Benefit The POREfessional

Benefit The POREfessional · $30

First things first — you don't have to have issues with your pores to get great use out of this product. My pores are basically invisible and I have normal skin, but this is something that I couldn't really see myself without. On days where I want more of a matte base or have specific areas that I want more matte, I'll use this. I do (mostly) use it in addition to the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm; using the balm around my eyes and this stuff on my forehead, nose, and chin. 

The POREfessional is really great for hot sunny days as it seems to help keep my makeup intact and oiliness to a minimum, no matter how much I sweat. It glides on really silky just like the bottle says and does one hell of a job for being so lightweight. It also helps even skin tone when I have a bit of redness from the heat, which means I end up using less foundation in the long run. All in all it's a pretty awesome little primer/balm and I can't wait to see how it holds up to the East Coast heat and humidity!

Have you used The POREfessional before? What do you think of it?

Benefit Hervana

Benefit Hervana  · $28

Oh Benefit, I can't seem to stay away from your products for longer than a week. This may be becoming an obsession.

Hervana is described as "good karma face powder" and while I'm not quite sure what that actually means, it doesn't really matter because I am officially infatuated with this stuff.

I waaas a bit skeptical how this would look on my olive toned skin. Orgasm is my go-to blush (but whose isn't?) so I'm really used to coral/pink and not so much berry tones. I asked a MUA at Sephora what she thought and told me to go for it because it would look fab and I wouldn't regret it. She was right. It's basically the opposite of what I usually wear and I'm totally okay with that because this stuff compliments my skin in ways I never thought were possible. Contouring, brightening, giving me nice flush  — basically everything you want from a blush. 

I've been using this way more than Orgasm and am definitely excited to try other Benefit blushes. Benefit is easily growing to be one of my favorite brands *gasp* but is that really much of a surprise when the quality of their products is so high/great?

What do you guys think of Hervana? Which Benefit blush should I try next?

Benefit: Full Glam Ahead

Benefit Full Glam Ahead · $12

On my way out of Sephora I saw this little box of goodness and couldn't resist. After my amazing experience with Sun Beam I figured why not try a few more products from Benefit aaaaand of course, I wasn't let down.

BADgal Lash is my new favorite mascara. The brush amazing; it's really big and thick which helps plump up my lashes while adding a nice amount of length. The bottle itself is cute (as with a lot of Benefit's branding) and I definitely see myself repurchasing this once this little bottle runs dry.


High Beam is hyped up like none other. Everyone seems to say its like model-in-a-bottle so I was really excited to try it. Unfortunately it seems that the pinky tones didn't mesh well with my olive skin, but I'm definitely willing to try it a few more times to see if I can work it out. I've thought of possibly mixing Sun Beam and High Beam so maybe I'll try that and see what happens.

Stay Don't Stray is a "360 degree primer for concealers and eye shadows" and it really is exactly that. I use this a lot with my concealer and the one thing I really love about it is how much it brightens the area under my eyes. It holds my concealer like none other, so I'm pretty excited to try this with shadows! I'm not sure it's a product that I need to own, but I definitely love using it and having it around.

Overall I'm pretty happy with this mini set and it was definitely worth $12 (if not more). I have a feeling that I'm starting to grow a serious addiction to Benefit products, and I do have a bunch more things I want to try from them (*cough* POREfessional, CORALista, Hello Flawless! etc etc *cough*).


What are your favorite Benefit products? Any recommendations on what I should try next?

Benefit Sunbeam

Benefit Sunbeam

I've never used a highlighter before but after reading about them, I really wanted to try one. My decision was between this, Benefit's Watt's Up, High Beam, or NARS' Albatross. I wanted something that wouldn't be super noticeable, but that would just give the definition I was looking for. Although the reviews on all the other highlighters were wonderful, I decided to go with Sunbeam after trying it in the store.

Sunbeam gives my olive skin a beautiful bronze glow which is exactly what I was looking for. It looks stunning at night when out having drinks or at a restaurant with atmospheric lighting. During the day, the sunlight hits it in all the right spots and gives me the warmest glow — I couldn't be happier.

It's easy to apply, highlights the right parts of your face (while complimenting your blush) and overall just adds a little something extra.

What's your favorite highlighter? I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking to this one for quite a while! x