Secret Santas, Festive Cheer, and a Homage to Good Make-Up

Secret Santa’s. Because we all love to agonise over what to buy that girl at work you’ve only ever had one conversation with at the vending machine in exchange for receiving some garish festive socks. Usually.

                However, thanks to being blessed with the loveliest housemates you could ask for, I was lucky enough to get the perfect pressie this year. Well, as perfect as you can get for under a tenner.

                I’m a massive girly-girl at heart, meaning you will rarely see me without copious amounts of foundation and lashings of mascara (apart from during the odd hungover pyjama clad trip to the local shop. Doesn’t count.) However, due to being a penniless student, my beauty bag mainly consists of magazine freebies and bargain bucket powders that have a disappointing tendency to make me slightly on the wrong side of tangerine.

                But no more! Over our premature Christmas celebrations I was presented with an adorable miniature set of Benefit primer and foundation by one of my housemates.

Benefit Besties Primer and Foundation Faker duo
Avaliable from Benefit online $10

                Now Benefit is one of my favourite brands. Take me to Boots and you will always find me lusting over their retro-themed lipsticks and purple mascara. Specialising in products so varied you never even knew you needed them (liquid pearl or eyelid primer anyone?) Benefit is beautifully packaged, fantastic quality and wondrously quirky, so I was delighted to finally have some in my possession.

                And they lived up to my every expectation. The “That Girl” primer has a pink tone unlike normal clear primers which gives it a gorgeous brightening quality leaving you looking fresh faced and perky even after a heavy night out (or in the case of most third year University students, an all nighter in the library.)

 The “Some-Kind-a Gorgeous” foundation faker adorably presented in an old-school record style case is equally lovely, giving really natural, glowing coverage, although with slightly blotchy skin and an advocate of piling foundation on a little too liberally, I would have preferred it to be a little thicker for slightly better coverage. However, used together, they last for hours on end, something I can testify too since, after a night of clubbing, I pulled off going to work in last night’s make-up, only getting called ‘peeky’ once. Not proud, but I reckon I can now pass it off as an experiment for make-up reviewing purposes.

It may not be perfectly suited to a student budget, but having tried and tested it, Benefit is definitely an investment. It gives a flawless, natural look, and it’s relatively mid-range price is matched by how long it lasts; the quality of the make up means you only need a small amount for decent coverage. Seal of approval well and truly earned.

So if you’re still browsing for a last minute secret Santa, step away from the novelty Rudolf ears and give a girl something she really wants. Make someone as happy (and perhaps a little obsessed) as me!