J. Cat Beauty Banana Luxe Pro Powder Review & Swatches

Need to brighten up eyes and set your concealer but you need to do it on a budget? J. Cat Banana Luxe Pro Powder ($6.99) is the way to go my friends! I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this little powder since it launched on Ulta’s website a few weeks ago because I’m a massive fan of Ben Nye Banana Powder and needless to say this and the Makeup Revolution Luxury Banana Powder are packaged identically.

I’m positive they do this intentionally because you’re instantly drawn into a purchase believing it’ll be like Ben Nye’s formula. Makeup Revolution sadly failed me in that aspect but J. Cat Beauty’s formula did not.

Sadly, this isn’t really easier to find or locate compared to Ben Nye’s formula as it’s an online exclusive available at Ulta (perhaps J. Cat’s website also sales it but I haven’t checked). So, it isn’t something you can just walk into Ulta and buy. You’ll still need to do an online order for it. I will say it is easier to just buy it at Ulta compared to hunting down Ben Nye’s version with Free Shipping which can be trickier and take longer to find and get shipped to you. Another sad aspect is the fact this contains talc. I’ll be the first to express that the talc makes it silkier and a lot less slippery compared to silica but sadly, if you’re avoiding talc it’s probably not a good pick for you (Click here to read what the FDA has to say about talc if the ingredient concerns you).

I don’t really like the texture of silica powder and I feel like it almost always creases under my eyes so I prefer a more powdery texture like the one that this one and others like Besame Brightening Vanilla Face Powder and Kat Von D Lock-It Brightening Powder. This has a silky powdery texture that applies and blends out easily. It’s available in a range of four different shades but I picked up the Banana one which I use to set my concealer and to brighten up my eye area as the yellow diffuses the look of the dark circles. I’d say the formula is fairly close to Ben Nye’s but a little thinner in consistency and a little less bright buttery yellow. But all in all, both perform very well for what I use them for. And let’s not forget J. Cat’s formula is 1.5 oz in size and a mere $7 compared to the $13-$15 I’ve paid for Ben Nye’s formula of the same size.

One thing I do dislike is the odd jar it comes in but I’m more than familiar with this packaging courtesy Ben Nye which is identical. I highly recommend purchasing an empty sifter and just shaking the powder into it and refill as needed as it is impossible to use it in its current packaging since the sifter is small and the cap is even smaller.

All in all, the best seven bucks I’m spent this month! I have plenty of Ben Nye which has lasted me well over a year so I really didn’t need to make this purchase (believe me if you’re using it under your eyes only this will last ages at this size) but I was terribly curious about J. Cat’s formula. I don’t regret the purchase at all. It’s a fab powder! Silky, easy to blend and apply, and brightens up my eye area nicely while setting my concealer without creases.

Muse Approved.

J. Cat Banana Luxe Pro Powder can be purchased at Ulta.com.

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Ingredients:
Talc, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Magnesium Stearate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. May Contain: (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 19140).