Review: Benefit Hello Flawless Powder

We recently posted about our visit to Swansea for the Benefit #bbloggers event for the launch of Fake Up which you can see here.

At the same time we also received a Hello Flawless powder to try, both of which were 'Gee I'm Swell' Ivory.

We were really intrigued as we both love compact's you can just throw into a bag to use anywhere and because of the wide variety of colours available, including different tones which I hadn't noticed that Benefit did before.

Benefit are currently celebrating the first birthday of Hello Flawless which has been a top seller for them since day one. 

Firstly even from the packaging we loved it, as it contained SPF and also it's a custom powder so it means you can build it up and use as little or as less as you like.....perfect!

Also looking on the back of the box you can see that in this compact, not only is there your expected product and mirror, there is also a compartment underneath for both a brush and a sponge.
That's right, both a sponge and a brush!

This is where the custom coverage comes in as the brush can lightly cover any areas you want, and the sponge can apply a heavier layer to cover up any areas that might need a heavier touch.

We both loved the instruction and tips leaflet that came with it, as they do with every Benefit product and it's always a fun and light hearted read.

I love the feeling of this product on the skin. I've applied it every day to set my foundation and to cover up some problem areas I have had.
It's been great for throwing in my bag and taking around with me and so far it's made it to Harry Potter Studios, on a hen weekend, my birthday night out and all manner of others!

I do have one slight negative to it though....it is so light and silky that it picks up a little too easily for some brushes and I've found myself wasting some product and my constant use of it over the past 4/5 weeks has meant that I have already hit pan!
I was really disappointed as although it's an amazing powder I just wouldn't be able to buy one of these almost every month at £25.50.

I think if I used a smaller brush to apply it I wouldn't have picked up so much extra product and so I will be trying this until I actually finish the whole compact.

L xxx

I was so pleased to receive this at the Benefit event. I've not used a high end powder before. I tend to just pick up cheap powders and spend more on foundations.

When reading the information that came with the powder (I love that all benefit products come with tips and tricks for best application, it's so helpful) I was intrigued by seeing using the sponge and brush gives different finishes. 

I decided to try using it as more full coverage instead of a foundation. I was impressed with the coverage it gave and the finish wasn't powdery as I had expected it to look. It gave a really natural finish on the skin and lasted really well. This will be great for Summer.

It's handy that it comes with the brush and sponge and space for both of them to be stored. The brush doesn't feel quite as good as I expected from having the blushes and loving those brushes, but it doesn't shed and is great for touch ups.



I tend to use my RT powder brush and then the brush that comes with it if it needs any touch ups. It is great for setting foundation and adds a bit of extra coverage on bad skin days. It's been thrown in my bag and the magnet closure is secure enough for it not to have opened whilst in there.

It's a very fine powder so sits beautifully on the skin, a light hand is needed with a brush though or you'll waste a lot of product. I've used it almost everyday since getting it and not hit pan yet. I really like it and think I may be converted to try more expensive powders. Especially during the summer as an alternative to foundation.

Love M

xxx

Benefit Fake Up Event in Swansea

Hello!

You might have seen ours and a few others tweets about the amazing Benefit Fake Up event in Swansea on Tuesday night.

We were both so excited to attend and ran to the train station after work so we could get there in time for the 6pm start.

Our first thoughts when we got there was that they couldn't have picked a better venue, it was on the 27th floor of the tallest building in Swansea. It's set right on the water front and they'd hired out the function room in the Grape and Olive restaurant which had at least a 270 degree view of the city and shoreline.

We were also lucky enough to get there at sunset and the view was just spectacular!

We were greeted on arrival with prosecco and strawberries which was lovely and met up with some of the other bloggers we've met previously (including....). It was great to catch up with everyone again! Here's us with Jenny from The Pulse of Fashion:


It wasnt long before we were all mingling and digging our hands into the make up box that the girls had brought with them. We were left to play with the products and were eyeing up plenty, L was eyeing up a brow kit while M was loving Watts Up! We were both loving the perfumes too.

We couldn't believe it when 2 of the Benefit girls were the same ones we met at London Fashion Week when M won the tickets, it was great to see them again and lovely that they remembered us! Here's us having a picture with Lisa, she's so lovely!

The FakeUp idea is based around a Sherlock Holmes-esque female with a magnifying glass and pipe, so there were props everywhere and we loved them! The evening started off with everyone gathering round while Lisa gave us the low down on Fake Up. It started with asking what everyone knew about it already. M put her hand up and was extremely lucky to win a full size They're Real mascara. FakeUp is a new type of concealer. It's different than anything we've ever seen before. It has a hydrating outer ring around the concealer that contains vitamin E and apple seed extract. The moisturiser means that it's great for use on spots as it helps with drying out. The concealer hides dark circles and illuminates. Which makes it great for using under the eye area too. The fact it doesn't crease also means it can be applied to crows feet. We also loved that some of the Benefit ladies there had had the product since January to test out so you know they are really loving the product. After a quick chat about the product, we were left to be colour matched for the Hello Flawless powder which we were lucky enough to receive at the event.  While we were playing Alyson (a make up artist specialising in the South West) applied some Fake Up to both us and shared some great tips. Not only is Fake Up great for under the eyes it can also be used for other areas too. It's great around the nose especially in winter during flu season as it moisturises as well.  She also applied it around the bottom lip and to our cupids bow. This made our lips look so much fuller and more defined especially as we were both wearing a red lipstick at the time!  This will be our number one tip from this event, we cannot believe how much of a difference it made to shape of our lips and the amount that the lipstick colour 'popped'. Lastly it was applied around the brows to tidy and accentuate them. We both loved how it looked and again, made our brows look so much neater and the shape was perfect. We were lucky enough to receive all 3 shades of Fake Up (it comes in light, medium and dark). The ladies suggested using the dark Fake Up for contouring. We are both big contour fans (Kim K style contouring can be seen here and here) We both use bronzer and had been after a foundation or concealer to use instead so couldn't wait to test it out. M has been testing it out and is loving it. Although it's moisturising it doesn't add oil to her oily skin. Here's a before and after picture with easy peasy contouring: Another positive is it really does last. M usually sets all her concealers with her Real Techniques setting brush and powder, with Fake Up she's found best results not setting it and it still lasts. Both of us also love the packaging, it's quite simple but still girly and really functional for on the go as well as at home. It reminds us both of the Diet Coke cans due to the silver and writing!  The twist up stick makes it so easy to apply when you're in a rush so there's no excuse. I think it's fair to say we are both already big Fake Up fans. It can be used in so many ways. We have to say a huge thanks to all the Benefit ladies. They were all so friendly, outgoing, shared great tips and we had such a great night, especially with the additional gifts of Hello Flawless, They're Real and Porefessional! We also got told some big news to all our South Wales followers. Swansea is getting a Benefit Boutique at the end of April which is a huge deal. There are actually only around 4 in the world!  L and I can't wait to visit. It expands on the brow bar seen in some department stores and will offer waxing as well as fake ban tans (one of Ms preferred tan brands) and we can't wait to see it.   Fake Up will be available from the 30th of March and will retail for £18.50. Will you be rushing to the stores to grab it? With results like these there is already a waiting list in some stores and it completely sold out in America! Ready, set, ...go?? L and M xxx