Benefit's maiden skincare offering, the b.right! Radiant Skincare range, is launching in Singapore next month (yes, I know, we're way behind the US girls. What can I say, life is unfair!), and I managed to get a sneak preview of what b.right will do for us! Here's what I've brought back from the event to show you guys!
b.right! is formulated with a few key qualities in mind, in order to distinguish Benefit's first skincare range from all the other skin products out there. The entire skincare line was formulated to be, in addition to a skincare line, also a primer for makeup, and meant to be wearable under any subsequent makeup applied to the skin. As a result, the texture of most of the products is also very light and water-y. Another focus of the products was hydration. The Benefit team wanted their products to moisturize, hence the emphasis on water, right down to the packaging. Almost all the products are scented, with a scent I'd describe as a light flowery-fresh type scent, with hints of cucumber paired with various florals.
The skincare range is divided roughly into four areas of focus, each with its own set of products - moisture, cleanse, eye, and specialist. In keeping with Benefit's decision to place an emphasis on hydration in their line, a lot of the products have to do with inreasing the moisture in the skin.
Here is the moisture range. It consists of the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion with SPF 15, the Total Moisture Facial Cream, and a toner lotion meant to prepare the skin for either of the moisturizers, the Moisture Prep Toning Lotion.
Here is the cleanse mini-range. It consists of a cleanser, the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash, an exfoliator, the Refined Finish Facial Polish, as well as the requisite makeup remover, the Remove It Makeup Remover.
In the Eye and Specialist sections, there is only one product. The eye section boasts the It's Potent Eye Cream, the name making no bones about its claims.
The specialist section consists of a facial mist, that is supposed to be able to hydrate your skin, and can also be used as a makeup setting mist. I've no idea why this product is billed as "specialist", but then again, I'm not the founder of a makeup empire.
The star products out of the entire line (as defined by Benefit themselves) are the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion, the Total Moisture Facial Cream, the It's Potent Eye Cream, as well as Remove It, the makeup remover. So if you want to jump straight into their products, perhaps one of these four might be a good first start.
In addition to taking pretty bottle shots of the product, I've also taken shots of some of the individual products, so I can comment on the colour, texture, application, and feel of the product. Of course I won't be able to tell you if it clogs your pores or not, since this was just a cursory experimentation with the products, but I can tell you how it'll feel on your skin.
The one we were all curious to try was the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. It's a white, gel-like cream. It has a very light feel to it, and is oil-free. It did absorb easily and sink into the skin without leaving any residue, so I imagine this would be good for warm weather.
Next, we all wanted to take a look at the Total Moisture Facial Cream. This one is also a white cream, but it has a thicker texture than the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. It also doesn't absorb as easily. That said, this is still relatively easy to rub into the skin, and probably would be suitable for use under makeup.
The It's Potent! Eye Cream seems to be another popular seller, and this one is a beige-coloured cream. It also blends in without leaving any sticky residue, and I imagine this would be a popular one to use under your undereye concealer.
Next up, we have the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash. This one will be popular among girls who like that squeaky-clean feeling after washing their skin, as this one really leaves behind no residue. I imagine it would be popular among girls with oilier skins, but drier skins may have concerns about the facial wash being too harsh for ther skin.
Although the facial wash claims to be Foamingly Clean, it didn't really foam on my skin. It does work into a creamy lather that feels pleasant, but creamy lather doesn't quite spell foamy to me...when I think of foam, I think of bubbles, but here there aren't any. Just a creamy lather that washes off easily.
The Refined Finish Facial Polish looks quite similar to the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash. They both have the same pearly, iridiscent appearance, and both are white cream. However, the Refined Finish Facial Polish is thicker in texture, and, being an exfoliating product, has tiny exfoliating beads.
The exfoliating beads in the Refined Finish Facial Polish are really quite small, although you can definitely feel that they are there, and if you rub too hard, the exfoliator can feel a little abrasive. This isn't one of those gentle exfoliators, despite the small size exfoliating beads. If you have very sensitive skin, I'd advise you to use this with care.
As you can see in the photo below, I tried to get a shot of the exfoliating beads but I kind of failed. The beads are that small. We were also told that this could double up as a mask, if applied to the skin and left for a longer period of time. While this is unusual, it isn't new, and is similar to Neutrogena's 2-in-1 Wash/Mask and Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser, which both also can be used as a wash or a mask.
My thoughts on the skincare? These look like good, if basic, items. The formulations for the most part are effective staples of skincare that have been around for awhile, although the ingredients don't boast anything new and shiny right out of an R&D lab. These will form a good set of basic skincare for everyday use. A great plus point for me is that al of the products are very wearable under makeup due to their light texture and the fact that they are easily absorbed.
Myself (I'm sure you know me, I'm that ugly girl with the glasses that always gets shunted right to the edge in photographs - in this case the right edge) and some of the other bloggers, including makeupstash, rougedeluxe, and sugarcrumb.
I hope this summary of b.right! first impressions was useful to all of you, complete with photos of myself smearing skincare product on my hands and arms (so glam, I know)! Just to show you how focused I was on bringing my thoughts to all of my dear readers, here's a shot of the food provided at the event that I DIDN'T get to eat because I was to busy jotting down my thoughts and photographing the products! :P
