Benefit Cosmetics Favorites

Do you ever realize that you reach for the same thing everyday in terms of makeup.  I find myself applying makeup in the morning, with little time to spare, looking at the array of items at my disposal and saying, "Hmm, what to do?"  Many days I end up reaching for the same things, and to be honest, I have found that those tend to be my products by Benefit Cosmetics. 

I was introduced to Benefit Cosmetics when I first starting watching other beauty gurus on You Tube.  The first item I ever bought from Benefit was Coralista blush, which I still reach for on a regular basis; however, since then, I have added to my benefit collection.  I thought I would share of few of these items with you and give you an overall "Tknokitten" review on them.

The thing I find myself reaching for the most is the "Smokin Eyes" palette.  This palette seems to be my go to when I am in a rush. It seems to have everything I need. It contains 3 eyeshadows, an eyeliner, a brush (which to be honest I really don't use), a Brow Zings eyebrow wax, Eye Bright, and a tweezer.  For me this is a perfect palette for those days when choices are not in the running for me.  I really like the colors of these shadows as they can be used heavily for a really smoked out look, or lightly for a daytime affect. As a teacher, I can't step into class to teach my 4th graders with bright purple eyeshadow.  I need to tone it down somewhat, and these shadows are perfect for that.  The eyeliner is OK.  It's your typical black eyeliner for me, and isn't very soft or creamy as some eyeliners can be.  It applies easily, but tends to rub off during the day. I usually keep my regular MAC fluid lines handy as those tend to hold up for me throughout the day.  The brow zings are my favorite part of this little palette! The color is suitable for all hair colors. My hair is highlighted blonde and this color does not look bad at all. It actually looks quite natural.  The eyebright (the pink rectangle on the palette) usually comes in a pencil form, but was put in this palette for easy use and travel when you don't want to lug around your whole makeup drawer.  This can be used in the corners of your eyes to brighten up the most tired eyes. I always tend to have that problem. Sleeping is definitely an issue for me.  You can also use it under your eyes if you have really dark circles, or on the brow bone as a highlight.  Let's just say I grab this often, especially if I am in a rush...and it is worth it.

Another product that I have grown to love is the eye primer.  Sadly I have heard that the F. Y... Eye is being discontinued. I was lucky enough to get one of the last ones at my benefit counter as Sephora was completely out of it and did not plan to re-stock.  This primer is great. I hate pumping up the benefits of it (no pun intended) as it is discontinued, but I need to tell you that this primer is unlike any I have used before. I have tried Too Faced Shadow Insurance (which does not work well for me), Urban Decay Primer Potion which had been my go to primer for the longest time, Magnetize by Spell Cosmetics, and Coastal Scents Eye Poxy primer. For pigments, I would say Magnetize by Spell is the way to go; but, if you are going to be using pressed eyeshadows I love my F. Y... Eye.  It dries to a nice powdery finish and your shadows are very easy to blend on top of. Most other primers, at least in my experience tend to grab onto eyeshadow, enhance the colors (which is not always a bad thing), and stick them to your lid making it very difficult to blend.  Benefit's F. Y... Eye allows you to really blend your shadows and keeps my shadow on all day.

I have found another primer, though that is a close runner to Benefit's F. Y...Eye that seems to basically do the same thing.  That is Ulta's Professional Eye Primer. If you have seen my last haul on You Tube, I talk about both of them. The Ulta Professional Eye Primer is a lot cheaper as well. It's only $12 as compared to Benefit's $28, but as I tested it in Ulta, and played around with it on my hand with shadows, I found it to do the same thing.  I would rather Benefit's but as it is being discontinued, I will try this one out every now and again.  If not, I can always go back to my Urban Decay Primer Potion (which I love as well)

I could go on and on about Benefit's products. The only downfall I have found is that their eyeshadow colors are quite limited. The few that I have tried I absolutely love.  I find myself wishing they were more like MAC with unlimited shades and finishes, but sadly they are not.  MAC does a great job of allowing their customer base loads of choices when it comes to eyeshadows and blushes.  I do like the three blushes I have from Benefit: Coralista, Throb, and Dandelion (which is more of a luminizer than a blush). 

So my questions for you are:

Do you use any benefit products?

Which ones are your faves?

Which products would you recommend to others?

What are your thoughts?