benefit

Benefit Scene Queen: A Tuesday Smokey Eye Tutorial

June 29th, 2010 by Karen 42 Comments

benefit scene queen tutorial

Brace yourself, young lady, because someone’s about to make a scene — and it’s you! Do you remember last week’s grayish blue smokey eye from our look at the Benefit Scene Queen The Annie Collection palette? Here’s a quick breakdown of it with pictures and a how-to. 🙂

The Benefit Scene Queen palette

When would I rock a look like this? Well, often! — specifically, whenever I’d want to look dressed up but not overdone, day or night. If it feels a little too dramatic for daytime wear to work/school, maybe give it a try out one night with friends or your boo.
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Take Center Stage with Benefit Scene Queen

June 21st, 2010 by Karen 84 Comments

benefit scene queen

So there I was, minding my own beeswax, when I caught Tabs staring at his reflection in the big @ss mirror that comes with the new Benefit Scene Queen The Annie Collection palette ($38). I think he might have been checking his eyeliner (cat’s got wicked tightlining skillz) or plotting makeup larceny…

I swear, Benefit must have a soothsayer on staff because they always know what I’m craving. The particular mix of dramatic neutrals in this stash of goodies for eyes, lips, face and cheeks is, again, right up my alley. The second of two new limited edition Sephora exclusives from Benefit Trend Makeup Artists Annie and Maggie (peep the other palette, Sunday Funday, here), Scene Queen’s big drama is designed to steal scenes (and the limelight).

benefit scene queen
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Benefit Sunday Funday Palette Looks Pretty Any Day of the Week

June 21st, 2010 by Karen 82 Comments

The situation: The My So-Called Life marathon you hosted last night was a BIG success, but it went all night long, and now you have just 10 minutes to do your makeup before you meet your Jordon Catalano lookalike for brunch. What to do! what to do!

Yes, it’s totally unfair that dudes get to just pull on a plaid shirt and call themselves “date ready.” Life is cruel that way, but thank goodness for palettes that facilitate fast makeup like the new Benefit Sunday Funday The Maggie Collection palette for eyes, lips, face and cheeks ($38).

This cutie pie (isn’t the packaging to die?) comes with a nice mix of neutrals and breezy pops of color perfect for easy, natural-looking makeup looks in almost no time flat.
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Benefit The Porefessional: Pore Your Eyes Only

June 7th, 2010 by Karen 42 Comments

benefit the porefessional review

My 30s came with a few cool perks — wisdom, Tabs and El Hub — that have helped offset the drawbacks of getting older, but there’s one area of aging I’m still trying to offset: my pores. Compared to how they looked in my 20s, THEY’RE HUGE! They’re like Olympic swimming pools within which people could host a swim meet.

To some sad degree, it just comes with the territory. Over time, pores enlarge. Accumulated sun damage, other environmental factors and the natural aging process itself all weaken the support structures around them.

But Benefit says there’s hope. The new Benefit The Porefessional ($28, available now at Ulta.com, and Benefit counters and stores beginning next month).

The lightweight, oil-free primer is designed to minimize the appearance of those behemoth pores when it’s either worn as a primer beneath makeup, where it creates a smooth canvas for foundation and powder, and/or applied on top of your face paint throughout the day, where it softens the skin with a matte finish.
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Benefit Crescent Row Second Story: Three New Fragrances Coming Soon

June 4th, 2010 by Karen 39 Comments

benefit crescent row the second story

Have you heard? Next month we’re getting three new neighbors on Benefit’s Crescent Row. Yup, you remember their cousins, right? — those spunky gals from last year?

Girls of the original Benefit Crescent Row…

Like those first three fragrances, the new ones were also named after different imaginary girls, complete with colorful backstory poems replete with style and charm.

There’s Garden of Good and Eva, Lookin’ to Rock Rita and Hooked on Carmella, each of them eau de toilettes ($36 apiece).

They flutter onto Benefit counters, stores and Sephora next month. Here are some details from Benefit…

benefit crescent row the second story garden of good and eva

Garden of Good and Eva

Eva’s a crisp and citrusy floral with a full-time free spirit, and she’s the kind of friend you can never refuse, even when she’s asking you to ditch work for a day at the beach!

Official fragrance notes: Eva opens with notes of pear, watermelon, ozone accords (an accord is when three or four notes blend together to create a new scent) and muguet (Lily of the Valley), sauntering from there into a heart of rosebud, jasmine petals, green violet leaves and freesia. Finally, she mellows into a mix of sandalwood, musk and cedarwood.

Come away with Eva
Breeze down a lush lane
She’s the fresh rush of splendor
You can’t quite explain
So vividly vibrant
With a carefree deameanor
She whirls off to a place
Where grasses are greener

Sounds like Eva might make a perfect companion for a summer road trip down the coast.

benefit crescent row the second lookin to rock rita

Lookin’ to Rock Rita

Exhilarating Rita, all green and fruity, hums along in high heels and high fashion. You can bet she’ll be ready for adventure at the drop of a hat!

Official fragrance notes: Opening with a blend of lemon, coconut and freesia, Rita boogies into a heart of juicy fig, hyacinth and violet before clearing the dance floor for bottom notes of sandalwood, Brazilian rosewood and vanilla, YUM!

Rita’s ready to rock
And dressed to thrill
With a flavor for risks
Brilliant dreams to fulfill
Juiced up on extras
And dazzling fashions
A modern-day paradise
Of shake-it-up passions

Doesn’t Rita sound like the one to go clubbing with? I just hope she doesn’t ditch me for a cute boy!

benefit crescent row the second story so hooked on carmella

So Hooked on Carmella

She’s the girl at dinner who captures every single heart!

Official fragrance notes: Carmella starts her seduction with yummy lemon, grapefruit and rhubarb before melting into cyclamen (a flower), peony and tiare flower. She ends the evening (with company, of course) by drying down into a warm finish of vanilla, sandalwood and amber.

When it comes to Carmella
Don’t ask and don’t tell
A light touch has admirers
Under her spell
Her sweet sensuality
No one would guess
So exquisite, enticing…
An intimate caress

Carmella could make date nights more special than the rest!

So tell me — which of the new Crescent Row Second Story girls do you resemble most? I think I might be an Eva. 🙂

CCL salad bar

WARNING: Crazy cat lady moment. I’ve started doing some gardening out front, and what do you suppose I planted? Rows of beautiful flowers? Vegetables galore?
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Benefit Boo Boo Zap: You Can Be My Hero, Baby!

April 29th, 2010 by Karen 44 Comments

Well, I finally get why there’s a comic book superheroine on boxes of Benefit Boo Boo Zap ($20). I just started using the stuff a few days ago, and already the best word I can use to describe it is This cult classic executes vicious beat downs on blemishes.

If you’re new to Boo Boo Zap, it’s a liquid zit zapper with pimple-fighting ingredients like witch hazel, camphor and salicylic acid (it doesn’t indicate what percentage). Designed for spot treatments with a bottle built for travel, you apply it directly to skin or on top of makeup.
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Competing Makeup Removers Won’t Benefit from Gee… That Was Quick!

April 28th, 2010 by Karen 40 Comments

AT LAST! After months dutifully removing all manner of eye makeup, my beloved bottle of Bliss Lid + Lash Wash finally gave up the ghost.

As much as I love the stuff (I’m sure it went to makeup and beauty heaven), its departure makes room to try something new.

Ideally, I’d like a remover that works just well as Lid + Lash but comes in a sassier bottle… What can I say? I like it when the stuff on my sink looks cute. 🙂

I was wandering around Sephora the other day when a pink, red and white label caught my eye. It was attached to a bottle of Benefit’s Gee… That Was Quick!
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I Could Kiss Benefit for Bringing the Ultra Shines Lip Shine Glosses into the World

April 19th, 2010 by Karen 31 Comments

Remember when Benefit discontinued their line of OG glosses last year? Man, that made me grumpy… Creamy purple Kiss Me was a staple o’ mine for years (I always wore it on first dates, heh!). The shade, pigment and non-sticky texture made it the stuff of lipgloss legend, and I’ve been mourning the loss ever since.

But Benefit didn’t leave us hanging for long. They promptly replaced the OG line with a new collection of super sheer glosses that I thought were a’ight, but they didn’t really make my heart flutter in that “I NEEDS IT!!” kinda way.

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