Beautiful Brands: Benefit Cosmetics

In the cosmetics industry, there is one beauty brand which, for me at least, stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Image courtesy of jadeisabelle.com

With innovative products, interaction with customers, a loyal following of "Benebabes" and a seriously fun attitude, Benefit Cosmetics is one brand which seriously packs a punch in the beauty industry.  

Launched in 1976 in San Francisco by twins Jean and Jane Ford, the brand started life as a beauty boutique, The Face Place. The relaxed, gossipy “beauty locker room” style interaction they had with their customers in this initial period has continued to run through their hugely popular range of cosmetics which has always had a tongue in cheek approach to humour. A prime example is the words of the founders themselves:

“If you don’t wear makeup, at least put on some lipstick. You may not have to look at yourself, but others do.”

There is something about this statement which heralds back to strong heroines of old movies – it is not intended to be a mean statement but is a display of tongue in cheek humour with a sassy edge.

The brand now has over 3,000 counters worldwide and some of their products remain top sellers in the industry. But what is it about the brand that makes them so special?

Their overall objective has remained unchanged for almost 40 years

Since launching their first product Rose Tint (now Benetint) in 1976, Benefit’s goal has always been the same, to provide instant fix solutions to their customers so that they can “fake it until they make it!” You won’t believe the story behind this now famous product, but it arose from a very particular problem, showing Benefit’s desire to help their customers, rather than just sell them what is trendy.

They create coveted cult products

Each year Benefit releases an advent calendar for Christmas, which is one of the most, if not the most, coveted and popular beauty products each year. Demand grows for the product, but they remain limited in stock. Limited means rare and rare means “I have to have it!” Rather than have a different idea for Christmas each year, they develop the same idea meaning people look forward to it.

They don’t try to reinvent the wheel all the time

Various products in the Benefit collection are old favourites, including Benetint, They’re Real Mascara and Bathina which have been sold for many years. Benefit makes no attempt to reinvent these items because they understand they are hugely popular just as they are. When they have a winning formula, they stick to it!

But they are still innovative.. 

The first Benefit Brow Bar opened in 2003, and the rest is history! Benefit were the first cosmetics brand to incorporate brow products and services into their beauty products and launched the Brow Bars so that customers could essentially use the counter as their salon. The Brow Bars are now hugely successful and are a unique service of Benefit. Very cleverly, by doing this, they also get their customer right into the products for a prolonged period without selling, selling, selling.

They develop strategic partnerships with other brands

Whether it’s teaming up with Citreon to develop cars inspired by their products or working with the infamous Sharknado movie creators, Benefit understand where they can fit in other markets, tuning into how brands can work in collaboration to the benefit of both partners.#

  

They interact with their customers

Few make up brands compare to the power of Benefit on social media. Any mention of the brand on Twitter is appreciated, usually with a named member of staff responding to any queries, suggestions or feedback. The responses are always full of enthusiasm and passion for the brand, rather than just a cold retweet. Any social media beneficial to their brand, Benefit are on it with them also amassing a large following through Periscope - live streaming Q&As and Beauty Tutorials to, on average, 2000 viewers.

They don’t promote an “ideal” image 

Benefit rarely show images of real people in their promotion, instead opting for cheeky pin-up illustrations. Even when they do use real people, the messaging which goes along with this is always slightly self-deprecating and never takes itself seriously. They “They’re Real” promotion currently on their website is a prime example!

With so many images on various advertising mediums showing unattainable beauty, it is refreshing to see a brand go in the complete opposite direction, reassuring their customers that we are all just “faking it until we make it” and that we should have fun with makeup. Which leads me to the most important reason I love the Benefit brand...

They don’t take themselves too seriously

The company motto “Laughter is the Best Cosmetic” does not sell any of their products. It doesn’t scream at customers to buy their products and their lives will be better. It doesn’t promote an image of luxury. It doesn’t even say what they do!

But what it gets across is so much more powerful - that cosmetics are not something to be taken too seriously. That people should have fun with makeup and see the joy in experimenting with it. That beauty can be enjoyed by everyone. 

What do you love about Benefit? 

Love Nicola x  

Too Faced Chocolate Bar - Review & Swatches

Eyeshadow that smells like chocolate sounds gimmicky. But an eyeshadow infused with anti-oxidant packed cocoa powder can actually have a beneficial effect, helping the skin look young by aiding the repair of skin cells and neutralizing free radicals. Not bad for a gimmick!

Leading the charge in the use of cocoa powder is Too Faced. With their hugely popular Cocoa Powder Foundation and Bronzer, they launched 'Chocolate Bar', a gorgeous (you guessed it) chocolate bar themed palette packed with 16 matte, metallic and shimmer shades.

So first off, I think we can all agree the packaging is BEAUTIFUL! They've clearly taken a bit of inspiration from old Willy Wonka and created a gorgeous, gold-trimmed chocolate bar box which just begs to be unwrapped.

Unfortunately, the internal packaging isn't my cup of tea. I know some will disagree and though I get the chocolate bar theme, there's something about it I'm just not keen on. However, we'll let that one go and move onto the real review, what's inside?

Before I even go into the colours, I have to talk about the smell. Even if you open this palette and hate every single colour, you cannot help but be made happy by the sweet chocolate scent this palette offers. It really is delicious and the first few times you use it, you will find yourself just sticking your face in the palette like a crazy person and inhaling deeply - it really is gorgeous! 

Once you've finished breathing in the delicious scent, it's onto the shades offered. The Chocolate Bar claims to contain 16 matte and shimmer shades, but I'm pleased to say that, in my opinion, there are some metallic ones in there which is right up my street! There are beautiful colours, shades that are beautiful but not for me, some essential shadows (well we still need them..) and a couple of duds -  which to be fair is to expected from a palette of this size. Overall though, a good mix, which is what you want from a palette. So onto the individual swatches..

A deep brown, with almost a hint of khaki through it, this shadow is very sparkly! This would definitely catch the light but my only downside is that it is a little too powdery - i.e. make sure to dust off your cheeks afterwards! 

It is there I promise! A creamy base colour which is not too white in tone. Blends effortlessly into the skin without looking washed out - a perfect all-over-the-eye colour. 

Matte shades will never ever blow me away, but this light goldey-brown shade does work very nicely all over the lid for a natural daytime look. 

My relationship with purple eyeshadows is complicated - they look pretty but, with my pale skin, I always just end up looking like a racoon. This plum shade is very pretty, and very sparkly, but just not for me.  

With a slight khaki edge to it, I think this would look great with Gilded Ganache. 

This has to be the smoothest matte eyeshadow I've ever tried! The terracotta colour would look great day or night, but, use with caution - a little goes a long way with this shade! 

As soon as I opened the palette, this shade called out to me. This metallic dusky pink is my favourite in the palette for 2 reasons. Number 1, the colour is truly beautiful and number 2, the pigment is so intense that this shade just glows - absolutely adore it! 

This shade is similar to Milk Chocolate but much warmer in tone. Not intense enough for night time but makes a great crease colour for during the day. 

The dud of the bunch for me - there had to be one! It looks great in the palette offset against the browns and golds, adding a touch of cuteness, but the colour does nothing for me - very washed out and just not flattering. 

Because of my fair skin, this one is not for me, but the intensely sparkly violet would look beautiful on darker skin tones. 

Amaretto sets off a foursome of beautiful metallic shades. This copper tone is intense and warm, catching the light beautifully. 

Hazelnut is much more cool toned that Amaretto, but still absolutely gorgeous in the light. 

This is GOLD! No other word for it. The pure intensity of this eyeshadow is just beautiful. With not a hint of fade around the edges, this is intense gold - really there is no other way to describe it and it needs to be seen to be believed!

Very similar shade to Hazelnut, but verging more towards brown than gold. Still a beautiful metallic finish which I love.

This one verges on a dud for me. I almost feel if this one had the same metallic finish as the previous four, I would've loved it. In the pan, the colour looks unique - a deep cherry brown. Unfortunately, the lack luster finish does let it down somewhat.

For me, yes you can use this shade as a shimmery pearly pink shadow, but this could be put to much better use as a highlight. The finish is clean and easy to blend, so no need to worry about unsightly highlighter streaks! A nice little addition to this palette.

Looking at the back of my hand, most of the colours are darker in tone (to be expected from a chocolate themed palette) and I would definitely suggest that this is more of a party palette than one designed for every day use. The finish of the metallic shades is beautiful and this really intensifies the rich colours this palette has to offer.

And seriously, even if you don't buy the palette, please go to a Too Faced counter just to smell it. Yes, you may look strange to other customers, but the gorgeous chocolatey scent will make it all worth it! A gorgeous palette, especially for those with a sweet tooth! 

Have you tried Chocolate Bar yet? What are your favourite shades?

Love Nicola x

N.B. I was lucky enough to receive this palette as a gift from my lovely mum and dad  for my birthday - thanks again :-) xx