Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW Liquid Foundation

August 01, 2012

Oh, Benefit. My very first high end beauty brand I purchased from, and definitely one of my favourite companies out there - both for products and packaging.


I'm a big fan of Benefit's Hello Flawless Powder Foundation, so when the liquid version came out at the beginning of this year, I sought out to buy the product. However, this product is not available in Canada (boo), so I had to ask a friend in the States to bring it home for me. Whether fortunate or unfortunate, it was too dark of a shade for me to wear in the winter/summer months, and now I've finally picked up enough natural colour to match the foundation shade.


What really got me interested in this particular foundation though, is that the description put out by Benefit made it sound almost like a BB Cream. The product promised to have brightening effects, sun protection, coverage and moisturizing capabilities, while having anti-aging properties as well. Sound familiar? Basically the textbook definition of a BB Cream.


The powder version of this foundation that I use is in the shade 'I'm Cute as a Bunny, Honey", which is the perfect shade for me right now. Based on the colour swatches available on the Sephora website, I figured the Honey shade in the liquid would be too dark for me, so I went for Champagne. Definitely a good call on my part, since Champagne is a good shade on me right now.. but things will change come winter time. It's really unfortunate that the powder and liquid foundation shades do not correspond to one another, as it makes purchasing so much more difficult.


Now to the packaging. When I opened up the box, the size of the product was much smaller than I had imagined. With the Skin 79 BB Creams, the pump dispenser is substantially sized, and it feels like you're getting a lot of product. The Benefit pump dispenser is quite small in comparison to the box, and you're not getting the amount of product that the box size conveys. What I do like though, is that you are able to see the amount of product remaining, and the pressure pump mechanism ensures that you are getting use of all the product, as the bottom will slowly rise up and show the decreasing amount overtime with use.

As you see in the picture, 'Cheers to Me Champagne" is fairly dark, and probably the darkest that I will become all summer. The yellow undertones compliment my skin very well, making it a great shade for the summertime. As you can see, the product is very wet and liquid - almost runny, but by no means watered down as it is quite pigmented. I only use about a third of a pump to cover myself entirely, which allows the product to even out my skintone and give it a bit of colour. A little extra dabs here and amount of product lead me to full coverage, so I don't even need to use a concealer for the day.

The product is blended out to the left of the swatch in the picture, and you can see that the product does blend out quite smoothly. There is enough time to fully blend it in with your fingers (which I find to be better as the product will adhere better and is longer wearing) before fully drying. I am left with a dewy finish on my skin, which is nothing that a translucent powder cannot fix. The product really is moisturizing, but doesn't make me overly oily throughout the day. It definitely lasts a full 8 hours of wear, and does not oxidize or change colours on my skin. The product really is lightweight, and the addition of SPF gets huge marks from me. My skin does look a bit brighter, and for using such a small amount of product, the coverage is amazing. The only real downside would be the price, where you pay $42 CAD for 1 oz of product.

As mentioned before, this product currently is not available in store in Canada (but can be purchased online), but should hit the shelves at Canadian Sephora locations within the next 1-2 weeks. Locations currently have sample sizes and shade matching services available for you to try it out! I definitely will continue to use this liquid foundation as it works well for me, and with the wide range of shades available, I hope you can find one that works for you too!

You Might Also Like

23 comments

  1. OMG the packaging is so elegant and chic!!! love it :D

    xo
    rheapunya.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. benefit's packaging will get you all the time! hahaha i didn't know they had a foundation/bb cream!!! thanks andrea, going to check out their site. finding the right shade always proves to be tricky!
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks for the review! i received this as a sample in berlin, i am not sure if i like it yet.

    xx rae

    http://www.loveforschoolgirl.net/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Getting the colour match for your foundation is always the hardest part! It does look a bit darker and yellow compared to your skin, but then again, my arm (where I usually do my swatches) is like 2-3x lighter than my face (at least the side of my wrist, lol). That's annoying how the shades between the powder and liquid foundation don't match. But seems like this gives a lovely glowy finish and is pleasantly lightweight :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep! That's the issue with this swatch.. the inside of my arm is currently quite a bit lighter than my face, lol.

      Delete
  5. Sounds like this really works for you - I have it but I'm not 100% convinced - I can't find the right shade match for me xo

    ReplyDelete
  6. The color selection is not the best in this foundation. I tend to fall in between shades in many brands. I got Petal and it works ok. It looks a tad dark on me depending on the lighting. However, the finish is flawless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no, so unfortunate that you fall inbetween the shades for this one! I do agree though, the finish is awesome!

      Delete
  7. Great review! Now you make me wanna get one too! Would you like to follow each other to stay in touch <3

    ang-closet365.blogspot.ca

    ReplyDelete
  8. light weight and full coverage!??! i better try!
    thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Another well done review!
    You should consider being a journalist or something.
    Like the back description of the box :)

    xx
    me-travelleroftheworld.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. ohhh this is pretty awesome. i will definitely keep a note of this.

    have a lovely weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. i like benefit products, and this looks really good. i'm gonna have to check it out. :)

    <3, Mimi
    http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/
    Twisted Orchid Giveaway -- Win any bag of your choice! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. ah every time when it's near fall, i covet nice new foundation and your review is not helping me!! (i am being silly, you know that right? it is helping me to buy even more...)
    i love foundation with yellow undertone although i am more of a neutral. for me, it is more effective evening out the skintone.

    thanks for sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great review!! I am obsessed with bb creams so I am quite curious to try this out now since you say it's comparable.

    Liz
    chewylove.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. BB cream is good for me as well and is basically what I use. This foundation pretty much works like a BB cream too which is why I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Really? I haven't found mine to have a weird smell at all.

      Delete
    2. Maybe our nose are not same X) it's possible !

      Delete
  16. Do you know if I'm a 4.0 in naked skin Urban decay. What shade I will be in this Benefit one? Please help.. I do indeed have pink undertones. I just want to make sure I picke the correct one. Because I don't want to look like a yellow weird face. ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey - sorry I missed this comment! I am a 3.0 in Urban Decay Naked Skin, so I am not too sure what you would be. So sorry! Check in with your local store that carries the product and get shade matched if you can :)

      Delete

Thank you so much for stopping by! I would love to hear anything you have to say.

Instagram

Find Me on Facebook