New Benefit Hervana Good Karma Face Powder Swatches, Review and Flash Sale Info

Ooh! A new Benefit boxed powder! This one is really cute, too. It's called Hervana and it's a swirl of shell, peach, rose and berry that combine to make a glowy pink blush. It's not officially available until January 2012, but you can get a chance to buy it early today (December 5th, 2011) only. More details on that after the swatches.



The new Benefit Hervana blush comes in a flip-top box with a mirror and a brush included. The brush in Hervana is angled, unlike the old Benefit box o' powder brushes which were flat.

View of the ingredients label.


The powder itself, with flash and without.



A few closeups of the powder. Feel free to enlarge.


Swatched over bare skin (no primer), with flash and without. This is all the shades blended together.

Hervana looks pretty bold and colorful in the box, but once the shades are all blended and applied with a brush, it turns into a very wearable natural pink shade. It makes me think of a deeper/more pigmented version of Dandelion with a little pinch of Bella Bamba warmth.

It looks rather shimmery in the box as well, but that's also toned down once it's applied with a brush. Only a little tiny hint of glowy shimmer; no sparkles or glitter, no sheen or oily-looking shine. Just a very subtle shimmer that adds a little brightness.

What I liked:

• Adorable design and attractive packaging.
• It smells AMAZING. The scent of Benefit boxed blushes is one of my favorite things.
• Comes with a brush. I actually use these flat brushes with my other non-Benefit blushes because they work so well for me.
• Buildable color, not too pigmented or hard to blend.
  
• The shade looks good on my fair/cool skin tone.
• Lots of product in the box- this is 0.28 oz.
• Since it has its own mirror and brush, you can take it with you and reapply anywhere without carrying extra tools.
  

What I didn't like:

• I am not a fan of the new box style. The lid flap is stiff and doesn't stay open all the way while you're using it. The included mirror is not something I'd normally use for applying the product. The old boxes with the removable lids were sturdier and easier to use; this one feels so much more flimsy than the old boxes.
• This powder is more powdery/chalky looking than any of the other Benefit blushes. It looked fine on my skin tone, but it could look chalky on someone with a darker/deeper skin color.
  

Overall, I like this new blush. I have always liked Benefit boxed powders and this one makes a perfect addition to the line. It's much more wearable for me than Bella Bamba, but not quite as easy to apply as Dandelion because Hervana has more color and pigment to it. It's not overly sparkly and shimmery so it doesn't highlight uneven skin texture. The thing I like the most about the benefit box o' powders blushes is that they're fun to use. They look pretty, they apply beautifully and they smell amazing. I really, really like the way they smell. And even though they're just blush, those little details make me reach for them more often than any of my other blushes. If you're already a Benefit blush fan, you're probably going to want to pick this up. It is adorable.

Like I mentioned above, Benefit is doing a one-day-only flash sale on this item, just like they did with They're Real! mascara. So, today (December 5th) until 11:59 pm PST, Benefit Hervana is available for sale at Benefitcosmetics.com, Sephora.com, Ulta.com and Bloomingdales.com. The official release date isn't until January 2012.

(This was sent for review.)