Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer: Review & Swatch

Firstly, apologies for not posting for a while! I was down in Bedford for the week, spending time with cousins, eating endlessly, and chattering (ok, gossiping) away through the nights with no sleep...

Anyway, do you remember when you were at school or college, and there was always THAT GAL who had the most amazing complexion; with her makeup looking flawless and lasting all day, as though she was the walking-talking personification of glowing skin? And you would stare at her with ever so slight envy (or more than just 'slight'- perhaps you secretly prayed she'd have a sudden eruption of acne all over her face and you'd rejoice at the mere thought of it) and wished your skin looked just as great? Well, I certainly wasn't THAT GAL. I had oily skin, with the constant eruptions of blemishes and mini Mount Everests dotted all over my cheeks and forehead (my brother once tried playing dot-to-dot on my face...hmph). Whenever I attempted to wear makeup, it would melt away under all the oil within an hour or two. Sad times.

If only I had met Benefit's 'That Gal' back then...

Things are different now. My skin is not as oily, in fact I tend to get dry patches on my cheeks sometimes. But I do love using 'That Gal'. This is described by Benefit as a 'brightening primer'- and brightens it does. I don't use this everyday; only when I will be wearing foundation or blusher on my face. It really does make my makeup last all day, without requiring touch-ups! I was amazed when I first tried it. It had been my aunts wedding. We went down to Birmingham, where she lived, a week before the wedding. We partied away the whole week, dancing and playing wedding-style games in the marquee set up in their garden. Absolutely no sleep that week. The night before the wedding, my cousins and I did a complete all-nighter with the bride (I WOULD NOT risk eye bags by staying up all night if I was the bride!). That morning was a struggle getting ready. All I wanted was sleep.

So, we get to the wedding hall at lunch, and I'm feeling extremely sick. How was the bride managing?! 45 minutes into the wedding, I grabbed my cousin's car keys and went to sleep in his car. When I woke up, the wedding was over and the bride was leaving... Sad. Just sad. Why am I telling you this? Because my makeup was as good as fresh when I woke up and frantically checked my face in the mirror, feeling like Frankenstein's monster, (that's right, Frankenstein was NOT the monster, he was the one who created the monster- read the novel!) and then oh so pleasantly surprised at what I saw! I was glowing, makeup had not budged and, well...of course, I looked wide awake! Even though I had missed the wedding...what a waste of a £350 sari that I wore... But there was still lots to do after the wedding and my makeup continuously looked fresh! Thanks to Benefit's 'That Gal' face primer.

   

It comes in a glue-stick type packaging, and a few twists of it is enough product to cover the face. It comes out in pink and has a creamy texture, with a lovely, subtle scent to it. I use this straight after moisturising. Once applied over the face, my skin feels super smooth, and soft; appearing more bright and radiant- and simply glowing. I found that my foundation goes on more smoothly once I have this on.

Overall, this is a great product, and does what it's meant to do. It is slightly on the expensive side, as with most Benefit products, but it will last a long time as only a little is needed, and it does keep your makeup lasting longer so touch ups will not be required as much. However, the downside is that you can't tell once the product has run out, until you keep twisting away and no product releases.

I recommend this product to those who have trouble making their makeup last all day, and are tired of constantly having to touch-up their make up. I also recommend it to ladies who want to even out their skin tone and brighten up their skin, as this product can be used alone without makeup, as well. I would definitely repurchase this primer.


RATING: 9/10