Ask an Aesthie: Auriana

  , ,
Comments Off on Ask an Aesthie: Auriana

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!

auri_blog

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

Continue reading →

How to Choose the Right Makeup

 
Comments Off on How to Choose the Right Makeup

fair skin

Snow White! Others fawn over your fair complexion resembling that of a porcelain doll — but little do they know how frustrating finding the right makeup for your skin tone can be. Even the lightest of colors seems to be too dark in comparison and blending your heart out just leaves you with what’s known as the “makeup mask.” Ditch the colors that sorta,kinda work because MDC is here to help you find the ideal shades to complement your ivory complexion. Here’s what you fair-skinned beauties need to look for when taking a trip down the makeup aisle.

Work With Your Undertones
If you think your understanding of your skin tone doesn’t need to extend past the fair skin category, you would be mistaken. Choosing the right makeup is dependent on your undertones, too! When looking for foundation, you may get overwhelmed by your options as most brands will have two to three colors that look almost identical. For example, Lancôme Teint Visionnaire comes in Ivoire C, Ivoire W and Ivoire N —cool, warm and neutral. What does this mean? Well, on the surface, your skin tone is visibly light, but beneath the surface lies a subtle hue of one of the following:

Cool: Pink, red, or blue undertones
Warm: Yellow, peach or golden undertones
Neutral: A balance between both cool and warm

Not sure what your undertones are? Here’s how to find out:

The White vs Cream Test: Grab two articles of clothing (or even a towel) – one white and the other off-white. While wearing NO makeup, decide which color complements your skin tone best? If it’s the pure-white shade, your undertones are warm. If the cream color suits you more (because the white washes you out), then you have cool undertones. If both flatter you just the same, you’re neutral!

The Vein Test: Look at the veins on your wrists. If they’re green, then you have warm undertones. If your veins are blue, then you have cool undertones. Do you have both colors or do they appear to be blue-green? Then you have neutral undertones.

Still not sure? Here’s one more for good measure!

The Jewelry Test: If gold jewelry enhances your complexion, then you’re likely on the warmer side, if silver jewelry looks best on your skin tone, then you have cool undertones.

Foundation for Fair Skin
Working with your undertone will help you determine which foundation is perfect for your fair complexion. Have you figured out whether you’re cool, warm or neutral? Perfect. (If you’re still unsure, ask an expert at a beauty department counter.) Try one of these fair-friendly foundations and pinpoint your exact shade based on your undertone findings!

Fair-Skinned Favorites: Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation, Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H, L’Oréal Paris True Match Super Blendable Makeup

Choosing the Right Blush
Finding the right blush can be difficult since many shades can look too stark and obvious against your fair skin. A little flush is meant to look natural (not clown-like!). Ideal hues include soft pink, peach or coral — more specifically, warm skin tones look best in peach and coral while cool tones look best in rosy pinks and light mauves.

Related: How to Find the Right Blush for Your Skin Tone

Best Bronzer for You
You might feel like bronzer is not even in the realm of possibility — that’s definitely not the case. Not only can you rock bronzer, but you can rock it in multiple ways – including in contouring your fair skin. Add a little warmth to your cheeks by finding a sheer shade that has a hint of peach or shimmery pink (just not too shimmery!). As a rule of thumb, less is more — you can always add on as needed, but too much bronzer and you won’t be fooling anyone!

Related: The Basics of Bronzer

Eye Shadow Shades
You’ve heard it before: Eye shadow shades that are too dark will come off bruise-like and hues that are too rosy will make you look sick. And neutral? Forget about it — they’ll blend right in with your skin tone! If you have warm undertones, it’s best to stick with bronze and earthy colors, while cool undertones look perfect in jewel-tones and gray or metallic shades. Looking for the shadow palette that will do it all, no matter your undertones? The Urban Decay Naked2 Eyeshadow Palette has it all!

Flattering Lipstick Colors
Contrary to what some may think, light-skinned ladies can wear shades that range from barely there to bright and bold! When shopping for the perfect nude, look for shades that have a slight pink or peach note, so that you don’t look washed out. We love the YSL Rouge Volupté is Nude Beige!

Shades with peachy-coral hues are perfect for cool undertones, while fair skin with warm undertones look stunning in orange lipstick! Still searching for a ravenous red? If you have cool undertones, opt for a bluish red like NYX Matte Lipstick in Perfect Red and those of you with warmer undertones look best with an orangey red like NYX Simply Red Lip Cream in Seduction.

The Ultimate Benefit Face-Off!

  , ,
Comments Off on The Ultimate Benefit Face-Off!

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!

marchfab_social_day1

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?

Continue reading →

Balenciaga’s Rosabotanica : Roses Over Dry Ice.

  , ,
Comments Off on Balenciaga’s Rosabotanica : Roses Over Dry Ice.

rosabotanica fragrance review

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

Continue reading →

Charlotte Rampling for NARS

  , ,
Comments Off on Charlotte Rampling for NARS

Charlotte Rampling Image Credit Nowness

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.

Continue reading →