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Becca Lips

Becca Lush Lip Colour Balm Review + Swatches

August 22, 2017

Becca Lush Colour Balm Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Becca launched eight tinted lip balms called the Lush Lip Colour Balm ($22 each). These are creamy tinted balms with a lipstick feel. They have a vanilla scent similar to that of MAC lipsticks which is soft and creamy. Pigment is medium but buildable if you layer and they feel hydrating without feeling heavy or like they’ll slip off the lips. The texture is smooth and they’re comforting on the lips and I like them even in the hot humid weather. My lips have been on a the dry side a bit with the chlorine and salt water from swimming combined with heat – these helped hydrate them significantly after a day’s wear. Lasting power isn’t the best as it is an emollient balm. They’re not going to stay put like a longwear lipstick or liquid/matte lipstick – but they don’t disappear on me quickly and it’s something I don’t mind re-applying.

Color options have a good range from light to deep and they’re all fairly conservative wearable shades. I did have some streaking with the deeper colors as they had a bit of contrast with my natural lip tone and when I swatched these I did have some peeling going on my lips – but it’s something I can fix with more blending.

Becca Lush Colour Balm Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Becca Lush Colour Balm Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Colors include:

  • Cafe Au Lait is a pale peachy beige which looks a bit streaky with one swipe, but add a few more and it smooths out to an impressive level of smoothness, often times I cannot wear such pale colors because they are super streaky, I was really surprised by this one
  • Ginger Vanille is a soft pink coral, it pulls a bit more coral on most people I’ve seen it on, since I have a lot of olive and yellow, especially when I’m in the sun a lot, it looks a bit more pink on my lips
  • Almond Fraise is a pretty soft pink rose cream, on me it pulls a little bit cool
  • Chai Creme is the perfect creamy soft brown pink shade on my lips
  • Milk Chocolate is a mauve brown cream, this one felt sheerer than the others
  • Toasted Hazelnut is a deeper brown
  • Cherry Ganache is a burgundy red, this one had a little bit of streaking with my dry patches
  • Black Violet was a bit streaky on me as well, but without any dry lips it looks smoother, it’s a purple cream

Lip swatches below on bare lips. The bases I’m wearing include NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in St Moritz, MILK Makeup Flex Concealer in Medium set with Armani Luminous Silk Powder in #4.

Becca Lush Colour Balm Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Becca Lush Colour Balm Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Bottom line love and I think the price is reasonable for the amount. Nicely hydrating with good color payoff for a balm. Smooth finish and a delicious scent. For a balm they are on the lightweight side but not weightless – I can definitely feel product on my lips, but since it’s a balm I don’t mind. My favorite is Ginger Vanille but it’s really hard to pick one favorite. If you need more color/pigment then I’d recommend opting for the Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim Lipsticks (even though they are a lot more expensive, review on all shades soon). By comparison the YSL Volupte Tint in Balms have a more glossy finish and emollient feel. As a sheer lip lover I like both – I think for neutrals the Becca has more options while YSL has more brights.

You can find the Becca Lush Lip Colour Balms at Ulta Beauty and Becca Cosmetics.

Balms provided courtesy of Becca for review.

Becca Highlighters

Becca Light Chaser Highlighters and Liquid Crystal Glow Glosses

June 27, 2017

Becca Light Chaser Highlighter and Liquid Crystal Glow Glosses | The Beauty Look Book

Becca Cosmetics launched a collection of shimmery colors for eyes, lips and cheeks with their Light Chaser Highlighters ($34 each for 6.5 g/0.23 oz) and Liquid Crystal Glow Glosses ($22 for 5 g/0.17 oz). There are six shades total for each formula and each color has a shifting quality with a duo-chrome finish. The quality of the powders, blendability, pigment and colors are all very good. In terms of color, these seem to be among the most trendy that I’ve seen and although I’m a die hard fan of glowy highlighters I found most of these a bit too trendy for my personal taste. That being said these are designed to be versatile to wear alone or layer on top of other makeup to take your look to a new level of glow so whether or not these are up your alley will depend mainly on your preference for colors.

Light Chaser Highlighters are multi-dimensional kaleidoscopic powder highlighters that come in a smaller compact. These are highly reflective with a duo-chrome sheen. Some have a stronger duo-chrome sheen than others. For me these are definitely best when layered with other regular blushes or bronzers. You can also wear these on the eyes for a pretty sheen. The texture is very smooth and easy to blend. Out of all the shades, there were really only 2 that I feel comfortable wearing.

  • Pearl x Gold is a yellow shimmer with a gold flash
  • Rose Quartz x Seashell is a pale pink with iridescent sheen
  • Opal x Jade is a pearl base with a light greenish-teal flash of shimmer
  • Amethyst x Geode is a cool pink lavender that flashes a violet sheen
  • Topaz x Gilt is a bronze olive base with a green flash
  • Champagne Dream x Bellini is a soft peachy opal shimmer

I think it’s pretty predictable which two I could wear: Rose Quartz x Seashell and Champagne Dream x Bellini. I don’t wear yellow or olive well as I already have a lot of yellow and olive in my skin. So when I layer olive on top of olive, it tends to make me look sallow. I also can’t wear things that flash blue or cool-toned very easily, it often has a sharp contrast that I feel doesn’t meld well with my olive skin. All that being said the colors are beautiful in the pans and texture/quality of the powders are really good. If these flashed warmer colors I think I would be able to wear them more easily.

Becca Light Chaser Highlighter Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book Becca Light Chaser Highlighter Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Liquid Crystal Glow Glosses come in colors that are coordinated with the Light Chaser Highlighters. They are extremely sparkly and glowy but have a smooth cushion-like finish. They are on the thick side but don’t feel sticky and are scented with a sweet coconut vanilla tropical scent that I’d normally associate with a body oil. The good thing is the scent fades after a few minutes and there’s no taste. The sparkles in these are intense. I love shimmer but these are very glitzy. If you layer them on top of a lipstick or pencil the shimmers aren’t quite as dramatic. They have a transparent base so your natural lip color will show through. Lasting power is average for a gloss. They stayed put for a few hours until I had a snack and coffee.

Becca Light Chaser Liquid Crystal Glow Gloss Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Colors shown left to right:

  • Pearl x Gold is a white pearl with pale gold flecks of shimmer
  • Rose Quartz x Seashell is a pale pink with cool-toned opal shimmer
  • Opal x Jade is a lavender mauve with teal shimmer
  • Amethyst is a lavender with violet aqua shimmer
  • Topaz x Gilt is a mauve with blue shimmer
  • Champagne Dream x Bellini is a peach with opal flecks

On the lips they photograph well but the lip swatches I photographed didn’t really resemble what they looked like in real life so for this post I’m only posting the arm swatches. With the reflective pearl and semi transparent base my natural lip color showed through and didn’t really capture what the colors looked like. In real life they are what you see in the tube: lots of sparkle, crystal and glitz. A couple beauty looks below will show you what I mean about the photographs – it looks just like a shiny gloss as my natural lip color shows through.

Becca Light Chaser Liquid Crystal Glow Gloss Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Becca Light Chaser Liquid Crystal Glow Gloss Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Foundation worn is MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC37. Left photo has Light Chaser Highlighter in Champagne Dream x Bellini on the cheeks and the same shade of gloss on the lips. You can’t really see the sparkle in photographs because they catch the light nicely and the transparent base makes my natural lip color show through. In real life it’s very glittery and glitzy.

On the right I’m wearing the Sunlit Bronzer in Bronzed Bondi (reviewed here) mixed with the Light Chaser Highlighter in Rose Quartz x Seashell and corresponding gloss on bare lips.

Becca Light Chaser Champagne Dreams Bellini and Rose Quartz Seashell

One last look:

Becca Light Chaser Highlighter and Liquid Crystal Glow Glosses | The Beauty Look Book

Bottom line the products are exactly as described. I’d call these next level shimmers with their kaleidoscope finish and to me they’re very trendy. As a conservative makeup wearer I favor the Becca x Chrissy Teigen Palette by far. It’s one I reach for frequently this season. My two favorites are the Champagne Dream x Bellini and Rose Quartz x Seashell. Quality-wise the powders are excellent. Pigment is medium and easy to either sheer out or layer for more intense color. I’ve never been a fan of light duo-chrome colors as the shimmer tends to look harsh on my skin and since four of the six options fall into the yellow or blueish sheen category which don’t work for my skin tone, I find the colors aren’t ones I’d wear on a regular basis. To sum it up, these are pretty good, but the colors are just not my style. That being said, I may be in the minority – the reviews on Sephora are overwhelmingly positive.

You can find the Becca Light Chaser collection exclusively at Sephora, in stores and online and online at Becca Cosmetics. They are all limited-edition. Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

Many thanks to Becca for sending these for review.

 

Becca Bronzer + Blush Highlighters

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette Review + Swatches

May 19, 2017

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book

Becca launched a new palette with Chrissy Teigen called the Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette ($46 for 15 g/0.53 oz) and it’s absolutely stunning. It has four colors for the face including two highlighters, a bronzer and a blush – I have loved them on both the face and eyes. For a palette I think the price point is fairly reasonable – it comes in a pretty girly rose gold compact with a glossy pink exterior.

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book

 

A closer look at the palette and descriptions of the colors. All the shades have excellent pigment, smooth finish and blend beautifully on the skin. The color is easy to control for either a sheerer wash or pigmented color. All the shades look like they will be universally flattering. The shimmer is visible but not over the top.

  • Rose Gold Highlighter is peachy rose with gold shimmer
  • Hibiscus Bloom Blush is a soft warm pink with a hint of gold glow
  • Malibu Soleil Bronzer is a medium warm bronze
  • Beach Nectar is a pretty champagne peach

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

I did a quick look a few posts back with the Tatcha Cherry Blossom lips, I’ll repost here so you can see it:

Tatcha Cherry Blossom Lip Trio + Becca Chrissy Teigan Palette Look | The Beauty Look Book

A closer look, the shimmer is just so pretty!

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book

If you think this palette looks similar to a lot of other highlighters or palettes you’re right. There are similarities so if you already own a lot of Becca products and don’t want duplicates you may want to shop your stash. That being said I do think this one is quite stunning.

Three sets of comparison swatches for you! Set 1 includes the Becca x Chrissy Teigen vs Becca x Jaclyn Hill (from last year):

Becca Chrissy Teigen v Jaclyn Hill | The Beauty Look Book

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Set 2:

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Palette v Becca Champagne Pop, Rose Gold and Tom Ford Reflects Gilt | The Beauty Look Book

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Set 3:

Becca Chrissy Teigen vs NARS Banc de Sable | The Beauty Look Book

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book

Bottom line, dupeable but still gorgeous. I see a lot of similarities between last year’s Becca collaboration with Jaclyn Hill and also with individual colors from the line. You can definitely get a similar look with other products but the convenience of having these in a single palette will be very handy for upcoming spring to summer travels. I ordered mine and have no regrets even though I have a few other Becca items. The quality and pigment is on point – it really is very very good. Also I think the price point makes this a reasonable buy.

The colors are perfect to brighten the face with a lovely flush of color and glow without being overdone or too frosty. I love that the shimmers aren’t harsh and that there is no yellow gold in them (they tend to look super harsh on my olive skin). I highly recommend this.

You can find the Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette now online and in stores at Sephora, Ulta Beauty, QVC and Becca Cosmetics. Have you checked this one out? What did you think?

 

Becca Bronzer + Blush

Becca Sunlit Bronzers Review and Swatches

May 10, 2017

Becca Sunlit Bronzer Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Becca launched their new Sunlit Bronzers ($38 each for 7.1 g/0.25 oz, made in USA) at the end of April and these are hands down among the best bronzers I’ve ever tried. At this point in my beauty testing life I seriously thought that there was little room for improvement in the bronzer world. I’m a total bronzer addict and have tested all kinds – liquids, powders, creams, gels, shimmers etc. I often wear bronzer instead of blush to add depth or color my beauty look. The Becca Sunlit Bronzers have the softest sheen without any hint of frost on the skin. The texture is finely milled without a lot of fall out. They blend beautifully with the skin. I’ve historically been normal to oily but with the heat in Florida (and change in water) I would say I’ve become more normal to dry and some powders have started to emphasize lines or patches. Not the case with these bronzers. They have a rich pigment that is easy to smooth out and build. They look incredibly natural on the skin and lasted all day on me.

There are five colors and the Becca team sent all the shades for review. Those who have fair skin have often commented that they have trouble finding any bronzer that will work for their skintones. With this line I think you will finally be able to use one that won’t turn orange on your complexion. For my deeper skin tone readers there are a couple shades at the deeper end of the spectrum that have amazing pigment so you should be able to layer for a beautiful glow. The shades:

Becca Sunlit Bronzer Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

The shades have a noticeable shimmer in the pan, on the face it just glows. There’s no frost or flashback. From left to right:

  • Bali Sands is a soft golden sand
  • Capri Coast is slightly deeper but still a light bronze
  • Bronzed Bondi is a medium amber bronze
  • Ipanema Sun is a deeper brown bronze
  • Maui Nights is a reddish terracotta bronze

Becca Sunlit Bronzer Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Becca Sunlit Bronzer Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

The pans comes with an embossed wave/sand like pattern. You can see the flecks of shimmer in the pan in the sunlight:

Becca Sunlit Bronzer Review | The Beauty Look Book

All five on me applied with a light hand. The color is layerable but I wanted to show how natural these can look. On my complexion you can’t really see Bali Sands and can barely see Capri Coast – which I think will help my fair-skin readers get a sense that these are truly lighter bronzer shades. On the face I’m wearing the Diorskin Forever Foundation in 31 and the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger on spots. Face is also set with the La Mer Powder. On the lips is Tom Ford Lip Color in Spanish Pink topped with MAC Lipglass in Beaux (the new version). Stripe tee by Joie.

Becca Sunlit Bronzer Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Two sets of comparisons below, Set 1 includes:

Becca Sunlit Bronzer Comparison Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Set 2 comparisons include:

Becca Sunlit Bronzer Comparison Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Becca Sunlit Bronzer Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Prior to testing these my top picks for bronzers included Edward Bess Daydream, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzers, Tom Ford Bronzing Powder (original formula) and Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel. Other favorites rounded up here. The Becca Sunlit Bronzer joins my list for top picks – it’s definitely one of the most natural looking bronzers that gives the skin a sunkissed look. The color options give you a decent range to pick from depending how natural or deep you want your bronzer to be. Bottom line it’s pure love and I highly recommend them.

You can find the Becca Sunlit Bronzers online at Becca Cosmetics, Beautylish, Sephora and Ulta Beauty. Have you checked these out yet?

Becca Sunlit bronzers provided courtesy of Becca for review.

Becca Bronzer + Blush Highlighters

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection

May 26, 2016

 

The Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection launches today online at Sephora and everything is beautiful. The collection features items focused on creating the ultimate glow for the complexion, eyes and cheeks. The original Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Powder (reviewed here) has been extended into two other formulas. In addition two palettes created by Becca and Jaclyn Hill have launched as limited-edition pieces. The collection launches online today 5/26 at Sephora and will be in stores 6/16:

 

A closer look at each item starting with the Champagne Collection Face Palette which comes a large sturdy mirrored compact. The two palettes have gold reflective packaging so if you see that they look different on other blogs or on social – it’s because of the highly reflective nature of the surface. The Champagne Collection Face Palette has three blushes and two highlighters. All the colors in this palette are extremely pigmented but easy to blend – in testing this I found it best to use with a light hand. There is one shade of Luminous Blush called Rosé Spritz which is a very shimmer pink gold finish. There are two shades of Mineral Blush which are more on the satiny side and more natural-looking in Amaretto which is a medium tan and Pamplemousse which is a pink grapefruit color. You can use shades individually or mix to create different looks. I found I liked the look best when I used either of the mineral blushes first before layering any of the shimmery shades on top.

 

There are two highlighters – both of which are extremely shimmery and very glowy. I have and adore the original Champagne Pop (originally reviewed here and compared to Anastasia That Glow here). The Champagne Pop in the palette is identical in color but for some reason to my eye both highlighters in the palette seem to be a couple notches up in terms of glitz and shimmer. Both are still wearable if you apply with a light hand. Prosecco Pop is the more yellow gold option which usually isn’t a flattering color on my olive yellow-based skin. I can wear Prosecco Pop with a very light hand, but I still prefer Champagne Pop by far. A closer look:

 

 

Swatched below with a medium hand, you can blend to sheer out or apply with a denser brush for more intensity. Pigment is so rich I suspect these colors will show up on a wide range of skin tones. The overall effect is very glowy but still wearable for conservative makeup lovers:

 

 

A look at the palette without sunlight or flash:

 

Next up is the Champagne Collection Eye palette which has two shimmers and three mattes. The overall undertone is warm. It has Chardonnay which is a pale white gold frost, Champagne Toast which is a warm tan copper frost, Cordial which is the prettiest mauve matte, Cognac a very warm toasted brown matte and Bordeaux a soft plum matte. The shimmers offer rich high pigment color while the mattes have a softer medium finish. Textures are soft making them easy to blend on the eyes but I do recommend using a creamy base (I like using the Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid or Poured Creme on the lids, but I think I’m the only one I know who does not have oily lids). For me the colors did take a bit of experimenting and blending because I cannot wear reds or warm shades like this easily. I swatched it next to Ombre Rouge which I just ordered (have not tried yet) for reference. Here in direct sunlight:

 

 

 

Another shot of the Becca Champagne Collection Eye Palette – because the packaging is gold it looks different depending on what is reflecting in the compact:

 

Last but not least are the three Champagne Pop complexion items. The Shimmering Perfector Liquid offers the most natural finish. It’s very natural on the skin and on the medium-sheer side. The color almost matches my skin exactly so it adds a naturally dewy sheen. It does look luminous so if you have oily skin you may find it will look more luminous as the day progresses. The Shimmering Perfector Poured Creme has a more visible finish compared to the Liquid but still looks very natural. Out of the three Champagne Pops this finish and color is my favorite. Then you have the classic Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed – for those who love highlighters there is a different formula for multiple colors in the Becca line so you can pick the finish that works best for you.

 

 

Below the Champagne Pop formulas swatched along with a few other Becca colors:

 

 

 

I’ve only been playing around with the collection for a few days but first impressions are that I really love all three Champagne Pop formulas. I did think there might be a chance that having Champagne Pop in three formats would be overdoing it but after testing them I think they are different enough to justify all three if you love highlighter. If you want to limit yourself to 1, my favorite is the Poured Creme because it has the perfect in between finish (powder being the most shimmery and liquid being the most natural).

 

For the Face Palette – I had already ordered it when it launched as a very brief preview and was able to test this one for a few more days. I tried this a number of ways and found it to be extremely pigmented and very glowy – but the colors are easy to blend for a wearable look and the blending does not require a lot of extra effort which is nice for me since I’m more conservative in the makeup I wear. The colors are naturally flattering for and the warm undertones brighten the complexion. Since the colors are pigmented I prefer to apply with a lighter hand. The Champagne Pop highlighter in the palette does seem to be more glowy and shimmery compared to the individual version (Prosecco Pop is exclusive to the palette). If you prefer a more natural glow or softer color this may be too shimmery or too pigmented for you.

 

The Eye Shadow Palette is all kinds of gorgeous but very warm. I have been experimenting with warmer shades recently though and the palette from Becca is really stunning. I start with the medium matte mauve shade, then layer the ivory and gold, then use the deeper shades to contour – the effect is very pretty and soft without being too warm. Pigment for shimmers is rich while the mattes have a sheerer more natural finish but still offer smooth easy to blend coverage.
Bottom line everything is beautiful and worth checking out. The Becca Face Palette may be too glowy for some in which case I’d recommend you opt for the Tom Ford Afternooner which has a much softer effect but similar warm color scheme.

 

You can find the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection exclusively at Sephora. It launched online today 5/26 but everything is scheduled to launch in store by 6/16.

 

The Champagne Collection Face Palette and Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed were already purchased by me, however Becca also sent the entire collection for review consideration.

 

Becca Bronzer + Blush

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush

May 6, 2016

Becca’s latest is the new Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush ($34 each for 6 g / 0.2 oz). There are six bright colorful shades – all with impressive pigment, smooth blendable textures and the most beautiful luminous glow that I have ever seen. Blush is one of my favorite beauty products because I think it’s the one thing that can really give the face life by adding a bit of color – the Luminous Blushes from Becca are extremely unique in formula. They are almost creamy even though they are clearly powders. One swipe gives impressive pigment which usually would scare me but even if you accidentally pop on too much with the first swipe, the color is super easy to blend out or buff out for a smooth glow. With so many pigmented blushes you have to apply with a very light hand because the pigment adheres to the skin upon impact. I would say the same thing applies with the Becca – apply with a lighter hand and layer for the desired intensity, but I was really impressed with how easy to blend they are, but even after you blend the blushes still maintain their color and pigment without fading away.

Some of the blushes themselves appear to have a fine mist of overspray which makes them look very glowy in the pan brand new. The overspray is very fine – almost transparent because once it’s removed you still see the same color of blush underneath, just not as much sparkle. I noticed it with Camellia – the lightest option. At first glance it’s a gasp-worthy baby pink, but the sparkle had me worried that it would emphasize pores, make me look like a disco ball, and just be a pale frosty pink. I was relieved to find it was simply an overspray and underneath was a soft luminous baby pink.

The blushes seem to be a hybrid of blush and highlighter. You can easily wear them alone as a blush because they all have enough color and pigment (how I’ve been playing with them for the most part). But the texture and shimmer make them have that highlighter feel where you can layer them on top of other products. I tried layering a few over bronzer and regular blush – but I found them so pigmented that layering almost covers the underneath product entirely. I think layering lighter shades over bronzer in general works to add color because I do that with most blushes anyways (bronzer adds warmth to my skin as a soft contour). The darker ones like Dahlia and Blushed Copper seemed to just take over whatever was underneath.

Lasting power is very good – they stay put from morning to late afternoon. They have a soft almost creamy feel but are clearly powders. As long as you don’t apply too much they don’t darken on the skin. Even though these are all shimmery they did not emphasize pores or emphasize imperfections.

A closer look at all the colors plus two looks:

All swatched with an eyeshadow brush:

Camellia is a shimmering soft ballerina pink with fine gold shimmer. It’s almost a baby pink in the compact but on the skin it adds more color and life in a soft brightening way.

Swatched heavy and then blended, you can still blend out the color more for a sheerer look:


Foxglove is an orchid pink color with cool tones. It has a cool-toned shimmer so on my face/olive complexion it pulls very cool but is still very wearable. It goes well with lip colors like MAC So Select, Brave or Mehr or any mauvey tones.

Tigerlily is a bright orange gold shimmer. I was worried this might be very orange on the skin but I’m always surprised by bright orangey blushes. They add life to the complexion in unexpected ways that is actually very wearable – especially when layered with other shades like pink or bronze.

Blushed Copper is one of the most shimmer shades. I would say it’s borderline a frost color. It’s a stunning shimmering coppery bronze kind of shade that is medium to deep and extremely pigmented. The color is easy to blend though and out of all six colors I think this is the most unique.

Dahlia is another medium-deep color. It’s a shimmering reddish plum with slightly warm tones. I usually stay far far away from colors like these. They often look harsh on my skin and give me that almost punched face look or sunburn look. On the face I have to apply this with a light and and blend a lot – a tiny little bit goes a very long way. I’m still experimenting with this one but for my comfort level this is bolder and deeper than I usually go for the cheeks.

Snapdragon is a bright coral pink with gold shimmer. This is easily my favorite because the color is so bright and cheerful. It’s like spring in a blush compact. The texture is very smooth but it’s on the extremely pigmented side so for this one I recommend applying with a light hand. It pulls warm but I suspect it will work well with a wide range of skin tones to add life to the face.

In both photos for the base I’m wearing:

One last look:

Bottom line is believe the hype – they are really that good. I think these are really phenomenal in terms of color selection, pigment, luminosity and blendability. The colors have enough pigment to show up on a wide range of skin tones, including deeper ones. A quick search on Instagram with #luminousblush or the @beccacosmetics tag will show a number of swatches others have done. These show up on light, medium and deep tones – although of course they will look different depending on your skin tone, I think it’s impressive how pigmented these are.

I think all the colors are wearable. For me the only color I can’t see myself wearing on a regular basis is Dahlia because it’s out of my comfort zone and a bit deeper thank what I’m used to. I really like this formula of blush so I hope they expand the color selection in the future. I would personally die to see these in a shimmering beige or nude color (or variations of nudes like their Ombre Nudes Eyeshadow Palettes but for the cheeks instead). If I were pressed to pick my favorites, they would be Camellia, Tigerlily, Snapdragon and Blushed Copper.

You can find the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous at Sephora, Ulta Beauty and Becca Cosmetics. They retail for $34 each.

Have you tried these yet? If not, what’s your favorite blush of the moment?

Many thanks to Becca for sending these for review. I’m in blush heaven right now.

Base Makeup Becca

Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation + Backlight Priming Filter Review

March 15, 2016

Becca launched a new foundation earlier this year called the Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation ($38 for 1 oz) which offers smooth, buildable natural coverage that has a soft glow. I’ve been testing this for two months now combined with the Backlight Priming Filter ($38 for 1 oz) which I actually bought and have used with other formulas since last fall but never reviewed. Today I have a review on both with swatches of all the colors of the Aqua Luminous formula.

For foundation I prefer something that is semi-matte and semi-dewy, basically something that’s in between both ends of the finish range and something that looks natural but also offers at least medium coverage. I don’t have perfect skin so visible coverage is essential for me. I used to use the Becca Sheer Luminous Foundation (original version) and the Foundation Stick many years ago (back in the early 2000s when I was in college and the line was still at Nordstrom). My match back then was Macadamia and I was a die-hard fan of the line until it disappeared from stores for a while. It’s since made a comeback at Sephora and Ulta but I never looked into the foundation reformulations until this year.

Glowy luminous foundations can be hit or miss for me. Many look incredible on my skin for 30 minutes to 1 hour and then turn into an unmanageable oil slick after that which is a shame for me because often times the coverage and color options are perfect. I have normal skin with some areas that are slightly oily and the Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation is amazing. It offers everything as described: smooth lightweight coverage, buildable pigment, blurs imperfections and gives the skin an ultra soft glow. It has enough coverage suitable to even out the skin nicely and I didn’t have to pack it on to get the coverage I wanted. Beige turned out to be my perfect match (as in truly perfect, no tweaking required). I still do need concealer or correctors for dark spots or red areas, but that’s the case with most foundations I use anyways.

The only thing I do not like about this foundation is the packaging. It comes with a dropper – you twist the cap to pop up the push-down dispenser at the tip and press to push out product. I find it awkward and difficult to use although it’s not impossible and I can overlook it because the formula is that good. In terms of lasting power it holds up well with or without primer. When I went to Sephora to get matched the artist used the Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer and a beautyblender sponge to apply and it lasted from the time she applied it all over well into the late evening without getting greasy or oily looking. For wear on my own – I’ve tested it by itself, with a number of Make Up For Ever Primers (hydrating and nourishing are what I have) and the Becca Backlight Priming Filter. I think the Aqua Luminous foundation performs well with a number of formulas, a primer definitely isn’t needed for it to look its best. Powder is absolutely needed to set though – otherwise it gets too glowy looking by late afternoon. Some pressed and loose powders that I highly recommend in this post here.

Swatches of all the shades – they are swatched heavily so you can see the color. It blends out to a smooth flawless finish when I use either the Sephora Collection Pro Full Coverage Airbrush #53 brush or a beautyblender (the pink one is the best one, full review here, however I am testing the new nude). The color range is wide but there are definitely some big jumps in between shades. I’m thrilled that Beige is my perfect match.

A few comparison swatches:

Next is the Backlight Priming Filter which is a pearly liquid primer designed to create a base for makeup. It has a very soft luminous finish with a lightweight almost whipped almost liquid texture. I love the packaging pump as it’s easy to use and no fuss. I found it lightweight, non-clogging, non-irritating and luminous. It did create a nice glow and I like using this primer with other foundations but as a person who doesn’t really like primers in general, I didn’t find this essential to creating a flawless base. When the weather was warmer and we had a few heat waves I found this to be too moisturizing for my skin and it left my face looking a bit too dewy. With normal or cooler weather here in Southern California it performs better. In terms of primers though – this is one of the better ones I’ve tried in terms of smoothing the skin and creating a nice canvas for foundation, concealer and powder.

A quick look at Beige and the Primer swatched side by side:

Bottom line both are extremely good in terms of performance. I will be repurchasing the foundation once I’ve used it up. For the primer I’m not sure I find I love it enough to repurchase – I’m still searching for the one that changes everything for me. Still I have no regrets buying it and will use it to the end.

Have you tried the Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation or Backlight Priming Filter yet? What did you think? You can find both for $38 each at Sephora.