They're Real! Benefit Talbot Green Blogging Event

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to go to the launch of Benefit's They're Real Double the Lip two-in-one lipstick and lipliner, and the They're Real Duo Eyeshadow Blender. Kristie and Hannah (aka the lovely ladies from the Benefit counter at Boots, Talbot Green) put on a lovely evening with some live demonstrations, a chance for us to play with the products, and some delicious snacks (#priorities).

First let's talk about the new eyeshadow range because I can't contain my excitement about it! The eyeshadows come as a duo with a little spherical applicator. All it takes is a few swipes back and forth across the eyeshadow and a few strokes across your eyelids and ta-da!
You eyeshadow is picture perfect in 60 seconds or less! No need for a palette of 30+ shades or 5,000 different brushes. Gone are the days of blending until you feel like your hand is about to fall off at the wrist and these little wonders are the perfect size to throw in you handbag (you know, with your purse, tissues, loose change, 400 loyalty cards, bobby pins that haven't seen the light of day for six months, and receipts from an Asda shop you did four years ago).

I know, I know! It sounds far too good to be true, but I'm here to tell you that stress-free smokey eyes are now a reality. Hurrah!

And, if that wasn't enough to make you rejoice and fall at the feet of the makeup gods in a grateful swoon, then maybe you'd like to know that these eyeshadows also last for up to 12 hours. I swatched one on the back of my hand and could not for the life of me scrub it off without the aid of an intense makeup remover. I can't guarantee it, but I'd be willing to bet this formula can withstand a long day, all-night party, or some kind of crying fit.

I tried out the shade Beyond Nude, which is the ultimate everyday go-to, but Hannah and Kristie also demonstrated an evening look using the shade Sexy Smokin', which had ample va-va-voom!

Then there was the Double the Lip lipstick with built in lipliner. Yes, that's right: built in lipliner! I'm not much of a lipliner kind of gal (I don't have the patience or a steady enough hand to take on that challenge on a daily basis) so I was intrigued to say the least.

The teardrop shape of the lipstick made for easy application and no weird lines with regards to the lipliner. Unfortunately, one of the joys of being anaemic is having dry, cracked lips and the effect of the dual lip colour was wasted on me. I ended up blending it out. That said, I still thought the lipstick was a success. The formula wasn't drying (this coming from a woman who has lips like the corpse bride) and the colour was absolutely beautiful. I tried Fuchsia Fever, a bright pink colour that I wouldn't usually gravitate towards, and absolutely loved it!

If you haven't tried out the new products yet, I highly recommend you pop out to your nearest Benefit counter and have a play around. I'm pretty sure you'll be hooked! The eyeshadow duos are £19.50, which might seem a little pricey if you're used to buying entire palettes from the likes of L'oreal and Maybelline for around the same price, but think about the time and effort you'll save and how much you'd be willing to invest in a product that pretty much does all the work for you. I know personally, something like this would save me about three weeks in makeup application time over the course of my life. The lipstick is £16.50 and comes in all your favourite shades of nude, red, berry and pink.


Have you tried any of these new products yet?