Brighten Up! Banana Powder

10 Reviews

1. 

   cynicalPolenta9

   Reply

   This is a nice, light banana shade for the undereyes. Works well for my light/medium skin with warm undertones. I believe there is a darker peach shade for deeper complexions. This leaves my undereyes smooth and brightened. Not cakey at all.

   Pros:
   Good, brightening shade for my skin tone.
   Powder looks smooth and doesn’t accentuate my dry undereyes.
   Super affordable.

   Cons:
   Packaging sucks tbh. It’s still worth the purchase though.

   I’ll keep buying this. I quite like it.

2. 

   guiltyOrange0

   Reply

   I wished this powder worked on me just like it did so many people. BUT it broke me out, badly. It went on smooth and did cover redness, but after an hour or 2, my skin started looking patchy. Sigh….

3. 

   grizzledCake5

   Reply

   I used this all over my face, as I am quite fair with a strong yellow undertone. It leaves a very powdery finish, which I actually don’t mind – however, I found the fallout from this really messy and excessive. I tend to use pressed powders to avoid getting loose powder everywhere, so I found that a minus point. The other issue is the cheapness of Essence packaging – this and most other things I have tried from Essence break within a few weeks. In this case, the lid snapped off and made it annoying to use. Overall, the powder is ok, the price is certainly great, but it’s too messy for me and poor packaging.

4. 

   culturedCurlew1

   Reply

   This little powder is amazing. Ive been using it to set my concealer and to give my under eye some brightness. This product is super cheap and its alot of product.

5. 

   culturedSnail4

   Reply

   I seem to be in the minority here as I don’t use to brighten my under eyes, I use the powder only on the rest of my face as a setting powder – oddly enough, my upper cheeks where it helps give a bit of highlight and also for setting concealer. As a bonus it does help mattify (not massively but a fairly good job of it) a couple of hours longer than what I’d get without using any kind of powder. The only downside is the packaging is not very strong. I dropped from a short height last week and discovered just that few feet drop had broken the lid. Luckily it doesn’t cost the earth to replace!
   Speaking of which…yes it is very inexpensive but don’t let that put you off…I have used many more pricier alternatives such as Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder (even though I know a Banana Powder is not exactly a setting powder) and this works every bit as well.

   Selena x

   ~ My HG list ~

   (As I’ve sampled many 100s of skin, hair and m/u products over the last decade and a half, I thought it might be useful to share my top 10 must-have products, subject to change if and when I come across something more effective. I love constantly trying out new stuff – usually sample sizes via e-bay, also plenty courtesy of a friend who works at Sephora) 

   1. Hair Loss Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ – Hair Oil
   2. Lip Balm: ‘Nuxe’ – Reve De Miel Lip Balm
   3. Pigmentation + Anti-Ageing Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ – Facial Treatment Serum
   4. Cleanser: ‘Paula’s Choice’ – Skin Balancing Cleanser
   5. Concealer: ‘Mac’ – Studio Finish Concealer
   6. Lash Growth Serum: ‘Divine Herbal’ – Divinelash
   7. Foundation/SPF: ‘Juice Beauty’ – Stem Cellular Repair (warm glow)
   8. Face Scrub: ‘Sisley’ – Botanical Gentle Buffing Cream
   9. Moisturizer: ‘Antipodes’ – Rejoice Light Day Cream
   10. Hand Cream: ‘Origins’ – Make A Difference Rejuvenating Hand Treatment

6. 

   forsakenTacos1

   Reply

   The name appealed to me and the Color looked nice. But it does leave a whitish cast. Not so happy on that

7. 

   spiritedBasmati8

   Reply

   Don’t get me started on Essence products, haha. I should be a freaking brand ambassador after all the review love I have shown them. And it is all very well deserved… Mascara, eyeshadow, the All About Matt(e) setting powder, and of course, the reason we are here, this wonderful brightening banana powder. To be fair, this is the only banana powder I have ever used, so I can’t compare it, but I can say that I love everything this does (and doesn’t do, like cake and settle into lines) : it brightens and smoothes, and has just the right amount of yellow to colour correct without tipping into sallowness. Some banana powders look VERY yellow, so I have always been wary, but this was Essence, and for the price why wouldn’t I try it?! I wanted something to soften my blush/ highlight and brighten my undereye area, and this does that to perfection. It doesn’t look cakey even with the massive amount of finishing powder my oily, rough skin requires, and it doesn’t accentuate the fine lines under my eyes, or my massive cheek crease ( when I was younger it was a dimple, but not anymore…????, haha) It almost works as a subtle highlight on me, it has that much of brightening effect. To be honest, the shimmer in most highlighters DOES NOT flatter my rough and bumpy skin ( I have closed comedones like mad – I just found out what they are called, and I have no idea how to get rid of them because I am already doing everything the Internet says to do, and they haven’t budged. And I cannot afford a dermatologist. So if anyone has any low cost tips, haha, I am open to ANYTHING!)
   The packaging isn’t stellar quality-wise, but it’s cute and fun, (and CHEAP), so no complaints here! Essence is one of the best high- quality , low- cost brands I have ever found, and I hope they keep it up, because their mascaras have become indispensable to my beauty routine!

8. 

   cautiousPiglet1

   Reply

   Not like I needed a banana powder, I mean, I rarely use a setting or finishing powder let alone a brightening one but I couldn’t pass this up. The packaging is sleek, very thin, and the powder is silky, much like the essence blush products. If and when I use any powder products I always use a hydrating or setting spray afterward else I look “powdery” and having dry skin makes this look worse than it should be. For a banana powder the shade is a very pale yellow, nearly the same tone as IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores pressed powder, only this one is a fraction of the price. It does brighten up the skin wherever you apply it. I wouldn’t overlook essence products, there are a fair number of hits among the misses and all for cheap and cheerful prices.

9. 

   solidIcecream4

   Reply

   I use this powder under my eyes only, although I’m sure it works just as great for all the face. But I use it as a setting powder to bake my under eye area and it doesn’t set into my fine lines, I love that it doesn’t leave that white cast under my eyes. I find myself purchasing over again, this is the second time I purchase it and for the cost it’s amazing. Highly recommend!

10. 

    hushedChile8

    Reply

    This is a great powder that I like to use to set concealer under my eyes. I like it because it does not settle into fine lines or dry me out. It just leaves a smooth, brighter under eye. It’s not super yellow but it has a touch which is excellent for my pale skin. I’m an NW20 or below with redness so this is great for me. It does brighten and for me cancels out any left over discoloration.

    The compact is plastic and I wouldn’t recommend it in a purse because the powder is soft and the compact is not sturdy enough to me.

    This is a super good value and this is great for my light skin. For me what I like the most is that it doesn’t settle into lines or ages me. This powder is silky soft and I like to apply it with my elf concealer brush. This also works great for light colour correction before foundation. I will repurchase as I like how it’s a light banana powder which is excellent for my light skin as some powders are too yellow. Recommended.