As a beauty blogger I find it sometimes hard to test out EVERYTHING that comes my way so I like to ask some friends to help me out especially when I know it’s a product they were asking my thoughts on in the first place! I asked my friend Olenka to test out the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow as I know she has a lot of Benefit products in her makeup bag 🙂
Inside the box, the shadow is contained in a glass pot with a plastic screw-top lid. The glass jar makes for a heavier product, but it’s designed to prevent the cream shadow from drying out. The glass container packaging is similar to other cream shadow packaging that’s out on the market such as Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams and Maybelline Color Tattoo, but the Benefit shadow pot is actually quite a bit wider and features a design to help your fingers grip the lid better while unscrewing it. Absolutely stunning packaging from Benefit!
A few thoughts about cream eyeshadows: If you are like me and are not familiar with using cream eyeshadows, they make take a little bit of getting used to. I know some people swear by them and boast how easy application is, but I have to be honest: I am so used to powder eyeshadows that it took me a few times to start getting the hang of using the creams. Cream eyeshadows can be applied with just a finger for a sweep of colour, or with a brush for a more defined look. If you are going to layer the shadow for more intense color, it’s better to do very thin layers and wait for the shadow to dry before putting on another thin layer. This also depends on the particular shade, as certain shades dry faster than others. I admit that I was pretty impatient at the beginning and was using too much product in one swipe, and this is probably why I had a difficult time getting the most benefit out of these products. Once dry, regular powder shadow can be used for a more intense look.
Blue My Mind is described by Benefit as “Arctic Blue”. It is a cool-toned frosty blue-silver shadow that looks light blue in the pot, and turns a lot more silvery when swatched. When swatched lightly with just one pass (on the right of picture) it gives good coverage right away. The built up look is on the left and you can see that it is slightly buildable but the initial swipe gives a very good indication of the colour. This shade dried and wore well, with a little bit of fall out due to the shimmer. Blue My Mind can be used lightly for a sweep of colour all over the lid, and will also make a good highlighting shade.
Bikini-Tini is described by Benefit as “Oyster Pink”. It is a warmer-toned, sheer, shimmery shadow that looks oyster-pink and almost a little peachy in the pot, and shows up looking softer and almost Champaigne-like when swatched. When swatched lightly with just one pass (on the right of picture) Bikini-Tini is very sheer and makes a lovely candidate for a no fuss all-over look. The built up look is on the left and is much more buildable than Blue My Mind. This was the first shade I tried out since this is a colour I am very comfortable with, however, I did find that it took the longest to dry out of the 3 shades that I tested. If applied in thin layers and allowed sufficient time to dry, this shade is quite lovely, if a little bit too shimmery (depending, of course, on you level of tolerance for shimmer). However, since it’s summer I think it’s a great look for a simple makeup routine. Bikini-Tini wears well, with a little bit of fall out due to the shimmer.
Holy Smokes! is described by Benefit as “Smoldering Charcoal”. It is has no shimmer or frost, and dries to a beautiful satin finish that looks almost dewy. When swatched lightly with just one pass (on the right of picture) Holy Smokes! gives good color pay off right away. This shade dried faster than the others and has a color that is true to its description, the charcoal showing up warmer-toned on my skin, but I think this shade will work really well across a lot of different skin tones. Holy Smokes! was my favourite shade out of the 3 that I tested because of the satiny finish, however it is too dark for me to use all over my lid. I will be on the lookout for more cream eyeshadows with satin finish to use along with Holy Smokes!
