Benefit is famous for creative and charming packaging, often referencing retro pin-up girls, and vintage graphics. The Christmas season is the perfect time to buy giftsets with trial-sized products for friends – or, let’s face it, yourself – and the San Fransisco-based cosmetics brand has some of the best I’ve seen coming this season.
Does what it says on the tin
The packaging is retro candy stores in adorable tins with tiled roofs that hinge open to reveal ranges of their colour cosmetics, tints and glosses, and the recently-released skincare range. I will definitely keep the tins for my daughter to play houses with and store toys inside.
Something old, something new
Inside the tins are a variety of products you will be familiar with as a reader of beauty websites and magazines – such as Benetint and They’re Real mascara – and some new ones you may not be – such as the new lip balms that accompany Benetint and Lollitint. The skincare is really great and I’ve been enjoying using the beautifully-rich face cream, and the eye cream too. The beauty (no pun intended) of gift sets is the chance to try something you might not otherwise choose, and perhaps discover a new love.
I created a mini town for this shoot
To feature these sweet new confectionery-themed makeup and skincare giftsets for Christmas from Benefit cosmetics I thought I’d do something a bit different and photograph them as a candy town in their sweet-store boxes with some of the toys. At one point a pesky raccoon came to town, and fancied some eyecream.
I hope you enjoy the shoot.
Benefit Christmas Candy Town
Candy Coated Countdown: Advent Calendar
This is the advent calendar of your beauty dreams: 24 mini treats in pop-out cardboard in the shape of a four storey house with a sly looking fox. The limited edition Candy Coated Countdown advent calendar retails for $155 available from October 2014 and has stationery items like sticky notes, hair ties and heart paperclips, as well as beauty items such as mini lip glosses, tints, creams and primers.
Confectionery Complexions
Confectionery Complexions has these 4 skincare items in large trial sizes: Instant Comeback facial serum 5ml, The Porefessional 7.5ml, It’s Potent eye cream 14.2g, Triple Performing facial emulsion 50ml.
Were you aware that Benefit did skincare? Many people know and love their colour cosmetics but now they’ve taken a new foray into skincare with the release of Radiant Skincare (sold as b.right! Radiant Skincare in the States), which launched in New Zealand on 1st September. Benefit worked with LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) Labs to formulate the tri-radiance complex in the range. The lightest moisturiser in the range is the Facial Emulsion, and I found all the products very calming and gentle on the skin; nice and light for the spring and summer months. I also loved the Instant Comeback Facial Serum which is a clear gel-like serum which I patted on my skin in the afternoon to refresh skin.
Pretty Parfait
Pretty Parfait contains staple items Gimme Brow (a personal favourite and handbag regular of mine), They’re Real mascara, POREfessional, and Stay don’t Stray. If you are looking for a good ‘starter’s kit’ for a present, this is your tin. These are some of the brand’s most loved products and the giftset is a cute way to try them out. The packaging is this pink sweet shop with a green tiled roof that lifts up with the four products inside.
Pretty Parfait looks so good, it attracted plenty of attention in the town. This sweet shop stopped traffic.
Curiosity got the better of this (stay don’t) stray cat.
Then a crowd gathered. Plenty of chicks wanted to squirrel these away.
In summary: Pretty Parfait has the beauty essentials to get anyone started on a lifetime of love for Benefit.
“Gimme brow!” says Raccoon, a second-cousin of the star of Guardians of the Galaxy raccoon.
Goodies A Go Go
Goodies A Go Go is ideal for lovers of cosmetics, with its four extremely-wearable brown and nude shades, They’re Real mascara, and Stay Don’t Stray base. We especially liked the Tips & Tricks information booklet inside to get you on your way. It’s a real goody (pun intended now) and, I think, very good value at $53 for four longwear eyeshadows, a mini mascara, and mini Stay Don’t Stray eye primer.
Sweet Tintations
Sweet Tintations giftset contains full-sized Benetint and Lollitint, and their newly released coordinating lipbalms in a medium size in their pretty red and cute lilac shades. It retails for $64 and is available from October.
And just for fun- the cast of Frozen came to town. Elsa was really interested in some Benetint for her pretty pink lips.
You can buy Benefit at Smith & Caughey’s Queen Street and Newmarket stores in Auckland, at JR duty free at the airport, and online at www.smithandcaugheys.co.nz
Words and photos, Megan Robinson
14th October 2014
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