Benefit Sugarbomb Blush Review and swatches

Benefit Sugarbomb Blush (US $ 28) available at benefitcosmetics.com

Benefit cosmetics is known the world over for its famous box blushes.  They have been selling so well that Benefit introduced matching lip gloss shades for all of these. 

Packaging – All the benefit blushes come in a sturdy cardboard box.  The lid is attached at one of the ends and therefore cannot be pulled out completely.  There is a magnetic closure, so once you close the box you needn’t worry about it falling open.  The lid has a small mirror enclosed.  Benefit Sugarbomb Blush is accompanied by a soft powder brush that actually does the job of application pretty well.  I normally don’t use the tiny brushes that are part of most compacts, but this one works.

Texture and Formula – Benefit Sugarbomb Blush is really soft and smooth and goes on quite easily.  It blends into your skin quite well without much effort.  There is a little bit of fall out if you pick up too much powder, but if you use the brush included, there is little risk of picking up too much.  Its only if you use your fingers or a different brush that I have seen fall out.

Shade – Sugarbomb is unique from the other Benefit blushes, in that, it has four distinct shades in the box. You are supposed to twirl your brush around and pick up all of the colour for a naturally radiant look. The four colours are peach, soft plum, pink and rose.  Though all the names sound closer to pink, when you open the box you realise that most of the shades are in the brown family.  They don’t look too pink or rose to me at all.  The colours are supposed to have shimmer that is not visible in the box or when you first swatch it.  It appears only when the colour wears off.

Pigmentation – On my skin Benefit Sugarbomb Blush barely shows up.  When I take a very very heavy swatch, I can see a lot of light chocolate on my skin.  The pink and soft plum are completely lost somewhere.  I am NC 35 and I think this is more appropriate a colour if you are fairer.  What is left after the first couple of minutes is only a subtle shimmer.

Staying Power – This is rather difficult to judge, since I can’t see the colour on my face in the first place.  I have used this in the past as an overall face powder – it does a better job than as a blush.  There is a shimmer visible even after 5 to 6 hours with no primer.  This means that if the colour works for you, the blush should stay put for a while.

Overall Thoughts

I so wanted to love Benefit Sugarbomb Blush, unfortunately this is not my colour.  I also feel that when most international reviews calling something “universally flattering”, it may still not work for our Indian skin that often has yellow or olive undertones.

Rating – 2/5

*Written By Dela