In general I’m a big fan of Benefit’s blushes. Bella Bamba and Coralista are among my favorites. I figured the case would be the same with Hervana but I was sadly mistaken. This is the first product I have ever returned to Sephora because I was truly dissatisfied with it.
Hervana blush by Benefit. You are too pretty to require so much effort.
What should have set my ‘do not buy’ radar was the large amounts of white pigment in this blush. Swirled together all of the colors looked a powdery orange-pink. Press photos seem to hint this color leans towards a cool pink. Swatches I’ve seen on fairer-skinned ladies seems to show the same thing. So I have no idea if it is because of my undertones this color went on the orange side or what.
The color itself wasn’t bad but it seemed I had to get a lot of product on the brush for it to even show up a hint on my skin. I hadn’t had this problem with other Benefit blushes so I was very disappointed to have it happen with this one. There is no discernable shimmer in this blush but it is very powdery and ‘dusty’ which translates to ashy on dark skin unless you use a cream blush base. And even with that it seems to take a lot of product for it to even show up. In terms of value this is a deal breaker. Why should you go through a $28 blush so quickly just because you have dark skin and the pigmentation is light so you have to use more product? I have NARS blushes that are matte (my beloved Gilda) and the pigmentation is amazing with no ashiness.
Overall I’m very disappointed with this product. I wouldn’t recommend it to dark-skinned folks who are say, deeper than NC/NW30. But even if you are fair to medium skinned, I don’t think the quality is as up to par with Benefit’s other blushes. Definitely swatch in-store to see if it is for you.
Unlike other Benefit blushes, this box is hinged. An absolute pain in the butt.
From bottom: Hervana heavily swatched alone, over NARS Lokuom cream blush, over MAC Shine Mixing Medium
Wearing Hervana without anything beneath. Can you see it?
A closer look. Can you see HerPurgatory, I mean Hervana?
Let's try Hervana again this time over NARS Lokoum cream blush
To paraphrase Dolly Parton, it takes a lot of work to make Hervana look good.
The Beauty Is A Geek 
benefit doesnt make cheek and face products for black woman of certain complexion (of which I am one), why I dont support them altogether. It’s not a new company, they can afford to have a wider range
Benefit seems to make the same mistake a lot of other companies make: that black women are only one ‘deep’ complexion. You would think they would learn from the likes of MAC, Make Up For Ever, Cover FX (a new fave of mine) and especially NARS how profitable this market segment is. Even Chanel has gotten with the program with their latest Aqualumiere foundations.