Benefit Bella Bamba Blush & Ultra Plush Gloss Review

Hi guys! I am so eager and excited to be writing my first review that I'm going back in time to talk about an old favorite of mine. I adore Benefit Cosmetics, both the product and packaging is always fun and flirty. Their line of 9 boxed powders, appropriately named Box O' Powders, are a Benefit best seller and they recently added shades of Ultra Plush Lip Gloss to match 6 of the powders!

Let's take a look at Bella Bamba...

I am a sucker for packaging, you will see that if I don't like the packaging of a product it will most likely get a less than impressive review. On the flip side I have more than once impulse purchased a product based completely on looks not quality, yeah I know I cringed too. Maybe it's superficial but makeup is supposed to be fun right?

Bella Bamba is in my opinion one of the best looking Box O' Powders Benefit offers, with it's iridescent shiny purple, orange and pink fantastic-ness. The box concept is not only fun but convenient for touching up on the go as well. As chunky as the box may look it is made from cardboard with a magnet to hold closed, so they are lightweight and not bulky in a purse and I never have a fear of the product spilling or breaking in my makeup bag (essentially my worst nightmare!)

The best part about these blushes is the sculpting brush included. If Benefit sold these wicked little brushes seperately, I would buy them in bulk to use with all my other blushes. The shape is made to sweep up the cheekbone to sculp perfectly in one sweep which is ideal if you have a heavy hand with blush like I do.

The color of Bella Bamba is intimidating at first to say the least. These pictures do NOT accurately show the color, sorry I still have to figure out this lighting thing! Marketed as a "3D brightening pink face powder" you may not be sure of when to wear this shade. In my opinion it is not the most natural flush of color, I save my BBBB (Bella Bamba Boxed Blush, of course!) for summer nights out on the town or wear with a bold and bright eye. The color is a bright pink with flecks of gold shimmer throughout.

As for the formula, Bella Bamba needs more B's - Buildable and Barely! To this day I am timid when it comes to applying. Maybe the color is just a tad on the neon side for me personally as I have fair skin (like I said this is a definite summer shade best on tanned skin). One sweep provides a flush of bright shimmering pink, but more than one sweep and you are in the danger zone for looking like a stage performer as it is easy to over-do looking cakey and unnatural. Not a good look when trying to hook a hottie at the beach ;)

I only have one complaint - fallout. You will have to make sure to really tap off the excess product from the brush before applying, this will give the most natural look with the least headache. With this blush I like the shimmery matte finish applying thinly will provide, but if you have a heavy hand like me it is hard to master. It also smells delicious!

The matching gloss complements the powder nicely without being neon hot pink and glittery don't worry, in fact as bright red as it looks, the gloss goes on sheer. The price for these tube glosses may seem steep at $19, but the formula is worth the money. Wear time is only a couple of hours, but in a tube gloss that is to be expected in my experience. Instead of being sticky, Benefit's Ultra Plush Bella Bamba is light and smooth, with a kiss of pigmented color.

This product was purchased by G&G for review! xx