Clean

Skin care. I've always found it a strange area and never really found anything I've been able to stick with.
To be honest, I've never really been looking that hard either.

I grew up on a farm and my mother never really had or needed a huge cabinet of creams and lotions.

So by default I never subscribed to the idea of a daily cleanser or ritual moisturizing.

 Of the little creams etc I have tried; the've all felt strange never knowing if they were working or not.

I do think I have quite  sensitive skin but I'm still not sure? I've always wondered if its down to the fact that I never use anything, therefore my skin is simply so virginal and would react at anything. Or yes, I do actually fall into the sentitive skin category.

Over the years I have always thought I should start doing something more than a quick lick of soap in the shower.
Well, that time has now come.

Let me introduce you to 

La Roche-Posay

My first contact with the brand was at Karla Spetic's fashion week show back in April.

I received a sample of the Toleriane Ultra Intense soothing care cream in her goodie bag.

After a week of using this I promptly bought some eye cream and cleanser.

Let me just say up front, I have no ties with this company and they are actually owned by Loreal.

But after all these years, I've been converted to a regular skin care regime. Day and night.
My skin is clearer, cleaner, brighter and simply better. The biggest difference I have noticed is the fine lines around my eyes, they actually do look reduced and the whole area seems to be firmer.

I'm not an expert and it's still early days, but it's made me into a believer and the best thing is the is doesn't break the bank either.

Bx

In Residence: Marc Newson

These images come directly from the film series 'In Residence' on the wonderful site NOWNESS

Here at Benah we are HUGE Marc Newson fans.

In fact, I think our life would be complete if we could spend just one day hanging out, exploring ideas with him.

Australian-born and London based, Newson has designed cabins for Qantas Airways and the Ford O21C concept car.

His next projects will be a private jet interior for a member of the Qatar royal family and a fountain pen for Hermès. 

If you are not already familiar with his work, what rock have you been living under?

 No words can explain just how much of a genius this man is.

And if you don't already subscribe to NOWNESS, you should.

We ♥ Books!

We have a little addiction here at Benah, that could be boardering on an obsession.

Books, books and more books!

Even though we live in the digital age, where print media is, aparently, dying a slow dead.

Nothing gets our pulse racing quite like the smell of a beauitful, old, rare, out of print, 1st edition book.

Here are some of our top three places for findings some gems.

one. Idea Books

This store is a recent discovery, and we are so glad we stummbled apon their instagram @ideabooksltd

Installed at Dover Street Market in London, it really deserves its number one spot.

Having so many with exceptionally scarce books and magazines, it feels like they got inside our head and curated the selection especially for us. 

 

two.  LN-CC

Also based in London,  LN-CC is a progressive retail concept comprising of clothing, music and a lot of amazing books.

Having a great online presence, it is well worth adding them to your social media circle.

Follow their instagram here @thelncc

three. EBay

Even though its been saturated with junk, you still can't go past EBay.

It may take some searching but it is still possible to get your hands on some amazing volumes, and it's especially good for children's books.

Here are some tips,

Download the app and remember to change your country settings out of Australia.

Always save 'Sellers' and never take 'No Shipping' to Australia as gospel.

 

Bx

#pantonepairrings

Sometimes taking the simplest idea and looking at them in another way can be the most effective.

This can definitely be said about #pantonepairings by Minneapolis based creative, David Schwen.

We first discovered his work via instagram, where all good things come to light these days. He has taken everyday pairings such as salt & pepper,  lemon & lime, bacon & eggs and recreated them as pantone chips.

Simple right? Follow @dschwen on instagram and you can even request your own pairings.

What would you request?

Bx

King of Vine

Another social media platform? Yes, and this is a good one.

Created by Twitter, Vine is a mobile service that lets you capture and share short looping videos. Think of it as more than just moving instagram, but just as addictive.

Like Tweets, the brevity of videos on Vine (6 seconds or less) is suppose to inspire your creativity. Currently we are yet to upload anything for which I blame Adam Goldberg. The guy is a genius!

Black Book Magazine have anointed him as the King of Vine, and we have to agree. His six second clips have exploded in popularity and the immense pressure to create Vine's as great as his is too much.

"Its funny I've been on Twitter for years, and with Vine, I've gotten three times the followers in just a few weeks," says Goldberg. "Something just clicked"

As with all wonderful visual apps, I'm looking at you instagram; Vine is currently only available on apple devices such as iPhone and iPod touch. They are working to bring it to other platforms, so get set for Vine to really take off in 6 months to a year when all those android users catch the bug as well.

You can read more about the app on the Vine blog and can download it for free from the App Store.

Follow us @benah and we promise to upload something.

Bx

Things we love - The Arty issue

We love discovering new artists both locally and internationally. Olivia Mai is one artist here in Australia who's work we really admire. Its fun, quirky and full of colour. Which is exactly the ray of sunshine Olivia is in person.

Having featured her work on the Benah blog before we invited Olivia to share Ten artists she is loving right now to celebrate Sydney Art Month. We love what she has come up with, along with her witty and honest comments.

one. Bill Viola : The Messenger

When I was asked to compile a list for Benah's arty Top Ten, this was the first work I thought of. I was 17, had just finished high school, and very naive when I saw The Messenger at the Art Gallery of NSW. Up until then, I thought water boring: only good for washing and drinking. Who knew watching this man's naked body gently floating closer and closer awash with ripples and flurries of air bubbles could be so calming? I finally understood the cathartic power of water.

two. Liam Stevens

Liam Stevens is probably my favourite artist right now. His work, particularly his Shapebook series, gives me that warm feeling. Even looking at it now, with its perfect marriage of shape, colour, and space, I am a bit in love again. There are bits pointy, wavy, straight, round, thick, thin, big, small all working together to make something harmonious and whole. I find the idea of harmony fascinating because trying to achieve it in my own work takes hours of shuffling around dozens of magazine cut-outs before they start becoming friends. Liam Stevens' elements look like they have known each other for years.

three. Malin Gabriella Nordin

Malin Gabriella Nordin's Vacation collages is another series that gives me warm feelings. Just look at it and marvel in its splendour! I love this series for the same reasons I love Liam Stevens' Shapebook: another jumble of shapes made harmonious (with the added bonus of some luxe silky waves).

four. Elizabeth Peyton

I find Elizabeth Peyton's paintings appealing because her subjects are the scruffy, couldn't-care-less, Brit-pop-era idols of my youth. They are young and androgynous with dreamy eyes, pointy chin, and small mouth. I want to stroke their hair and high cheekbones and tell them everything is going to be okay but they would probably just push me off and call me a weirdo.

five. David Hockney

This is a bit embarrassing but I only discovered David Hockney after reading Matilda Tristram's funny comic about his exhibition at the Royal Academy of the Arts last year. I liked Matilda's reproductions of this man's paintings so much I just had to look him up. David Hockney? Sounds familiar. Oh, he is, like, only one of the most influential British artists of the twentieth century (according to Wikipedia)! 

six. Zhong Chen

One day on the way to work, a pixelated painting of a Chinese girl reading a book stopped me mid-stride. Why? I think it was because there are few depictions of Asians in art in my everyday life so I was surprised and because this girl was painted in warm pinks and blues and was very beautiful. I asked the gallery owner about the work and that is how I found out about Zhong Chen. This painting (above) was a finalist for The Archibald Prize in 2011. When I first saw it, I giggled at its childish brushstrokes, the size of the horse and its slightly panicked eyes, and because I was reminded of a photograph from my childhood where I too had two black buns in my hair.

seven. Gavin Hurley

I had just seen a documentary about Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, the unassuming New York art collectors, in 2011 and I was telling a friend about them and he told me he recently bought an art work by Gavin Hurley and I should take a look at his new exhibition. So I went and was pretty much blown away because I am not sure if you can tell but I love paper-based works, lots of colour and shape, and portraits. Did you see how he disguised a join at the eye as crows feet? How about the detail in the hair and definition of the jawline? Amazing.

eight. William Edmonds

This William Edmonds is quite something. I know his illustrations and work with Nous Vous and have some of his risographs but now he is making ceramics? Some wow, indeed!

nine. Fumi Koike

Do you know I like paintings of interiors too? There is something very comforting about Fumi Koike's work. I would love to come home after a hard day's slog to a clean kitchen and friendly dog. Have you seen her illustrations of food and jumpers? Comfort city! 

ten. Ken Done

You are probably rolling your eyes and stifling sniggers but, come on, everyone gets a little choked up at the sight of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and no one captures their glory quite like Ken Done. There, I said it. 

Benah is inspired by:

Bonoui

Alia Penner

Murray Bevan

Alice Cavanagh

Meg Gray 

Aurel Schmidt 

Raf Simons 

Steidl 

This is Collective 

Amanda Reardon 

The Decorum

Resolutions

Well, first things first. It's March. Can you believe it?

It wasn't that long ago we were opening presents and enjoying the carefree January sunshine. 

Wondering what great projects and wonderful adventures we would be getting up to in 2013.

Now three months on, its properly a good time to check in on those New Year resolutions.

Our creative director Brenda shares her's with us.

Did you make any? Have you kept them?

one. Be less Digital

Social Media has taken over my life. I love it, I really do. But to be honest, I love my family more. (sorry instagram) So I decided to be 'off line' more while in the family home. Having a two year old really does make you realize your good and no so great habits. My daughter is quite obsessed with technology, which seems to be the norm these days. But when first thing in the morning all she wants to do it watch 'youtubes' you know something has to change. Running a business that relies on social media is, well, important but time consuming and I decided I needed to be more present in my real life than my digital life.

verdict.

Well, maybe in some area's this has happened and in others it has not. I don't have a computer at home and my iphone charger now lives in the kitchen, so my phone is plugged in at night and I'm not tempted look at it first thing in the morning, or emails during the night. Such a bad habit! But Instagram is still my guilty pleasure. I will never completely be 'off line' but at least now I know how important it is to live in the moment away from a screen.

two. Eat breakfast as a family

We are not morning people in our household, me in particular. Breakfast has always been a bit of toast and a cup of tea in between putting on shoes and brushing hair. I began to noticed that Milla wasn't really that into it and that she never really ate much at breakfast time. I finally realized it was because we ate all our other meals together, at the table, as a famliy. So to her, breakfast wasn't really a meal, she was treating it more as a snack. So this is another resolution decision made clear to me by my daughter.

verdict.

This is one that I have kept and enjoy more and more every morning. Milla helps me set the table and usually ends up eating more than me. The last month I have been away and this is one of the things I missed the most. It really is the best time of the day.

three. Exercise

I've never been into exercise. I've never joined a gym. I loved sport in high school but the last team sport I played was netball back in 1996.

I know, I know. Its addictive, once you start, you can't stop.  Its the starting that's the hardest part.

But with a back yard that looks like this, I really have no excuse.

Photo credits @Life in a Bubble

verdict.

This is one resolution that has gone completely by the wayside. I haven't even started, or made any attempt at an exercise regime. But its going to happen, It has too.

Im getting older and hopefully wiser, and I know that I have to start looking myself physically. I always thought i'd be one of those woman commenting on how their body at 40 is much better than in their 20's. So I have another 8 years to make that happen....

Ok, Ok I promise I will do the 'City to Surf' this year, and with my new found love of Nike, its a match made in heaven.

So thats it. Three resolutions. One I've kept, one i've sort of kept and one I've made no attempt to keep.

But the year is not over so I'll keep you posted.

Bx