Come meet the newest addition to the famous Box O’ Powders by Benefit – the Rockateur! It’s not just another Benefit blush, if that’s what you’re thinking. This one comes with a new and improved texture and formulation. Together with its unique shade, this blush may be on its way to becoming your go-to blush for the coming Fall season. :)
Rockateur is packaged in a reinforced cardboard box similar to other Box O’ Powder blushes. It has a hinged lid (sorry to those who wish the lid would come completely off) and closes with a magnetic closure. On the surface of the box is a lace and crocodile pattern with black stud accents that some may find a bit tacky but I actually find it kinda fun! Something different from what we are used to seeing from Benefit. Inside is a small mirror and a mini brush. I’m glad to find out that the brush is actually quite soft and picks up the powder well (unlike the old, useless, and stiff brush back in the old days, remember those?!). It has a strong fragrance smell that I don’t particularly enjoy but it goes away fairly quickly upon application.
At first look, Rockateur may seem intimidating due to the ultra shimmery surface. In fact, that was the only reason I didn’t buy it the first day it came out. In my head was: “There is no way I’m putting that thing on my face! Why would anyone want to look like a disco ball?!”. But now that I know better, I’m going to tell you to not be a fool like me. The disco ball shimmer is just an over-spray! And it will come off after a few uses to reveal the real texture underneath which does not have any shimmers at all. In fact, if you look where the raised word “Rock” is, that is the color and texture of the actual blush – “rose gold“, as described by Benefit and it has a matte to satin finish.
To me, or at least on my skin, it doesn’t appear as rose gold, though. It leans more towards mauve and dusty pink rose with a hint of beige than rose gold. In terms of pigmentation, it’s not as pigmented as I’d have liked it to be. The color is of course buildable but I feel like I have to layer on a lot more product to be able to see anything on my cheeks and because of this, it makes me wonder if it would show up at all on darker skin tones (I am NC30). It is also one of those blushes where you don’t need to be super light-handed since it’s impossible to overdo due to its rather sheer pigments. Texture wise, it’s the silkiest, most velvety of all Benefit blushes and I assume it’s the result of the new formulation.
According to Benefit:
Rockateur has a specialized formula that works by combining the best features of baked, powder, cream and fluid textures to give a brighter, purer color pay off creating 1.6 times the amount of pure color payoff.
Now I know where the soft, creamy, baked feeling is coming from! Another good thing about Rockateur that I really like is how it gives my skin that gorgeous luminous glow in the most natural-looking way without emphasizing any imperfections. Whatever it is in that new formula, it’s totally working! The finely-milled powders make for excellent blendability while the rosy hue adds warmth to the skin and leaves you with the most beautiful satiny finish.
It all sounds good so far, right? But there is one thing that Rockateur has been getting slammed with: the amount of product. It is 3 g less than other Box O’ Powders.
The last part of Benefit’s claim of the Rockateur is:
…creating 1.6 times the amount of pure color payoff. This results in the usage rate of Rockatuer to be an exact match to our other Box o’ Powders.
Normal Box O’ Powders have 8 g / 0.28 oz of product, Rockateur has 5 g / 0.17 oz of product and if Benefit’s claim of 1.6 times the amount of pure color payoff is true, we are not really getting any less of the product, are we? Because we would use less to achieve the same intensity as the other Box O’ Powders. Then what’s the controversy? Well, in my case, to get Rockateur to show up, I need to pack on significantly more product on my cheeks than I’d have with other Box O’ Powders such as Hervana. Using more product per application while there is less to start with, chances are I’ll hit pan faster than any of the other Box O’ Powders. Maybe the claim is true for people with fairer skin tones in which they will probably only need 1.6 times less than what they would with other Benefit blushes? I brought up this subject because I know quantity is an important factor for some people. For me, it isn’t really that big of an issue since I own so many blushes! I’d never hit pan on any of them anyway.
Controversy aside, I still love my Rockateur. It gives my cheeks such a flattering rosy flush! And even though I have to use more per application, I don’t find it to be fake or cakey at all. The staying power is also very impressive for such a light-colored blush – I can get through a typical 8-hour work day with only minimal fading at the end of the day. But is it my favorite Box O’ Powders? Definitely not (I love Bella Bamba too much!). I can see Rockateur being the blush I’d use during morning rush or on days when I want just a minimal makeup look as it has such a fool-proof shade and it’s almost impossible to overdo.
Note: Rockateur was given to me as a birthday gift by my good friend Hoku! Thank you so much!
