Benefit Bella Bamba!

i really dislike the cardboard packaging, but the colour description of a "3D pink" still made me buy the newest addition to Benefit's Box O'Powders - Bella Bamba.
i ordered it on lookfantastic.com, and with a 10%-off of 23.50£, the price is not as steep as in germany.
Benefit cut down the amount to 8g compared to their older powders, which held 150% of that (12g) and still demand the same price of 32€/23.50£/28$ - an imprudent move in my opinion. though i don't expect to hit pan on this in the next 5 years (just because i have so many, not because it's not good) and 32€ for 8g still is an ok price, the feeling of being ripped off is staying somewhere at the back of my mind.
especially when i find the packaging even worse this time. the flashy holographic 80ies design with pink + orange (pink&orange??? ) + purple puts me off big time, plus the cardbox packaging with spiky edges only reminds me of a gift box for mom made by a little pupil in its handicraft class. nothing an adult should pay 32€ for and something which i would be ashamed to take with me where someone else could see :/

but hey, the content is what matters. ommmmmmm.

so this time the box is not as high as the other Box O'Powders (why did they do this? so the scam is only even more visible...), with a lid that folds up and holds a small mirror. it has a magnetic closure. the flat brush that comes with this is rounded and a little bit more fluffy than the older ones but still as harsh. wouldn't use it. and because i wouldn't take it anywhere out, i also won't need a "to-go"-brush.

the blush itself has a little bit gritty texture, it seems to ball up and doesn't apply as smooth as i wish. but when blended out the result is nice, no blotchiness and good pigmentation. and the colour is very neat - a bright bubblegum pink with a slight silky sheen and gold shimmers. it really looks multidimensional, at least not as flat compared to Coralista. i think this will be a great blush for summer and will look very good on a light tan.
the scent is quite soap-y, not as divine as from Coralista at all, and reminds me of household cleansing agents.

now the pics:

in artificial light -  in natural light 

Benefit Bella Bamba in natural light: swatched heavily - blended out

Benefit Bella Bamba in natural light, here the golden shimmer is more visible

Benefit Bella Bamba in artificial light

of course i also made some comparison swatches. in the end i find it most resembles the Guerlain Blush G, but is more bright and applies not as smooth and fine. the shimmer is also more visible with Bella Bamba.

top row: Benefit Coralista - Benefit Bella Bamba - Guerlain Blush G

bottom row: Bobbi Brown Pink Coral - NARS Orgasm - MAC Dainty

in natural light, from left to right: NARS Orgasm - Benefit Coralista - Benefit Bella Bamba - Guerlain Blush G - Bobbi Brown Pink Coral - MAC Dainty

in artificial light, from left to right: NARS Orgasm - Benefit Coralista - Benefit Bella Bamba - Guerlain Blush G - Bobbi Brown Pink Coral - MAC Dainty