How cute is this little guy? It’s smiling and it’s eyes are little hearts!! This is Benefit Cosmetics new powder foundation from their Hello Happy line. Mine is a sample size that came in a subscription box, so the full size is bigger, just FYI. This range has three foundation options: the Soft Blur liquid is light coverage, the Brightening is also a liquid but medium coverage, and this one is dual coverage. Because I have combination skin, I was sent this one, and I quite like powders, so I was happy to try it out.

Mine is in shade 2, which is the second palest and actually, I think it’s slightly too pale. There are 9 shades total, which I think might mean some people won’t be able to find the perfect shade, I’m not sure. The full size comes in a solid colour compact and has a brush and a sponge, which sit neatly in side, and the foundation is stamped with the signiture smile. So slightly different to this. Mine has the sponge, which I use to apply it.

The selling points of the product are that it’s lightweight, breathable, mattifying and has a coverage that you can build up if you want to. You can wear it alone or dust over liquid to mattify and set. It has shea butter extract to keep skin happy and moisturised, and purports to last for 12 hours.

So, is it good? There’s a lot of disappointed Benefit fans who used to use the Hello Flawless product and switched to this when it was discontinued. And they’re not happy. I didn’t ever use that product, so this one came to me as a product that was a little different than what I already had. I use a liquid foundation generally, and some finishing powder over the top really lightly sometimes, or a Chanel powder foundation. And I’m really happy with that. The criticisms vary but some people felt that this was chalky and that the shades were not the same as before, with a very different consistency.

Personally, I like the packaging on this product. I feel like it’s really cheerful and positive. I think the sponge is nice and doesn’t feel cheap. I do know what people mean when they say that it’s a little chalky, it’s kind of true. But I feel like I’m happy with it as a quick option to whip out and put on with the sponge, throw on some blush. On my skin, it lasted well and covers and evens out. It did mattify, but I have combination and not oily skin. I probably wouldn’t use it as a full coverage thing, because it would look quite heavy and aging, not really natural, but as a medium coverage, it’s not bad. I think it’s too heavy to use over a foundation, personally.

Honestly, I quite like it, but I recommend trying before you buy and making sure you test the colour carefully to get that right. It’s not so great that I would leave my current foundation behind, but I am really happy that I got the sample and I am happy with how it looks. I love that it’s a quick, light application which is nice when you don’t want to do a big makeup routine, like when you have to quickly run to the store or something. I do feel like it feels soft and natural, and doesn’t clog my pores or dry out my skin and I liked that. I really dont think it’s as bad as the bad reviews make out, but I didn’t use the previous product it replaced. I haven’t tried the 2 liquid versons, but they have a pretty high rating from people who have used them.

For more details, Hello Happy range is HERE and this powder foundation is HERE and retails for $30CAD. Check them out. And if you’ve tried this product, let me you what you thought.