Review
Glossy Posse Picks: the Benefit products we can't get enough of
29 July 2016
1 / 11
Glossy Posse Picks: the Benefit products we can't get enough of
Benefit beauty products have been staples in our makeup bags for as long as we can remember, and with so many favourites from the brand, it seemed only apt that we brought you this week's Glossy Posse Picks in partnership with the brand itself.
With eyes being a big focus this season, our picks are centered around just that. From brow shapers that frame the face, to under eye coverage that brightens, these are the makeup favourites from Benefit that have got us hook, line and sinker.
Click through the gallery to see which products made the cut...
Written in partnership with Benefit Cosmetics . All views are our own.
2 / 11
Benefit ka-BROW! in 3, £18.50
Why we love it: Perfect for natural and defined long-lasting brows.
Review: “When it comes to eyebrows, I don’t shy away from trying new products; and as someone who unfortunately wasn’t blessed with a full brow, eyebrow makeup has become a pivotal step in my beauty routine. I essentially need a product that is going to create an eyebrow to begin with and last the duration of the day - from commuting into work and so on - without budging, while still looking as natural as possible.
"I recently became a fan of a brow pomade because it allows me to apply fine strokes and be really precise about shape without looking too fake or drawn on - qualities that Benefit's ka brow! demonstrated perfectly. The brush is super fine, allowing you to create delicate thin lines for a natural-looking brow, while also allowing you to create definition too. The brush is tiny, but clips into the lid so that it can be a full-sized brush should you need it. The formula itself is buildable, allowing you to create a natural-looking brow from the start and add extra colour where needed. I really enjoyed this brow product and found it lasted the duration of the day which makes it a winner in my eyes!”
Reviewer: Rachael McGowan, Graphic Designer
3 / 11
Benefit they're real! push-up eyeliner in black, £18.50
Why we love it: A sleek and simple way to create striking eyeliner quickly - particularly for the uninitiated.
Review: "I have struggled with eyeliner for years. Achieving that perfect black line and cat eye flick is a craft far beyond my capabilities - or so I had tirelessly been led to believe till I recently discovered Benefit’s push-up eyeliner. This simple tool is a life-changing gift from the makeup Gods.
"The liner itself is a composite of a liquid, (allowing it to be twisted gently through the elegantly engineered soft rubber head), and a thick cream, to eradicate the frequency of clumsily-handed goofs and sit stalwartly on the skin and not budge until removing your makeup at the end of the day. The head is also supremely well-shaped to better enable you to create that perfect flick first time, and the composition of the liquid is such that it makes unwanted smears a thing of the past. Top marks. This is one eyeliner to rule them all."
Reviewer: Gemma Painter, Digital Marketing Manager
4 / 11
Benefit gimme brow volumizing eyebrow gel in 5, £18.50
Why we love it: A quick fix for beautiful brows.
Review: “To get me to use one product regularly can be extremely difficult. I’m always giving lots of products a go, so something will usually come into my collection and will make me forget about the product I was using before - however, this isn't the case with Benefit’s gimme brow. This product has been a favourite of mine for a long time and I have been using it continuously since the day it came into my life. If you’re new to filling in your brows or just want a quick fix for those days when you’re short of time in the mornings - this is a must-try. The tiny spoolie picks up the perfect amount of product and allows you to apply it with ease, with no mess at all. All it takes is a quick brush through the brows and the microfibres and pigment leave your brows looking fuller and filled in. This cult favourite has had an update in packaging (with a brand new shade added!) to go alongside the new Benefit brow range and I can vouch that it is still as incredible as it used to be.”
Reviewer: Lorna Patrick, Marketing Assistant
5 / 11
Benefit erase paste concealer in fair, £20.50
Why we love it: Rich, creamy coverage for dry, tired eyes. It’s the perfect computer screen companion.
Review: “My mum has been a huge fan of this luxe textured concealer for years, and the fact that a little goes a long way in terms of both brightening sallow complexions and evening out skin tone makes me think that one little pot could indeed last you for yonks too. Highly pigmented and beautifully blendable, a smidge is all that’s required to neutralise shadows, redness and general ‘blah’. Dotted on with your ring finger it sinks into skin with ease, and while it is prone to a bit of creasing as the day goes on, a dusting of translucent powder will take care of any slippage. If the shade range were to be extended, it would be an even better all rounder."
Reviewer: Anna Hunter, Senior Features Writer
6 / 11
Benefit watt’s up! soft focus highlighter, £24.50
Why we love it: A no-mess highlighter that gives an instant glow.
Review: “I am rather well known for wearing shimmer. Metallic nails, creamy eyeshadows, golden eyeliners, the lot - and so when it comes to highlighter I have high expectations. Though powder highlighters can be pretty, sweeping them on with a brush - no matter how precise the tip is - can create a sparkly spread across your cheek that you weren’t quite bargaining for. That’s why this creamy stick highlighter is already way ahead in the application stakes, and it’s just as impressive in practice. A suits-all champagne shade, it has a cream-to-powder finish which with just one quick, easy swipe adds instant light and radiance to a cheekbone or brow bone which you can then blend with either a clean fingertip or the handy sponge which is included on the other end of the stick. It blends beautifully, feels super soft on the skin and has a very grown-up shimmer about it thanks to its golden tones. Luminosity in a stick - I use it daily as I’d feel dull without it.”
Reviewer: Judy Johnson, Online Editor
7 / 11
Benefit 3D BROWtones eyebrow enhancer in 02, £18.50
Why we love it: Turns up colour and shine on dull brows.
Review: “My skincare routine is all about recapturing a youthful glow. Until I discovered this product, I hadn’t actually noticed that my eyebrows had grown somewhat lacklustre and were a distinct no-glow area. I have good thickness, but my brows are a little faded. This gel gives gloss and subtle colour, turning up the wattage on what you’ve got naturally. I don’t like my brows to look ‘done’ - for me, the heavily-stencilled look belongs in Lazy Town on Robbie Rotten. The promise of subtle highlights in 3D Browtones is definitely more my thing. Application is super easy using the mascara-style brush, which also adds definition and texture. Plus, the comb tip allows you to get at those little hairs without mess or clumping. It’s water resistant for 12-hour wear and the subtle colour is buildable, making brows look thicker. If you like a more defined brow, it can be used over pencil too. If you are a bit of a brow scaredy cat like me though, you can keep it as subtle as you need."
Reviewer: Victoria Woodhall, Deputy Editor
8 / 11
Benefit hoola bronzing powder, £23.50
Why we love it: Gives just the right amount of believable bronze with no shimmer.
Review: “I forgot how much I love this product until I started using it again recently, and as someone who can’t live a day without a bronzer, I would go as far as saying it’s one of the best on the beauty market. Why do I love it? One factor is the colour - the wide brush distributes just the right amount of warm bronze that’s neither too orange, nor too dark. It also isn’t shimmery, so when it goes on it looks like it's part of your skin - you can barely detect it’s makeup. In fact, it just looks like you’ve spent two weeks on a yacht in the Med. What’s more, when I was with my girlfriends recently we all put a bit on, and from dark skinned to pale it bizarrely suited everyone. It’s magic."
Reviewer: Susannah Taylor, Editor-in-Chief
9 / 11
Benefit precisely, my brow eyebrow pencil in 05, £18.50
Why we love it: The precision pencil tip on this particular pick makes the art of feigning fuller, more defined brows supremely simple to master.
Review: “While thick, my eyebrows can be sparse in places and so the perfect brow tool for me is one that adds definition and shape gradually and naturally. Wonderfully, these were qualities that this new precision brow pencil from Benefit exhibited to a T - I’m not quite sure what I did without it.
“With an ultra-fine tip to build intensity and depth with ease, I was able to achieve a clean, even finish that lasted all day thanks to its budge-proof formula and ability to draw believable hair-like strokes of blendable colour. Its spoolie-brush provided the perfect finishing touch to fine-tune my handiwork and its twist-up non-sharpen tip made for a convenient extra touch. Showcasing a strong 6-shade colour range ranging from ’01 Light’ to ’06 Deep’ (I was 05), it’s my personal top eyebrow makeup pick that quite literally suits everyone and every brow in my opinion - a rare find indeed.”
Reviewer: Ayesha Muttucumaru, Senior Features Writer
10 / 11
Benefit high beam liquid highlighter, £19.50
Why we love it: An iconic liquid highlighter that gently illuminates the face.
Review: "This summer, I am all about shimmer! Shimmer, shimmer, shimmer! I am shimmer crazy! I can’t get enough! Good fortune then for Benefit’s high beam: a luminescent complexion enhancer and a long-standing staple of Benefit’s beauty collection.
"In fact, high beam has been in my beauty drawer as far back as I can remember, coming out in seasonal cycles when I am having a ‘shine moment’ and looking to add a soft, light glimmering pink glow across the tops of my cheekbones and around the eyes. Using it again and again until the seasons shift and I move onto other beauty delights, it then returns to my drawer for hibernation, ready to be joyfully stumbled upon again some months later when I inevitably pull it out to relive the thrills of shimmers past, like an excitable young teenager enjoying its iridescent loveliness for the very first time."
Reviewer: Gemma Painter, Digital Marketing Manager
11 / 11
Benefit ready, set, BROW! clear brow gel, £18.50
Why we love it: It’s simple, effective, foolproof and precise.
Review: “Now that ‘stuck-on’, reality TV star style brows are on the wane, low key definition and a natural-looking shape are what most of us are after. If keeping brows in place is a priority over adding colour (or you want to ensure that colour doesn’t drift), this strong yet subtle brow gel will likely become a daily staple. With a double-sided wand to both catch teeny weeny hairs and groom the body of brows, plus a budge-resistant formula that doesn’t flake, this setting gel locks everything down where it should be for as long as you need it to - no matter how humid your surroundings. It does feel a bit sticky when you first apply it, but once it dries you won’t notice it’s there, in a good way.”
Reviewer: Anna Hunter, Senior Features Writer