Basic-O-Base 04 : Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous

Hellow ^^!

I have to admit that i am not the biggest fan of foundations, i like lighter base and i don't have that much to cover anyway so i always opt for BB Cream whenever i am wearing makeup. However, a good foundation's still a must in a beauty junkie's collection, especially for those special occasions like parties (although i did wear BB Cream to parties too *LOL*. Basically i use whatever base i currently have and make it work :p) so i do have some in my drawer too.

And even though you all must know by now that i am a huge fan of drugstore brands, somehow my foundations are mostly from higher end brands. The reason? I very rarely purchase them, they're either a gift from brands (you know, from events) or hand-me-down from my mom or sis! The foundation that i am going to review today's also from higher end brand : Benefit!

Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous Foundation Faker

I'm sure most of you who hadn't been living under a rock would know about Benefit cosmetics already! The widely popular American brand founded by Jane and Jean Ford should need no introduction anymore, but if you want to know more about the basics of Benefit, you can read it in their wikipedia.

I first learned about Benefit from Singapore magazines that i used to be addicted to (i don't read local magazines, and it broke my heart when bookstores stopped selling Cleo Singapore since Cleo Indonesia's opened-no they're not the same -___-) and i was instantly attracted to their fun and playful concept and packaging! I love love love their creative and cheeky product names and even though i am more of a kawaii packaging lover, i still couldn't help but get attracted to their funkier designs!

When my mum went to Singapore a while back, i asked her to buy me Benefit's Some Kind-a Gorgeous or eye cream (i think it was called Eyecon?) but she ended up buying me both (then scold me for asking for such expensive gifts. Well hello, i asked for one of them, how is that my fault that she bought both??). While the eye cream's long gone *LOL* and i won't be reviewing it unless i ever repurchase it (not going to happen), the foundie faker's another story altogether ^^.

Ta-dahhh

As usual, let's talk packaging first!

See what i mean about creative packaging? They make the foundation's compact to look like a music record and the cardboard box as the player, complete with a little "handle" on the side! Super fun! There's a description on the back of the box as well as the ingredient list. My mum bought it from Tang's Singapore and the price you see is in SGD. Yes, it's expensive, especially if you convert it in current exchange rate, but it was bought before the SGD's as bad as it is now (or as good, for Singaporean *LOL*) and weirdly enough according to their (Tang's) website the price's SGD 48 only now, maybe it was more expensive when it was newer? I dunno...

According to the US website it's actually retail for USD 30 (NOT FAIR!), and now Benefit's already available in Indonesia (Jakarta only) but i have no idea how much the price is here. It is IDR 417.000 in Strawberrynet.com, in case you're interested in getting it ^^, so i'd say the average price in Asia to be under IDR 450.000.

I didn't even know that they come in three different shades, i couldn't find any indication on the shade but after poking around their websites, i came to the conclusion that mine's the Medium shade (the only one without any indication of the shade)

The compact itself is like most normal compacts (except the cute sticker that transforms it into a music record, of course), rounded and palm sized. It is made from a very nice quality plastic, very sturdy and it feels "expensive" hehe.

It comes with a generous sized mirror, good enough for application or if you wish, touch up on the go

There's a tier underneath that placed the sponge it comes with. FYI, the sponge is really nice and high quality as well, it makes application a breeze! Nothing like useless sponges most drugstore brands come with haha

Please excuse the mess, i took this photo after using it a few times :p

I was quite shocked when i first opened it and saw how dark the product was! But upon application it turned out to be not as dark as i thought it would be and magically match my skin tone nicely!

Here's my Before face, dark circle and redness are my main concern as usual

See how light the color compared to the pan?

I also thought that the foundation would be powder formed, i am the most horrible buyer and never read any description carefully before buying anything *LOL*-so i was a bit concerned when i saw the solid form! I've never used any solid foundation before! But my worries soon disappeared, it picks up very easily with a swipe of my finger, it's also not heavy nor creamy but liquidy upon contact with my skin! Totally lives up to their claim to be a liquid compact foundation (didn't even know such thing existed!).

My After face, before powder or concealer. Notice how my dark circle's a lot better already before under eye concealer?

Redness also all tamed down! Instant smooth, silky and even skin tone with one light application, just like they promised!

Some Kinda Gorgeous is a dream to blend (i like to use the sponge they provided for easy and fast application, but those of you who are more expert probably want to use your own brush) , it's super soft, non streaky and instantly blur my pores, cover any redness and old acne scars, even tones down my dark circle but at the same time feels super light and silky! 

I would say that the coverage is medium, but without the heaviness that most medium coverage foundations would have! It is an oil-free, cream to powder foundie and i was pleasantly surprised when i touch my face immediately after application that it has set into powdery, matte but still glowy, silky texture! Although it does feel matte and non oily, when i set it with a light powder (coz my skin's super oily, i always have to set everything with powder!) i see that it still transfers to the puff so my decision to set it was the right one!

See the Before and After side by side for comparison ^^. Definitely loving how my skin doesn't look like it has tonnes of makeup on but the pores are all blurred out!

As someone with super oily skin, i always prefer very matte finish on my makeup because it'll turn dewy in one or two short hours anyway. This is how my skin looks after i set it with Johnson's Mini Face Powder that has no coverage.

Yes, i know it's very white but don't worry, it adjusts itself after a few minutes

I find the staying power to be be great on me, it wouldn't budge until the time when i take it off-oil control is actually pretty good too. My skin stays oil free for longer than my usual liquid foundie or BB Cream! Of course i still have to blot if i wear it for a whole day, but less as much! Maybe twice for 12 hours!

I absolutely love it and can see why people would pay so much for a foundation after trying it haha (doesn't mean i've converted, nope, still drugstore lover all the way hahaha) and i would even go as far as saying that this is the best foundation that i've ever tried so far (remember, result may vary on different skin. What works for me might not work for you, it just goes that this product loves my skin!). The only negative that i can find in this product is the smell! I thought it was just me, but i actually saw some reviews that mentions it smelling funny. Nothing outrageous actually, i personally find it to smell like... pastels/crayons? LOL. A bit overpowering but once i have it on, it ceases to bother me.

They claim be a lightweight, translucent, foundation-like product smoothes out imperfections and evens skin tone with a silky, smooth finish that's super natural and super gorgeous. And i'd say AMEN to every single one!

 

How it looks with full makeup on (taken under natural sunlight :

In short it is a wonderful, luxurious, unique cream to powder foundation that is quite heavy on the price tag-but it is worth every penny! However, i think it might not suit dry skin very well, i read some reviewers says it clings to their dry patches and settles into fine lines so it's probably more suitable for those with normal to oily skin and doesn't have wrinkles yet!

I would highly recommend this for anyone who are looking for higher end, funky designed, lovely medium coverage foundation that feels super lightweight easy to blend.

Would not recommend this for those who has super sensitive nose and cannot stand any strong scent, those who wants very high coverage foundation, also those with smaller budget or very dry/mature skin.

I would love to repurchase but with its hefty price tag, i don't see myself doing it anytime soon *LOL*. I still prefer drugstore foundations (and BB Creams mostly) and being a beauty junkie that i am, i prefer to try out different brands anyway. I would definitely purchase other products by Benefit though!

Do you use Benefit products? What's your favorite product from them and do you have any recommendation on what other Benefit product i should try next?

#Pink.