Beauty with Benefits

If you see a row of products with amusing packaging you can bet your bottom dollars it’s Benefit Cosmetics. Ever since trying their first product years ago (I’m talking about Posue Tint), I’ve been addicted to all these goodies. If it’s not the packaging then it’s the quality of the products themselves.

from a one-man-show to world fame

Thee story of Benefit goes way back. The twins Jean and Jane Ford opened a little boutique in San Francisco where they sold fun kitchy products. A breath of fresh air compared to all other beauty products at the time, who took the importance of beauty just a tad too seriously. Because, does make-up have to be serious to be good?” The idea took off, cause hey, after 40 years there are now more than 2000 of those little stores in more than 30 countries. It seems more people than just those two sisters fell for Benefit.

Beauty with a wink

Beauty is a whole lot of fun. It doesn’t mean Benefit wants to get away with simple beauty products, no way, it maintains a high level of quality. With “they’re Real! Push-Up Liner crossing the counter every second worldwide, they seemed to have made their point. They cute, refreshing and cheerful, making you smile every time you pull Benefit out of your toilette bag. The names are fun too. They have a primer called Stay don’t Stray, a camouflage kit called Realness of Concealness while the professionals ensure flawless skin. The Lip&Cheek is considered a saint within the family because it colors both lips and cheeks. Straight out of a jar, would you believe it? Way too much fun and way too pretty.

Best brows

I personally think the brow bar is Benefit’s most ingenious invention. Secretly I’m allowed to whisper that it’s their ace. The very first store in San Francisco did eyebrow shaping and now they have surpassed the ten million pairs. The idea of the brow bar is that you take a load off for 15 minutes to get vavavoom eyebrows. Well-shaped, colored and very, well, you. My first time I found excruciatingly exciting but after about 33 compliments I’ll never do my own eyebrows again. Really it’s worth it.

Beauty and Brains

What makes Benefit so nice and so much fun? I’m always a sucker for pretty quality products but benefit goes the whole nine yards. They’ve captured the allure and glamour of the fifties and sixties that celebrated sophisticated glamour which now is a tiny bit out of proportion. They go back to basics, bring the word ‘fun’ back to beauty. With their retro look, funny slogans, fine fonts and great products they thrown out the nets and drag everyone along with them to what beauty really should be about; good old fashioned fun.