BENEFIT IS OUR BRAND OF THE MONTH
Last updated: 31/10/2024
Established in sunny California in 1976, Benefit’s unbeatable beauty products and its fun-loving packaging have become the stuff of legend.
The cosmetic company’s very first product was ‘Rose Tint’ – a blush and lip stain that’s still available today – and twin sisters Jean and Jane Ford quickly expanded the range to include foundations, mascaras, bronzers and the collection of brow products that skyrocketed the brand to icon status. These days, Benefit sells at over 2,000 counters across 59 countries and five continents! There are dozens of products to choose from, so where do we start?!
Well, with that in mind, we’ve done the hard word for you and painstakingly chosen our top ten Benefit products and revealed our top tips to help you get the most out of this legendary brand!
But before we get fully immersed in all things Benefit, we can't resist shining the spotlight on the brand's beautiful new launches.
The Dandelion Gold Collection is an illustrious trio of Benefit all-stars, housed in limited edition gilded packaging. Three of the brand's most iconic products have had a golden makeover, to effortlessly elevate your dressing table - and your look!
The Dandelion Gold blush delivers the baby pink flush you know and love, with added flecks of gold to bring some lustre to proceedings (perfect for party season), while the Splashtint in 'Heatwave' is a stunning way to effortlessly elevate your look - delivering long-lasting dewy pigment in the most delicious shade of crimson. And lest we forget, no make up menu is complete with the iconic, complexion-perfecting POREfessional Primer. Gorgeous worn alone or under make up, it leaves skin looking enviably velveteen.
So, now we've piqued your interest, let's dive into our can't-live-without staples that have stood the test of time and stayed firm favourites in our beauty bags...
OUR TOP 10 BENEFIT PRODUCTS
For flawless brows – we’re talking not a single hair out of place – try Benefit’s 24-Hour Clear Brow Setter. Providing up to 24 hours of super-strong hold, this invisible-finish brow gel is perfect for taming unruly lashes and locking in make up so that brows don’t pull a disappearing act.
How to use Benefit 24-Hour Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel
This brow gel can be worn alone or used to set other brow products in place. Use the wand’s side with the longer bristles to evenly coat your brow hairs. Sweep it across both brows, then go in with the short bristles to sculpt and style more stubborn brow hairs into place.
As Benefit’s first ever product to hit the shelves, we couldn’t leave the iconic Rose Tinted Lip and Cheek Stain off our top 10 list. With a formula that has been perfected over almost 50 years, this rose-tinted stain has classic Cult status. Highly pigmented yet totally natural-looking (not to mention kiss-proof), it stains lips and cheeks with a sheer wash of instantly uplifting colour that lasts for hours.
How to use Benefit Bene Tint Rose Tinted Lip & Cheek Stain
This multi-purpose stain can be used in a whole host of different ways. Blend three brush strokes into the apples of your cheeks, wear under your foundation for a dewy glow or apply to your lips and blend.
The world would be a better place if we were all blessed with naturally long lashes. Thankfully, with Benefit’s They're Real Lengthening Mascara, you can achieve the look of naturally longer lashes in just a few swipes. With a specially designed brush to lengthen, curl and volumise, this multiple award-winning mascara is a total miracle worker.
How to use Benefit They're Real Lengthening Mascara
Hold the wand horizontally and give the brush a wiggle from side to side and base to tip for maximum volume, length and lift. Hold the wand vertically and stroke upward to curl and separate. Layer generously, to your heart’s content.
Another of Benefit’s utterly iconic products, the Hoola Matte Bronzer deserves all the glory it gets. This legendary matte bronzer will help you achieve a natural-looking sun-kissed glow all year round. Free from tell-tale sparkle or shine, you’ll fool everyone into thinking you’ve just returned from a week soaking up the sun!
How to use Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer
Using a bronzer brush, lightly sweep the product across your cheekbones, chin, jawline and nose for an enviable golden glow.
Brow pencils are perfect for a speedy brow application, and the Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil will quickly become one of your faves. Designed with an ultra-fine tip for precise application, you’ll be able to mimic even the finest of hairs.
How to use Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil
Select the perfect colour for your brows, then use your pencil to lightly flick upward strokes from the base of your brow, following the direction of your natural hair growth.
A favourite of beauty bloggers and MUA, Benefit’s Roller Lash lifts and curls your lashes for instant drama. Water-resistant and long-wearing, its formula contains lash-loving provitamin B5 to promote growth and guarantee ultra-soft lashes.
How to use Benefit Roller Lash Lifting and Curling Mascara
Gently wiggle the wand from base to tip. Repeat across your lash line, making sure to catch every lash.
As Roller Lash’s counterpart, the Benefit Roller Liner adds the perfect finishing touch to your eye look. This renowned liquid eyeliner is shaped like a pen for a quick and easy application, so you can say goodbye to wobbles and wonkiness!
How to use Benefit Roller Liner
Tilt your Roller Liner to the side for easiest application, then draw along the lash line, keeping as close to your lashes as possible. If you’ve got faith in your steady hand, why not add a cute wing?
For a gentle flush and a healthy, rouged glow, look no further than Benefit’s Blush Powder. Available in 11 stunning shades, this creamy blush blends seamlessly with your make up to create an airbrushed finish.
How to use Benefit Blush Powder
Sweep a light amount of blush over the apples of your cheeks, slowly building the product up as you go.
Banish under eye bags (what hangover?) and reduce imperfections with the Benefit Boi-Ing Cakeless Full Coverage Liquid Concealer. As the name implies, there’s nothing cakey about this fabulous concealer! The best-selling formula comes in 30 shades designed with all skin tones in mind, and promises 24 hours of full coverage finish.
How to use Benefit Boi-Ing Cakeless Full Coverage Liquid Concealer
Apply a light, even layer to your under-eye area and any areas of your skin in need of some perfecting.
Dreaming of thick and fluffy brows? Benefit’s Gimme Brow+ Gel creates natural fullness and definition in just the swish of a brush! The gel contains ultra-fine microfibers that stick to your brows to evoke thickness. Plus, it volumises and tints for instant stand-out brows.
How to use Benefit Gimme Brow and Gel
Stroke the precision tip along your brows using short, pressing motions. Comb through with the tapered brush to blend and add volume.
HOW TO USE BENEFIT MAKE UP
With your make up bag now full of your favourite Benefit products, here’s some tips on how to get the most out of them
For the very best brows
For a natural brow that still looks full, don’t be afraid to layer your products. Fill your brows with Benefit Brow Microfilling Brow Pen. Once you’ve achieved your desired look, set everything in place with the benefit Gimme Brow+ Gel.
For the perfect lashes
Get the most out of your natural lashes with the Benefit They're Real Tinted Lash Primer. Apply before your mascara, wiggling the brush at your roots to add volume. You can then follow with your favourite Benefit mascara to achieve your desired lash effect.
For a long-lasting base
Keep your base make up lasting all day by prepping your moisturised skin with Benefit’s Porefessional Primer. Then set it all in place with the Benefit Porefessional Super Setter Setting Spray.
Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...