I Love You, Bella Bamba!

This is my current make-up obsession: Benefit Blushes

Once upon a time, actually just a few months ago , I was a loyal user of inexpensive yet good Korean cream blushes. Why not, when both Skinfood Rose Cheek Chalk and Lioele Peach Beam Blusher did the job at extremely reasonable prices (about $8 dollars each).

Of course, I’ve heard of Benefit and I knew of the Benetint and Corralista, the brand’s much raved about blushes. The problem is , Benefit items are amazingly pricey in Seoul. A full size of Benetint costs about $45. It was just not practical to buy a tube of something I might not like when I was completely satisfied with my 8 dollar blushes.

But a few months ago, I bought Benefit’s Finding Mr. Bright Kit, which contains a travel-sized Posie Tint, a sheer but super pretty liquid pink stain with a great staying power. I used it in sweltering heat in Pinas, and it stayed on!

So when a friend went to the US for a business trip, I asked him to buy some Benefit stuff for me. Two months on, and I’ve been using nothing but Benefit blushes. Can you smell addiction?



My Benefit Blushes:

Bella Bamba: A very pigmented blush with gold sparkles. It is described as a watermelon shade at the Benefit site. Depends on how heavy you are with swatching, you can get really colored cheeks or a slight flushed look with this beauty. This is what I use most of the time. I think the color will suit all tones. It's not really very shimmery, just a hint of sparkle to make your cheeks shine.

Posie Tint: a sheet yet ultra pink tint to give you that oh so natural flush. It’s a lip and cheek tint, but I use it only on my cheeks haha. Just a teeny swipe on your cheek will give you a day’s worth of flushed cheeks.

Dandelion: This is actually a highlighter powder which you can swipe on your temples, cheeks, nose and forehead for a bit of contouring. But I use it at times as a blush (I do need to apply more when used as a blush though, but at least it is buildable). Because it is so light, you just get a subtle but there coral tinge.

From the Lightest to Darkest: Dandelion, Posie Tint, Bella Bamba


(Yes, the background of the pics is the latest issue of High Cut Magazine featuring Ko Soo, a popular Korean actor)

What I love about Benefit Blushes:
1. Expensive but cost-effective. Most of their blushes retails for $28 plus taxes in the States. But you only need a bit to get the blushes working.

2. Fragrant yet not overpowering. Bella Bamba, in particular smells like a yummy fruity candy!

3. No-brainer, easy to use blushes even for make-up noobs like me. I think this
goes out to most of the Benefit goodies I have. They’re expensive but are well
worth the price because they do their job well and are pretty easy to use.


Hmmm, maybe I should have made the title, A Cautionary Tale of A New Benefit Junkie.

Postscript: A week ago, my pretty Korean friend let me try her Cha Cha Tint (which she bought here in Seoul for $45!), Benefit’s latest tint~ It's supposedly a mango tint reminiscent of Carribean and Tropical colors. Whatever, haha. It is actually a bright orange tint which when applied, looks really peachy on my skin. It’s actually very pretty but since I still have a lot of Benefit blushes, I’ll wait it out a bit. ☺

Do you also love Benefit blushes or Benefit Products? What’s your favorite? :-)