Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara Review.

You have seen this mascara everywhere. But is this product worth the rave? Today I will be doing a product review.

Note: This is my own personal opinions and experience. You have perfect right to disagree. 

What this UK NO.1 best selling mascara promises your lashes: 

Lengthens
Curls
Lifts and separates 
Long wearing

I have naturally thin stick straight lashes which point in a downwards direction and have been searching for the perfect mascara to give them a boost. After hearing the wonders of 'They're Real' mascara for a while, I finally purchased it. Being £19.50 on the market - it is not a cheap mascara, for me, it counts as an investment. 

Appearance: 

I am a sucker for pretty product packaging and appearance, I think that the design of the tube is very sleek and simple. It feels heavy in your hand with that expensive quality.

The applicator is quite slim, and there is a ball at the end, which enables you to get into the finer lashes and be more precise with the mascara application. 

SO, does it work? 

Below are the before and after pictures. Since I have very short straight lashes I had to curl them beforehand using heat. 

You can see clearly that the mascara has added definition to my lashes. I feel that the formula for this mascara is quite heavy, I had to curl my lashes again after applying the mascara because the formula made them droop. I also feel that the mascara can clump eyelashes together so instead of applying the product with the wand horizontally, I applied it vertically, making it really add length the the lashes. It is true that the mascara separates the lashes, however, it doesn't separate single lashes but a couple at a time, making the outcome look spidery. I had to separate the lashes by combing them through with a disposable mascara wand. However, I feel that this mascara is best for lengthening and it is indeed very long wearing - it stayed put for a good half day with no smudge or fallout. 

Overall, I feel that this mascara is not a miracle worker for me, the formula is too wet and causes my lashes to droop because of its heaviness. I feel that there are cheaper mascaras on the market that can achieve what it promises and or do better. 

I will not be repurchasing this product. I'll stick to my holy grail Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara:

Left eye: Rimmel London Sexy Curves 
Right eye: They're Real! 

Quote of the day, why pay more if you can pay less!

Practical Session: Applying Base

Applying base is the most important part of makeup application, doing it correctly will provide you with a good canvas to work on. The trick is to create the illusion of perfect flawless skin, through using the right concealers and foundations. 

Before you start applying base, always do a quick consultation to check the skin type e.g dry, oily or combination. Decide if the skin tone is cool or warm as this will help you with finding the right foundation later. Whilst doing the consultation always also check for skin diseases and ask the model if they are taking any medication as this might affect your makeup application. Also ask if the model is wearing contact lenses, if they are you need to pay extra attention to the eyes. 

This is the procedure I followed when applying base: 

1) Wash hands. Make sure any brushes or sponges that you are about to use are clean, sponges and brushes retain bacteria so make sure they are throughly clean. Wrap model up to prevent spillage on their clothes.

From: beautyeditor.ca
last accessed: 30th oct 2013 

2) Cleanse, tone and moisturise the face. This will give you a smoother surface to work on and acts as a barrier between the skin and the makeup. 

3) Match the foundation. On the back of your hand, mix different tones of foundation to achieve the perfect colour. Then smudge a little on the models jaw line, blend it out slightly, if you can't see it, you have the perfect colour. If not, keep mixing. 

4) Apply primer all over the face, use primer according to the finish you would like e.g matte or satin. 

5) Apply foundation with flat foundation brush all over the face. Make sure you do not apply heavily, you can always build up when needed. Don't forget the neck and the ears. 

6) Buff the foundation with a dense round top brush. This will blend the foundation in perfectly, getting rid of any fine lines or edges. again, don't forget the neck and ears, all skin exposed must be covered.

Techniques expert face brush
photo: 10amakeup.com
last accessed 30th Oct 2013

7) Conceal, make sure you conceal all imperfections as any exposed imperfections will show up excessively on camera. Again, mix the right colour and start applying to the needed areas with a small concealer brush. Pay close attention to the eyes, you want to apply concealer right up to the lashes. Also apply concealer to any red spots such as around the nose and corners of the mouth. 

8) Using a powder brush or sponge, set the base with translucent powder. Pay attention to the eyes again, as they need to be powdered well for any eyeshadow application. Once you think you have powdered enough, place the back of your hand against the cheek, if if is not sticky, you have powered enough. 

As you see below I have documented before and after pictures of applying base. As you can see this model already has beautiful skin already. Sandra has combination skin, like a lot of other girls and myself, she has an oily T-zone. Therefore I have used a matte primer on the centre of her forehead, nose and chin. She also has a couple of breakouts so I have made sure to conceal well in those areas with care. 

I feel that I could've payed more attention to the area under the eyes to cover the dark circles better and powered a little bit better to prevent some of the shine that is peeking through. 

AFTER

BEFORE

This base is created with Kryolan cosmetics:

Dermacolour Camouflage mini palette 16

HD micro cream foundation 8 shade palette