At the Vanity - Benefit's "Finding Mr. Bright" makeup kit

I like Benefit Cosmetics simply enough because I find them to be inherently likeable. The brand's message seems to be, "Just have fun!" I like having fun, ergo, I like Benefit. All products come packaged in pin-up centric, retro-chic designs, with cheeky names such as "They're Real" mascara, "Girl Meets Pearl" luminizer, or "Georgia" peach blush. The line is devoted to encouraging people to not take makeup (or themselves) too seriously. Because when it comes down to it, we're dabbling in cosmetics, not quantum physics

The background history of how the company's first product was created is pretty great, too. Legend has it that the founding duo of Benefit Cosmetics, twin models Jean and Jane, created the original Benefit cosmetics item - Benetint - because an older stripper came into their shop and requested a product to make her "lady bits" pinker. Jean and Jane had no such product at the time, but they told the old stripper that they would have something for her the next day. The twins worked all night and after adding food coloring, plus several other ingredients, the product known as Benetint was born. Soon after, requests for the product came flooding in left and right, and Benefit Cosmetics' upward trajectory officially began. Nowadays it is one of the bestselling brands of makeup in the industry. All because of

I liked the "Finding Mr. Bright" set because it offers a taste of the bestselling "pick-me-up" products in the Benefit line. I am a luminizer and highlighter fiend, because I love the lit-from-within glow that they provide. And Benefit's selection of highlighters ensures that there are products specially suited to every skin tone. For example, High Beam has a pearlescent finish that suits cool-toned gals, Sun Beam that contains a golden-bronze finish for darker-skinned ladies, and Moon Beam, which offers a neutral-toned golden pink sheen that is universally compatible. I would love to get a bottle of Moon Beam, because even though I am fair-skinned, I like warmer hues to add some color to my cheeks during warmer weather.

                                       (Photos c/o benefitcosmetics.com)

The "Finding Mr. Bright" kit offered two other highlighters, Girl Meets Pearl and High Beam, as well as a concealer, Erase Paste, and a a sheer pink cheek stain, Posie Tint. I am pretty happy with this little collection, as three of the four products suited my light skin perfectly. Being the greedy little luminizer-hoarding gremlin that I am, I was delighted that this kit came equipped with two products that function as highlighters. Girl Meets Pearl has more of a neutral-toned peachy gold finish whereas High Beam has the blue-pink undertones that suit pale skin, so I've got options as to what look I'm going for on a given day or night. Posie Tint, which I use as a blush, is neither too dark, too unnaturally light or too garishly pigmented, which makes for foolproof application with buildable color. The one reason I've never been a huge fan of other cheek and lip stains is because they, you guessed it, tend to stain the skin. This can make sheering out blush an impossible task, because the pigment refuses to budge and dilute. Posie Tint has converted me into a stain blush believer, though. The only product that didn't work for me was the Erase Paste concealer, simply because it came in the second darkest shade, and I need a lighter color.

                                                              (Girl Meets Pearl, High Beam, Posie Tint)


Another reason to like the brand is because of the way it puts value on educating and communicating with its customers. The Youtube page not only features one of the Benefit makeup artists giving a brief tutorial on how to use each product in the kit, but the PR people at Benefit also respond - in the brand's irreverent tone - to viewer's questions posted in the comments. Being a journo and marketing grad, I appreciate that.