Pretty at First Sight

Hello new friends!

This past week I was introduced to a few must-have products.  On a lunchtime shopping excursion to Bloomingdales my intentions were pretty simple starting out: walk through the Rachel Zoe collection for the millionth time, see what new sequin dresses Alice+Olivia have to offer, spritz on Estee Lauder's Sensuous Nude perfume, and pretend I don't have to be back at my desk in an hour (typical lunch for moi). I passed by the Benefit counter and remembered I was all out of Hello Flawless foundation. Easy problem to fix. The makeup artist helping me must have sensed my enthusiasm (it doesn't happen often) and informed me of a free skin care set when you make a purchase of $50. Ok, $50 challenge. It's on. 

Benefit's repertoire isn't that expansive, but they do make a few gems.  Aside from Hello Flawless, J & I both share a love for the highlighter, High Beam,  Our cheekbones thank you, Benefit.  When she tried to sell me on their new mascara, They're Real!, I was hesitant to try, explaining my distaste for their famous Bad Gal Blue Mascara. She agreed with me (obviously) and just like that, I gave Benefit mascara another chance.  I'm so happy I did.   For a girl with barely-there lashes, my lashes woke up when adding They're Real! to the mix. It's hard to find a mascara that makes your lashes longer and voluminous, but my hat's off to Benefit.  The brush is pretty genius - it has the ball-like tip that both Givenchy and L'Oreal Telescopic made famous, but is also a full wand to lengthen and separate.  I've only tried the eye cream from the skin care gift, which also came with a moisturizer and cleanser. But judging by the eye cream, I think I made the right decision to take part in the $50 challenge.

My other new finds (well, new for me) worth mentioning are L'Oreal's True Match Liquid Foundation and Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush.  True Match is a pretty solid foundation.  Not quite Neutrogena Healthy Skin, but what is.  It's definitely more of a matted liquid, if that makes sense. But the coverage is even and heavy without feeling heavy.  Rimmel's blush in pink rose will also make it to my cosmetic case once I can find it. It's one of those universally flattering colors which somehow looks good on every one.  Oh, I also bought some Brucci red polishes. 

Not a bad weekend. The best part was testing all these new products in between coming home from the Staten Island mall and clubbing in Bay Ridge. Not bad, indeed.

~C