Benefit Box O' Powder in Dandelion

Benefit Box O' Powders are nothing new, and they're blushes, so how exactly I've gone this long without owning one properly, I'm not sure.  I did pick up a mini of Benefit's Bella Bamba as a Sephora 100 point perk, but it's not the same as owning a full size and somehow the mini packaging manages to be even more annoying than the full size packaging.

Benefit's Box O' Powder blush in Dandelion is something that has been on my wishlist forever.  It's a blush.  It's a yellow based pink blush.  I mean, how had I not picked this up?

Well, after finally biting the bullet and picking it up when I had a Sephora discount, I know how I hadn't picked it up.  It's fine.  The blush, itself, is fine.  It's a very subtle (even on my super pale skin) yellow based pink blush.  It's smooth without being powdery.  It blends well and it has decent staying power - I got 6 hours out of it before it faded noticeably.  It has a satin finish.

The packaging is terrible.  The stupid cardboard flip top lid thing is nothing but an irritation.  The brush, surprisingly, wasn't awful, though I wouldn't use it to apply blush.  I think it would be fine for a contour brush.   There's a stupid little plastic insert thing that sits over the powder and if you're not careful (which, of course, I learned the hard way) it's very easy to gouge the product.

This is a product that I wanted to love, but the packaging was sufficiently annoying that I not only don't love it.  I have it sitting in my makeup storage in the other room.  And while I expected the color to be subtle, I don't know that I expected it to be quite this subtle.  MAC's Pink Tea looks similar in the pan, but has way more oomph on the skin.  

Sigh.  At this price point, I should love it and I don't.

Benefit Box O' Powder in Dandelion contains 7 grams of product and retails for $28 wherever Benefit is sold.  I got mine at Sephora.

Overall:  6/10

Review: Pink lipsticks - yellow based

So lately I've been obsessed with yellow-based pink lipsticks.  They're not exactly earth shattering.  You can find them from a lot of different companies at a lot of different price points, but I thought I would share some of my favorites.

These shades sometimes get categorized as coral, but they're definitely not.  They are pink, but a warm yellow pink, not quite peach and definitely not orange.  I'm amused by how much the official descriptions of the colors vary, but they all look very similar.

MAC Chatterbox is described as a "bright red-pink".  It has an amplified finish so it feels really good on the lips.  It doesn't wear quite as well as a drier formula, but I usually get 2 - 3 hours out of an application.  All MAC lipsticks contain .10 oz of product and retail for $15.00.

Makeup Geek lipstick in Adorable has a Satin/Gloss finish and definitely has the most slip of the three lipsticks.  It is described by Makeup Geek as a dupe for MAC Chatterbox, but I think it's closer to Fanfare.  It is a beautiful color, very creamy texture that doesn't dry my lips.  The packaging contains 4 grams of product and retails for $7.99 on the Makeup Geek site.  

MAC Fanfare has a Cremesheen finish.  It is described by MAC as a "mid-tone yellow pink".  Cremesheens aren't my favorite finish, but I do love this color, so I put up with it.  I don't find it too drying and it does wear really well.  All MAC lipsticks contain .10 oz of product and retail for $15.00.

Sephora Rouge Cream in #14 Seduce is described as a warm beige pink.  This is my first Sephora lipstick and I am impressed with the product if not the packaging.  The bullet is annoyingly large.  I have no idea how much product it contains as neither the packaging, nor the Sephora site say, but I doubt it contains more product than the Makeup Geek lipsticks and yet the bullet is markedly bigger.  It retails for $12.  The formula is super creamy and very opaque.

So what do you think of yellow based pink lipsticks?  Do you love them as much as I love them or are they a pass for you?

MAC Chatterbox Lipstick

I am in love with yellow-based pink lipsticks and I keep buying them.  (The first step is admitting you have a problem.)

I already had MAC Fanfare which I absolutely adore and wear every other day, but I picked up Makeup Geek's Adorable, which I thought was a dupe for Fanfare (don't ask why I'm buying a dupe for something I already have).  However, the Makeup Geek store says Adorable is a dupe for Chatterbox.  So, of course, I had to pick up Chatterbox and see ...

Looking at swatches, I still think that Adorable is much closer to Fanfare, but I do love Chatterbox.  It's described by MAC as "bright red-pink".  I think it's mostly a neutral pink that leans slightly yellow, but it is definitely redder than Fanfare.  Chatterbox has an Amplified finish so it's very creamy and doesn't dry out my lips at all.

I love this color.  It is an intense pink without being too bright - it's very wearable.  And it doesn't lean particularly cool or warm, so it's flattering on a range of skintones.

MAC lipsticks contain .10 oz of product and retail for $15.

Overall: 9/10

MAC Lipstick in Fanfare

MAC Cremesheen lipstick in Fanfare has made it onto several of my favorites list, but I just realized I hadn't actually done a post on it.  So without further ado, MAC Fanfare.

MAC describes fanfare as a "yellow based pink" which is apt.  Fanfare is definitely more pink than peach with a good deal of pigmentation.  It is a cremesheen finish which I know some people find drying on the lips.  I don't have a problem with it and I find that it does wear well.  I get a solid 4 - 5 hours of wear out of an application.

MAC Fanfare is definitely one of my favorite lipsticks.  I am in love with yellow based pinks in general, but particularly with this lipstick.  

Overall: 10/10

Review: MAC Pink Tea Blush

MAC Pink Tea blush is limited edition. It's from the Tres Cheek collection that launched in early April 2012.    This is actually my favorite blush from the collection, but it seems to be one of the less popular.  This means if you want it, it looks like it's still available at most outlets.

It's a very subtle beige pink color with a satin finish.  I absolutely love it.  Oddly enough, I don't own many pink blushes.  I have tons of coral blushes, but not many pink.  

Pink Tea has a great finish.  It reminds me a lot of the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Exposed.  The color isn't really similar, but much like Exposed, it looks super boring in the pan, but on the skin it is very pretty - much less beige and much pinker.

It doesn't have a ton of pigmentation, but it shows up really well on my NW15 skintone.  If you have a darker skintone, I don't know how much payoff you're going to get out of it.

I think this was a great addition to my collection and I'm very happy with it.

The pan contains 6 grams of product and retails for $20.

Overall: 8/10