Tag Archives: BECCA

What’s On My Face – Volume 47

July 25, 2016MakeupBECCA, Bourjois, Clinique, Hourglass, House of Lashes, Joe Fresh, Kat Von D, Lit Cosmetics, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Makeup Geek, Marc Jacobs, Maybelline, Mehron, NYX, Physicians Formula, Revlon, Stila, Sugarpill, Tarte, Too Faced, Urban Decay, Violet Voss, Wet n WildChelle

I’ve only just realized that this is going to be a very heavy “makeup posting” week! I’ve got a What’s On My Face post for you today, a makeup tutorial up on YouTube tomorrow and then a “Totally Cute Challenge Week” on Friday. So if you’re looking for inspiration, hopefully you’ll find something you like on here this week. 🙂

201607_womfvol47_look1.1

Even though I had picked it up aaaages ago at IMATS New York, I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to play with my Mehron Fire palette. The look came out pretty nicely, but they were HUGELY benefited by a white, sticky base.

201607_womfvol47_look1.2

Eyes
I first applied NYX’s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk as a base, then:

MAC Cork
Mehron Inferno
Mehron Hot Pink
Mehron Purple Heat
MAC Blanc Type

I created the wing with MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline and applied Too Faced Better Than Sex waterproof mascara to my lashes.

Face

Foundation: Revlon Colorstay liquid in 200 Nude
Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
Lips: Tarte Lip Quench in Rose

201607_womfvol47_look2.1

More playing around with my IMATS goodies!

201607_womfvol47_look2.2

Eyes
(all from the Violet Voss Holy Grail palette)

Transition
Toffee
How U Doin
Wine N Dine
Teddy Bear
Crystal
Thanks A Latte

I created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and tightlined both water lines with Marc Jacobs’ Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer. I coacted my lashes with Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious Full Fan Effect mascara and applied a pair of House of Lashes Au Naturale falsies.

Face

Foundation: BECCA Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation in Fair
Blush: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
Highlighter: MAC Whisper of Gilt
Lips: Wet n Wild Cherry Picking

201606_forzoe_purple_face3

I did this one as a guest post for Zoe over on Writing Whimsy in June! She asked for “purple” and I just went hogwild with it.

201606_forzoe_purple_openeye 201606_forzoe_purple_eyemap

Eyes

Makeup Geek Peach Smoothie through the top of the crease.
Makeup Geek Blacklight all over the lid.
Makeup Geek Masquerade on the outer half of the lid.
Makeup Geek Drama Queen on the outer corner to deepen it up.
Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean and White lies mixed together on the brow bone.
Makeup Geek Phantom on the inner corner.

I lined the outer half of my lash line with Makeup Geek Masquerade and then applied Lit Cosmetics’ Disco Diva glitter to the inner half and painted it into a thin point (I used Lit’s glitter adhesive to get it to stick). I created the wing with Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and tightlined my waterlines with Marc Jacobs’ Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer. I applied Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof mascara to my lashes and popped on a pair of Bombshell lashes by Houses of Lashes.

Face

Foundation: Make Up For Ever Ultra HD liquid in Y225
Bronzer: Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer in Bronze
Blush: Urban Decay Bittersweet
Highlighter: BECCA Pearl
Lips: Too Faced Unicorn Tears

201607_womfvol47_look3.1

I did this look for a YouTube tutorial back in March. At the time I thought I was going to be able to cross post every makeup tutorial I did on there to on here… and it looks like that won’t be possible, but here’s that looks regardless!

201607_womfvol47_look3.2

Eyes

BECCA Ombre Rouge shade #3
BECCA Ombre Rouge shade #4
BECCA Ombre Rouge shade #2
BECCA Ombre Rouge shade #1
BECCA Ombre Rouge shade #5

I created the wing with Make Up For Ever‘s Ink Liner and applied Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara to my lashes. I’m also wearing a pair of Bombshell lashes by House of Lashes.

Face

Primer: Make Up For Ever Step 1 Radiant Pink Primer
Foundation: BECCA Aqua Luminous Perfecting foundation in Fair
Bronzer: Bourjois Delice de Poudre
Blush: BECCA Flowerchild
Highlighter: BECCA Champagne Pop
Lips: I lined my lips with MAC‘s Boldly Bare lip pencil first, then filled them in with MAC Brave with MAC Shy Girl on top

201607_womfvol47_look4.1

Annnnd more products I got from IMATS New York. Eesh, I had no idea how IMATS heavy this post was going to be!

201607_womfvol47_look4.2

Eyes
I first applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk as a base, then:

Sugarpill Flamepoint
Sugarpill Mochi
Sugarpill Velocity
Sugarpill 2AM
MAC Blanc Type

I created the wing with MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline and applied Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof mascara to my lashes.

Face

Primer: Joe Fresh Illuminating Primer in Pure Glow
Foundation: Clinique Chubby in the Nude in Intense Ivory
Blush: Stila Convertible Color in Peach Blossom
Bronzer: MAC Refined Golden
Highlighter: Too Faced Candelight Warm Glow
Lips: Clinique Pop Glaze in Licorice Pop

BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette (Review & Swatches)

June 20, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesBECCAChelle

BECCA x Jaclyn Hill - Champagne Collection Face Palette

Amid much fanfare (and drama – holy hell – for that story, please see this post), the BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection has fully launched now in stores.

The Champagne Collection adds Champagne Pop in both a liquid and a poured creme format to BECCA‘s permanent lineup. There was also the eyeshadow palette which I owned and returned (again, those details are in that other post), and finally, this limited edition Champagne Collection Face Palette.

The palette is a solid palette, that’s for sure. It’s got some heft to it and it feels luxurious – which I hugely appreciate. The mirror inside (not pictured) is ENORMOUS. I had heard a few people saying just how wonderful the mirror was and I was like “oh whatever, it’s a mirror”. But seriously… the mirror is AMAZING! It’s not only enormous, but the reflection is razor sharp. Easily one of the best mirrors I have ever owned (and that really feels like such an odd thing to say…).

Sadly, the shade names are just a flimsy overlay that I promptly threw out. That being said, the names are on the back of the palette, so you’re not totally stuck if you throw out the plastic bit like I did.

Okay so… I have to say it… what in god’s name is up with the format of this palette? Who in their right mind thought it would be a good idea to off-center the highlighters? I don’t see the need to have the BECCA/Jaclyn Hill repeated off to the side of the palette when it’s on the TOP of the packaging. This looks so skewed and weird and it’s really, REALLY offputting to me. It just looks like the poor thing is unbalanced! ACK! Anyway… with that off my chest…

Rose Sprit, Amaretto and Pamplemousse - swatches — Rose Sprit, Amaretto and Pamplemousse – swatches

The blushes included in the palette are all brand new shades. Rose Spritz is in their new luminous blush formula (I’ve previously reviewed Snapdragon), whereas Amaretto and Pamplemousse (that’s grapefruit in French) are mineral blushes.

Champagne Pop and Prosecco Pop - swatches — Champagne Pop and Prosecco Pop – swatches

Also in the palette are two highlighters in BECCA‘s well known shimmering skin perfector pressed formula. Champagne Pop is the shade we’ve all become absolutely infatuated with (and I’m so glad it’s part of the permanent lineup!) as well as its limited edition little sister, Prosecco Pop. Prosecco Pop is much more golden when compared to the peachyness of Champagne Pop.

Wearing Amaretto blush (very lightly) and Prosecco Pop

(Tutorial on this look coming on Thursday to my YouTube channel. Direct video link here!)

My Thoughts

So the reality is that the BECCA x Jaclyn Hill face palette is limited edition and will not be made permanent. That being said, I have no idea if the popularity of the shades will eventually make BECCA consider making them permanent (as they did with the original Champagne Pop). From my perspective, it would be a waste of time and money to formulate new shades without at least *hoping* to make them permanent in the future. That being said, no one should rely on that. If you like the shades in here, then rest assured that aside from Champagne Pop, all of the other shades are unique to BECCA‘s lineup. This also makes it a very cost effective bundle because BECCA‘s products do not run cheap.

As for the quality of the products, I found them to be completely on par with their other products in the same category. I was especially pleased with Rose Spritz – it was the shade I was least expecting to like and yet it’s become the shade I’ve used the most since I got it. On a fundamental level, Pamplemousse is the shade that originally drew me to the palette and it’s a lovely, lovely colour to wear. Amaretto is an equally fun colour to wear, although I realize it looks exceptionally pale in the shot I showed above – I blended it out to look natural in daylight, but then it appeared to not show up as much on camera – still gorgeous though.

As for the highlighters, I’m not as sold on Prosecco Pop. I was expecting it to be similar to MAC‘s Whisper of Gilt, but found that it could pull very yellow on me depending on what other face products I was wearing. This is a personal thing though and should not deter you from getting it if you’re into the shade. Champagne Pop is, of course, as lovely as ever.

So now you know I love this face palette! Let me know what your thoughts are. Did the drama deter you from picking this up? Or are you as drawn to the shades as I am? Let me know!

Sadly, it seems Sephora Canada is already sold out, but for those of you in the USA, you can pick this up for $52 USD at sephora.com.

BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette (Swatches + Discussion)

June 10, 2016Makeup, SwatchesBECCAChelle

Because of all of the drama happening with the lab, the collaborative BECCA and Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette isn’t really worth reviewing at this point. However, I did want to talk about the palette a bit and the subsequent frenzied drama that has surrounded it in the last 48 hours.

To keep the story relatively short, the gist of the problem is that all of BECCA‘s products are made in the USA, whereas this eyeshadow palette was made in China. Via various social networks (Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter), both BECCA and Jaclyn Hill have addressed the issue as best they can. It seems that BECCA (in order to meet the timeline and demand for this launch) outsourced their product to another lab because they were assured that the quality would be identical. It turned out not to be, and YouTuber Rita B mentioned it in a video almost a week ago now after getting her hands on the palette. She was already well versed in BECCA‘s eyeshadow formula and noticed a discrepancy right away.

The ingredient deck turned out to be absolutely identical to powders by the brand Catrice. Catrice is a lovely brand, but their products go for a far cheaper price point, and therefore do not contain the usual ingredients that BECCA puts in their shadows. I’m not an ingredient junkie – I haven’t a clue what most of these items do, or do not do in my products, but I am aware that talc and occasionally some mica can be used as filler products and the palettes made in China had far more talc in them.

I watched all of the promo videos for this palette as I’m a fan of Jaclyn Hill, and she repeatedly said she was very hands on with this collection, but identified that the only shade she worked on in this palette was Champagne Toast (second shadow from the left). She’s said many times that the formula is not hers, but the colour and finish were. Some people reported having incredibly patchy eyeshadow palettes, while others said they were buttery and soft. Determining whether there were good or bad batches is near impossible to find out, as I feel everyone has a very different gauge of how shadows work on their own skin.

As a result of this backlash (and some of it was pretty intense and vicious), BECCA and Jaclyn Hill decided to pull the eyeshadow palette from the collection. The palette is no longer available on Sephora online and will not be sold in stores when the collection launches there mid-June. Sephora is accepting any and all returns with a full refund for this eyeshadow palette.

BECCA and Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette - swatches — BECCA and Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette – swatches

As I hadn’t tried the palette before the drama happened (about 48 hours ago now), I can’t say for sure what my initial reaction would have been to these shadows. I put them on my eyes for the first time this morning, and sure, they’re a little bit powdery (on the level of LORAC powders), but had someone not told me about this different lab in China producing these shadows… I honestly doubt I would’ve noticed the difference. I love eyeshadow, that’s for damn sure (just check out my palette collection video!), but unless an eyeshadow is truly, TRULY terrible, it’s really hard for me to discern minute changes in formulas.

Wearing the Champagne Collection Eye Palette (all shades)

On me, I noticed zero fading throughout the day.

Sadly, the internet always prefers the drama llama route and people absolutely blew up about this online. I understand though – if you’re paying BECCA prices (which are certainly not cheap) but you’re getting Catrice-level ingredients (read: cheaper), then it’s offensive to the customer. But there’s a heck of a lot of us out there that bought this because we like both Jaclyn Hill and BECCA and simply wanted to support their endeavours. I doubt many of us would’ve noticed the quality difference had it not been brought to our attention.

So anyway, what did I do with this palette? Well, I noticed right off the bat that the colours were similar to my BECCA Ombre Rouge palette, so I swatched them side by side:

BECCA Ombre Rouge vs Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Swatches

And low and behold – three of the shadows in the Champagne Collection Eye Palette are near enough to the Ombre Rouge one that I just decided to return it. While the palette I received seemed to work just fine for me, I didn’t feel it was unique enough to warrant keeping it at the near $50 CAD price point. (I am keeping the face palette and will review it shortly.)

On a personal level, I don’t feel cheated or duped and I will continue to buy products by BECCA. I feel like BECCA made a bad decision to outsource their eyeshadow to another lab and are suffering because of that mistake. I do feel like the eyeshadow palette was an afterthought for this collection and it’s entirely possible that they came up with the idea and then panicked to produce it quickly for the deadline. It’s a shame that it ended up this way, but hey, they pulled the plug on it due to quality and they’re easily providing refunds via Sephora. At this point in time, there’s not a heck of a lot more they can do except learn from it and move on. I suggest we all do the same as well.

What I Bought This Month – May 2016

May 30, 2016HaulsBECCA, Biore, Laura Geller, Mary Kay, OPI, Smashbox, The Body Shop, Too FacedChelle

Another month passes, and another crop of beauty products ends up in my collection!

Laura Geller trio (free - gift) — Laura Geller trio (free – gift)

A while ago, my friend Sara sent me a trio of items from Laura Geller because she knew I was lusting over the Guava blush. That same trio was also for sale with the shade Plumberry alongside a different lip gloss and a different shade of Spackle. Natalie was at Nordstrom Rack in the US telling me about all of these deals and I demanded she pick one up for me! I was supposed to pay her for it but she keeps insisting it’s a present! <3 Those vivid swirl blushes though… holy heck man. So freaking gorgeous.

Mary Kay Into The Garden products (free - swap) — Mary Kay Into The Garden products (free – swap)

Next up are some swap items that a bunch of us Canadian Beauty Bloggers did the night before Gen Beauty! I really, really love the scent that Mary Kay used in their “Into The Garden” spring collection, so I snapped up the foot scrub, the fizzy foot balls (which I really just use as a bath bomb) and the soaps all in the same scent!

OPI - Is This Star Taken & Super Star Status (free - swap) — OPI – Is This Star Taken & Super Star Status (free – swap)

My love for silver glitter polish with rainbow holographic bits knows no bounds (they’re my year round toe nailpolish colour of choice) and no one wanted these, so now they’re mine! 😀

The Body Shop - assorted (free - swap) — The Body Shop – assorted (free – swap)

I’m also eternally in love with The Body Shop‘s different shower gels and creams and it seems us bloggers have far too much of them! So I got a few varied products in Satsuma, Shea Butter and Coconut!

I also snagged some minis of the Frosted Plum scent which I hadn’t gotten around to picking up during the holidays. I love these little ones for travel.

Too Faced Love palette (free - swap) — Too Faced Love palette (free – swap)

I know the Too Faced Love palette doesn’t really have great reviews, but since I’ve become quite the collector of Too Faced products, I wanted this one regardless (there’s a reason why I didn’t spend my own money on it though…). I’ve photographed and swatched it for an upcoming Swatch Sunday and holy heck guys… so much shimmer. Almost too much really. This palette is definitely one of my least favourites by the brand… but hey, every brand has their dud product!

Biore - Baking Sodar Pore Cleanser (free - swap) — Biore – Baking Soda Pore Cleanser (free – swap)

I always come out of these swaps with an incredible amount of body products and face cleaners. No one wanted the Biore Baking Soda Pore Cleanser, so it came home with me. Since I don’t have skin that reacts to hardly anything at all, I can pretty much gobble up all the cleansers and creams that don’t work for other people!

Too Faced - Born this Way foundation in Porcelain (free - gift) — Too Faced – Born this Way foundation in Porcelain (free – gift)

My friend Natalie had received this Too Faced Born This Way foundation in a shade that didn’t work for her (Porcelain) so she offered to give it to me. I was SO excited – I had never used this foundation at the time and I kept hearing everyone rave about it. And now that I’ve use it, I get the hype! I also posted a full review of this foundation this past month, and you can check that out here.

Smashbox Be Legendary lipstick in LA Sunset (free - gift) — Smashbox Be Legendary lipstick in LA Sunset (free – gift)

Another gift from a friend! This time Zoe mailed me the Smashbox Be Legendary lipstick in the shade LA Sunset. Like most bloggers, we all get to review a ton of things, and while we may like the formula, we often acknowledge that a particular shade isn’t quite for us. Zoe felt this was more a “me” shade (doesn’t hurt that I was cooing over it!) and sent it on over. I wore it this past week and loved the crap out of it. You really cannot go wrong with these Smashbox lipsticks – the formula is so comfortable and the shades are beautiful!

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush in Snapdragon ($41 CAD)

And finally, the one item I actually ended up buying this month… the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush in Snapdragon. I was so excited by this blush that I actually already got my review of it up last week! Snapdragon is the kind of coral shade that I want on my cheeks all summer long. Love, love, love!

Of course… Gen Beauty also happened in May! So if you’d like to see what I also picked up there, you can see that in this video:

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

May 25, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesBECCAChelle

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.

“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.

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.

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!

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.