Cheek Parade Bronzer & Blush Palette [DISCONTINUED]

3 Reviews

1. 

   ecstaticCow7

   Reply

   I was recommended this by the sales assistant at Sephora because you got the whole palette for the price of two products.

   I’m incredibly pale, so Hoola Lite is the perfect contour colour on me. It’s easy to apply and doesn’t require much blending. I use the regular Hoola on my eyelids sometimes.

   The only negative thing about this palette is that Galifornia is a letdown. I loved the gold layered in the sun, but after one sweep of my brush it disappeared! I haven’t seen a hint of gold in this blush since using it, despite it being advertised as “bright pink with shimmering gold”.

2. 

   excludedPie6

   Reply

   This is cutely packaged, conveniently arranged little pockets of lovely color! I tried it and it gave my Caramel skin a sun kissed look. I don’t think I’m a bronzer kinda gal, but these used in combination made my paler friend really glow. I like the amount of pigmentation in these colors, not to intense and therefore not difficult to blend. Saturation was nice though, you get tons of enough coloration and it’s easy to diffuse too much if you have to.

3. 

   obsessedPie5

   Reply

   This includes full-size pans of Hoola bronzer, Hoola Lite (a paler version of the bronzer), Galifornia blush, Dandelion blush, and Rockateur, a shimmering rose gold cheek shade. It also includes a mini fan brush.

   Hoola – I’ve had this bronzer before and liked it enough to repurchase. It applies evenly without choppiness or streaking and it’s easy to build it up. Hoola is a really popular bronzer for light-to-medium skin tones because it’s not orange or sparkly. Hoola is one of the few bronzers that is matte enough and cool enough to be used for contour without seeming misappropriated.

   Hoola Lite – This is their paler version of Hoola for porcelain skin. It’s a light golden tan that shows up well on fair skin. It won’t be dark enough for all skin tones, but this color can be used as an eyeshadow, too, so the pan is not a complete waste if you can’t use it as a bronzer.

   Galifornia – This is described as a warm golden pink. On my NC20 complexion, it’s a nice bright coral blush. The gold overspray of the sun is eye-catching but once you dip a brush into the pan, it’s gone. That’s okay with me, though. I don’t want too much glitter on my cheeks. Galifornia blends very smoothly and smells faintly fruity.

   Dandelion – Dandelion is a pale cool pink, which looks natural on fair-to-medium skin. It is hard to overdo this one because it’s not as pigmented as some of the other colors in the palette. It has a faint scent but it’s not overpowering.

   Rockateur – This is a gorgeous rose gold bronze with shimmer, and for me it was the most exciting shade in the palette. My first use was too glittery due to the overspray but that wears off quickly, and then the amount of shimmer is more reasonable. This particular color should be flattering on most skin tones from pale to deep. I didn’t have anything quite like it, so it was one of the colors that drew me in.

   The mini fan brush – This can be used in a pinch if you don’t have a lot of tools with you. I like fan brushes for the cheekbones, but this one is a little scratchy. I already own a lot of brushes and I personally prefer to use Wayne Goss Brush #2 and Brush #14 with this palette, but it was nice of Benefit to include an applicator.

   The cardboard packaging is colorful and whimsical but cardboard gets scuffed and dented easily. I would have preferred a sturdy plastic compact, simply because I know it’ll take me a couple of years of heavy use to finish these. Plastic is more durable, more water-resistant. In general I’m not a fan of Benefit’s cutesy packaging but these powders are good quality and the shades are very wearable.

   The Cheek Parade palette costs $58, which is a better value than buying these colors individually. Each cheek shade normally costs $29, so you’d spend $58 just for two of them. All five palette pans are the same generous size as their counterparts sold as singles. I also used a 20% off Ulta coupon which brought the cost down to $46.40. (Sometimes the Benefit website has sales, too.)

   These are great colors for summer.