5 Benefit Beauty Favourites

From their infamous mascara to beaming highlighters, here's my pick of the best offerings from luxurious cosmetics brand, Benefit. All of which have become staple pieces in my daily make-up routine.

1. They're Real! Mascara

This was the first high-end beauty product and first Benefit product I got my hands on and I haven't looked back since. While Benefit pride themselves on creating great eyebrows, they emerged into the spotlight for their lengthening and voluminous mascara which has even been

entered into the Vogue 100 Beauty Hall of Fame and won numerous beauty awards since. With a

retail price of £21.50, it seems steep when compared to other high street brands but the

coveted mascara promises to lengthen, curl, volumize, lift and separate lashes - an impossible feat for most others. Having enlisted my trust into They're Real! for the past four years now, it is a great investment if you're looking for a product which will be completely smudge or tear proof, as you'll soon discover when trying to remove it at the end of a night out! There is no denying that Benefit have created a durable formula with this mascara.

2. Hoola Lite Bronzer

Hoola Lite is a beautifully packaged gift from the bronzed Goddesses, as all those with Snow White skin like me will understand the great struggle with trying to blend the original Hoola, which was always just a touch too dark. Being released in March last year, I was able to get my hands on it in time for my birthday this year and it has become a firm favourite of mine. Having previously used the original Hoola bronzer, I wasn't initially aware of how bad the colour match

was to my skin until trying out the 'Lite'. At £25.50 it's a reasonable price due to it having multi-functional purposes. This bronzer can act as a great powder for full face coverage, adding a warm glow in the summer months when you may already have a tan or simply use it to lightly contour in the desired areas. Not only this but it also comes equipped with a small but effective brush, perfectly shaped for chiseling away at those cheekbones.

3. Ready, Set, Brow! Clear Brow Gel

This is without a doubt the best freebie I have ever received in a magazine. Despite it being a

mini version of the product, you only need a tiny amount of gel each time, meaning that it can

really go a long way. The setting gel is clear so it should be noted that this product will not add any form of colour to your brows but it is great for added texture and most importantly, keeping those stray and unruly brows in place. It is probably most effective when used after filling brows

in with powder, as it will ensure that there is no transfer from the powder to around the eye areas and holds them in the perfect shape until removed. Since receiving this handy tool as a magazine freebie, Benefit have altered the product name to 24-HR Brow Setter but the principle still remains. I'd definitely keep your eyes peeled for more magazine freebies though, as this brow setter sells for a costly £20.50.

4. The POREfessional: Pearl Primer

Being someone who often gets oily skin, needing to re-apply touches to make-up halfway through the day, I was eager to put the highly-anticipated primer to the test. It assures to help in various areas, predominantly with minimising the look of pores but also managing to brighten skin while still providing a matte finish. Seems like the impossible task, right? Well, Benefit may have just cracked it with this one! Providing you moisturise before putting the primer on, I find

that it blends into the skin nicely and while pores don't completely disappear through the power of the primer alone, it blurs the look of them, making them far less noticeable. The radiant, pink

enhancement to this primer won't be for everyone so this element should be kept in mind but I

feel that it particularly helps towards making me look slightly more alive in the morning. A small tube with a big price, coming in at £27.50 this might be a product to feature on your Christmas list this year, if you're having any doubts about it. However, a small pea-sized squeeze should cover the main areas, meaning it will last a long time.

5. Watt's Up! Highlighter

I haven't been using this highlighter in my daily routine for very long but it's a worthy addition to the favourites list because the glow is so blinding. Having received it in a gift set of various Benefit mini products, my highlighter comes without the blender featured on the full size Watt's Up! However, I find that rubbing your finger directly onto the highlighter stick and then dabbing your finger across your cheekbones is very effective in transferring the product and allows you

to maintain control of the application. This highlighter has bronze undertones so would add a really nice sheen in the summer but equally, gives a warm glow in the colder months. For the full size product, along with the blender it costs £25.50 which I am keen to try next to see if it adapts the way the product is applied to any extent.