Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Plum Mascara

The Benefit mini mascara duo of BADgal Lash and BADgal Plum was a GWP, which frankly, would have been the only way to get me to test them considering my huge disappointment with BADgal Blue a few years ago. I like several Benefit Cosmetics products, but their previous mascaras have never gotten on my good side.

Neither did BADgal Plum. Just like with its blue predecessor, the color never shows up on my lashes and doesn't contribute anything. Add to that sub-par performance, no extra definition and a propensity to smudging and you get an inferior mascara at an inflated price.

Bottom Line: I doubt I can bring myself to test the black one.

BADgal Plum Mascara ($19) is available from Sephora, in store and online.

All photos are mine.

Benefit RSVP Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner

In the world of cream eye shadows, staying power is a very rare commodity. Even the best eye primers succumb to creasing, making one swear she's never buying a non-powder eye shadow again (until the next shiny thing comes along). But even in this sad state of things, there is a handful of cream products that actually perform.

I reviewed Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner a couple of years ago and loved them dearly. They keep every promise, stay on all day looking perfect, and are quite versatile in the way you can use them- alone, combined with other eye shadows and as an eyeliner. The thing is that after about 18 months the cream dries out and crumble. It shouldn't be a problem for those who use the same items almost every day, but if you have a large collection you'll never hit the bottom of the jar before it spoils. Which explains why I has to toss my Benefit Creaseless Creams last year.

A recent Sephora GWP reunited me with the cream shadow in RSVP. It's a light neutral with a metallic finish, very wearable, blendable and pairable. And the best part? The GWP is considerably smaller than the full size (by approx. one third). I wish Benefit would add the mini jars to their permanent line.

Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liners ($19) are available from Sephora, Ulta and the company's website.

All photos are mine.