Benefit Dew the Hoola and Hoola Zero Tanlines

The Benefit Hoola Bronzer was the first bronzer (and Benefit product) that I’ve ever purchased many years ago. At that time, it was so difficult to find good matte, neutral bronzers in stores so the Hoola Bronzer stole my heart. After releasing the Hoola Bronzer 15 years ago, Benefit has added some new products for face and body to the Hoola Bronzer Family: Benefit Dew  the Hoola and Hoola Zero Tanlines, which I’m going to review for you today.

I received these products in my goodiebag after the Benefit Hoola Bronzer Family PR Event. Benefit Dew  the Hoola is a liquid bronzer for your face, while Hoola Zero Tanlines is a bronzer for your body. They both have the same shade and matte finish as the original Hoola Bronzer. A Hoola Bronzing & Contour Brush is also new into this family, but I don’t have that one for this review.

Dew the Hoola comes in a shiny exotic looking box. The bottle itself looks like bamboo. I really love all the details on the packaging but I personally find it a tiny bit misleading. If you’re not familiar with the Hoola Bronzer, you would probably think that this would be shimmery instead of matte.

The bottle comes with a pump and looks small, but there’s actually 30 mL of product in there (the amount that you usually get in a foundation). Bronzers are usually applied at certain parts of the face, so 30 mL is a good amount in my opinion.

A small pea-sized amount comes out of the pump. It’s a funny consistency. It doesn’t run but as soon as you spread the product, it’s like woaahh where does all this product come from!? The texture is very wet and weightless. After blending the Dew The Hoola bronzer into my skin, I can’t even feel it any longer. It does have a very subtle scent which I can’t really place. The best way to describe it tropical pineapple-ish.

Here’s a before/after shot using the Benefit Dew the Hoola liquid bronzer. I applied it where I usually apply my bronzer, on the hollows of my cheek, hairline and underneath my jaw. You can also use the Dew the Hoola at spots where the sun would usually hit your face, so forehead, top of the nose, cheeks and chin to create a natural looking tan.

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I had to play around a lot with this bronzer to have it apply evenly. I tried using my fingers first, dabbing and then rubbing the product in, which made a huge mess because you get a lot of product from only one pump. The bronzer is so wet that my foundation moved along with it when I tried to buff it in with my fingers so it became very patchy. Then I decided to grab my Beautyblender, which made applying the product much more easy and even. The result is very subtle on my skin since I have a light to medium skin-tone. I personally prefer the original Hoola Bronzer over the Dew the Hoola, because I like a stronger difference, which is much quicker and easier to build up with the Hoola Bronzer. However, this would be a very nice product if you want a natural look with lightweight products or if you prefer a more subtle bronzed look. I also think that this would be great product for fair skin-tones since the effect is so subtle.

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Next up is the Hoola Zero Tanlines body bronzer.  This bronzer comes in the same exotic, metallic looking type of packaging as Dew the Hoola. The tube contains 147 mL of product.

The screw-off lid consists of two parts, the lid itself and a buffer sponge where you can apply the product with to give you an even result without stripes.

The Hoola Zero Tanlines body bronzer looks like a self-tanner but this is definitely not the same. This bronzer is not a self-tanner, it’s just a make-up product. With self-tanners, you have to wait for leave the product on your skin and wash it off for a result that will last for a few days. With the Hoola Zero Tanlines, you immediately have a tanned result but it also comes of immediately after taking a shower. The bronzer has a gel-like consistency and does not contain any SPF or moisturizing effects. It has the same scent as Dew the Hoola. The applicator smells like rubber though, but that smell didn’t transfer onto my skin.

I’ve put the applicator back in the lid after using this bronzer for the first time. I grabbed it again after a few days and it was still wet. I don’t think that’s very hygienic. You can probably wash the applicator a bit with soap like you would do with a beautyblender and leave it to dry before putting it back into the lid.

I used three layers of Hoola Zero Tanlines on the right. It dries fast, is lightweight and doesn’t feel sticky so it’s easy to build up layers evenly. The bronzer is supposed be transfer-proof (but not water-proof) for 12 hours, I haven’t tested this out for myself.  I found it easy and quick to apply this with the applicator. I do think you have to use a lot of product if you have a light to medium skin-tone like me, but then it would be more difficult for lighter skin tones to get a more subtle effect so I do understand why Benefit didn’t make it more pigmented.

I really like the Hoola Zero Tanlines. Since I work in a laboratory, I’m not allowed to have any bare skin while working. I do sometimes switch around with leggings when it’s sunny outside, but mostly I have to wear pants. This results in my upper body becoming very tan in the summer and my legs looking extremely off-color compared to the rest of my body. This product makes the transition much better.

Here’s a close-up of the difference without and with the Hoola Zero Tanlines bronzer. This makes my skin look exactly how it would look when I would have a natural tan. This is because the Hoola Bronzer Family Products have a neutral shade.

You’re probably wondering how it the Benefit Hoola Zero Tanlines would look like on a lighter skin tone. I forced borrowed my boyfriends arms to test this product out on a lighter skin. He is as pale as a sheet and burns as soon as the sun hits his skin. I used one layer of the Benefit Hoola Zero Tanlines on his right arm. Look how subtle and natural it looks! You can also definitely build up and use more layers to intensify the effect.

I like the new products in the Hoola Bronzer Family. I don’t think they are special and life-changing like the Hoola Bronzer was, but I will definitely be using the Hoola Zero Tanlines when it will be warm enough to wear skirts again. Also, these products would definitely not be suitable if you’re already tan or have a darker skin tone.

Benefit Dew the Hoola will be available for €30,50 Euro and Hoola Zero Tanlines for €32,50 at Douglas.nl and selected Douglas stores as from March 2016.

Have you tried the Benefit Hoola Bronzer? What do you think about these new products?