunlit Skin 

I love the style of the compacts. Square with the gold, black and orange reminds me a lot of Yves Saint Laurent packaging, it looks so expensive and luxurious. The powder itself has an embossed "M" for Mecca

I am SO excited for this range and can't wait to try out some more products! I highly recommend giving this new brand a go, the products are amazing for the price range! Let me know, will you be picking any thing up??

- Lucy Maria xx