Benefit Cosmetics Real Cheeky Party Holiday Blush Palette First Impression

Hey Beauty Bees,

I am overly excited to share with you a product that I have been anticipating getting for over a year! I have always loved and wanted to try out the boxed powders that Benefit is famous for but I always turned the other way since I cannot get myself to pay almost $30 for a single blush or bronzer. Last year they came out with a limited edition blush palette for the Holidays which included 6 of the powders and the Watts Up highlighter. I remember being in a Sephora with Chris, holding the palette in hand but was once again second guessing myself on purchasing it. Both of us not realizing that it was a "Limited Edition" product, Chris decided he was going to get it for me for Christmas and told me to hold off. The next week before he was able to get it for me, they sold out everywhere. I was bummed but its just makeup so I just figured it was not meant to be.

A few weeks ago a lovely e-newsletter popped into my email box from Benefit, displaying their new Limited Edition Holiday line which including the "Real Cheeky Party Palette" which was very similar to the previous years except for a few moderations. I instantly knew that I was going to buy this and the very next week when I was in Sephora, I spotted the palette, snatched it up and headed toward the register.

Here is my first impression of the "Real Cheeky Party Palette":

To start I think the packaging is gorgeous, I love the bright fun colors they used and the tin is really sturdy. I only wished that they would have made the inside just as sturdy instead of the card paper they used on top sponge.

I really love that they added a little beauty tip booklet to give you advice on how to apply each product. It came very helpful when I was trying out the different blushes, on where the best position on the face to put them.

Here is what comes inside this palette as well as their retail value (from top to bottom, left to right):

• dandelion face powder medium || $16
• rockateur full-size || $28
• sugarbomb face powder medium || $14
• watt’s up! highlighter small || $4.80
• hoola bronzer medium || $17.50
• CORALista face powder medium || $17.50
• they’re real! push-up eyeliner deluxe sample || $6.20
• they’re real! lengthening mascara deluxe sample || $8.50

The price of this palette is $42. They say it has a $116 value, which is almost exact with my calculations being around $112-$113. You are definitely getting such a great deal for all the products in this palette then if you were to buy them all separately in full size, which would come out to a whooping $218.

Here are the swatches of all the powders and the highlighter. Each product has its swatch directly below it. A couple of the shades come out a little bit differently on camera so here is a more detailed description of each shade:

• dandelion: a brightening face powder/ classic ballerina pink 
• rockateur: a famously provocative cheek powder/ rose gold
• sugarbomb: a "sugar rush flush" face powder/ peach, plum, shimmering pink and rose 
• hoola bronzer: a bronzing powder/ soft bronze
• CORALista: a "rio" pleasure face powder/ warm coral-pink 
• watt’s up!: a soft focus highlighter for face/ champagne

I love the addition of the two eye products to go along with the face products.

• they’re real! push-up eyeliner: a lash-hugging gel liner pen/ black
• they’re real! lengthening mascara: beyond mascara/ black
• 
  

I would definitely recommend this palette to anyone who loves Benefit products or anyone who has been wanting to try a lot of different products from the brand but who was not sure because of the price. I also think it is a great way to find out which Box O Powders are your favorite instead of getting every single one and wasting money on the ones you end up not liking at all. Lastly, this palette is perfect for the girl who loves to travel, since it has 5 different beauty items in one, bronzer, eyeliner, mascara, highlighter and a choose of 4 blushes. The value of this palette ($42) is a huge selling factor since you are getting over $100 worth of product.

I love the fact that they changed it up from last years palette, by giving us 5 powders, 1 highlighter, 1 eyeliner and 1 mascara. I have been the hugest fan of the They're Real Mascara for years now and I was so happy to try out the other products. Every product was very pigmented and went on great. They also all had extremely great staying power. I will have to say my favorite product of the palette was the Rocketaur powder since it was such a pretty color and it was actually a full size product! My least favorite was the eyeliner because it was hard for me to get use to the different style of pen shape.

I bought this product at Sephora.com but you can also get it at Ulta and the Benefit Cosmetics website. Let me know if you try out this palette or if you decide to give it as a gift to someone special.