little white truths

You may be able to tell from the photos that this product is quite thick - I'll talk about that more shortly. I probably should be using a brush rather than my fingers (which you can see that I've done hehe), but since this is a travel-sized product, I'm not too concerned about bacteria build-up because I'll get through it soon enough.

Plus I'm a fingers applier when it comes to foundations and concealers - I find that the warmth of my hands really helps with giving an even and thin coverage. Brushes and sponges don't work well for me - they make products 'sit' on my skin (rather than melt in) and I seem to waste a lot of product when using them (not only do you lose product on the tool, you also seem to apply more because it goes on cooler).

See below wrist swatch - 02 below and 03 above.

Benefit claims/product details:

• Award-winning concealer that camouflages dark circles, minor imperfections and discolouration without creasing or fading
• Industrial-strength formula
• Available in five shades (from light to deep) 
• How to apply: with fingertip, dab on the darkest areas you want to target: underneath each eye, at the inner corners by the bridge of your nose, or over any other flaws; pat gently outward to blend (note you can pat the concealer between your thumb and fingertip to warm it up: it will glide on more seamlessly)
• RRP $20US for 3g (full size) and $37AUD
• Available from Benefit US website and from eg Myer in Oz

I've given you both eyes above and below. You can see my LOVELY purple circles, red marks and general uneven skintone. Hmph.

And here we are with the product (below). I've applied the lighter shade on the purple bags and the darker one just under my eye. I've also used the darker one on my imperfections, since that colour works best with my skintone.

Note that I have powdered my face too (just to even things out and set the concealer), but I've used a really light hand over my eye area, so the coverage is from the concealer, rather than the powder.

Verdict

When I first used this product, I had one of those HG moments...

Errmaahhgawd, my concealer search is over.

FOREVER.

Never before had I found a product that conceals so damn well, stays put and doesn't shift. However, do note that - despite Benefit's claims - this product does crease, so you need to run a finger over it a few times a day to smooth it out again and move it from your fine lines. No big deal, in the scheme of things, but that's the only reason why this product hasn't gone straight to the HG list.

Having said this, Boi-ing is without question the best concealer I've ever used, and my concealer search is (kind of) over - at least for now. I've spent almost a decade trying to find something that'll deal with those circles I've had ever since I got chronic insomnia, and this product does that a treat. 

As mentioned, it's just the creasing issue that's a bit of a hassle. I've checked plenty of reviews of this product, and those lasses who say it doesn't crease tend to be in a younger age group (so I suspect they don't have too many lines yet). For those of us in our 30s+, the creasing issue is often mentioned.

As for the other claims, yes it covers circles and blemishes very well and doesn't fade. I like the thick texture: it's probably the reason why it works so well in the coverage department. Despite its thickness, if you apply it sparingly, it doesn't look obvious. This is another reason to warm the product with your fingers before application.

As a final note, if you have dry skin, I'd make sure you're well hydrated first - I've seen some reviewers say that it's drying. I haven't found this, but that may be because I use heavy duty moisturisers to keep my skin well-hydrated.

Big ticks from me. Boi-ing is almost perfect : )