For the last couple of years, Benefit has been mainly releasing sets containing already existing products. Surprisingly, in the first half of 2025, we already got reformulated Hoola bronzers, an additional bronzer formula, a new line of highlighters, an additional shade of the Wanderful World blushes, a shade extension for the Benetints, a new mascara, and the Porefessional Foundation.

I got swept up in the excitement and purchased three new products from the brand (not including the Badgal Bounce mascara I reviewed in March). Two are hits and one is a miss.

Benefit Hoola Wave Cream Bronzing Balm in Deep

I immediately spotted the gold shimmer particles in the pan, and was concerned that this formula might be like the Juvia’s Place Bronzed Cream Bronzer that looked ridiculous on my skin. I was very happy to see that the shimmer is not noticeable in swatches or on my face. It makes my skin look hydrated with a natural-finish type of glow.

This product sheers out fairly well, so I consider it a blendable formula that can build up in color intensity, but it’s not the slow building type. I get a lot of pigment right away. With my holy grail cream/liquid bronzer brush, the Patrick Ta Contour 1, I have to be careful not to overapply because it’s such a dense brush. However, I don’t get as smooth of a blend when I try to use looser packed brushes.

What works best for me is to tap the bristles into the pan once and then stamp it along the perimeter of my face in big enough gaps so I have room to blend and spread the bronzer out without having too much concentrated in one area.

The texture of this product is not one that I encounter that often. It’s emollient like a cream, but it’s slightly stiff and doesn’t melt as quickly into the skin like the Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Cream Bronzer Stick or Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Bronzer. It blends well, but it just doesn’t spread in the same way as the others. It has “balm” in the name, but that makes it sound like it will be sticky, dewy, and/or waxy, which this product is not. The formula consists of silica, waxes, and oils, but it feels balanced in a way that doesn’t lean too much in either of those directions.
Essentially, the most comparable product to this one is the Rose Inc Cream Bronzer that I loved enough to consider one of my top five in the cream and liquid bronzer category, until it dried up unexpectedly quick.
Benefit and Rose Inc’s bronzers don’t have the same formula and this product isn’t as stiff as the one from Rose Inc, so I am hopeful that I will not run into the same issue six months from now. If it does, I will update this post with the details.

The Hoola Wave feels weightless on the face and sets on its own, so I don’t need to powder it, and it lasts all day. If I had to put it on my Bronzer Ranking List, it would be the new #26. That puts it below the Nars Laguna Cream Bronzer and Powder Bronzer, but still above the one from Rose Inc. I like it a lot, but there are many I like even more, including affordable ones. For instance, I think the Colourpop Supershock Bronzer is even better.

I also want to clarify that my ranking list is of all the bronzers I like, not all the bronzers in my collection. So, 26 is still high in the grand scheme of things.

Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder in Deep

I owned and decluttered Hoola Caramel for being too light and Hoola Toasted for being too red and deep for me. I thought the bronzer quality was fantastic, but whenever my skin would get lighter, I couldn’t use it. Plus, it would get hard pan every time I needed to do comparison swatches. I gave up on it, but continued to wish for a shade between Caramel and Toasted.

So, when I heard about the reformulation and packaging design change, I still wasn’t excited until I saw the shade range. Deep looked, and actually turned out to be, less red than before. I think it’s also a hair lighter, but I don’t have Toasted anymore to be able to compare. As for “medium deep,” which I believe is supposed to be the same depth as the old Caramel, they made it cool toned instead. So, that was definitely not an option for me.
While I’m happy to have a better suited color in a formula that performs just like the old one, it means those that used the old Toasted might not like or be able to wear the new version of Deep.

As I mentioned, the performance is just how I remember. It’s pigmented, but buildble, and it’s easy to achieve an airbrushed look (though not quite as airbrushed as the Charlotte Tilbury powder bronzer). The blend is so smooth and never patchy. There is no added fragrance and I have no issues with longevity.

I’m still not pleased with the box packaging, though it’s at least slimmer and matches the size of the Wanderful World blushes. As to whether or not these new ones hardpan quickly, I can’t say because I refuse to put my finger in it, even for science. That’s why the swatches are in the Hoola Wave section and was applied with a brush to confirm Deep is the same shade in both formulas.

In the photo above, I applied it heavily so it would show up for review purposes. However, I can get a sheerer application if I use my airier brushes. In fact, it’s easier to apply a sheer layer of this powder than with Benefit’s cream bronzer.

If I needed to put this on the Bronzer Ranking List, it’s hard to say whether it tops #12 Dior Forever Natural Bronzer or #13 Vieve Modern Bronzer Duo, because I haven’t used those two in quite a while.

Benefit Glow-La-La Powder Highlighter in Lumi

I waited over five years for Benefit to make a highlighter darker than Tickle, so even though I am supposed to be on a highlighter no-buy, I made an exception for this release.

There are six highlighters in the line (which is more shades than the bronzer), and the one I bought is the second to last color. It makes me glad to see Benefit with an inclusive set of highlighters, especially considering how long they took to create.

This feels as wet and smooth as the Natasha Denona Hy Gen highlighters, and they also turn dry once contact is made with the skin. It’s thankfully also fragrance-free.

Based on how smoothly Lumi swatched, I thought for certain I would love this. However, when I use this with my holy grail highlighter brush, it looks terrible! It’s pretty from far away, but up close I can see all the individual shimmer particles. I was very unhappy with it in the beginning, so I switched to the Bisyodo B-ES-03, which has denser sections, but it’s thin enough to apply precisely. Using a denser brush to pack on more product helped to alleviate the scattered look effect. Then taking time blending the highlighter (more than any other highlighter I’ve owned) helped to disperse the highlighter more evenly and have the shimmer sparkles closer together so that the overall look is smoother.

I found a way to make this highlighter work, but I don’t foresee myself getting much use out of it if I can’t use it with my favorite brush. I also don’t want to have to put as much effort blending my highlighter as I do when I’m blending eyeshadows.

The brand succeeds in creating a “wet look,” which is a positive thing, but visible shimmer is a stronger negative in my book. I purchased the Prada highlighter a week or two after this one, and the differences were even more glaring. Quite a few of my friends on Instagram like this highlighter from Benefit, and it’s made in Italy, so the brand probably spent quite a bit of money in the formula. It’s still just too far from my preferences.

Also, I don’t think this should be priced over $30. Yes, this is coming from someone who spent a lot on a Prada highlighter refill.
I’ve been glad to see plastic packaging instead of cardboard from Benefit, but it feels so cheap in the hand! It’s still way bulkier than it needs to be.

I can recommend the bronzers, but not the highlighter. The blushes are still some of my favorites too, so I still recommend those!

That’s all I have for today! Thank you for reading.

-Lili ❤