Benefit Hello Flawless Custom Powder Cover-Up Review – Glam Radar

As promised, here’s my thoughts on Benefit “Hello Flawless!” Custom Powder Cover-Up SPF 15. Blech. What a mouthful. It’s actually just a regular powder foundation. They call it “custom powder” because you can adjust the coverage by using different applicators it comes with; the sponge for heavier coverage or the brush for lighter coverage. I don’t see what’s so special about this. We can use the same techniques with any other powder foundation, can’t we? But to be fair, not every powder foundation includes a sponge AND a compact brush inside the container. So there’s that.
benefit-hello-flawless-custom-powder-cover-up-review-500x377-1

Check out the cute design. I’m not crazy about it but I admit it’s more fun than plain old black casing (yep, referring to MAC here). Some people might prefer simpler, less gimmicky packaging though.

benefit-hello-flawless-custom-powder-cover-up-500x378-1

benefit-hello-flawless-custom-powder-500x375-1

Even though the container is a bit bulky, it doesn’t feel heavy at all. I also think that it’s sturdy enough to bring along in a cosmetic purse.
benefit-hello-flawless-custom-powder-cover-up-ingredients-500x408-1

The ingredients and the instructions are printed at the back of the carton packaging.

benefit-hello-flawless-custom-cover-up-powder-500x375-1
Shade
What I Crave – Toasted Beige suits my NC37 skin pretty well. If I’m not mistaken, it’s one of the three new shades that were released a year ago. The only thing that bugs me about the color is that it seems a tiny bit too orange for my yellow undertone. If you have tanned skin with beige undertone, it probably would suit you better.
benefit-hello-flawless-powder-500x378-1
Texture & Application
Super smooth, feels silky on the skin, and easy to blend! The weird thing is, though, whenever I try to use the brush it comes with, the powder just flies out everywhere. It seems like a waste of product to me so I use my kabuki brush instead. I also use my own sponge when I want to amp up the coverage (since the one that it comes with is too small) and that works well too. The applicators included are pretty much useless.

I also notice that if I apply it right after moisturizer, it tends to become blotchy on the drier parts of my face. But this problem is easily solved by using foundation primer.
benefit-hello-flawless-custom-cover-up-powder-shade
Finish
For some people with oily skin, the matte finish this powder offers might be a good thing, but I myself dislike it. Yes it feels smooth on the skin and it might come out “flawless” on photos, but in real life my face just looks dull.

Coverage
I’d say light to medium, but yes, you can achieve more coverage by applying it with a sponge. Still, if I want that much coverage, I’d go with liquid foundation. With this powder, you would need A LOT of product to cover acne marks and redness. And the bad news is that it can end up cakey if you apply too much. I do think less is more with this product and the ideal way to use it is probably on top of a tinted moisturizer.

benefit-hello-flawless-custom-cover-up-powder-look-500x380-1
I applied it with a brush on my left cheek here. It definitely makes my pores less visible and evens out my skintone. I still have a few post acne marks and though the redness isn’t completely covered up, in general you can tell that the powder offers pretty good coverage.

Oil Control & Staying Power
Unlike MAC Studio Fix Powder, it doesn’t make my skin greasy as long as I moisturize my skin beforehand. It also holds up pretty well. My skin still looks matte even after four hours, and that’s a long time considering our humid weather here in Indonesia.

Price
It’s quite expensive yet it contains so little! For comparison, MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation costs $27 for 15g/0.52oz while Hello Flawless costs $34 for 7g/0.25oz. It’s also not refillable.

Overall
This powder definitely needs the aid of a good primer to perform better. Unless you don’t need much coverage and are just looking for a powder with great oil control, I wouldn’t recommend it to you. I’m sure there’s something out there that’s cheaper but still works as good, if not better. And last but not least, this powder broke me out with small spots on my cheeks, chin and forehead. Yikes. So yeah, if you’re someone that’s prone to acne, beware. This isn’t something you could wear everyday as it may easily clog your pores.

Have you tried this powder from Benefit before? What do you think about it?

You may also like...