The Cult Favorite

Every beauty enthusiast, blogger, vlogger and hoarder knows that Benefit is one of the best brands in terms of packaging and marketing. Not a lot of people like everything Benefit rolls out [foundations aren't anything special and some of the items are too overpriced for how mediocre they perform. Kits with foundation and powder included don't have the best shade range and aren't customizable.*].

* via Makeup Alley

But I've read a lot of great things about the They're Real. Of course littered with the positives are the negatives but the good outweigh the bad according to the general consensus.




The Brush

One of the main selling points of this mascara is the unusual wand. It's a rubber/silicone wand similar to The Rocket Mascara (here) but with the addition of a minesweeper (remember that game?) looking ball at the top.

While I think that the ball helps in coating the inner and outer ends of the eyelashes [also helps in separating lashes] it's quite tricky to use the "normal" brush side of the wand for the lower lashes. And if I do attempt to use the ball side for bottom lash application I risk poking my eye and/or getting mascara everywhere which I absolutely try to avoid because...





The Formula

This wet/creamy mascara is touted as being a semi-waterproof mascara but it's as hard to remove as a waterproof one. Scratch that. It's a pain to remove. I need to use olive oil after my cream cleanser. Or the Maybelline eye makeup remover after my cream cleanser. I still find remains on my cotton pad soaked with toner.

Other than that, it lengthens and volumizes really well despite being a wet mascara. I can also attest to the "saw visible lift" claim on the box, but I wouldn't say it "curled" my lashes sans curler.

One coat yields a satisfactory look in my opinion. I can definitely build it up to crazy-spidery-fake-lashes easily. Drying time is shorter if in front of a fan or in an air conditioned room. I would say without the fan or ac it's fully dry within 2-3 minutes. [The Philippines is a humid country.]





By one generous coat I mean I put a thick glop on and brushed it through several times.


This is basically my everyday / Go anywhere / 5 minute / I don't want to think too much / Who am I trying to impress makeup look.

I believe the mascara retails for around Php 1200 here. About USD $2 more expensive compared to the Sephora US price.

Final thoughts?

Despite liking the outcome I honestly wouldn't shell out USD $46 on a product with so short a shelf-life. It doesn't seem logical to me. Plus the wand is too gimmicky more than it is functional. The formula is more of love-hate. I love the effect and volume but it's so hard to take off.


xx,
CJ


PS. Drugstore mascaras rule...but if you have high end recommendations let me know. I'll keep my eyes peeled for it. :)

PPS. I got this sample in one of the BDJ subscription boxes.

PPPS. I didn't mention that the rest of the images after the pic with the generous coat I have two coats of mascara on.


EDIT : It smudges and transfers by the end of the day. And I don't have oily lids. I find it weird that a hard-to-remove mascara still smudges and transfers...

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