Beauty review: Sephora.sg haul of Benefit, Urban Decay, NYX and Two Faced Makeup

Not many people know this, but I like to buy and try makeup. They make me feel awesome. This 'habit' was much more apparent in the past when I just started working and had some disposable income to spare. Then I spent it on makeup and clothes and travel, and wondered where did all my money go. I'm looking at you, my box of 70+ nail polishes. Haha. But then that phase passed and I'm left with a lot of expired stuff. So I was really glad when Sephora.sg invited me to pick a few makeup items so I can try and review them. You can be sure that makeup looks different on everyone, and some of them are more suited for Asian/Chinese skin than others.



I got 7 items totalling up to 160 SGD. Some are cult makeup items I have been meaning to get for the longest time, like Too Faced's Shadow Insurance eyeshadow primer, Benefit's Benetint and the Hoola bronzer . I thought I'll also try the They're Real Push-up Liner. I love lipsticks/butters/cremes so I got 3 of them: Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani's Lipstick in Rock Steady  and two NYX lip products - the Butter lipstick in Root Beer Float and Lip Creme in San Paulo.

How do they fare? Read my review below of each item and find out.


1. Too Faced's Shadow Insurance eyeshadow primer (S$32 on Sephora.SG)
I have really oily lids - and then to find my eye makeup either creased up into lines or migrated to the bottom of my eyes without primer. Using a bit of that to enhance your eye makeup's colour and staying power is probably one of the best beauty trick/tip I know. I've always been using Urban Decay's Primer Potion, but it is running out so I thought I'll try another cult favourite and alternative, the Too Faced Shadow Insurance. There's actually no difference to me when I tried it, even if this blog reviewed and found the former to be a tad more effective. For me it works just as well! 4/5

2. Benefit They're Real! Push-up liner (mini for S$21, buy here
This caught my attention because it has a rubber nib with a hole (stoppered with the orange thing), where the gel-like product oozes out from when you twist the bottom. No brush! I first tried it on the back of my hand in store and found it pretty cool, so with the new mini product I tried it on my eyelids. While I find it needs some getting used to, its a pretty innovative way to apply eyeliner! I went out with it for the whole night (with Too Faced primer below) and it did not budge. However I find that the rubber nib does tug at my eyelids compared to using a brush. So I will use it but won't repurchase. 3.5/5


3. Benefit Hoola bronzer (mini for $26, buy here)
Another cult favourite among beauty vloggers, I find Hoola a really good bronzing/contour shade for our Asian skin tone. Plus they look so cute! I got a mini size for it because I don't think I can finish the big one. It will take quite a while for me to get through this, because it is so smooth and pigmented. The tiny flat brush in there is also quite high quality. 4/5



4. Benefit's Benetint (mini size for S$21, buy here)
I already own a couple of liquid blushes, but what I find premium and unique with the Benetint after finally trying it is the rose scent. It fits the colour really well and when applied to my cheeks with a light touch gave me a translucent, healthy glow. I would definitely recommend this for people who need some colour in their cheeks - even though its pricey you will never need another blush again in your life! 5/5

5. Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani's Lipstick in Rock Steady (S$33, buy here)
This was my least favourite product among the haul, surprisingly. I really like the shade and Gwen Stefani, but I've not tried Urban Decay lipsticks before. I found the formula to be rather dry and difficult to apply, even though the colour was gorgeous. 2/5


Here's it on my lips! I would need some false lashes to complete this look I reckon.



6. NYX Butter lipstick in Root Beer Float ($13, buy here
Then, my favourite lip product among all of them from the NYX Butter Lipstick range! This shade could not be better - it is like my lips but better. It's just a very likeable neutral rose shade in a slightly sheer but buttery smooth formula that glides on really well. If anyone is looking for an everyday lippie, this is it! 5/5


7. NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in San Paulo (S$13, buy here)
Another formula that is pretty trendy nowadays is the lip creme format, which can apply like a liquid lipstick that is not sticky gloss nor drying. I have a one from 3CE I think, and a couple from Bourgeois which I liked. So I was quite pleased to try out the NYX version and find the San Paolo shade to be very pretty in dark pink. The texture is like whipped mousse - and while it is very intense, it doesn't dry to completely matte so I had to blot it a little. Here's a Snapchat selfie of me wearing that shade (and using the Benefit Push Up Liner and Benetint/Hoola). 4/5


Here are the three lip colours on the back of my hand as swatches! The darkest one is the UD Gwen Stefani Rock Steady shade, which is a deep blue-based intense red. The NYX Butter lipstick in Root Beer Float is beside, and also the sheerest among the lot. Lastly the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in San Paolo is a berry and also blueish pink, a little bit more vibrant than the other two and intensely pigmented.


Anyway here's a look I did using the Two Faced Shadow Insurance, Benefit Push-Up Liner, Hoola bronzer and NYX's soft matte lip creme. Simple and easy to do. I love it!


To me, I'll highly recommend all the above I have tried except the UD Lipstick and the Benefit Liner. Thanks Sephora Singapore for reaching out and letting me review these lovely makeup!

Check out Sephora.sg now! 

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