Category Archives: beauty news

Not having been particularly enamoured with any of the previous “Daisy” fragrances from Marc Jacobs (love the bottles, always found the scents to be a bit “young”, which I suppose is probably bang-on for the target market) I surprised myself by really liking the new one, Daisy Dream Forever. It’s warm and comforting, rich and fruity. I want to say chocolatey, but a quick glance at the fragrance notes and there’s nothing remotely chocolatey about it!

Now this is very weird: without reading any kind of blurb about this fragrance, just looking at the bottle, which reminds me of dark winter nights, cosy pyjamas and – weirdly – bonfire night, my mind told me that this was a warm and sweet perfume. It reminded me a lot of Angel – that same edible, slightly oriental kind of scent. But Angel mixes up its fruity florals with warm and spicy base notes – vanilla, amber, tonka bean, chocolate – whereas Daisy Dream Forever has nothing of the sort. It has blackberry, pear, grapefruit; it has jasmine and fresh lychee. Where the hell I get chocolate from I have no idea!

It’s a prime example, I suppose, of how your nose can be led by your mind – I took in the colours of the bottle and the name Dreams and formed my own scent conclusions before I had even properly sampled the scent. And now I can’t seem to go backwards, because no matter what you tell me about the official fragrance notes, I still think that this is warm and chocolatey – it makes me want to put on my star pyjamas and drink cocoa in bed.

Read more fragrance reviews…

Whatever; I think that it’s lovely. Rich and softly woody, like a big cashmere blanket. It’s not the most grown-up fragrance out there, but it has a certain warmth that I think will make it irresistible to many people who wouldn’t usually go for the other Marc Jacobs Daisy incarnations. It feels like a winter scent, to me, and I can imagine that it will do incredibly well this Christmas.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream Forever is £59 for the 50ml Eau de Parfum, or £50.15 at Escentual.com

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It’s been a while, Benebabes, & we sincerely apologize! We’ve been so wrapped up in Under the Gunn, big easy, LeSportsac… the list goes on!

But we’re back in action with our Ask an Aesthie! In case you need a refresh, so far we’ve sat down with Amanda, Rosheen & Dalia. This month, we’re featuring Auriana—Auri if she’s feelin’ flirty (wink, wink)—from our Chestnut St. boutique here in the lovely San Francisco. Below she spills about her favorite brow tips, how to combat dry skin & much more!

What inspires your daily makeup look? 

Music and current trends, as well as always looking fresh, presentable and professional.

What is your favorite gloomy day trend? 

Deep wine colors for lips, cheeks, eyes & nails.

What’s your most favorite & newest product from Benefit? 

Agent zero shine! Everyone can benefit from it and it’s a perfect top layer.

What’s the number one question (or complaint!) you get from customers during the dry, cold months?

How to combat & soothe dry skin! I always suggest using total moisture and ultra radiance facial re-hydrating mist to de-stress the skin.

How do you recommend achieving the perfect Benefit brow? 

First, start by visiting your local Benefit Brow Bar & your favorite aesthie for monthly upkeep—it’s an absolute must. Second, I definitely recommend brow mapping. Once you see how brows can perfectly frame your face, you’re sure to always keep them in check.

Do you mix tints together? Which ones? Tell us your secrets!

YES! Chachatint and posietint for a hot vibrant pink. If you’re feeling frisky, throw on some hydra-smooth lip color in dare me with bella bamba ultra-plush gloss for the perfect hot red lip!

Which box o’ powder do you recommend going into spring? 

Coralista for a perfect tropical flush!

Tell us a hobby outside of makeup.

Music! I love going to live shows and keeping up-to-date with the latest music.

What’s your skin care regimen? 

Morning and night I cleanse my skin with our foamingly clean facial wash, then saturate a cotton round with moisture prep toning lotion for extra balance on my skin. I finish with total moisture and, of course, fight those dark circles with it’s potent! eye cream.

Last, but not least—What makes you want to be a beauty artist & why Benefit?

I like to call it a beauty therapist. I chose this industry and Benefit because I love making people feel good about themselves. At Benefit, laughter is the best cosmetic & looking good is the best revenge. Can’t go wrong with that!

Have more questions for our aethies? Ask away in the comments below! Until next time. xo

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Don’t get us wrong—college basketball sure is exciting. All that March Madness, well, madness. Passion & adrenaline. Exceptionally cute players in those hunky jerseys. What’s not to love? So we thought, what if we mimic the excitement of the NCAA Tournament with a little bracket battle of our own? But this time with our favorite thing ever: Benefit beauty!

From 3/31-4/6, we’re giving Benebabes the chance to crown Benefit’s #1 product in a battle of beauty best for a chance to WIN huge prizes. Think daily goodies & a grand prize package of every single product in the bracket! All you have to do is vote between two products every day & see what faves move on to the final.

Here’s how to participate:

1. Visit this link & like us on Facebook.
2. Vote for your favorite product from the 2 daily options—ex. theyr’re real! vs. BADgal lash.
3. Enter the contest by giving us your name & email address. Don’t worry, we’ll only use it to contact winners.
4. Share your vote with friends on Facebook & encourage them to vote for your favorite!
5. Come back each day from 3/31-4/6 & vote between two new match-ups.
6. Stay tuned! We’ll be announcing daily winners the following day at 10 a.m. The grand prize winner will be announced on 4/7—the same day as the NCAA basketball final!

Are you ready to battle it out, Benebabes! Now only if we could watch the live product match-ups on a TV screen at the bar, AMIRITE?

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I’ve been sniffing my way through a lot of perfumes this month, but the standout one for me so far has been Rosabotanica by Balenciaga. Not a new fragrance – and one that I can’t believe I’ve previously overlooked, considering it has rose in it! But this is a beautiful, sparkly perfume that I think I’ll be wearing throughout the whole of Spring; it has just a little of those dark, woody undertones that I love so much, but at the same time is quite green and sharp thanks to the fig and citrus. It’s really a very interesting little number.

 To be honest, you’d be quite forgiven for picking up Rosabotanica based on the quirkiness of the packaging alone; it’s like some kind of madcap Parisian hotel design, condensed down and squashed into a glass bottle. Graphic stripes and bold, acid-toned floral motifs make it a far cry from the usual “romantic rose” boudoir-esque bottles. But I suppose the fragrance itself is a far cry from that romantic rose; yes there’s a sweetness and a femininity to the scent, but it’s also incredibly crisp and clean, and the hints of cedar and amber and patchouli peek out just enough to sex everything up a bit.

More rose-scented things… 

If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you will know that I am fond of “dark” rose scents; exotic, heady or woody fragrances that are borderline masculine. Rosabotanica is almost the opposite of a dark rose, it’s so light that it’s more like…I dunno…rose on helium? Roses over dry ice? This perfume won’t be for everyone – I see very mixed reviews on the web – but it’s so light and fizzy that it immediately grabbed my attention. Perhaps one to try before you buy, this one but risk-takers can order it online: it’s  £56 at Selfridges.com

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Charlotte Rampling Image Credit: Nowness

It was announced a few weeks ago by WWD.com that Charlotte Rampling has been signed as a face of NARS. She is 68. It’s the best possible news for women everywhere who feel disregarded by make-up and beauty brands.

The beauty industry is very guilty indeed of ignoring older women in campaign imagery. Yes, they want their pounds in the chase for skin that looks younger than it really is, but they never want to actually suggest ‘older’ women are their inspiration. From the super blandness of Lauder campaign faces that adorn every beauty hall to cookie cutter celebrity faces, we’re all blasted with imagery of beauty that doesn’t represent us. Now, I’m not anywhere near drawing my pension, but I think it’s a healthier outlook all round if we refocus on the fact that beauty isn’t age related.

Forthcoming trends in beauty are so focussed on older women – I can’t really remember a time when this has happened to the degree that it’s about to. So NARS is very wise because all eyes will be on the older woman. Mainly, I’m seeing trends in creams to address menopausal skin which beauty brands have suddenly realised might have a cash value to them! But, the sheer volume of creams for women at this stage of life that will be on shelf eventually is firmly bringing beauty and older women to the fore.

If beauty bloggers have done one amazing thing, it’s normalising beauty. Realising that anyone can, across social media, discuss beauty at any age and be very much welcomed for their views is one of beauty blogging’s greatest legacies.  Beauty blogging is such a leveller; age, race, religion and politics – all irrelevant when it comes to making and participating in conversation about beauty. Social media has shown brands that it’s not all about chasing a youth market and that age isn’t such a divisive factor in marketing as it used to be.

There is no good reason why older women should be left out of beauty – if you flick through any mainstream magazine, the predominant imagery for beauty is of younger women. But I truly sense change and hope that Charlotte Rampling for NARS is the tipping point for beauty brands to understand that being older is another dimension of beauty, not the end of it.

The post Charlotte Rampling for NARS appeared first on British Beauty Blogger.

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