Holiday Deals at Benefit Cosmetics

Get free US standard shipping on any Benefit Cosmetics order. Enter GLAMSHIP at checkout. Offer valid 11.24.10–11.29.10.

Get free international shipping on any $85 Benefit Cosmetics order. Enter DEALDAY1 at checkout. Offer valid 11.25.10–11.29.10.

Cyber Monday, November 29th only at Benefit Cosmetics! Get 20% off top rated pics from Annie & Maggie. Enter FORDPICS at check out. Offer valid 11.29.10.

Blush Blast From The Past: Benefit CORALista

You know what’s almost as fun as a new beauty product? It’s when you re-discover an oldie but goodie that you forgot that you had.

For the past several weeks, NARS Blush in Torrid has been step 2 of my three step/minute makeup routine (step/minute 1 being Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara and step/minute 3 being either Lancome Juicy Tubes 100% Natural Origin in Rose Pretty, Avon Glazewear Lip Gloss in Rave or Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss Stick in Nude Almond topped with Make Up Forever Fascinating Lip Gloss in #10). But this morning, I decided to switch it up and go fishing in my bottomless basket o' blushes. What I came up with was Benefit CORALista Blush – and after sweeping it on my cheeks and admiring myself in the mirror, I can't believe I ever let CORALista slip my mind.

It imparts the most gorgeous, coral-pink glow that looks ab fab on a multitude of complexions. What I love most about CORALista is how effortless it looks; it applies like a dream and the blush actually looks like it's coming from within. Another reason to put CORALista on your shopping list? Coral happens to be the it blush shade right now (ladies, if don't know…you betta ask somebody ).

Oh, and did I mention that the blush – besides looking fantastic – smells fantastic too? It has this light floral scent that, while completely unnecessary, is totally genius. CORALista comes with an applicator brush, but for best results, I like to apply with my ecoTools blush brush.

Makeup Mondays With Mario: Blemishes Begone!

Celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is answering your burning beauty questions!!! Every Monday, he will answer a beauty/skin care question as part of a weekly column on Spoiled Pretty, Makeup Mondays with Mario.


Hi Mario,

I have a question about concealing blemishes. How exactly do you do it? I am so confused. What concealers are the best? Do you apply the concealer before or after foundation? And what do you apply it with? Every time I try to cover up a pimple, it winds up looking really obviously and kinda cakey. If anyone knows how to create a flawless face, it's you - so please help, Mario. Thanks a lot!

Your biggest fan,
Keisha

Hi Keisha,

Concealing blemishes shouldn’t be so stressful. Follow these steps and you'll have flawless skin in no time!

First, apply foundation as you would normally, followed by a cream concealer applied directly on the blemish. Choose a concealer shade that's a bit lighter. Blend the product with your finger or damp sponge – then, with a translucent loose powder, set the blemish only. Now you can go ahead and powder the rest of the face as you would normally.

When choosing a concealer, look for one that is not oily. I really love La Mer's concealer for blemishes. Benefit and CoverGirl make great cream concealers too.

Try this technique and I'm sure you will be a pro in no time!

Thanks for visiting Makeup Mondays with Mario.

xo,
Mario


Got a question for Mario? Email your makeup and skin care queries to spoiledprettyquestions@gmail.com, and check back next Monday to read Mario's expert advice!

Grammy Gorgeous: Katy Perry

After a recent trip to India, Katy Perry brought back a variety of bindis and together, with celebrity makeup artist Jake Bailey, they used this as inspiration to create a "Bettie Page, Indian princess look" for this year's Grammy Awards.

To perfect her skin, Jake used Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation and to set the look, he dusted Guerlain Les Violettes Matte Touch Powder all over the face.

Jake then highlighted the apples of her cheeks with CORALista blush from benefit.

Keeping with the exotic feel, Jake used a mixture of shimmery plums and golds on her eyes. "I was going for a more colorful version of the tradition smoky eye," said Jake. Jake used COVERGIRL's double-ended smoky eye stick, Smoky ShadowBlast in Purple Plume by first applying the angled end of the shadow stick, the deeper plum, over the entire lid and blending into a smoky halo. He then applied Smoky ShadowBlast in Bronze Fire, using the round, golden end to line along the lid and inner corners of her eyes to brighten the look.

To complete her smoky eye, Jake created an ultra-long lash look with several coats of COVERGIRL LashBlast Length in black. "The best thing about this mascara is that you can apply coat after coat to get maximum impact without losing separation and elegance," said Jake.
To balance her dramatic eyes without overpowering them, Jake finished her look with a matte lip, using COVERGIRL Outlast Lipstain in Wild Berry Wink. "I love these Lipstains so much because you can line and shape the entire lip without sacrificing your own lip texture," Jake finished.

*To win some COVERGIRL Smoky ShadowBlasts (along with ShineBlast lip glosses), enter Spoiled Pretty's latest giveaway!

Benefit Cosmetics Sale-abration!

The Annual Benefit Sale-abration is on! Save up to 70% off your favorite products. For a limited time at BenefitCosmetics.com starting on January 7, 2010.

Rihanna's 20/20 Frosty Nude Lip Look

On Friday night, I was among the 8.2 million people who watched Rihanna's 20/20 interview. But afterwards, while most people were thinking, "Wow...that Rihanna is so brave to publicly discuss such a horrifying personal tragedy" or "That jackass, Chris Brown, deserves whatever is coming to him" - I was thinking, "What products can I use to copy Rihanna's icy nude lip look?"

So I did what any self-respecting beauty junkie would do. I broke out my lip gloss/lipstick stash and played makeup mad scientist/mixologist. I found that creating Rihanna's 20/20 look is quite easy to do. All you need is a nude lipstick that is lighter than your complexion, and a silver gloss. Be sure to apply foundation to lips before trying this look, as the foundation will help cancel out any pink in your lips and let the lip color stand alone.

Here are some combos that I think would pass RiRi scrutiny:

1) Clinique Different Lipstick in Tenderheart + MAC Dazzleglass in She-Zam
2) MAC Lipstick in Modesty + MAC Dazzleglass in She-Zam
3) Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss Stick in Nude Almond + MAC Dazzleglass in She-Zam
4) Julie Hewett Lipstick in Biba + MAC Dazzleglass in She-Zam
5) Victoria's Secret Sheer Gloss Stick in Exposed + MAC Dazzleglass in She-Zam
6) Benefit Full-Finish Lipstick in Lady's Choice + MAC Dazzleglass in She-Zam
7) Urban Decay Lipstick in Midnight Cowboy + MAC Dazzleglass in She-Zam
8) This is just to show what MAC Dazzleglass in She-Zam looks like on its own

Not satisfied with Rihanna's lippie recipe? Want to cop her cafe au lait nails too? Try OPI Barefoot in Barcelona.

Benefit's New Blog!

Introducing...The Secret Life of a Benefit Gal!

Benefit Cosmetics just launched their official blog, featuring exclusive insider tips, tricks and tales from the Benefit gals. Visit daily for the latest and greatest behind-the-scenes scoop.

And don't miss Benefit Makeup Trend Artists, Maggie Ford Danielson and Annie Ford Danielson, this Wednesday and Thursday as they make their debut on HSN.

They’ll be sharing the latest dish on looking gorgeous...and introducing the best instant beauty solutions from Benefit available on the Home Shopping Network. Check it out on Wednesday at 7am & 7pm, and Thursday at 2am, 4pm & 8pm.

Free Full-Finish Lipstick at Benefit.com!

Get full-finish lipstick in do tell, a luscious pink blossom shade, with any $35 order. Enter DOTELL09 at checkout. Offer valid 9/8-9/15/09. Add product to shopping bag before checkout.

Fierce, Fabulous and Flawless Giveaway Winners!

Congrats to Cortney Freedland, Elizabeth Getzen and Selena Valente, winners of the Fierce, Fabulous and Flawless giveaway - sponsored by Benefit Cosmetics. These ladies will receive "Hello Flawless!" - a custom powder cover-up with SPF 15. This silky powder cover-up glides on naturally sheer and layers beautifully for customized coverage with SPF protection.

Many thanks to Benefit for sponsoring this contest!

Come back tomorrow for your next chance to get spoiled pretty!

Fierce, Fabulous and Flawless Giveaway, Sponsored by Benefit

This summer, I want all of my girls to be fierce, fabulous and flawless. Which is why I've joined forces with Benefit for a beautylicious giveaway! Three readers will win "Hello Flawless!" - a custom powder cover-up with SPF 15.

This silky powder cover-up glides on naturally sheer and layers beautifully for customized coverage with SPF protection.

Tips and tricks: For a sheer finish, sweep "Hello Flawless!" on with your brush. With quick, light strokes, blend from the center of your face outward. Use it over bare skin, moisturizer or primer to look naturally flawless! To cover it all (& then some!), apply evenly over entire complexion with sponge. For spot cover-up, dab on boo boos & blend.

With 6 shades ("Me, Vain?" Champagne, "Never Settle" Petal, "I'm Cute As A Bunny" Honey, "All The World's My Stage" Beige, "It's About Me, Me, Me!" Toffee, and "Why Walk When You Can Strut?" Hazelnut), it's easy to find your perfect match.

To enter, send an email to spoiledprettycontests@gmail.com. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address. The subject line should read "Fierce, Fabulous and Flawless Giveaway." The contest ends at midnight (EST) on Sunday, June 14th. Three winners will be chosen at random from among the entrants. On Monday, June 15th, I'll announce the winners' names. Please, only one entry per person; duplicate entries will not increase your chances of winning. Contest is open to U.S. residents.

Good luck!

Benefit and Sephora Make Beautiful Music Together

Discover Benefit's "Hello Flawless" powders and the six lady musicians obsessed with them. Then, just for being you, download six songs for free!

Click here, enter promo code MAKEYOURMIX, and get your groove on.

Pretty In Purple: Get Kim Kardashian's Mermaid Makeup

On his blog, Mario Dedivanovic shares how he created Kim Kardashian's mermaid makeup:

I used Giorgio Armani Silk Luminous Foundation to get a more glowy look. I mixed a couple of the colors to get the exact match. It’s set lightly with Laura Mercier translucent powder.

The brows are filled in with Cork by MAC. On the lids I used Stars N’ Rockets by MAC. In the crease, outer corners and under the eye, I used Deep Truth - also by MAC. Right below the Deep Truth shadow, I blended Creme de Violet shadow (a lighter shimmery purple, MAC) all the way down to the cheek bones. I also swept a bit of it on the brow bone. The liner on the top is a very pigmented black liquid that I blended myself from Giella Cosmetics. In the inner rim of the eye, I used the black Powerpoint pencil from MAC and ALOT of mascara - Bad Gal mascara by Benefit. For this shoot, my assistant and I cut up a bunch of different lashes and I placed them in pieces all over the lash line so I wouldn’t be able to tell you the brand or style type.

For blush, I used Angelika by NARS and the Bronzing Powder by LORAC (framing the whole face and on the hollows of the cheeks). To get that glow all over the skin and on the bridge of the nose, I blended my own color with different pigments and shimmers but you can get a very similar effect by using Shroom shadow by MAC, or if your skin is darker, try Trace Gold blush by MAC.

For Kim’s lips, I used a little bit of the foundation on them, followed by a clear gloss. So easy.

To learn how to recreate Kourtney, Khloe and Kris Kardashian's makeup, visit Mario's blog.

For more of Kim Kardashian's beauty and makeup tips, click here.

Source

Words From The Wise: Benefit Sheds Light On How To Cover Dark Circles

Spoiled Pretty reader Amy wrote me, hoping that I could shed some light on disguising her dark circles:

"I am fairly young (32) and get a fair amount of sleep every night and yet every morning I have dark circles under my eyes. I feel like I have tried many different concealers but those dark circles are always there! Is there a secret to applying concealer - or a product that will rock my world? Help me Spoiled Pretty!"

To assist Amy, I turned to Ann Ford Danielson, Makeup Trend Artist for Benefit Cosmetics - who provided some illuminating advice.

"Have no fear, Erase Paste is here!!!! This product is a concentrated creamy concealer that will camouflage your dark circles instantly. A little goes a long way with this product, so you get a good bang for your buck. It will not only conceal your dark circles but it also brightens the eye area, leaving you looking rested and ready to go!! Erase paste doesn’t dry out the under eye nor does it start to crease as the day goes on. All in all, it is an under eye miracle worker!!! I love to brush on a little Powderflage right on top to help set and smooth over the erase paste. The two products together are killer. Say goodbye to your dark circles for good!!"

Amy, get ready to give your dark circles the one-two punch, because you will soon be receiving Erase Paste and Powderflage, courtesy of Benefit.

Thanks to Ann Ford Danielson and Benefit Cosmetics for participating in this installment of Words From The Wise!

Baffled by beauty? Overwhelmed by the number of products on the market? Desperately in search of answers to your hair, skincare and makeup dilemmas? Email me your query to spoiledprettyquestions@gmail.com - and if your question is answered on the blog, you will receive expert advice, plus a Spoiled Pretty-approved product that addresses your specific beauty issue! Be sure to include your full name and mailing address in your email.

Oscars 2009 Beauty: Evan Rachel Wood

Benefit fragrance was hot at the Oscars last night with some scent-sational buzz from actress Evan Rachel Wood, star of the Oscar-nominated film The Wrestler. Her scent was so alluring, E! host Ryan Seacrest stopped her on the red carpet to ask her what fragrance she was wearing. Evan announced, "I'm wearing a Benefit perfume," during the E! Entertainment Live from the Red Carpet broadcast.

Photo: Wireimage

Kim Kardashian's Red Carpet Makeup Essentials

On his blog, Troy Jensen shares the products he uses to get Kim Kardashian red carpet ready. For Troy's technique tips, click here.

For more of Kim Kardashian's beauty and makeup tips, click here.

Source

CORALista Winner Writes Back

Kristin, winner of the CORALista Giveaway, just sent me an email - raving about her beauty booty:

“I just wanted to thank you again for the CORALista giveaway! I received it in the mail on Saturday and have been wearing it everyday - I love it! It's light enough to use it for an all-over glow, and then I use it more concentrated as a blush also. Perfect for brightening my pale dead-of-winter-in-Ohio face :) And of course the packaging is adorable and the scent is a great, unique surprise! Thank you again so much!”

Benefit From These Deals at BenefitCosmetics.com

Get a free full-size BADgal Blue Mascara with any $35 order. No promo code necessary. While supplies last.

FREE "pink to please a girl...gold to get the guy!" palette with any $35 order. Enter promo code LOVE2009 at checkout. Offer valid through February 10, 2009 at benefitcosmetics.com.

Spoiled Pretty Copies Jessica Alba's Bangin' Bob

I’m kind of obsessed with Jessica Alba’s hair right now. So when I visited Erik last week, I whipped out my Us Magazine and pointed to a photo of her bangin’ bob.

Here’s the finished product…


Just in case you were wondering, these are the products I’m sporting:

* MAC's new Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation in NW35 (mixed with a dollop of MAC Strobe Liquid and applied with the beautyblender sponge)
* Benefit CORALista Blush applied with EcoTools Blush Brush
* Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Flipside (inner rims of the eye)
* Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in #0L (upper lashline)
* CoverGirl LashBlast Luxe Mascara in Black Royale
* Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Tulle

How you like me now?

Congratulations To The CORALista Winner!

Drumroll please...

The winner of Spoiled Pretty's CORALista Giveaway is Kristin Cavanagh!!!

Kristin will soon have a warm, cheeky glow - thanks to Benefit's newest blush. CORALista has been my go-to blush for a few weeks now, on account of the healthy flush it gives my complexion. And one thing I forgot to mention in my initial review is the light, floral fragrance. I absolutely luvre it...and you will too, Kristin!

Thanks to all who participated in this giveaway - and to Benefit Cosmetics for spoiling Miss Kristin.

Check back later today for Spoiled Pretty's next giveaway!

CORALista Giveaway, Sponsored by Benefit Cosmetics

When you look in the mirror, does your face look like it could use a vacay?

Take a tropical pleasure trip with Benefit's CORALista. Sweep this blush onto cheeks to wake up your complexion and put a smile on your face.

On Saturday, CORALista met TIREDista (that would be me) - and I found this warm coral pink blush to be the perfect antidote to the dreaded winter pallor. And yes, even brown girls can look anemic...lately I've been looking particularly pale, a la Dead Presidents.

CORALista is oh so flattering and goes on sheer - so you have to be really heavy-handed to overdo it. To apply, swirl the brush in the box & blow off excess. Smile and brush lightly across the apples of your cheeks, starting from the hairline and working in.

CORALista retails for $28...but one of you is gonna get lucky because Spoiled Pretty is partnering with Benefit to give away one CORALista, pro bono.

To enter, send an email to spoiledprettycontests@gmail.com. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address. The subject line should read "Benefit CORALista Giveaway." The contest ends at midnight (EST) on Sunday, February 1st. One winner will be chosen at random from among the entrants. On Monday, February 2nd, I'll announce the winner's name. Please, only one entry per person; duplicate entries will not increase your chances of winning. Contest is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

Good luck!