#SMASHTESSFAM FEATURE - MAGGIE + ANNIE FROM BENEFIT COSMETICS
Meet Maggie + Annie - sisters, best friends, boss babes & Chief Beauty Ambassadors for Benefit Cosmetics
We are SO excited to share our most recent collaboration with none other than Benefit Cosmetics! While we love to #ROMPsohard chilling in our S+T, we can never resist dressing them up by adding our favourite Benefit Cosmetics makeup. With Benefit being a female led powerhouse, this collaboration was a no brainer for us!
Partnering with Benefit we have reimagined everyone’s favourite Saturday Romper in Benefit’s signature colour - Pantone1976 BenefitPink! This limited edition release is launching on August 5.
“Our mom and aunt founded Benefit Cosmetics in 1976 and since day one, we have been in the feel good business, on a mission to celebrate all women and provide quick and easy makeup so our Benebabes can be ready to be a boss, a babe, and everything in between.” Maggie and Annie Ford Danielson explained.
We needed to get to know Maggie and Annie a little bit more and wanted to introduce them to our #smashtesscommunity!
Best piece of advice you’ve received that inspired your professional journey so far?
Maggie: Before having children, I used to think of a professional journey as a straight line upwards. Work harder, achieve more. But now, I see it as a winding path. I’ve been in and out of maternity leave three times and each time, I learn something about myself and what I want for my career. Sometimes you have put step on the gas and push your career and sometimes you idle for a minute while you figure out the next move. Ultimately, I know that I like being a mom who works. It gives me time to be an adult, use my skills and gives me confidence, which carries over to how I am as a parent.
Annie: I remember being told that in business you don’t necessarily get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. I hated this advice at first! However, I think in business and in life you get what you work hard for and when you achieve your goals, you can know that it was all you!
What was it like growing up in the world of Benefit Cosmetics?
M: It was like art class all the time! My mom was always creating or identifying opportunities with some object or another. We were always making signs, or doing crafts…but not children’s crafts, they were always for work!
A: Benefit is home! Growing up with the brand there was never a dull moment. When I take a step back and realize that my family started something that millions of people around the world use to bring laughter and fun into their daily life... that brings me so much joy!
Both being mamas, what does your ultimate Sunday with the littles look like?
M: My ultimate Sunday would be sleeping in (which never happens), followed by pastries and
strong coffee from our favorite local bakery. Then some outdoor time either on a walk or taking the scooters down by the water. The afternoon would be a movie while the baby sleeps and then pizza for dinner. Ideally, I’d get a workout in on my Peloton and then once the kids are asleep, my husband and I split a bottle of wine 😊
A: Ideally my kids would both sleep until 7am but since that has literally never happened, we wake up, lounge in bed, eat a huge breakfast... maybe go to the beach or up to wine country and get some warm sunshine!
I love Sunday evenings just walking around the park or laying in the grass listening to the boys play!
Fave Place to wear your Benebabe Saturday Romper?
M: Pretty much anywhere! Errands, the park, even on a Zoom call with a denim shirt on top! It’s so versatile that I’ve worn it for the day and then “by mistake” fell asleep in it too! 😉
A: The farmers market!
Current Netflix binge?
M: Fauda, Kingdom and re-watching all of the Great British Baking Show seasons.
A: Right now, I can’t stop watching Schitts Creek!
Who inspires you?
M: My sister and my kids. Especially my two daughters. They inspire me with their crazy imaginations and they also push me to be a better person.
A: My sister! Always!
To you, what does it mean to be a #benebabe?
M: A Benebabe is unique, a free thinker and who holds value in the community. Someone who likes to laugh and who loves playing with makeup!
A: It means to be 100% yourself! To have fun, and not take things - especially makeup - too seriously. A Benebabe wears makeup for themselves! To feel confident and slay their day!
If someone hasn’t tried Benefit Cosmetics before, what is the one product they must try first?
M: Either Gimme Brow + or Roller Lash. To me, those two products really encapsulate what a true Benefit product is all about: Quick, easy, amazing results that make you look effortlessly beautiful!
A: Definitely Gimme Brow+!
Being based in San Fran, how does the city influence your brand?
M: SF has always been a place that attracts individuals. People who push limits and blaze new trails. From the Hippie days in the 70’s when my mom and aunt started the business, to even now with Silicon Valley. It’s a place where crazy ideas are born!
A: San Francisco is a very inclusive, free spirited city that celebrates individuality and that is something we pride ourselves at Benefit!
Love the romper as much as we do? Make sure to set your alarms for 8am PT on August 5 because once these are gone, they are gone!
You can preview the collection here.