REVIEW: Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup

Do you have oily skin, but still looking for that foundation that's going to give you a dewy finish without looking like a disco ball? Are you sick of your matte foundations that end up looking flat and makes your skin look dull? Are you in need of decent coverage without the heavy and cakey feel?

Look no further, because today's product on review might just work for you. I'm talking about the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup (Php 1,900). This foundation's label is a mouthful! And amazeballs!

I got mine in the shade Petal. While I was looking at swatches online, Champagne seemed a better shade match for me. Fortunately, I decided to actually buy this from a Benefit store and was able to compare Petal and Champagne. If I had neutral skin tone, Champagne would have matched me to a T. But, I have warm undertones, so I went with Petal. I thought it was going to look horrendously light on me. But it didn't, it actually worked quite well.

It comes in a plastic smoked bottle. (Is that how you call it? Like smoked glass because it's not clear? Whatever, you see the picture, lol.) It doesn't feel cheap at all and it's actually good, because if you drop the bottle at least you know it won't break. It has a pump, so plus points for that!

This foundation has a light to medium coverage, leaning more on light. If you have clear skin, this would work fantastic on you. It's buildable, but, come on, in this humid Philippine climate, it's not advisable to go beyond two layers. It'll just melt right off. By the way, I apply this foundation with a brush, because the texture is runny and I don't want to use a damp sponge as that will be a waste of product (this one ain't cheap! Lol). 

Since I've mentioned before that I have a new skin care routine that works very efficiently for me, I've been enjoying this foundation recently because of that. It gives you this natural, dewy finish that looks like skin, only better. I'm very conscious about my oily skin though, so I do blot. The formula is oil free and non comedogenic, so this shouldn't break y'all out with acne prone skin.

Longevity wise, this foundation wears really well throughout the day. It felt so lightweight, even after wearing it for a good nine hours. You know how some foundations feel heavy and sticky after being worn for a very long time? You're not going to get that icky feeling with this one.

And did I mention this one has SPF 25 PA+++?! That's a mighty boast of high level UVA protection! If this thing wasn't too heavy on the pockets, I would totally wear it everyday! (Well, yeah, I actually just interchange it with my BB cream depending on where I'm going hehe.)

And so:

1. Price point: 5/10. Why, oh why, do US brand cosmetics have to be so fucking expensive here in the Philippines?! If I bought this in its US price, it would be totally justifiable, but here, it's just expensive.
2. Packaging: 10/10. Gotta give it a ten. It has a pump. The bottle is basically unbreakable. It doesn't gather dust. In spite of its plastic packaging, it still looks like a high end product, as it should.
3. Formula: 9/10. I get it, generally oily skinned gals aren't fans of a dewy finish. But sometimes, I get tired of my matte and satin formula foundations. I want to be able to sport that luminous glow without looking like a grease ball and this product was able to give me just that. I need to blot, but you really need to do that if you have a temperamental two year old toddler who sometimes throws fits if you don't carry her around.
4. Longevity: 9/10. It didn't feel like it was clogging my pores after being worn for hours at a time, not like most foundations wherein you feel like you're going to break out at the end of the day lol. I did notice it breaking down at the sides of my nose. It wasn't very noticeable, really, unless you looked closely into the mirror. 

VERDICT:

8.5

If you have money to spend, I do recommend this product. And this is a foundation, so it's worth investing in. You could have a dozen cheap lipsticks, but when it comes to foundations (and concealers), go ahead and splurge for the quality.

August Haul

So, I went a little crazy this August. I've actually purchased more this month than I'd have any other month except for July of last year. I think something happens to me every mid-year and I buy stuff as therapy. Lol, that's still no excuse.

I got a little skin care stuff and a "few" makeup items. All of these I will blog about in the next few weeks as I'm still trying to get the feel of them and I'm still unsure of what I really think about them.

First up are the skin care products: the AC Clinic Daily Acne Foam Cleanser (Php 478) and AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion (Php 548) from Etude House Philippines. I've been using these for a little less than two weeks now and I think these are phenomenal (so far). I haven't used my spot treatment for a few days now because I don't have any zits! I only bought the facial cleanser and the moisturizer because I'm not a fan of toners. They also have spot treatment and spot masks in this line.

Now on to the fun stuff. I purchased a mid-range (high end here in the Philippines) foundation from Benefit (well, their only foundation lol), the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup (Php 1,900) in the shade Petal. I was contemplating on whether to purchase Champagne, which seemed a better shade match for me, but upon comparing the two, I noticed Petal had more yellow undertones and I'm quite a yellow girl. I've used this thrice and it's been pretty good so far. It's lightweight and it does not feel sticky even after being worn for 12 hours on a hot, humid day. I haven't tested this with flash photography yet, but I'm expecting some flashback because of its SPF 25 PA +++. This foundation is oil-free and non comedogenic, and it hasn't caused me any break outs at all.

Upon purchasing the Benefit foundation that day, I told myself why not just go to town and purchase a well known good concealer. So I got the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (Php 1,250) in NC30. And, yes, it is the best! This does not crease and does not budge at all! I haven't tried using this alone as I always set my concealer with powder, but even without baking my under eye with this, it really does not crease. This will be my last MAC product purchase upon learning they've been testing on animals. I will not purchase any more until they are cruelty free again.

I got another beauty blogger essential, which is the Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel (Php 995) 77. AMC stands for Advanced Makeup Components. Inglot in SM Megamall had kindly held this in reserve for me. The first time I went this was out of stock and I inquired via Facebook afterwards when they would have it again. They informed me immediately once these babies were back in their inventory and had sweetly held one for me.

It's been said to be the blackest, mattest gel liner out there. I have found it easiest working with gel liners. I haven't had much luck with liquid eyeliners. They always dry out on me within a couple of months it's so annoying! We'll see how it goes, I haven't even popped this open yet teehee.

I got a few items from NYX as well. NYX is a drugstore brand in the US and they're cruelty-free! I've already had experience with their matte lipsticks and butter lipsticks and I've really liked them.

I purchased the NYX HD Concealer (Php 360) in CW05 Medium. I've heard good things about this concealer. I've used it only once so I don't know how I feel about it yet. 

It has a doe foot wand applicator just like my all time favorite drugstore concealer, the Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer. But whereas the Maybelline concealer is yellow, this one has pink undertones. I guess it's good for the under eye which is what I've used it for, but I haven't worn it long enough to see how it wears throughout the day.

Since I've recently been on a roll with concealers, I've also purchased the NYX Dark Circle Concealer Correcteur (Php 390) in Medium. 

As can be seen it's a peach corrector for the dark circles in the under eye area. I've used this thrice and I don't know if I'm just not applying enough, but I really don't want to apply too much product in my under eye area and emphasize the fine lines even more. But no matter what I do, I don't think it makes any difference! Maybe you can comment down below to give me some tips on how this can be used? I'd be forever grateful!

I also picked up two eyebrow products from NYX. I really wanted to get the eyebrow gel, unfortunately, it was out of stock when I went to their SM Megamall store. First up is the NYX Tame and Frame Tinted Brow Pomade in Brunette (Php 460). I've used this thrice now and I've been loving it so far! 

Beware, eyebrow pomades are not for beginners, especially if you have a heavy hand with application. A little of this product goes a long way. This is fantastic really, it lasts a long time even by itself without using a brow mascara to set the brow hairs. Also, Brunette, is a great shade match for me. It's a lighter brown than my actual hair color, but has grayish undertones. It's not shiny either. Don't you hate it when your eyebrows are shiny? Lol!

And, lastly, I picked up the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Brunette (Php 650). I think it's a little crazy that such a tiny eye brow pencil would cost so much. I've heard this is a great dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, which cost I think is even more insane! I'm not about to drop more than a thousand bucks for an eye brow pencil, come on.

Brow Product

Spoolie 

It's a two ended pencil with the retractable product on one end and a spoolie on the other. It's pretty convenient. I haven't used this one yet so I don't know what I think about it yet. It's pretty new to me since I'm used to a sword type pencil. 

Aaaaaaaannnndddd, that's all! I was going to get a new highlighter too, thank God, all the ones I wanted were out of stock, else my wallet would probably have a huge crater by now if it doesn't already. Feel free to give me suggestions on what other products I should try! 

Worth the Hype? Benefit The Porefessional

Benefit The Porefessional has so much hype to it. Everyone who is a makeup enthusiast either has it or has heard of it. But is the buildup about this product really worth it?

(Photo taken from https://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk)

What Benefit says about The Porefessional: Quickly minimize the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin! Apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skintones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals.

I had been researching for a good pore-filling, mattifying primer and all I can see on the web was Benefit The Porefessional. It came with a hefty price tag too, USD $42 for the 44 mL tube (I think that's around Php 1,600 to 1,700 here in the Philippines). I was not going to bust out that much since I was in the market for my first primer and that cost was not very encouraging.

Luckily, my sister was assigned to a post overseas this February for a few weeks and on her way home, she picked this up for me from Dubai Duty Free. It was more expensive there at USD $47 and it totally gave me a new appreciation for my baby sister.

I have been using this product for several months now. You'd actually get a bang for your buck with the amount of product in the tube. It's a lot considering you only need a pea-sized amount (or even less) for every application. It's going to last you a very, very long time.

The product itself has a slight beige tint to it. But once blended in, it turns translucent. You'd immediately notice the difference once you've put it on. On days when I have makeup and have not applied this beforehand, I can really tell. The skin feels smoother with this on, it gives an even base for you to put your makeup on. It has a slight floral scent, but immediately goes away.

It really does minimize pores. In a way that it fills them in. The texture is "siliconey" and you need to pat it into the skin, rather than rub it on. It's lightweight and it doesn't make you feel like you have heavy makeup on after you put on your foundation.

(Before application)

(After application)

As can be seen, it did a good job at downplaying the pores, although not completely hiding them. It also mattified my face. This product keeps my oils at bay (when I use it on its own topped up with only face powder) for approximately a couple hours. 

Although it provides a smoother base for my makeup to glide onto, I don't really notice any difference in its longevity without it. My cheap ass Quick FX No-Shine Mattifier does a better job at keeping my makeup intact for longer. 

Do you need this product? Honestly, no. There's a cheaper alternative out there which is the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser, which I also have and it does the job just as well as The Porefessional.

Will I repurchase? Obviously not, since there are cheaper options out there, but it feels good to have a high end product in my collection that I can turn to especially when I want to go somewhere special.

Benefit is available in Greenbelt 5, Trinoma, SM Mall of Asia and SM Megamall.