Skincare, skincare, skincare. With the transition to fall and the cooler weather, and combined with the stress of school, there have been huge changes to my skin - mainly dryness, so if you know me well, I always look to find new skincare products to combat my issues.

I've had the Benefit Cosmetics Total Moisture Facial Cream in my arsenal of products for some time now, but never got around to trying it out. I've been pretty happy with the other products I've tried from their B. Right skincare range, and figured this one should probably perform pretty well.

Like all the other packing in the line, the container is composed of glass making it heavy, but definitely durable. However, I would be wary of knocking it off the counter, as I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be able to withstand that type of a fall without shattering. The jar of cream features a faux-cork look, and removing the lid reveals a covering to keep the cream clean and from drying out.

The product itself isn't light or watery, but it isn't thick enough for me to consider it as a cream. I would probably classify it as a lightweight cream, which is nice for use throughout the day because I'm not looking for anything too heavy. The only real downfall for me is that like the other products in the line, this carries that fresh fragrance that is a little bit too strong for my liking.

Application of the cream is a breeze and it absorbs so well into the skin. It is very hydrating, and can even double up as a nice night cream if you utilize a heavier amount. My skin in the morning is brighter as well, which is an added bonus! I would recommend this for normal to dry skin, as it is quite hydrating. If you're on the oilier side, I'd stay away just because the intense moisture plus oiliness might translate to the skin being oilier after use.

I'll be adding this one into my winter regimen this year. Anyone else tried this cream before? Let me know your thoughts!

Over the years, I've found my skin continues to change and I'm always on the lookout for products that target my problems. For the past two years, I've found myself to have little dry spots here and there around my face.. and needless to say it's really annoying!

When Benefit released their skincare line last year, I quickly picked up a few of the products. One of them happened to be the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion with SPF 15 PA++ protection.

I was mostly intrigued by this product because it is an emulsion - a product that you do not commonly see in the North American market, but very frequent over in Asia. For those of you new to emulsions, they are basically very lightweight moisturizers, with a watery consistency (although not necessarily meaning they are runny). Benefit's version is very lightweight with a watery consistency, making it easy to apply and is instantly absorbed by the skin, drying to a semi-matte finish.

The inclusion of SPF protection in the product is great, but definitely isn't enough to protect your skin adequately in the summertime. But in the end, the product does what it intends to do, and keeps my face free of little dry spots. If you have really dry skin though, this may not be the product for you as it isn't intensely hydrating due to the lightweight formula. For my combination skin, I'm left with a moisturized face, and don't feel oily throughout the day.

As for the packaging, you'll notice it comes housed in a glass bottle with a pump dispenser. The bottle itself is fairly heavy, and if you are clumsy and drop the bottle, it is more than likely to completely smash. What I do appreciate though, is the pump dispenser which keeps the product clean and is much more hygienic than tubs of moisturizer that you have to dip your fingers into.

My biggest problem with this product isn't the performance of the emulsion itself, but rather the scent. It is a very strong, floral/shampoo like smell, and takes a while to dissipate. Those of you sensitive to smells may find your noses absolutely against it, but it doesn't affect the moisturizing properties at all. In the end, it is a nice, lightweight moisturizer that has sun protection, and leaves the skin feeling smooth without added greasiness throughout the day.

Anyone tried this product out yet?

Oh, Benefit. My very first high end beauty brand I purchased from, and definitely one of my favourite companies out there - both for products and packaging.

I'm a big fan of Benefit's Hello Flawless Powder Foundation, so when the liquid version came out at the beginning of this year, I sought out to buy the product. However, this product is not available in Canada (boo), so I had to ask a friend in the States to bring it home for me. Whether fortunate or unfortunate, it was too dark of a shade for me to wear in the winter/summer months, and now I've finally picked up enough natural colour to match the foundation shade.


What really got me interested in this particular foundation though, is that the description put out by Benefit made it sound almost like a BB Cream. The product promised to have brightening effects, sun protection, coverage and moisturizing capabilities, while having anti-aging properties as well. Sound familiar? Basically the textbook definition of a BB Cream.


The powder version of this foundation that I use is in the shade 'I'm Cute as a Bunny, Honey", which is the perfect shade for me right now. Based on the colour swatches available on the Sephora website, I figured the Honey shade in the liquid would be too dark for me, so I went for Champagne. Definitely a good call on my part, since Champagne is a good shade on me right now.. but things will change come winter time. It's really unfortunate that the powder and liquid foundation shades do not correspond to one another, as it makes purchasing so much more difficult.


Now to the packaging. When I opened up the box, the size of the product was much smaller than I had imagined. With the Skin 79 BB Creams, the pump dispenser is substantially sized, and it feels like you're getting a lot of product. The Benefit pump dispenser is quite small in comparison to the box, and you're not getting the amount of product that the box size conveys. What I do like though, is that you are able to see the amount of product remaining, and the pressure pump mechanism ensures that you are getting use of all the product, as the bottom will slowly rise up and show the decreasing amount overtime with use.

As you see in the picture, 'Cheers to Me Champagne" is fairly dark, and probably the darkest that I will become all summer. The yellow undertones compliment my skin very well, making it a great shade for the summertime. As you can see, the product is very wet and liquid - almost runny, but by no means watered down as it is quite pigmented. I only use about a third of a pump to cover myself entirely, which allows the product to even out my skintone and give it a bit of colour. A little extra dabs here and amount of product lead me to full coverage, so I don't even need to use a concealer for the day.

The product is blended out to the left of the swatch in the picture, and you can see that the product does blend out quite smoothly. There is enough time to fully blend it in with your fingers (which I find to be better as the product will adhere better and is longer wearing) before fully drying. I am left with a dewy finish on my skin, which is nothing that a translucent powder cannot fix. The product really is moisturizing, but doesn't make me overly oily throughout the day. It definitely lasts a full 8 hours of wear, and does not oxidize or change colours on my skin. The product really is lightweight, and the addition of SPF gets huge marks from me. My skin does look a bit brighter, and for using such a small amount of product, the coverage is amazing. The only real downside would be the price, where you pay $42 CAD for 1 oz of product.

As mentioned before, this product currently is not available in store in Canada (but can be purchased online), but should hit the shelves at Canadian Sephora locations within the next 1-2 weeks. Locations currently have sample sizes and shade matching services available for you to try it out! I definitely will continue to use this liquid foundation as it works well for me, and with the wide range of shades available, I hope you can find one that works for you too!

Believe it or not, I picked up this product back in October, at the Trick or Treat Yourself Gala. I kind of pushed it aside and didn't give it too much attention, until sometime two weeks ago when it was brought up again in my life.

The POREfessional is intended to minimize the appearance of pores, and smooth out the skin for a truly flawless look. It can be used under or over makeup, and it feels very silky when applied. I believe I bought this purely for the fact that it made my skin feel A-MA-ZING. Just kidding, kind of. I also have pretty big pores, so I also bought it for that. Believe it or not, pore size is purely genetic. There's no serums or magical potions you can put on your skin to physically make them smaller. You can make them appear smaller, but that's about it.



The product itself comes with an insert, as most Benefit products do, that explains how to use the product, and what it's meant to do. The product is a light peach toned colour, but upon application, it smooths out and appears translucent, so that it cannot be seen. It has a very nice soothing, silky texture that makes your skin feel oh-so-soft when applied to the T-Zone



My pores are definitely minimized upon application of this balm. When worn under foundation, my pores pretty much disappear and my skin looks like one smooth canvas! It's actually pretty cool. I love using this product when I'm going out or know that I will be taking lots of pics, because my skin looks great when I use it! I definitely recommend the product, but make sure to check the ingredients label when purchasing - it contains silicones that people are allergic to.