14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
These Benefit make-up products are actually worth your money
Whether Benefit's bestselling staples were your first introduction to beauty products, you swear by its porefessional range, or you are devoted to its famous brow products, the brand occupies a special spot in many make-up bags — for good reason.
Known for its kitsch packaging, fun product names, and multiple award-winning formulas, Benefit has always had a playful approach to beauty. Its roster includes the cult hoola bronzer (the first-ever shimmer-free formula), the they're real! mascara and the precisely brow pencil (the gold standard for drawing on salon-quality brows), as well as its popular pore primer and powder blush.
Some of its cult products can even be traced right back to the Seventies — see the lip tint that was originally created for exotic dancers as a nipple tint.
With direction from my mum, I discovered Benefit more than a decade ago as a teenager first getting into make-up. Its roller mascara and precisely brow pencil are still staples of my daily routine, but what about the brand's other bestsellers? To find out which formulas are worth your money (and my own), I tried a full-face of Benefit cosmetics, from its new matte primer and setting powder to its classic badgal mascara and liquid eyeliner.
How I tested
I've been testing out all the different Benefit formulas to consider those that are the best. When reviewing, I assessed the ease of application, staying power, how the formulas looked and felt on my skin, as well as how easily they slotted into my everyday routine by swapping out my usual products.
