Benefit Do The Hoola Beyond Bronze Kit For Complexion, Lips And Eyes

Although a date doesn't really mean anything, tomorrow marks the official start of Spring, and I for one can't wait. I know it hasn't been the coldest of winters, but it's been damp, dreary and windy and I'm seriously craving a bit of sunshine. If you're a Brit though, for most us the warmth and sunshine is still long way off but there is a way to make yourself look a bit more sun kissed even if you don't necessarily feel it.

Like most pale and pasty peeps out there, in winter time my skin alternates been bright pink, grey, white and blue! At this time of year more than any other people always seem to think that I look ill, and do you know what I probably do, so I do what most of us do and I reach for my make up bag. Many moons ago I was terrified of bronzer - yes it gives you that instant glow but on most of us ghost like people, it just looks wrong, it's either too brown, too orange or just too dark. I found a few that I vaguely got  on with but then I discovered Benefit Hoola and I finally realised just what a difference bronzer could make.

As well as having the full sized boxed powder version of Hoola, I also own a couple of minis that I've got in various Benefit kits. I think I may have mentioned it once or twice ;) but I'm a huge fan of Benefit's mini kits and one of their newest releases is Do The Hoola.

Benefit Do The Hoola Beyond Bronze Kit For Complexion, Lips And Eyes, is another one of their kits that's boxed to look just like a little book.

Open the box and inside you have a small, cardboard book shaped box with a magnetic clasp, that contains everything you'd want to give yourself that healthy bronze glow.

Containing a full size fixed mirror, and  a fold out leaflet with full instructions and application tricks, this kit contains removable, mini sizes of some of Benefits best selling products, and something new, and just a little bit exciting.

The kit contains 2 lip products, 1.4g size of Benebalm, and a 6.5ml size of Hoola Ultra Plush Lip Gloss. It also contains a 3g size of the Hoola Bronzing Powder, and a mini powder brush, as well as a 3g size of They're Real Mascara in Black and a 7ml size of the brand new, and yet to be released in the UK, Dew The Hoola Liquid Bronzer.

Hoola Bronzing Powder - 3g And Mini Powder Brush

I've already talked about Hoola in a previous post ( read it here) but for me it's obvious why it's one of the most popular bronzers in the UK. When you look at what's wrong with bronzers, two of  the things that people normally say is that they are either too orange looking, or they don't look natural. Hoola is a matte bronzing powder that contains no orange, so you get a natural looking colour, with out looking orange or sparkly or as though you're actually wearing a bronzer.

I normally just sweep it over my face in the 3 and E motion to give me face a little bit of shape but in the summer, I play it up a bit more and sweep it over my nose, my forehead and anywhere where the sun would naturally hit my skin. This powder though is perfect for tanning those bits that you may have missed so you can also use it to create a fake tan look, as I've done below or you can also use it to fill in strap marks :)

This is a pretty pigmented powder , so you need a light hand particularly if you're pale like me, apply a small amount, blend well and reapply as needed, to build up the colour that you want.

Dew The Hoola Matte Liquid Bronzer - 7ml

I don't think powder bronzer will ever go out of fashion, but times change and lately there has been a surge of both cream and liquid bronzers, and this kit contains Benefit's version Dew The Hoola. Not launched in the UK in the full size, until the end of this month, this was the product that really sold this kit to me.

I love my powder Hoola but sometimes you just want the moisture and glow, that a liquid or a powder brings. Although Dew The Hoola is a matte liquid bronzer, it seems to give the skin, a healthy glow, and a freshness that it's powder cousin doesn't.

I must admit it looks terrifying when you first pump it out, and whilst it does seem to have a touch of a orange, yellow tone to it, please give it a chance. It has quite a creamy feel, and a heady floral scent, but it blends into the skin like a dream. I really like Soliel Tan De Chanel Bronzing Make Up Base but sometimes on me it just needs more blending then I have the energy for, whilst Dew The Hoola does need to be blended into the skin to avoid any harsh, demarcation lines, it takes no effort and boy does it put the colour where it isn't.

I've blended out quite a lot of it here, but a little goes a long way, apply a little bit with your fingers and blend it out into the cheeks, or on the forehead and nose, and your left with a healthy glow, with no glitter or shimmer. In the pictures towards the end of this post I've used it over a tinted moisturiser and a touch of powder but you can use this product equally well on bare skin, especially I would imagine if you have a darker skin tone.

 Ultra Plush Lip Gloss - Hoola - 6.5ml

This is something else that I've already talked about on the blog, in my review of the Benefit The Bronze Of Champions Total Bronze Kit but I like so I'm more than happy to talk about it again.

Although it looks quite dark and bronze toned in the swatch below, this is a proper nude lipgloss, that's non sticky, and tastes lovely and fruity. I've fallen out of love with lipglosses over the years, but I'm a huge fan of this formulation and taste.

Benebalm Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm 

I only own one of these tinted balms from Benefit and while it was nice it wasn't amazing but after trying this one I think I just went for the wrong colour.

Benebalm is the coordinating lip balm to one of Benefit's first ever products Benetint. It has the same rose scent and taste and it gives the lips a hint of the rose colour that you see on the left in the picture above. The pigmentation is a little bit better on this one so as well as giving your lips some moisture and a bit of gloss, you're also giving them that my lips but better colour.

They're Real Mascara - Black - 3g

The final item in the kit is a mini size of the UK's best selling mascara, They're Real. I'm not going to say too much about it here as I've got a full review coming soon but this kit gives you a chance to either try it out or to get a mini one for your on the go make up bag.

I don't think you can really judge a make up item till you try it out on your face so I've done different looks with this kit to give you an idea of what you can achieve. They aren't the best photographs I've ever taken by any means, my facial palsy was playing up, and believe it or not it was just way too sunny and my face looks washed out ! As bloggers we spend half the year complaining about bad light and the other half complaining that it's too sunny and it's creating too many shadows - you really can't win lol

For this first look I've gone all out and created a tanned face, courtesy of the Hoola Powder Bronzer. I've used it over the top of my base of foundation, and powder to give a matte tanned look, I've even used on the eyes and I've also going with a heavier more defined brow, lots of They're Real and Hoola gloss on the lips. You can see another look I've created with Hoola Bronzing Powder and several other Benefit products in different lighting here x

Here I've gone for a fresher glowy look, I've used Dew The Hoola over a tinted moisturiser and just a touch of powder, no shadow, a lighter brow, one coat of They're Real, and Benebalm for a rosy tint to my lips.

Not perfect I know but hopefully these pics give you a bit more of an idea. Yes this kit will be ideal for holidays and for the summer months, but with careful application there is no reason why you can't wear it at this time of year to warm up your face and make you look a bit healthier.

These kits are idea for trying out new looks and new products and now that you can remove the individual items they're great for your travel or holiday make up bag, or even for when your on the go and you need a quick touch up. I've had a little look round and this kit doesn't seem to be that easy to get hold of but you can currently buy the Benefit Do The Hoola Beyond Bronze Kit For Complexion, Lips And Eyes online from both Boots and John Lewis, and the Benefit website for £28.50.

If it's just Dew The Hoola that you're interested in, then you haven't got too long to wait, the full 30ml size officially goes on sale in the UK on the 26th March but I think it's available on Benefit Cosmetics UK from the 12th March. As well as Dew The Hoola though there are also lots of other goodies coming out from Benefit next month including the full size of Dandelion Shy Beam. Dandelion Dew Liquid Blush and a Hoola Body Bronzer, so if you're a Benefit junkie like me you better start saving x Are you a fan of Benefit Cosmetics? Let me know your favourite product x

Achieving A Healthy Glow All Year Round With Benefit The Bronze Of Champions Total Bronze Kit

With the howling winds and rain we've had over the last 24 hours or so, Summer really does seem like a lifetime away now. The clocks go back at the weekend and we know what that means, longer nights, shorter days and less sunshine.

I can honestly say that I don't mind the change in seasons, I hate the rain, the wind and the snow, but I love the freshness and crispness of the air. The fresh air gives the skin a really healthy glow, but in the depths of winter when you spend so much time indoors and out of natural daylight, your skin can start to look pale, and almost peaky looking. In the winter time I probably use more blusher, bronzer and cheek colours than I do at any other time of year, not only to help shape my face but also to give my skin a much needed healthy appearance. I guess that's why I make no apologies for reviewing a perceived "summer" product now. So many of us need a bit of a glow all year round, and this kit will give us that no matter what the season.

Benefit's The Bronze Of Champions Total Bronze Kit For Eyes Lips And Cheeks, to give it, it's full title is one of those boxed collections for which Benefit are so famous. Ideal gifts and travel companions, these kits also give you an opportunity to try some of their most famous products, for a fraction of the price that the full sizes would cost.

The kit comes boxed and is the familiar almost book style, cardboard packaging, which can be reused as a jewellery or trinket box when the products have gone. It features a large mirror in the lid, and a tips and tricks booklet , with suggestions on how to use the products and a step by step guide to create a make up look using all of the products inside.

So, what's in it? As you would expect from the name, this kit is all about the bronze, but don't think in your face bronze, some of the shades are actually quite neutral. First of all you get a 3.2g Creaseless Cream Shadow / Liner in Bikini-Tini, you also get a 1.2g Longwear Powder Shadow in Thanks A Latte and 3g mini They're Real Mascara. Face wise you get a 3g Hoola Bronzer and a mini cheek brush to apply it with. You also get a little 2.5g Watt's Up Cream Highlighter, and you also get 1 lip product, a 6.5ml Ultra Plush Hoola Lip Gloss.

We'll start off by looking at the eye products. The first product in the kit is the Creaseless Cream Shadow / Liner in Bikini -Tini. I'm a huge, huge fan of these products and Skinny Jeans is easily one of my most used eyeshadows of all time. Bikini-Tini is a gorgeous, shimmery, creamy, champagne colour, it's fab on it own but it works equally well as a base. This one like all of the shades I've tried in this line wears incredibly well.

The next item is the Longwear Shadow in Thanks A Latte. This must be one of Benefit's most popular colours by far, as it appears in at least two other boxed kits, and I can see why. It looks a tad grey in the palette but it's actually a beautiful, shimmery, taupe brown. It's soft and very pigmented, and purely based on this one I honestly don't understand why Benefit powder shadows don't get more love

I'm not going to review They're Real here, I'm still a little bit undecided as up until now I've only used the sample sized ones. Once I've had a chance to try the full sized version I'll put a review post up for you x 

Next up the cheek products and the biggie Hoola Bronzer. I already own the full size of this and I have to say it always scared the hell out of me. It's a matte bronzer with virtually no orange in it but I always thought it was just a bit too dark to work on my pale, pink, skin. I thought about selling but instead I asked Benefit UK's head make up artist Lisa Potter Dixon, via twitter the best way to apply it. Her answer wasn't complicated - in a 3 and E motion, hitting just under your cheek bones to contour, and do you know what? the lady was right. The little brush supplied in this kit is just a scaled down version of the normal box o' powders brush, and it does the job perfectly. The pigmentation is immense and you need a very light hand to avoid overdoing, but I've just been apply it and blending it out with another blush to give me a face a bit of contour and a bit of colour.

The next product in the kit was a new one to me, and something I'd been wanting to try for a while Watt's Up. This is a shimmery, iridescent, champagne highlighter in a stick. It's really creamy, and easy to blend. I've mainly been using it on the top of my cheek bones and on my brown bone to provide a bit of light and a bit of a glow.

The final product in the kit is a mini Hoola Ultra Plush Lip Gloss. Despite the very brown appearance in the tube, this is a proper nude gloss. There is a little bit of colour and sheen to it but it looks quite sheer on the lips. I have a few of these glosses and by and large I'm pretty impressed. Unlike a lot of lip glosses they aren't sticky in the slightest, and they actually feel quite moisturising on the lips. I also love the almost peach and apricot fruity taste and scent.

The tips and tricks leaflet gives you a step by step guide to a really easy and quick make up look using the products in the kit. It's really easy to follow and the result is a really pretty, natural look, that will work equally well in the summer or in the winter. My pictures alas aren't the best, thanks to the autumnal weather but I hope at least they give you some idea. Apart from my foundation, concealer and powder, every thing else is from this kit.

This photo is probably the worst of the bunch which is a shame, but I just want to give you an idea of the eye look that you can create with this kit. You just blend the creaseless cream shadow all over the lid, adding a touch of the powder shadow into the crease and the outer corners, before finishing with a slick of mascara and a bit of the Watt's Up Highlighter on the brow bone. This has been one of my go to eye looks over the last few weeks, it's a nice natural look that's ideal for any occasion. You could of course alter the look by using a little bit of Hoola Bronzer on the lid too.

Despite it's summery theme and imagery, this kit really does prove that being bronzed and glowy isn't just for summer. If I had been abroad this year this kit would definitely have came with me but by the same note I won't be shoving it to the back of the drawer when the snow starts to fall. The shades are very neutral and can easily be worn from season to season, even Hoola bronzer, if you apply it with a more delicate hand. This kit was a gift and to be honest it wouldn't have been something that I would have considered purchasing myself but now I have it, I'm not saying I couldn't live without it but it's been a very useful addition to my make up collection and I can definitely see myself buying Watt's Up in a larger size.

Benefit kits aren't the cheapest and this one is no exception at £26.50 but if you want to try a few products without shelling up for the full sizes kits like this are well worth it and make fab gifts. Are you a Benefit fan? Leave me a comment and let me know your favourite Benefit product x