Benefit Cosmetics Holiday 2011 review

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A look at Ticket To Glossytown, the Crescent Row Set and the I’m Glam…Therefore I Am palette

photos: we heart this

It’s that time a year again. Christmas in retail brings us stampedes, pepper spray and Wild West worthy shootouts as competitive shopping becomes dangerous sport. I don’t condone that sort of thing and, therefore, I would like to suggest heading to the makeup counter of your favorite laptop to do your holiday shopping.

No doubt this is a safer, prettier option for us all, especially since the season also brings us many beautiful collections and palettes from some of our favorite makeup brands. And at the top of the Holiday Collections Christmas Wish List this year should be Benefit Cosmetics with their to-die-for gloss and perfume collections as well as an all-you-need face palette.

Benefit makes shopping for that hard-to-buy-for lady on your list a one-stop Winter Fun-derland. Who doesn’t like lip gloss? Forget the Panda Express this year and buy your favorite gloss addict a Ticket To Glossytown lip gloss set ($24).

Six fun size glosses range the gamut from purple to pink to nude to coral with varying degrees of sparkle and pigmentation. These thick—but not sticky—glosses are a great way to keep that pucker soft and shiny when it cold and windy outside.

Nudie-Tude, Life On The A List So Frisk Me, Spiked Punch, Foxy Lady and Kiss You

The complete range of hues are:
Nudie-Tude – creamy nude with gold and silver glitter
Life On The A List – light milky pink with silver shimmer
So Frisk Me – medium pink with pink and silver micro glitter
Spiked Punch – bright milky and shimmery coral
Foxy Lady – bright berry with blue shimmer
Kiss You – milky grape with magenta shimmer

A closer look at the swatches…

Nudie-Tude, Life On The A List, So Frisk Me

Spiked Punch, Foxy Lady, Kiss You

When Benefit introduced their Crescent Row perfumes I was dying to own one before I even took a sniff.

The cocktail shaker designed bottles and arty wallpaper-like labels are enough to love, but of course the scents are loveable, too.

From fresh and floral like “Laugh With Me Lee Lee” and “Garden of Good and Eva” to the deeper, lustful scents “My Place or Yours Gina” and “Ring My Bella,” it’s all good. What to choose?

You won’t have to since perfume collection has a new holiday Crescent Row Set($34) containing all four scents in adorable mini bottles.

What a wonderful option for the sometimes-I’m-good-sometimes-I’m-bad girl! Much better than a lump of coal, for sure.

Finally, the ubiquitous holiday palette takes a Benefit-al turn again this year with “I’m Glam…Therefore I am”

Cheeky names aside, Benefit always has great products and adorable, suitable for gifting packaging. This year’s all-you-need-set offering is no exception.

Housed in a box/compact nearly identical to last year’s “Celebutante,” this year’s collection is even better…

Inside you’ll find nearly full-sized, removable tubes of the legendary “Bad Gal Lash” mascara, a pinky peach “Life On The A List” lip gloss and for a glowing complexion “Girl Meets Pearl” a liquid pearl shimmer and highlighter.

Additionally there are four velvety smooth ice-colored shadows, Pink Fancy (pale pink), Icy Lilac (silvery light mauve), Posh Amethyst (soft plum) and Precious Pewter (steel gray), that make this a palette that will last longer than the leftover roast beast.

Pink Fancy, Icy Lilac, Posh Amethyst and Precious Pewter

There’s a small duel-ended sponge shadow applicator that will do in a pinch, but I went with my trusty brushes when using these shimmery shades.

Finally, no Benefit set would be complete without a face powder. Here we have a blush/bronzer hybrid with the pretty Glamming for a soft rose/ peachy pink sheen. There’s an small brush included, similar to those found in the boxed powders, that does the job just fine.

Girl meets Pearl highlighter, Glamming Powder, the four shadows and Life on the A List lip gloss

So ladies, why risk life or limb this gift-giving season when the perfect Benefit present is only a click away? The real question is: would you like to put one of these under the tree or are these on your list to Santa?

Shop Benefit at Sephora and receive a Free Holiday Sample Kit with any $25 purchase! Code: PREPKIT

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. It also contains an affiliate link, a link that gives us a small commission if you purchase the item. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.