Benefit Hoola & comparison of contour powders/bronzers

i'm not really a bronzer girl (but i notice i'm becoming one this summer...) but i have always wanted to try Benefit's Hoola bronzer. i heard many good things about it being very versatile, a great contour shade etc...

so i ordered this from lookfantastic.com when they had a free shipping campaign and a sale + a 3£-off coupon. i paid about 16-17£ for it, normally it costs 23.50£ there but they don't seem to ship Benefit products to germany anymore. here it costs 32€ for 11g of product (i heard they will re-work the old Box O'Powders to the 8g-size like their new Bella Bamba blush). i had to pay with almost 4 weeks of waiting for these savings, but lookfantastic charges right away. i know some people had problems with this online shop, so i would recommend you not to buy higher amounts there (like GHD's). i have always received my orders, but i have always only purchased smaller amounts and always waited not less than 3 weeks.

back to topic: Hoola comes in an ugly and impractical cardboard packaging. looks like a kid's shop equipment. i really dislike these, they cost me so much precious storage space with their bulkiness and the packaging will be used off quickly, especially if you decide to bring it on the way.
it includes a little flat brush of natural white goat hair, it's quite soft but i won't use it.
the powder itself is not scented like Benefit Bella Bamba or Coralista, i can even detect a slight horse-like-scent when i sniff at the pan. like insuline for subcutaneous injection. urghh... but applied, it's not noticeable at all, i think it's only the glue.

the powder is a matte bronzer with yellow undertones, without too much red (makes an orange face) or pink / grey (makes a dull/dirty face) in it.
it's finely milled and has a medium pigmentation. i apply it with my Paula Dorf Fan Brush or a big pointed & tapered powder brush (MAC 138 or Hakuhodo S103) in the typical E/3 areas. it applies sheer and even and blends out nice.
the tan looks quite authentic, also because Hoola has a satin-matte finish.
it doesn't oxidize on my skin and keeps the colour throughout the day.
i find it ok for a contour shade, mainly because it's non-shimmery and not orange, but i prefer more greyish shades (i still like my NYX blusher in Taupe, but i'll get too tan for it to show up soon). in the summer it works better as a contour than it will the winter.
a good thing for the price i paid and the amount, but i would have never paid full price for it (and a fortiori not for "only" 8g). i'm too much of a packaging-pedant for it and would rather pay a bit more for Dior/Chanel/Guerlain and get a product i'm really satisfied with.

Benefit Hoola in cloudy daylight: swatched heavily&blended out

Benefit Hoola in cloudy daylight: swatched heavily&blended out

this is how it looks applied:

no bronzer - with Hoola

some more pics with bronzer:

and now a small compilation of my bronzers/contour shades. there are Edward Bess Daydream Bronzer and Dior Aurora Bronzer missing, also i will get the Chanel Bronze Rose of the up-and-coming summer look as well. the Estée Lauder Sea Star powder or Guerlain Terra Inca i have not included since these are blush/highlighting products to me. maybe i will have to do a "summer powder"-post then...
oops, i also forgot to include the NARS Cap Vert Bronzer Multiple ... :P (but you can look it up on here)

first row: Rimmel Natural Bronzer in 021 Sun Light - Benefit Hoola - MAC Harmony - NARS Zen

bottom row: NYX blush in Taupe - contour shade in Zoeva Contour Palette

Rimmel bronzer - Benefit Hoola - MAC Harmony - NARS Zen - NYX Taupe - contour palette