Date Night Make-Up With Benefit's The Rich Is Back Limited Edition Kit (Swatches + Review)

One of my favourite brands, Benefit, teamed up with Matthew Williamson to create “The Rich is back”. Matthew is a London-based designer and a master of print, embellishments and kaleidoscopic colour (you can totally tell from the design of the box!) You can even remove the make-up tray and use it as a cute storage box.

“This high-octane make-up kit encapsulated some of my favorite iconic prints and the fun-loving, light-hearted spirit of the Benefit girl” – Matthew Williamson

They had a flash sale at Eaton Centre Sephora earlier this month and I had a chance to drop by! Here I am with one of my faves, Arianne from The Glitter Geek and Jose, one of the make-up artists.
(Photo via Benefit Canada’s Instagram)

The kit is LIMITED EDITION Sephora exlusive, available June 2013 for $40 (it’s a bargain for what you get).

What’s included:

eyeshadow palette, 4 x 0.8g Net wt. 4 x 0.03 oz
they’re real! mascara, 4.0g Net wt. 0.14 oz.
gimme fever cheek powder with brush, 2.0g Net wt. 0.07 oz.
lip gloss in inferno, 6.5 mL / 0.22 US fl. oz.

Gimme Fever (cheek powder with brush) – I love this blush! It’s very subtle and perfect for a slight flush of colour and shimmer for summer. I’m a big fan of Benefit’s cheek powders (Coralista is one of my faves) because of their formula. This is a great natural blush, but I imagine adding it on top of a cheek stain would really give it that extra pop of colour.
Solid Gold, Get Down Brown, Disco Dust, Feel so Teal (eyeshadows) – All 4 shadows aren’t the most pigmented, but again I think that’s a good thing for the summer. They are perfect for layering on without looking chalky and they are all shimmery. I don’t wear too much eye makeup in the summer, so I would just add a little bit of Solid Gold or Get Down Brown on my lids with eyeliner and mascara and my eyes would be good to go. I have to say that Disco Dust is a beautiful highlight shadow (perfect for the inner corner of the eyes) and even though Feel So Teal looks very blue in the box, it translates to be more grey/blue on the skin and is a perfect shadow for adding dimension to your eye to create a subtle smokey effect (you’ll see below). I would say to expect a little fall-out since they’re so shimmery.
Inferno (lip gloss) – LOVE this lip gloss! It gives my lips that naturally flushed colour when used with a lip balm, but would really punch up a lip for evening wear when used on top of a red lippie.
They’re Real (mascara) – I adore this mascara! This was my first time using it and I’m a fan. You’ll see my pics below how nice my lashes look, while still looking natural (not spider-y).

Date Night face: Gimme Fever on the cheeks (told you it was subtle!), Disco Dust to highlight my brow bone and inner corner of my eyes, Inferno with Nivea’s lip butter to create a supple lip (used my fingers to apply).

On my eyes, I used Solid Gold in the middle, Get Down Brown on top and Feel so Teal near my bottom lash line and just blended up towards my crease. (Sorry, it sucks having to explain this to you guys via pictures. If I start doing videos, will you watch? Let me know in the comments and I might just do it for the next look).

For a more dramatic look, I added more Feel so Teal on my crease, raised the area of application and blended it out with Get Down Brown.

Overall, I love this palette! It’s perfect for the summer and for applying make-up on the go – like after the gym or if you’re going out after work. However, I would have added a matte shadow and perhaps a shadow primer. But if you’ve already got those in your kit, then you should be okay. I wouldn’t recommend it as an all-in-one or as a beginner palette, but a great add-on for seasoned make-up enthusiasts to experiment with. It comes with a little inspiration sheet to get you started 🙂

At $40 CDN, it’s a great deal! Available June 2013 exclusively to Sephora.

Disclosure: This kit was gifted to me by Benefit Canada as a thank you for attending the flash sale. As always, that doesn’t change my opinion about it.