Benefit Gilded Highlighting Pencil

This season why not make this swift little beauty your time saving high light (ho! ho! ho!) of an overall more radiant routine...

Benefit Gilded is a multi functional soft pencil (somewhat similar in texture to that of It Stick) designed to add a deep golden glow to areas of the eyes, lips, cheeks and nose. Suitable for all skin tones, it can be quickly manipulated into a creamy texture by applying moisturiser directly on top - ideal for adding warmth to cooler winter complexions.

Gilded swatched (not blended)

Long wearing, it also doubles up as a vibrant eye shadow which is easily blended using the warmth of the fingertips. Priced at £14, although it's certainly pricey for it's size, it definitely delivers a vast array of uses. I find Benefit usually quite hit and miss in it's products, yet for me, Gilded is probably one of their more stronger creations to date. It's been a permanent staple in my make up bag for several years and I love it just as much now as I did way back in the day.

If you love having a warmer glow to the skin then Gilded is a great product for consideration.

Benefit Gilded is available from benefit counters worldwide and boots.com for £14.

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*

Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous

Way back in January we popped into our local Benefit boutique to pick up a fantastic gift set marked down with a hefty 70% discount. Amongst the blusher, mascara and eye pencils, we also received this: the worldwide best selling base from the kitsch Californian cosmetics company...

Advertised as the perfect match "foundation faker", Benefit's Some Kind-a Gorgeous is a sheer cream to powder base which - thanks to it's adaptable translucent shade - is designed to suit the vast majority of international skin tones. Presented in a light plastic compact complete with large mirror for application on the go, this creamy base can be easily applied with either with your fingers, a brush, or the ample circular sponge provided.

Some Kind-a Gorgeous swirled in pan

As the picture below shows, when swatched on our skin the colour lies far too warm on our cool complexion. Admittedly we're rather pale - in fact, we're not even on the MAC shade range - yet for a base that claims to adapt to the wearers' natural make up, it seems like Some Kind-a Gorgeous doesn't even want to have a go with ours.

Some Kind-a Gorgeous swatched/blended

Thankfully, due to the decent sunshine we've experienced this year, the product is just about workable on our semi-tanned face. Although we did experience some streaking, the texture is a pleasure to work with and can be quickly blended into every nook and cranny for an all over polished appearance. Because the coverage is quite light, those of you who prefer any flaws on the skin to be camouflaged by foundation may want to skip this.

Some Kind-a Gorgeous applied to bare skin (no other make up applied except mascara)

There are many things we both like and dislike about this product. We love the silky finish it gives, we love the natural coverage it gives, we love the longevity it gives. However, we really dislike the smell it has and we're frankly frustrated by the one-shade-fits-all approach. We really wish this was a base we could wear all year round, but we just know come autumn we'll be too darn pale for it.

Extreme close up of product on face

All in all this is a good, lightweight foundation - particularly ideal for those of you with young or clear skin. It's just a real shame that Benefit have limited it's appeal by producing such a yellow based mix. If you have a medium skin tone then this could work well on you, but for those of you leaning more towards the pale side of things, it's VITAL you swatch in store.

If you're interested in this formula and have darker skin, then check of Some Kind-a Gorgeous Deep - exactly the same theory, but designed specifically for those of you with more depth to your complexion. Again - we highly recommend you swatch in store!

Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous is available worldwide and at benefitcosmetics for £21.50 (9.50g)

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*

Benefit Fantail Brush

We all have them; bright, bold blushers we sweetly swoon at in the pan yet fall apart with fear at the thought of actually wearing. We can't count the number of times we've crumble with embarrassment when testing out a highly pigmented blush in store. A swirl of the brush too far and we end up looking like an alcoholic Andy Pandy.

Trust us; it's sexy.

That's why we can't praise this tool enough:

The Fantail by Benefit.

Flat and flared, this brush is the perfect medicine for any heavy handed blushers out there. Made from ultra soft bristles, the Fantail delivers an almost weightless, feather light application against the skin.

To show you just how accessible even the strongest of blushes can become when used with this brush, we selected MAC's 'Dirty Plum' - a ex pro shade which featured in the 2010 'Give Me Liberty' collection.

A heavy, matte effect mauve, this blush bleeds pigmentation. Amidst the launch of the Liberty range most customers felt this shade was too strong for general use. Well, who could blame them? Just check out this two swipe swatch below.

Dirty Plum swatched twice.

With the aid of a Fantail, Dirty Plum is transformed into the most gorgeous, rosy toned powder. The shape of the fan makes it the ideal tool for contouring cheekbones or playfully swishing across the apples.

Dirty Plum applied onto bare skin using the Fantail.

Benefit have most certainly created a gem here. If you long for bold, buzzing shades yet don't quite think you can pull them off; get this. It will change everything.

The Fantail brush by Benefit is available internationally and at benefitcosmetics.co.uk for £15.50.

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*

Benefit Full Finish Lipstick - Wild Card

As an "anniversary gift", the boyfriend purchased a late night Cadbury's flake in a vain attempt to win a prize. It worked. And for the grand price of 38p we became the proud owners of a brand new Benefit lipstick. Hurrah!

Cut forward 2 and a half weeks later and landing through our letter box was this little beauty: Wild Card.

Benefit describe it as "bold and beautiful!"which, by the looks of this swatch, it most certainly is.

The application is thick, creamy and somewhat messy - purely because the bullet is shaped both wide and flat. Eventually though, thanks to the aid of a cleansing wipe, a lip brush and steady hand, we finally got the results we'd been hoping for...

One application after blotting

The formula felt glossy, smooth and comfortable. Not the longest lasting lippie we've tried but with a 2 hour colour pay off it gave a much needed confidence boost - surely a good thing, huh?

This truly packs quite the punch. Our only fault is that without blotting the colour comes across a bit weighty. Because the shade is so vibrant you may find yourself needing to top up frequently around the edges, (We found a light dusting of setting powder around the lip line stopped any product wondering.) but for a night time red, you can't really go wrong.

If you're feeling brave, we advise you most certainly go for the Wild Card!

Wild Card is available from Benefit counters worldwide and Benefitcosmetics.co.uk for £13. Alternatively you can try and win one in the Benefit and Flake million goody give-a-way.

*this product was purchased by The Beauty Bite*