A couple of months ago, I bought my first Benefit products. This brand is highly popular and recommended by many beauty lovers, so I got curious and excited to try some of their products. I was not sure where to start, or what to buy first, because they have many interesting mascaras, blushes, highlighters and so on.

But the nice part about Benefit Cosmetics is that they also have many kits available. So I bought the POREfessionally Bronzed Kit. The lovely girl at Sephora showed me all the individual products and swatched them for me, so I knew what I was getting: Hoola Bronzer, Porefessional Primer and Watt’s Up Highlighter.

At first I didn’t pay attention to the size of each product. I thought all three would be travel size and have a decent quantity. Turns out, one of them was full size and the other two were mini samples. But that’s OK, because I paid 155 RON for the kit, while the bronzer alone was already 155 RON. So I basically got two mini samples for free.

I’ve been wearing them for a while now, so I got the chance to test them and see how they behave on the skin. And I must say I’m happy with the quality. Are they worth the hype and the expensive price tag? Well, it depends from product to product.

But overall, they do seem to give better results than some similar drugstore items. And it’s easy to achieve a flawless face contour by using them.

Hoola Bronzer

I think this is my favorite out of all three. It’s the only full-size product from the kit, and I’m sure I won’t finish it anytime soon. But I must admit, ever since I bought it, it’s the only thing I use for contouring my face.

I always reach out to this one instead of my usual Sleek contouring shade, because it looks a lot more natural. I can wear it on a daily basis, not just for an evening make-up look, so this is awesome. It’s not as pigmented as I was expecting, so if you want a more intense effect, you need to use more product.

I love the fact that it’s matte, so it looks classy and natural. Also, it has a soft and creamy texture, so it’s not powdery or anything. I think that’s why so many people recommend this product.

And yeah, it’s not orange! At all! So even if you have a pale skin, you can wear it without worrying that you’ll look like a pumpkin pie.

How I use it: I take an angled contour brush and gently apply it on the hollows of the cheeks, forehead and jawline, to sculpt the face and warm it up just a little bit. I think the mini brush that comes in the package is kind of useless, so I prefer to use my own.

It is expensive, I’m not gonna deny it, but I think it’s a good investment. It’s suitable for any type of skin, it’s long-lasting and it looks great on the face. Nothing too heavy or intense, just a fresh and natural tan. So yeah, if you have the budget, I would recommend it.

The Porefessional Primer

Well, this one is just a mini sample, but I did manage to use it about 6-7 times before finishing it. It’s not that I dislike it, but I just don’t understand all the hype around this product.

Maybe my expectations were too high? I don’t know. This product is supposed to minimize the pores and make the foundation slide easier on the skin. But I didn’t notice any major improvements. It does have a smooth texture, smells great and feels amazing when applying it, but it’s probably not worth the price.

Also, if you do want to buy it, make sure you pat it in the skin, instead of rubbing it. I did this the first time, and it was terrible. It just started to peel off, so I had to remove it completely and start over.

Watt’s Up Cream Highlighter

Even though this one is also a small sample, I think I’ll be able to use it a lot in the future. It has a pretty decent quantity, and I usually use just a little bit of product on the top points of the face.

It’s richly pigmented and it has a golden champagne subtone. So it looks gorgeous on the skin, making you look fresh and awake. It has a creamy texture, so I prefer to apply it before setting everything with powder.

But you can also apply it at the end, as long as you come back and set it with a powder highlighter. Just make sure to pat it gently on the skin, to avoid messing up your foundation.

The full-size product also has a smudge pad incorporated, to help diffuse the color. So I was dissapointed that this mini sample did not have one. But you can blend it with a duo-fiber brush instead. Or you can just use your fingers, to get a more intense effect.

I definitely recommend it, if you want to invest in a good quality product.

I like that it gives you a subtle glow. And you won’t find big chunks of glitter, just a beautiful light shimmer. The shade is very flattering for any skin color or type. But then again, it depends on how much you apply. If you go overboard and want to blind the haters with your highlighter, maybe it won’t look as subtle anymore 🙂

Did you try this kit before? What’s your favorite Benefit product? 

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