I was super blessed to be a part of Benefit Cosmetics’ BIG exclusive brand launch last night, heaps of thanks to Benefit! The best part was meeting Annie and Maggie Ford Danielson, the daughters of one of the founders of Benefit Cosmetics, you’ll see photos of the event in my upcoming event post. The second best part was when Benefit Philippines handed me a gift bag containing these. I was so excited about this that the review on the product had to come before my post on the event. 
Benefit only gave me 3 sample sizes in the same shade, Champagne, but I do love how the samples are perfect baby versions of the full size bottles, inclusive of a nifty pump. The packaging of these samples, no difference from the full size, is clean, minimalist and feminine and I love how there are no bells and whistles, you see the product immediately inside. I hope my first photo didn’t deceive you into thinking they gave me three full size bottles in 3 different shades, in a perfect world that might be possible, LOL.
“Our brightening liquid foundation builds from light to medium coverage for a natural complexion you can believe in. The formula featuring the exclusive Oxygen Wow Hydrating complex delivers instant results that will have you looking flawless in a flash. Nine out-of-this-world shades, one flawless match for you.” – BENEFIT COSMETICS
Ideally, my shade is Petal (I’m a MAC NC30-35), a shade one step up which Liz of Project Vanity generously showed me while we had cups of frozen yoghurt at Pinkberry before the Benefit event. The difference between Petal and Champagne is a mere fraction, but yes that fraction of difference matters to me. I might choose to own both full sizes of Petal and Champagne since summer is approaching. Any bloggers out there who got samples of Petal and want to trade 1 for Champagne? See me! Read more to jump to the full post inclusive of swatches and Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow on my face!
The shade Champagne is a near perfect match. Just a teensy-weensy bit deep for me but what I like is it’s got quite a bit of golden warmth, and I am quite a yellow girl. By the way, the shade isn’t supposed to match my arm. The texture is thin and its silky glide over the skin’s surface compares almost exactly to Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation which I do own but have not reviewed yet.
INGREDIENTS: 9 shades of Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation: Active Ingredients / Ingredients Actifs : Octinoxate 5.49 %, Titanium Dioxide 2.37 %. Other Ingredients / Autres: Aqua (Water), Dimethicone, Glycerin, Phenyl Trimethicone,Isododecane, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate / Dicaprate, Pentylene Glycol, Maris Aqua (Sea Water), Phenoxyethanol, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Silica, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Stearic Acid, Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate, Alumina, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Carbonate, Prolinamidoethyl Imidazole, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, BHT. [+/- : CI 77002 (Aluminum Hydroxide), CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77891 (Titanium Dixoide)].N° 06161/A. Warning: Avoid Contact With The Eyes. For External Use Only. Keep Out Reach Of Children. Discontinue Use If Signs Of Irritation Or Rash Appear.
Sorry, bout the closed eyes, I was so sleepy I didn’t want to put on eye makeup. The finish of this foundation is impressively thin, moisturizing and luminous with a small amount of microscopic shimmer similar to what Revlon Photoready contains but nowhere near as much and not as noticeable. It’s also able to diminish darkness under the eyes significantly but not completely. I have nothing else except Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow on my skin.
I only have one thin layer of foundation on which is how I like it, if I do a bit more of spot concealing I’m done. If you prefer to look more made up, just add another layer, it’ll do the job nicely. The coverage is very good since a tiny, tiny drop as small as the one seen in my arm swatch was able cover my entire chin plus redness around my lips.
I estimate that I probably used less than 1/3 of a teaspoon to properly cover what I needed to cover overall, I do have good skin though. The formula is quite pigmented so even when spread thinly it evens out the complexion beautifully.
It’ll be a bit of a wait before these arrive at the Benefit Greenbelt 5 boutique. Expect the Oxygen Wow family to show up in the boutique by this coming April 2012. The standard retail price of Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in the U.S. is $34.00 which translates to about Php1500.00 in our local currency, a slight increase wouldn’t be a surprise in the Greenbelt Benefit Boutique locally, but I think this is an impressive foundation which has fast become one of my favorites. I can’t wait to get my exact shade.
