Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
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Just FYI, keep your BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Gold ($38) away from any flocks of wild canaries, because they could potentially mistake it for one of their own.
Don’t worry, this highlighter isn’t for the birds. Yeah, it looks jarringly yellow in swatches and the pan (at least I thought so at first), but it’s a totally different story on skin.
“Is that the girl Kiera Knightly calls to get her beat face?”
With BECCA’s Ombre Nudes Eye Palette ($40) in your makeup bag, peeps will wonder if you’re a celeb makeup artist. The palette makes it a whole lot easier to create professional-caliber, super-blended eye looks, even if you’re totally new to makeup.
Seriously. If I gave a four-year-old hopped up on Oreos and Cherry Coke a couple blending brushes, this palette, a blindfold and my face, that kid would create hella tight makeup looks at least some of the time. 🙂 It’s that good.
The palette houses five matte brown neutral eyeshadows, some of which only vary slightly, and they all have subtle gray undertones. Some of the shades are so closely related that they wouldn’t even be allowed to marry in some states. 🙂
Because the shades are so similar, they’re very easy to transition into each other, making them absolutely fabulous for hazy, blown-out eyes with subtle gradients.
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So…Pearl, Opal and Champagne Gold really don’t ring a bell?
Really?
No, no, they aren’t the names of a Kardashian’s newborn triplets, although I tip my hat to you. Bravo. That was a good guess. 🙂
Pearl, Opal and Champagne Gold are the three colors in BECCA’s new $25 Shimmering Skin Perfectors Spotlights Kit, and if you aren’t already a fan of BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors, oh! — let me break it down for you. By the time I’m finished, you’ll probably want to start carrying one (or two or three) of these liquid highlighters with you at all times.
BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors are some of the best liquid highlighters I’ve ever seen or used. They have a fine, fairy-like opalescent finish that makes skin glow as if it’s being illuminated from within, and the magical light purposefully ignores pores and fine lines.
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And a good time was had by all.
Well, all except for El Hub, who hovered outside the Sephora store for half an hour today while I picked up some things I needed/wanted (something from Kate Somerville and a NARS concealer).
“I’ll be quick, I swear!” I told him, and he rolled his eyes. He had his phone, though, so at least he had something with which to occupy himself.
Every once in a while I glanced out the window to check on him. Twice he pointed at an imaginary watch on his wrist to remind me that more than 10 minutes had passed, haha!
Poor guy… 🙂
Seriously, someone needs to invent a comfortable folding chair for significant others that’ll fit in a purse. Then when I need to go to Sephora, I could just whip it out for El Hub. That, plus his phone to play with, and he’d be set for a while.
Oh, well. Until then, the “I’ll be quick, I swear!” routine will have to do.
I really would have been 10 minutes today, but I got distracted by some new things from BECCA, namely a beige and brown matte eyeshadow palette and a rose gold highlighter.
“What’s up, matte?” The BECCA Ombre Nudes Eye Palette ($40) comes with all your basic matte beiges, tans and browns and a formula that feels soft and silky.
The downy powders remind me a little of Urban Decay’s matte eyeshadows, and I like the color temps. None of them are too warm or cool, so I have a feeling they’ll work well for a lot of different skin tones.
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I feel conflicted about BECCA’s Shadow & Light Bronzer/Contour Perfector…
Released earlier this summer, it’s a split pan powder bronzer ($49). The darker side is for sculpting and shading, the lighter golden side for highlighting and adding dimension.
Initially, it piqued my interest because it uses black undertones to simulate the appearance of shadows on the skin.
I thought that sounded neat.
After trying it out, yeah, in some ways, I do think it’s awesome. Like, it makes it easy to go from regular chubby-cheeked Karen to ’80s Duran Duran video vixen because it carves out cheekbones quicker than you can say “Cheese and sour cream, son!” in line at Chipotle, and it does it in dramatic fashion.
You ever play “Fill the Online Shopping Cart”?
It’s one of my favorite games. 🙂 I’ve been playing it over at the BECCA website this afternoon. They’re running a Friends & Family sale. Just started this morning. Get 20% off any $50 purchase at beccacosmetics.com/us using promo code SPRINGFF14.
The sale ends next Tuesday (June 3, at midnight PST), so you still have time to play “Fill the Online Shopping Cart” if you’re interested.
I haven’t pulled the trigger yet on anything, but I have filled, emptied, and then filled my cart again with staples like Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation, while I do a little more research on some things, like the new BECCA Beach Tint Shimmer Souffles ($27 each).
I ran over to Sephora to have a look at them and swatch a couple things.
GURL, these look really cute. The marbled pattern on the pots totally reminds me of the Hourglass Ambient Blushes. Instead of a powder, though, the Shimmer Souffles have a cream formula.
Oh, Matte, yes! A thousand times YES!
I think I’m going to cry…
I’ve been wondering when you’d ask. You just made me the happiest girl in the world. 🙂
I actually thought you might pop the question that morning two weeks ago when we were getting ready for work. You were thinking about it that day weren’t you, Matte? We were standing in front of the mirror together, and I was holding on to you so tightly, and we looked into each other’s eyes, and I thought, “Yes, I could spend the rest of my life with you, Matte.”
Haha! It’s kind of crazy that we can spend all day together without driving each other nuts. Isn’t that crazy, Matte? I’ve never known a liquid matte foundation that left my skin looking so smooth and feeling so comfortable.
And the way you take control of oil on my forehead, nose and chin? — gosh, that’s so frickin’ hot. You always keep the shine away, baby, even on your own. I’ve never known another matte like that. Because of you, I don’t even need setting powder. That’s epic, Matte.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that you look so good in pics, haha! Oh, you know it’s true. You’re easy on the eyes. You look so natural on my skin. Not fake or mannequin-like at all. Honestly, because of problems in my past with that, I didn’t think I’d ever commit to a matte foundation…
Before you.
I love how just the smallest amount patted on my cheeks, my nose and around my chin and mouth give me medium coverage. And how if I want more opacity, all I have to do is add and blend another layer.
Now, your family — it’s big, Matte — and you know that I love your family, but are we going to invite all 18 of your brothers and sisters? Because that’s going to be a big-@ss wedding. Bigger than we talked about.
Why don’t we just call your cousin, and have her meet us at City Hall? We could elope right then and there.
Show me a picture of a beautiful beach (ideally, someplace warm), and whisper the words, “elegant makeup, Karen” in my ear, and guaranteed — BECCA is the brand that’s gonna pop in my mind.
I’m so happy to see it at Sephora again!
Ooh, there was a while there — dark, dark days — where BECCA was really hard to find here in the U.S. — like, you had to trek to small, sad counters at Neiman Marcus stores or get lucky and stumble across a Pure Beauty, so I’m glad it’s carried at a major retailer again.
How well do you know BECCA? If you’ve been wanting to get to know them better, have I got a video for you! 🙂
Here are my fave 5 (Fab 5?) products from the brand.
Thank you for watching!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
