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HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, LOVELIES! ♥ 

So, what’s on tonight? Have you already got a new dress, a lace manicure to match, and the perfect blusher to lift your looks to Cloud 9? No? There’s still time to run out and grab something after work, before your date!

Here I have the latest offering from Benefit Cosmetics - Hervana, a “good karma” face powder that promises to give you a heavenly flush of enlightenment, which I collected on my visit to Benefit’s office a couple of weeks ago.

Launched just this month, its name is a portmanteau of “Her” and “Nirvana” – you can always count on the Benefit team to come up with interesting product names!

Let’s have a look at the packaging. Hervana is housed in a box with a convenient flip top as opposed to a detachable lid found on previous Boxes O’ Powders. This flip top design first came into production when Benefit introduced Bella Bamba, and I was told all Boxes O’ Powders will be made with flip tops from then onwards.

The box has a hidden magnetic closure, which is pretty cool. That way you know the lid won’t open up when it’s in your bag. There is a mirror underneath the lid to facilitate those pre-meeting touch ups, as well as a new angled brush.

The angled brush that comes with Hervana is different from the one found with Bella Bamba – the latter is a fluffy, rounded one. The angled brush works with the contour of your cheeks, and makes application really easy. I like both of these brushes.

Here’s a close-up on the unique pinwheel combination of Hervana. There are four shades – Lucky Shell, Divine Peach, Heavenly Rose and Berry Delight.

Let’s swatch ‘em!

Lucky Shell is a very light beige, so light that it’s almost white. It disappears into my skin so I had to swatch it pretty heavily.

Divine Peach is a beautiful apricot peach, possibly my favourite of the four.

Heavenly Rose is a soft peachy rose that looks wearable on its own.

Berry Delight, a plummy pink, is the darkest of the four shades.

To use, simply swirl the brush around to pick up all four colours and mix them to create what Benefit calls an “orchid blossom flush”.

Here’s a swatch of the combination – a nice, subtle peachy pink that’s sure to make your hearts go a-flutter! I would say it is matte with a very light, satiny finish, which makes it wearable for work. There is very little shimmer in Hervana.

Hervana goes on pretty sheer, but because of my light skin tone, one swipe does the job. It resembles a natural flush, and the colour is very buildable. It’s definitely not an in-your-face pink, and I do think you will get a lot of wear out of Hervana since it’s pretty much your basic in-between blush – can’t decide between peach or pink today? Use Hervana, it’s a blend of both (and more!).

Here I am wearing Hervana last Saturday, at Marina Bay Sands Boardwalk. I was there to shoot some photos for the next Peek At My Style post – the theme’s nautical, which I absolutely adore. I can go on and on about nautical-inspired fashion but that’s something I’ll leave for later… :)

I love that Hervana goes on the cheeks really easily and looks so natural. It’s easy to OD on the blush and look like a cousin of Bozo, i.e. people identify you from far by your bright pink cheeks. When it comes to blush application, always start with one swipe, observe, and add more only if necessary.

Hervana retails at SGD46 – yay for price reduction! Go check it out at the counters, and let me know what you think!

Or, have you already tried Hervana? Share! :)

J