When it comes to makeup, I’ll admit, I’m not the most advanced or daring. But even a makeup amateur like me needs good tools. A few good brushes in your arsenal can take makeup application from ehhh to excellent.

1. Inika Blush Brush – This super soft brush is the perfect size for blush, powder, bronzer… just about everything. The bristles are exceptionally soft and flexible (it reminds me a little of that £80 brush that Lisa Eldridge uses for blush but is probably not vegan) which make it perfect for both blending and targeted application.

2. Real Techniques Buffing Brush – The Real Tecniques Core Collection was the first time I ever really invested in some brushes, and 5 years later, the brushes are still with me and still in excellent condition. The buffing brush is pretty much the only brush I use for foundation application and it’s also quite handy for blending cream blush and concealer in a pinch.

3. Crown Brush C460 – I use this brush for most of my eyeshadow application, it’s dense but still fluffy allowing for shadow to be packed on and blended easily whilst the tapered end allows for more precision than my next pick.

4. No7 Blend & Contour brush – I’m not sure if No7 still make this brush as I can’t seem to find the exact one online. This brush is my favourite for those ‘one wash wonder’ kind of shadows and is perfect for blending colour together and softening edges as it’s soft and fluffy, akin to the infamous mac 217 I think.

5. Real Techniques Contour Brush – Not being one for contour this brush still gets plenty of use from me as a concealer brush. It’s perfect for blending concealer flawlessly under the eyes and also blending mineral concealer onto blemishes with a dab and swirl sort of technique.

I was recently lucky enough to be sent the Inika Vegan Brush Roll (personalised too! so greatful) which introduced me to a whole host of new brushes (including the Inika Blush Brush) and gave me somewhere better to store my most used brushes other than a little ikea plant pot where they get so dusty.

The brush roll comes with 8 high quality vegan brushes and I’ve kept 5 of the 8 in the brush roll to use regularly, the 3 that didn’t make the cut for me were; the foundation brush, concealer brush and lip brush. I don’t use flat foundation brushes so this is now repurposed for masks, I already have a fab concealer brush and I never use lip brushes. Though, now I come to think about it I may pop that one back in because it’s small and you never know.

Continue reading →

Ho-ho-ho, gorgeous! It’s the most wonderful time of the year and we are feeling EXTRA generous! Since we can’t gather all of you under the mistletoe and give you kisses, we’ve put together the most ah-mazing 12 days of prizes to spread the love!

Here’s the deal: from December 8-19, we’ll be doing a daily Twitter giveaways, with massive prize hauls each day. All you have to do to enter is follow @benefitbeauty & RT that day’s promotional tweet, and voilà! You’re in! The best part is you can enter every single day! Winners will be chosen via random.org and will be announced the following day!

We’ve got a particularly fab prize calendar full of pretty & polished partners this year. You know what they say when it comes to Christmas trees & beauty hauls — go big & go glam!

Day 1: Happy Haul-iday! Win seven of our absolute favorite holiday gift sets!

Day 2: Glam Sweet Home! Win $500 worth of chic & cheeky Benefit x Jonathan Adler goodness!

Day 3: Next on the Hottie or Nice List, over $600 in Julep polishes & fab Benefit essentials!

Day 4: Snowy & glowy complexion perfection with the entire b.right skincare collection!

Day 5: Jingle all the way with FRENDS x 8 Other Reasons & Benefit goodie bags, one for you & one for your bestie, valued at over $600!

Day 6: Over $500 worth of Athleta x Gap gym bag essentials, perfect for getting your Benefitness on in the new year!

Day 7: Deck the halls with brows so flawless. (Flaw la la la la la la la lawless!) Be sure to wow this holiday season with the entire Benefit brow collection!

Day 8: Mommy’s little elves are here to help with $1000 worth of GapKids x Benefit must-haves to get you through the winter break!

Day 9: Mistletoe maven, get the perfect pucker & flawless flush with over $350 of Benefit faves!

Day 10: Let your light shine with over $850 in sparkly holiday jewels & shimmery night-out beauty by Benefit x Stella & Dot!

Day 11: Be single & ready to jingle with over $1000 in For Love & Lemons x Benefit sultry swag!

Day 12: Snow my goodness! Win the ultimate Benefit beauty jackpot—$1500 worth of everything you need to get you through 2015!

It’s so major, we can’t even.  So what do you think, gorgeous, will you be joining in on the 12 Days of Benefit this year!?

Continue reading →

Pamplemousse Rhubarbe sounds much better than “Grapefruit and Rhubarb”, doesn’t it? The French version makes me think of a delicious dessert with clouds of light meringue and some kind of tart, brightly-coloured sauce drizzled over the top. Or an amazingly light and fluffy cake, rather like a lemon drizzle cake, but using Pamplemousse instead, shot through with impossibly pink Rhubarbe jam. “Grapefruit and Rhubarb” just sounds like part of a shopping list.

Anyway, Pamplemousse Rhubarbe is one of the fragrances in the latest collection from l’Occitane; created with – oh! How weird is this? I just read the press release to find that Pierre Hermé,  co-creator of the collection, is a master pastry chef – the “Picasso of Pastry”, if you will. How bizarre that I thought of puddings and cakes before I’d even read the blurb? That’s a job well done, if ever I saw one – everything about this fragrance, from the packaging to the name, screams patisserie.

The fragrance itself starts off fruity and slightly sharp, as I suppose you’d expect, but with woody little undertones that creep out and overtake after a few minutes of wear. It’s initially rather like a cologne, but with the added spice and warmth from the clove, the nutmeg and the cedar, it becomes something altogether more interesting. If you like your citrus scents – fresh and fruity – then you’ll enjoy this twist.

And the box – there’s something very pleasing about this type of cardboard packaging. It reminds me of expensive truffles, or of those old-fashioned talcum powder containers. Either way, associations that are lovely and decadent – it feels like the kind of present that you’d pick up for yourself in a tiny shop down a rickety little one-way street. Very pretty, and priced quite nicely for Christmas presents (if you’re already thinking along those lines!) at £46 for 75ml.

Continue reading →