Benefit Box O' Powders Blush Comparison

The Benefit boxed powders have been some of my favorite blushes for a very long time. My first one was Dandelion and it's been one of my "holy grail" products from day one of using it. The reason I like them is because they're the perfect pigmentation level for someone like me who is not particularly skilled at blush application. But what I like even more than the pigmentation is the brush. The flat, square little brush in these doesn't seem like it will do a very good job at applying blush, but it really does! The flat shape helps me apply blush exactly where I need it, and the bristles are stiff enough to blend it into my skin seamlessly. I actually take the square brush out and use it to apply my other blushes, that's how much I love it.

Anyway, I was recently sent two of their newest shades to test out, and since I now have a near-complete collection of Benefit blushes, I thought I should do a big comparison post.

Some of the newer additions to the Benefit Box O' Powders lineup:



Bella Bamba. This was just released a few months ago and Benefit describes it as '3D Pink'. More importantly, it has a PURPLE HOLO FOIL BOX. Me, a sucker for packaging? Never! *cough*



Coralista. This one came out last year- it's still in the nice old-style packaging. The newer boxes are a little flimsier and don't have removable lids- they have flip open tops with little mirrors. I preferred the sturdier old boxes.


Sugarbomb. Another amazing package design. It has chocolate shavings, frosting and metallic foil. I know, it's just cardboard, but it's SO CUTE. The powder itself looks deceptively dark, but it's really more of a highlighter shade! Take a look:

Those are the four shades swatched heavily on bare skin. Lighter than they look, right?


And some older shades:
The Powder Pop! set, which has Dandelion (top left), Hoola (bottom left) and Dallas. Love this palette. More companies should do blush palettes.


This is what the full sized Hoola looks like. Nice matte brown. Matte is good.


Dandelion. Soft, sheer pink. I have a feeling I'm about a millimeter from hitting pan on this.


Georgia (as part of the Gorgeous Georgia palette). This is a sheer light peach, much more orangey than Dandelion, but just as sheer.

Here's how they compare to each other:

These are swatched very heavily over bare skin. Left to right: Dallas, Hoola, Coralista, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb (all four shades blended), Dandelion, Georgia.

DALLAS is a rosy bronze shimmer. It's described as a blush and bronze in one, and I'd agree with that description.

HOOLA is a matte light brown- slightly warmer than cocoa powder.

CORALISTA is a pink coral shimmer- the shimmer in it is gold.

BELLA BAMBA is a warm watermelon pink with strong gold shimmer.

SUGARBOMB is light neutral pink (borderline peach) shimmer when blended together.

DANDELION is a sheer neutral pink.

GEORGIA is a sheer orangey peach.

I think the only shades I'm missing are 10 and Thrrrob! (which I didn't buy because of the ridiculous name, heh). If I ever get those, I'll post them.

My favorite is still Dandelion. It's subtle but adds just enough color and brightening effect to look flattering without looking like I'm wearing blush. Sugarbomb is starting to rival Dandelion for me, though... It's another shade that's not dark or overly pigmented so it creates a subtle brightening effect plus a small amount of color. Highlights my cheeks without looking shiny or blush-y. I don't dislike any of these, really, but those are my top two. Bella Bamba is a little pink for me but it looks great applied lightly and combined with bronzer on my cheekbones.

I like the colors and formula and I love the brushes, but my most favorite-favorite feature? They're scented. That was the reason I bought Dandelion all those years ago. It smelled good. Hoola doesn't seem to be scented, but the rest are. Nice light sweet scents. I don't know how to describe them. You have to smell them! Not candy sweet... Not too flowery... Just really nice. I love the way they smell. It makes me happy. Bella Bamba smells the best, but Sugarbomb my second favorite.

You get a ton of product in these. They each vary- none are the same weight. Sugarbomb and Coralista contain a whopping .42 oz of product. Georgia has .4 oz, Dandelion is .35 oz and Bella Bamba and the new packaging style of Hoola are each .28 oz.

Cute packaging and scented. Are you surprised that I like these?

Georgia is discontinued, but the rest of the shades are all still available at Sephora and Ulta.

(Bella Bamba and Sugarbomb were sent for review.)