Benefit Primpcess

RRP: £24.50/$34/$34.50
Contains:
- 0.04 oz Boi-ing concealer in 02 Medium
- 0.04 Eye Bright
- 0.11 oz Creaseless Cream Shadow Liner in R.S.V.P. (sparkling champagne)
- 3 Powder Shadows (for contouring, accenting, and lining)
- 0.14 oz BADgal Lash Mascara mini mascara
- Dual ended Fluff Shadow & Talent Brush
- Concealer Brush

--What does the promo say?--
"Benefit Primpcess gives you the tools and skills to conceal, contour, accent, line, shadow, and brighten your eyes. Take the guesswork out of loathe-worthy eyes with a step-by-step primping lesson. With your lesson plan in hand, and the perfect products at your fingertips, you'll have a sexy stare in no time!"

Available at: www.asos.com, Sephora, Debenhams

--Packaging--
This packaging combines country girl and showgirl with bold colours and fringe styling, all packed into one box. Benefit manage to fit an impressive amount of products into this box, though it's a pretty big box for something that only covers the eyes (though if you want something to include products for other parts of your face too, I guess you'd go for Benefit's Justine Case, or, from another brand, any of Lancôme's travel cases). It also has a mirror, and a magnetic mechanism, which allows the box to be opened easily when you need it, but stay securely shut when you don't. It's lightweight enough to carry around with you, and despite my previous comment on the size, it will still fit into most handbags and is also slender enough for briefcases and carry-cases for the city slickers among you.

--Application--
Included in the box is a small leaflet providing step-by-step instructions for each product, from the commonplace eyeshadows to the more obscure Eye Bright. Brushes are also provided, and you're told in the leaflet how and when to use them. An excellent touch and very helpful when on the move. The Boi-ing concealer can also double up as a general face concealer if you have nothing else with you.

--Appearance--
The eyeshadows are generic shades of brown and cream, allowing them to be suited to any complexion. The mascara is black and the shade of concealer provided is a far more inspired choice than the shade of Boi-ing provided in the Realness of Concealness kit. The Eye Bright is a surprising shade of pale pink, which seems at odds with the yellowy concealer and brown eyeshadows/liners, but works well on the skin to provide brightening and highlighting effects. On the face, the overall look is natural, though as pointed out in my previous reviews, there are still some blending problems with Boi-ing, so make sure you are thorough in your application to avoid any patchiness. Bad Gal separates and lengthens lashes well, though doesn't provide the wow-factor that the extollers of Benefit's virtues all seem to swear it to possess.

--Texture/consistency--
Boi-ing, as previously mentioned, has some blending problems, but is easily helped along with water. It's of a slightly stiff, slightly slidy consistency that is normal with most compact products of this type. The eyeshadows are slightly too powdery, with some being left loose in the box even with most careful manipulation of the brush, although the shadow liner is better. They are all versatile and easily manipulated. Eye Bright is of a similar consistency to Boi-ing, but far exceeds it in quality when it comes to blending.

--Longevity--
I was disappointed that Boi-ing's effects on my blemishes seemed to degenerate throughout the day, despite its heavy-duty reputation, but apart from this, all of the products last very well.

--Coverage--
Only Boi-ing is designed for coverage, and it fares averagely, both under the eyes and on facial blemishes.

--Value for money--
Shopping in the UK is becoming more and more interesting with its near-parity with the Euro. However, our American friends marginally have an even better deal, with $34.50 being equal to £23.64, although shopping in the US is not currently as profitable as it once was for Brits. You get many products for the money paid, although its overall 'value' is perhaps diminished by the fact that it's for the eyes only, not for the whole face. Saying this, this is perhaps offset by the fact that this set is limited edition only, so may well shoot up in monetary value and yield profitable resale prices on auction sites when it is no longer available in the commercial mainstream.

--Which products would I buy?--
I was distinctly underwhelmed by Boi-ing and by Bad Gal, even though the latter in particular is something that Benefit fans rave about. The eyeshadows are of solid quality, but you can get better ones for the same price or less from MAC or Prescriptives. The one at the top of my list from this set, however, would be Eye Bright: it's innovative, easy to use, and adds a new dimension to making up your eyes.

perfect partners
Benetint Lip Balm, $20/£14.50
Get Even Compact Powder, $30/€30.50/£21.25
Posie Tint, $28/€31.50/£22.25