Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder
How oily are you, on a scale of one to ten? I have combination skin but in this weather, I'm quite oily most days! During normal weather I'd say I'm a 6.5 in oiliness, but this season's deadly combination of heat and humidity makes me feel like I'm an 8! Ugh. Good thing I managed to grab the Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder (P1,050 for 3oz / P700 for 1.5oz) from Digital Traincase early last April. It really helped me manage the extra oil, and gives my skin a super smooth finish to boot.
Here's a rundown!
What I love about the product
- Helps me control oil on my face longer. I usually oil up in two hours, but if I wear a layer of Ben Nye on top of whatever foundation I have on, I delay the oil for at least two hours.
- The translucent, slightly yellowish coverage allows me to wear it with any base makeup. In fact, I can wear it by itself and it would still smoothen and somehow brighten my skin (due to the yellow tint).
- The matte, smooth finish doesn't look cakey or unnatural. It sets on skin after 30 minutes so it doesn't look like a matte mask.
- The texture of the powder is silky and fine, not chalky at all. It's an amazing setting powder since it can absorb moisture/oil from your liquid foundation/concealer and therefore prevent them from slipping around later in the day.
- A little goes a long way. Each bottle has a generous amount of powder so I imagine it'll take me a long time to finish this! I got the 85 gram bottle, and it's only P1,050. The smaller bottle (half of that) is P700 so I thought it's wiser to get the bigger size.
This fine powder blends evenly on skin. It's not designed to have much coverage so you don't have to worry about finding an exact match for Banana. I've read that the other shades are designed for certain tones though - Buff is recommended for NC30-35 while Beige Suede is for NC40 and darker.
Used Ben Nye to set my liquid foundation here
What I don't like about the product
- Really dislike the bottle it comes in. It's just a plastic container with holes on top, which means that the powder gets everywhere. It's best to get a new case to house the powder. I just haven't gotten around to finding a big enough container that would allow me to swirl my huge powder brush in it.
Neutral
- Since this powder is in loose form, it's not wise to take it around for retouching. Wouldn't be amazing if Ben Nye made a compact version of this? (Maybe they've done that, I'll google it). In any case I'm happy just applying it at home. It does make a difference in the lasting power of my makeup.
- The bottle isn't full. It has no seal either, wherever you buy it. I trust Ben Nye to place the stated amount of product though.
Recommendations
If you're oily and need something heavy-duty to control your oil during the day, I highly recommend the Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder. It ain't famous in the theater circuit for nothing. ;) It has a matte, smoothing finish that doesn't look mask-like, and even helps brighten your skintone due to the yellow tint.
I reckon it would work for most skin colors, unless you're really fair and pinkish.
Verdict
Love it! It's my favorite setting powder to date. ^_^ I prefer to wear it on top of liquid bases, to keep them in place. If I'm just wearing powder makeup though, I'd rather bring that particular compact with me to retouch whenever I oil up. I'm not a big fan of bringing loose powder in my bag because I'm sooo clumsy, I just spill it eventually.
I prefer dewy finishes, so I usually top this Ben Nye powder with some highlighter or illuminator.
Have you tried this powder yet? How did it work for you? Enlighten us in the comments please!
