Battle of the pale bronzers: Benefit Hoola Lite vs Wet 'n Wild Reserve Your Cabana

Have I ever mentioned to you that I am pale? 

 Well of course I have mentioned many times over the history of Faeriwood that I've been pigmentally challenged my whole life and - despite flirting with tanning every now and again -  I wholly embrace the pale. 

I have, however, always been a bronzing queen when it comes to my makeup. Whether I am using cream products or powders I always have felt healthier with a bit of a glow but I hate the orangey-ness of most bronzing products! It’s a catch-22 when deciding which one is more important. 

For years I have been loyal to two products. Nars Multiple for a cream face (read here why I don’t believe in the term contouring for chubby cheeks) and Benefit Hoola for a powder face. Both are quite dark so they are used often but sparingly.

This is why I was delighted when two new products designed for pale skin came on to the market. 

Wet N’ Wild Coloricon Reserve your Cabana*

Reserve Your Cabana is the best budget beauty bronzer for pale skin. Key word... Budget. I was very kindly sent it for review by Wet 'N Wild Ireland and it has quickly become part of my daytime makeup routine. Reserve Your Cabana is a very cool toned bronzer, if you are an alabaster or porcelain – true porcelain – then you will love the barely there glow that it gives. If your skin is any darker or you happen to be rocking a natural tan – or let’s face you’ve decided that you want to go half a shade darker in your foundation that day just to look alive - then it very quickly moves in to translucent powder territory and you might as well not bother. The formula is more powdery than I would like; what it benefits in lack of pigment it loses in the amount of fallout, and the plastic packaging is slightly flimsy with the writing wearing off after only a few uses and before it had even looked at my makeup bag but, at less than a fiver, I am not complaining!

My only real dislike about this product and all Wet 'N Wild products is that they're so difficult to find in Northern Ireland! Dear Wet 'N Wild, I'm begging you for more stockists! I have a few suggestions if you need them ;) 

Benefit Hoola Lite

When Benefit announced the paler sister to my beloved Hoola I was instantly sold. There was no way I wasn't go to buy Hoola Lite as soon as it was released. And so I did... on released day. I gave a little chuckled at the counter assistants in House Of Fraser thinking they needed to give me the sales pitch. Don't worry love... I got dis! 

My first impression was shock at just how dark the original Hoola (the OG) was in comparison! How have I been using this for the guts of a decade and not looking like a clown? The answer is of course: with a very light hand. 

Hoola Lite is a product I don't have to worry about using a delicate touch. 

That's not necessarily a good thing at nearly 5 times the price of the Wet 'N Wild option!

Hoola Lite is still a warm toned bronzer despite being for pale skins. It still won't make a difference on your skin if you are darker than a sheet of paper but it is not a product that could be mistaken with a translucent powder. You can still look orange if you go too heavy handed. 

Verdict

Whilst they may look similar side by side these are very different products but theres room for both of these in my life. Reserve Your Cabana will be kept for my 'day face' and Hoola has graduated to my travel makeup bag which is reserved for events and nights out after work. The quality and prices speak for themselves in that Hoola has much less fall out but price per use will be much higher given that it is half the size and quintuple the price. If you're simply priced out by that then the budget friendly Wet 'N Wild is the perfect option but you'll need to do some hunting if you live in NI; May the odds be in your favour.

*UPDATE* 
The lovely girls at Wet 'N Wild Ireland have updated me with a list of their stockists for the entire County Antrim! This will make stalking their products much easier for us NI girls! See the full list below.

• J.E. Fleming, 13 Edwards Road, Whitehead, Co.Antrim
• Kennedys Pharmacy, 56 Main Street, Rasharkin, Co.Antrim
• Medicare Pharmacy Kingscourt, 11 King's Square, Belfast
• CE McGettigan Chemist, Unit 2 Blackstaff Shop, 111/129 Springfield Road, Belfast
• Dunville Pharmacy, Medicare Group, 103 Falls Road, Belfast
• Springfield Pharmacy, Medicare Group, 461 Springfield Road, Belfast
• Whiterock Pharmacy, Medicare Group, Whiterock Road, Belfast
• Ahoghill Pharmacy, 21-23 Main Street, Ahoghill, Co.Antrim
• Medicare Pharmacy, A & F Dundee Ltd, 1 Knockleigh Drive, Greenisland, Co.Antrim
• Broughshane Pharmacy, 47 Main Stret Broughshane, Ballymena, Co Antrim
• Medicare Northcott Pharmacy, A & F Dundee Ltd, Unit 9, Northcott Shopping Centre Glengormley, Co.Antrim
• A & F Dundee t/a High Street Pharmacy, 16/18 High Street, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim

*This product was sent for review but all opinions are mine and I have not been paid for this post