Benefit Cosmetics – Cheek Parade (“Beauty and the Beat” Blush Kit)

Posted on November 10, 2019 by The Pale Adventurer

Online Description:

What it is:
A limited-edition palette featuring five bestselling, full-size bronzers and blushes.

What it does:
Benefit’s iconic bronzers and blushes come together in this limited-edition cheek palette. It features full sizes of the GALifornia golden pink blush, hoola lite bronzer, the original hoola matte bronzer, rockateur, a rose gold blush, and dandelion, a brightening baby pink blush. It also includes a mini powder brush for a soft, natural-bristle powder brush and a signature Tips & Tricks for seamless application.

Hoola & Hoola Lite Description:

What it is: An award-winning Hoola Matte Bronzing powder—now available in four shades for a sunkissed glow all year round.

What Else You Need to Know: Hoola Matte Bronzer is now available in four shades to flatter all complexions, perfect for getting a natural-looking tan all year long. It comes complete with a built-in mirror and powder brush. These finely-milled bronzers blend smoothly and seamlessly.

Suggested Usage:
-Lightly dust Hoola across the cheekbones, hairline, down the sides of nose, and beneath the jawline for an instant, natural-looking tan.
-For an easy, everyday contour, sweep and blend Hoola under the cheekbones, along the hairline, and along the jawline to sculpt and define your features.
-Tip: Enhance your glow with Benefit’s GALifornia blush (sold separately) for a sunny, golden-pink flush.

Galifornia Description:

What it is: A sunny, golden pink blush.

What Else You Need to Know: Benefit’s GALifornia golden pink blush blends bright pink with shimmering gold, for a sunkissed glow that complements all skin tones. The embellished gold overspray lifts away with each use, and the formula is infused with a subtle shimmer throughout that gives your cheeks a soft sheen. The signature Galifornia Dreamin’ scent features notes of pink grapefruit and vanilla. It comes complete with a custom, rounded blush brush and a mirror for soft, diffused application.

Suggested Usage:
-Dust this pink blush onto the apples of your cheeks for a splash of California color.

Rockateur Description:

Pick up the beat with a rush of heat! This rockin’ rose gold cheek powder gives a famously provocative flush that turns heads on-stage and off. The crowd will go wild for its sexy faceted design, accented in luxe gold. For an encore, the custom angled, dimensional brush gives rich, show-stopping payoff every time.

Rockateur has a specialized formula that works by combining the best features of baked, powder, cream and fluid textures to give a brighter, purer color pay off creating 1.6 times the amount of pure color payoff. This results in the usage rate of Rockateur to be an exact match to Benefit Cosmetics other Box o’ Powders

APPLICATION:

Swirl brush over the powder & tap off excess. Sweep onto the apples of your cheeks & along your cheekbones.

Beauty tip: Blend Rockateur over Watt’s Up! for a beautiful, dewy glow!

Dandelion Description:

What it is:
A pale-pink, pressed highlighting powder that transforms your complexion from dull to radiant.

What it does:
Fake awake in just one stroke with Dandelion—Benefit’s long-lasting, pressed highlighting powder in ballerina-pink. Its shimmery, satiny, and radiant formula leaves an immediate perk-me-up finish that brightens up your face—even at eight in the morning.

Suggested Usage:
-Sweep this highlighting powder onto cheeks as a soft blush, or apply it all over the face as a brightening finishing powder.

My Thoughts:

Y’all know I’m a sucker for a great deal and this palette is just that! I’ve been a huge fan of Benefit products for years now, and this palette only reinforces that loyalty. Even though I’m biased towards Benefit’s products, that won’t alter my honesty. There are still a few of their products that just fell short and I vocalize that, but this is not one of those fails. The powders have a sweet scent to them, but they’re not overpowering and dissipate shortly after applying. These products are still available as full-size individual products, but the palette is discontinued.

Performance/Wear: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5

Honestly, I love this palette and there’s not much I can find to try to say negative about it. The value is amazing, it smells delightful, and every powder works beautifully. I am someone who tries to make the most out of a purchase, and that includes using products beyond what they were intended for. For example, bronzers can be used as transition eye colors and the value is insane because you get WAY more product for a color you use most frequently. I do need to caution anyone who’s never tried that trick, especially if you have sensitive eyes, proceed with caution. Face products are not formulated to work around the direct eye area, so it may cause irritation, but if you try it, it is at your own risk. You can’t blame the company or anyone else if you use a product outside of how it’s intended. I suggest that trick because most products that are safe for the face are USUALLY good around the eyes as well, but there have been a seldom product here and there that irritated my eye, as in turned red and swollen. Again, I held myself ENTIRELY responsible, not the company. With that being said, every color in here is versatile outside of its general label, meaning all of them can be used on the eyes, added to lips, even around the shoulders or chest for an enhanced contour or glow.

I have never seen a slight hint of patchiness from these powders, and that’s impressive considering my skin seems determined to give the Sahara Desert a run for its money. All of these work over cream, liquid, and powder products. So, it doesn’t matter if I set my entire face with powder, these still apply and blend seamlessly over all formula consistencies. The brush is the most helpful for bronzers, but I don’t care to use it as much for blush or luminizer. I love using the brush to dust Dandelion over my shoulders and clavicle for an enhanced glow over pronounced bone structures or on my legs when I’m wearing a dress and feeling pretty. All the powders wear well all day and the only time I ever saw breakup, was more because of the base (foundation) than the powders, because I would experiment with other powders and the results would be the same.

Hoola:

Matte
Natural Bronze
Doubles as transition eye color
Doubles as brow powder
Can use to contour shoulders and clavicles
Ingredients: Talc, Iron Oxides (CI77491-CI77492-CI77499), Zinc Stearate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Dimethicone, Manganese Violet (CI77742), Methylparaben, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Boron Nitride, Propylparaben, Butylparaben.N° 3N5276-1

Galifornia:

Shimmer, only on the top layer
Bright coral pink
My only issue with this palette is that this product only has that golden shimmer on the top layer, once you use through that gold shimmer on the top, it’s just pink the rest of the way down to the pan.
Can double as an eye color
Layer over a lipstick to create a matte lip
Ingredients: Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Mica, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Dicalcium Phosphate, Squalane, Glycerin, Fragrance, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polysorbate 80, Limonene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethicone, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Xanthan Gum, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tin Oxide, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Lauroyl Lysine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Bht, Linalool, Citral, Geraniol, Stearic Acid, Tocopherol, Water. [+/-: Ci 15850 (Red 6, Red 7, Red 7 Lake), Ci 15985 (Yellow 6, Yellow 6 Lake), Ci 19140 (Yellow 5, Yellow 5 Lake), Ci 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), Ci 45410 (Red 27, Red 27 Lake, Red 28 Lake), Ci 73360 (Red 30, Red 30 Lake), Ci 77007 (Ultramarines), Ci 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride), Ci 77288 (Chromium Oxide Greens), Ci 77289 (Chromium Hydroxide Green), Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77510 (Ferric Ferrocyanide, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide), Ci 77742 (Manganese Violet), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide)].

Rockateur:

Shimmer
Dusty rose color
Can double as a blush or a luminizer
Can be used as an eye color in the crease for a “minimal makeup” look
Ingredients: SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, MICA, CETEARYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, HDI/TRIMETHYLOL HEXYLLACTONE CROSSPOLYMER , GLYCERIN, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SQUALANE, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, POLYSORBATE 80, LIMONENE, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, LINALOOL, HEXYL CINNAMAL, PTFE, DIMETHICONE, BENZYL SALICYLATE , PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, CHONDRUS CRISPUS (CARRAGEENAN), XANTHAN GUM, ZINC STEARATE, SILICA, LAUROYL LYSINE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, CITRAL, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL, CITRONELLOL, EUGENOL, CINNAMYL ALCOHOL, GERANIOL, TOCOPHEROL, BHT. [+/-: CI 15850 (RED 6, RED 7, RED 7 LAKE), CI 15985 (YELLOW 6, YELLOW 6 LAKE), CI 19140 (YELLOW 5, YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 42090 (BLUE 1 LAKE), CI 45410 (RED 27, RED 27 LAKE, RED 28 LAKE), CI 73360 (RED 30, RED 30 LAKE), CI 77007 (ULTRAMARINES), CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE), CI 77288 (CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS), CI 77289 (CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77510 (FERRIC FERROCYANIDE, FERRIC AMMONIUM FERROCYANIDE), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE)]. N° 07744/A

Hoola Lite:

Matte
Natural Light Bronze
Doubles as transition eye color
Doubles as brow powder
I prefer to use this to contour my nose, while using Hoola to contour my cheeks, temples and hairline, which creates a softer contour around the center of my face.
Ingredients: TALC, ZINC STEARATE, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE, DIMETHICONE, BORON NITRIDE, SODIUM DEHYDROACETATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), ASCORBYL PALMITATE, LIMONENE, HYDROXYCITRONELLAL, BHT, TOCOPHEROL. [+/- : CI 15850 (RED 6, RED 7, RED 7 LAKE), CI 15985 (YELLOW 6, YELLOW 6 LAKE), CI 19140 (YELLOW 5, YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 42090 (BLUE 1 LAKE), CI 45410 (RED 27, RED 27 LAKE, RED 28 LAKE), CI 73360 (RED 30, RED 30 LAKE), CI 77007 (ULTRAMARINES), CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE), CI 77288 (CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS), CI 77289 (CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77510 (FERRIC FERROCYANIDE, FERRIC AMMONIUM FERROCYANIDE), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE)].No 10949/A;

Dandelion:

Shimmer
Pale Pink
A little light for a blush for me, but I like to use it to dust all over my face or on the lower center of my forehead to bring attention to the center of my face and dull out the strong angles of the square shape of my face.
Ingredients: Talc, Mica, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Polyethylene, Magnesium Myristate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Zinc Stearate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Silica, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Squalane, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Fragrance, Lecithin, Sodium Lauroyl Aspartate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tocopherol, Limonene, Bht, Retinyl Palmitate, Zinc Chloride, Linalool, Aluminum Hydroxide, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Eugenol. [+/-: Ci 15850 (Red 6, Red 7, Red 7 Lake), Ci 15985 (Yellow 6, Yellow 6 Lake), Ci 19140 (Yellow 5, Yellow 5 Lake), Ci 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), Ci 45410 (Red 27, Red 27 Lake, Red 28 Lake), Ci 73360 (Red 30, Red 30 Lake), Ci 75470 (Carmine), Ci 77007 (Ultramarines), Ci 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride), Ci 77288 (Chromium Oxide Greens), Ci 77289 (Chromium Hydroxide Green), Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77510 (Ferric Ferrocyanide, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide), Ci 77742 (Manganese Violet), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide)], No06654/A.

Packaging: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5

Brownie points for the nice mirror included, as well, as the brush. Even though I don’t use the brush for every color, it’s still a nice addition to include a tool to use with all these powders. A lot of people don’t care for buying a million brushes, and that makes the brush included essential. I don’t like how this looks like recycled packaging, and you can tell that by the sticker on the front to cover up some misprint or something, but it just looks lazy from a quality control standpoint. It doesn’t hinder the quality of the product, by any means.

Once I go through these, the palette these are set in is removeable, so I can easily reuse the case and still have something to travel with. For example, I can throw in travel-sized minis like brow gel, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, foundation, and who knows what else might fit. It’s not a trunk do it can’t fit a ton of stuff, but it makes a great carrying option for an on-the-go look. As far as details go, I like to rope detailing around the sides and the reflective gold around the entire package. The magnet is strong, but not so much that it makes it a pain to get the palette open, like the Norvina pro palettes are. I’m not dragging those palettes, but the magnets in them are HARDCORE.

Price: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5

Since all of these powders are full size, and they individually sell for $30 each, yeah, I’d say the price of this is wonderful. I’m paying $2 less than the cost of two, while getting three extra powders FOR FREE, and that’s not including the value of the brush.

Pros:

Smells delightful
Blends beautifully, even over dry skin
Wears well all day
Mirror included
GREAT value
Brush included
Multi-purpose powders
Palette tray is removeable, can reuse palette box
Adorable design details

Cons:

The gold shimmer on Galifornia is only on the top layer

Texture: Pressed Powders

Scent: Sweet

Recommend? Yes

Repurchase? Yes

Retail: $58.00

Size:

– 0.17 oz/ 5 g GALifornia (sunny golden pink blush)
– 0.28 oz/ 8 g Hoola matte bronzer (matte natural bronzer)
– 0.28 oz/ 8 g Hoola lite matte bronzer (matte natural light bronzer)
– 0.17 oz/ 5 g Rockateur (rose gold blush)
– 0.25 oz/ 7 g Dandelion (brightening baby pink blush)