Unboxing Benefit Better Together Saladbox (February 2017 Saladbox)

After starting 2017 with an exclusive Mary Kay box (my review here), Saladbox decided to keep the awesomeness going by having another exclusive box! Last February, subscribers got 5 deluxe samples from Benefit Cosmetics! *happy dance*

What is Saladbox, you say? Saladbox is one of the Philippines' top beauty box subscription service. Each month, you'll get up to 5 beauty samples delivered straight to your doorstep. Interested? Their subscription service starts at Php 1,800 for 3 months. Learn more about them here.

Anyway, back to this February box.

Packaging & Delivery

box full of hearts for the month of love!

Another mega cute, very pink and fitting box design. I think this is the lightest out of all the Saladboxes I've ever received, which...

...is probably why the box came looking all squished.

It looks great from above but it's almost squished flat if you look from below. Thankfully, the items inside were not damaged in any way.

Better Together Greeting Card from the Saladbox Team

WHAT'S INSIDE

Saladbox made February's box even more special by giving subscribers the chance to select the contents they want! Sweet! Through Sample Select, subscribers were asked to choose among Box A, Box B or Surprise (any of the two). 

Both boxes will contain the same three items: (1) Benefit They're Real Double The Lip, (2) Benefit The POREfessional Matte Rescue, and (3) Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil. So what's the difference between the two? Box A will have the POREfessional Primer and Benetint while Box B will include the POREfessional Pore Minimizing Makeup and the Benefit They're Real! Mascara.

Aside from the new Double The Lip, I already have most of the items inside. 🙈 The only products I haven't tried yet are the Benetint & the Pore Minimizing Makeup. Lip tints never work on me... so Box B it is!

Did you choose Box B too?

Let's go check each one!

1) Benefit They're Real Double The Lip mini, 0.75 g (Php 600 at Sephora PH)

Benefit They're Real Double The Lip in Lusty Rose

Product Description: "Get fuller-looking lips in one easy stroke with they’re real! double the lip. This lip liner & lipstick in one features a Custom Teardrop Tip that grabs and defines your lip line and fills in lips with complementing color for the appearance of volume and dimension. This satin finish lipstick comes in neutral to bright shades for visibly fuller, sexier lips."

I was excited to get my hands on this! I'm really curious to see Benefit's take on the popular two-tone lip trend. I got the shade Lusty Rose. The edges of my lips are dark so I don't know if I want to accentuate that, but we'll see. Review pending! :)))) (Read full review here.)

2) Benefit POREfessional Pore Minimizing Makeup (Php 1,800 at Sephora PH, 15ml full size)

I got a deluxe sample of the new Pore Minimizing Makeup.
This is 5.0 ml, worth approx Php 600.

Product Description: "Target pore problem areas with the POREfessional: pore minimizing makeup by Benefit Cosmetics. This longwearing matte makeup covers imperfections without clogging pores. The weightless formula, made with more-minimising mushroom extract, reduces the look of pores and controls excess surface oil for up to eight hours. Thanks to a custom, built-in pore-blurring sponge, it’s easy to use any time you need a pore-be-gone touchup."

How to use: "Before opening, shake bottle well. Pull out custom pore-blurring sponge from base. Press button to release 1-2 drops of makeup onto sponge. Pat and blend on pore-problem areas or all over face to instantly minimise the look of pores. Repeat to build coverage."

Here's how it looks like when I disassemble it. 

Yayyy, a foundation! I thought this was a primer since "face makeup" is too vague for a description. However, a tip on Benefit's website said the POREfessional Face Primer should be worn before this.

I got very large pores on my nose so anything that can fill them in without making me break out will be such a godsend. I've been testing this and so far, it's doing great. Watch out for my full review! Spoiler: the consistency is runny but the coverage is good. It is buildable and dries into a natural looking finish! I can't wait to show you more!

Now, for the rest of the items inside the box... I already have these but I won't say no to more Benefit!

3) Benefit The POREfessional Matte Rescue (Php 1,600 at Sephora PH, 50ml full size)

the sample is attached to the back of this leaflet
It is 0.5 ml, worth approx Php 20

Product Description: "Matte Rescue instantly minimizes pore appearance. The lightweight, water-based gel overpowers shine and absorbs excess surface oil, leaving a natural-looking matte finish. Skin feels smooth and refreshed. Contains diamond powder known for its soft-focus pore-blurring effect."

According to Benefit, this is to be worn on a fresh, clean face, before you put primer on top. I actually find this good enough to be used as a primer itself. It absorbs oil, keeping my face matte & fresh longer than the usual. This doesn't have any pronounced effect on pores though. So yeah, you may want to put another primer on top to smoothen skin.

4) Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil (Php 1,400 at Sephora PH, 0.34g full size)

0.03 g sample of the famed Goof Proof Brow Pencil, worth approx Php 140

Product Description: "Goof Proof your brows with this easy-to-use pencil featuring a custom teardrop tip that instantly shapes, defines and fills brows—no sharpener required! Designed to fit the angles of your eyebrows, the soft, glide-on colour tip creates naturally full and beautiful brows, while the spoolie end effortlessly blends for a perfectly polished look. Just use the pointed tip to outline arches and define your tail, then fill them in with the wide base."

This is such a tiny sample but Benefit made sure we experience Goof Proof's defining feature which is the tear-shaped pencil tip. For newbies at makeup, the shape is seriously great for defining and filling in brows. The pencil is creamy and easy to blend. The color is not harsh and comes out looking very natural. I loved this the first time I tried it. Back then, I even said this was my eyebrow pencil HG. So why the past tense? 😅

Let me demo why.

(1) Swatch (2) Smudge test (3) Water test
Zoom in to see everything better!

I drew an eyebrow on the back of my hand. After using a spoolie to blend, some flakes came off. Bad start, oops.

Smudge Test: Fail. I just lightly ran a finger through my swatch. The color rubbed off in flakes.

Water Test: Fail. I placed my swatch under running water for a minute. Didn't do any scrubbing but almost all the color was gone. Again, there were lots of flaking going on. For a product claiming to be a 12-hour waterproof formula, the results are abysmal.

Soooo, this is just an okay product for me. I'm gonna pass. The application was a breeze but the performance is quite lacking. With the Php 1,400 pricetag, I'm expecting a whole lot more. If price is not a concern, I guess you can try it for yourself. I mean, YMMV and all that. However, there are a lot of much better eyebrow pencils you can get for cheap.

5) Benefit They're Real! Mascara mini (Php 700 at Sephora, 4.0g)

I got this 3.0 g sample. Approx worth is Php 525.

Product Description: "they're real! lengthens, curls, volumizes, lifts and separates. Our jet black, long-wearing formula won't smudge or dry out. A specially designed brush reveals lashes you never knew you had!"

I love the mascara wand! It's huge and covers my eyelashes in just one swoop! The wand is almost like an eyelash comb, it smooths out any clumps and tangles. Definitely, no spider-like mascara!

I'm not so sure about the mascara itself though. It definitely lengthens, but it didn't add much volume. I already have a pending review about this, so wait up! 😅

Was This Box Worth It?

Yes! I'm very satisfied because I got my hands on Benefit's newest products - the Double The Lip and the Pore Minimizing Makeup. Both are great! I used Sephora prices to calculate the total amount and guess what? This box is worth Php 1,885, more than 3 times than what I paid for! So sulit!

This is my 7th Saladbox out of my 12-month subscription. Hope the box for March and all the upcoming boxes will be just as awesome! Anyway, I'll end my review here. Hope this helped!

Which Benefit Item would you like to try? Share down below!

Learn more about Saladbox Subscription Plans! Visit: https://saladbox.ph/subscribe/women

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Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. No affiliate links inside. All views are my own honest opinions and items featured are bought with my own money. Note that what works for me may not for for you and vice versa.