w7 Absolute Lashes Mascara VS Benefit They're Real Mascara. Save or Splurge?

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

I have a slightly different type of post for you all today, its a sort of "battle of the brands" if you will! Bargain beauty buys are great but whats even more fantastic is when you find a budget product that performs more or less the same as a high end product. I'm sure everyone has heard of the Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! mascara, its the number one best selling mascara in the world. It caused quite a stir among the beauty community when it was released a few years ago with everyone and their mother singing its praises. Well, word on the street is that budget brand w7 released a mascara that is a dupe for They're Real!. I love a good old bargain buy so I decided to put the two to the test today on the blog to see if the budget brand could compare to the highly hyped They're Real!.

I am a fan of Benefit Mascara. Bad Gal is glorious, Roller Lash is a firm favourite of mine but Benefits best selling mascara They're Real!...not my cup of tea. I didn't let that get in the way of this post though, I was still genuinely curious to see how the w7 brand mascara would compare. So on we go!

First things first, the packaging. The tubes are very similar, they are the same size and both have that metallic reflective finish to them. The colour of the packaging differs slightly with one being a gunmetal grey and the other leaning towards more of a silver. Even the font is much the same. So we can all agree that the packaging is pretty similar but are there any other similarities?

For me a wand can make or break a mascara. I just find that it doesn't matter how amazing the formula is, if the mascara doesn't have a decent wand it doesn't perform well over all. With these two mascaras, I like the wands on both. From a distance the wands look identical but on closer inspection you will find that there are some subtle differences.

Benefit They're Real Mascara 

w7 Absolute Lashes Mascara 

Both of the mascara wands have a spiked tip on the top which I find great for coating the lashes on the very outer portion of my eyes. The wands are the same size in terms of height however the Benefit wand is thinner and has less spikes where as the w7 wand is thicker and is coated in more spikes. Now onto the good part..the application!

Lashes Before - No Product

w7 Absolute Mascara - One Coat

Benefit They're Real Mascara - One Coat

Lashes After One Coat of Mascara

While the products may have initially been very similar after application the difference begin to show. The Benefit They're Real! Mascara is noticeably darker than the w7 version. Benefits formula is more wet while the w7 mascara is on the drier side which is my preference. I find a mascara that is ever so slightly dry performs better than one that is very wet. The w7 Absolute Lashes Mascara separates the lashes really well and lengthens them but not as much as Benefits They're Real!. On the other hand, the Benefit mascara does a better job at thickening the lashes. You can see from the above photo that the roots of the lashes on my right eye are darker giving the appearance of fuller lashes. 

w7 Absolute Lashes Mascara - Two Coats

Benefit They're Real! Mascara - Two Coats

Lashes After Two Coats of Mascara

On applying a second coat the Benefit mascara further lengthens and deepens the colour of the lashes but this comes at a cost. Unfortunately that cost is clumping. Some people like the appearance of clumpy, spider like lashes but it isn't my preference. The second coat of the w7 mascara adds further volume but the lashes are still noticeably separated. It gives the effect of full fluttery lashes which I really enjoy.

In terms of longevity both mascaras lasted almost equally as well throughout the day. However, with the Benefit mascara the product did flake down onto my cheeks on occasion.

The removal process is extremely easy in regard to the w7 Absolute Lashes mascara, a little bit of Garnier Michellar Water does the job. The Benefit They're Real mascara is much more tricky to remove and is one of the reasons why I just don't like the product. To remove the Benefit mascara you will need an oil based makeup remover. 

The w7 Absolute Lashes mascara is known to be a dupe for the Benefit They're Real! mascara but I would have to disagree. The w7 mascara is by no means a dupe for they're real!, they are two completely different mascaras. You can tell from the pictures above that based on the formulation and such, that in terms of performance they are not similar at all. I actually way prefer the w7 mascara for so many reasons in relation to the way in which the mascara works. Also, the Benefit They're Real! mascara retails at €26 while the w7 Absolute Lashes mascara retails at just €3.50. That speaks for itself really!

I hope you enjoyed this style of blog post, it was really fun to make!

Chat soon :)

Eimear x

Benefit Bella Bamba Blush Review

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Not too long ago I decided to delve into the world of Benefit again. I only own a handful of their products and that is sorely down to the price. As a student with little disposable income I find it very hard to justify for example, spending €30+ on a blusher. If you have been reading my blog for a long time or even from the name of the blog, you will know I post about bargain buys. Sometimes I do purchase products from high end brands but for the most part I stick to the drugstore. I think we now have fantastic quality products in the supermarkets and pharmacies that are just as good as the high end brands but at a fraction of the price!

 But anyway thats just me I guess. A product has to be really special for me to fork out an arm and a leg. Back in August I attended Leeds Festival, there were a couple of makeup items that caught my eye in the inflight magazine on the way over so I decided if I had money left on the way home I would pick something up. To my surprise I didn't actually spend as much as I thought I would…well minus the fact I had to buy a new tent and blankets which I didn't foresee hahaha. If anything after some disasters I decided regardless I deserved some new makeup'y goodness :)

I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the Benefit set that was on offer, and even when I did know the name I wasn't able to find it online.

The Benefit pouch consisted of a range of different products from the company. Off the top of my head I remember it included the full size Bella Bamba you see here, a sample version of High Beam, a full size version of the Eye Bright pencil and a full sized Stay Don't Stray primer for around €30.

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY. 

Considering one of these full sized products alone is around that price I couldn't let this go. I tried to flag down the flight attendant as quickly as I could. While placing my order the lady next to me wanted a set too, and then my worst nightmare happened. 

"I'm afraid we only have one left." uttered the flight attendant. 

Holy Jesus my nerves, I thought it was going to be a fight to the death but the lady was going to be back on a flight next week for business so she let me have the set instead (God bless you)

Now that you know the background of how this product came into my possession….lets get on with the review! :)

 It comes as no surprise that the packaging is extremely cute, colourful and very pretty…very Benefit! The lid of this blush folds open opposed to coming clean off like other Benefit products before? Correct me if I'm wrong.

This 'new' packaging has its pro's and con's. The pro's are that its great for travel, for one it has a mirror and two you don't have to worry about the lid falling off and making a mess in your handbag. The con is that the lid is quite awkward and doesn't stay open without you having to hold it. When I was taking the product shot I had to take it upside down because the lid was casting a shadow over the blush…. #bloggerproblems

A brush is contained inside the little box too, again making it useful for on the go. I prefer this style of brush for applying my contour into the hollows of my cheeks. I'm not even joking it has become my holy grail brush for doing just that! However for my blush I want a brush that is rounded or slightly angled.

Bella Bamba is a beautiful peachy pink shade of blush with shimmery gold undertones. Its a perfect shade for daily wear and I can imagine will be universally flattering across all skin tones. The quality of this blush is outstanding, it is so highly pigmented. The first time I applied the blush I went a little over board not realising just how pigmented it was. Even though I had applied quite a lot of product by accident the problem was easily fixed with a little extra blending. After some blending I had a nice flush of colour to my cheeks, its definitely a blush you can build on! 

As I mentioned, this watermelon blush is very pigmented. In the above picture the product was only swatched once, which was then transferred onto the back of my hand. So you can see for yourself the colour pay off is excellent. I couldn't see myself running out of this product any time soon, not matter how often I used it!

This is by no means a new blush on the market, I'm just late to hop on the band wagon as always! Classic Eimear.

When I had a little look online I couldn't find an exact price…

I would say its around €30-34 mark. Is it worth that much you ask? I'm torn. It is such a beautiful shade, beautifully packaged and applies like a dream. But unfortunately I just don't think its worth forking over that much money for. Especially for someone like myself who isn't an avid blush fan. Once I run out I more than likely won't repurchase, i'll just end up finding a drugstore alternative but thats just the bargain hunter in me!

What are your thoughts? Is it worth €€€

Eimear x

Benefit Fine One One Launch/Review

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Recently I attended my first blogger event, I received an invitation from Benefits lovely Caoimhe McCrystall to celebrate the launch of their new brightening colour for the cheeks and lips..better known as fine one one!

On the morning of the event I went into instant panic mode, what do I wear?, what way do I do my makeup?. Then it hit me..I didn't know anyone going!

For anyone that knows me I am a bit of a nervous wreck so it would seem to be very out of character for me to go to something like this alone. I can just about manage to buy my own bus ticket!

After turning to trusty twitter I was relieved to find out a couple of other Irish bloggers I knew were going.

On arrival I received a warm welcome from Caoimhe herself and Benefits top makeup artist, Mark Rogers. They were both so bubbly and friendly that any nerves I had before hand instantly went out the window...until I was arrested.

No no, not actually arrested, I was arrested Benefit style for being too damn gorgeous! I was propped up on a chair with a glass of champagne awaiting pampering from one of the Benebabes. Myself and Orlaith chatted for awhile about benefit products I had previously used, before she decided on what look to do. I had never used Benefits They're Real mascara so she liberally applied a few coats. Even though I already had mascara on, I was very surprised my lashes didn't clump. Definitely added to my list of must haves!

Orlaith finished off by sweeping a coat of Bella Bamba lip gloss over my lips. Really loved the finish of this gloss, not sticky in the slightest which is a huge relief as my ridiculously long hair always sticks to my lips.

After my 'mug shot' was taken and it was time to mingle!

To top off my night I got to meet the ultimate benebabes, Annie and Maggie Ford-Danielson.

Now on to the highlight of the event, fine one one.

I'm sure by now you have all heard of Benefits glorious new product on the market, if not you are in for a treat!

Fine one one is a sheer cream blusher that doubles up as a lip colour. It comes in a push up stick form which holds three different shades. 
These can be worn individually to highlight and sculpt the face or you can combine all three to add some life and luminosity to the face.
For a pretty pout apply whatever colour you desire, or combine all three.
I tend to apply either the sheer watermelon or soft coral then use pink champagne as a highlight on my cupids bow and to the centre of my bottom lip. This helps to give the illusion of fuller more plump lips!

Pink Champagne, Sheer Watermelon and Soft Coral.

I am not a huge blush fan due to the fact that I wear so much colour on my eyes I tend to tone down everything else. My average look consists of a colourful smokey eye, bronzer and a nude lip. However the first thing that sparked interest with me was that this was a cream product, I have never tried a cream blush before so naturally I was curious. I have quite dry skin so I figured this product could only benefit me....no pun intended ;)

I had this product applied during the night by one of the benebabes and I was so surprised at how natural it looked on. I was a bit weary because I already had a full face of makeup on..smokey eyes, tan, bronzer, highlighter the works!

Gliding the product onto my cheeks using a combination of all three colours, she lightly blended it out from the apples of my cheeks towards my temples.

It added such a lovely natural flush to my skin, I adored the sheen that the pink champagne colour gave off. My skin was literally glowing!

I have found the best way to wear this product is after you apply your foundation/concealer but before you powder.

 Remember cream on cream, powder on powder.

Once I have applied this to my cheeks I set everything in place with a powder. Even though this product sets to a powder finish I find that it lasts longer on my cheeks when I set it with my face powder.

It is not a surprise at all that this product has a quirky name and gorgeous packaging. I appreciate it so much when companies not only put time into the product itself but other aspects such as the name and the packaging. 

I have said it before and i'll say it again, packaging needs to be unique and eye catching as this is what is going to draw the customer in. Personally I find that packaging is so important, if I like the look of the product I will be so much more likely to try it out than if it was packaged poorly.

I also love the fact that this product is buildable. Like I said I tend to wear a lot of colour on my eyes on a daily basis so the rest of my face is usually quite toned down. Recently I created a neon makeup look, I finished off the look by pairing it with some fine one one on the cheeks and a bright orange lip colour.

I was extremely happy with how the look turned out, the focus was on my eyes and my lips but my skin had such a gorgeous glow to it.

With regard to price this product retails at €34.

I have been toing and froing when it comes to the price.

Upfront I feel that it is expensive however with most makeup buys I consider them an investment.

When I think of how much use I get out of the product..the fact that it is a lip colour, blush and highlights the face, the quality of the product and the overall appearance of the product I can consider it good value for money.

It all depends on the person I think, but I'm extremely happy with fine one one it gets a huge thumbs up from me. 

Bravo Benefit on another wonderful product!

If you want to see fine one one in action skip to 4.20 of the tutorial :)

Have you tried Fine One One yet?

Eimear x