Thursday, November 15, 2012

Summer in A Box

On the first day of my September New York holiday, I found myself at the Sephora in Times Square and spotted this Benefit Go TropiCORAL Lip & Cheek Kit on the shelves. It had two items that I was wanting to buy individually (Cha Cha Tint and Coralista), so purchasing the set was a no-brainer. Even though the products included are smaller sizes (Cha Cha Tint is 4ml, compared to the 12.5ml of the full size, Coralista is 3g while the full size is 8g), I figured I'd most likely never use up the larger sizes, so having a chance to sample both at a fraction of the cost was ideal. I managed to buy this in the US for around $30 — it retails in Australia for $59.





As with all Benefit products, a lot of care and attention to detail has gone into the packaging. The Coralista blush comes with its own mini brush which is adorable, though perhaps lacking some functionality. I never use the brushes that come with Benefit boxed powders anyway, but they're not too bad for travel. The kit also comes with "Tips and Tricks" cards attached to the top flap that provide instructions on how to use the included products. There's a mirror behind the cards (which I never realised until I was photographing the box for this post).

Cha Cha Tint straight from the bottle, then blended

A word of warning about Cha Cha Tint: BLEND QUICK. If left on the cheek for even 1.5 seconds, it'll leave a stain. I learned the hard way when I dotted it on my cheeks and didn't blend immediately. There was an orangey red blotch on both cheeks that I couldn't conceal with foundation or more blush. The best way I've found to apply it is to dab some from the brush directly onto your finger, then quickly blend it onto the cheeks straight after. Lots of coral/orange blushes can look overly red, but this one doesn't. It's the perfect summer tint for the cheeks.

I've mentioned High Beam a couple of times (see How Much Is My Face Worth? and October Favourites), so I won't go into too much detail, except to say that it lives up to the hype.


I didn't really have any expectations about the Coralista Ultra Plush lip gloss, but I found myself pleasantly surprised. I could've done without the inclusion of this gloss altogether, but it's sheer and inoffensive enough to wear casually without looking like you're obviously wearing lip gloss. It's not sticky and feels moisturising on the lips. It isn't very pigmented. It's more like a sheer wash of colour, leaving a warm orange tint to the lips with just a touch of shine. The only thing that bothers me is the sickly sweet scent it has.

l-r: Coralista, the stain that Cha Cha Tint leaves, Cha Cha Tint blended

The mark in the middle of my hand? That's what Cha Cha Tint looks like if you leave it on for just a few seconds. And it's impossible to get off without some serious makeup remover. Coralista is a glowy, slightly sheer, soft coral. It's much lighter in colour than Cha Cha Tint, and more shimmery. I didn't expect that it would swatch the way it does — it's lighter than how it looks in the pan and almost seems like a brightening powder that gives a touch of pinky orange if build up in intensity. I find it a bit too luminous as a blush. It has a tendency to enlarge the appearance of pores if applied to the cheeks. If only the shimmer were turned down a few notches, I'd reach for Coralista more to lift and warm up the complexion without looking overdone, as the colour and softness are exactly what I'm after.

50 comments:

  1. Gorgeous colours! Great buy. Wow that stain looks amazing, not so good if you've got random blotches on your cheek though haha.

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  2. Cha Cha Tint looks lovely! Now this post made me wish I bought this kit when I had the chance!

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  3. Benefit always puts together the best kits. This one looks lovely. I've been meaning to try Cha Cha Tint since it first came out and I catually really like the look of that gloss.

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  4. I've been curious about coralista and the respective lip gloss. The amount of shimmer is a slight downside, but I do like the colour.

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    1. Also, thanks for the tip for cha cha tint. I haven't had much luck with it due to the staining issue.

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  5. I have the same problem with posie tint. The colour is so charming (bubblegum pink) but it just stains unless you work it instantly. I can't say it is a product I reach for particularly often because of that. I am a big fan of high beam however :)
    x

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  6. Such a great kit! I actually own Coralista and just realized I haven't worn it in ages. Will put it on today! <3

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  7. I love Coralista, it's my favourite blush, at least of all the ones I have. I agree about the shimmer but for Summer I think it's perfect, it gives the skin that sunkissed glow, without actually having to sunbathe ^^ Heard many great things about Cha Cha and all the benetints but never got around to trying them, like I need more blushes, right? If you really like coral shades for your cheeks, I recommend Sleek Blush x3 in Lace, but be aware that those are seriously pigmented, a lot easier to blend than a tint, though.
    Thanks for the review darling, hope you find a way to get the most out of this set. xx

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  8. I have chachatint in full size and coralista also in mini size,and I love them both. I must say,cha cha tint is a bit tricky in application as you mentioned above how quick it dries.. But anyhow,I love the versatility of chacha tint as you can also use it on the lips ( I'm not a fan though ) and it gives you a fresh and natural blush on the cheeks! great buy!

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  9. The blush is beautiful! Australian prices are so high!! I might just pick up the boxed blush individually because it's more practical for me to use it then to access a big box. xx

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    1. I know what you mean, you need to take everything out as well, because it'll all fall out once you tilt the box to apply the blush from that small square :p

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  10. I've been wanting to try the Benefit tints for a while now, but that's awful that they dry and stain so easily! Lol the dots would not have been a good look. Everybody raves about Coralista- does it smell nice? I've been looking for a natural not-pink blush that doesn't look overdone and was contemplating MAC Melba or Blushbaby but when the sales assistant found Blushbaby for me to swatch it looked purple in the pan- like NARS Sin. I never thought Coralista would be one of those blushes though! High Beam sounds amaaaazing. :p I'd definitely buy it if it was $30, but not for $59... :S I suppose you do get to try the four things out. Like you, I'm not keen on the gloss. The matching boxed powder-gloss concept is cute though.

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    1. I haven't detected any smell, but then again, maybe it's not as apparent because of the larger box and how there's all the other products in the same space. Natural not-pink blush - how about Tarte Exposed? Or maybe Illamasqua Zygomatic. I kind of want to get NARS Sin - even though it probably looks awful on me LOL. Coralista is strange, the shimmer in it is almost white and is just as strong as the colour (which is actually quite soft). The price discrepancy is such a bummer - I don't know why Benefit is so outrageously priced here :(

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  11. I love, love, love Benefit products - especially Coralista, it's the perfect blush! I would love to own this kit, it's so convenient for travelling! But the price different is just so crazy! :/

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  12. this set looks gorgeous! Coralista is one of my all-time favorite blushes, so this is right up my alley!

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  13. Great blog, want to follow each other?

    WWW.ROXTHEFOX.COM

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  14. This looks so lovely. I never though of ChaCha tint until seeing this swatch! It's gorgeous! xx

    ferdies-place.blogspot.com

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  15. omg, great find. Totally in love with the coralista blush. I hope you've been well, hun. If you get a sec, I'd love if you'd check out my latest post. xo

    fashionable footprints

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  16. I'm a big fan of coralista, it's a good summer shade for just sunkissed pink cheeks. :) I also love high beam!

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  17. I love these sets but I hate how the blush is set into the cardboard! I would want to take the individual products out, but then would be left with a chunk of cardboard with one pan of blush in it!

    thoughtsfromanothergirl.blogspot.com

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  18. I love this set so much! <3 LOvely post! :))

    XO,
    http://www.rosychicc.blogspot.com/

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  19. I love High Beam!! xx


    www.satinandsouffles.com
    www.satinandsouffles.com

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  20. OH i want this it looks gorgeous! Great post!
    http://lippylucie.blogspot.co.uk/

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  21. this set is STUNNING! such gorgeous summery colours :)

    http://beautybyalexiajade.blogspot.com

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  22. That's a lovely little set - I always like these cute kits that Benefit bring out. Totally agree about Cha Cha Tint, you need to be blend super fast! x

    http://wewereraisedbywolves.blogspot.co.uk/

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  23. Ohh I was eyeing this set! I love everything in it, I've been super curious about Cha- Cha tint.

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  24. What a great set! It is so nice to see something summery ;) Your lips look great!
    http://shopaholiconashoestring.wordpress.com/

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  25. This is such a great set :) It's amazing how quick this stains!!

    xoxo

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  26. This is such a cute set! I've always been intrigued by Cha Cha Tint, but now I'm almost abit scared by it! I'm sure I would be awful at putting it on and would just be left with orangey blotches on my cheeks! haha :)

    Aimée X
    dress-it-up-6.blogspot.co.uk

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  27. This is a beautiful set! I'm glad you were able to purchase it here for cheaper!!

    <3 Rubiiee

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  28. the set is so cute! I'm loving the coralista lip gloss! =)

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  29. It totally screams "summer in a box"! The gloss looks great on your lips. I have a Benetint, and indeed, you have to act fast or it will look like a stupid colored dot on your face! Haha

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  30. I'm super intrigued by Benefit products now! i should get one of their holiday sets :D x

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  31. This set looks fantastic, and a great value, too! I love coral themed products :)

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  32. Wow this box set looks really cool the tint looks more hard but looks really soft in your lios!

    Xoxo

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  33. Wow that set looks fantastic! I need that! I don't know if they sell it here though. :( The gloss looks great on you!

    - Naomi
    http://deliciae.org

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  34. The colours look very pretty - I will need to have a proper look next time I am shopping. Thank you for the tips! x

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  35. sooo cute! i own coralista and love it.

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  36. this is sooo cute!! I love all the new box sets the Benefit came out with cause they're such good deals! You make me want to try the high beam and benetints lol. I heard that the box blushes are amazingly scented too, is that true? haha.

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    1. I'm not sure - I never noticed that they smell! Lol! Maybe just faintly sweet? But nothing too pungent :p The Bourjois pot blushes are more intensely scented (but in a powdery way).

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  37. Great review & lovely box!!! xoxo

    www.rockandfrock.com

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  38. I love the products that come in the box - coral shades are my favourite!

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  39. I wasn't fond of Cha Cha Tint so I sold it along with High Beam. If they came in powder form I'd probably enjoy the colours more and probably the blendability too.

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  40. awwhh.. i'm so jealous. i've been wanting High Beam for so long. Im not fond of the Cha Cha Tint though, good thing the set has so many great products in it :)

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