Benefit Prrrowl ($28) sure is sneaky.
(How sneaky is it?)
It’s SO sneaky that it had me expecting something entirely different before we met.
New for fall, it’s a duo with a peacock blue iridescent mascara on one end and a sheer, shimmery pink gloss with blue glitter on the other. The iridescent blue mascara’s designed to work as a glittery topcoat for regular mascaras (or applied to bare lashes), and the gloss end’s designed to either be layered atop lipsticks or worn alone. The two are an unusual pairing, if nothing else, so I gotta give props to Benefit for originality.
For the record, I really wanted to like Benefit Prrrowl, what with the name (kitty on the prowl, meow!) and all, and I totally love the idea of sparkly blue glitter on my lashes and lips…
Benefit Prrrowl swatches on NC35 skin
The mascara on bare lashes…
…and applied on top of two coats of a black mascara
But the glitter is almost invisible on my lashes, no matter how much I use. I mean, what’s the point of invisible glitter, right?
Saving it from the land of entirely forgettable makeup, the gloss end delivers a pretty iridescent blue sheen that should look great layered on top of bright lipsticks, but the texture feels kinda gritty (and sticky). And I’m not into the scent AT ALL. Nope. It smells like strong fake watermelon to me.
Prrrowl is cute, and I do think the gloss is unusual in a pretty cool way, but I sure wish the mascara end of this duo packed a little more POP! Available at Benefit stores and online at benefitcosmetics.com. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: C-
Late night party people
I stayed up way too late reading for the second night in a row, and now I’m paying for it (yawn) in a BIG way. It’s all Mockingjay’s fault. It’s the third and final book in The Hunger Games series.
Something tells me I’ll be sobbing uncontrollably by the end (like I did with Stephanie Meyer’s The Host). Just a hunch…
Well, we can cross Monday off our lists. Whatcha doing tonight? Working out? Staying in? Plotting world domination? Tabs says hi. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Myr says
September 13th, 2010 at 9:28 pmAs far as mascara, I fell in love with your lashes after reading the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill review and went out to buy my own tube. Love it! My YSL Faux Cils should arrive tomorrow from Sephora. So excited! I’m hoping it exceeds Eyes to Kill.
I can’t see the blue at all on your lashes here. 🙁
Karen says
September 13th, 2010 at 9:36 pmHi Myr,
Faux Cils is AWESOME! It’s fantastic at building thickness at the base. If you want big drama, you’ll get it with Faux Cils.
Maria says
September 13th, 2010 at 10:01 pmYikes! I was SO excited to try this, but now not so much. I guess it’s a good thing I find out ahead of time – better to save for Venemous Villains, LOL!
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Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:38 amThis is just okay… but Girl Meets Pearl = awesome!
Heidi says
September 13th, 2010 at 10:07 pmYeah, I think I’ll pass on this one, but the Girl Meets Pearl looks great.
Just winding down for the evening. Have to rest up for tomorrow. I’m taking my Mom to the hospital for some outpatient treatment. She’s getting a steroid injection that hopefully will alleviate some of her ongoing back pain. So, fingers crossed.
I’m watching the replay of last night’s Mad Men. I fell asleep during the last part of it last night so I’m hoping to catch what I missed.
Oh, and tell Tabs that Missy says hi, too. She’s got quite the crush on him. She loves a man secure enough to be photographed with makeup!
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:37 amTabs says, “Meow-meow!” back to Missy. 😉
Sooo I’m a little apprehensive about Don Draper 2.0. I have a feeling the writers are setting him up to fail miserably again.
dani@callitbeauty says
September 13th, 2010 at 10:15 pmoh, that’s disappointing.
tonight, i took a glorious, warm bath (i used lush products). i’ve just finished re-painting my nails and i’m off to go looking for a late night snack, then it’s probably off to bed.
as for plotting, well… i’m plotting ways to get more votes for this contest i entered :p
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Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:36 amOh, what color did you paint your nails?
marisol says
September 13th, 2010 at 10:15 pmGirl, I wanted to like Prrowl but just couldn’t do it. I like the concept but it didn’t work out for me at all.
I need to get into these books. I started reading the first one but couldn’t get past the first chapter. Maybe I will try it again.
Have a great week!
marisol recently posted … Cruisin
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:35 amGive it another chance. Trust me, it does get good.
As for the makeup, did you try Girls Meets Pearl?
Molly says
September 13th, 2010 at 10:28 pmBummer, I was hoping it would be good! But, ces’t la vie, and maybe other, better variations are in the near future!
Molly says
September 13th, 2010 at 10:29 pm*c’est. My French is horrific. :-p
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:35 amLOL, no worries, Molly. I barely scraped by in my high school French classes. I try but mangle the language all the time, unfortunately.
Marina says
September 13th, 2010 at 11:46 pmOh, no! What a shame and I was interested in this item 🙁
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Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:34 amYeah, it’s just… okay. I like it more for its looks.
aquamarine565 says
September 13th, 2010 at 11:57 pmOMG mockingjay is INCREDIBLE. but very, very sad- and thats all im saying! but id really had high hopes for prrrowl… :'(
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Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:33 amI have the sneaking suspicion not everyone will make it out of 13 in one piece, but I’m keeping the hope alive.
aquamarine565 says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:57 amdo you like gale or peeta better?
aquamarine565 recently posted … Dior DiorShow Extase Mascara Review
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 9:03 amI like them both for different reasons — Gale because he holds a big chunk of Katniss’ heart, Peeta because he would move the earth if he could to protect her. How about you?
aquamarine565 says
September 14th, 2010 at 9:55 ampeetas very sweet, but ever so slightly clingy… gale is more interesting, i think!
aquamarine565 recently posted … Dior DiorShow Extase Mascara Review
mill says
September 14th, 2010 at 1:36 amaw im so disapointed. i hoped it would be a SHOCKING pink and a BRIGHT blue, all party- like and such. but no. a normal pink gloss and navy mascara. *tear*
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:32 amYeah, me too! It sure does look pretty in the tube though, sigh.
kaprice says
September 14th, 2010 at 2:14 amAWWW! that sucks, i was looking forward to this.
The Hunger Games is an awesome series! I stayed up all night reading Mockingjay when it first came out. So worth it! I can’t wait for the movies!
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:32 amMe too! The movies BETTER do the books justice. If they don’t I’m betting there will be a lot of cranky fans!
kirsty says
September 14th, 2010 at 2:25 amHow disappointing 🙁
With a name like prrrowl I was expecting something dark, dramatic and smoky
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:31 amYeah, no kidding! I wanted makeup that made me feel like I was on the hunt, rrrrrrow!
Jen says
September 14th, 2010 at 2:57 amThe glosses from Benefit’s Glitz & Glam set are the same way: gritty, and smell like watermelon candy. I think I could deal with the smell, but I don’t like the way they feel. Even the ones without glitter are gritty!
Anyway, too bad about this set… I usually like Benefit. The mascara seemed so promising.
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:30 amYeah, the gloss is from their gloss line (and not the Ultra Shines line).
If anybody wants to read the review, here it is just in case:
Quietly Shine with New Benefit Lip Gloss
gio says
September 14th, 2010 at 3:18 amWhat a shame! I love the concept and was really excited about trying it, but this is just so disappointing. 🙁
gio recently posted … Wanted! MUFE Rock Collection Holiday 2010
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:28 amYeah, I wanted it to look more blinged out!
Mimi says
September 14th, 2010 at 4:07 amIt all sounded great until I read the comments. I think I am going to hold on this one too!
Kim says
September 14th, 2010 at 5:02 amI thought I was reading the caption wrong because I was expecting to see electric blue lashes, but you’re right, not a hint of glitter (or blue) in sight. The gloss is pretty.
Ah, Mockingjay. Mine will be on my doorstep this afternoon. I haven’t read any reviews or anything yet, but have a feeling that our characters are not headed to a happy place (as usual). I was choked up plenty of times during the first two books, so I’m mentally preparing for the worst! I mean that in a good way, of course. I’ve really enjoyed this series so far. Remind me of that when I’m blubbering in the comments in a couple of days. 🙂
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:28 amI can’t even count how many, “Oh, Peeta!” moments I had in the second book. 🙁 I just hope they all make it out of Panem alive.
Have you read The Host by Stephanie Meyer yet? If you like The Hunger Games, you might like it too.
Kim says
September 15th, 2010 at 7:35 amOh, I agree. I read the first chapter last night and thought “well, I guess this is setting the tone”. I’ll have my kleenex handy!
I have not read The Host yet, but my friends and I have a mini book club going and one of them has it. I’ll definitely give it a read. 🙂
Did you say if you’d read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (series) yet? It has some rough spots, but overall keeps you turning the pages! As the weather cools down, my thoughts are turning to re-reading War and Peace and Crime and Punishment. I guess something about winter in the northeast makes me want to read Russian classics. 🙂
Ithfifi says
September 14th, 2010 at 5:44 amSuch a shame! I took one look at the colour of the mascara and almost fell off my chair with excitement, but on second glances I guess I’ll be saving my pennies on this one. I’ve always wanted a mascara that was colourful but not tacky.. hmm.. It was such a promising idea 🙁
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Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:26 amHmm, have you checked out their Bad Gal Blue? That sounds like it might work for you:
http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/gp/product/B000KYXEBI/sr=1-2/qid=1284477813/ref=sr_1_2/184-1350187-7348213?ie=UTF8&n=1289302011&bcBrand=core
Dior also makes one called Azure Blue that I’ve heard is pretty good, too:
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P40404&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=1073
Nina says
September 14th, 2010 at 6:10 amI watched Gossip Girl and slept! LOL …
Ohh thats pretty – Benefit is sure catchin’ my eye these days!
Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:23 amI never got into that show. I’ve heard it’s pretty good though!
Nina says
September 14th, 2010 at 10:50 amGG is a hoot to watch! I mean srsly — teens getting into the most absurdly insane and impossible situations? And getting out of it?
The clothes and some of the makeup plus the bag pr0n is pretty fun to watch though. 😀
Taffy says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:34 amThat colour combo reminds me of the old school erasers with the pink end for pencil and the blue end for pens! 🙂 I think that will keep rolling pennies for MAC Villians.
Last night cleaned my birds cages and studied for class. It’s a white knuckle ride at my house!
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Karen says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:39 amLOL, yeah, the party never stops here, too. I went running, made dinner and then watched the season finale of The Closer.
Trisha says
September 14th, 2010 at 8:50 amMan, that’s so disappointing. I was expecting Prrrowl to be a lot better. I mean, you’re right. There’s no point to invisible glitter. Although the lip gloss looks awesome on you.
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Melissa W. says
September 14th, 2010 at 9:32 amToo bad this stuff doesn’t do much. If it were on sale for $9 at sephora I’d be all about it. But $28 for nothing too much isn’t worth it. Thanks for road testing it for us.
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Khalia says
September 14th, 2010 at 9:53 amWow! Seems pretty disappointing! Seems like the main appeal would have been the glitter and if you have to turns your head all cockeyed just to show that you’re wearing it, what’s the point!?!
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Jenn says
September 14th, 2010 at 11:21 amBenefit Prrrowl looks delish in the tube, but not so much on the lips. :/
Yanna says
September 14th, 2010 at 12:27 pmu made me jealous by putting that product of the MAC Disney collection in the pic..haha, I was immediately distracted!
grtz from belgium
xoxo
Andryroxy says
September 14th, 2010 at 12:57 pmohh that’s a shame, thanks for the review I love glitter so much I would have gone and buy it just to look at it from the tube…I’ll pass…
kaitlin says
September 14th, 2010 at 3:56 pmAWW! i was really looking forward to this item!the book is amazing by the way!i loved it(:
Megan says
September 14th, 2010 at 4:05 pmBenefit is always dissapointing me… :(. The pairing of a lip gloss and mascara just seems silly…. you definitely don’t need to reapply mascara as much as you do gloss… just seems impractical… and I’m a beauty junkie! 🙂
makeup morsels says
September 14th, 2010 at 5:22 pmaww man I thought this was going to be a giltterbomb 🙁 and OMG mockinjay was good! not as good as the first book, but I thought it wrapped things up nicely
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amy says
September 15th, 2010 at 7:26 amI love the idea of a teal blue glitter mascara, but I wished that the glitter is more obvious. After all, that is the point of glitter right? I love the Hunger Game series and I have read to first two books twice thus far, while I am wait listed at the library for Mockingjay. I can’t wait to read that one. I even have the Hunger Games and Catching Fire audio books on my ipod. 🙂
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Shanda says
September 16th, 2010 at 12:34 amYou are so pretty stripped down!!! Not many ppl can do that.
Joey Chong says
September 18th, 2010 at 12:42 pmThank you so much for this honest review =)
Was wondering if this unusual pair is worth a try but I guess not ey?!
Tiffany says
September 19th, 2010 at 12:48 amI LOVE the hunger games series!!! It’s incredibly addictive and SUCH a good read!!!
Karen says
September 19th, 2010 at 10:39 amHave you read Mockingjay yet?