I do tend to find new releases from Benefit pretty exciting (regardless of how the product ends up performing on me) because they’re a pretty creative and innovative beauty brand, who let’s face it, are copied a lot.
I’ve been sitting on this Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation (well, not literally) for months!
They say:
Our new oil-free brightening liquid foundation builds from light to medium coverage for a natural complexion you can believe in. It’s you…just more luminous & healthy looking.
Other benefits:
- broad-spectrum SPF 25 PA+++ protection**
- oil-free formula
- natural finish
- hydrating benefits
- light-diffusing properties
- available in 9 shades
I got the shade Honey to test.
Hello Flawless has a powder version out already (which I quite like) and this is the liquid one!
I like the packaging, which is quite funky and it has a pump to dispense the product.
There’s a few things I noticed right away about this foundation – it’s a fairly rich, thick liquid. This means medium coverage (it says light to medium on the box) but I wouldn’t go for this product if I wanted a sheer or super natural base to be frank.
However, I do like good coverage in a base, so this product suits me. It’s thickness means it can be a bit hard to blend – it doesn’t set quickly, granted, but it just needs a bit more work with the fingers to get rid of the streaks.
Honey was a natural choice for me cos it has those golden medium tones – it’s actually very yellow:
It’s a hydrating and brightening foundation so yes, it worked quite well on my dry skin. On the oilier areas though (t-zone) it did slide of quickly so if you are oily all over I don’t think it would last that well without a good dusting of powder!
I did notice it brightened a little, and it also smoothed out the skin nicely (that is offering some pore coverage and general smoothing). But on the other hand, I struggled to get the base looking completely smooth and even so it does require a bit of work.
During application – the foundation is very very yellow based as you can see – I am not sure how the other colours run:
Blended in, it’s ok. It is definitely still a bit too yellow on me (a misconception I think that if you’re Chinese you need a yellow base – I find neutral and beige tones are much more flattering):
The finish is slightly uneven – I have to spend more time with this base to get it neat which means that I reach for it less because the other bases I am alternating between (mainly Bourjois Healthy Mix and Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation) are runnier and easier to work with.
Ingredients:
Verdict:
A rich textured base, a little hard to blend, and better for dry skins that need a medium coverage. Well worth getting matched on a counter so you can be sure of the right colour as the names can be deceptive.
This is £24.50 and you can buy it here.
*Pr Sample
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice review, thanks. It’s a pity that with so much methicone that the foundation doesn’ blend better.
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I recently purchased this foundation myself and I have to agree with you about the effort required in applying it. I am still “experimenting” to find the best combination of products and by that I mean what primer, base, bb cream, foundation, powder I mix this with.
I’m happy with it overall-I like that foundation is moving towards the ‘just-like-skin’ texture. I’m also looking forward to Dior’s new foundation (well new to Canada anyway) that’s supposed to come out in the Fall.
Great post!
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I have tried this foundation but find it hard to blend too.
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