Benefit Coralista

From LoveToKnow Makeup

If the brisk chill of winter has you daydreaming of the warmer months ahead, take a peek at Benefit Coralista. Consider it the instant antidote to a dull, dreary day, a miracle worker when you don't look or feel your best and an adorable piece of eye candy to add a flash of color to your vanity. Lofty praise, isn't it? But it's well deserved, as I quickly discovered when I put this new face powder to the test.

Benefit Does It Again

Benefit cosmetics is known first and foremost for its adorable, colorful packaging. Everything from lipstick to body lotion is housed inside eye-catching containers or bottles, each more feminine and charming than the last. It's no wonder that an instant buzz begins to circulate amongst beauty circles when a new Benefit product is released!

This time, the company has pulled off a three-peat – or is that a four- or five-peat? Actually, make that a seven-peat. Coralista is the seventh member of a group of brilliant Benefit face powders, touted as the "Boxed Powders Collection," each created with the intent to enhance the skin's natural tone and add a flush of lovely color to the cheeks, temples, chin and anywhere else you may need a touch of brightness.

About Benefit Coralista

The product really needs no introduction. In fact, one glance at a picture on the Internet and I was very nearly sold. Common sense did prevail, though, and I forced myself to check the product out in person instead of simply grabbing my credit card and ordering somewhat blindly.

Visiting a Benefit counter or kiosk is quite pleasing to the eye, even if you aren't actually a fan of the products themselves. Bold graphics, cute images and catchy names practically do all the work for the products, but I learned years ago that even the most charming packaging could hold the most atrocious products. Obviously, it's a good idea to test out colors beforehand if you can!

Coralista appears just as attractive in person as it did online – in fact, better, because the images don't exactly do it justice. The powder is packaged in a square, sturdy, cardboard box etched with a tropical print in turquoise, brown and rose colors and splashed with the Coralista logo. If you're typically a sucker for great packaging, chances are you'll fall prey right away.

Benefit describes the color as coral pink, and it is – but don't let the powder's appearance tell you otherwise. In some lights, it appears to be a brilliant pink. In other lights, the pink is kissed with coral and the color appears much more deep and enticing. The powder comes complete with a wide brush (white with a wooden handle, to complete the tropical theme, naturally).

Finally, Coralista also has a scent to it that might best be described as orangey or citrusy. My skin is extremely sensitive, so I was slightly nervous about using it and initially just tested it on my jaw line to determine if I would suffer a reaction. When I was satisfied that my skin looked normal, I applied the powder to my face.

Wearing Coralista

On my fair to medium skin, Coralista appears very much as it is described. The coral is quite pronounced on my cheekbones, but because it's blended with pink, the effect is very flattering. Normally I wouldn't dare even try to pull off a coral, but the trick is clearly to give it an additional color to play with. This ups the product's chances of being more versatile, too.

In addition to the glorious color, Benefit Coralista also bears a light sheen. Note the word light – it is, indeed, a fairly modest sparkle, not glittery or unbecoming in the least.

Worn over my everyday moisturizer and foundation, I found that the sheen added a nice glow to my cheekbones while the color lifted my overall look. When you want to appear well rested even if you clearly aren't, this is definitely the product to use. Just a light swirl across the apples of the cheeks does the trick – despite the combination of radiant shades, the look is surprisingly natural.

The Verdict

I've never been a big fan of Benefit's powders before, despite their popularity. Coralista, though, was an instant winner for me and I'm looking forward to wearing it when the weather warms up. It will undoubtedly look right at home on tanned skin!