becca

Not gonna lie, after feasting my eyes on the delicious nail polishes and blushes from the Becca Halcyon Days collection, I didn’t have much of an appetite left for the Automatic Eye Pencils in Goa and Majorca ($23 each). The two twist-up makeup tools were way down at the bottom of my “I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it!” list.

But then I noticed the value-added extras Becca thought to include, like the sponge-tip applicator, hidden pencil sharpener (sweet!), and effortless texture — so smooth that it would give any silk worm a complex. In this case, it was the extras that made me stop and take notice, and I figured, heck, with summer right around the corner, I can always use a couple of new long-wearing, waterproof eyeliner staples.

Becca kept both of these colors conservative, opting for basics to complement the coral, peach and pink shades from Halcyon Days. Goa, a shimmery golden brown, reminds me of a mellower MAC Teddy, and it sits in stark contrast to starless Majorca, a pitch black devoid of green or blue undertones.

I wore both of them a few times last week, and while I like them well enough, I’m not convinced they should be called long-wearing or waterproof.

Majorca

Of the two, Majorca’s my fave. It kicks it all day long on lash and water lines, but unlike Urban Decay’s long-wearing 24/7s, it never fully sets after it dries, so it stays creamy and, I guess you could say, a little too light on its feet (it tends to move around). The consistency makes it fabulous for soft and smudgy eyeliner looks, but I think it also holds it back from being completely waterproof. I suspect it wouldn’t handle 30 minutes on the treadmill or a day at the pool, but it’s a brilliantly black liner for running errands, even considering that it costs some coin. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A-

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Like the Becca Halcyon Days Mineral Blushes, the powders in the new Mineral Bronzer/Illuminator Duo in Serrana ($43) look and feel flawless on the skin.

On one side, a warm matte bronze that should sing on light and medium skin tones (and add a whisper of warmth to darker ones); on the other side, a warm peach with a sheen finish. Both showcase finely milled powders that practically blend themselves, making contouring and highlighting with them a breeze. I know it’s a little late in the year to be thinking about winter, but I have a feeling Serrana would have been a fantastic bronzer to wear in the middle of winter, not that it isn’t still a great one now.

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The more time I spend with the Becca Halcyon Days collection, the more I fall in love. It’s fast becoming one of my favorite summer releases so far and OOH! — do you hear that? It sings sonnets — no, more like an epic volumes! — to my peach/coral/pink/gold-lovin’ heart.

If your skin turns a toasty brown over summer, or you’re just fond of the way you look in warm pinks, peaches and corals, don’t be surprised if you catch yourself making grabby motions in the air the first time you see the Halcyon Days Mineral Blushes ($32 each) up close, or when you open the sturdy compacts, with, what is that on the outside? A rubberized texture? How cool is that!? It keeps them from slipping out of my grubby little hands.

Flowerchild (a golden peachy pink) and Damselfly (a golden coral) deliver serious, hard-to-ignore pigmentation. One swirl around the pan from my powder blush brush grabs just enough color for one cheek — no layering necessary, unless I want a brighter look.

And talk about flawless application! The powder grains are so tiny that they even make grains of sand seem huge. They might even be finer than the powders at T. LeClerc, an uber-luxury line that some consider one of the best in the beauty biz.

The finely milled powder might be the reason why it spreads like sunlight with nary a streak. And blending? Forget about it. I barely have to flick a wrist to smooth out the edges, which are hardly even there.

The resulting luminous, flushed cheek look is pure Becca all the way — fresh-faced, beachy, feminine, effortless and true to the line.

I’m thinking it would also make a fantastic starter blush for beginners, too, because of how easy it is to use and how natural it looks. If you’re curious about blush but worried about looking like a circus clown, I think either of these would be a great place to start.

Damselfly

Flowerchild

Swatches of Damselfly (left) and Flowerchild (right)
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