Sample Saturday - Benefit They're Real Double The Lip - Nude Scandal

I may have already mentioned it a few times, both on here and on Instagram, but if you haven't already heard I'm having a bit of a clear out at the moment. I'm not big on new years resolutions but I do usually set myself a few goals, a few targets and a few things that I want to achieve, and this year one of my big aims was to get myself more organised and clear out some of the junk both in my house and in my mind!

Like most things I got waylaid, but now in the last month or so of the year, I'm actually getting down to it and clearing out some of that clutter. Whilst methodically going through each room and sorting out some of my stuff I realised that something was missing? What was missing? well magazines of course. I used to be a prolific magazine buyer, I used to buy at least 4 a month and I couldn't pop into the supermarket without picking up a coffee break read but now I can go for months without buying a glossy mag.

To be honest I'm not big on celebrity gossip and I'm not big on skimming though 100 pages of adverts in every £4 or so, issue. Don't get me wrong, print magazines still have their place but my love affair with the glossy definitely seems to be over. Looking back over the last 12 months or so, the only time I seem to have bought a magazine, is either when I've been stuck in somewhere boring like a hospital, or when there is a decent free gift.

I'm a sucker for a magazine freebie but now though I seem to be a little bit more selective over which ones that I pick up. I don't need and more hand cream, or eye liners, or mascaras so I'm starting to actually think about what I buy, after all it's only a decent offer if you actually want both the magazine and the product!

Recently though the UK addition of ELLE magazine, featured a free gift that I really wanted and that I'd been debating whether or not to buy for sometime.

I've talked about my love for Benefit Cosmetics on many occasions and the freebie in question was a  Benefit They're Real Double The Lip Beyond Sexy Lipstick & Liner In One in the shade Nude Scandal.

Way back in March I posted a review of four of the shades in the collection, and I have to say I really rate them. You can have a little read here to see why but I love the colours, the texture, the wear time, and the whole lipstick and liner in one concept. My favourite shades were both of the pink colours, Pink Thrills and Lusty Rose, but I really wanted to try the shade Nude Scandal, and this magazine freebie give me the perfect opportunity to try it out.

Alas it wasn't a full size lippy, but it was a decent 0.75g, half size, which gave me plenty opportunity to try it out and to include in an all be it, very rare, Sample Saturday post x 

Obviously I've already talked about what makes these lipsticks so special, but just to recap it's all down to the shape and the shades. The entire Benefit They're Real range is basically about making the best of yourself with just a tiny hint of fakery or should I say self improvement.

In a slim, metallic look tube these lipsticks have a unique teardrop shaped tip, the lipstick at the pointed tip of the teardrop is in a slightly darker shade, compared to the rest of the teardrop. This pointed tip gives you your liner look, so when you apply the lipstick with the point at the outer edge of your lips, your lining them and filling them in with the one product.It takes a little bit of getting used to, twisting the bullet around but once you get the hang of it, it's a lot quicker than using a separate lipstick and liner.

In some of the shades there looks to be quite a drastic difference between the lipstick and liner and shades but once you get them on the lips there is no harsh line and you certainly don't get that horrible dark liner, pale lips look, instead you just get slightly fuller, plumper looking lips.

Nude Scandal is a really wearable nude, it isn't too brown, and it certainly isn't one of those pale, deathly looking nudes. It's a very pink, nude which I think will suit a lot of different skin tones. I've worn it an awful lot since I got and it's definitely one of those go to colours that literally goes with any outfit or make up look.

These lipsticks aren't the most moisturising lipsticks that I've ever used but they certainly aren't drying, and the fab demi matte formula wears incredibly well.

My only issue with these lipsticks, when I first reviewed them was the slightly odd, TCP type taste and scent, but thankfully Nude Scandal doesn't taste like something I should be applying to a cut! Whether I got a bad batch or whether they've added some fragrance and flavouring I don't know, but this tube of Nude Scandal has a very subtle vanilla taste and scent.

Although I've managed a little clear out and I've recently giving Mummy Lou a huge bagful of lip products, I still have way too many for one set of lips, despite that though Nude Scandal is a recent addition that I'm happy to have. I really like these lipsticks and Nude Scandal is an excellent everyday colour, that's really easy to apply and wear. As I say this is the half, 0.75g size but the full 1.5g size, of Benefit They're Real Double The Lip Beyond Sexy Lipstick & Liner In One in Nude Scandal retails at around £16.50 from various retailers including Boots, John Lewis, Debenhams, and of course the Benefit website. Have you tried these lipsticks yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and if you're a Benefit fan I've got a couple more reviews coming up for you in the next few days.