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Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder Review, Photos, Swatches

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Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)
Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder (Bronzer)

Hoola Lite

Benefit Hoola Lite Box o’ Powder ($29.00 for 0.28 oz.) is a light, yellowed brown with warm undertones and a matte finish. It’s designed to be a lighter version of the original Hoola bronzer with the same matte finish. The original is described as being “ideal for fair complexions,” so I was puzzled to see a Hoola Lite and not a Hoola Deep released (it would also make more sense to me to release a lighter and deeper shade). I consider myself to be light-medium (most “true” medium foundations are too dark for me, and I’m typically one or two shades lighter than that), and this barely showed up on me, so I’d expect this to be more useful on very fair to light skin tones. (Note: the color blending in my skin tone does not impact the rating, as it is not an issue of pigmentation.)

The consistency was incredibly smooth, a little powdery in the box but did not appear dry or dusty on my skin. I found the powder to be incredibly blendable and easy to use, and for fair and light skin tones, it should be hard to overdo. I could see it being used more all-over for light and light-medium complexions, though it had a stronger yellow undertone so it may not work for those with very pink or olive undertones. From what I could judge, it seemed to wear for seven and a half hours on me before starting to break down and look less matte on my skin.

Ingredients

Talc, Zinc Stearate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Dimethicone, Boron Nitride, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum (Fragrance), Ascorbyl Palmitate, Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal, Bht, Tocopherol. May Contain: 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).

Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Foundation
  • Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder
  • Benefit Hoola Lite Box o' Powder
On eyes:
  • BH Foil Eyes 2 Palette
  • Marc Jacobs Iron(y) Highliner
On lips:
  • Estee Lauder Naked Truth Hi-Lustre Pure Color Envy Lipstick

53 Comments

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Linda Avatar

That totally helps, thanks!

I swatched Hoola Lite in store – it’s VERY light…
I just picked up Nude Bronze Light from Hourglass and it’s pretty close to Milk Chocolate Soleil, but way less patchy IMO, for what it’s worth

Helena Avatar

I’ve never tried Hoola, but I know it’s been beloved by many with fair skin (Leesha immediately comes to mind lol). So it definitely does seem weird to release a lighter, not darker, version…but I’m not really surprised. Benefit is not the most deep skin-friendly brand. (Not the worst, either…that may be Physician’s Formula or Almay.)

Ginny Avatar

The color of the original Hoola doesn’t work for me, but even being super pale I still have quite a few suitable bronzer options in my stash. This seems quite yellow. Hopefully they follow this up with a Hoola Deep, seems like a no brainer.

Jane Avatar

Besides the obvious “where’s the hoola dark?” — and thanks for pointing out that curiously missing product — but why is this $29 for .28 oz, and the dandelion highlight is the same price for a third less product? Does Benefit just expect us not to notice and throw money their way? Sheesh

Alanna Avatar

I am paler than the arctic snow, and this hardly showed up on me. I swatched it on my stark white hands and it was barely visible.

MacKenzie Avatar

I swatched the original Hoola next to this at Ulta this week, and it’s so light that it hardly showed up on my skin! I’m pretty fair (I use the lightest or next to lightest shades in several Nars face products), and even I think this doesn’t make too much sense without a corresponding Hoola Deep. If I didn’t have such pinky-to-neutral undertones I probably could have used this as a setting powder. I wish Benefit was more POC friendly…

Patricia Avatar

This really is kind of a pointless product, I have fair skin and I don’t think this color would be very flatering, it seems like I could buy a regular powder that I like in a darker shade than mine and it would work better.

nelleshoegirl Avatar

I’m fair-to-light and swatched this on the back of my hand and went “where’s the pigment?” It barely showed up on me! Truly for fair skinned ladies! (Though the yellow undertones seem like they would clash on the truly fair and pink skinned folks.)

kjh Avatar

Original Hoola is the only benefit face color I never got, including the d/c’d Georgia,
Throbbb or whatever, 10. Even Balla Bamba and Coralista! Highly unflattering; too yellow. This would be even worse. Pale and probably yellower. Not high on Laguna either, only have a mini. This would be invisible, except the jaundice, lol. I still hold benefit dear for cheek products, and think a deeper hoola should be the next big thing….it would be bigger than this, I predict. I personally mourn Georgia, which was a real nice peach. It’s depotted, heavily panned, and being hoarded, at this point. Benefit has made some classic cheeks….I had my face done by Jane at bendel’s, when there was a bendel’s 100 years ago. Now it’s the daughters. Time flies.

BonnieBBon Avatar

I’m always referencing my so pale I’m almost see through complexion so you guys know when I say fair, I’m fair! I know somewhere on the site I recently mentioned I wear hoola almost everyday. It’s never been so dark that I’ve had problems blending or needed to go in with a super light hand. I never once thought “gee I wish this was lighter “. Still I planned on buying hoola light because I naively thought it says lite, I’m light therefore I should buy. After hearing pale people say it barely showed up I actually went and swatched it and they were correct. You know how certain eyeshadows just look invisible because they are so close to your skin tone? I’m not light yellowish brown but this is like the stealth eyeshadow. It just doesn’t show up. I’m kinda mystified.

Katja Avatar

I am also slightly confused by this product. I am a NC10 and I can wear the original Hoola fine, it isn’t too dark on me. I find the original to be quite light to begin with, wonder how light this is in person 😀

Holly Avatar

I swatches this on my arm, wrist, and hand at Ulta the other day. It barely showed up at all, it looked beige and blended away to practically nothing on me. I didn’t try it in my face, maybe it would show up better, my skin tone is light. This may show up on the ultra fair. I use the original Hoola and really like it, I was hoping this light one would be just a tad lighter and cooler as the original Hoola does look a little warm on me for a contour shade.

jonirae Avatar

I always thought the original hoola would actually work pretty well on my pale skin, but I have this thing where I *really* hate cardboard packaging… lol but anyway, I have a hard time with bronzers yellowing/oranging me out, and this seems reeeally yellow, especially in comparison to the original. I was hoping for better, *and* I’m still irked by that whole sparkly dandelion product upcharge thing, so benefit is kind of on my ehh-list right now. bummer!

Marie-Estelle Avatar

The tone of the powder is disappointing. I will wait to have the new shade of bronzer from the Estée Lauder x VB collection available. Considering how the first performed it is promising.

I agree with the previous comments concerning the absence of a deeper tone… It makes me consider to stop buying from brands not at least trying to have a decent range for multiple skin tones.

Tarzi Avatar

As a very fair person with a truly yellow undertone (so many very pale people are pink, but there are pale yellow and pale olive people out there), I could see how this might be useful…but at the same time I know people with my shade and undertone are a small fraction of the population so it just seems odd from a business standpoint? But I’ve honestly never been able to figure out who Benefit is really marketing to, so there you go lol. The one thing that does make me wonder if whether this is intended for the Asian market – pale yellow and olive being more normal skin colours over there – but I have always been under the impression that bronzer is not a typical part of most people’s looks over there. ??? Once again, Benefit, who is this for???

Alecto Avatar

This would likely work for me undertone-wise, as I am definitely light and yellow, but I think I’d need to be paler for it to really be worth it. Besides which, I have Hoola “medium,” which works just fine.

Lorrin M Avatar

This reminds me of Nars Silent Nude blush. I liked the idea of a subtle blush/contour product but it just doesn’t show up on me. I have fair to light skin and I literally have to apply multiple swipes to get it to give me any kind of color. If Hoola Lite is similar, I think it will unfortunately be a pass for me.

Claire L Avatar

I don’t think I could wear this, it looks too yellow for my skin tone. I can wear theBalm’s Balm Desert and Estee Lauder x VB Modern Mercury as they have a little bit of pink in them. I’m not very pink toned but enough that too much warm yellow looks terrible on me.

Kayla Avatar

I am pretty fair with a neutral undertone, and the original Hoola pulls extremely orange on me, even with a light hand. I actually don’t even bother with bronzer at all because I haven’t been able to find one that doesn’t pull orange. And I’ve tried every single “holy grail” pale girl bronzer recommendation ever and they’ve all failed me, so it clearly just isn’t meant to be, haha (hell, I was grateful when I finally found the best cool-toned powder contour product for me!) So I may check out this Hoola Lite in store just for giggles. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just add it to the list…

Kayla Avatar

I had seen that recommendation before, where a girl had just used a regular pressed powder product that she already liked a couple shades darker and warmer than her skin tone for her bronzer, but I do usually err on the side of drugstore where there are so rarely testers out and you kind of need to do things by eye and returns become your modus operandi, haha, so it gets a little intimidating, unless you can find reputable swatches online. If I’m doing things mid or high-end, there are usually testers where I can swatch and it usually saves me the trouble of even bothering to purchase. I’m trying to low-buy right now because the current state of my finances need me to really need/love the product I’m investing in. Frankly, as such a pale girl who rarely sees a tan, I’m not even sure I NEED a bronzer, it might look a little phony on me, but it may also add some life, I don’t know. We’ll head to Ulta this weekend and test the waters again, haha

Ellie Avatar

I tried this the other day and I loved it. I’m fair and have freckles so I think I am the target audience. Most bronzers look muddy with the freckles and it added a really nice dimension to my face. For those of you who are pinker toned and fair try the Max Factor Creme Puff Blusher in Nude Mauve. My friend uses it and she looks radiant.

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