BeneFit Powder Blush

As my Christmas present to all you make up addicts out there I thought I’d bless you all with a little insight into the latest addition to my make up bag. With the Christmas season upon us I thought it was about time to invest in some quality products to help relieve my pasty winter glow! And as per usual this directed me towards my local Boots, the Benefit counter and my very good friend – the make up assistant on the Benefit counter!

* Benefit? *

The Benefit collection is the work of two Indiana twins who opened their first make up boutique in 1976 and was named, “The Face Place.” Since then success has only grown for them. They created what can only be described as a candy store for lovers of make up, with their original products named “lip plump” and “ooh la lift” – guaranteed to raise a smile among everyone! In 1990 The Face Place was renamed as Benefit and as they had many boutiques under their belt they felt it was time to conquer the world! Benefit cosmetics can now be found in the UK in larger Boots stores, Debenhams and Selfridges.

* The Packaging *

The packaging of this product is slightly disappointing – I’ve come to expect real treasures when it comes to packaging from Benefit. This blusher is contained in a simple black case (ideal for storing in a make up bag) with a click opening for ease of usage. The inside boasts a mirror for aiding in application as well as a small pallet of blusher and a application brush.

* The Product *

Now firstly I have to warn you that you may well be shocked upon opening the blusher at how little you appear to get for your money! The actual pallet measures approx. 1.5 cm by 5 cm, which isn’t a great deal – however less is more!

The powder doesn’t really have much of a smell to it although it is slightly reminiscent of a big jar of sweets that you may find in an old fashioned sweet shop – bon bons mixed with some other equally delightful delicacy! The texture of the powder is similar to that of any other blusher, it’s compact so won’t fall out about the place luckily!

And for once Benefit have catered their products to suit many different skin tones (the majority of products apart from the lip sticks are presented in one shade only).

Just Kidding Around – this is more of a peach colour, quite soft, suited to already fairly rosy complexions as gives more of a clear glow rather than a rosy one.

Take a Picture it’ll last Longer – this is described as a “golden pink” and provides a rosy glow with a little bit of a gold shimmer, it appears to contain gold glitter too so one for a night out.

Don’t Hog the Mirror – this is described as a “dusky mauve” colour, it’s not really that bright at all and probably gives the most subtle results.

Getting Finer Everyday – this is more of a plum pink colour, quite subtle yet darker than most blushers – ideal for those with darker skin.

Pinch Me… I’m Dreaming – ideal if you’re a member of a circus parade or something similar, it’s described as “cotton candy pink” and is so bright, think of a baby pink colour then mix it with fuchsia!

You’re Getting Warmer – this is described as “amber sand” and again has hints of golden brown in it, not to the extent of glitter but could double up as a bronzer and blusher in one for the cheeks!

Catch me… If You Can – a darker blusher this time but still within the pink regions, more of a russet colour, would work great on nearly all skin tones.

You Can if you Want – this is described as “copper ruby” and is definitely bordering on the reddest shade of pink! It’s more of a ruby than a copper colour, you’d probably need very little of this when applying it and a definite one for darker skin tones.

It’s So Hard to be Humber – another one that’s bordering on the purple shades of pink, again one that would be suited to darker tones but does have quite a bit of a glimmer to it.

Honk If You’re – now I really couldn’t see many people getting away with this one, described as “black cherry” it’s clearly purple – steer clear!

So there you have it, all 10 shades and there’s got to be one there to suit everyone! My favourites at present are “You’re Getting Warmer” and “Take a Picture, it’ll Last Longer.”

Now my main qualm when it comes to this product is the application brush – I mean yes it is very generous of them to provide a brush but I’d rather have had more blusher than this useless tool! It’s so small; the actual brush part is about 1.5cm by 3cm which really isn’t great, read on into “the application” for more of my moaning…

* The Application *

The directions suggest “one sweep on the apples of your cheeks” for a perfect rosy complexion yet with the brush provided one sweet merely partially covers my cheek bone – let alone my cheek! One sweep along the actual powder is enough to load up the brush but then I’ve found that when using the provided brush you have to go back and do about 5 sweeps to remotely get a rosy glow! My recommendation to you is to chuck the brush and use a normal sized blusher brush – much more effective!

When it comes to the amount to apply it really depends on what shade you choose and how rosy you want to appear! I’ve found that 2 sweeps across the pallet and then onto each cheek is plenty to maintain that rosy glow for hours!

* The Result *

Now obviously the result will differ depending which shade of blusher you select. I’ve found that 2 sweeps on each cheek of blusher will endure a day or a night out so it’s fairly long lasting! Removal is also simple, any make up remover or even just soap will clear your face of all traces.

* The Cost *

Now here’s the bit I always dread to ask at the Benefit counter, she’s sold the product to me, it’s practically in a bag and I’m salivating at the mouth but…. What’s the cost?! I bought mine of the Benefit web site where it retails at $20 which works out at approximately £10.50. I believe it retails at £16 in Boots stores so it’s not going to break that bank account and I reckon a pallet when used daily will last me about 3 months so that’s got to be fairly cost effective surely?!

So would I recommend it… if you can find a shade that suits you then yes I would. It’s easy to apply, long lasting and really not that expensive in relation to the rest of the market so go on this Christmas but remember… “Don’t Hog the Mirror!”