becca Archives - Reviews and Other Stuff

becca

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Endless Summer Glow Collection Review & Swatches

July 7, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hey guys! Happy Weekend! There’s lots of new beauty stuff to look forward to this weekend starting with the fresh and newly-released Becca x Chrissy Teigen Endless Summer Glow Collection. I am so excited about this collab just as I was so excited when the first Becca x Chrissy Glow Face Palette (swatched HERE) was released last year. This year, there are three limited-edition featured products and they’re inspired by the idea of having that sun-kissed skin all throughout the year. So, expect to see some shimmers and sun-inspired warmth in this collection.

First off, let’s start with the Glow Body Oil (3.5 oz: $42). I love the look of the packaging, it looks sleek and luxurious with its golden shimmers floating inside the bottle. The oil smells great, it has this perfumey floral scent, though for some it may be too strong, but for me, I like it, it gives me that nostalgic tropical scent. Formula-wise, I think this body oil could be improved. No matter how much product I applied on my skin, I still couldn’t see the shimmer. I’ve shaken the bottle I don’t know how many times and I still couldn’t see much glow. In fact, photographing it is a challenge. Also, this body oil doesn’t seem to set immediately on the skin, it just sorts of sit on top and it has a bit of a slightly sticky feel which made me wary about oil transfer to my clothes and anything I touch. But nevertheless, this Glow Body Oil still feels light and moisturizing. Another thing I wanna point out is how impractical its packaging can be. It does look pretty yeah but it’s not well-thought-out because it doesn’t have a sprayer nor a pump. So you kinda have to tap the opening of its glass bottle several times in order to release some products, which is kinda tedious.

Next up is the Endless Bronze & Glow (0.25 oz: $38) compact that contains two shades of Becca’s top Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Moonstone and Beach Nectar (one of the shades in the Glow Face Palette) and it also contains the new Sunlit Bronzer in Aloha Bronze. Moonstone is a pale golden pearl shade, while Beach Nectar is a golden peach. The Aloha Bronze is a medium brown with a slight terracotta tone a bit similar to the Glow Face Palette’s Malibu Soleil, just without the slight clayish red blend. At first glance, the design and the colors inside this compact are so pretty. It has this sun and waves etching and it’s simply tempting to try. All three shades retain the same excellent quality, pigmentation and overall good formulation that we usually expect and see with most of Becca’s highlighting and bronzing products. The nice thing about this compact is that it’s so versatile and it can be that one face compact you’ll ever need especially when you’re out and about or traveling. There’s basically a shade for highlighting, a shade for bronzing, and a nice shimmery blush. When swirled and combined, the overall shade becomes a bronzy shimmery coral. On my skin, it pulls off as a highlighting blush and yes, it really gives that sun-kissed glow.

Lastly, there’s the Glow Lip Gloss (0.18 oz: $22) which gives shine and feels ultra-hydrating, cushiony like a balm and pigmented like a liquid lipstick. It has a softening comforting feel that doesn’t weigh the lips and it has that peppermint scent and flavor which gives that plumpy feel after application. It takes a couple of swipes here and there to get a full coverage on the lips (especially if you have fuller lips) since the formula is a bit thick and the tube’s opening is quite narrow, not to mention the slim brush applicator. The way Chrissy applies it as seen in the video is the best way to apply this gloss. It’s great to be worn alone or as a lipstick topper and the shades are really great. There will be some color transfer of course especially when you eat or drink, but most of it remains on the lips and it will stay there for about 4 to 5 hours.

Beach Bum – supposed to be a warm sandy pink, but it looks more like a light tan beige on me.

Malibu Soleil – mauvy rose without any shimmer and it’s not sheer. It’s just like my lips’ natural shade but better

Beach Nectar – described as a “neutral berry infused with a hint of light catching pearl”, on me, it slightly sheer, shimmery, and it’s kinda reddish brown.

In conclusion, this year’s Becca x Chrissy Teigen collab is an exciting one that is definitely worth trying. The products are great especially with the Lip Glosses and the Endless Bronze & Glow Compact. The Glow Body Oil would have been really great if it wasn’t for its lack of shimmer and its impractical packaging.

The Becca x Chrissy Teigen Endless Summer Glow Collection is currently available at Sephora, Nordstrom, and JCPenney

Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick in Gold + Champagne Flash Review + Swatches

May 28, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Happy Monday Everybody. Since I was almost running out of my favorite highlighters, including the sticks which are so practical to use for me especially when I’m on the go, I got these two new beautiful Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks (0.21 oz for $42) that I recently scored at a discounted price at Sephora during their last VIB Sale weeks ago. As a fanatic of Highlighters, I’ve always wanted to get my hands on these because I seem to always have positive experiences with Hourglass products.

You know how some Highlighters or Highlighter Sticks tend to be to too sheer or not blinding enough? well, this Hourglass one is the complete opposite. With just one swipe, you’ll get a ton of shimmers compared to some other facial strobing products. The shimmers of these Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are soft focus, natural, non-sticky and non-oily, yet they reflect. I love that you can layer the intensity of the glow – from a slight subtle shimmer to a super-blinding one.

When it comes to its pigments, I find that the Gold Flash and Champagne Flash shades (seen below) can look quite similar to each other, although the Champagne Flash looks a bit more natural and more suited to my skintone because of its peachy undertone. The Gold Flash can be so blinding if you’re not careful with the application, but other than that, they’re both beautiful high-quality shimmers for fair, light, light/medium, and warm medium skintones, not to mention that they really highlight the high points of the face.

Gold Flash – A golden soft focus easy to layer shimmer that reflects light and highlights the face very well. It’s super packed with shimmer and overall super pigmented that it’s better to be light-handed when applying this, or else it can be too much.

Champagne Flash – A peachy shimmer that can look a bit like the Gold Flash above but with a more peachy undertone. It’s can also be very blinding, but its effects can be more subtle compared to the Gold Flash due to its peachy undertone being closer to most skintones. I love this as an everyday face illuminator with or without makeup.

I noticed that these Highlighters are really lightweight on the skin, given the fact that they’re the stick type of Highlighters. And most stick Highlighters can be oily or a bit sticky, and they tend to slide off the face after a few hours, not to mention that they can disrupt the foundation. These Hourglass Highlighters, on the other hand, don’t exhibit any of those potential issues. Aside from being lightweight and non-sticky, they’re also very long lasting. I’d use mine in the morning, and they’re still on at night. My face may get oily but these highlighters are still on point. I love that they’re so easy to use with just a swipe and go, and I could use them with any kind of foundation. I also like the fact that they’re so pigmented, so one swipe will do the job and if I want more drama, I’d just swipe a bit more then blend. Speaking of blending, the texture of these Highlighting sticks are soft and a bit creamy yet not overly so, and they set well on the face. I love its packaging and its twist-type release, which makes for an easy on-the-go use. There’s also no discernible scent and there’s enough product in its decent-sized chubby triangular container.

Overall, these Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are true to what they’re described to be. They live up to Hourglass’s quality and sleek luxurious packaging of products. The Highlighting you’d get out of this is not only beautiful and breathtaking but also very customizable depending on your application. That is why I consider this as one of the best Highlighters I’ve ever tried, and for me, this has the best formula for a Highlighter Stick.

The Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods, Neiman Marcus, Net-A-Porter, SpaceNK, and Selfridges

Becca Gradient Sunlit Bronzer Review + Swatches

May 17, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hey you guys, this season is definitely going to be a bronzer season for me. That’s because there’s been a couple of really gorgeous beautiful bronzers being released out there lately and I just can’t help but feel like I wanna try each one of them. So expect to see more bronzer stuff on my Insta and in my next future posts. A few weeks ago, I talked about the amazing La Mer The Bronzing Powder (seen HERE) and how it’s the perfect sheer bronzer for everyday use. Now, we’ll talk about a more pigmented bronzer that not only looks beautiful on the outside but also applies beautifully on the face. The Becca Gradient Sunlit Bronzer (0.25 oz: $38) is a love at first sight for me from the moment it was released. It was something I’ve been waiting from Becca Cosmetics even though they’ve already released their single-shade bronzers in the past, called Sunlit Bronzers (0.25 oz: $38). I’ve been wanting those bronzers for a long time but I just couldn’t make up my mind as to what shades I should get. I felt like there were too many beautiful shades to choose from and I ended up not being entirely sure as to which shade matches my skin tone. I thought “If only they’d make a combination of this stuff then I would be more inclined to buy them.” So finally, these Sunrise and Sunset Waves Gradient Sunlit Bronzers are just the perfect bronzers to have this summer especially if you’re looking for one that truly delivers in terms of pigment, lasting power, and natural effect.

These two bronzing compacts are limited-editions and each of them come in four different shades – combining one of Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector plus the three shades of their Sunlit Bronzers. Isn’t that amazing and convenient? You not only get one of Becca’s cult favorite iconic highlighters, you’re also getting three tones of their popular bronzers all in one single compact. Speaking of compact, the packaging comes in a signature Becca compact which looks well-made and is simply gorgeous. It comes in a rounded mirror and that pattern of gradient columns of bronzers surrounded by such flattering highlighters is very stare-worthy. You can’t help but think that you’ve made the right splurge.

Sunrise Waves – Has three Sunlit Bronzers:

Bali Sands (soft golden-beige)

Capri Coast (warm golden brown)

Bronzed Bondi (medium amber)

One Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter:

Opal (golden opal pearl)

Sunset Waves – Has three Sunlit Bronzers:

Maui Nights (sienna-kissed bronze)

Ipanema Sun (medium auburn-brown)

Bronzed Bondi (medium amber)

One Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter

Rose Gold (soft gold infused with rose tones)

Both compacts retain that signature Becca quality when it comes to pigments. All shades show on my skin with the darker colors being more pigmented and staining than the others. The colors’ intensity varies depending on what type of brush to use. A loose powder brush applies some light pigments on the face and the dense brush creates a more contoured defined look. Whichever brush you’d use, you will still see the colors on your face. I find the Sunrise Waves compact to be perfect for my light-medium skintone and it gives that enough healthy glow on the face. Also, each of the shade in this compact can be worn alone or combined. You can even use the incorporated Opal highlighter as a facial strobe, while you can choose any of the individual bronzer shade (some matte and some shimmery) for contouring. Once swirled, the effect is kind of a light golden-brown glow, which is really pretty, a perfect blend of highlighter and bronzer in one. On the other hand, the Sunset Waves compact is also a pretty shade and one that I couldn’t ignore, even though it’s meant for someone with a deeper complexion than mine. Each of the bronzers in this compact is super pigmented and you could see that it starts with the Bronzed Bondi shade as its lightest color, which is also present in the Sunrise Waves compact as its darkest tone. The Rose Gold Highlighter is really pretty and once swirled with all three bronzers combined, the effect is dramatic and also very beautiful. On my skin, it looks quite too saturated given its strong pigments, so I try not to put a lot of it and the effect is interesting. It gave me a nice natural flush because of the terracotta-ish Maui Nights shade, and it’s also bronzy and shimmery. I quite like the combinations. It’s like a blush-highlighter-bronzer in one.

Overall, I love the look and feel of these two compact gradient bronzers. They have that same slightly powdery and velvety feel that can only be found in Becca’s products. The pigments are their best selling-point and once applied on the skin, the colors stay put and the effect is very natural. I highly recommend these and I think they are a much better option than the Sunlit Bronzers which only comes in one single shade per compact.

The Becca Gradient Sunlit Bronzer is currently available at Sephora, Ulta, and Revolve