I get asked this question a lot by beauty journalists, customers, etc….
” If you were stranded on a desert island, what product could you not live with” The answer for me is never 1 product, it’s 3; Erase paste, browzingsand benetint. Without those three, I don’t feel whole.
I would consider myself a fairly confident girl who is 98% of the time happy with what my momma gave me but let’s be honest, unless you are a supermodel and frankly I don’t think they are all together human, we all have things that need a little help.
totally bare...it's just not for me.
I’m addicted to brows so gotta have that, my skintone is uneven around my nose and under my eyes so check the erase paste box, and benetint because I just can’t start my day without it. Those three products are as key to my morning as my iced coffee and greek yoghurt with strawberries.
If you are one of those ladies who rocks it totally bare day in and day out I applaud you and am jealous because as much as I’d like to say I could do it, I don’t know if I could go cold turkey. I have my bare minimum ( no pun intended). That’s the jumping off point for the rest of the look, which varies depending on the day, my mood or the temperature. Sometimes it stops at the basic three and other times….well, the sky is the limit.
ahh..that's better.
Anyone else have a basic one, two or three that they just can’t leave the house without?
As if working on our iconic catalog doesn’t give the copy team enough reason to be giddy, most of the writers have the chance to be in it…this season that lucky gal is me! In the days leading up to the shoot, I launched Operation Zoolander, which involved practicing my smize* in front of the office bathroom mirror and waging a full-blown war against breakouts. At the studio I picked up these insider beauty tips:
a prime-a-donna moment
Soak a washcloth in ice water and hold it on your face like a mask to bring lackluster skin to life. This little trick has the same effect as dandelion, our pink perk-ifying powder. Try both to fake 8 hours of amazing sleep, pronto.
Mix girl meets pearl with foundation to lighten up the coverage, brighten and “dew up” the skin.
When you can’t find your speed brow, brush a little Vaseline on brows to give them healthy-looking shine and keep strays in place.
For smoky eyes that last, apply stay don’t stray, followed by cream shadow and layer a matching shade of powder shadow on top…on cheeks, the same rule applies for liquid tint layered with our box o’powders. Try a combo of posietint and CORALista tonight!
Use eye bright to draw a line from the tail end of the brow to the outer edge of your eye and lightly blend for a beautiful, bright finish.
**Fun fact:Benefit co-founders Jean & Jane Ford are former models, both 6’ tall and masters of the “smize,” a term Tyra Banks coined to mean “smile with your eyes.” Incidentally, our team coined the term ”smeave,” or “smile with your cleavage,” upon creating 10, a bronzing and highlighting powder duo for sculpting canyon cleave.
proud in prrrowl
Which one of our blogettes will be Benefit’s Next Top Model? Stay tuned!
My sister Maggie and I have been traveling like CRAZY!!! In the month of July we went all over the US to Sephoras doing really fun events in store.
I wanted to share with all of you what happens after the work is over and play time begins…
It all began in Canada. After our event my co worker Catherine, Maggie, and I started to look around the store for fun new products that we could play with. I picked up a really interesting face mask and decided to go for it. That evening the three of us went to dinner then went back to my room to try the new mask out ( this is what happens to you when you have been in Sephoras and surrounded by your co workers for days on end).
All in all the mask was great! But I think that the pics we got were the highlight of the evening!
Did somebody say HAPPY HOUR? Here at Benefit, we shake-up our work days with office-fave Benefit makeup mixers. Many of us like to keep a fully-stocked drawer of these good-time goodies right at our desk for every time we need to “take the edge off.”
secret stash
Try out some of these Benefit-classic cosmetic combinations and you’ll be feelin’ gooood!
“Blushing Bubbly”- Complexion need a perk-me-up? Time to start hittin’ the bottle…of benetint that is. It’s the Benefit fave combo of moonbeam and benetint that goes on like a sheer sherbet dream. Dab a little on cheekbones to create a gorgeous, rosy-gold dewy accent for the face. For gals who are on the fairer side with cooler skin tones, high beam and benetint work just as beautifully.
benetint classic
“Booster Shot”- Here’s something that’ll wake you up. Mix stay don’t stray with ooh la lift and dab under and over the eye area to the radial for instant brightening and soothing. Puffy or tired eyes will love the cooling effects of ooh la lift, and stay don’t stray adds just a bit of pigment. You can wear this under or over makeup as a touchup.
have a booster shot
“The Eraser” – Ever look at yourself in the mirror at work around 3:30 and think “hey, what happened to my skin? It didn’t look like that this morning.” When skin issues start to reappear (or come out of nowhere), it’s time to put them to rest with the ultimate mix of the POREfessional and boi-ing or erase paste concealer. When mixed, these products turn into one smooth complexion cocktail. The coverage of concealer combined with the silky texture of the POREfessional (which is translucent), lightly ”airbrushes” out redness, fine lines, roughness, pores…just about everything.
smooooth
Are you a Benefit mixologist with a favorite mix of your own? Pony-up and let us know!
Meet Jen. She’s the grand prize winner of our Beauty on the Fly Sweepstakes with Southwest Airlines and won 2 round-trip tickets, plus a bevy of Benefit beauty!
Meet Chris. Jen and Chris are engaged. This lucky-in-love pair is using Jen’s prize to go on their HONEYMOON! How adorable is that?!
Needless to say, I’m a sucker for these kind of stories. I emailed Jen to let her know that she won and she enthusiastically emailed me back about her story and I couldn’t help but share. :)
They met online in 2008. Their first date was a home-cooked meal by Chris (points there!), they were “official” the very next day. The wedding date is set for their 3 year anniversary and as Jen says, “We can’t wait! We are so excited and so in love!”
They are thrilled to have won to help plan their honeymoon, especially since Jen’s a “total makeup girl.” She says, “I can’t wait to receive my box of goodies; I’m like a kid waiting for Santa to come!!”
Congrats to Jen & Chris! I am happy just to hear about this adorable story and can’t wait to hear about your wedding and honeymoon with Southwest & Benefit!
When our new jet-black liquid eyeliner, magic ink, finally hit the Benefit office, every gal (and a certain American Idol fan) was elated and ready to rock a seriously sexy cat eye. Initially, I was intimidated to try it, but after a quick lesson, I now love to rock variations of the cat eye day and night.
But hey, every gal should learn from the pros, right? So, the other week we went to the Fillmore Street Boutique to film a sassy little video with our Beauty Artists Karolina & Kelly to teach every gal that with a little time & steady hand she can “puurrrfect” a delicious cat eye. (yep, I went with the pun)
Here’s a little sneak peek into the making of a Benefit video…plus, watch the video at the end!
sketching storyboards
testing lighting
kelly perfecting the cat eye on karolina
mirror, mirror
(L to R) resident guy alex, la geek, emily, sarah, hannah, & karolina all hard at work
It’s all happening on Crescent Row and it can be yours!
We have the home of our new Crescent Row fragrances & want to give it away to one lucky lady (or guy)! Just leave a comment below on our blog about why you love your favorite Crescent Row scent: LeeLee, Sofia, Gina, Eva, Carmella or Rita.
home sweet home of Crescent Row
.
We’ll randomly pick one winner on Friday, August 13.
[Note: it does not include the six scents. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Ends 8/13/10]
1. Loose buns and ponytail are classy, timeless and fabulous.
2. Rummage around for red…lipstick that is. Red lips continue to be classy for spring. Just remember to keep your eye makeup light.
3. Long lashes are big. A huge trend (and one we aren’t signing up for, thank you very much) are ‘permanent’ false lashes applied individually. They last a couple weeks and are especially big on the West Coast. Not ready to go the glued route? Layer on the mascara. Several coats should do you fine. (Don’t believe the old beauty ‘no’ that you should only apply 2 coats of mascara. That ‘don’t’ is now a ‘do’: You just can’t get lush, thick lashes with only two coats.
4. Don’t over-bronze. Fake tanned skin is in again, but don’t go overboard. Instead, try layering your fake tan with a light tanning creme set with a tinted moisturizer or a bronzing powder. The best thing about bronzed skin? You can go light on the rest of your makeup. We love bronzed skin paired with a pink lip gloss and mascara.
5. Long waves are still hot, while straightening irons still are not. Ironed hair has been out now for a couple seasons and it stays out for spring. Instead, opt for straight, but full hair with a few loose waves you can get via Velcro rollers or winding hair around a full-barreled curling iron. Think your hair is too long? Don’t worry, as long as you keep it trim, super long hair is in.
6. Spring is all about shimmer. We love the look of shimmer on eyes and cheeks, especially on tanned skin. Here’s a how-to on getting the glow.
7. Coral is in this spring for women of all ages. ‘O’ magazine trumps it as the perfect shade when pink feels cliched & red is just too vampy. The deal with coral is to stay away from mattes and opt instead for glosses and lipsticks that you apply with your finger (the stick itself can make the color too heavy). You want it to look as if you just ate a piece of fruit, according to ‘O’. Okay then! P.S. Coral looks especially great with a tan. And try it on your toes.
Do desert islands have mirrors?
