Say bonjour, bienvenue, hola and hello to Benefit’s newest plan to perfect your complexion: Hello Flawless ($34).
Expect to see it on Benefit counters this April.
It’s a buildable pressed powder that comes in six colors (four are already online). Each contains SPF 15.
I’ve been wearing Hello Flawless in Toffee all weekend long. It evened out my blotchy patches, layering effortlessly to create a canvas of uniform color.
Benefit calls Hello Flawless a flexible Jill-of-all trades powder that you can layer and build depending on your coverage needs. Each shade comes with a brush and a sponge housed in a secret ninja compartment under the compact. The different applicators can be used for different levels of coverage.
If your skin’s in good shape and all you need is sheer coverage, dust Hello Flawless on with the brush. It’ll absorb any excess oil and adds a light veil of color.
But if you get pimples and blotchy skin from time to time, you’re not the only one. When your skin won’t cooperate and you need medium-to-heavy coverage, apply Hello Flawless with the sponge.
After using both the sponge and the brush, I think I prefer the sponge.
The brush left an obvious layer of powder on my face, while the sponge made the powder look like it melted right into my skin. Even though the coverage was heavier with the sponge, I thought it looked more natural.
While some heavy coverage powders make my skin look too matte (like a mannequin), Hello Flawless doesn’t. Applied with the sponge, it covers everything, eliminating all of the red, splotchy patches around my nose, but no matter how much I apply, it doesn’t make my skin look unnatural.
I think it has something to do with the ratio of mica in the powder. Some powders overdo it on the mica. It’s included to add some lifelike illumination, but too much results in greasy looking skin, yuck! Hello Flawless gets the glow just right. It’s shiny but not overly so.
Benefit Hello Flawless Powder
Price: $34
Use: A buildable pressed powder with SPF; comes in sheer to heavy coverages
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
I give Hello Flawless mad props for having SPF and for offering full coverage that still looks natural, but I wish it came in a wider selection of colors.
Even though Toffee was a pretty good match for me, it wasn’t exact. Six colors just isn’t enough, especially for the brown end of the spectrum, yo!
If one of the Hello Flawless shades matches your skin tone, you’re in luck. For those lucky enough to have a match (check the colors they have available now on their site), it’s a great buildable powder.
Fashion Week coverage?
Hey, gals, can I get your input? New York Fashion Week’s in full effect, and I was wondering what ya’ll would like to see in terms of MBB coverage.
Unless you sound off, I’ll just keep chugging along with reviews and business as usual. 🙂
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hey, in regards to fashion week, I think there is enough coverage out there for the people who want it. 🙂 Your blog always stands out as a breath of freshness….I would hate to see “repeats” so to speak. I would say at the end of the week if you wanted to do a wrap up of the beauty trends that would be cool!
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for letting me know your thoughts. 🙂 A round up of trends sounds like a good idea!
Hey Karen! I’m in complete agreement with Amanda. I’m already tired of NY Fashion Week, LOL. Your blog has been a great getaway from all the coverage.
Regarding Hello Flawless…would you be up for doing a before/after deal so we can see how the coverage is? I’m really interested in this powder but want to know how well it does in the coverage department. If you can’t, no worries.
Thanks, as usual!
hmm, interesting–I hadn’t heard of this product before your review. I do really like the idea of buildable natural looking coverage…I’m so scared to veer from my tried and true makeup routine though!!
Hm, I look like a fair petal girl but I’m not sure. I don’t wear powder often and even then it’s usually in translucent for fair skinned people. On my face alone, I usually just wear tinted moisturizer and blush. Powder is usually only used when I have a concert.
Y’know that saying that pimples go away once you hit 20? I want to know who said that so I can hit them over the head with the thickest book I can find because I’m 20 and I still have a pimple/blackhead problem.
I’m with Amanda and Shefali but maybe its because I’m nowhere near NY or the USA 🙂 But a round up sounds nice
There’s too many blogs posting the same shit every day. Yes, Bloggers One, Two, and Three; I get that there’s a lot of blue and black eyeshadow being used on the twigs I’m supposed to call models. Now post the reviews of the insanely expensive blush I’ll never buy, please.
Grr. I’m such a bitch. Haha.
And Kate; acne never goes away unless you make it! Start a good beauty regimen and stick to it everyday to get rid of your acne. I like using Pond’s Classic Cream and Noxzema products. 🙂
Oh, Karen, I’ve always wanted to ask you something. I myself also collect makeup and have been for years and its not until recently I noticed how much makeup I owned until someone told me. How much beauty products do you own? You’re the only person I’m subscribed to that seems to have a new post everyday and every time you show us a new product I always think about your collection and how big it must be.
SarahPUFFY!; Ever since I changed to a new cleanser, it’s gotten better. I’m just in between skin stages and Neutrogena Acne Wash is too harsh yet something without acne medication is too weak. I’m in a troubleshooting stage. When you’re 20, your hormones start to balance out so your go-to skin cleanser may not work or do the reverse so a change may be needed.
Round up of trends sounds quite perfect to me 🙂
I’m thinking of getting a pressed powder one of these days, any recommendations? It’s mostly to even out a bit and to diminish some shine, not for a lot of coverage as I don’t really need that (yeah lucky me)
I am totally interested in fashion week so please do a round up. I love your take on things and your comments always make me giggle. I have seen a few face charts online from what Bobbi Brown did at a few shows and I am really excited about spring – new cute shoes and new makeup!!!
I looked at the benefit powder shades and I think I would have a problem b/c I am so fair yet I have a yellow undertone – anything that is “petal” or the least bit pink – even if it says neutral – will turn very, very pink on me. So I’ll stick with my BB sheer finish pressed powder. I do love the spf factor in the benefit powder, though. You can’t have too much of that!
I personally think you can skip the fashion week stuff. Most beauty blog regurgitate the same information, week after week, especially when events like fashion week are going on. So your blog is totally a refuge for something different! Especially this week!! But I am sure that if you did cover fashion week that you would put your hilarious spin on it with maybe a little photoshop that would definitely be enjoyable.
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Hi Shefali,
Let me see if I can work up the courage to do a before shot without any foundation/powder on… my skin has been rebelling against me lately, LOL!
Happy Tuesday! 🙂
Hi Tanya,
Yup, it’s not due on shelves until April, but you can get a few colors online now. 🙂
You are so lucky to have found a tried and true makeup routine. What products do you use?
Hi Kate,
I don’t know who said that pimples go away at 20… whoever it was must’ve been blessed with really great skin (lucky bum!). I am 33 and I still have acne issues. Granted, they aren’t as bad as they were when I was a teenager, but it’s still annoying.
Hi Paris B.,
🙂 Thanks for letting me know. Do you guys have a fashion week in your neck of the woods?
Hi SarahPuffy,
Thanks for your input!
Hi Wehkwas,
Hello my fellow makeup addict! My stash a decent sized collection… it’s not as crazy as other people’s I’ve seen. I end up giving a lot of stuff away to family and friends, to tell you the truth. I guess I’m more addicted to trying new stuff, LOL!
Hi Kate,
I found that when my skin started going nuts a gentle cleanser helped a ton. I used to really love Basis when my skin was super oily (now it’s more dry). It takes everything off gently without stripping. I still have acne now and what I usually do is rotate topical acne meds — BHA (salicylic acid) acne medication on one day, 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide on others.
Hi Karen B.,
Lucky you! I am so jealous. 🙂
For pressed powder that’s more to cover up shine, I *love* MAC Blot. It never looks caked on or gross, sucks up all the oil and doesn’t break me out. It comes in five shades — I’m guessing you are a light or a medium. Anyhoo, here is the link: MAC Blot
Thanks for the link.
I got my hair cut and coloured today, it’s so so nice. I paid a lot but it looks a-ma-zing!!!! 🙂
Hi Karen B.,
You’re welcome! It’s a great powder — been one of my staples for years. 🙂
Oh, send me a pic of your new hair!
this sounds intriguing? is it much like the studio fix powder? oh please no more fashion week….god i am so sick of the fashion week posts…enough already! lol
I totally agree with everyone else on the fashion week coverage! I get kind of fed up with scrolling through the same ten face charts on every single beauty blog I read, you know? 🙂 A wrap up of, say, the top five trends would be great, though! Maybe you could even show us how to duplicate them with products you already own?
Kate, I know exactly what you mean!! I’m also in that weird middle ground: I have some acne, but my skin is too dry for the teen acne products and too oily for the adult acne products. Ugh!
Hiya Karen, I use Bare Minerals and Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage for coverup (for me, the secret success of the coverup was all in the application–lip brushes are the best for this!)
For really full coverage for events, I go with the laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer you reviewed awhile back, applied with a stippling brush then a light dusting of powder to set it. So far, So good!!!
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Hi Karen,
I enjoy following fashion week and usually get my complete coverage on style.com. Some of the designers also include photos of the make up on their slide shows, which is cool. I especially like the natural faces Thakoon did today, and Marc Jacobs had some awesome smoky eye creativity going on. However, your blog is great as it is–it’s nice to hear about new products, but if you wanted to maybe highlight some trends we may look for in the fall, that might be good!
What are the ingredients in Benefit Hello Flawless powder? I haven’t been able to find them online. Thanks in advance for your help!
Just thought I would post the ingredients as a response post.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: octinoxate 5.94%, titanium dioxide 1.70%, oxybenzone 2%. OTHERS: triethoxycaprylylsilane, silica, nylon-12, phenyl trimethicone, polyethylene, talc, lauroyl lysine, phenoxyethanol, ethylene/acrylic acid copolymer, aluminum dimyrisate, bht, disodium stearoyl glutamate, sodium dehydroacetate, methicone, polymethyl methacrylate, isononyl isononanoate, alumina. (+/- bismuth oxychloride, mica, titanium dioxide, carmine, iron oxides.
I want to buy this powder but don’t know what shade to get. I’m thinkin toffee would be a good match…I’m a nc40/nc42 @ mac, what do you think?
Hi, Karen! Can you tell how “hello flawless” compares to mac’s “mineralize skin finish natural’? Thank you 😉