I use Ben Nye Neutral Set every day to set my makeup as it is translucent and doesn’t change the shade of my foundation, and it controls my oil very well. I picked up the Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder a few weeks ago for the sole purpose of setting my under eye concealer. Now this powder is very popular because of the infamous Kim Kardashian Highlight and there are tons of YouTube videos with tutorials on how to achieve that look. Keep in mind that this is NOT the look that I was going for as it looks overly done to me for everyday wear. I have dark circles and sometimes bags under my eyes from not getting enough rest and I just wanted to brighten the area to look more awake.
Banana Powder is a super fine translucent powder with a matte finish. It has just a hint of warm yellow color. I have the 3oz container which is pretty large so I transfer some to a sifter jar for everyday use to avoid wasting product and make it easier to use.
To use the Banana Powder, I first prime my face and put on my foundation and then apply my concealer of choice under my eyes in a v shape using a concealer brush and blend it out with my ring finger. After this, using a makeup sponge I set the concealer with the banana powder to create my highlight and use my Neutral Set to set the rest of my face. It usually turns out something like this…
I have a love hate relationship with Ben Nye Banana Powder as sometimes it does not turn out so well. It works best for me when I use a concealer close to my skin tone or one shade lighter with the same undertones. The ones that have worked best to achieve this look is my MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW40, MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW45 and Sleek Luminaire Highlighting Under Eye Concealer in L04 or L05. If I use a concealer that is too light or too yellow it doesn’t work out too great and makes my under eye area stand out too much and like I said that is not the look that I want.
Some people use Banana Powder all over the face to set their makeup but this will only work if you have warm undertones. It works great for me to set my under eye concealer and highlight the area. It’s best applied lightly as if you apply too much it looks caked. It lasts all day long and doesn’t crease but if you apply your concealer too thick and don’t apply enough powder to set it will crease. You have to make sure that the under eye area is moisturized well or Banana Powder will accentuate the dryness.
Banana Powder comes in three sizes- 1.5 oz , 3 oz and 8 oz . It is super inexpensive in the range of $5-$25, prices vary from different retailers. You can find it at Camera Ready Cosmetics, Makeup Mania, Ricky’s NYC and Alcone. If you are in NYC you can find it in store at Ricky’s and Alcone. You will find the best pricing at trade shows like IMATS and The Makeup Show.
25 Responses
Thanks to your recommendation of the neutral set powder ages ago, I do own the both powders. I like the banana powder and I use it for under my eyes as well. If my undereye area is too dry though, it doesn’t come out that great. It is somewhat hit or miss, but when it’s a hit, it looks great!
You are so right, it doesn’t work on dry eyes and accentuates the dryness. It’s a very tricky product but great when it works well!
I’ve been curious about this for a while, but it seems like it would be really tricky to use! Thank you for the review, though. 🙂 I would be interested in checking it out if I can find a smaller size or even a sample size.
It is very tricky to use but once you get the hang of it and find a routine that works it’s pretty cool
Lol..I think it’s hilarious that because a product was so hyped up,woman of every skin complexion think they wanna try it…meanwhile dark black woman trying to jump on the yellow wagon makes no damn sense…this isn’t for you..lol..even in the picture you look as though you need lotion…this isn’t a one color fits all! They have colors for your skin..maybe you should try those
Yeah you think you’re so funny. Maybe you should do your research and you would know that black women come in a variety of complexions with different undertones in their skin, red, yellow and neutral. There are plenty of black woman who use this product and it was not made for just white or light skinned women if that’s what you’re trying to imply. In the way that I am using the product it works fine for my complexion. There is nothing ashy looking about my skin. You have so much to say how about you post a picture of yourself and let’s see what you look like. Don’t come on my site with that bullshit!
Deanna ur jealous cause Erica is the ish and ur just shit. love ur website u can add me as a new person always on ur site. a big up to us black beauties
Thanks for the love hon and welcome to The Glamorous Gleam 🙂
I don’t use a liquid foundation and use powder instead. Will the Ben bye banana powder still help my dark under eye circles?
I haven’t used it this way as of yet but assuming that you still use a concealer I don’t see why not
*nye
finally a website with a woman that identify with
i stumbled across your page while googling ben nye powder. it looks very pretty on you. I am not a mua but i am trying to learn how to do my own makeup without having to pay someone else lol thanks for the tips! btw I love your website 🙂
Lol it ain’t nothing wrong with that. Thank you so much and I am glad that you’re enjoying my site 🙂
Eric, luv the review. Where did you get the sifter jar? I use the banana powder on special occasions but I want more product on my face than on my vanity lol.
Lol thank you. I get them from Ricky’s NYC or Sephora.
Omg…I thought I was the only one..with the cakey look under the eye after the ben nye….omg..I have tried different conclears ..this was helpful
Where can you Ben Nye from, what mall stores carry it? Would the concealer for dark under eye circles work for dark eyelids?
The concealer should help with dark eyelids just the same. I am not sure about mall stores but you can order Ben Nye online from various stores, just do a quick Google search.
Thanks for posting real experiences on these products. I’ve not yet tried the banana powder. I’d like to try it for under eye circles. I’ll try it keeping your tips in mind!
You’re welcome!
I’ve had the same experience, i have a lighter skin complexion but I’m not super light and the Ben bye tends to make me look extremely ashy unless I dust it on lightly and I can’t really bake with this product because I find that the longer I leave it on the drier and older my undereye tends to look. I really expected to love this product but I’m starting to think I should’ve just purchased the Sacha powder instead being that it’s so drying to my skin. Thanks for your honest review of this product, now I know I’m not the only one lol.