B Spot by Benefit

Benefit's got a new scent - it's called B Spot!

Fitting for its release this summer, the top note is a fruity tangy mango and tangerine which I could smell and identify the second I sprayed the fragrance on my skin. They are that distinctive and I think you'll be able to smell them too. The drydown is a powdery blend of freesia and peony. On me the mango only lasted for a few minutes before I could really smell the floral notes of this fragrance. At the end of the day, I could definitely smell more of a woodiness coming from the sandalwood and amber, but I have to say that this scent is more floral than anything else.

This is a pretty summer scent that's perfect for a hot day because it won't overwhelm or irritate. It retails for $42 and you can find it wherever Benefit products are sold!

Benefit Posie Tint

If you weren't a fan of Benefit's Benetint because the colour didn't work for you, you're now in luck. There's a new version of the popular stain out called Posie Tint which is a pretty pink colour that will probably look more natural on most people.

The formula is more of a gel than the regular Benetint, and I found it to be really easy to work with. It didn't dry too fast, and I actually found that I had better results when I took my time and worked with it. It's really a nice pink colour that's neutral and great on lips and cheeks!

Thrrrrob by Benefit

I got my hands on the newest Benefit blush - Thrrrob!



This is a sheer bright pink blush that can be built up in intensity, and I really think that it's one of those that would work on a variety of skin tones. It's also perfect for those people who just want a hint of blush to brighten their face, and don't want rosy cheeks. Personally, I've kicked my Nars Desire blush to the curb while I keep picking this up. I also use it on top of bronzer to make a new colour and I love the way it looks.

The blush does have some shimmer in it but once on your skin the blush is definitely not as shimmery as it first seems. I absolutely love this product, and it's the perfect shade for Spring!

Benefit's You Rebel Lite and New Palette

I love Benefit, but for the life of me, I don't understand some of the choices that they make.

First, they introduced You Rebel - a tinted moisturizer kind of product that comes in... wait for it... one colour!

Then they come out with Some Kind-A Gorgeous, a silicone based foundation that they claim can be layered to suit every skin tone. Except for mine. And those darker than myself. Oh well.

Now there's You Rebel Lite. It's a lighter (in colour) version of You Rebel and like it's big brother, also only comes in one colour. Can we expect more colours of foundation in the future?

I'm not knocking the above two products at all - I'm sure that they work for some people, but the problem lies in expecting the customer to believe that one foundation can fit everyone. It can't.



In any case - I'm a fan of Benefit palettes and still have (and use) the Weathergirl Palette I got over a year ago. The one they're introducing now has gold and pinky-gold eyeshadows, but the best part is that the lipsticks are their Silky Finishes, which I heart dearly. All the colours are ones I like, so I'm making peace with Benefit. If you're thinking about getting this palette, know that the gold shade is very similar to the gold that was in the Weathergirl Palette as well.

Benefit High Beam - Worth the Hype?

I got this reader question this weekend:

I know you like Benefit products, and I've read a lot about their
"High Beam" highlighter in magazines, but I can't decide if it's worth
the price -- do you know if it lives up to its hype?

Yes, it's true, j'adore anything Benefit - especially their Dallas Blush - but, their products can be rather pricey. The High Beam retails for $24 (US) which is kind of expensive for something that you're probably not going to use every single day.
I gotta say that the High Beam is a well formulated product - it's a nice light formulation and does add a nice amount of glow without making you look overly shimmery or sparkly.

Is it worth the price? Yes and no.

From what I've seen, there's nothing on the drugstores shelves like it. Nothing in a liquid form, that is. But, I think what works well is one of those mousse or liquid eyeshadows. Every brand has one, including L'Oreal, Maybelline, and Revlon. These shadows go on as a liquid and dry to a powder, and I like them better than powder shadows for highlighting, because I find that the liquid can be sheered out as much as I like. You could also mix it with a moisturizer to give you something that was even sheerer. It's not the perfect dupe for the High Beam, but it's a cheaper alternative.

I hope that helps!

Benefit Thrrrob

I was just on the Benefit website and they are introducing a new blush called Thrrrob in the new year. Here is what the copy on the Benefit website states:

"Turn on the flush, turn up the rush... with thrrrob, our new "turned on" face powder. This pulse-racing pink powder simulates the natural flush you get when your heart races. With accompanying brush, lay it on light across cheekbones, forehead and chin. Then sit back & let the excitement begin! It's a turn on!"

I'm confused - it seems that when you get more physical activity, and perhaps when your face gets warmer, this blush gets more pink. But isn't that exactly when you don't want to draw attention to your face? Plus, how are we to try this on in stores and see whether the colour works for us or not if the results aren't immediate?

I'll say this much: Benefit knows how to create hype and I'm going to try this blush when it hits the shelves.

Benefit's Packaging

Dear Benefit,

I love your products, I really really do. I've reviewed quite a few of them, and I wear the Dallas blush all the time.

But goodness gracious I am sick to death of your horrible packaging.

I get that many people love it. It's unique, and cute, and for many people that is better than a boring compact from a regular makeup counter. But if I'm buying a $30 blush, I want a good mirror in the compact, I'd love something I can just pop into my purse, and for heaven's sake give me a blush compact that's big enough to swirl my brush in! Plus, cardboard? Make your compacts using other materials please. Something sturdy so that I don't have to be scared to store it in the bathroom with my other makeup. I love the colour of my Dallas blush, but this useless box has got to go.
And I'm really not asking for a lot - know how I know? Because I get that whenever I buy another brand of expensive blush.

And now you've come out with Powder Pop! What a brilliant idea - all your great face powders in one little box, so that the user can choose whether to bronze, blush, or brighten. When I saw this, I loved it and wanted it. And then I looked closer. Though this box is larger than the regular Benefit blush/bronzer boxes, because there are 3 powders instead of 1, each individual compartment is quite small.
What that means is that there's almost no way that I can swirl my blush brush in the powders. No way, I tried it and each time putting the brush in these boxes was awkward and annoying. I mean, I get what you're trying to do here - the whole concept harks back to your original square-shaped powder boxes. It's cute but just not functional! Why not go the way of Dior and put the three colours together in one rectangular compact or the way of Bobbi Brown and have a nice large palette? Why this?

Benefit, you have great products but horrible packaging.

Sincerely,

Canadian Beauty Blog,
a Benefit user

Canadian Beauty News: August 17, 2007

TGIF - and today is new product day. Here's a review of what's just come out on shelves.

Benefit That Gal
Yup, this primer is now on shelves, and the good news is that though it's pink in the tube, it actually adds hardly any colour on to your face and ditto with the shimmer. Yes, I did find that it smoothed out my skin slightly and made it appear brighter, but it's not silicone -filled so it's not going to give you that super-smooth feeling like some other primers do.

Oh, and if you've been wondering about the packaging - this is basically a cream product. The top of the tube has little holes in it and when you twist the bottom the primer comes out of the holes (sort of the same idea as cream deodorant). I don't know why they picked this method of delivery rather than just putting the primer in a regular tube, but knowing Benefit I bet it has a lot to do with the sheer novelty of the packaging. In any case, there's nothing wrong with it, and though this is a makeup primer, I'd recommend it for those people that aren't going to wear any foundation on top since any brightening would likely be lost once this primer is covered up.

Fresh Sugar GlossThis is a conditioning gloss from cult brand Fresh. This gloss is a spinoff on the brand's popular Sugar lipbalm and it does smell, but not taste, like sugar. It's glossy and comes in nice colours so if you're already a fan of the Fresh brand, then have a look at this.

Bare Escentuals
A lipstick that's 100% natural? That's what Bare Escentuals is saying with their bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipcolor. The lipstick contains no preservatives or unnatural pigments and the company claims that this will prevent your lips from drying out or becoming irritated. The lipstick itself is very highly pigmented and comes in a selection of beautiful colours. My favourite is Gingersnap which is a brownish pink with gold shimmer in it, but I found many colours I liked in the collection and they wear beautifully. Definitely have a look at these if you're thinking of getting a new lipstick and want something that lasts.

Link Love

Preview Creative's fall lacquer collection before it hits stores.

Bronze is all the rage this summer. Get the how to here.

Skin Care Review : Zensation Healing and Soothing Mask

Benefit's New Makeup Remover

Benefit has a new makeup remover out called "Gee...That was Quick!" The remover is a liquid that you put on a cotton pad which you then use to wipe your face. No rinsing or further cleansing is needed.

I love Benefit products and when I saw the cleanser I was... perplexed. As far as I can tell, this is just like the cleanser that they just took off the market - their Not onMy Pillow cleanser. It worked the same way. Furthermore, I tried both cleansers and both work very well. I liked the bottle of the old cleanser but that's a minor complaint and because I don't have the ingredient listing of the old cleanser, I can't tell you whether the two are actually the same formulations.

But they work the same way, so if you're looking for a new makeup remover, you may want to try this one.

Canadian Beauty News: April 27, 2007

This week, some lovely new summer products are now in, so here's a rundown of what's on shelves and what's worth a peek:

Dior Event and Products:

I had a chance to go down to Holt Renfrew and took part in one of their Beauty Cuisine events, one run by the Christian Dior counter (the event continues all weekend) and was thoroughly impressed. My makeup was touched up by one of their national make-up artists (the girl who did mine was Erica, and she was really good), who knew all the products inside and out.

I had a bit of bronzer put on me from the new Dior Bronze Sun Couture palette and I loved the effect. Instead of being too orange or shimmery, my skin looked glowy and the tan was reddish because the darkest shade of the palette was used. The lip gloss is also really nice and matches tanned skin beautifully. This palette is now in stores, so if you're in the market for a beautiful bronzer, my pick is this one.

Dior has also added to their backstage collection by adding a line of blushes and eyeshadows. Check out the Pro Cheeks Ultra-Radiant Blush and Eye Show. Both products use the new mousse technology that we're seeing in all cosmetics these days. The formulations are nice and the products are smooth to feel. The blushes have shimmer but with the exception of the colour on the left (called Limelight) they don't have that much shimmer in them. The eyeshadows do, but that's to be expected I suppose. If you like Dior and you're a fan of mousse blushes and eyeshadows, you will probably like these products too!

New Benefit Line

Hate though I do their packaging, I love Benefit and could not wait to check out their new collection that just came out. Included in the line is a new kind of lipstick in many colours, 3 new blushes, and a range of cream shadow/liner.

The star of the collection is most definitely the Silky-Finish Lipstick. Before I had a chance to see the lipstick I thought that it would be something silicon-based and would glide on to my lips. It's not silicon-based and it's not really silky-finished either. This lipstick is more of a gloss with a medium amount of pigment in it. Like all glosses, the colour can be worn sheer or at full potential and the lipsticks have a high amount of shine and absolutely no stickiness. I truly had a difficult time finding a favorite colour because they're all amazing! Because the lipsticks go on so sheer, I found that I could pull of a variety of colours, from reds to raisins, neutrals to nudes. In the end, I found that my favorite colour was Candy Store which was a pink with a nice copper shimmer in it. Still, like I said, the colour selection is awesome and the lipstick goes on sheer and glossy so chances are that you'll find something you like too!

The blush is nice but it's a pretty standard cream-to-powder formula, and the Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner is a good option if you've been looking for a creaseless shadow that comes in dark colours. The pots that the shadows are in are pretty big too, so you do get bang for your buck.

Fragrance Winner

The 2007 Canadian Fragrance Awards were last night, and Tom Ford Black Orchid won the award for "Best Luxe Launch"! Congratulations Tom Ford Perfumes!







British Line Launched in Canada

Last week, I was flipping through this month's Glow magazine and I saw that Shoppers Drug Mart will not be selling No. 7 and Botanics in their stores. The advertising campaign says that this is a popular British line that is finally coming to Canada!

"Meh," say I.

Let me break it down for you: Boots is a British drug store much like our own Shoppers Drug Mart except perhaps more widespread as the market in England is larger. Both the No. 7 line and the Botanics line is Boots own line of products. There's nothing wrong with that, but what it means is that they're pretty much the same as Shopper Drug Mart's own Life Brand and Quo makeup lines.

Why Shoppers would want to peddle the products of other drug stores is absolutely beyond me. They're introducing a line that competes directly with their own! All the lines usually carry cheaper imitations of regular products - for example Quo has a makeup primer that is a lot like the Smashbox one - it even comes in a similar-looking bottle. No. 7 (the makeup line) and Botanics (body care) usually play by those same rules - they'll have imitation bronzers, self-tanners, serums, etc. that are cheaper and packaged to fool you into thinking they're the same. How they stack up against the products they copy is yet to be determined but you get the idea.

The British brands are also offered south of the border, but I still don't see what the fuss is about. Yes they're good but they're not exactly anything revolutionary. If I'm going to buy a cheap(er) drugstore brand of anything (and I do once in a while) I'm going to be sticking to the Canadian Life Brand or even Quo.

Great Beauty Reads:

Elke reviews the Nivea Microdermabrasion Kit.

eBeauty Daily tests the GlowFusion spray tanner.

Ageless in Los Angeles tells us about the PureOlogy Serious Colour Hair Products To Help Fight Ovarian Cancer.


That's all for this week! I'm going to continue to review a few more coloured mascaras next week so I'll be back to reviewing those tomorrow! If you haven't seen the mascaras reviewd so far, click here to see the coloured mascara reviews! Have a lovely weekend.

Benefit BadGAL Blue

Of course, the first mascara that I had to try as part of my project was Benefit's BadGAL Blue. This mascara has received a great deal of press coverage lately for being the blue version of it's popular BadGAL mascara - it's reputed to make the white of your eyes look brighter in turn making you look fresher and more awake.

Lets first talk a bit about the wand shall we? The wand (which is the same as the regular BadGAL wand) is huge - it's pretty much as big as my whole eye. Is this a good thing? No. The enormous size of the wand makes for an unwieldy application experience. Add that to the fact that all the latest mascaras on the market have slimmer sleeker wands, and this one just looks archaic. It's like a Walkman in a world of Ipods.

That said, the formula is actually pretty great. Despite being so bright on the wand, the blue didn't really show up on my lashes, but they weren't black either. The mascara showed up as a navy blue colour and when I checked the mirror throughout the day, I didn't really notice that I was wearing blue mascara.

It did make my eyes look brighter, I pulled it off wearing it during the day, and someone told me that I had really nice eyelashes. All considered, that makes it a winner.

Canadian Beauty News: April 20, 2007

Well the weather here in Toronto has warmed up a little, and summer cosmetic collections are on their way, but unfortunately not much has hit the counters yet on this side of the border. Here's a rundown of what's new in stores and fresh on the shelves:

New Nail Polish:

OPI's new summer collection has been spotted! Hard to find in spas and nail shops, the best place to get the newest colours is Trade Secrets! Featuring a mix of dark and light colours the collection has everything you could want for spring and summer. My favourite colour is "I Only Drink Champagne" which is a light gold shade that shows up as almost white on the nail. I also love the shimmery silvery "Happy Anniversary" shade from their 25th Anniversary collection. It has multi-coloured shimmer in it but when you put on two coats, it shows up as silver. A pretty fun shade for the summer. To the right is a picture of it, but the shade is much nicer in real life.

Benefit's New Collection

New products from Benefit have also hit shelves or will later this week for some stores. The problem I found was that testers were still unavailable so I was unable to really get a glimpse of any of the colours or try any of their new products so I'll have to post an update later.

Look Fab Studio

Last week I talked about the Look Fab Studio that opened on the 13th in downtown Toronto. Has anyone had a chance to check it out for themselves? Thoughts? Experiences? Share them in the comment section below. You all know that I was blown away by the studio but I'm interested in knowing what other people might think.

Reader Questions:

A couple of weeks ago, M asked me the following question:

One quick question, do you know if i can buy Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque here in Toronto.

After a bit of searching, I came upon the mask in a health food store. My suggestion would be to check out the health food store in your neighborhood and see if they carry it. Because many of these stores are quite small and sometimes family run, they might be able to bring in the mask if you request it.

I also received this question last week from H:

I have dark undereye circles and after reading a number of reviews, decided to purchase the Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer kit (as well as the undereye moisturiser). I even e-mailed a Bobbi Brown makeup artist. I am following the application instructions religiously, but still end up with the product drying into a powdery finish and settling into fine lines. I never thought I had a lot of lines around my eye area, but when I laugh or smile, the product now highlights these lines. (I even e-mailed a Bobbi Brown makeup artist and I have had no joy following her instructions.)

The product seems to work for many people and I would love to know the secret.

I too have heard so many things about the Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer. It's hard not to buy into the hype. Bobbi Brown is great at what she does for the most part, the products are flawless. That said, the one thing that bothers me about the Bobbi Brown makeup counter is that they don't offer any samples. You can try the stuff on but there's no telling whether you will be able to duplicate the same look at home, and whether the foundation or concealer you tried on will look good in the lights you have at home.

I think that the concealer and corrector combo is nothing out of the ordinary. Why do I need two products to do the job of one? Theoretically, the corrector is just going to mix into my concealer when I put it on, right? So why can't I just have a concealer that fixes what the corrector would have?

As for the product settling into lines - I feel that the problem is that the concealer is just too creamy. The concealer is so creamy that it needs to be used with a powder which could just make it into a paste which then settles into fine lines. My advice is to try skipping the under-eye cream which may be adding to the creaminess of the concealer. Save the cream for night time and hopefully it will make a difference. Without the cream, you may not need to add powder on top of your concealer so see if you can go without it. If it still creases, then try it with the powder. If you still see creasing, try a different powder such as MAC Blot Powder which is specifically meant to reduce oil and shine. I use it to set my makeup and find that it lasts a long time.

Finally, if that doesn't work - ditch the Bobbi Brown products. I know it's hard because they're so expensive, but there are plenty of cheaper concealers out there on the market, so you might not feel bad doing it, if you can find a stellar replacement. I swear by MAC Select Cover Concealer and have never had a creasing problem with it. I hope that helped, but keep me posted on your results!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Not On My Pillow

If you're looking for a make-up remover that requires no rinsing and doesn't leave a residue on your skin, Benefit's Not On My Pillow certainly fits the bill. This stuff is super easy to use, but that's not all. It really does take off every last smudge of makeup including mascara. Just wet a cotton ball with it, and swipe across your face. The ease with which this works means that it's also great to take on trips when you're frequently too tired to take off your make-up or simply without a facewash. With Not On My Pillow there isn't anything else you need!

Canadian Beauty news: January 25, 2007

One of the things that I love about the beauty industry is that it's constantly changing, and in my opinion, it's changing for the better. These days it really seems like companies are listening to what their customers want and need, which is excellent. Makeup counter associates are friendly and helpful, and they understand when you don't like something. Gone are the times when you couldn't even approach the Chanel counter unless you reeked of No. 5.

Of course, to get a high end product, you no longer have to go into a high end department store. Shoppers Drug Mart is clearly following the lead of British drugstore chains and keeps adding cosmetics brands to their lineup. Their newest addition? Benefit. Yes, you heard right. Benefit products are now available in those Shoppers Drug Mart stores that carry luxury beauty lines. The smaller stores will only have a limited number of Benefit products (such as their best sellers) while some of the larger stores will have the entire line. If you're a collector (or hoarder) of Shoppers Optimum Points, I know that this information will be like music to your ears.

In other news, MAC now organizes its lipstick collection by finish! When I saw this I was truly thrilled. How many times have you stood at the MAC lipstick bar staring at all the colours and picking them up to look at the base to check whether the lipstick was matte or satin? Well now that is unnecessary. Figure out which finish you like best and then choose a colour from that section - it's really that easy. I really like the Lustre finishes which go on moist and shiny and now I can finally see which colours belong to that group.

Speaking of MAC, everyone seems to be raving about the Raquel Welch collection. Everyone, that is, but me. I suppose the colours are great - if your skin tone is like Raquel's, of course. To be honest, I really don't see what the fuss is about these celebrity collections other than the fact that they're endorsed by a celebrity. I mean, of course, the colours had better look good on the celebrity in question, but really, with a little photoshopping, anything will look good on them. So really, is a celebrity inspired (or endorsed) collection that much different than any other MAC collection? I don't think so. MAC's colour collections are usually really nice anyway so the name hired to promote a specific collection doesn't really make that much of a difference.

Another new collection that just came out is one by Clinique collection, although you wouldn't be able to tell if you checked out their websites. The collection is nice and well.. springy, for lack of a better word. It features 4 new blushes, that are made up of a variety of colours. The design is difficult to explain so I'll just say that the colours are arranged in a flower pattern reminiscent of the one in this Yves Saint Laurent compact (pictured left). It's a pretty collection for the spring. My favourite product that they're offering is a new eyeliner called Violet Amethyst. The colour is similar to Laura Mercier's Black Violet Kohl Eye Pencil - both are very dark purples. (Picture from Blogdorf Goodman.)

Interestingly, and perhaps in order to promote their new collections, nearly every beauty counter is holding some sort of event where they invite in a professional makeup artist who can do your makeup for you and teach you some new tricks. If you like sitting in a chair, closing your eyes, and opening them to see how an expert would do your face, then this is the time to call your favorite boutique and make an appointment. Make sure you ask them whether there's a fee for the makeover (usually that fee goes towards the purchase of new products) so that you're not in for a surprise when you get there.

Department Store vs. Drugstore

This is a picture of a Marcelle compact which was a limited edition that came out for Christmas. Unfortunately, Marcelle's website doesn't have a picture of it so this is one I've taken myself.

I bought this compact as a gift for one of my cousins in India - the colours of the eyeshadow are comparable to the

colours of the eyeshadow in the Benefit Weather Girl compact. The colours are rich and have a silky texture. It seems that I'm not the only one to think so because when I went back to buy another one for someone else, Shoppers Drug Mart was all sold out.

The compact also comes with a highlighting powder.

Perfect Brown Girl Blush

Brown girls sometimes have trouble finding the perfect shade of blush. You want something natural, but go too light and it doesn't show up on your skin, go too dark and it can look obvious and unnatural. Well, I've finally found the perfect blush that looks natural on many shades of brown. Just trust me and try it. It's Benefit's Dallas blush. Yes, it looks sort of bronzy mauve in the box and I'm not a fan of the packaging, but it really is the perfect colour and makes you look as if you're glowing. Since the Christmas party season is upon us, this is one you'll want to get pronto.

(picture from Sephora.com)

Review: Benefit Honey Snap Out Of It Scrub

Recently, I was given a sample of Benefit's Honey Snap Out Of It Scrub.

This scrub wasn't much to look at so I wasn't sure whether it would be good or not, but I was pleasantly surprised. The scrub is creamy with finely ground pieces of almond in it. Despite the creaminess, however, the scrub doesn't leave a residue on your face and you're left with clean and smooth skin after using it. I have to say that although Benefit markets this as a face scrub, the creaminess of it would make it equally good as a body scrub. Oh, and its scent is absolutely yummy - the scrub smells just like an almond sugar cookie!

In case you didn't know, you can now buy Benefit products at your local Bay, which is great because the Bay is very accessible, but the counter does not always have its own dedicated sales person which is a bit of a problem if you have inquiries regarding price or availability.

(picture from sephora.com.)