BeneFit Boi-ing

My dark, under eye circles are the bane of my life. I think I must have tried every lotion and potion promising miracle cures but alas non of these have made the blindest bit of difference. I get enough sleep and have a very healthy diet but unfortunately it appears that I have inherited these from my dear old dad and I may have to live with them.

I wear glasses most of the time and as I have slightly dark lenses (as they change colour with light intensity) they are not so noticable. However I do on occasion wear contact lenses and I am very conscious of how dark my circles actually are. I tried various concealers on the market but as I have medium brown skin these did not blend very well and in fact rather than hiding my circles they seemed to illuminate them drawing even more attention to them – no something I really wanted! Then a couple of years ago I discovered the MAC studio finish range of concealers. I used this fairly regularly for two years but as the packaging recommends discarding the product after 24 months I discontinued using this and went off to buy another concealer.

I had fully intended to just replace my MAC concealer with a new one in the same range however I wanted to get some advice about shades as I felt the one I had was a little too dark and didn’t blend into my skin perfectly. I turned up at the MAC counter in Selfridges on Oxford St but they were extremely busy – I hung around for about 10 minutes but there was a long queue for consultations in front of me so I decided to head off. My next stop happened to be Boots and I spotted the Benefit counter, which happened to have no customers around it so I decided to ask for some advice about concealers there.

My sister is a fan of the Benefit range of cosmetics. She actually uses one of their concealers and recommends them highly so I thought I would ask the lady on the counter to try some on my skin. The lady suggested that the boi-ing concealer would be a good one for my skin and proceeded to apply some under my eyes. After applying and blending the concealer the lady handed me a mirror and I was really impressed with the results. My dark circles were no longer drew attention to themselves and the concealer had blended in quite well so I couldn’t tell I was wearing some (unless I looked extremely closely). I was impressed enough to part with my cash – not easy as at £16.50 for a 3g pot this stuff isn’t exactly cheap!

The concealer itself is housed in a black pot with a screw on lid. The lid has a clear circle in it through which the product can be seen. The plastic pot comes packaged in a square cardboard box that is pink and black. It has circle on the front covered in see through plastic film through which the colour of the concealer can be seen. I think I would have preferred the concealer to have a flip open lid rather than a screw type as I do sometimes find it a little fiddly to open.

There is a leaflet inside the box that contains further details about the product. The concealer is what Benefit call ‘Industrial strength’ which they claim will camouflage dark circles, shadows and discolouration for a seamless natural looking finish without creasing or fading. Believe me, with my dark circles, only industrial strength will do! The concealer comes in 3 shades; light, medium and dark, which should suit most skin tones, and the one suggested for me was the dark one. I was a bit sceptical with their only being three tones available as I don’t think all skin tones can be classified in 3 categories! It may therefore be difficult to find the correct shade for some people, though gladly (and rather surprisingly) for me this did not prove to be an issue.

To apply I take a small make-up brush and apply some of the concealer under my eyes. I then blend in gently with my ring finger as this means I do not apply too much pressure to the delicate skin under my eyes. I find the product is a little difficult to blend if it’s cold, which results in a slightly pasty look so I tend to warm the pot slightly in my hands or by placing it close to (but not on top of) a radiator before use. I have used this product regularly for the last 8 months and have been pleased with the results each and every time. Once applied the concealer stays put and doesn't need to be constantly reapplied regardless of how hot or cold it is. At the end of he day this is easy to remove either with a facial wipe or with my normal cleansing wash. Despite regular use I’ve barely made a dent in the product. Surprisingly there doesn’t appear to be a ‘discard’ date on the box but I suspect it’ll be around 24 months as well.

Overall I am really pleased with my purchase and can’t fault the concealer. It is a little pricey but a little does go a long way and as it doesn’t have to be replaced regularly it does work out to be really good value for money. It’s certainly a concealer I shall consider again when I run out!