Benefit CORALista, Hoola, Bella Bamba Review Swatches Photos

Benefit CORALista, Hoola, Bella Bamba (US $28) available from benefitcosmetics.comEvery year around Christmas time, benefit puts out a set of make-up boxes or special sets with a lot of the cult favourites packed into a single set – Benefit Powda Wowza.  I was lucky enough to pick out a set of 3 of the favourite blushes, Coralista, Bella Bamba and Hoola in a single box. 

Product – Benefit Powda Wowza, a medium sized square box is broken up into 4 equal smaller squares with 3 powders and a mini brush in the respective compartments.  While the full size boxes all for these 3 are all 8 gms, my box has 3 gms of powder of each.  I think it’s a perfect way to try out what works best for you.

Shade – Benefit Coralista is a coral blush matte blush with no shimmer at all.  The colour is almost peachy in the box but comes out looking a little chalky on my medium skin tone.  There are a lot of fans of this colour, but personally this does not work for me.  Coralista has also a number of dupes available now, so if the colour works for you, you can easily get a brand that is more affordable and more easily available.

Benefit Bella Bamba is supposed to be a 3d brightening pink blush.  This one is best suited to the Indian skin tones, it is a beautiful rosy pink shade.  I’m not sure what they mean by 3d but I’m guessing it is the presence of shimmer that makes it stand out.  I love how this looks on my skin, giving it a lovely flush of colour.

Benefit Hoola is barely visible on my skin and in the swatches, that is what makes it an excellent contouring powder.   Hoola is a bronzer with no shimmer in it and blends beautifully into the skin.  It has a light milk chocolate, coffee kind of colour in the box. Texture & Formula  – Both Benefit Coralista and Bella Bamba are a little on the powdery side with some fall out in both cases.  Benefit Hoola on the other hand is much smoother and appears less chalky.  All three powders are very finely milled and blend easily .

Staying Power – Lasting power is 3 to 4 hours without primer and more than 6 hours with.  They do tend to start fading out within a few hours of application if you have oily skin.

Overall Thoughts

This is another case where a “universally flattering” shade like Benefit Coralista has not really worked well for me.   Benefit Bella Bamba is my favourite from this set and I’m sure I’ll be buying a full size of that soon.  Benefit Hoola is great for contouring, but I don’t really need much of that on a daily basis, so it’s only for special occasions.

Ratings

Coralista 3/5

Bella Bamba 4/5

Hoola 4/5

 

*Written By Dela