Hey kittens, hope you’re all having a lovely week so far.
Today’s blog post is one that I’ve been super excited to share with you – the launch
of a new Benefit Cosmetics product. As y’all know from my MANY blog posts about
the brand (especially my rave reviews of their make-up counters in Harvey
Nichols Manchester and their brow bar services in Debenhams Manchester), I am a
huge fan of their work. So, when I was exclusively invited along to their
Criminally Easy training day in our Manchester, I just couldn’t pass up the
chance to attend.

#CriminallyEasy is a new eyeliner that Benefit Cosmetics are
bringing out on the 28th June (so a bit of a preview of the product
for you here!) and is set to be their biggest since cult mascara, They’re Real
was released a while ago. This gel eyeliner in a pen form is to set in a trio
with They’re Real and the newly released They’re Real Remover – a cleanser
formulated specifically for gently removing the stubborn waterproof mascara – as
the missing part of the Benefit Cosmetics family. I’m shocked they’ve never had
it before!

I was invited to the official launch party of the product in
May but unfortunately, being on an evening in London like SO many cool events
are, I had to sadly decline. I was absolutely gutted as it looked like a fab
night, but visiting the They’re Real tour bus when it hit Piccadilly Gardens in
Manchester totally made up for it. I went along expected to say hello and take
a few pictures, but my visit was way better than that…

Arriving at the 45ft American truck, it was pretty hard to
miss; the iconic They’re Real model splashed across the side, Benebabes walking
around in bright orange American prison-style jumpsuits giving out mini size
samples of the eyeliner and with a hot American cop letting passers-by have
their photos taken in front of a line-up stand. I thought this would be all I would
be having a look at (free samples of a high end product are always good in my
books) but I was soon invited inside the truck – wow!

The truck isn’t open to the public – it’s currently touring
the UK as a mobile training station for Benebabes across the nation to teach
them the ways of the new liquid/gel eyeliner hybrid – but it’s such a shame it’s
not. Stepping inside, you forget you’re in a lorry. It’s immaculately decorated
as an American prison, with bars on the windows, handprints, prison graffiti,
chains and handcuffs everywhere; the attention to detail is incredible. It’s
also huge, fitting in about 30 benebabes dressed in their prison jumpsuits,
with three or four trainers dressed as glamorous police officers and prison
wardens (all also acting in character throughout the whole time – amazing!).

After being introduced to the lovely (and all gorgeous!)
Benefit ladies, I sat quietly at the back and sunk in the training session. As
a customer of the brand, it was so interesting to see the brand from an
internal perspective again (read my review of their Glamoriety tour for more
info on Benefit’s staff morale) and see the genuine enthusiasum the staff have
for the brand. It makes such a change when the ladies on a makeup counter are
friendly, down-to-earth and helpful – unlike some, ahem, MAC – and the training
session should have certainly equipped them with enough knowledge to introduce
the product to their own stores.

During the session, we learnt about the technology behind
the ergonomically designed pen shape, designed to not only fit well in the hand
(it really does) but the wind-up tip will also push the lashes out of the way in
order to get a really close line along the eyelid. The lid also has a slight
screw-cap in order to prevent the pen from drying up, with the contents of the
pen actually being a gel consistency, which is traditionally found in pot form.
We also learnt four different eyeliner designs and how to achieve them, before
being let lose to try them ourselves – I may have had a little bit of help from
the professionals. There was also a fair bit of dancing thrown in between.
Gangham style, anyone?

As a bonus, I was given the trio of makeup we used to review,
including the yet to be released

Criminally Easy – get ready for it to fly off
the shelves on the 28th June. As a daily wearer of winged liquid
eyeliner myself (I wouldn’t leave the house without my signature cat’s eye
flicks), I’ve tried many a liquid/gel/felt-tip eyeliner in my time and I can
whole heartedly say that this product is the best liquid (actually gel, in a
liquid eyeliner pen packaging) is the best I have ever tried. It’s matte,
budge-proof and you only need one coat for it to look really, really black. I’ve
been wearing this daily since receiving it two weeks ago and I can’t see myself
looking back. They’re Real mascara is the no.1 best selling mascara in –the world-
and I can see Criminally Easy following suit.

So kittens, will you be trying this product? What are your
favourite eyeliners? Leave me a comment below and let me know – I’m always open
to recommendations!