Benefit hoola wave cream bronzer
- Size: 9g
- Shades available: Original, light, medium, medium-deep, deep
- Why we love it
- Lightweight
- Glowy coverage
- Natural bronzed finish
- Easy to blend
- Take note
- Could go patchy on oily skin
Just like the OG Benefit hoola, the new ‘wave’ version is designed to slot seamlessly into your makeup bag for use when on the go or at home. The portable compact is complete with a small mirror in the interior (always a handy touch) and comes with 9g of product. For me, application is best with a brush, but you could also use a beauty blender for extra diffusion. I found I needed less product when using the cream bronzer to achieve similar coverage to the OG hoola, which is great, considering that £33 price tag isn’t cheap.
I tried the original shade, with the product boasting the same rich pigment as its predecessor, but the cream-based bronzer is far easier and quicker to blend out. Powered by jojoba seed oil, shea butter and avocado oil, the formula feels nourishing on skin. This makes it a stellar choice for anyone who found the original formula slightly too drying or heavy. The new formulation is super lightweight, while the addition of bamboo cellulose fibre helps keeps skin soft and smooth.
Creating a naturally bronzed finish, the creamy formula also gives skin a healthy, glowy sheen. It’s perfectly buildable, with the lightweight formula sitting nicely under blush or over foundation. Similarly, if you go too heavy when applying, you can buff it out, for a more diffused effect, with ease.
The main test: how long would the coverage last? I applied the bronzer at 7am before a long day in the office, and found my contour was still going strong 10 hours later. Meanwhile, there’s enough coverage to help blur imperfections (I just used a light skin tint underneath) while also smoothing your complexion and adding radiance.
The product delivers just as much of a natural bronzed finish as its predecessor, with the bonus of being lightweight and dewy on skin. The cream-based formula is particularly good for people with dry skin (as it’s less likely to cling to dry patches) or mature skin, as the texture won’t settle into fine lines like a powder. My skin tends to become shiny and oily toward the end of the day, but a quick top-up of powder helped the bronzer stay in place.