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.
Also in its favor, the highlighting pan’s shimmer isn’t too disco drag queen roller derby either (not that I don’t crave that sort of thing from time to time).
Bottom line, if you don’t mind a little shine and can contour and bronze while hanging upside down on a flying trapeze — in other words, you really know how to work it — I think BECCA Shadow & Light Bronze/Contour Perfector could be great for you.
But for total beginners…not so much.
For starters, the darker contouring side is really dark. I’m talking DARK.
It can take a while to blend out any visible edges, and you need pretty good brush control. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for error, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, things can get muddy and messy fast.
On the other hand, if you’re a seasoned bronzing/contouring pro, it could be a stellar find.
With this, you gotta put in the work to get dramatic, high fashion results.
PRICE: $49
AVAILABILITY: Available now at BECCA counters and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Sorry but I LOLed LOUD at “cheese AND sour cream SON.”
My nickname at Chipotle is “Little Scoops” until they get to the cheese and sour cream and then it’s “Lots Of That” when we get to the toppings.
I always thought it was odd that they only offered one or the other. MAMA WANTS BOTH!!!
What do you usually order? I get a veggie bowl or a burrito.
So, I’m a contour and highlighting novice, but this got me to thinking. I’m like, NC50, in MAC. Currently, I’m coveting the HourGlass Ambient Lighting powders in the trio compact because I need a lil’ hightlight in my life. Because of my snickerbar complexion, the dark powder in the Becca set may be dark enough to give me the sharp contour that I’d like to create- at least in my head.
Buuuuut, I’ll pass on the roller derby disco drag queen highlight ’cause I can already fry chicken on my face- no extra oil or disco ball needed. And I Love Chipotle. #boom
LOL, I too am a contouring novice, and while I like to think I’m creating a high fashion, sharp contour, my natural zombie complexion means that the end result is more ‘pantomime Vampire McSunkencheeks’… the learning process continues! I tend to steer away from shimmer in face products too because I already glow in the dark.
Have you tried contouring with dark matte eyeshadows? It’s what I’ve turned to to try and find something light and cool enough for me, because the colour selection is so much bettter than for actual face products!
You know, I’ve heard of using dark eyeshadow to contour the face. Still haven’t found the right one yet, but I will continue to be on the lookout. Thanks for the rec…
Ahh, I love Duran Duran and the music of the ’80s in general!!
I’ll have to pass on this as I’m a total novice at contouring. I have to also be very careful with contouring as I have a slim face, so I normally just contour my nose and chin. Thank you for the review, Karen! 🙂
I’m so glad you swatched this! I was eyeing this but I wasn’t sure if the contour side would be deep enough. It looks like it might work for me though! I really hope so because the highlight looks so beautiful!
Thanks for the swatches Karen! Have been eyeing this one for long but always end up collecting the pressed & liquid highligters instead . I am obsessed with those from the brand. I like the shades in this one too! I think i will give it a go now!
I have a little summer flu bug going on and I’m feeling awful so I have to thank you for making me totally laugh with your 80s Duran Duran video comment. You always have the best references! 🙂
This looks really pretty on you.
What lippy are you wearing in these photos? LOVE!