Benefit: Do the Bright Thing (That Gal, Dandelion, High Beam, They're Real) review

Around a month ago, one of my friends gifted me Benefit's 'Do the Bright Thing' kit. I was so excited because I have recently been 'researching' reviews of High Beam and I was considering buying 'Finding Mr Bright' to get the sample size version. 

Benefit is one of those brands I associate with being young, fun, quirky, and creative. The only other Benefit product I have owned was 'You Rebel', a tinted moisturiser.

Thank you Helen for being a mind-reader and letting me try out High Beam and discovering new products:)

Do the Bright Thing

Do the Bright Thing!

What they say: "Best & brightest total face makeup kit. Bright up your look with our brilliant beautifiers!"
  
Contents: This is a sampler kit of sorts and contains five of Benefit's products in sample sizes.

1.) "That Gal" Brightening face primer 7.5ml/ 0.25 US fl. oz (Made in the USA)
2.) "Dandelion" (with brush) A brightening face powder 3.0g/ Net wt. 0.1oz (Made in the USA)
3.) "They're Real!" Beyond mascara 3.0g/ Net wt. 0.1 oz (Made in France)
4.) "High Beam" Luminescent complexion enhancer 4.0ml/ 0.13 US fl. oz (Made in France)
5.) "Badgal Liner Waterproof" Extra black waterproof eye pencil 0.5g/ Net wt. 0.02 oz (Made in Germany)

(I'm not sure why the products are produced in different countries or why they need to be stated so explicitly on the back of the box.)

Packaging: Like all the other Benefit kits, this kit comes in a box sleeve to protect the little book-like-case which houses the goodies. Once you flip open the magnetic cover, you will be greeted with a little booklet of "Tips and tricks" for "Instant beauty by Benefit". The container also contains a mirror.

The products are separated by a thin plastic sheet which says "Remove makeup and save the keepsake box for your little treasures". A booklet with the ingredients in multiple languages is also included.

The casing for the products are numbered so you know which order to use them in (phew!).

Cost: $59 AUD (from Myer)

The back of the cardboard sleeve. Aren't the products gorgeous?

Tips and Tricks

The products! I don't know why, but whenever I see photos of Benefit's kits, I always thought the little numbers were shopped in. They are actually printed onto the tray lol.

The brush for Dandelion. It's so tiny!

Benefit products hidden amongst my other sample sized products and full size products. Benefit's "They're Real" looks so much wider than Dior's "Maximeyes"

My Thoughts

That Gal: Smells so yummy! It has a sweet strawberries and cream scent. The pink base did make my skin brighter and gave it an immediate glow. My skin did not look as dull and it made me look less sleepy. However, as I always wore it under my CC cream (which itself acts as a base/ primer) I can't say it made a significant difference in extending the wear time of my CC and BB cream or made my application of other face products that much smoother. 

I use it by dabbing a spot on my cheeks, my forehead, my chin, and my... philtrum. 

Score: ☆☆☆/ 5

Dandelion: The colour is a pale pink with golden shimmers in it. This also smells pretty (not sure how that is possible). At first I thought the colour wouldn't show up on my tanner skin, but it does! 

I like to use Dandelion just fine with the provided brush. Rather than sweeping it across my cheeks, I like to concentrate it just under my eyes to get a subtle innocent flush. I brush the remaining powder all over my face for that shimmery effect.

Score: ☆☆☆☆/ 5

They're Real: To be honest, I'm not that fussy with my mascara. I can hardly tell the difference between $4 Essence mascara and $50 high end mascaras... but I quite like the plastic bristles on this brush. The little clump of bristles (think a less intense variation of Holika Holika's Magic Pole) at the end is so useful for coating your bottom lashes and separating the top lashes when you brush them vertically. I liked the wet formula.

Like Angela of Teddybearkitties said, the bristles do irritate your eye when you brush on the mascara. It doesn't hurt per se, but it is uncomfortable.

As I usually wear my makeup for a longggg time (wake up at 6am, get home at 6pm), I was a bit bummed to see the mascara smudged on my bottom lashes:( 

Score: ☆☆/ 5

High Beam: I was so excited about this and it did not disappoint! The cool toned frosty silver pink was so beautiful. The cream texture of High Beam and the nailpolish-esque applicator was a breeze to apply! Unfortunately, it did not have much staying power. I think you need to apply it fairly frequently as it melts away after a few hours.

I used it as suggested along my cheekbones, to highlight my eyes, on the bridge of my nose, the top of my lip, my chin, and my forehead. Yes, this was all done in one dip... 

Score: ☆☆☆☆/ 5

Badgal Liner Waterproof: I haven't used this yet. I don't know when I will, but  I instinctively prefer to use my Canmake eyeliner and my gel eyeliner. Sorry.

Score: N/A

Overall

Pros: 

- good variety of products; can try sample sizes

- products work well together

- conveniently packaged; can easily take it away on holiday

- fantastic value for money considering the price of full-size versions

- items are universally flattering (not sure about Dandelion showing up on more pigmented skin, but it could see it still being used as a brightening powder rather than a blush)

Cons:

- items come as a set; can't pick and choose shades (e.g., wouldn't it be cool if you could swap your High Beam for a Sun Beam or a Moon Beam? Or your Dandelion for a CORALista or Sugarbomb? But I guess that's what the other kits are for)

- smaller products are harder to hold

- You cannot physically pop Dandelion out like the other products:( I think it's glued in

- potentially short longevity of Badgal liner. Since it's only around a 7cm stub when it is new, I can't imagine drawing with it would be easy after a few sharpens...

Once again, although I can certainly afford to purchase these products in their full-sized glory, I wouldn't do so without thinking it through (because I am frugal). I would consider buying the full size of High Beam ($45AUD) and maybe Dandelion ($51AUD). 

I wish you could purchase these mini/ travel/ sample sized items individually. I would buy the small sized High Beam for $15 if that option was available. 

TL;DR: That Gal, Dandelion, and High Beam were the stars for me. My face looked so much more bling bling and awake. They're Real is a nice mascara, but it isn't spectacular. It gets the job done and it smudges if you apply it to your bottom lashes.

I really liked this kit and I would recommend it! It contains some of my everyday makeup routine items now.

I'm not sure if I would personally purchase it with a price tag of $59 as I could do without the mascara and the eyeliner pencil. I would consider purchasing other kits by Benefit if it contained products I was interested in (Benetint and The Porefessional, you're next!). 

☆☆☆☆/ 5

Hope this was helpful x