Review & Swatcheroonies: Benefit Bella Bamba

Hi campers.

Last week I was kindly invited to the launch of the new Benefit powder blush, Bella Bamba and the new Ultra Shine Glosses, at the Benefit boutique in Covent Garden. I made my way there after work and got to see some of my lovely blogger buddies: HellCandy, VexintheCity, Lipgloss86 and LondonBeautyQueen (We really ought to meet up outside these events!)

Anyway, the new blush is the NINTH boxed powder blush from the brand and is probably one of their prettiest at that. Having been compared to NARS 'Orgasm' and 'Deep Throat' on various blogs and sites, I have to admit that although there is a similarity between the shades, Bella Bamba can definitely stand out of the crowd as I much prefer to it the formers.

The packaging is all pretty and shiny which is different from the other 8 boxed blushers as they usually have a matte box....

All the spiel on the back...

What they say:
"The triple dimension of pink...brightening, sculpting and defining. Laced with shimmering gold undertones, this 3D watermelon blush is multi-dimensional to the naked eye...wear it on your cheeks or dust it lightly all over your face to look brighter, perkier and prettier."

The first thing you'll notice from the picture above is that packaging has changed. Gone is the seperate box and lid packaging and in its place is the flip top lid with a magnectic grip so it doesn't pop open at free will. I much prefer this type of packaging as it eliminates the fiddlyness of a seperate lid and the magnetic touch is way better to.
Another thing you'll notice is the tiny mirror under the lid. Yes, the Benefit team have finally heard the pleas of their fans and staff alike and fitted a mirror inside the blusher so you can touch up (not that you'll need to) at any time with the handy little brush that comes with it.

So this is a closer look at the actual blush. I don't have either Orgasm or Deep Throat by NARS to hand but from memory, the shimmers in the Benefit Bella Bamba are a lot finer than the NARS products and also the pink is definitely 'watermelon' - as suggested by Benefit. I know Orgasm is a bit hit or miss with some people because they find it too shimmery or the shimmers are too chunky but I don't think that would be the case with this product. The shimmer is so finely milled that it compliments the shade of pink rather than overpowers it.

Swatcheroonies:

This photo was taken with my digital camera.
The swatch on the left is taken with one swipe of the product whereas the swatch on the right is one swatch but blended out. I did this so you could all see just how pigmented the product is on first application but that it's nothing to be scared of because once it's blended, it's definitely a blush that you can build on. Also, you can see how there are no chunks of shimmer and that instead of the shimmer sitting on top of the pink tones, it blends in and creats a dimension to the shade.

Now, this photo was taken on my BlackBerry.
I took two separate photos so you could see what the product would look like under different lighting. The flash on my phone is a white light so it reflects back and the colour looks a lot brighter than under the yellow toned flash on my camera. Don't be scared of it. Looking at the swatches now might make you think you'll have Aunt Sally cheeks but it's the completely opposite case. The single swipe swatch on the left looks more pinker than in the camera swatch but again, this would be because of the flash on the camera and phone. That being said, look at how the blended out swatch catches the light so well. The gold shimmer hits the camera in such a way that it tones down the pink but doesn't overkill it so you're getting the best of both elements.

There were quite a few people getting their makeup done at the event and Bella Bamba was being used on all of us and surprisingly, it suited every single person. Dark skin, light skin, olive skin... It didn't matter. It was as if the blush was tailor-made for each person and blended in perfectly with their skin and skintone. Personally, I love the fact that anyone can pull this shade off.
Lisa Potter-Dixon, Head Makeup Artist for Benefit and their Events Manager, also suggested that we try the blusher on our eyes as a shadow and finish it off with Bad Gal Plum or Blue to show the contrast. It sounds a bit too much but Lisa had done this and pulled the look off effortlessly so I am very tempted to try it for myself.

Another thing to add is that the new Bella Bamba powder blush is smaller than previous offerings from the brand as pointed out by Amy of Lipgloss86 and Fleur of FleurDeForce. All of the other powder blush products from Benefit were 11g but Bella Bamba is now 8g. Does it make a big difference to me? Not really. I very rarely hit pan on a blush so I can't imagine me completely working my way through Bella Bamba but it is a point to touch upon incase some of you like to know.

Bella Bamba is available now at Benefit online and is priced at £23.50.

Big love and major thank yous going out to the Benefit team for putting together and hosting such a great event. You can follow members of the team on Twitter, by clicking on the links below:

- Jasmine_Benefit = The delightful and sweet Digital Manager
- Lisa_Benefit = The mad but amazingly talented Head Makeup Artist & Events Manager
- Jazz_Benefit = The gorgeous and stylish PR Manager
- Darren_Benefit = The lovliest Brow & Body Grooming Expert
- Nichola_Benefit = The nicest e-Commerce Manager in the business

How many of you can't wait to get your hands on Bella Bamba? I definitely recommend it!!!

Until next time...

Keep swivelling those hips in your