The Little Things In Life...

I just popped into my local Sephora for some beauty R & R. Actually, I was all out of my foundation (Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation), so I went in with a purpose, picked up my color, and walked directly to the cash register line.

And that's where they get me every time. Either side of the line is filled with the cutest mini and travel size products that I don't need but are dying to own. As if I don't have enough beauty products at home! My eyes immediately focused on the Sephora Exclusive Benefit 3-in-1 Feelin' Cheeky! Minis: 3 .13 fl oz. jars of Posie Tint, a poppy-pink tinted lip and chink stain for a fuschia flushed look, High Beam, a luminescent complexion enhancer that highlights brow and cheek bones, and the cult favorite, Bene Tint, a rose-tinted lip and cheek stain for a just-ate-a-basket-of-wild-strawberries-look!

A $26.00 value for $15.00 - what more could a beauty-obsessed girl possibly ask for? Not to mention, High Beam is one of my all time favorite highlighters and Bene Tint is legitamitely one of the most amazing, stay on all day long, red as blood, lip stains on the market. Plus, I'm quite keen on the travel size bottles. They're actually more conveniently shaped to fit into my evening clutches. The original, larger size bottles are quite clunky and burdensome.

If you're like me, and you love a good tint and highlighter, then this purchase is a no-brainer. Grab yours today, before Benefit realizes people are loving the minis better than the real thing and pull the plug on the entire trio!

PRICE TAG: $15.00

Beauty Party!!!

My friend Diana Miller won a beauty party from Benefit Cosmetics for 8 of her closest friends. Naturally, I was included.

We all gathered at the Benefit store (yes, it's just as girly and cutesy as the company's packaging - see below) on 3rd Street in West Hollywood for champagne and finger foods, free make-up applications and beauty treatments - our choices: eyebrow wax, lip wax, or lash tint.

The store - products galore!

Well's Butler (owner of Primp clothing - which she is rocking above) getting her tint on!

Sarah doing the brows

Mirror, mirror on the wall... Diana testing a new lippy

My makeover with Tiffany

I was introduced to some incredible new products including Erase Paste (part cover-up, part diffuser), Talk To The Tan (sheer, gel-based shimmery tint that washes off - Hair-Crazed Jenny was obsessed!) and Creaseless Cream Shadows (similar to the MAC paint pots) in very wearable colors. My old favorites were there to, like Bad Girl Black Liner.

Diana post makeover

Sarah and Wells post makeover

What a way to spend Thursday evening - champagne, beauty products and good friends! This is a beauty whore's ultimate dream! Come to think of it, this beauty party would make a fab birthday or bridal shower... Hmmm...

Thanks, Lucky Diana! I had so much F-U-N!

Bright Eyes by Benefit

Any product that promises brighter, less-fatigued, bigger eyes is a product for me! I discovered Benefit's Eye Bright pencil a few years ago while combing the counters at a NYC department store. I wanted something that would make my eyes "pop," give me that celebrity, I've just slept for hours, red carpet glow. Enter the Eye Bright pencil: a unique, creamy pink pencil designed to wake-up tired eyes. I used it religiously for about a year and then I (gasp!) lost the darn thing!!!

Well, on a recent jaunt through a local LA department store, I came face to face with my miracle pencil. My love reignited, I bought another one and have been tending to my tired eyes ever since.
Here's how it works: The perfectly shaded pink pencil helps to brighten and conceal the shadows in the corners of your eyes.

Apply the pencil to both the inner and outer corners of your eye. The creamy texture allows for easy and gentle application. "Draw 3 to 4 short strokes in the area between the bridge of your nose and the inner corner of your eye where dark shadows linger. Also, draw a light line from the outer corner of your eye up and toward the end of your brow. Do not over blend." I do, however, pat it down with my index finger so that it isn't SO bright (but if you're feeling - and looking - really tired, don't bother patting). Use this as your final step in your makeup application for optimal "bright eye" results!

The best endorsement is a compliment. Eye Bright will have you basking in the glory of... "don't you look well-rested" all day long!

PRICE TAG: $20.00

Summer Face 2008

We all know how AWFUL the sun is for our faces, so make a vow to yourself... THIS SUMMER, I WILL NOT ALLOW THE SUN TO PENETRATE THROUGH MY FRAGILE FACE. I will take precautions when tanning (use SPF that protects against UVA AND UVB rays), and I will treat my skin with the love and care that it deserves...
So, please, I BEG YOU, use an alternative... bronzer, mystic tan (although I despise the orange hue), buildable color moisturizer, or tinted moisturizer.

Here are a few of our favorites:


Benefit's You Rebel gives good summer face. It's a tinted moisturizer with SPF 15 and it adds just the right amount of gold (without looking super fake) to your skin. **TIP** Try mixing it with a touch of foundation for an even, flawless, bronzed complexion with added coverage!


Chanel's Soleil Lame Tinted Bronzing Gel is lightweight and basic. It's a gel (which I love... doesn't cake) that glides onto the skin to produce an even tan sans the sun. The color is natural and the gel absorbs without the shine of tinted moisturizers. Great for oily complexions!

Tarte Hotel Heiress is a long time favorite. It's a powder bronzer (mineral) and I swear, it gives off the best damn sun-kissed effect. I've tried many a bronzers and this one continues to be an everyday must-have. It doesn't give off that sparkle, fake tan look... this bronzer is way more matte and truly au natural.

Glow Fusion is another favorite from last year. It's the closest thing to a mystic tan (that I've found) AND you can do it yourself... at home! BONUS: It doesn't give you that nasty, orange spray-tan look! The color is actually amazingly bronze! And if you follow the directions, it really does give you even, precise color.


Physicians Formula Pearls of Perfection Multi-Colored Bronzer is fantastic for those porcelain skinned folks out there. It has a pink undertone to offset the gold so it doesn't appear too fake (instead it gives off a "warm" finish). I love the consistency - it's soft and smooth - and it really leaves skin glowing. The pearls are also incredibly fun to play around with... it's like a combination of loose powder (very potent) and pressed powder (matte, and not as messy). And you can't beat the price: $11.95.

Bobbi Brown Bronze Shimmer Brick Compact is shimmery and glittery and full of iridescent fun! Personally, I don't like loads of shimmer in my bronzer, but for those of you who do, this is the bronzer to get. It has five shades, all ranging in golden hues, and it mixes together quite brilliantly to produce a healthy, vibrant, glowing face. I do, however, love this product as an added highlighter atop my matte bronzing powder. It really does create a gorgeous, golden dimension to the skin.

WEEKLY MUST-HAVE

Benefit Cosmetics is kinda ingenious. They make a few staple products that a true beauty whore could never live without.
I blogged about Benefit's Benetint a while back (CLICK HERE to read post), a red tint suitable for lips and cheeks.
Now, I have another must-have product to divulge...
Benefit's Moon Beam is a soft pink, dewy glow to highlight cheekbones, eyes, chin, etc. It looks like a nailpolish with that great wand that makes it so much easier to dot on to your skin. A little goes a long way. Dot, then dab with fingers. I use it on my brow bone and my cheekbone, both are places that I want to highlight and sparkle!!!

Get dewy... perfect for radiant summer skin....

Fellow Brit Beauty Whore Recipes...

I just received this in an email from a fellow Brit Beauty Whore:

"I also want to recommend an amazing self made mask its my mums recipe.
Honey, Yogurt, Olive oil and lemon mix together, place in fridg for an hour
then apply on your face for half an hour then wash... Ahhh feel how soft and
refreshed you will feel."

Hey, if you don't like it, don't blame me! It's how the Brits refresh their face!

Also, she recommends...

"I haven't noticed you mentioning a particular item unndubotyl once you use
you will not stop. It is a liquid busher called BENETINT by Benefit.
TIP you
must apply moisteriser before you apply it or it will look blotchy."

For those not yet in the know, Benetint is a lip and cheek stain. As the company raves, "it is kiss-proof and water-proof!" I do happen to like this product, but only apply it under a gloss because otherwise it tends to make my lips feather.... It is very red, so use sparingly (but when applied correctly, it does give that au natural "blushed" glow!)