Is Benefit Cosmetics Really Cruelty-Free?

Benefit Cosmetics is one of those brands that many people just assume is cruelty-free for some reason. Maybe it’s the way the advertise themselves with so many bright colors and dainty patterns, but looking past all of the loopy fonts on their website reveals their confusing stance on animal testing. I was reading through their FAQ when I found what looked to be a relieving answer to the question “Do you test on animals?”

Above is a screenshot directly from the Benefit website, they clearly state that they do not test products on animals and are even going a step further to eliminate animal testing in general. For a lot of people this would be convincing enough to assume that this company is cruelty free, but with further research I found this statement to be quite misleading.

With a little bit of digging I found that Benefit sells their products on the Chinese Sephora website. Previously, China was one of the few countries that required by law, all cosmetics be tested on animals in order be sold in the country. However, in July of 2014 this restriction was lifted for Chinese companies. This looks like a step towards ending animal cruelty, but it still required all imported cosmetics to be tested on animals to be able to be sold in China (animal-ethics.org). This means that all companies not based in China would have to have their products tested on animals to be sold in the Chinese market. Benefit Cosmetics is based in San Francisco, California, so I think it’s safe to say they do partake in animal testing, at least under their name, because they  sell their products in China.

Although it seems that Benefit is free of animal testing in America, they are not as dedicated to ending animal cruelty as they would like the general public to believe on their confusing and misleading FAQ. If they really did care so much about not testing on animals don’t you think they would opt out of selling in China like other companies such as LUSH and Urban Decay?

Cruelty Free Alternatives: 

• TooFaced
• Anastasia Beverly Hills
• theBalm
• Tarte

Makeup Products Not Worth The Hype

I’m a huge fan of beauty and lifestyle vloggers (video blogging in case you didn’t know) on Youtube, but if you have been watching their videos for a while, as I have, you may notice they never seem to dislike a product. All their reviews are along the lines of “This is the greatest product ever!’ “Or it changed my life!” Rarely do you get, “I wish I hadn’t spent money on this.” One of the reasons for this is that they are getting paid to promote certain products they are sent free from companies. Also you may the same products being reviewed over and over and think to yourself that maybe all of these people like it, then it must be worth the hype. So, I thought I would talk about the products I find over-hyped. Not necessarily “bad” or a waste of money, but definitely not deserving of the massive amount of attention they receive.

The first product I find to be over-hyped may be surprising because it seems to me that it’s the most beloved eye shadow in the beauty community. That is the Urban Decay eye shadow. I own the Naked 2 palette, a couple other smaller palettes from Urban Decay (I can’t remember the exact names because I don’t use them often, and I have used the original Naked palette as well. I’d first off like to say, all of the colors in these palettes are beautiful and well pigmented. The concern I have with these eye shadows is not with pigmentation, because honestly they go on perfectly fine and they blend well– until they don’t. As you try to layer eye shadows and create a more intense look, they become muddy and heavy looking. I’m not trying to say that these eye shadows are a waste of money or to never buy them, because I use my Naked 2 palette quite often, but you shouldn’t buy them with the expectation that they are the end-all of eye shadows. They are pretty, but for the price ($52 for the Naked palettes) they are not worth it.

Another product talked about all over the beauty community is the Benefit The Porefessionals Balm. I have used this product for a while now and honestly I don’t really know why I continue to repurchase it. For some reason I like it and all, but I don’t really know if it makes any difference. It’s meant to minimize pore and smooth out the face. While it does that to some extent, I don’t think the results are at all remarkable or hype-worthy. It does make the skin softer, but also slippery feeling and makes my foundation slide around. Also, it does reduce the size of pores, but I wouldn’t say the results are life changing. Again like the last product, I don’t hate it, but I don’t think it’s as great as everyone says it is.

The last product I find to be over-hyped is the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 mascara. I bought this mascara because I heard great things about how it increases lash volume dramatically and is super waterproof. Well, they weren’t wrong about it being waterproof. It’s waterproof and most makeup remover-proof. It’s incredibly hard to take off in the evening, and I feel as though that know matter how long I scrub, it leaves all of my lashes stuck together and never fully comes off. Another issue I have with this mascara is that it is very clumpy and sticky. It goes on great at first, but as you try to apply a second coat it becomes clumpy. After it has been on for a while, I feel as though it never completely dries, and it feels sticky. By the end of the day my lashes end up all stuck together and look even clumpier than before. I don’t know of other people have this same problem as me, but I would not recommended this mascara.

Evening Skincare Routine

If you are as into watching beauty vloggers on youtube as I am, you have probably noticed when they do a skincare video it seems unrealistic for everyday. They claim to use a myriad of products both in the morning and the evening, and yeah I would love to be able to have the time to do that too. Sadly, some days (most days actually) I barely have time to take off my makeup, let alone use 13 different moisturizers. I’ve decided to share my actual daily evening skincare regiment that takes less than five minutes a day.

Ideally I would do this early, around 7 or so, but I tend to forget to take of my makeup until around 8 or 9 pm (sometimes I accidentally fall asleep with it on, and wake up only to drag myself to the bathroom zombie style to take it off.) Assuming this is a normal night when I don’t forget, I start by removing my makeup. Depending on the amount of makeup I was wearing for the day, this step differs. If I’m more makeup than usual, or stubborn waterproof makeup, I will start with makeup remover or a facial wipe. My favorite makeup remover is the NARS Gentle Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. It takes off all makeup with only a few swipes and it doesn’t irritate the eyes or leave the skin feeling overly greasy.

Next I wash my face with a cleanser, or this is the first step if I wasn’t wearing a lot of makeup. The cleanser that I use is the Philosophy Purity Made Simple one-step facial cleanser and it is my absolute favorite. I have very sensitive skin that becomes dry and irritated easily and this is one of the only cleansers that I have been able to use over long periods of time. After I use it my face feels so smooth and clean, without feeling tight or dry. It also takes off makeup as well, which is why I use it alone on days I don’t wear much makeup.

Next I’ll exfoliate my face, usually every other day with the Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash. This help removes dead skin that clogs pores and leaves skin smooth and soft. The last step is to moisturize. I use the Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar (seeing a pattern here?) and it is my favorite moisturizer I have ever used. It makes my skin so soft, but it is not greasy in the least. Before I stared using this product, under my eyes tended to get very dry and would peel ,which was very painful. After using this product I have yet to experience that.

Products mentioned:

NARS Gentle Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover- $25.00

Philosophy Purity Made Simple- $24.00

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash- $28.00

Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar- $47.00

Morphe Brushes Review

Recently I made a post reviewing and swatching the Color Warm palette from morphebrushes.com which you can see right here

While I was on the Morphe sight, I also bought the Set 648 – 18 Piece Professional Brush Set, which you can also view here. I had read great things about their brushes. I even heard they compare to Sigma brushes, but I don’t own any Sigma brushes so I can’t compare.

On the website it gives you a description of the brushes included, so I’m not going to go into that, but I will mention my favorite brushes, favorite things about the brushes, least favorite brushes, and overall experience.

First I would like to mention, it took some time for my brushes to be delivered from the time I ordered them. I selected three day shipping and I also noticed on the website it said processing would take up to a week. This was fine with me because I was in no desperate hurry to receive my brushes and eyeshadow. But, a week and three days went by and still no package. I checked back everyday for another three days, but it still hadn’t arrived. I was about to call them and ask if it had shipped yet, but then after two weeks, my makeup arrived.

When I opened the brushes for the first time they had a very strong chemical smell. I washed them right away, but the smell stuck even after they were cleaned. Now, a couple week later, the smell had faded greatly, but is still somewhat noticeable. Also after I washed them, the white ones, which are made of goat hair started to frizz as they dried, but as soon as they dried completely they were fine.

My favorite brushes from the set are the angle blush, duo foundation, deluxe oval shadow, and the oval shadow The angle blush brush is very dense, applying the product evenly with good coverage, and it’s the perfect size. I like to use it for blush (obviously) and  to contour my cheekbones lightly.

The duo foundation brush is made of a mix between synthetic and sable bristles, and is very soft. It works great to apply foundation with a stippling motion, however it could be bigger. I wouldn’t use this brush to apply all of my foundation because it is quite small, but it’s great for areas like under the eyes, nose, and chin. It makes the foundation look smooth and airbrushed.

Next is both the oval shadow brush and the deluxe oval shadow brush. They are both made of sable, so again very soft. They are also both dense, but nottoo dense that there is a lot of fall out. They work well to pack the shadow on. I especially love the oval shadow because it is small enough to apply shadow precisely in the crease. The bristles are also long enough, and not too thick, that it works great for blending,

Now onto the brushes that I don’t love quite as much. There wasn’t any from this set that I dislike enough to not use, or in that case that I dislike that much in general. Though, my least favorites would have to be the pointed liner, small blending fluff, and the deluxe blending fluff.

I feel like the pointed liner brush is just very thin. It is hard to apply any type of eyeliner with it because it is flimsy and many products seem to be too heavy for it. I always end up with eyeliner that looks like a wavy line when I use this brush, but there is a good chance this could have something to do with user error. I’m not 100 percent used to using that type of brush to apply eyeliner, so I’m just gonna stick to my liquid eyeliner pen, or gel eyeliner with an angled eyeliner brush.

The next two brushed that I’m not as fond of are both of the blending fluffs. They are made of the goat hair which I said earlier got a little frizzy when I washed them. Even though most of the frizz went away when they dried, they still don’t look quite the same as how they came. Also the goat hair isn’t soft, actually it’s pretty course. I feel they are scratchy and don’t pack enough eyeshadow into the lid, leaving more of it on my cheek than actually on my eye.

As for the rest of the brushes I have no complaints. I don’t think they are as high quality as other brands, or as others claim them to be, but they work great. For only $40 they do exactly what I need them to do. Also I love how light weight all of the brushes are and they seem to be made to last. I don’t think I’ll be having a problem with them falling apart, and my favorite thing about them is that I have yet to experience any kind of shedding,

Brushes that shed are one of the biggest problems I have with other makeup brushes, so I was thrilled to no have one single bristle fall out onto my face, even after I washed all of them.

If you are thinking about purchasing brushes from this site, I would definitely go for it. It’s going to find brushes of this quality at a lower price.

Morphe Color Warm Swatches

I ordered the 35 Color Warm Palette from morphebrushes.com and decided to not only review the eyeshadow, but also swatch them.

First, I would like to mention the price of these palettes. They entire palette was on sale for $19.99 (original price is $39.99) for 35 eyeshadows, that means I got 35 eyeshadows for about 60 cents each. I believe the sale is still going (or maybe it’s always that price. I’m not sure) but 60 cents per eyeshadow is such a great deal that I wasn’t expecting much quality wise, but to my pleasure I was surprised.

Most of the eyeshadows in this palette are of great quality, and are much bigger than I imagined. They are about 2 in diameter and compare to about the size of Mac eyeshadows. One concern that I have is that the eyeshadows didn’t come with names, or even numbers, which makes it hard to swatch. What I’m going to do is swatch each row individually from left to right, and review them separately

The first row contains the lightest shades in the palette with 6/7 of them being mattes. I was excited when I first opened the package to find so many different matte shades. I almost went with buying the color matte palette instead, which includes very similar shades to the color warm, except they are all matte. I usually don’t wear a lot of matte on an everyday basis, so I ended up with this palette. It does include a good balance between matte and shimmer shades.

These lighter shades are probably some of my least favorites in the palette. The very first shadow (lowest on my arm) took some effort to even make it show up in the picture. I did apply a light primer to my arm to begin with, but I feel as though with maybe a little more it would apply better. Like I said earlier these are all mattes with the exception of the last one. I found with this palette the matte shades are the least pigmented and hardest to apply. It takes some packing and primer to be visible on the eyes. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but there are definitely other eyeshadows in this palette that I like more. However, for the price they are great and I’m just being picky.

Moving on to the second row.  The shades in this row are significantly more pigmented than the last. It features more shimmers in pink and orange tones, and also the matte colors are more pigmented as well. I use a lot of the colors from this row for school and everyday. My favorites would include the first one. I love taupes and I think they are great for every season. The lovely taupe in this palette it’s light enough to be a base color for darker looks, or dark enough to be a crease color in lighter looks. I also love the 3rd and the 6th color in this row. They are both light matte browns and perfect shades to use in the crease.

For some reason row 3 looks very bright on my arm and dark in the palette. Anyway, this row is again not one of my favorites to use for everyday. I tend to stay away from oranges because they don’t look good on me and the first couple shadows are bright orange. Also, the grey-ish purple shade in the middle is a nice color in the tin, but it lacks pigment when it’s on. It’s a shame because I was very excited about that shade in particular when I got the palette. Despite the first couple of shades that I might not use that often I really enjoy the shimmery brown colors.

Row 4 is probably my favorite as a whole, although I love the palette as a whole. It consists mainly of shimmery browns that are all highly pigmented and easily blend-able. I also love the last color! I’m very into plums for the fall and I think the color is just gorgeous. It works great in either the crease or the outer V of the eye. My only concern is that many of the shades in the rows are very similar colors. When they are all blended out they look pretty much the same as eachother.

The last row has the darkest shades in the palette. It also features a nice plum and a grey-ish purple that makes up for the disappointing one earlier. Most of these darker shades are highly pigmented, but also have a lot of fall out, the blacks especially. Using a strong eyeshadow base or primer is advised to keep the eyeshadow on your eye and not your cheek.

Overall I really enjoy this palette and believe it is worth more than the $20 I spent on it. Despite some pigmentation issues with the matte shades, all of the eyeshadows seem to be of good quality. I would definitely recommend this people not only who want quality makeup for less, but also someone willing to spend more because it is worth it.

Beauty Blender Dupes

Using a beauty blender is a great way to apply foundation and liquid concealers for a flawless and glowing look. It’s the only way I’ve found to apply foundation thats looks almost as natural as skin. However, $20 for something that seems as simple as a sponge seems quite ridiculous if you ask me. Although I still go back to using my beauty blender, I have tried a few other dupes that greatly compare if you are looking for something good quality for less.
The first beauty blender knock-off I have tried, is the Swissco Precision Blending Sponge, which I got at Ulta. I stumbled across it on my way to check out and decided to give it a try because it looked convincing enough as the original beauty blender, and for only $6 it couldn’t hurt. Honestly, I was surprised how much it actually compared to the beauty blender. It is super soft yet still firm enough to ‘bounce’ on the skin. It also expands to twice it’s size when wet just like the original. I do have a few concerns though. First, it soaks up a lot of makeup. I know it’s a sponge and sponges are supposed to absorb, however I felt like I was having to keep adding more and more foundation to get any sort of coverage. In the long run I would probably be re-buying foundation so much more often than the $16 I save right away is worth. Also, I wash my makeup sponges with a gentle soap and water about every other day to avoid bacterial growth, (because beauty blenders are best used wet, they are a breeding ground for bacterial!) but within about the first month of using this sponge the material began to deteriorate, eventually ripping in half. A problem I have yet to encounter with the Beauty Blender. Personally, I won’t be buying this sponge again for this reason, but in terms of texture and performance there is hardly a difference.

After my Swissco blending sponge ripped, the second beauty blender dupe I tried was the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge also for  $6. The obvious first difference between the Beauty Blender and the Real Techniques sponge is the shape. It still has the pointed end that works well for under the eyes and around the nose, but it also includes another end with a flat side. I find that this flat end makes it easier to blend out larger areas of the face, lowering makeup application time. A major difference that I have noticed is the texture. It’s still quite soft but much denser. It doesn’t have the same springiness as the last one or the Beauty Blender, which makes the makeup go on someone thicker than the last and doesn’t look as airbrushed or natural. However, this difference in make application is slight and still better than any foundation brush I’ve tried. A plus about this product that I did not experience any ripping or tears in the sponge, thus far. I also have noticed it doesn’t absorb nearly has much makeup as the Swissco brand.

Overall, these to products are definitely worth considering when trying to find a blending sponge comparable to the Beauty Blender, especially for a fraction of the price. I think I will be sticking with my Beauty Blender, though. I just feel like it will last the longest and the soft yet firm texture applies makeup flawlessly. Although $20 is quite pricey for a sponge, to me it’s worth not having to replace every month.

First Impression: Smashbox Studio Skin Foundation

Last week I wandered into Ulta looking for a new foundation. I immediately went over to the Urban Decay section to pick up my favorite foundation: the Urban Decay Naked Face, but much to my disappoint it was sold out. Again. I had been in there a couple of other times trying to pick up some more but apparently getting ahold of this stuff at my local Ulta is not an easy task. I would’ve checked Sephora if the closest Sephora wasn’t 30 minutes away. I asked one of the workers when the next shipment was going to arrive, but she told me it’s possible it might not even arrive at all because they basically just put whatever they get sent on the shelves, without any input. However, she did offer to match me for a different foundation to try and I was in desperate need so I agreed.

I ended up buying the Smashbox Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation in the shade 1.1 (the lightest one) for $42.00. It is a bit on the pricier side so I left with high expectations and a little bit of worry that I spent money on something that I was going to hate and never use again. A week later though, I am pleasantly surprised.

First I would like to mention my absolute favorite thing about this foundation. It dries completely matte. I’ve tried many foundations in the past claiming to dry matte but usually dry a little bit shiny or feel sticky leaving me to have to fully set it with powder. With this Smashbox foundation I don’t even need to set it with a powder because it dries matte and stays matte for the whole day. Even though it does dry matte, It does not leave my skin feeling dry or stiff in the slightest.

The lady at Ulta told me this foundation is medium to full-coverage, but I would say it is more on the side of full coverage. My skin can be kind of red under my eyes and on the bridge of my nose, but this foundation covers it entirely. I also like that a little bit of this product goes along way. I don’t find myself having to keeping adding more to build up the coverage that I want. I usually don’t buy full coverage foundations because sometimes they feel heavy or just too much for everyday wear, but I’d have to say I have not experienced that with this foundation. It feels pretty natural on the skin, of course not as light as say a BB cream, but for being medium-full coverage it looks natural enough to wear everyday. Also, it stays on from the time I apply it until the time I take it off. I don’t know if that’s because it’s truly 15 wear, or because I also use a primer.

The one concern I have about this foundation is that it is quite thick. Which is to me expected with a full coverage foundation, however it’s a little bit hard to blend out. I like to apply my makeup with a beauty blender which works best with products that are runnier. It’s not impossible to apply though, it just takes a little bit longer.

Overall, my first impression of this product has exceeded my expectations. I will most likely continue to buy it because the coverage is great while still feeling natural and staying matte. 

Back-to-School Beauty Essentials

For many, the start of a new school year can evoke an array of emotions previously suppressed by the mind-numbing nothingness that is summer break. From fear, to excitement, to down right anger, we’ve all been there when September, or August if your school hates you, rolls around. However, buying a new backpack and filing it with freshly sharpened pencils and empty notebooks made me feel like a new person. Now that I’m in high school, I grab the first binder I see off the shelf and maybe a pen, and thats about the extent of my supply shopping. The magic of using a new box of crayons has long worn off, and I am forced to look for that same confidence boost walking in the school doors for the first time, in other places. I turned to clearing the shelves at my local Sephora and Ulta. I decided to compile a list of beauty products as essential as a pencil for back-to-school.

    1. Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo may the most important product when it comes to back-to-school, in my opinion. When school starts to pick up and I become flooded with homework, sometimes (more often than I’d like to admit) I find myself up half the night trying to finish it, the last thing I want to do when I wake up from what little sleep I managed to get in, is wake up early to wash my hair. I would much rather spray in some dry shampoo still half asleep, and BAM no one will know my hair is actually quite dirty. Also, washing your hair everyday strips it of its natural oils leaving it dry and unhealthy, so by skipping a few days a week you will be doing your hair a big favor. My favorite dry shampoo right now is the Batiste dry shampoo for all hair types. I’m using it in the scent fruity and cheeky cherry and it smells amazing!

2. Leave In Conditioner               

Continuing with hair, another product perfect for back-to-school is a leave in conditioner. After a long summer in the sun and the pool, your hair can be left dry, dead, and frizzy. My absolute favorite leave in conditioner is the it’s a 10 miracle leave-in plus keratin. I could rave about this stuff all day to anyone who would listen. It strengthens hair, protects against heat, detangles, protects keratin in the hair, and more. It is a little bit on the pricey side however, my hair feels silkier and healthier with every use.

3. Hand Cream/ Lotion

No matter what I do my hands are dry and cracking around my fingernails, so I keep a tube of hand lotion in my school bag and reapply as needed throughout the day. I always make to sure to get something that is lightly scented as to not distract anyone in class with me.  There is always that one person in class you either sprays the strongest perfume or opens the strongest lotion and all eyes are on them immediately. In some cases, when I was in middle school there would be the kids making dramatic gagging sounds, and I’d prefer not to be the reason for their scene.

4. BB Cream/ Tinted Moisturizer 

Moving on to makeup, either a BB cream or tinted moisturizer is perfect for those days when you want a no makeup, makeup look. I’d recommend one of those two over a foundation for school, anyway. They are lighter and give a little bit of coverage where you may want it, but nothing to heavy for school.  Also they soften skin
and many have SPF to protect skin from UV rays in the warmer months. I’ve tried a large assortment of BB creams. CC creams, and tinted moisturizers, but my favorite is the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. It is on the more expensive side, so if your looking for something a little less pricey, the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB cream works great as well.

4. Translucent Powder 

Using a translucent powder is a great way to set makeup and get rid of shine throughout the day. It keeps your face completely matte and looks almost as natural as skin. I’ve used pressed translucent powders and loose powders and definitely prefer loose powders. I feel it gives a lighter feel and a more natural finish. The one I am using at the moment is the is the NYX Cosmetics Studio Finishing Powder Translucent Finish and is a great product for the lower cost.

5. Makeup Removing Wipes 

Okay, I know I said dry shampoo is the most important product for back-to-school, but makeup remover is actually the most important. There is nothing worse than forgetting to take off makeup at night and waking up with it smeared all over your face. I like to use either the Say Yes to Cucumber wipes which are cooling and feel great, or the Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes. You should also use a facial cleanser along with makeup remover to remove dirt and oil as well as makeup.