The Making of Majorette!

Have you ever wondered how the makeup magicians at Benefit dream up fabulous new products? They always seem to have some amazing new instant beauty solution up their sleeve. Our latest obsession is majorette, and we’ve been DYING to know how they came up with the idea. Seriously, a cream-to-powder booster blush!? We thought Benefit only did tints & box o’ powders! To satisfy our curiosity, let the investigation with our product development team begin…

MajoretteInnovation

First, we hunted down one of the masterminds behind it all: Cierra, a product development wizard. We know by now that nothing happens by mistake at Benefit—there’s always a backstory, and the story of majorette goes all the way back to our founding twins, Jean & Jane!

The product development gals were digging around at Beauty Central, and spotted an old snapshot of young Jean & Jane dressed as majorettes. They got SO excited that they started marching around in an impromptu majorette routine (#lifeatbenefit), and they all got super-flushed from the excitement. Thus, the idea of majorette was born: an instant pep-up for your cheeks!

They wanted something different than a traditional box o’ powder, something that could pep-up the box o’ powders that you already own! A booster blush! Cierra explained that they went for the peachy-pink shade after spending quite some time searching for a flush that’s flattering on everyone & works with a wide range of powders. (Her fave powder to layer over majorette? Rockateur!)

SOC14_majorette_instagram_bops

Once the formula was developed, they moved into the art side of things. The packaging concept was simple for the artists: it simply had to be a majorette’s drum! They went for a vintage look, using the gold foil elements to glam it up, and chose to scallop the edges in that gorgeous coral to echo the shade of the blush within.

We’re totally geeking out over our behind-the-scenes look at majorette, and we can’t wait to learn the backstory on more of our faves. What product do you want the behind-the-scenes scoop on? Let us know on Twitter @benefitbeauty!

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Eyeko Mascara Off Wipes

Eyeko Wipes

Eyeko Wipes

I’ll put my hands up straight away and say that on initial sight, I thought that the Eyeko Mascara Off Wipes were slightly pointless. What could they be doing that regular mascara remover doesn’t do?

Eyeko Mascara Off Wipes come sachets, each one containing 10 wipes. The wipes are mini-sized, quite thick and feel much the same as any other premium wipe. I’m comparing to premium because some wipes are literally just a whisp of fabric that feel very flimsy. Eyeko Mascara Off Wipes do feel sturdy and more at the premium end. You hold the wipe to your lashes, keep it pressed in place for five seconds (I needed more) and the mascara just falls away onto the wipe. It’s that simple!

I’ve used the wipes on my bottom lashes on Boots No.7 Stay Perfect Mascara which claims to be life-proof in terms of smudging, flaking, humidity and tears (and it’s my go-to for bottom lashes – lash extensions up top if you’re new to BBB) and the wipes made short work of it. My blurb says they contain aloe vera, olive oil, grapefruit extracts and allantoin and it’s very likely the olive oil that’s doing the work here. I’d suggest having a go with olive oil alone except you just know that’s going to lead to oily eye!

For £6 a sachet, they’re well worth experimenting with, maybe for a weekend away when you need to travel light, but bottom line is that they work.

The post Eyeko Mascara Off Wipes appeared first on British Beauty Blogger.

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Airbrush Tanning 101

So, it’s that awkward time between spring & summer. It’s definitely not hot enough to lay out by the pool, but I’m also not spending my weekends cooped up inside. Nothing says “let’s get away” like a quick weekend trip to the beach. But, unfortunately, nothing also says I’ve been “living under a rock in San Francisco” like my pasty skin.

I’ve always been a little hesitant to get a airbrush tan—we’ve all seen the ‘orange’ effect, and that look doesn’t do anyone any good. But, you know what is good!?  Learning that Benefit’s airbrush tans truly do provide an even color & a healthy glow to your whole body. Plus, the best part, each spray tan is custom-applied just for you. When you choose a shade 1-4, your aesthetician delicately and carefully applies the color on your skin with her spray gun. This instant beauty solution is the perfect way to prep for a vacation, an evening event or any occasion where you want to show off that skin!

Off to the Benefit boutique I went to get my very first (like ever) airbrush tan!

benefit_tanning_before

Little to my knowledge, there’s a few must-know things before & after you get a airbrush tan. Here’s the breakdown:

Before:

  1. Exfoliate your entire body before going in for your tan to get super-even color.
  2. Wear loose-fit, dark clothing—you don’t want your tan to smudge on that white top!
  3. Getting your brows waxed and/or tinted? FYI: You’ll get your wax done first & your tint after.
  4. Make sure to shave the night before your tan.
  5. Do not use any lotion or oils on your body prior to your appointment!

After:

  1. Wait 8-12 hours before showering, working out or swimming—you’ll want to maximize that bronze color!
  2. After you’ve showered, moisturize your face and body really well to show off that glow.
  3. Remember—don’t exfoliate until your tan starts to fade.
  4. Enjoy your new sun-kissed skin!

benefit_tanning_during

My lovely aesthetician, Bella, asked how dark I wanted to go—you have a choice between: 1. hint of gold 2. sun-kissed 3. healthy glow &  4. deep. I went for the healthy glow; it’s been 6 days and I’m still looking glow-y! Other than stripping down to barely nothing, because whatever, I walked out of the boutique with fresh brows & a perfect glow. What more could you ask for on a Friday night?

benefit_tanning_after

Here at Benefit, our Bermuda-worthy airbrush tanning is a roundtrip ticket to a gorgeous-looking glow. It’s quick, easy & safe—and all shades are completely customizable. Call your local boutique to see if they offer tanning. Get your glow on, gorgeous! xo

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The bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Review

tinted moisturiser hydrating review

After a myriad of recent BB/CC/DD cream disasters, I was both relieved and delighted to find that bareMinerals’ new complexion-enhancing offering, the “Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream” was something of a winner. It’s basically just a very, very good tinted moisturiser – really hydrating, just enough coverage to perk up tired-looking skin and a dewy, healthy finish. I’ve been reaching for it again and again, despite the fact that the shade I have is very slightly too pale – I’ll be grabbing the next darkest one to see me through the summer.

bareminerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream review

(Skin pictured above is clean of makeup, the one below has an artistically-placed swipe of product and the bottom photograph shows a blended-out application. Excuse the slightly depressed facial expression, it just happens automatically when I’m concentrating.)

ruth crilly model beauty blogger

Many of the “complexion” creams I’ve been trying recently just haven’t hit the spot – a little too claggy, not so easy to blend, weird “one shade fits nobody” kind of tints that leave my face looking orange – but the bareMinerals gel cream is light, easy to apply and blends out with no trouble whatsoever. And it sits beautifully on the skin – it’s pretty much undetectable, even with the lighter shade. (I have Vanilla 02, but I reckon I’m more of a Buttercream kind of tone.)

More tinted moisturiser reviews…

ruth crilly wears bare minerals complexion rescue tinted gel cream

I think that the most noticeable thing about this tinted moisturiser is that it’s so very fresh and hydrating – I can wear this without having to apply a moisturiser underneath, which is pretty rare these days, and it feels comfortable and light to apply. I would say that oily skin might find it a little too much; the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue isn’t at all rich or heavy – more of a lightweight moisture injection – but still, it could feel just a bit too slippery. Combination would probably be fine, but it’ll be dry or dehydrated skin that will really benefit from this lovely little gel-cream; non-cakey, sheer coverage with an SPF30 that leaves the skin with a very slight sheen and a hint of a glow.

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Gel Cream is £26 at Boots.com

The post The bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Review appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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Make Your Own Cleansing Oil.

I recently found myself becoming a solid fan of oil cleansing, I never thought this day would come. I’ve tried oil cleansers in the past but nothing really stuck with me and I always preferred to use gels, creams, balms, anything else really. But after trying a few fabulous cleansing oils in the past couple of months I’m hopping on the bandwagon. Oil cleansers, or, at least, good quality, natural and organic oil cleansers are expensive, delicious for the skin and senses, but still hella expensive. So I decided to make my own and save some money.

Since I discovered my skin loves hemp oil thanks to the Vedani Botanicals cleansing oil and moisturisers I couldn’t not include this oil in my experiments. I also blended in some olive squalene oil which is light in texture and great for skin which suffers from eczema or dermatitis. For essential oils I chose three that have a great rep for helping with acne (I also chose some spearmint for my oil burner because it smells like candycanes!).

Carrot Seed: high vitamin content, helpful for damaged or irritated skin.

Rosemary: astringent, antiseptic, antimicrobial, natural preservative.

Frankincense: astringent, wound healing, helps decrease the appearance of scars.

My Cleansing Oil Recipe:

  • 2 parts hemp oil
  • 1 part olive squalene
  • 1 drop carrot seed
  • 2 drops rosemary
  • 1 drop frankincense
So far I’ve only been making a small amount of oil to cleanse with for about a week and keeping it in an old 5ml sized bottle. It’s important to keep the essential oil content below 5% of the total so as to not accidentally irritate skin. Patch test first! If you’re making more than 5ml’s (which is likely because who makes just 5ml at a time?! just this crazy girl) you can increase the drops of essential oils.

The oil is silky and massages into skin with ease and removes makeup like a dream. It won’t replace my favourite Vedani oil but for an initial fee you have a huge amount of oil that’s natural, simple and gentle on the skin and you know exactly what’s gone into the formula.

Total cost £2.45 + £6.80 + £4.75 + £3.48 + £4.95 = £22.43

You could even skip the more expensive oils and take it back to basics with hemp & rosemary. The organic, cold pressed hemp oil from Buff & Butter is a whopping £2.45 for 50ml and is a truely incredible oil. The olive squalene can also be used as a facial oil on it’s own too and the essential oils can be burnt in an oil burner for some serious multi-tasking aromatherapy.

Do you make your own beauty products?

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