There are some posts you want to write and you try and start, over and over but it never gets published. This has been one such post/review in making. It’s taken me 2 years. 2 freaking years to tell you about a blush! Man, I better get lots of good karma after this! :D
I bought the Benefit Hervana Box of Powder Blush over 2 years ago and although it took me a while to warm up to it, I actually really like it. I picked this as one of the 5 light pink blushes you can consider if you’re in the market for one because it does give the skin a very pretty flush of pink.
And really, who can pass up a chance for some good karma eh? :D
This was the Benefit Cosmetics blush that first came with the new flip top packaging. All Benefit blushes now carry a flip top packaging. They used to be lift off covers. If you remember those, raise your hand! :D
I remember then being quite pissed with it because if you’re careless or in a hurry, the sides can dig into the box and deface your blush. However, the thing is, in the 2 years I’ve owned this, it’s never happened! So really, you have to quite careless about it and I guess I never have been.
Like all Benefit blushes, there is a plastic insert that holds a brush. The Hervana brush is a little different from other brushes because it is an angled brush with white natural hair bristles and it’s not bad. The natural hair picks up the colour much better and although it is a little rough on skin, it does a good enough job in a pinch.
I may be ambivalent about most Benefit Cosmetics products, but their Box o’ Powders have a special place in my heart because they were one of the earlier blushes I owned, and they are really quite good. I have almost all of them except the latest Rockateur, Hoola and Dallas because they’re all too dark for me, but the other colours get a lot of wear and that’s saying a lot, considering how many blushes I actually own haha! :D
Hervana is also one of the more interesting Benefit blushes that come with different colours in one compact, the other being Sugarbomb. Unlike Sugarbomb which is very light and very shimmery, the cool and deeper lilac tones blend very well with the warmer peach tones to give skin a lovely neutral pink colour without looking like you’ve been glitterbombed. It isn’t quite matte either, but it isn’t noticeably shimmery and it makes a great everyday blush.
As it’s so hard to get a good swatch of a colour this light, here’s the comparison swatches from this post.
Hervana is No. 4 so you can just imagine my frustration trying to get another swatch as clear as this one was. It’s hard! If you want it deeper, layer it on and it layers quite prettily.
I do find the texture of the brush a little harder than say Bella Bamba or Coralista but it also means the margin of error is less if you’re afraid of looking like a clown. There’s almost no fear of that happening with Hervana. You will almost always end up with an angelic glow on skin ;)
Here’s how it looks when I wear it. I like to use a slightly denser blush brush with this one because of the harder texture. It gives me more colour. If I use a softer blush, the colour is a little more diffused so a lot depends on the look you’re going for.
It applies on my skin as a soft very natural pink glow. Very fuss free and very nice. I’m not sure how well this will show up on deeper skintones because it’s so light. You might have to layer it on a little more but if you don’t mind the hassle then it’s a very pretty colour to consider. As a tip, I usually buy my Benefit makeup online from their website or StrawberryNET.com. The local counter prices are generally far too marked up for my tastes although it appears the prices for the blushes have dropped, but you know, old habits die hard and you never know when it will go up again ;)
In a nutshell
Benefit Hervana is one of my favourite blushes which is saying a lot when you consider just how many I have! The packaging is portable, the cardboard is hardy and hasn’t even looked battered despite my taking it on my travels occasionally, the included brush is handy to use and the colour is a very neutral, complexion perky pink. On light skintones, I think this one very lovely but on deeper skintones, you will have to build up colour and not everyone will like that. Absolutely worth taking a look.
Pros: Nice natural pink that will suit most skintones, Not powdery, Compact packaging, Included brush works
Cons: None unless the price is an issue for you
Who will like this: Anyone who likes a fuss-free warm-neutral pink blush, Anyone who wants a portable blush with an included brush that works
You know, when a blush tells you that you’ll have “good karma” it almost makes it too hard to pass up ;) And I’m glad I finally got this out – it’s been my 5th photo taking attempt!
Are you a fan of Hervana? Do you like the Benefit Box o Powders blushes?
If anyone’s keen, I’ll do you an overview of the Benefit blushes I have :) So far, I’ve not been disappointed by any of the colours except I know of course, to stay away from the deeper ones. Do you like them too?
Paris B
Benefit Hervana Box o Powder blush Price: RM110, US$28 Availability: Benefit Cosmetics counters or their website or on StrawberryNET.com
Thanks for the review after 2 years, paris. Hahaha… I mean, there r too many pretty blushes around, I myself will not look into this at first sight due to its packaging but since it is not powdery, then perhaps it is time to take a loom at this now. ^^
Yep! I was really excited about it when I got hold of it almost 2 years ago but for some reason, this was one that absolutely refused to get published one way or another, whether for lack of photos or for poor photos or for just being pushed on the back burner. I’m glad I finally hit the publish button :)
YAY! This is one of my favourites too and yes, I remember those lift-off covers. I agree with you, the Box o’ powders is something Benefit has gotten right over and over again. I’ve been a very loyal user of Dandelion ever since I started to use makeup seriously. (I think I’m on my 5th box of Dandelion) Having said that, I might have to stop using Dandelion because they have not only raised the prices, they’ve also reduced the amount of product in each box. When I first began using Dandelion, I got a generous 12g of products (or possibly more!) I’m certain it’s now down to 7g. Because I actually use up the product, it makes a lot of sense for me to throw a hissy fit. :P I’ve managed to find a few dupes of the Dandelion and I think I have to bid my favourite product farewell – if only to make a statement :P
You’re actually right about the reduced amount of powder. No price hike but reduced quantity and you are most definitely in the position to complain! I partly refused to buy Rockateur because of the tiny big of product in there. 5g I believe and thinner than an Euro coin. Bah. So I’m pretty set for a while. No more Benefit blushes (and man! I haven’t hit pan on any blush in like, never! :P)
*take a look*
Holy crap those smartphone keypads are meant for 3 year olds!
LOL!!! I got ya though :)
i am not sure if it has increased my karma but it’s one of my most frequently used blusher after bella bamba because it’s just so convenient to bring it around, and the colors are so light that it can never go wrong :D
We all need a karma boost once in a while right? Yeah I like how fuss free it is too. The lack of shimmer certainly help!
I really wanna enjoy my benefit blushes but I just don’t! I own Hoola, Coralista and Bella Bamba. While Hoola is okay for me, Coralista and Bella Bamba are totally my on top of my regret purchase list. Those two are just way too shimmery for my taste. Especially coralista, to me it’s more like a shimmery highlighter with a slight peachy tone. And while Bella Bamba is pigmented enough to be a blush, it just looks like a disco ball! Honestly, my favorite blush so far I’ve tried is a blue-based matte pink blush from Wet’n’Wild which cost next to nothing.
Aww sorry to hear you don’t like them Emma and you’re right about the shimmer. I’ve read a lot of complaints about how shiny they are. Have you tried buffing them in so they are less shiny? I love the colours of Coralista and Bella Bamba though and a soft brush usually gives me more colour than shimmer :) Wet n Wild does make very good blushes! I used to own a Nars Orgasm dupe from them that got far more use than Orgasm ever did :D
this is one of those Benefit blushes which I use rather often, so light so simple it makes it fuss free. I rotate it with Thrrrob & Sugarbomb every now and then. I can only do Coralista/ Bella Bamba when I have more time on hand to make sure I don’t go overboard!
Mmm you just reminded me I haven’t used Thrrrob in a while! Shall pull it out tomorrow – it’s a nice one too :) I find a soft brush makes Coralista and Bella Bamba fuss free but then maybe I’m just used to my technique so it’s never really been an issue for me (or maybe I’m walking around looking like a baboon and no one’s telling me! LOL!)
A friend of mine bought me Bella Bamba as my birthday present early this year (it was my special request to her, hahaha) and I quite liked it initially. Although it suit my medium skintone pretty well, I found it too shimmery over a period of time and I have not used it for quite sometime. Need to look at it again, do not want a good blush to go to waste :-)
Hmm yes it is quite shimmery I agree but perhaps you can try buffing it out a bit and see if it helps? I usually just dab my Lunasol brush on the surface of the blush, not too hard, just a touch, then apply to my skin and buff in the colour. This way I find that there is less shimmer and I still get that flush of colour. Hope it’ll work for you!
BLUSH!! It looks lovely on you! You know, I’m not a fan of Benefit Blushes, except for Bella Bamba. It’s the only one I have, as it’s the only one I like the texture of.
Yes! Had to end the year on a blush high :D Sorry to hear Benefit blushes dont’ do it for you Tracy but yeah their texture didn’t appeal to me earlier too. I had Dandelion and Georgia which I thought was far too light and chalky but I think they’ve improved over time. That said, there are much nicer blushes out there too – but you know a blush fiend right? We can never just stop at one ;)
OMG, it’s been 2 years already?? I still remember you tweeting about just receiving it from the mail! Time flies, man. I have yet to get myself a box of blush, and truthfully, and I have no idea why, I’m just not that attracted to Benefit blushes. It’s like, there’s no pull whatsoever, and again, no logical reasons. Hahaha I guess that’s called chemistry?
I know! I could scarcely believe it myself that it had been 2 years LOL I thought it was just a year ago :D Benefit blushes are I think hit or miss for most people. For me, the blushes are the best things they have. Nothing much else wows me :)
I love Benefit blushes and this one is very pretty! It looks great on you.
Thank you Gio and Benefit blushes are very nice aren’t they?
Love the packaging of benefit box blushes! I recently picked up Rockateur and absolutely loving it! next I really want to try Corallista!
Ooh I can imagine Rockateur looks lovely on you Parita! You’d like Coralista, I’m sure :D
Ooooo I think this would go well with my fair skin. Thanks for sharing! =)
It looks lovely on fair skin. Hope you’ll like it!