Sadly, makeup magic (and lycra) will only take you so far. On the other hand, I do appreciate an addition to the BB family that tries to do something a little different. Where most Western BB creams have focused on a dewy finish and light coverage (basically tinted moisturizer with some extra bells and whistles), Benefit has opted to bring something new to the table. Their answer to BB is The Big Easy, which promises to balance both moisture and oil-control, while concealing imperfections and self adjusting to your natural skin tone. With a liquid-to-powder formula, it also offers an alternative to the dewy or silicone-satin options currently on the market.
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| Benefit The Big Easy Liquid to Powder SPF 35 Foundation |
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| Benefit The Big Easy Liquid to Powder SPF 35 Foundation |
I've seen some reviews saying that this is a sheer or light coverage foundation, but I would disagree. To me it feels solidly in between light and medium. I think if you're used to applying two layers to achieve medium coverage, then that might be the problem, as I don't think the finish is given to building up. I find a second coat takes the finish from velvety powder to straight-up powdery.
One application, however, takes care of my general discolouration and redness, to the point where I can wear it interchangeably with my medium-coverage foundations. The reason for that is while the coverage might be technically less opaque, it benefits (ha! pun!) from that light diffusing magic that seems to be part and parcel of BB formulations.
That sheerer pigment + diffusing effect is probably why Benefit can claim that this is self-adjusting to your natural skin tone. That's true, to an extent. In the swatches below, you can see that the Light is somewhat too pale and yellow, while the Medium is a touch too pink and dark. In reality, I can wear either of them without looking absurd. I wouldn't stretch it more than a shade either way, but I do appreciate that this is that rare base product that doesn't seem to struggle with my skin's natural undertone. (Light but kinda olive = freaking annoying to match.)
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| Top to bottom: Deep Beige 06, Medium 04, Light 02 |
As a side note, both the extra amount (35 ml compared to the usual 30 ml) and the broad-spectrum spf 35 are a nice touch.
Overall, I was really happy with how this foundation/BB cream performed. I though the finish was polished enough to be perfect for those days when I wanted to be a little less casual, but still wanted the ease of a tinted moisturizer. It wore well for me, about 8 hours before I noticed some very slight shine around my nose, but no breakdown otherwise.
If you have normal to somewhat combination skin, with no major skin concealing required, this would make a great everyday base. If you have dry or mature skin, however, I suspect the velvet/powder finish would be unkind to flakes and lines.
Availability: At Pharmaprix/Shoppers Drug Mart and Murale locations, as well as Sephora stores and www.sephora.com. (And if you're a BI, VIB or VIBR, you can also redeem 100 points for a deluxe sample via this link.) Price is 38$ USD and 46$ CAD.
Have you tried The Big Easy yet? How do you feel it compares to other BB creams or foundations?
(This item was provided by the brand/PR. All opinions are my own, this post is not compensated or sponsored.)
One of the biggest issues I have with this product is its price. And it's not only this product - I find that a lot of Benefit offerings are over-priced. Yes, it does even out the skin beautifully, but would I be willing to spend almost $50 on it versus picking up a bottle of Nars Sheer Glow for a few extra dollars? No.
ReplyDeleteDespite my somewhat negative opinion on the product (or, Benefit itself), I think your review was really well written. Thanks Maggie for another great post!
Hey Vanessa! I always appreciate your feedback, and your support. :P
DeleteI've heard that comment about the pricing of Benefit products before, and I'm curious - is it because Benefit doesn't fit into the higher-end mold in general? Or is it specifically the branding or the product quality?
Hey Maggie! You will always have my support! You're one of the best beauty bloggers out there xx
DeleteHmmmm ... good question. There are two reasons why I think Benefit products are over-priced. 1) Almost every single product I've bought from the brand has disappointed me from their mascaras to their skin bases. I honestly can't think of one Benefit product that I'd rate highly. Maybe the Dandelion boxed blush, but even that's a near-miss as hardly any colour shows up on me when it's applied. I remember the first time I applied it I was like: "That's it?! I can't believe I just spent $36 on something that I can't even see!" LOL ...and 2) No, I don't consider Benefit a high-end makeup brand. To see their products categorized with Dior, Lancome, Nars, and Hourglass is a shame in my opinion.
Sorry if I've come off sounding negative - I didn't want to bring the tone of your post down.
Oh no, don't worry about that! I'm always more interested in hearing what other people think about makeup than anything else. :)
DeleteI"m actually really curious about the bleed between low-end and high-end these days, and what criteria we use to to define those categories. Drugstore brands have become much more comparable to their high-end sisters in the last few years, that sometimes it seems like the principle things that defines a high-end brand is 1) packaging and 2) access. Formulation sometimes does figure into it, but with the trickle-down of high-end formulations into mass lines, I'm not sure that's even a valid distinction. (With the exception of truly unique formulations, like perhaps the Bite lipsticks.)
So I'm especially curious about brands like Benefit, who specifically opt to appeal to a market that is more youth and trend oriented, and perhaps more young and less affluent in general. Do they shoot themselves in the foot by that, in created an expectation about their product that the consumer then filters their pricing structure through?
Loved the Lulu analogy - so spot on, Maggie! haha. I agree with Vanessa on her two points; one being that you always do wonderfully thorough reviews, and two that I don't consider Benefit truly in the high-end price point, so some of their offerings do seem over-priced. Maybe it's their sort of juvenile packaging? Having said that, I like the sound of this BB a lot - I actually have never tried any of the BB offerings because I have like 6 foundations to plow through first (and of those 6 I actually only bought one, so it's not even my fault!), but I'm always curious. I do prefer a more glowing finish, but otherwise it sounds quite nice!
ReplyDeleteLol! I'm glad you liked it. For some reason BB creams and yoga pants seemed like natural partners in my brain. :P
DeleteI think you hit on it with the packaging. As I mentioned in my response to Vanessa, I feel like like a lot of the ways we define a high-end brand these days (aside from formulation) is in the packaging, and I don't know if Benefit's Kitsch Cute is necessarily something that conveys luxury, and therefore the cognitive justification for the higher price point. (Besame is a brand that does vintage in a luxe way, for example, and they price around the same range. They're extremely niche though, so it's not a brat comparison, since they differ so widely on the "access" criteria.)