BECCA Luminous Blush in Snapdragon (Review, Swatch & Look)

BECCA Luminous Blush in Snapdragon

It’s becoming VERY obvious to me that blush is my latest product to become obsessed with. So, when I saw the previews of the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blushes, I knew I was going to be taking some home with me.

BECCA Luminous Blush in Snapdragon
BECCA Luminous Blush in Snapdragon

Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush” – good HEAVENS is that ever a mouthful. The premise for these blushes, and the reason for the insanely long name, is that these were developed with BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors in mind (see my previous reviews on Champagne Pop and Pearl). They wanted to create a blush which emulated the highlighting properties of their shimmering skin perfectors.

BECCA Luminous Blush in Snapdragon
BECCA Luminous Blush in Snapdragon

As I’ve mentioned before, I want to own every single shade of coral out there, so I opted for Snapdragon. Snapdragon is a warm pink-orange with a hint of golden sheen. I don’t find the gold translates too much in a swatch however, which is a bonus for me since I don’t like a ton of reflective qualities in my blush. And like all BECCA products… this is second to none in terms of pigmentation.

BECCA Luminous Blush in Snapdragon - swatch
BECCA Luminous Blush in Snapdragon – swatch

My Snapdragon swatch, for whatever reason, ends up fairly pink in my arm swatch. In practice, I see more coral on my cheeks, so I’m not sure why the swatch was so pink.

Wearing Snapdragon
Wearing Snapdragon

Gahhhh I love this blush so much! In these shots I’m wearing the blush without any added highlighter. While the blush is quite luminous, it’s not as in your face as their shimmering skin perfectors, which is a very good thing because I did not want super reflective cheeks!

Wearing Snapdragon
Wearing Snapdragon

There’s a soft quality to the blush which is enhanced by the highlighting properties contained in the formula. And it’s just… guys… I can’t say this enough… it’s just gorgeous. Snapdragon is the kind of colour that just makes me HAPPY and it’s a shade I’m going to be wearing all summer long.

Final Thoughts

Although I’ve only tried the one shade, I do feel like the BECCA Luminous Blushes are a win. While they’re quite pigmented, they can also be sheered out to give more of a flush than a full on blush look. I love that the sheen enhances the luminosity of the blush – it’s just really, really freaking stunning. And yes, I do add my Champagne Pop highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones even while wearing this blush! If you want to see this blush “live”, I wore this whole makeup look in my recent YouTube video.

These blushes are on the pricier side of things, but if there’s a shade you’re really lusting after, I don’t think you can go wrong. Of course… once you fall in love with them (like me)… suddenly you want to own a lot more than just one!

The BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blushes can be purchased on sephora.ca for $41 CAD or on sephora.com for $34 USD.

Mary Kay Summer 2016 (Review, Swatches & Look)

Mary Kay Summer 2016

Mary Kay‘s got a bunch of new products out for Summer 2016, so I grabbed some of them and put together a look alongside some quick reviews. Let’s get into it:

Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colour Bundle ($76 with compact)
Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colour Bundle ($76 with compact)

The most eyecatching item was easily the Rose Gold Compact Mini ($22 if bought unfilled).

Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colour Bundle - Sweet Cream, Spun Silk, Moonstone, Rosegold, Driftwood & Espresso
Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colour Bundle – Sweet Cream, Spun Silk, Moonstone, Rosegold, Driftwood & Espresso

If you purchase the full compact with shadows, you’re looking at $76 CAD ($54 CAD without the compact). It comes with six shadows in your standard neutral shades. This is the kind of compact absolutely anyone can grab and create an easy day-to-day/work look.

Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colour Bundle - Sweet Cream, Spun Silk, Moonstone, Rosegold, Driftwood & Espresso - swatches
Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colour Bundle – Sweet Cream, Spun Silk, Moonstone, Rosegold, Driftwood & Espresso – swatches

The colours swatched well, and are quite pretty (if not fairly standard fare), but they were really, REALLY powdery in the pan. They applied well, but the kickup in the pan is INTENSE, so be sure to bang your brush off hard before you apply this to you lids!

Mary Kay Beauty That Counts - Hearts Together Lipstick
Mary Kay Beauty That Counts – Hearts Together Lipstick ($18 CAD)

Also out is a limited edition Beauty That Counts “Hearts Together” lipstick. From May 16, 2016 onwards, $1 of the sale of each lipstick will support the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation in its efforts to support women living with cancer and to help end violence against women by providing grants to women’s shelters and community outreach programs.

Mary Kay Beauty That Counts - Hearts Together Lipstick - swatch
Mary Kay Beauty That Counts – Hearts Together Lipstick – swatch

Hearts Together is a labelled as a “soft pink creme lipstick”, but I’d say it veers more towards a sheer-shine lipstick with a glossy cool pink hue.

Mary Kay Perfecting Concealer ($17.50 CAD)
Mary Kay Perfecting Concealer ($17.50 CAD)

Okay guys… deep breath. DEEP BREATH. I loathe reviewing concealers because I just don’t use them. Why, you ask? Because every freaking concealer creases on me. Or looks crepey under my eyes. Basically, they all look like absolute garbage, so I can’t be bothered to use them.

….UNTIL NOW. I don’t know what the heck is in this thing except for magic. PURE FREAKING MAGIC. I put this on my undereyes and it not only brightened the area, but it also didn’t budge. It didn’t crease. It didn’t look crepe-y. I am totally and completely floored.

Mary Kay Perfecting Concealer in Light Ivory & Deep Ivory - swatches
Mary Kay Perfecting Concealer in Light Ivory & Deep Ivory – swatches

The shades featured above are the ones that are most likely to match my skintone so they’re the ones I’ve swatched. As it turns out, I used Deep Ivory under my eyes and it was slightly lighter than my skintone, so it helped to brighten up the area.

Mary Kay Summer 2016 Look

Mary Kay Summer 2016 Look
Mary Kay Summer 2016 Look

In these shots I’m wearing the eyeshadow palette on my eyes, the Lash Intensity mascara (which I forgot to photograph – I am so sorry!), the Perfecting Concealer in Deep Ivory under my eyes and the Hearts Together lipstick.

Mary Kay Summer 2016 Look
Mary Kay Summer 2016 Look
Mary Kay Summer 2016 Look - Eye Closeup
Mary Kay Summer 2016 Look – Eye Closeup
  • Rosegold on the lid.
  • Espresso on the outer corner and on the outer lower lash line.
  • Driftwood through the crease.
  • Sweet Cream on my brow bone.
  • Moonstone on the inner corner.
Mary Kay Summer 2016 Look - Eye Closeup
Mary Kay Summer 2016 Look – Eye Closeup

Final Thoughts

I wasn’t totally blown away by this collection as there are a few misses in the lot. (Overall, I found the Spring launch a lot more up my alley.) Of the products I used here, I think the eyeshadow palette is a miss for me. The eyeshadows, while lovely on the lids, are intensely powdery and I think the price point is unreasonable when other brands are putting out more shadows for a cheaper price point. (And it’s odd too, because the rest of the Mary Kay line is not unreasonably priced, so I have no idea why these shadows are so expensive. I also feel they’re inferior quality to the ones I tried last quarter from the spring line.)

The lipstick was perfectly adequate, and completely comfortable to wear. My only reservation is that it’s just not a shade I’d wear with any kind of regularity. If you love it though, get it – it’s comfortable and easy to wear!

All that to say… the complete and absolute winner out of this whole lot were the Perfecting Concealers. I can’t even begin to explain my excitement for this product! AT LONG LAST, I can finally wear undereye concealer without having to WORRY about it. I’d long since given up thinking I could wear undereye concealer just because no other brand has ever worked for me. I am so excited that the Mary Kay ones took me by complete surprise because I absolutely love them!

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.

Swatch Sunday: QUO – Romance Novel

QUO Romance Novel palette

QUO recently released some new products for 2016 and amongst them was this palette called Romance Novel. The pans are ENORMOUS, so you’re getting a huge bang for your buck!

QUO Romance Novel palette
QUO Romance Novel palette

If you see the palette in stores though… just look for the one that apparently have no logo on the front cover. So weird…

QUO Romance Novel palette
QUO Romance Novel palette

If you’d like to see these shadows in action, head on over to my YouTube channel to see a look I did using QUO products from their new release. On with the swatches!

QUO Romance Novel Swatches

Quo - Romance Novel - Shade 1
Quo – Romance Novel – Shade 1
Quo - Romance Novel - Shade 2
Quo – Romance Novel – Shade 2
Quo - Romance Novel - Shade 3
Quo – Romance Novel – Shade 3
Quo - Romance Novel - Shade 4
Quo – Romance Novel – Shade 4
Quo - Romance Novel - Shade 5
Quo – Romance Novel – Shade 5
Quo - Romance Novel - Shade 6
Quo – Romance Novel – Shade 6
The product featured in this post was sent to me for consideration.