Smart people who are nice are the best kind. They know when you're lying, being incompetent, stupid, or malicious, yet they can look past that and still be nice to you. Like, really be nice to you without being fake. How? Because in spite of your worst qualities, they're smart enough to understand why you have them and can't seem to let go of them. Maybe they'll try to change you, or maybe they'll let you do whatever the hell you want. Whatever they choose though, they'll be kind to you because they know you need it.

Stupid people who are honestly nice, on the other hand, are nice because they can't see past the surface of your words and actions. That said, which kind of person would you rather be nice to you? Does it matter?

Anyhoo, here's my last post for my Benefit Cosmetics Week. If you haven't joined my giveaway though, please do, as it's ending in 24 hours. Okay! Here's a review of an interesting concealer, the Benefit Fake Up Crease-Control Hydrating Concealer (P1,300). This promises to conceal your undereyes while thoroughly moisturizing them at the same time!

If you're terribly lazy at applying eye cream before makeup, Fake up is exactly what you need. Its main ingredient is castor oil. It rather smells like castor oil, too, but I don't really mind as it's extremely effective in trapping moisture around my eye bags! The oil makes the concealer super smooth so it glides on the skin with zero tugging.

I was a bit worried that such a heavy oil will clog the pores around my nose and eyes, but it didn't. I didn't get breakouts or anything. 

I was also apprehensive about it staying on and not creasing while i'm wearing it. Thankfully, it stays put for about 5-6 hours when set with powder. It also barely creases as it settles onto my skin.

Sigh, I'm right in the middle of having them one of those insanely busy days. But, I always have time to blog! Even if it's just 30 minutes. :P Today I'd like to show you the Benefit Gimme Brows Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel (P1,000+). I remember loving the Brow Zings so I was pretty excited to get my hands on this one. 

Gimme Brows promises to define, shape, and volumize your brows in go. True enough, this does it for me! It's long-wearing too and hardly fades even when I'm out all day. It's pretty easy to use with such a small wand - you get a lot of room to shade small sparse areas and to build them up in segments if you wish.

The texture is watery and coverage is sheer upon initial application. It's definitely not your typical brow mascara in that regard! Others would be thick so you can't really go back to re-do certain areas, plus they rather dry up quickly. Gimme Brows is buildable and gives me enough time to work with it. 

You've tried blushes, of course, but have you tried a fabulously scented one that seems to perfume your whole face? That's what makes the Benefit Rockateur Box O' Powder Blush (P1,600) stand out. After you squee over the cute embossed design on the powder, you won't miss its bright floral scent as you blend it over your cheeks. It's surprisingly pleasant! I like that it doesn't smell chemical at all.

And the color? It's a beautiful pink rose with a generous amount of bronze in it. Rockateur is not a bronzer - it's predominantly pink - but it has enough to warm your face up in a snap.

I love that it's not overly pigmented so you get a couple of chances to layer this the way you want it. It delivers a pretty, glowy color on the cheeks, but it's not in any way oily-looking. The golden shimmer is very fine anyway so they hardly show up.

Staying power is okay at 4-5 hours before it starts to fade. I remember Hervana staying on longer than this one even though it was less pigmented. Nonetheless, like I said before a 5-hour cap on blushes is fine by me as I'm not often out all day.

Anyway, here's a look wearing a couple of layers of Rockateur!

This week, I'll be featuring some interesting products from the cheekiest cosmetics brand in the block: Benefit! I picked out some new finds a couple of weeks ago, and I'm very excited to talk about them as I'm happy with the results. ^_^ In fact I'm so happy, I decided I can't keep all of the products to myself haha. I'm giving away a toner and moisturizer at the end of this post, so one lucky reader can also try out Benefit's skincare range!

Before all that though, here's a review of the Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash (P1,200), a one-step makeup remover and foaming facial cleanser. 

Benefit isn't exactly famous for skincare, but I have tried the brand's Triple Performing Facial Emulsion as well as the It's Potent! Eye Cream before and really enjoyed using both. The skincare range smells fantastic - clean, light, and expensive. I love that very little goes a long way, and that their creams work well with combi to oily skin.

The skincare line looks like it's designed for maintenance more than anything. It's pretty basic, with nourishing ingredients, but they don't promise (nor deliver) any drastic changes to the skin. If you're already happy with your face and just need something gentle to maintain its glow, Benefit's skincare line can do it for you.

Now, the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash. This is a "1-step gentle wash" that can remove makeup and cleanse your face of impurities.

We've already talked about products that can somehow lessen the oil that makes it to the surface of your face, right, but they aren't going to stop your skin from producing oil. That's just a fact of life. No matter how effective your skincare is it'll only be a matter of hours before your face shines up. Accept it and move on...to makeup!

It's SOP to have blotting paper, powder, and a brush in your bag wherever you go. This trio is the best way to remove shine without ruining the stuff you have on underneath. However, what if there's a way to streamline and simplify the shine-busting? Do away with the blotting paper, and combine the brush and powder in one product?

And thus the Benefit POREfessional Agent Zero Shine (P1,600) powder was born. This is a talc-based powder that promises to blur pores and smoothen your complexion while mattifying your skin. It is super silky and finely-milled, containing mineral ingredients that are highly oil absorbent.

Single shade, simplified. There is only one shade available - a peachy one that provides translucent coverage. It should match all skin tones without leaving a white cast. This will melt on your skin quickly enough, giving it a flawless matte finish.

I wish brands would stop naming their products in numbers and coded letters. It's harder to remember an impersonal "PK238" compared to something like Berry Cherry Strawberry Conundrum, for instance. Or is it just me? Oh but why am I grousing! Today's featured product as part of Blush Week is the Artdeco Blusher in 38 First Love (P550).

This is a warm, peach-pink blush with fine golden shimmer, similar to the famous NARS Orgasm. The difference is that this is more pigmented and leans more towards pink - but you can still see the similarity. This is a blush that can be worn across all skintones. You just need to adjust the intensity, using a smidgen if you're fair, and more layered if you're dark.

There are many ways to achieve a healthy flush on the cheeks. My favorite product to get that natural glow, however, is cream blush! Cream blushes give a sort of wet finish to the cheeks, and looks like it's coming from the skin instead of sitting on top. They're also quicker to use than powder blushes since they need no more than fingers for a beautiful blended finish.

One of the latest cream blushes to hit the market is Benefit Fine One One (P1,700). This tri-colored blush in stick form gives a wonderful peachy-coral flush on skin with just a couple of swipes. It has Pink Champagne, Sheer Watermelon, and Soft Coral shades in one tube to give the cheeks some "lift, shape, and pop". I quite agree with this. The well-chosen combination of colors and textures does give cheeks a sort of dimensional look, as if they're plumper (not chubby!) and healthier.

I also love how it makes my skin look brighter. Pink Champagne is a pretty good highlighter by itself, reminiscent of my fave Benefit Watt's Up! (read the review for a mini-tutorial on how to apply a cream highlighter). 

It's been over a year since Benefit landed on our shores. Between then and now, oodles of makeovers, cool contests, beautiful eyebrows, and flawless poreless faces have rained down in Manila! I really love this brand, from the cheeky packaging down to the quality of the products. It's rare that I get a miss whenever I try something new from Benefit.

To celebrate its first year in Manila, Benefit held a small event for the press last December 15. The brand also took the opportunity to share its latest lip and cheek product, Fine One One, and a campaign with our local celebs. Stars like Ruffa Gutierrez, Christine Reyes, Alyanna Martinez, Bianca Valerio, Phoem Baranda, and Maggie Wilson got to pose as Benefits iconic characters. You'll see the photos later. ;)

Here are snaps of the event and the 411 on Fine One One!

Bianca Valerio was the lovely host that day

Krstn.com EIC Trixie Reyna, I, and Nikki of Askmewhats

I used to not like makeup sets before with products that are in way smaller sizes. I mean, how can I enjoy something when I'm so conscious about finishing it up quickly? And what if I like it, what am I going to do then? But now that I'm older, wiser, and more liquid (lol), I have seen the wisdom of buying sets and smaller sizes. 

Small tubes and bottles are great if you want to carry stuff around. It's not smart to bring full sizes of stuff in your bag because of the heat here - it can spoil/dry up makeup faster. Also, if you're like me who doesn't usually bring big bags, every bit of space is valuable real estate. That's not just applicable to when we're travelling y'know!

Thus, boxed sets like the Benefit She's So Jet Set (P2,100) is perfect if a.) You travel a lot b.) You want mini-sizes of your "Bene-faves" for your daily bag c.) If you have never tried Benefit before and would like to start now. This contains four lovely and pigmented eyeshadows, illuminating powder duo, mini Porefessional, They're Real Mascara, and lip gloss. 

I understand that this is part of Benefit's limited edition holiday sets!

Good Monday morning! Thought I'd start the week with a skincare review. It's something I've been using consistently since late May, so I thought it's about time to blog it with conviction. :P 

The Benefit It's Potent! Eye Cream (P1,800) is a brightening eye cream that promises to fade dark circles and smoothen lines. It's an extremely lightweight product that gets absorbed on skin without leaving any greasy residue. It doesn't have any fancy star ingredients that are only called in letters and numbers; what it does have is extracts of linseed, almond, wheat, oat, apple, and plankton.

What I love about the product

• It's incredibly light. It almost melts upon contact with skin, making it easy to massage evenly on lids and under eyes. 
• Moisturizing even if the cream isn't heavy at all. In four months I've used it, I've noticed that the skin under my eyes has become more supple, elastic, and the lines, smoother.  

Great news! Aside from Greenbelt 5 and Rustan's Shangri-La, you can now get your Benefit fix in Rustan's Makati. It's a boutique, not a counter, which for me makes the shopping experience so much better.

The new and shiny pink store

Aubrey Bautista, Benefit's Brand Manager, with event host Isabel Roces

Here are photos of the launch. I unfortunately was not able to make it (boohoo), which makes me sad, because everyone looks like they had a blast! Anyway aside from the new store, watch out for the new Benefit kits: three for the face and three for lips and cheeks. You'll love 'em if you love Benefit's clever palettes. ;)

Nelly See, the owner of Pinkbox, is easily one of the most glamorous people I know personally. It's not the kind of glamour that's in-your-face; hers is very subtle, something that's obviously born from years of effortless practice. She carries Hermes as if it's a body part - not something to flaunt or even be remotely conscious about, which is as it should be!

I also love that's she's super kikay! Haha. One time, while at the office, she asked me to come over to her desk. "Look at my lashes Liz!", she said. I was like, "Whoa! They're super long! What did you use?" 

"Benefit!" she said. Now I don't remember which mascara it was exactly, Bad Gal or They're Real, but my bet is on the latter. The Benefit They're Real Beyond Mascara (P1,200) promises to "reveal lashes you never knew you had". That's not quite off the mark but I think that They're Real focuses more on giving length rather than plushness. Really useful if you want an everyday mascara that can fool people into thinking they're real!

After using this for over a month, here are my thoughts on Benefit's star mascara!

What I love about the product

• Lengthens lashes beautifully. It doesn't look fake as the tips are deceptively thin and pointed, mimicking natural hair. As far as I can tell, this mascara doesn't have microfibers (which are normally difficult to remove.)

In a day this gloomy and wet, it's hard to imagine that summer ever happened. But hey, that's not an excuse to come in to work (or wherever you're going) looking like a drowned rat! Or even a rat expecting to be drowned for that matter. Er. Well my point is that it's important to have some life and color on your face whatever the season is, which is where the Benefit Cabana Glama Makeup Kit (P2,000) comes in!

This palette has everything you need to fake that glowy summer tan. In keeping with my past experience with Benefit products, the items inside are well-formulated and designed to flatter. Here I will discuss them one by one!

It's funny, but the first couple of years that I started wearing makeup, I rarely put mascara on. I thought it was an uneccessary part of my routine; why bother working on my lashes when an eyeliner could already give the illusion of a thick fringe? But I was wrong. Mascaras ARE important if you want your eyes to look more fresh and awake. There really is a difference!

Benefit They're Real Mascara 

I used to just swipe my mascara upwards a couple of times and called it a day. I mean, how complicated should it be? Put goop, exeunt. However, I've learned a few tricks along the way to maximize any mascara! It doesn't matter if you're using something cheapo or expensive. Use it the right way and you can get fab lashes each time.

Here goes!

Step 1: Curl. Curl your lashes, starting at the base then crimping it upwards, tilting the curler as you go. It's important to curl your lashes before mascara to get them to stay that way all day.

Do you love Benefit's famous Box O' Powders - CORALista, Hervana, Bella Bamba, and Hoola, to name a few? Well, if you're a fan of those shades then you just might love their new Ultra Plush Lip Glosses (price TBA) inspired by their blushes. This new gloss is coming out on July worldwide (it's not yet out even in the US!), but since I got hold of one early I thought I'd do a review!

Okay, so! I've tried quite a few lip glosses in the past - high-end, low-end, thin like lipstick, thick like glue - but this is nothing like I've used before. (Maybe I should get out more? Hihi.) Anyway, I don't know what "ultra plush" means but this lip gloss must be it!

Feel and scent. It's super thin on the lips, like liquid lip balm if you can imagine that.

Benefit Cosmetics held an exclusive party for beauty bloggers last Wednesday and holy hell, I haven't had that much fun in ages! The Benefit gals really know how to throw a girlie bash!

The girls of Benefit

The event was held at Sweet Bella in Burgos Circle. Even though it was stormy that night, the cafe was close to bursting with giggles, makeup, and Sweet Bella's signature macarons and cakes.

So! Here's a rundown on what transpired that fateful night. Warning: expect to see your favorite poised beauty bloggers doing lots of silly things! :P