ALERT! BENEFIT COSMETICS SALE! 20% OFF!!!

Just received a code today for 20% of your purchase at Benefit cosmetics!

This is wonderful news because not only does Benefit have great products (some of which I discussed in my last post), but they also have come out with some cute new gift sets for Christmas!

You should definitely go check the gift sets out, but also take a gander at the Buh Buys - which have great deals on some cream shadows, makeup brushes, and a few other fun products!

Benefit has also just introduced a new mascara color - BadGal Plum - guaranteed to accentuate your eye color. Plum, as I mentioned before, is so hot right now (as Mugatu would say...). Fun for a try!

You'll really just have to go check it out. I'll give you recommendations if you really need them, or you can check my Benefit label to see what I've liked and not liked.

The code is BENEBABE. Enjoy!

Fall Update!

Hooray for fall - my most FAVORITE season of the year!

Well, I still haven't made it to our Ulta yet...it is a little bit of a haul, and with gas prices being what they are, and my bank balance being what it ISN'T, well, I just haven't made it.

I did get to visit one last week in Nashville, and that was a welcome surprise, as it was an Ulta almost as big and nice as a Sephora. VERY exciting. While there, I purchased a few fun items:

1) Bed Head's Foxy Curls line - I bought the mousse and spray. They are GREAT! I love anything from the Bed Head/Catwalk line, but these two items are especially great for anyone with curly hair that happens to be FINE instead of coarse like most curly gals. That plus my new, much darker hair color actually have me out of bed and doing my hair every morning!

2) Two versions of Ulta brand conditioner - I bought the color specific and the moisturizing. They were FOUR DOLLARS (they were having a sale). Seriously. This is cheap for conditioner that is more like a designer brand. Excellent. More later on the color specific - we'll see if I fade back to brassy, formerly blonde-now-blah brunette again...let's hope not!

3) Bourjois Ombre Stretch Eyeshadow in Rose Elastique - I love Bourjois eye shadow. It really coats well, stays on nicely, and has just enough shimmer so you don't look like a "working girl," but enough so that you get a nice accent. In the week and a half since I purchased, I've probably worn it 7 times, which in my repetoir is pretty dang good. HIGHLY recommend anything from their eye shadow line.

I also picked up some odds and ends from their clearance bins - all great deals, all GREAT makeup - Ulta brand products really seem to be proving themselves.

Now, as for fall trends - I've been meaning to do this for a while, but seeing as how in TN, it just got colder, I don't think I'm too far behind. Here are some of the fun new trends for fall:

1) Grey/silver eye - This is an excellent excuse to try out some of the shadows I RAVE about - Bourjois, Urban Decay, even L'Oreal's HIP line. A nice, subtle grey eye, especially with a hint of purple, is HUGE this year. Don't think smoky eye as much as a nice subtle, almost neutral tone. My personal favorite? Benefit's new creamshadow in Gossip. Now, this is a bit more purple than grey, and the reason I like it is because, for some reason UNKNOWN to me or anyone at Clinique who has ever done my makeup (seriously, they try this every time, even when I warn them), grey eyeshadow just does not work for me. Looks horrible, washes out my skin and eyes, just not a good match, me and grey. LOVELY on every other human being on the planet. But I digress... Point is, even if grey isn't your color, there are options, GLORIOUS OPTIONS! Benefit's cream shadows go on so nicely, really blend well, and are honestly the best cream shadow I've tried. I pair this over the color Honey Bunny (which does not seem to be on the website, but is a nude with a slight pink tone), and I love it. Incidently, this is also a perfect "first makeup" pair for a teenage girl - just enough color to look like something, but not so much they can take it too far. And if you are more into grey, Benefit's Skinny Jeans is also killer. Go try them!

2) Darker lips - This is sometimes a hard transition for people. Grey eye, sure, we've all been there. But for those who never wear lipstick, these deeper, plum-ier tones are hard to deal with. I'm with you. With pale skin, I tend to get the goth look going mighty fast. However, it can be eased into, with relatively no problem at all. I direct you ONCE AGAIN to Clinique's Black Honey Almost lipstick. Seriously, if you haven't tried it, please do. I really have yet to meet someone it looks bad on (maybe not your taste, but never bad...), and it is a perfect way to check out this fall trend. Other tops on my list are Clinique's Butter Shine Lipstick in Crushed Grape (looks way more scary online than it really is), and if you are REALLY not brave, Bath and Body Works has a new line of C.O. Bigelow Mint Lip Glosses with tint in them - you can get Plum, Violet, Nude, all sorts of colors. They're much more like a plain lip gloss, so you can be "safe." I've been keeping my Black Honey on hand in my purse - SO FUN! Just don't forget to tone down the eyes a bit if you're going all out on lips. No need to look like last night's drag show.

3) Tight lining - Now THIS is amazing. I had heard about it on a few blogs, and then had my makeup done at Laura Mercier recently (amazing products, by the way), and the guy doing my makeup tight lined my eyes. It looked so natural, yet added so much to my eyes. I really can't explain it. It's hard to get right at first, but when you do - whoa mama! It looks so pretty, and is great if you need the definition that black liner gives you, but aren't really into black liner, or want to wear another color (grey? purple? GREEN?). Instructional video here. It should also be noted that this can be done with a well sharpened, soft (think kohl) pencil. It make take you a few tries, but I promise, when you get it, it's worth it!

Other trends for fall are: thicker brows, nude cheeks (probably to offset the grey eyes and dark lips - remember, this is NUDE, not BARE), and purple anything and everything, including mascara.

Go play! Hooray for fall!

The Big "W" and other things...

There seems to be an ongoing debate about the proper way to apply bronzer. I'm not sure that it will ever be settled - all over the face, just where the sun hits, more like blush? Who knows?

Well, apparently the editors of People's Summer Style Edition do. I only read People when I fly on planes, or if someone randomly brings one within 10 feet of me. It's a guilty pleasure, and because it's expensive (and less satisfying than makeup) I manage to avoid it. But the Style issue I could NOT pass up.

Apparently, bronzer should be applied in a large "W" on your face - accenting your cheekbones, then up and arching over the bridge of your nose. I have been trying this the past few days (I'm normally an all over glow kinda gal), and it's actually quite pretty. A different look than I'm used to (what can I say, pale girls like to pretend!), but I think I'll keep it in the arsenal.

On a completely unrelated note - Neutrogena has come out with a new online skin profiling system called SkinID. It's to diagnose your specific acne problems and get your own personalized kit designed for your skin. It's definitely the most in-depth skin analysis I've ever done. I won't be ordering it, because I know the reason my skin breaks out: STRESS and touching my face while I'm studying. Does NOT take a rocket scientist (or an online profile). However, I think it's a neat idea, especially if you or someone you know deals with acne. It gets pretty specific.

Finally, a plug for my recently re-discovered favorite lip gloss: Her Glossiness by Benefit. I love Benefit, it's a great company with awesome packaging and marketing. I own almost every product they have. I got a freebie sample of Her Glossiness in Life on the A List (a pale pink) a while ago, and it really is one of the best wearing, best consistency glosses I've ever tried. I truly enjoy it, and find myself savoring that eensy weensy tube, trying to make it last. Although, at $16 for a fairly decent sized tube, I don't know what my issue is. I haven't tried any of the darker colors, but if I were suggesting, I'd REALLY say go for this color. I love how easy it is, how full it makes my lips, and if you want more color, try a stain or pencil underneath it.

Posietint is Here!

Benefit's Posietint is NOW AVAILABLE online!

Just in case anyone's as excited as me...

Buy it at Sephora or Benefit Cosmetics online. Enjoy!


EDIT: Go me! I went to Benefit to get my makeup done today (they were doing a birthday special - free lipstick and some samples in exchange for getting your makeup done!) - the girl who did my makeup (a Benefit EMPLOYEE) hadn't even heard of Posietint!! She's going home today to buy it! I'm so proud...

Be still my heart - Benefit's Posietint!

I love Benefit Cosmetics. I really love everything about them. They have amazing products, yes, but more importantly, they understand the true value of marketing and packaging. They understand the perfect way to make you absolutely desperate to get your hands on the brand new thing they're offering. Clever, clever people over there at Benefit.

Benefit was the first "upscale" cosmetics line I ever seriously bought products from, with the obvious exception of Clinique. I visited the Benefit counter at a mall in Atlanta about 8 years ago, where I was instantly sold on a bottle of their Benetint lip and cheek stain. It's this cute little bottle that looks like nail polish, and in it is a sweet rose-smelling stain that gives you a nice glow. I have been wearing it ever since! The only complaint ever uttered from my ruby-stained lips was that on the lips of a pale person, sometimes the red was just a little too...well, red.

And as though they heard my every prayer:


A new shade of Benetint - in lighter, springy-er pink! HOORAY! It's called Posietint, and as for now, it isn't quite available. YET. Apparently it will be widespread come June - so consider yourselves warned, be ready to go pick it up! I always get excited when Benefit comes out with a new product, but this one definitely takes the cake. It's bound to be great, and I'm sure people will be snatching it up all over the place.

So consider yourselves on the front end of the Beauty "What's Happening."

You're welcome.

P.S. Word on the street is I'm getting a larger fan base - nothing like your mom doing marketing for you! Feel free to post comments or ask any questions - I still have a TON of makeup that never gets written about here, and I'm always looking to try new things.