Happy Mother’s Day Weekend! We hope you’re thinking of all the amazing women in your life and, if you’re lucky, spending time with them. (We know we’re thinking of all our awesome Moms.) This week’s round-up includes ’90s-inspired nail polishes and a brand new Bond No. 9 fragrance—the perfect amount fun to start the weekend. See you on Monday!
- Two of our favorite beauty founders (no, not Hayley and Katia!), Jean and Jane Ford of Benefit, screened a documentary, Glamouriety, at Tribeca Film Festival. The film actually started as a training video for new Benefit employees about the history of the company. Now, the film will be seen by Benefit employees before eventually making it to the Cannes Film Festival. [WWD]
- Remember those amazing hypercolor t-shirts from the 90s? Some new polishes change color in the sun, too, and they’re totally putting us in a nostalgic mood this afternoon. [She Finds]
- Nicki Minaj’s new commercial for Pepsi launched this week and features the starlet giving a concert while two fans run through a beach scene, a tomato fight, and Betsey Johnson’s fashion show. Kind of makes you want to drink a Pepsi, huh? [Elle]
- Nail Rock, one of our favorite stick-on nail polish companies, has collaborated with three designers for Australia’s Fashion Week. The designs are too cute for words and, best of all, you can actually get your hands on some. [Beauty High]
- Not to be outdone by President Obama, indie fragrance company Bond No. 9 will release a new fragrance called I Love New York for Marriage Equality on July 24th, one year after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in New York State. It will be a unisex scent with woody-spicy notes of mandarin, classic rose, jasmine, sandalwood, and amber. [Fashion etc]
—Lorelei
Find our favorite products from Benefit in the Birchbox Shop.
Now that the Hunger Games madness has abated, we need a new blockbuster to obsess over. Luckily, Snow White and The Hunstman (which comes out on June 1st) fits the bill. The classic fairy tale is getting a modern-day, bad-ass update with Kristen Stewart as the fairest of them all and Charlize Theron as the evil queen. Even though the story portrays Snow White as the most beautiful woman in the world, I can’t help thinking Stewart can’t really compare to Theron, who does the evil thing so well.
From her platinum metallic eye shadow to her sculpted cheekbones and platinum braided updo, I can’t get enough. Here’s how I’m going to get the look myself this weekend:
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Health and beauty: a winning combo, no? At this morning’s Self Magazine 2012 Healthy Beauty Awards, the theme was products that make you look and feel amazing.
The event, held at the Museum of Modern Art, revealed 89 winners across the categories of face, makeup, nails, sun, hair, and body—from Top Acne Spot Solution (hello, Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Spot Stick) to Best Deep Conditioner (woot Ojon Super Sleek Smoothing Conditioner). The products were chosen by a panel of Self readers who tested them in their own homes and submitted their honest feedback. I recognize plenty of favorites on the list, but there are also ones I’m excited to try!
Beyond celebrating the phenomenal products, Self’s Editor-in-Chief, Lucy Danzinger, also set the tone of the event by bringing attention to social media. She told the audience of editors, industry execs, and brand bigwigs that companies shouldn’t try to strong-arm their message—they should just ensure that people are talking about their products and their brands. As a Twitter and Instagram addict, I loved hearing her give a digital call to action.
Check out the Birchbox products that made the Self list!
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Birchbox staffers have been known to play the beauty field. With so many fun samples floating around, can you blame us for having a hard time committing? Then again, when we find something we love, we stick to it. In this new feature, we’ll be asking Birchbox staffers to share the products they just can’t quit. Next up, co-founder, Hayley.
Hayley, Birchbox Co-founder
Beauty profile: Dry skin, slightly dry hair, classic/low-maintenance.
Products I can’t quit: Since we launched Birchbox, I’ve vowed to only use beauty products we sell in our store. In tech circles, it’s called “eating your own dog food.” If we can’t live off of only what we sell, how could we expect you to? I’ve tested tons of products from our shop but I keep coming back to the same ones over and over again. These are my current favorites.
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Birchbox and Benefit invite you to get ready for a gorgeous spring with expert brow shaping, makeup touch ups, and more at their Santa Monica boutique!
When: Tuesday, April 17th
Purchase tickets for one of two time slots (6pm or 7pm). Tickets are $45.
Each ticket includes:
-A $35 store credit toward any purchase during the event
-Complimentary brow shaping
-Complimentary makeup application using Benefit’s POREfessional and other wonder products
-Sweets and treats
-Birchbox gift bag
Where: Benefit Boutique 1210 Montana Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90403
Space is limited, so RSVP to birchboxbenefitla.eventbrite.com
Photo: Travelingmamas.com
Kristen Stewartfans, take note! The starlet’s upcoming film (out June 1), Snow White and the Huntsman, has brought rumblings of some seriously exciting beauty lines. The blogosphere has been blowing up about two blockbuster names: Deborah Lippmann and Benefit. Color us beyond excited!
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Birchbox staffers have been known to play the beauty field. With so many fun samples floating around, can you blame us for having a hard time committing? Then again, when we find something we love, we stick to it. In this new feature, we’ll be asking Birchbox staffers to share the products they just can’t quit. First up, co-founder and braid guru, Katia.
Katia, Birchbox Co-founder
Beauty profile: Combination skin, thick and dry hair, adventurous/trendy.
Products I can’t quit:
- Benefit They’re Real: Seriously obsessed. It is a magical mascara. Gives you drama without creating clumps, and doesn’t move all day. I love that it’s dark black, but still looks pretty and natural.
- Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo: This smells amazing and deeply cleans without drying out my hair. I think I am producing less oil in my hair since starting to use it months ago.
- Boscia Luminizing Black Mask: This peel-off treatment is so gratifying! Black is genius because you can see everything that happens (or comes off). It clears pores without the unwelcome drama of home extractions.
- Anastasia Brow Wiz: I won’t leave home without this. It makes a huge difference and you can easily control how much of an impact (or lack of impact) you want to make.
Bonus! Latest discoveries:
Meet some of the newest members of the Birchbox team here!
Last night, we threw a fun pre-Valentine’s Day event at Benefit’s Soho boutique with some of our lovely Birchbox members! Check out some our of pics:
Benefit’s too-cute Soho boutique.
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The Show: Vantan Tokyo
Hair: Brandon Yamamoto for Shu Uemura
Makeup: Jessica Nedza of Art Department
The Vibe: Classic and clean. To tie together the four distinct student designers’ collections in the Vantan Tokyo show, lead hair stylist Brandon Yamamoto opted to keep styles elegant and wearable, so that the looks would meld with each unique aesthetic in the four lines. Yamamoto created loose, lazy waves that could be worn in front of or behind shoulders by prepping hair with Yokan Craft melt for texture and hold, then adding shine and calming fly-aways with Essence Absolue Nourishing Oil. For soft waves, he wrapped hair loosely around a curling iron to avoid any hard, ringlet looks.
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Benefit and Birchbox are hosting a beauty and shopping event in New York City on Monday, February 13th and you’re invited! Tickets are $45, but that will buy you loads of goodies, including:
- a $35 store credit toward any purchase during the event
- a complimentary brow shaping
- a complimentary makeup application using Benefit’s POREfessional and other wonder products
- sweets and treats
- a Birchbox gift bag
Want to come party with us? Click through for the details!
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