Benefit Hoola Cream-to-Powder Quickie Contour Stick - review

Hello everybody!

I’m absolute noob when it comes to contouring my face and making it look sculpted. My entire life I have been using only foundation, powder and blush. And that’s all that I needed.

So, this stick, which I’m actually going to tell you about today, has been lying about somewhere inside my vanity for a really long time. I used to look at it from time to time and sigh quietly and then put it aside again. I used to think that contouring and all that stuff wasn’t actually my theme.

I love quick makeup when I use only foundation, powder, a little blush... that’s all for me to be ready to go. Contouring seemed to be something out of this planet and I had no idea how to blend it out making it look almost undetectable on the skin.

So, one beautiful morning I was too bored when I finally decided to meet this Benefit product and have a closer look at it. And I became hooked, guys! Now I can’t imagine my everyday makeup routine without this product. I even put aside my blushes for some time.

General characteristics:

• Full name: BENEFIT COSMETICS Hoola Cream-to-Powder Quickie Contour Stick

• Made in Canada

• Place of purchase: actually I got this mini from a beauty box. These minis are usually handed out for the purchases of the Benefit products. You can buy the full size in the branded corners or on the official website.

• Price: currently the full-sized stick costs $28 but I guess they have discounts from time to time, so you can wait and buy it cheaper.

• Size - the size of my mini is 1.4g while the bigger full sized packaging houses 8.5g of the product.

• My tube expires in November 2019

 

Packaging

The outer appearance of the mini is different from the full size. But in general both products are done in the same color and design.

My mini was housed in a beautiful and bright cardboard box. I can say that all the Benefit products stand out with their stunning and gorgeous design. It’s very difficult to pass by their corners filled with beautiful packages.

The list with ingredients:

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Silica, Bis-Stearyl Dimethicone, Diisopropyl Adipate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polyethylene, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Silica Silylate, Isoceteth-10, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Water, Tocopherol, Bht. [+/- : Ci 19140 (Yellow 5, Yellow 5 Lake), Ci 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), Ci 77007 (Ultramarines), Ci 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride), Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide)].

Since I haven’t found much information about the product on the packaging, I decided to surf the official site and I knew about some interesting ways of using this stick.

Opening the box and you’ll see pictures showing you where exactly to apply the product on your face. At first I was planning to use the stick only under my cheekbones to define them as the heavy contouring wasn’t my theme.

In the box you’ll find a small plastic tube of golden color.

The shape of the tube and in general its form reminds me of using a lipstick.

You need to take off the top cap and twist the stick up.

 

Organoleptic properties.

Color. At first I didn’t even want to use this stick as it seemed to be too odd for my skin color. I’m pale and I never get a tan. I used to think that red spots instead of beautifuly shaped cheekbones was everything that I might get with this product.

 

The color looks light-brown and not at all red. But it doesn’t look taupe either. I guess it’s more bronzing and re-freshening product rather than a contouring stick. It’ll be nice to use to make your complexion look sun kissed and a little bit more tanned. This is actually what the manufacturer promises, indeed.

Maybe this very color will work nice as contouring for those with yellow skin undertones or for those who are really tanned. But if your skin is as pale as mine, the product is likely to look red on you too. But since I’ve never had any contouring products before I can’t state anything for sure.

Aroma. There’s almost no scent here to the product but I do think that it smells of something light and cosmetic-like.

Consistency. The stick is thick and solid. It doesn’t fall out or break. The application on my skin is easy. The color intensity can be controlled with how much you press the stick. I can say that the product glides over my face, yet giving it no greasy feel. The finish is matte. But on my skin in the bright light I can still see some satin shine.

However, the finish becomes totally matte while blending.

Wear time. It’s awesome. I apply the product on my cheekbones in the morning and I can see it present there on my face till the afternoon. The product fades a little but it isn’t so critical for me. In the afternoon I touch-up and add some more color to my cheekbones and then the product holds up till the evening.

I do the blending with my fingers. I find fingertip blending the quickest and easiest. But sometimes I can use the makeup sponge from the H&M shop which also blends the product out nicely. The stick is very easy to blend out completely. It’s very easy to blend the product out to flatter makeup that will look good for the office, flattering my skin color and making me look fresh and well slept. Yet my skin will still look as though there’s no cosmetics on it...as though I was born this way. You can also define your cheekbones more for the evening makeup or for a photoshoot, for instance. In the artificial light the cosmetics don’t look so obvious.

Ingredients.

I don’t bother with the ingredients as I always apply this stick over a base, which is my foundation and powder, so that’s fine for me.

The product doesn’t provoke any allergy or irritation on my skin in the places where I apply it.

Product promises

Contouring is now as easy as 1,2,3 with this matte, soft-bronze contour stick. Get defined cheekbones, a slimmer-looking nose and an overall sculpted look with just a few strokes of hoola quickie contour stick. The dome-shaped tip ensures smooth, targeted application while the longwearing, cream-to-powder formula will keep you looking chiselin’ hot!

• Longwearing, cream-to-powder formula

• Natural, soft matte finish

• Blends seamlessly

How to use.

Three easy ways to contour:

1. Defined cheekbones: Apply several layers under your cheekbones and blend upward toward your ears using a blending sponge. Repeat as needed.

2. Slimmer-looking nose: Apply several layers along both sides of your nose, blending outwards using a blending sponge. Repeat as needed.

3. Sculpted look: Apply several layers below your hairline, blending upward. Stroke along your jawline, blending down towards your neck with a blending sponge. Repeat as needed.

I use this stick as a finishing makeup product. I usually apply my foundation, then powder and only after that I use the stick. I make a line under my cheekbones with it and later I blend it out with my fingers.

At first I used to blend the line from the stick upwards and downwards but later I watched some videos on YouTube where they all said that it’s better to blend the product only upwards to get the maximum of the visual lifting effect. By the way, they also advise to apply foundation with this technique, for the same result, you know. The process of blending the product out takes me about a minute and I can say that there are no issues with it even for a noob-y me.

 

My impressions of the Benefit Hoola Cream-to-Powder Quickie Contour Stick

My impressions of use are positive. I liked this stick very much, considering that this is my first contour product ever.

There are some issues with the shade, though. I still believe that this isn’t a good contour product for girls with pale skin. It doesn’t mean that your complexion will look red with it on, but the product just won’t look natural.

But if you want to make your skin look more tanned and sun-kissed then it’s the perfect stick. You can define your cheekbones with it and the product will look as though you spent your weekend by the seaside.

If you’re swarthy then it will be the most flattering product for you. The stick is of great quality. The wear time is decent as the stick stays on almost the entire day. The finish is matte, the blending is easy, no clogged pores - absolutely nothing to be picky about.

For my makeup I used

- the Korean BB cream by Saem

- UD brow powder

- Divage mascara

- Hoola stick

- Pure Paw Paw lip balm.

This makeup takes no more than 10 minutes to do which is so nice before going to the job or when I’m in a hurry.

As for the price, I’d like to leave no comment here, as the Benefit products aren’t the most affordable in the market. All their products are almost the same in price, which is pretty high.

There are cheaper dupes with the same characteristics, I’m sure. So, it’s absolutely up to you to decide whether you want to pay for the brand and you’ll definitely hit two targets - I mean, you'll get a good quality product and beautiful stylish packaging, or you'll simply get a good product and you won't care about the design.

I will recommend this stick for purchasing, even though there are some issues about the color.

 

Thanks for reading! And have a pleasant shopping day!