Benefit's One Hot Minute Bronzing Powder

Benefit's newest powder is HOT HOT HOT... I guess. One Hot Minute is a good loose powder bronzer. Its meant to be lightly dusted all over, head to toe, for a subtle bronze and slight glow. I like it well enough, but be warned: too much is TOO much. I recommend using this with a fan brush like the one that comes with, or with a big loose powder brush that you swirl into the product and then tap, tap, tap off the excess. It is supposed to be a rose-tinted bronze, that works on all skin tones. I can't really vouch for that, but it compliments my fair, peachy pink complexion nicely. Try it yourself at a Sephora near you!

Bronze Lovely!

Crescent Row: A New Fragrance Collection By Benefit

I am crazy about Benefit's new collection of fragrances, Crescent Row. The are inspired by a row of adorable houses in Bath, England that the daughters of the founder stumbled apon. Each scent is very unique and different, so one of them is sure to please you. I had a chance to try out all three, and although I liked Laugh with me LeeLee a lot, Something About Sophia won my heart! It is just the right mix of sweet, spicy, and gorgeous flowers. Here are the descriptions of each. Which one will be your next love?

Laugh with me LeeLee: a woody floral - a light blend of citrus, jasmine & lily blossoms, naturally light scent with a classic feminine style.

• top notes: cassis, melon, citrus
• middle notes: black violet, lily, jasmine
• bottom notes: blonde wood, amber, santal

Something About Sophia: an oriental floral - a dream of oriental blossoms, mango & vanilla, an intriguing & mysterious scent with a free spirit.

• top notes: mango, freesia
• middle notes: sheer lily, jasmine sambac, peony petal
• bottom notes: musk, white caramel, vanilla bean

My Place or Yours Gina: a woody oriental - an alluring affair of pink pepper, wild raspberry & patchouli, a seductively provocative scent with a "flaunt it if you've got it" attitude.

• top notes: pink pepper, bergamot, tangerine
• middle notes: peony, wild raspberry, white lily
• bottom notes: patchouli, tonka bean, vanilla bean

They are available online at benefitcosmetics.com or at Sephora for $36 for 1oz. Spritz Lovely!

Benefit's Coralista Powder Blush

I am so excited for spring I can taste it! The weather has finally (fingers crossed) stopped this yucky rain business in San Francisco and been sunny and beautiful the last few days, if a bit cold in the shade. The pretty weather makes me want to break out my pastels and light brights in celebration. For a touch of summer glow on my cheeks, I reach for Benefit's latest box o' powder, Coralista. It is a beautiful shade of coral pink that lights up my face from every angle. It even has a nice soft scent to it, which makes my nose and my cheeks happy and ready to start another (hopefully) beautiful, clear blue sky day!

Blush Lovely!

Benefit's Justine Case for V Day

I love the idea that Benefit has cooked up this valentines day. Being that many of their products are great for quick fixes or "faking it" makeup, it makes sense to bundle them together for "just-in-e case" you find yourself needing to touch up your look the next morning. It makes even more sense to pair them with a comfy lacy thong! This overnighter's set is available at Macy's o benefitcosmetics.com this February for a measly $38 (Hanky Panky's alone cost ~$14!) and contains: an exclusive Hanky Panky thong: seductively lacy in currant and black & the justine case mini beautifier kit, which includes: california kissin': smile brightening lip shine (0.09 oz), eyecon: brightening eye cream (0.09 oz), benetint: rose-tinted lip & cheek stain (0.08 fl oz), and some kind-a gorgeous: the foundation faker (0.08 oz). I think its a great little set for all and a cute thing to give your girlfriends for V day, whether they have a sweetie or will be out on the prawl looking for one.

Hanky Panky Lovely!

Benefit's Bad Gal Plum Mascara

It might be surprising to you that up until recently, I didn't own a single mascara that was anything but black! I think the last time I did "spring cleaning" on my makeup collection, I tossed the few blues and browns had because they were gross and old. So when I had the chance to try Benefit's Bad Gal Plum I knew it was time to get some color back into my life. I know how it goes, you get very used to the way black mascara looks and anything else just doesn't seem to make your eyes POP they way it does. But honestly I think there is a time and place for this lovely Plum shade. It kinda makes your eyes look ethereal, since it is a soft purpley-brown, sending the focus on the color of your eye instead of your lashes. I used it with some gold and bronze toned shadows and the effect was pretty and soft, not super intense. I think it is a good daytime mascara, a nice change from black, black, black, but not as dull as boring brown. Try it!

Plum Lovely!

Camouflage Your Dark Circles with Powderflage by Benefit

Sleepless nights call for some major cover up operations. Being such a beauty junkie, I never just use one product to attack a flaw, I go for at least a combo of two or three. Lately, a new piece of ammo in my routine to hide dark circles has been Benefit's Powderflage. A very light, super fine powder that instantly brightens and refracts light, hiding those evil shadows. I apply it after my under eye concealer choice of the day. It seems to help set the cover up as well. The camouflage tin it comes in is very cute, I think. It includes a tiny fan brush, perfect for applying the powder, which is housed in an adorable pink sphere. Available at benefitcosmetics.com for $28.

Camouflage Lovely!

Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow from Benefit

I'm forever attached to my countless powder eyeshadows. Cream eye colors have always, always, always creased on my lids, so I am highly skeptical of any that come out promising the opposite. I have experienced more positive results when I use my beloved UDPP but none really last all day without the tell tale lines on my lids.

Well today I tried two shades of Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow/liner with the belief that it wouldn't last through the day. After I primed my lids, I smudged birthday suit, a slightly shimmery taupe, all over my lids. Then I lined the top with a small brush dipped in skinney jeans, a shimmery grey. The effect was very pretty and neutral, yet still defined my baby blues nicely. I dusted a bit of a beige powder shadow on top, just to set the cream. To my surprise, when I looked in the mirror 8 hours later (I had a crazy busy day that included feeding 700 homeless people fried chicken in a hot soup kitchen) my eyeshadow was still intact! The name does not lie! This stuff really doesn't crease! I have to give a little credit to the UDPP, but still.

The cream eyeshadow/liners come in these cute glass jars too, with a pretty bird pattern on them. It is very seventies or something. Love the retro thing Benefit does. And I feel like I'm supporting a local business, since they are based in SF too. So check em out!

Cream shadow Lovely!

Highlight This!

A favorite product of mine right now is highlighter. With the winter months upon us, skin can tend to get sallow and dead looking without proper sun. They bring a little much needed glam to your eyes and cheeks. Highlighters add a bit of shine and life to your features, without any fake-looking tan color. A little swipe on top of your cheekbone or under your eyebrow can make your features POP! It also photographs really well. So rock those wintry pale complexions, with one of my picks for highlighters this season:

Bare Escentual's i.d. bareMinerals All-Over Face Color in True is a glimmering loose powder that can be used all over the face to create a subtle coraly-pink glow.


Benefit's High Beam is a classic liquid highlighter. It creates a soft, subtle glow wherever you brush it on and blend it in. You can even mix it with your liquid foundation to create an all over subtle glow.

For a more sparkly, holiday look, try Givency's Prisme Solitaire All-Over Diamond-Effect Powder. This limited edition compact can be used on the eyes, cheeks, lips and even your shoulders and neckline, to create a subtle yet stunning glow. It comes in a leather ring box with a brush, as part of Givency's Holiday 2007 collection.

MAC has some beautiful options for highlighters, one being their Iridescent Pressed Powder in Belightful. This finely milled powder contains Mica and other pigments to give you a soft, subtle glow. It can be worn alone or with foundation.

Shine Lovely!

A Perfect 10

Who doesn't want to be a perfect 10? And be able to do it with as little work as possible? Well, one of my hometown favorite brands has a product that will help you do just that! I fell in love with Benefit Cosmetics long ago at a makeup counter in Bloomie's on my first trip to New York. But seeing as they are based in my lovely city of San Francisco, they now hold a special place in my heart.

Benefit seems to come out with new products every week. I can't keep track or atempt to try them all. Awhile ago, I was browsing through my Sephora downtown where the Benefit display is right in front of the door, and I discovered 10.

It is a flawless way to get your bronzer and highlighter applied in "One Sexy Sweep." I love the colors on my fair skin, although it may not work for darker skinned ladies. :( Sometimes I use just the highlighter for some glow on top my blush, but together they really make my cheek bones pop, not that they need much help! So check it out and check out all the other new things Benefit is coming up with.

Sweep Lovely!

wow them with your brows

I never did anything to my brows, except pluck the heck out of them, until a few years back. A was at a Benefit counter, and the salesperson insisted I use something to enhance my brows. She said that a bit of color and wax could lengthen my overly plucked brows and make my eyes stand out more. Since my intensely blue eyes are my favorite feature, I was all for it! So I purchased Benefit's Brow Zings. I used this occasionally, but never got used to the look, possibly because the color I bought was slightly too dark (It is possible that at the time, they only had two color choices, and the lightest one wasn't light enough for me...now the Light looks online to be fairly light).

Time pasted and my Brow Zings had long gone bad... you know what smell I'm talking about. But I had started using a bit for some shape and color enhancement. A little touch up on your brows really does make all the difference. I read on some blog about DuWop's BrowWow set and I knew I had to try it. So I ran over to Sephora, my home away from home, and picked it up. The Light color works perfect for my hair/skin tone (blonde, blue eyed and fair), and I love the highlighter that comes with it! You just touch a little under your brows with your finger, and voila! Perfection!

Brow Lovely!