Benefit Advent Calendar Week One

I've mentioned on twitter that I would be sharing weekly mini write-ups on the Benefit Countdown to Love advent calendar from this year. Every Friday, I'll share what are behind the doors that I have opened that week. Here is December 1-6th!

I know many of you could not get your hands on this advent calendar, but all of these sample-sized products (aside from the special ones like the barrette below) can be bought from their permanent line in full sizes!

^ I already have a full-sized version of this that I like. I would have just swatched it, but I've already packed it away for the move. Coralista is very pretty, but I think it looks best on pale skin. I don't find it heavily pigmented and I could see the color getting lost on darker skintones. Like all Benefit blushes, it smells delightful but nothing that you can smell once it is applied.

^ Stay Don't Stray eye primer in light/medium. I'm pale and this is a little too yellow-based for me. Does it work as a primer for me? Yes. I don't have oily lids and this kept my eyeshadow on just as well as any other primer in my collection. I do like the doe-foot applicator for easy application!

^ It's Potent! eye cream. It is supposed to reduce dark circles, but I have not used it enough days to report on that. It's an okay product, but it is not an all-over eye cream as it is meant for along the outer corner of the eyes. I'd say It's Potent! is an "around the eye area" cream. Seriously, don't get it close to your eyes. It's not going to sway me from using my Origins GinZing eye cream, which works perfectly for me.

^ Dandelion lipgloss. It's sheer and very shimmery. A good choice for layering over a lipstick at holiday parties. I like the formula and did not find it sticky. I might would look into getting one of these full-sized but in a different color.

^ I already had an open Benetint that I was using, so I swatched it instead. I think I'll put the one I received in this calendar aside and include it in a future giveaway as a little extra! I love Benetint, but I do prefer it as a lip stain instead of on my cheeks. It bleeds into fine lines easily (you can see this happen on the swatch below), so be sure to work fast upon application. Benetint is an easy product to sheer out or build up and makes a nice base to layer other products.

^ All of the sample Benefit stains have mini brushes similar to the full-sized product versions.

^ How adorable is this little bow barrette?! I'm definitely going to sport it to one of my holiday parties I'm attending. I love that Benefit has included a few non-makeup items into the calendar for an extra surprise.

Stay tuned next Friday for the next post in this series to see December 7-13th!