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.