Benefit Go TropiCORAL Lip & Cheek Kit

Good Day Everyone,

I’ve always been put off trying Benefit makeup due to the busy packaging design which just doesn’t appeal to me and feels a bit gimmicky. Given that Benefit makeup is not cheap by any means I’d rather spend my money on brands that I feel invest their money on creating great products rather than funky packaging. However, giving Benefit the benefit of doubt I purchased this Go TropiCORAL Lip & Cheek Kit a few months back with my Sephora members 10% discount as my first foray into Benefit makeup. I had initially gone to the Benefit counter with a mind to check out the ever so raved about Coralista powder blush as I’m a sucker for anything peachy coral toned. Once there I noticed that for almost the same price as a full sized blush I could get this kit which contained four mini products including the blush I was after. It seemed like a no brainer. I love miniatures as it’s a great way of trialling more products without spending too much more money.

 The mini products come in a little cardboard container which has a mirror in the lid. Despite being made out of cardboard the packaging does feel pretty sturdy but as there is no shut mechanism or fastening to keep the lid secure, you couldn’t simply throw this little box of goodies into your bag / suitcase without first putting it back into the original box the kit comes in. The packaging design is very Benefit-esque in its style with the vibrant colours and leopard print around the sides.

Inside the box, as well as a mirror there is tips and tricks booklet which tells you how and where to use the products with numbers corresponding to the four different products (just in case you were confused as to which is which – like how?!) The tips and tricks booklet is a nice idea for anyone who may be a beginner when it comes to makeup but otherwise it can be removed from the lid and binned – can you guess what I did with it as soon as I took these photos ;o) 

One of the frustrating things about the packaging is that all of the products can be removed and stored elsewhere apart from the blush and I just find that sooo annoying. I wish the blush was self-contained because I could then store all of the products in my makeup bag instead of having to keep hold of this box just because of the blush. It also means that I can’t simply throw the blush in my bag for on the go touch ups unless I’m prepared to take the whole box with me. I can appreciate that many people will love the box and it does make for a great gift, but for me personally, I could live without it. On the plus side, once the blush is finished you can actually remove the internal packaging structure that keeps the products in place and you’ll be left with a trinket box to keep little treasures in – nice touch.

Now on to the fun stuff, the products. The four mini products that come with this kit are;

•  High Beam highlighter described as a luminescent complexion enhancer - 4ml

• Chachatint described as a mango tinted lip and cheek stain – 4ml

• Coralista powder blush – 3.0g – plus a brush applicator

• Ultra Plush Coralista lip gloss – 6.5ml

 Now whilst the quantities may not sound like much you have to remember that with the High Beam and Chachatint, a little goes a mighty long way and so I expect these miniatures to last a pretty long time.

High Beam is the coveted Benefit highlighter that has a pearly pink iridescent to it. It comes in a little bottle with a nail polish brush type applicator. Personally, I find it a bit too shimmery to be used as a brow bone highlighter but I do love using this on my cheek bones and cupids bow. As I have more yellow toned skin, I do have to work High Beam into my skin otherwise it can look a bit too obvious due to its pale pink colouring. This highlighter is more suited to lighter skin tones as on darker skin it will look too pinky white and maybe even a bit frosty. I can’t help but feel that the Benefit’s Sun Beam highlighter, which has a more golden bronze colouring, would have complimented the warm coral colours of this kit better than High Beam. Another way I love to use High Beam is to mix it in with my moisturiser on days when I’m wearing minimal makeup and no foundation because it leaves my skin with a subtle all over luminescent that doesn’t look sparkly or shimmery.

Left: High Beam highlighter, right: Coralista blush

 Coralista is a pinky peach blush with some very subtle shimmer. It is much sheerer and less pigmented that what I was expecting and I do have to build it up for it to show on my NC25-30 yellow skin tone. Consequently, I don’t think the colour would be best suited for darker skin tones, although it may work as a highlighter for a nice sheen on the cheek bones due to the shimmer. Initially I was a bit disappointed with the lack of pigmentation but recently I’ve found this to be an ideal blush for no makeup makeup days and because of the subtle shimmer, I tend to use this more as a highlighter when I’m wearing other matte coral / peachy blushes. The little brush that comes with the blush is useless as the rectangular shape just doesn’t work to apply blush. I do wish makeup companies would stop including brushes just for the sake of it. Having said that I have found this brush to be quite good for contouring underneath my cheek bones as the size works perfectly for my face and it does blend out the powder quite nicely so perhaps all is not lost with it ;o)

Chachatint is a bright orangey mango colour and like the High Beam comes in a little bottle with a brush applicator. This colour is pretty potent in its vibrancy and has amazing staying power. Using it as a cheek stain, I have to work incredibly fast to blend it otherwise it does look patchy and a bit clown like. When it works, I’m referring to the blending element, this can look beautiful but it is hard to work and leaves me with a fiercely stained finger. I just feel that a product shouldn’t be quite this hard or require so much effort for it to work. As a result I tend to use this more as a lip tint because I hate having makeup stained fingers and this stuff is a real bugger to remove even with an effective makeup remover. Also as the colour is pretty vibrant I prefer to have that pop of colour on my lips rather than my cheeks and this does look good with the Ultra Plush Coralista lip gloss over the top of it.

Left: Chachatint, right: Ultra Plush Coralista lip gloss

 And that brings me nicely onto the Ultra Plush Coralista lip gloss. I love the texture of this lip gloss, it’s not sticky at all and is so incredibly comfortable to wear. It’s not as orange as what it looks on the photo as the colour sheers out. It’s great to wear on its own for a subtle glossy sheen of colour or for a more vibrant look it works great over the Chachatint but that’s definitely more suited to spring / summer time.

Overall, I think this little kit would make an excellent gift for someone who enjoys makeup and for me it was a great way of trying out a number of Benefit products without going to the expense of purchasing full size items. I’m glad I picked up this little set rather than a full sized Coralista blush as I think the lack of pigmentation would have left me really disappointed give the cost of the blush, whereas at least now, I’ve been able to try three additional products. I can’t say I’ve been hugely wowed by any of the products but at the same time I will and do use them, I just don’t think I’ll be rushing out to buy full sized items when these miniatures run out.

Have you tried out any of these products? Were you wowed by them? Which do you think are Benefit’s best products?

Love Sheen xxx

My verdict: 4/5

For the UK you can find this product at Boots

For Singapore you can find this product at Sephora

(Note: I purchased this product with my own money)