Benefit the POREfessional: Agent Zero Shine Review & Swatches

Come meet the latest addition to the POREfessional family from Benefit! I was especially excited about this launch as I am a huge fan of loose powder. According to Benefit, the new Agent Zero Shine is not just any loose powder, it’s a shine-vanishing PRO powder that comes in the most quirky and actually rather practical packaging! Let’s see some pictures!

Even the cardboard box containing the product is fun! There is a door on the front of the box that you can open to reveal a picture of The POREfessional Action Figure – not sure if this is necessary but it sure adds a little nice touch to the box that will make it even harder to throw away (not that I have ever thrown away any Benefit boxes, could never bring myself to!). The product itself is housed in a compact, tapered cylinder packaging. The top half is where the powder is and the bottom half is where the built-in kabuki brush stores (so there isn’t really that much product in here; 0.24 oz / 6.8 g).

To use the product, simply twist the top lid off, dial the sifter to the OPEN direction to release the powder, decant the powder into the lid (acting as a powder dish), then twist the bottom to remove the brush, expand the brush if necessary, dip the brush into the powder, tap off excess, and apply! Quite a few steps to go through but once you get a hang of it, it should be quick!

While I’m not too sure how practical this would be when you are in a super hurry, one thing is certain: the packaging was designed to be your perfect travel companion! It’s super compact, lightweight, and the open-close mechanism makes sure the powder will never spill. The built-in brush is rather genius, too – hidden within the packaging and hygienic.

A few cons that I see with the packaging, though, are: 1) once you pour the powder out, you can’t put it back in so be watchful of how much you dispense, 2) while the brush bristles are not scratchy, they are not the softest, 3) the size of the brush is perfect for touch-ups/on the go but if you plan to use the powder at home, it may be too small. I find using a regular powder brush far more superior in distributing a “dust” of powder on the face.

Now, let’s move on to the actual product! It is basically a mattifying and pore perfecting loose powder. Benefit suggest using it on moisturized skin or over makeup to immediately remove shine. The powder is pale beige in color but once applied on skin turns invisible. This, theoretically, should work for any skin tones, it certainly blends seamlessly right in with my NC30 with yellow undertone without looking too pale or ashy. When I use it, the shine is instantly “vanished” and while my pores are not completely concealed, they are visibly minimized. I also adore the soft, velvety finish it provides, plus it doesn’t cling on to dry patches! Tip: use it in combination with the POREfessional primer for an even better pore-perfecting effect!

But does it keep oil at bay all day? No, not at all. At least on my combination (oily T-zone) skin it doesn’t. By lunch time, the oil still seeps through my makeup making my face looking just a little shiny. Honestly, I don’t think it performs that much better than my other loose powder but is my other loose powder as convenient to take with me on the go as the Agent Zero Shine? No. So, again, back to square one. This product is all about being travel-friendly.

In summary, this is overall a decent powder to instantly mattify oily skin and minimizing the appearance of pores. I do wish it would keep my face matte a little longer but considering the cute and convenient packaging, I wouldn’t mind taking it out for a quick mid-day touch-up! :)

Purchase