Reviews and Other Stuff

FASHION & BEAUTY

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop/Flowerchild

becca jaclyn hill champagne pop flowerchild

 

Hey strobing and blush fanatics! This Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Collab has been all the buzz in Sephora lately. It seems like this year’s cool weather makeup trend involves luminous skin andย playing with light. Thus the quest for the perfect highlighter or strobing products.ย 

I’ve heard a lot of talk about Becca highlighters or the Shimmering Skin Pressed Perfectors, specially the very famous Champagne Pop. Kylie Jenner uses them and a lot of MUAs. This Sephora Exclusive, Limited Edition Becca and Jaclyn Hill Highlighter and Blush Duo is a really good option for those who wants to try Becca’s popular Champagne Pop Highlighter plus their popular mineral blushes at the same time. It’s even greatย for those who have never tried their Champagne Pop before, like me. There’s differentย combinations available in each 4 compacts; The Champagne Pop (highligher)/Flowerchild(blush), Champagne Pop/Hyacinth, Prosecco Pop/Amaretto, Prosecco Pop/Pamplemousse.

I wasn’t so sure what combination I wanted at first. I had my eye on the Prosecco Pop/Pamplemousse at the beginning, because the blush’s color seems to match my skin tone upon swatching them at Sephora. But, I really really wanted to try the Champagne Pop, so my decision shifted towards the 2 compacts with Champagne Pop on them. But then again, I feel like I wanted the Amaretto shade for contouring, but it has Prosecco Pop on it, no Champagne Pop. OK, I literally had a brain damage in Sephora while trying to decide which Becca x Jaclyn Hill Highlighter/Blush duo I should get. I almost walked out from there because I got so annoyed at myself. But I WANTED TO TRY IT at least just one compact, my unconscious subconscious was telling me. So off I took home the Champagne Pop/Flowerchild, fingers crossed ๐Ÿ™‚ but at least there’s Champagne Pop on it, hoping that the blush is buildable enough for more coverage.

 

becca x jaclyn hill champagne collection swatch

 

Well, what do you know! this combination is really great. I love the Champagne Pop highlighter so much, I’ve been using it a lot lately. It gives a soft highlighted effect on the face and it stays put for a long time. I’m not exactly sure why some people said that this particular formulation is different from the original Champagne Pop Pressed. I swatched both at Sephora and I really couldn’t tell the difference. Perhaps I should try the Shimmering Pressed Perfector too. ๐Ÿ™‚ As for the Flowerchild blush, well, it’s pigmented enough and is really buildable. Also, it doensn’t look over the top. Overall, a really great blush/highlighter combo. I’m planningย to get another one, perhaps the Prosecco Pop/Amaretto, I hope. ๐Ÿ™‚ย 

 

Grab yours now! you can buy it in sephora.com. Happy Highlighting!

 

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Benefit High Brow Highlight & Lift Pencil Review

benefit high brow pencil reviews swatches

 

Ever feel like your brows’ arches are not high enough? like you wanted it to reach the top of the Chrysler Building? Well yes of course, high arches means accentuating the eyes, looking more awake and having that overall appearance of a more lifted look. What better way to get lifted (hello CL) than to try Benefit Cosmetics’ High Brow pencils. I know they’ve released these products before, but now, with Benefit’s array of brow makeups, I’ve heard that these pencils’ formulations have been newly-improved. I’ve never tried the previous ones, but a lot of people are saying that these are a lot creamier and a lot easier to blend.

What’s really awesome about these eyebrow highlighting pencils are the following; First, they’re so convenient and easy to use. Depending on your application, you may or may not need to use a brush, a little dab on the pinky finger might as well work. Second, they’re really creamy and easy to blend. Third, they’re long lasting and they come in 2 different shades. Fourth, they give a major lift on your arches like Cruella Deville, LOL, not that exagg, ok.

 

 

benefit high brow highlight & lift pencil

 

  • Natural Matte: Creamy Linen-Pink. This is meant for creating a natural look while subtly looking lifted at the same time. The shade is a matte-pink but it blends quite well to a universally flattering hue, even for my now light-medium skin tone. This is my favorite among the two shades of Benefit High Brows because it makes your eyes pop while looking very very natural at the same time.

 

 

benefit high brow glow luminous highlight and lift pencil

 

  • Luminous: Champagne-Pink. This shade is also very very creamy but has an added shimmer to its champagne-pink tone. It’s great if you want a dramatic lift. However, for some reason, it didn’t show much on my skin tone. I guess if your skin is very light, then this would be great for you. On my skin, this still looks very natural, so perhaps a little more shimmer should have been added for it to be really universally flattering.

 

Swatches:

benefit high brow swatches in natural and luminous

 

I’m still a fan of using some shades from my eyeshadow palette to highlight the arches of my brows, it’s just a natural instinct for many of us. But when I’m in a hurry, or if I just need a little touch up to define my brows, these Benefit High Brows can come in handy. Specially when no eyeshadow brush is around.

 

Alrighty guys, GTG for now..

‘Till then…

 

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Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer VS Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

nars tinted moisturizer compared to laura mercier

 

Cold weather is here and I am obsessed with tinted moisturizers! when the temps go low, we go high with moisturizers! hahaha! sounds familiar? ๐Ÿ™‚ Seriously, chilly days like these really do require a lot of moisturization or massive hydration. Our skin tends to dry a lot, and even if you’re the oily type, you still need to moisturize a lot or your sebum will overwork. ๐Ÿ™‚

I laid off my regular foundations, for now, to give way to Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (in Bisque) and Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (in Groenland). These are at the top of the bestselling tinted moisturizers on the market nowadays. They’re much like a lightweight foundation or simply a tinted moisturizer as what they’re called. They both work like a charm and delivers a luminous and hydrated effect on the skin. In fact, my skin never feels or looks dry whenever I use one of them. They have such a natural finish without making your face look flat or dull.

 

laura mercier tinted moisturizer vs nars tinted moisturizer

 

Since I’ve been constantly using these two, I feel like they’re both similar but with subtle differences. But before we compare and contrast, let’s take a look at each tinted moisturizer’s specific benefit and description.

  • Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum Spf 20 (Bisque) Light Neutral complexion with balance of pink and yellow undertone. Since the start of this chilly weather, my skin has lightened quite a bit, thus the Bisque shade, which is a perfect match. This tinted moisturizer has antioxidants, Vitamins C & E, and sodium hyaluronate. It also has broad spectrum Spf 20 and is non-comedogenic.ย 
  • Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum Spf 30 (Groenland)Light Medium with a neutral pink to peachy undertone. This tinted moisturizer is oil-free with broad spectrum Spf 30. It has natural polysaccharides for hydration and cell-renewal and also has mineral-rich seawater for adding minerals to the skin. It’s also non-comedogenic and it’s meant to even the skin tone by reducing dark spots or discoloration. In other words, this particular tinted moisturizerย claimsย to overall improve skin conditions in 4 weeks.ย 

 

Similarities:ย 

They both deliver a “no-makeup” but with a ton of makeup look. They both blend easily and are really lightweight on the skin. Both have no annoying fragrances and my skin never broke out from constantly using them. Lasting power is about the same for both, and they do stay on my oily skin for hours.

 

Differences:ย 

Nars Pure Radiant Moisturizer is slightly more pigmented than Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. Since I’ve mentioned that my skin has lightened a bit due to this cold and gloomy weather, the Bisque shade of Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer is probably the best shade that matches my now NC20-25 skin tone, but the closest equivalent shade that I found in Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer is Groenland, which as you can see at the bottom is still quite slightly yellowish than Bisque, though both are meant to be light-medium or light neutral. However, once blended to my skin, the slight difference in color is hard to discern.

Also, theย Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer only has Spf 20 compared to Nars Pure Radiantย that has Spf 30. I mean, that’s not much of a big deal, right? Theย Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer also feels more like a creamy moisturizer and has a very very natural effect, but theย Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, though very fluid, can feel a bit makeup-y. I guess because it’s oil-free, but, the effect on Nars’ is quite luminous and glowy. It also has a nice fresh flowery scent to it.

 

nars pure radiant moisturizer compared to laura mercier tinted moisturizer

 

Verdict:ย 

I think, whichever you wanna choose, you won’t regret having any of these two. They’re really good tinted moisturizers and they’re so on trend with this natural almost “no makeup” look. Another great option apart from these two is theย Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, which is hard to beat, for sure.ย 

 

Anyway, what d’ya think of these? Any tinted moisturizers out there that you can recommend?ย 

 

Thanks for reading,ย 

 

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