Archive for the ‘Benefit Cosmetics’ Category

Welcome to our newest weekly feature, the Beauty Sales Round-up! Since I’ve been saving up for my new apartment I’ve really gotten into “recession mode” so I’ve been scouring the interwebs for sales on all my favorite products. Because sure, I want a fancy new place, but I also have a beauty habit to maintain damn it! So since I’m getting all this info, I figured I would share it with you guys so you can have a heads-up on all the weekly discounts and free gifts!

And if you guys happen to stumble upon anything I’ve missed, feel free to pass the info along in the form of a comment, or you can just send tips to jackie@b.eautychaotic.com.

Ok- and now on to this weeks discounts…

HardCandy.com:
* 50% off everything. YES, EVERYTHING!!!
www.hardcandy.com


Sephora.com:
* Free shipping on orders over $35 (instead of the usual $50). Offer is for a limited (unspecified) time.
* Free BareMinerals 10-day trial. I already scooped up one of these and I love it. They let you choose your shade, and you get a baby kabuki brush.
* Build your own sample bag- Choose any 5 samples free with every order. Offer is valid thru March 3rd.
www.sephora.com


Stila.com:
* Free shipping on orders over $50 for a limited (unspecified) time.
www.stila.com


Benefit.com:
* Free full size BADgal blue mascara with orders over $35.
* Free shipping with orders over $50
* Free international shipping with orders over $115
www.benefitcosmetics.com


Urban Decay:
* Free shipping on orders over $75


Now get out there and shop! And don’t forget to report back if you find something you love!

Red lipstick – ur doin’ it right!

Hats off to Hayden’s make-up artist, because this girl looks amazing every time I see her – especially as seen here at recent red carpet event. As soon as I saw this look I knew I had to replicate it, and after a lot of mixing, matching and fail I finally got it right:



Face: Start with a great moisturizer, then apply a creamy foundation like Make-up Forever HD. To get the dewy look, mix in a drop or two of gold based highlighter – my personal fave is Benefit Moon Beam. Finish with a light dusting of pressed or loose powder, but don‘t over do it or you’ll end up with the cakey, I put my make-up on with a putty knife look. Which is not hot.


Eyes: Apply Urban Decay Primer Potion to the entire lid area, followed by an off white shadow like Cover Girl Eye Enhancers in French Vanilla. Then, sweep Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Midnight Cowgirl across your lid, dipping the eyeshadow brush in a little water first to achieve the intense gold color Hayden is sporting. For the crease, you can use pretty much any matte black eyeshadow you like, but apply it lightly so as not to overpower the gold. Using a smudge brush – like Sephora Brand #11 – blend a touch of the black shadow under the eye as well. Next, apply a black, liquid liner to the upper lid, and rim the lower water line with a long wearing black eye pencil. Finish with an exquisite set of false lashes, like Make-up Forever lashes in dense black or three coats of an ultra rich mascara like Cargo Texas Lash.

Cheeks: Use a shimmery beige color like Nars blush in Zen.

Lips: Line lips with Urban Decay 24/7 lipliner in Ozone. It’s clear, so it’ll keep your lipstick in place without changing it’s color. Then sweep on a healthy application of MAC lipstick in Russian Red.

And there ya have it kids! Learn it, know it, live it!

After a long day of work fail, I needed an impromptu trip to the evil den of temptation that is Sephora to calm my nerves. So with accomplices Sarah and Mollena in tow, I proceeded to rip it up in that heezy, and spend WAY more than I had originally planned. I also participated in a three way barrage of profanity and obscene comments that I’m certain scared the staff, but that’s another story for another day.

So, in addition to the Hello Kitty brush set I purchased at the MAC counter, here are the other fabulous items I procured:



* Make Up Forever HD High Definition Foundation - the tall, delicious man working the Stila section told me this foundation “looks great on camera,” so naturally I had to pick some up. Granted, he could have been selling old gym socks and Kathy Lee Gifford CDs for all I cared and I still would have bought them. In any case, expect a full fledged review of this product in the near future.

* Benefit Lip Plump - this primer makes lips look fuller, and I’m all about that! I used this stuff years ago, but it’s been a while so I figured I’d give it another whirl. I was a little annoyed at the price though – last time I bought this it was $16, now it’s $22. Because in today’s dwindling economy, what better way to exacerbate the fail than with massive price increases? YAY!

* Cargo Texas Lash Mascara - This one I’m really excited about. When I heard the term “Texas Lash” I immediately thought of big, thick pageant queen lashes, and that’s exactly what this mascara delivers. Epic win ya’ll!

* Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Underground - I use the black version of this every day, so I decided to try out a new color. This one is a shimmery taupe that really brings out brown eyes. It’s not something I’ll likely use everyday, but its always nice to have options.

And now, it’s time to watch a little Family Matters on Nick at Night before bed. Goodnight kids!

Because as I sit here in my chair, all full of Betty Crocker Warm Delights brownies and booze, you get to walk around looking like that. And it’s just not fair damn it! *shakes fist*



Whew, ok, now that my moment of haterism has past, I pose the question – could Megan Fox have looked any more stunning at the Golden Globes? From the dress to the face to the hair, the girl was just head to toe perfection. I especially love her make-up because it’s all out glam, but not overdone. And since this is a look I use often when going out, here’s a few tips on how to create the look yourself:

Face: The golden, healthy glow makes skin look radiant and fresh, but it’s a tough look to achieve with most bronzers. So instead, try mixing a liquid face highlighter like Benefit MoonBeam into your regular foundation before you apply it. Just a touch though, as the key to this look is understated drama.

Cheeks: This is where your bronzer will come in handy, as just a light swipe across the cheekbones will give a touch of color and sparkle. Hoola bronzing powder, also by Benefit is my personal fave.

Eyes: This step is where I have the most fun! Start by applying a matte white eye shadow over the entire lid. I say matte because the rest of the look is really shimmery, and we don’t wanna over do it. Next, sweep Nars eye shadow in Goldfinger across the eyelids. Then, dip a smudger eye shadow brush into a Sephora Brand Glitter Pot in Gold, and draw a thick line along the base of your upper and lower lashes. Make sure to dust off the excess by blowing on the brush after dipping, so you don‘t overdo it on the glitter. Finish with a very thin line of black liquid eyeliner along the top lash line, and two coats of black mascara.

Lips: Line your lips with a very subtle rosy shade like Maybelline Line Stylist lip liner in Plum, and fill lips in with the same color. Then swipe on a thin coat of Sephora Ultra Shine lip gloss in Gold, and viola

Hair: If you’re going somewhere fancy and you really wanna complete the look, apply a light spritz of Sephora Brand Gold Glitter Spray just to the hairline, as you can see on the lovely Megan.

And there ya have it kids! Learn it, know it, live it!

Like any self respecting make-up aficionado, you’ll never catch me without my pink sequin make-up bag bursting with beauty goodness. This may seem like a little much to carry around on a daily basis, but that’s just how I roll, so here it is…

Stila Sheer Pressed Powder in Dark: I never leave home without my precious little compact, as my oily skin tends to act up throughout the day. This stuff is great because it offers enough coverage, but is still sheer and doesn’t feel weird on my face like heavier powders. And the color is fab!

Benefit Playsticks foundation in Jumprope: I’m sure you guys already knew this from reading my favorite things blog, but I heart this stuff.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on eye pencil in Zero: This is great for lining the inner rim of your eye. The intense color gives off that dramatic, smoky look, and it stays on really well.

Nars blush in Oasis: Yet another one of my favorite things, this pink blush makes me look fresh and rosey!

Sephora eye lash curler: It’s cheap, sturdy and get’s the job done.

Revlon tweezers: I bought a pair of these last year and they’re still good as new. And that’s nothing to scoff at considering I have the thickest eyebrows in the history of the world.

Benefit lipliner in Lush: I’ve been wearing this color for at least six years, and I love it because it matches brown, pink and mauve lipsticks. It’s even pretty on its own with a swipe of clear gloss over it.

Sephora Duel Sharpener: This saves me a little space in my otherwise overstuffed bag.

Sephora Lip Gloss #7: This pretty pink gloss has tiny flecks of multicolor sparkle for maximum dazzle. And it smells good too.

Nars Single Eye Shadow in Night Breed: This is THE shadow to use for the smoky eye look. And it’s got a hint of sparkle, which I love. Wait, I like sparkly things? Get the hell out!

Borjois Wet and Dry Eye Shadow in Blanc Diaphane: This is the perfect base for any colored eyeshadow. And the packaging is brilliant, as the curved applicator fits right inside the mini-compact.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara: It’s on my list of favorite things for a reason. It elongates, it thickens, it makes my lasher look fake! And I don’t industrial strength paint thinner to wash it off either.

And yes, this all fits in that little bag, it just requires a crafty packing method. I just put all the larger, flatter items along the sides – compact, blush and eye shadow – then stack the other items in the center from largest to smallest. It sounds like a process, but I can seriously do this in my sleep!