Sunday 10 April 2011

Benefit Hoola Bronzer Review/Rave/Holy Grailness!


Today I thought I would write about one of my all time favourite makeup products,as you can tell from the title it is the rather popular bronzer Hoola from the brand Benefit.Now holy grail is not a term I just throw around I can actually only think of a handful of beauty products that would come under that category,Hoola however is definetly one of them.

I first purchased this bronzer about 3 years ago and yesterday I repurchased for the 3rd time,I am someone who likes to wear a lot of bronzer almost every day.From Dior to Bourjois,cream to powder Hoola is by far my fave and here`s why



  • Matte-Typically I do not like shimmer on my face,I have combination skin and extra sparkle in the T zone is the last thing I need thank you very much.


  • No orange or red tones-I can not bare bronzers with an orange or red undertone,Hoola has an olive undertone,and looks natural on the skin not obvious like some bronzers.


  • Texture-I find it to have a smooth texture that is easy to blend,as with all products you should apply with a light hand and build up.Some people say this bronzer looks muddy on them,I say maybe they are applying it incorrectly or perhaps it doesn`t work for extremely fair skinned ladies.


  • Perfect for contouring-I find that Hoola is the perfect contouring product due to the fact it is matte and is exactly the right shade for my skintone,I am typically an NC35 although sometimes I can be quite a bit darker and considerably lighter in the Winter time If I not wearing fake tan.I find that altering the application enables me to use Hoola all year round.I simply use a heavier or lighter hand depending on how tanned I am at the time.


  • Value for money-Although it is a pricey product,currently £23.50 (I believe when I first purchased it was around the £22 mark) you get a decent amount of product for your pound,11grams to be exact.Like I said earlier I have repurchased 3 times and each box has given me about 10 months of continual use.If I find a product that works for me then I don`t mind paying for it whatever the cost,what sucks is when you spend a fortune on something and end up hating it.I would suggest applying it at the counter before you buy if you think it might not work for you and reading the reviews at makeupalley as I always find them helpful when I`m reseraching a product thats new to me.

The only negative thing I have to say about Hoola (and to be honest it doesn`t bother me that much) is the packaging.As I use the product alot and it lasts me for some time I find that the cardboard box gets worn quite easily and looks tatty.I also find it quite hard to get my brush into,I use a mac 129?,I think.Anyway its a large fluffy powder brush from Mac and although I love the effect it gives its quite hard/impossible to swirl it around the box.I do however occasionaly use the 109 to contour and that fits in no problem.A plus for packaging would be that I don`t think it is as likely to break if you dropped it compared to a plastic cased product.If you travel alot this might be something you want to bear n mind as although the box does get tatty and the edges a little worn,overall it seems pretty durable.


If you are familiar with Hoola or other Benefit boxed powders you will know that they all come with a little square shaped brush (as pictured)I haven`t used the brushes myself as I prefer a much larger fluffier brush to apply my bronzer.They seem like they would apply the product a little streaky/stripey but I wouldn`t like to comment for definate as I normally just throw them away after a while.They are a nice touch however I would much rather Benefit just stopped including them and put the price down about £2.


For anyone who hasn`t tried Hoola I really do reccomend it, especially if you are interested in a product that can be used for both an all over face bronzer and contour product.I think its excellent value for money and a real staple in my collection,perhaps it will become one in yours too.


2 comments:

  1. I've heard that the Benefit box blushes and bronzers are great but for some reason I'm turned off my the packaging. I'm glad it works well for you though. Hoola looks like a beautiful contour color.

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  2. I know what you mean about the packaging,it cheapens it a little imo but if the product is great then thats the main thing :)

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