Benefit 'Primping with the Stars' unboxing and review!

During the Easter holidays my parents and sister went to Rome. Instead of buying something souvenir-y they got me this from the airport duty free. They know me well. So I thought I'd do an unboxing post because it's rare I get gift sets like this. Plus I've been struggling to come up with post ideas. Thank God they didn't get me a Pope bobblehead!

So this kit contains minis of:

They're Real! mascara

Stay Don't Stray primer

Benetint lip and cheek stain

Some Kind-a-Gorgeous foundation faker in medium

Girl Meets Pearl liquid face highlighter

The POREfessional primer

These are 'deluxe' minis so they're bigger than your usual samples. Which is great because it means this kit will last a while! It also comes with Tips and Tricks for applying each product, and you can take the cardboard insert out so you can reuse the box.

an old fave!

So I'll start with Benetint because I've actually used this before. For a pretty vivid colour in the bottle, this stuff is lovely and subtle which means you can build up colour. It lasts quite a while on your cheeks but not so much on your lips, however I tend to seal in in with a little bit of vaseline lip balm and that helps it last. It's nice because it dries quickly (which means you have to work fast if you're blending on your cheeks!) and doesn't fall into the cracks of your lips too much. This is a 4ml bottle so it'll last ages; my previous mini of this is smaller and I still have a little left, even after a couple of years (not sure if you're meant to keep it as long as I have, but ah well!). Would definitely recommend if you want an alternative lip product or blusher!

not sure about these two!

Now I think I've had better eye primers out there, but Stay Don't Stray is pretty decent. I'd never even thought of using primer under concealer (I don't know why) but for that, this stuff is good. This mini is pretty small, however, so I'm planning on using it sparingly...

I was slightly hesitant about Some Kind-a-Gorgeous because my skin is ghostly pale. This kit is only available in medium which is a bit of a pain, but this stuff blends pretty well so I can just about get away with it. I might even be able to do some kind of contour with it, but I'd need to try that out. It's lovely and decent coverage without being cakey, but it's quite drying which doesn't really work with my skin type. Definitely one for people with oily skin! The packaging is also a little tricky, it could do with a little sponge or something...

a little too dark for my skin tone!

Onto the products that I was most excited about! 

The POREfessional is something I always see at the Benefit counter and hear other bloggers talk about, but have never tried. It's definitely a good quality primer that works without making your face feel like silicone. I don't have a problem with the size of my pores but I'm sure it'd really help those who do. However, I'm still not sure whether I'd want to splash out on the full sized version...

why didn't these come in bigger sizes!?

I wouldn't say Girls Meets Pearl is good when used alone/mixed in with foundation, as it's way too glittery, but as a highlighter it's amazing! It's quite a warm tone, which helps with my ghost-pale skin, and looks great on the top of the cheek bone as well as below your brow and in the inner corners of your eyes.

my 'try before you buy' item

I must admit that I'm a bit of a mascara fiend. I'm always looking to try new ones, but could never justify the cost of this until I've been able to try it. So far, so good - it's very volumising and lengthening. The only problems I've had so far is it can be a bitch to remove and can be a bit fiddly to apply due to the length of the wand. Time will tell whether I like it enough to purchase a full sized one...

Verdict: I think this is a great gift for someone who loves make up, but might not have the luxury of being able to afford full size Benefit items without trying them first. It's also pretty good for travel, these products save space in your make up bag. It'd be nice if some of the samples were bigger, but for that price, I'm not going to complain!

Primping with the Stars is around £26 in the UK, and available in department stores such as Debenhams and House of Fraser; Boots; FeelUnique.com; and airport duty free!