Whats New: The Big Easy Liquid To Powder SPF 35 Foundation from Benefit Cosmetics

This week's whats new, is a creative and fun packaged product from Benefit Cosmetics. The Big Easy Liquid To Powder SPF 35 Foundation!

From Benefit:
Big Easy contains ingredients known to help balance moisture and control oil, while the cushiony liquid-to-powder formula melts in like a cream, yet finishes lightweight and velvety like a powder. This multibalancing complexion perfector self-adjusts to your exact shade to even out skintone and conceal imperfections. It also contains ingredients known to soothe and comfort the skin and help fight free radicals.
 

So far there are some very mixed reviews of this product. I have put it to the test for 3 days straight, and I've not had stellar results. At a $38 price tag, I was expecting fabulous, and it just didn't deliver for me.  It has very little coverage. It wears off on me after only a few hours. It smells HORRIBLE. And, for the price, it's just straight up not worth it in my opinion! It did, however have a light feel and it did seem like it transformed to a powder finish like Benefit claimed. Which, sounded wonderful to me! But unfortunately the cons outweighed the pros for me with this product.

The swatch below is heavy, un-blended and it's in the shade "Fair".

 I'd love to know your thoughts if you've tried this. For me, it was a total pass, and I'm so glad that I bought it from Sephora. They are great at taking things back!

HUGE giveaway!

Hey everyone! I started this blog about 2 months ago, and I seriously cannot believe how amazing it has been. I've had a handful of opportunities already, and I'm so lucky to be able to share what I love to do with you. To say "thank you", I've put together a giveaway! Items that are included in this giveaway are:

1. Vanilla Bliss body butter from The Body Shop 6.9 oz. (Full size!)
2. Jesse's Girl eye color collection pallet in "Tickled Pink" (Full size!)
3. elf Small Stipple Brush (I use mine ALL the time!)
4. elf Defining Eye Brush (Seriously use mine EVERY DAY!)
5. Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes 7ct. 
6. épicé Purifying exfoliant 1 oz.
7. Almay makeup eraser sticks 24 ct. (Full size!)
8. Ms. Manicure "File When Ready" mini nail files 3 ct.
9. Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Treatment mask 1 ct.
10. Tan Towell towelette 1 ct.
11. J.cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Pallette in "Volta" (Full size!)
12. elf Baked Bronzer in "Maui" (Full size!)
13. elf Shimmer Pallette  (Full size!)
14. Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in "Black" (Full size!)
15. Suncoat nail enamel in "Sienna" (Full size!)
16. Revlon Colorstay nail enamel in "Bare" (Full size!)
17. ChapStick True Shimmer lip balm in "Botanical Berry" (Full size!)
18. Fekkai Glossing Cream 2 oz.
19. Olay Fresh Effects {Shine, Shine go Away} Cleanser 0.68 oz.
20. L'Oreal Sublime Sun SPF 30 Lightweight Sunscreen 0.5 oz.
21. Victoria's Secret Bombshell Body Lotion 1.7 oz.
22. Almay Soothing & De-Puffing gentle eye makeup remover pads 80 ct. (Full size!)
23. Olay PRO X Spot Fading Treatment .23 oz.
24. Jordana InColor Fabuliner liquid eye liner in "Brown" (Full size!)
25. Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate oil (Full size!)
26. Three (3) Almay Shadow Softies in "Petal" , "Hot Fudge", & "Cashmere" (Full size!)
27. Nivea Extended Moisture Lotion 1 oz.
28.  Facial Brush from The Body Shop
29. Vanilla Bliss hand cream from The Body Shop 1 oz.
30. Benefit They're Real Mascara 0.1 oz.
31. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer .25 oz.
32. Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner in "Starshine" (Full size!)
33. Yves Rocher deep wrinkle expert care day/night 0.23 oz

PLUS 10 product samples from L'Oreal, Lumene, Proactive, Yes To Grapefruit, The Body Shop and MORE!!!!!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway. Winner will be chosen at random, and will be notified by email from winkypinkblog@gmail.com OR Facebook private message from me personally! Please don't be fooled by scammers! Giveaway ends exactly one week from today, and winner will be notified immediately after!

Congrats to Julia G.!

Thanks to everyone for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Smackdown: Champagne Highlighters

Champagne Highlighters are super popular right now. Champagne looks great on every skin tone, and highlighting is something that has gained a lot of popularity since Kim Kardashian got famous for her cheekbones. Today I've taken three Champagne Highlighters out of my collection and have swatched and compared them for you!

 elf Studio Body Shimmer in "Mystic Moonlight",  Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick in "Sparkling Sand", and Benefit "Watt's Up!"

So, lets start with the prices of these three items. The elf Studio Body Shimmer in "Mystic Moonlight" is priced at only $3.00 for .35 oz. The Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick in "Sparkling Sand" is $10.99 for .37 oz, and Benefit "Watt's Up!" is $30 for .33 oz. (Full size not pictured). So, we have highlighters here in every price range.

The Textures of these Champagne Highlighters are very similar with some minor differences. The  elf Studio Body Shimmer in "Mystic Moonlight" is a creamy texture that stays somewhat creamy on the skin.  Benefit "Watt's Up!" is creamy as well, and feels very similar to the elf, but it is a harder consistency, so it's more difficult to build up (however being a highlighter, that's sometimes a good thing). Then the Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick in "Sparkling Sand" is a cream-to-powder texture, that feels a bit dryer while you're applying it. 

The color payoff of all of these highlighters are pretty much equal. I feel like they are all very opaque and pigmented. The undertones of these highlighters are pretty different, though. I have swatched them below so that you can see the difference. The elf Studio Body Shimmer in "Mystic Moonlight" has a very distinct pink undertone. The Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick in "Sparkling Sand" is neutral with a slight yellow undertone, and Benefit "Watt's Up!" is the warmest of the bunch with a golden-orange undertone.

The staying power of all three is pretty similar, with the Benefit "Watt's Up!" being the one with the longest staying power. I can't see a difference on my skin in the staying power between the elf or the Sonia Kashuk.

Overall, I'd have to say that if you are in the market of wanting or needing a cream Champagne Highlighter in stick form, any of these would be a good choice. You may want to consider your skin type and buy one based off of the undertones of your skin and match it with the undertones of the Highlighter. With that being said, Champagne is one of the most forgiving colors, and can usually be used on every skin tone if you apply it correctly.

Whats New: Hard Candy Highlight and Contour Cheek Duo - a "Fine one one" Alternative?

The gods of makeup have officially smiled down on me! I have been eying this  little number for months. And have just never brought myself to spend $30 on a multi-purpose blush that does something that I can do on my own with one more little step. I've dreamed that a drugstore company would come out with something similar at a fraction of the price so that I could at least have the option of this type of product for on the go or if I'm in a hurry.

Hard Candy cosmetics heard my plea, and made my wish come true! This is certainly not going to be a dupe of Benefit "fine one one", however, the concept is the same, and the application is just as easy!

So, are you curious about how to use this product? All you do, is swipe it on your cheeks where you would normally place your blush, making sure that the highligher shade (the lightest of the 2 shades on the stick) is facing up. Then after that, all you do is blend both shades with a light touch of your finger, or a stippling brush, and that's it. So easy. So fast. So genius.

The Hard Candy Facebook page  is where I first saw that they were coming out with this, and I've been stalking my local Walmart ever since. I finally found them and jumped for joy. This product comes in 3 shades, Cheeky Pink, Sun Kissed and Sweet Cheeks. I got the Cheeky Pink shade. They have a retail of $7. So, if your like me, and have been dying to try "fine one one" from Benefit, but haven't gotten up the courage to shell out $30 for it, then you may want to give this cheek color from Hard Candy a try!

Friday Haul: NYX, tarte, Benefit and more!

As a makeup hoarder, I tend to buy makeup or some sort of beauty item every single week. Sometimes lots, sometimes just 1 thing. But, just about every week, I get myself a little something to add to my collection. I'm a true hoarder. And, what's crazy, is that I normally use everything I buy. And, whats great, is that if you absolutely hate something, most places will take things back!  So, if you've been dying to try something, but aren't quite sure if you'll like it, save your receipt. You normally have nothing to lose :)


So, here is my haul for this week. I'll do a breakdown of what I got, and even how much I paid for it, so you can try to get the same deals before the week is over!

1. Essence Sun Club Matt Bronzing Powder for blondes. They also have this for brunettes/darker skin. This is a nice light bronzer that looks very natural on my skin, and I'm liking it so far. I got it at Ulta, and it was $4.99, so very bargain priced for such a large compact. 

2. Benefit They're real! mascara. I have the full size of this, and it's pretty good. Not worth the hype in my opinion, but it's good. I got an email from Ulta so I could get this mini size for free if I showed them the email. So, I paid nothing for this travel friendly sized mascara. Although, it did get me into their store so I had to look around, and ended up getting a few things while I was there.

3. Tarte Be MATTEnificent pallet. This sucker is limited edition, and like all things in the makeup world that are limited edition, if you see it, you need to get it or it will be gone the next time you go to the store. Mark my words, I cannot tell you how many times I've seen something at the store that is limited edition, and thought in my head "I like it, but I'll sleep on it and come back in a few days and get it then if I still want it" - only to find that a few days later it's gone. Then, in your desperation you ask the nice sales person when they'll get more in and they precede to tell you that what they had is all that they will get since it's limited edition. People, like I said above, if you hate it you can take it back. This pallet was a bit of splurge for me at $37. But I love, love, love it! I am so in love with tarte cosmetics, and this pallet is just awesome. The shadows are so silky, and the blush as I said in my tarte review on Monday, is my favorite, and this shade is so subtle and pretty. 

4. NYX nude on nude pallet. This was a TOTAL score for me! I love neutral shadows. They are just funner for me to work with, and I don't feel like I'm trying to hone in on my 80's past. Don't get me wrong, I'll still rock the blue eyeshadow here and there. But, normally it's the neutrals that get me excited. Plus, the lipgloss pans are pretty, too. I got this at Ulta this week. I read through the fabulous inter-web that Ulta was having a NYX overhaul and they were clearancing a bunch of their stuff, so of course I had to check it out. I found this baby amongst a bunch of things that were marked down (they had single eyeshadows, and smaller eyeshadow pallets as well as a few lip products at my store, too). I spotted this pallet with a sticker that said it was normally $25 and was now $12.50. Score! I was super excited about my find, and when I went to check out, it rang up at $4.99!!!! Holy crap! And, to make things even better, I have the Ulta app on my phone, that had a weekly offer for 20% off one single item. So, I scored a $25 pallet for $4. Even if I don't like this baby (which I know I will), at $4 I'll let my 6 year old daughter have it for playing with before I'll return it.

That's it! I normally don't spend over $50 in one week on cosmetics at all! But, tarte always gets me with their pretty packaging and great quality. Other than the tarte pallet, this was a very budget-friendly week, being that I got a free mascara, and a $25 pallet for only $4. Next week there will be a haul from CVS for sure. They have some great deals going on for the week that are sure to make for some cheap makeup! So I'll see you back here next Friday to share my findings!

Smackdown: The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain vs. Benefit Benetint

I'm all for a good dupe! Sometimes I literally cannot tell 2 products apart from each other when they are swatched out or applied to the face. And, sometimes there is a definite difference, even when you think things will be the exact same, or look the same when just looking through the bottle or at the pan. Today's smackdown is between The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain in Rose Pink vs. Benefit Benetint. Both claim the same thing; that they will give you a rose flush to your cheeks or lips with a staining action. Thus, making it a natural and long wearing product. 

First, lets look at the price. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain is $14 for 0.2 oz. And, Benetint is $30 for .42 oz. (size of Benetint in my photo is not full size). So, really ounce by ounce Benetint isn't that much more than The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain. However, The Body Shop has sales on their makeup all the time. I got the full size product that you see in the picture above at 50% off during one of their sales making it only around $7. Where I have never seen Benetint for sale or discounted.

Next, the consistency of the products are different. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain is more of a gel-like consistency, where Benetint is a strait up liquid. It makes me think of cranberry juice, ha. 

The application process is basically the same for both products. Benetint has a brush applicator that you dot on your cheeks, then sheer out with your fingers or a brush, where The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain has a doe foot applicator, and instructions are the same. 

Staying power for both products is the exact same for me. I feel like they both last all day when I apply them to my cheeks, and have about a 4 hour time frame on my lips.

The colors for both products are described as a rose tint. They are both red based, but they have different undertones. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain has a more purple undertone, which is better for cool skin tones, and Benetint has a more Orange undertone, which would be better for warmer skin tones. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain definitely looks to me like it is more of a "rose" color like they both proclaim to be.  

I've swatched both products below. Please keep in mind, that I'm very pale, and these are much heavier than I would wear them on my cheeks. The photo is to show you that there is a difference between the 2. 

So, which is your favorite? Does a staining product scare you? Let me know! As for me, I'm more in love with The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain. I like the gel formulation, and the application is easier for me than Benetint because of the thickness of the gel. I also think the color is nicer and richer than Benetint.