Nice but head for MeMeMe for exact copy for under a fiver! (Benefit High Beam)

Member Name: candifloss

Product:	Benefit High Beam
Date:	05/08/08 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Benefit brand (we all need a bit of luxury), leaves you with a dewy glow, multipurpose

Disadvantages: Expensive - would expect it to perform better than a highlighter at a fraction of the price

I'd always enjoyed scouring the Benefit stalls in Debenhams and pouring over the free booklet displaying most of the products, with helpful make up tips and comments from people who have already used and loved the products. But, like many others, I didn't feel spending over 20 pounds (sorry my pound sign won't work!) on a product was necessary, especially when you can get similar products in Boots and Superdrug. So, for the basics in my make up bag I bought from the likes of Rimmel, Bourjois and 17. But then, every girl needs a treat, and I succombed to the delicious, premium (and tad expensive) Benefit.

I'd had my eye on Benefit's Realness of Concealness for some time now. It was a delightful little box, that once opened revealed a little mirror (ok, so it wasn't the best mirror), 3 little pots of liquid and 2 cream products at the side. The liquids were basically encased in a mini lipgloss tube, and were 2.5g each. This doesn't seem much, but it gives you a chance to have a 'taster' of 5 different Benefit products. The 2 creams are Boi-ing, an 'industrial strength concealer', and Lemon Aid, a 'colour correcting eyelid primer'. The mini tubes contain Lip Plump, Ooh La Lift and High Beam. The Realness of Concealness Kit retails at 22.50.

Firstly, the miniature version in the Kit is quite fiddly, and comes with a mini sponge applicator in the lid. It's perfect for dotting 3 drops on each cheekbone and for applying under the browbone or on the outer corners of the eyes. Another Benefit tip is to apply a thin strip down the centre of the nose for a slimming effect. The full size High Beam is just over 15 pounds for 13ml, and comes with the type of brush applicator you get with nail varnishes. According to the website, you can also mix with moisturiser 'for an all over glow'. Sounded good to me. I wanted to look fresh faced and healthy.

So, what did I think of High Beam? It certainly made me look a little more awake, and left me with a dewy glow on the apples of my cheeks. Yes, the product worked well, but I must admit from all the hype I was expecting miracles! And for 15.50, I think I deserve them! As I said, the High Beam I used was part of a mini Kit, and, at 2.5g it didn't last long. But was I happy enough with the product to fork out 15.50 for the full size version? Erm, no. Instead, I headed for trusted old Superdrug, searching for a highlighter I could actually afford. And then I found MeMeMe, and I found the product practically identical to High Beam, called 'Beat the Blues'. At 4.50, it was a snip of the price, and I found it worked just as well as the more expensive Benefit version. In fact, the entire MeMeMe brand included cheaper versions of many of Benefits top sellers, including cheek tints, and a cheaper version of Benefit's other highlighter Moon Beam. So, perhaps head to Boots and Superdrug first to check out the competition, and perhaps save you a small fortune!

Summary: by all means treat yourself to this great little highlighter, but I'll be heading for Superdrug