Becca

How to Choose the Perfect Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Formula to Be a Glowing Goddess This Summer

June 3rd, 2016 by Jen Clark 8 Comments

Becca Opal collection — The Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors come in liquid, cream, and powder form!

My nightly routine consists of getting into some comfy jammies, snuggling my boys in bed and, as soon as they fall asleep, that’s my YouTube time. From the time I discovered YouTube beauty videos in college all those years ago, I can’t sleep until I watch the newest videos from my favorite beauty gurus.

And a lot of the time when they’re talking about highlighters, Becca’s in the conversation! Now after finally using them, I see what all the fuss is about.

Opal is my favorite Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector shade. It’s the perfect champagne, and I think it looks stunning on everyone. They’ve got some other shades as well that are more cool toned, and some that are more golden, so there’s something for every skin tone out there.They also come in three formulas — Liquid (the O.G. Skin Perfector), Poured (which is a cream), and Pressed (which is a powder).

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid in Opal ($41 for 1.7 oz.)

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Poured in Opal — Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid in Opal

I love how versatile the liquid version is. There are at least three different ways you can use it, like you can use it as a primer and apply it all over your face before your foundation for a really subtle lit-from-within glow.

Probably my favorite way to use it is to mix it in with my foundation. I just put my foundation on the back of my hand and mix in about half a pump, and it makes your foundation gorgeously dewy! Be warned, though — it’s suuuuper glowy, and if you’re already oily, it may be a little too much for your skin.

The last way I like to use it is as my highlighter. After my makeup is all done, I tap just a little bit on the top of my cheekbones and blend it out with my beautyblender.

But I usually only use it that way on lighter makeup days, because I don’t like to put liquids on top of powder. It can kind of chunk up, so I only use it when I haven’t set my makeup with a powder.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Poured Crème in Opal ($38 for 0.17 oz.)

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How I Rock Pink Eyeshadow (A Collaboration With Jen and Adia)

May 6th, 2016 by Anna Oh 17 Comments

fotd-pink-makeup2 — Wearing Ardency Inn Rose Gold Eyeshadow, Becca Rose Gold Pressed Eyeshadow, and MAC Finally Free Lipstick

A friend and I recently had a photography date in a charming neighborhood, snacking on amazing salted caramel “cake” donuts (they are as good as they sound). It was a picture perfect weekend, so I decided to take advantage of the amazing weather to wear pink.

This week Jen, Adia and I are showcasing our favorite way to rock pink eyeshadow, and I call this look “Rose Gold Eyeshadow for a Day of Donuts and Photoshoots.”

Here are a few of my favorite pink-toned pieces…

fotd — FOTD Makeup Menu: Nars Concealer, MAC Mascara, Kat Von D Tattoo Liner, MAC Finally Free Lipstick, and Becca Rose Gold

ardency inn rose gold — Ardency Inn “Rose Gold” — the singles pop out from the magnet!

naked 3 palette — Urban Decay Naked 3. I used this palette to blend

What I used:

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer ($29): I have the shade called Honey, and I’m joining the bandwagon… It’s an awesome concealer. I use it to target my problem areas, and I can skip the foundation step on good days.
MAC Charged Black Mineralize Multi-Effect Lash ($22): From the MAC Future Collection, this mascara is lightweight and lengthening. No crazy volume here. but I have been using this for weeks.
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner ($19): There are 2 types of people in this world — those who love the Tattoo Liner, and those who prefer the Ink Liner. I always come back to the Tattoo because I love the flexible soft brush pen.
MAC x Caitlyn Jenner Finally Free Lipstick ($17): This is with me in my minimal makeup bag, and I can’t recommend this color enough. SO pretty and perfect. I didn’t re-apply after the donuts, though, so it’s not present in the outdoor images.
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed ($38): As the only Shimmering Skin Perfector I own, this deserves a special place on my vanity. Rose Gold is a highlighting blush or a blush-topper for the lighter skinned girls.
Ardency Inn Modster Manuka Honey Enriched Pigments ($21): The star of my look, Rose Gold is the creamiest, most nuanced rose-taupe eyeshadow I’ve seen. A perfect pick for anyone interested in getting into pinks.
Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette ($54): I use the darker shades in this palette constantly for many of my looks. They blend perfectly, and I love the matte colors in particular. I used some of the darker shades to quickly shade in my eyebrows too.

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A Bronzed Babe Face of the Day With Too Faced, Estee Lauder, Hourglass and More

April 4th, 2016 by Anna Oh 25 Comments

Inspired by DVF SS16's beauty look — Inspired by DVF SS16’s beauty look

I’m in shorts right now! So let’s chat about bronzers!

I recently created a look inspired by Diane Von Furstenberg’s Spring-Summer 2016 makeup because I wanted to challenge myself to finally use some colorful eyeshadow. And…I loved it! I can’t wait to experiment with more colors now, and I would love your suggestions for eyeshadow looks!

Too Faced Chocolate Bronzers — Too Faced Bronzers (L-R) Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Soleil, Dark Chocolate

Anyways, besides the bright color on the lids, the focus of my look was all on the tanned skin. I used two different bronzers to get a multi-dimensional effect. I grabbed the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer in 02 Medium ($37 for .74oz!!!) and dusted this all over the perimeter of my face and the tops of my cheeks. This is my favorite bronzer, and I use it all-year! It’s not completely matte, so it blends into skin perfectly.

Finally, I finished with the Too Faced Bronzer in Chocolate Soleil ($30 for .35oz) right in the hollows of my cheeks.

Swatches Too Faced Chocolate Bronzer Estee Lauder Bronzer Goddess — Swatches (L-R) Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Medium, Too Faced Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Soleil, Dark Chocolate

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Conceal, Cover and Correct With Becca’s New Concealers and Correctors

March 14th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 18 Comments

Becca Color Correctors and Ultimate Coverage Concealing Cream — Becca Targeted Color Correctors and Ultimate Coverage Concealing Cream

What is it about winter that makes you look in the rearview mirror of your car and think, “Were those dark circles always that dark, or did I just skip my triple grande this morning?”

I don’t know about you, but where I live, it’s cold and dark — even in March, when spring should be on the way — and to top it off, I get very little adequate sleep as a working mom. Needless to say, makeup application in the morning is all about concealing and brightening!

Building upon the success of their much beloved Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector, a product I’ve used and loved for quite some time, Becca has released four Backlight Targeted Color Correctors for Spring 2016 to be used in tandem with their Ultimate Coverage Concealing Cream.

These products may look like tools only a professional should be applying, but Becca has made it easy and approachable to color-correct on a daily basis, and this busy lady says THANK YOU.

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My First Time…Using Brow Cream | Becca Shadow & Light Brow Contour Mousse

March 2nd, 2016 by Adia Goss 41 Comments

After being a brow pencil loyalist since forever, I finally tried my first brow cream — new Becca Shadow & Light Brow Contour Mousse ($25).

I’ve always avoided brow creams (and mousses, pomades, etc.) because I was afraid they’d be super thick and make me look like Burt’s long lost sister, but I’m a huge fan of Becca products, so I was cautiously optimistic when I tried this one.

Shadow & Light Brow Contour Mousse comes in a little pot with a waxy brow color on one side and a shimmery highlight creme on the other. It’s available in three shades — Cocoa (for light-medium hair), Cafe (for medium hair) and Mocha (for medium-dark hair). Here’s a closer look at Cocoa and Mocha.

First, the brow color side of these feels pretty firm to the touch but easily blends into my brows, while the highlight color is quite creamy and sticky. As you might be able to see from the top picture, the highlight side isn’t firm at all, and when I went to swatch Cocoa (on the left), I left a HUGE dent in it (oops!).

I didn’t have any problems with wear time (both sides last all day long), but I did discover that, for me, using this brow mousse is more involved and a bit messier than brow pencils and brow gels.

Here are swatches of two of the colors (Cocoa and Mocha):

Cocoa is a cool-toned grayish brown pretty close to my skin color but definitely too light for me to use in my brows. Its accompanying “Arch Defining Creme” (highlighter) is the same color as the one that accompanies Mocha, and it looks much peachier in this swatch than it does on my face. In fact, I think it looks subtle on me and helps to define my brows nicely.

As for Mocha, it’s a warm-toned brown. Since my hair is jet black, I wondered at first if it would be too light for me, but it actually worked! I think that being lighter it gives my brows a softer look and helps me avoid the look of super intense brows.

Here’s a step-by-step on how I use Becca Shadow & Light Brow Contour Mousse:

Step 1 — I brush my brows up using a disposable spoolie.

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Dew You Want Glowing Skin? If You Dew, Try New BECCA Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation

January 18th, 2016 by Karen 18 Comments

Do we like new BECCA Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation? Yes, yes we dew-y. Because — oh, my goodness! — the finish is so dewy and so glowing that I’m crediting it for almost singlehandedly lifting me out of my mid-winter funk and propelling me toward summer.

Aqua Luminous is the latest foundation in BECCA’s permanent line and, as you can probably tell from its name, it’s one of those thin, serum-like foundations with a watery consistency that have been muy popular at the moment.

Typical of foundations with this kind of formula, it comes in a glass bottle with a dropper, but BECCA tweaked that idea a little by giving this one a special cap. When you twist it, a button pops up in the middle, and pressing it dispenses the product from the dropper.

Ooh! Fancy!

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BECCA Backlight Priming Filter Is Worthy of Backups Upon Backups

December 2nd, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

In photography, backlighting drives me bonkers…unless it’s something I’m trying to do on purpose, which I’m usually not, but in the case of BECCA Backlight Priming Filter ($38 for a 1-oz. bottle), I have absolutely no problem with it.

Oh, my goodness! Where do I start? There are just so many things I like about BECCA Backlight, notwithstanding the $38 price, which doesn’t qualify as drugstore bargain awesome sauce, but still… I fully intend to use every last drop (and then may even crack open the bottle to get a little more).

BECCA says that Backlight functions like a filter thanks to these things called Filtering Luminescent Pearls, which are supposed to make pores and fine lines look smoother and your whole skin sitch more radiant.

And yup, it does that. It’s got that whole signature BECCA luminescence thing going.

becca backlight swatch — Swatches of BECCA Backlight unblended and blended (for reference, I wear BECCA foundation in Bamboo)

On my skin, Backlight, which came out earlier this fall, looks like a pearlescent beige with the pearl turned waaaaay down. Less shimmery than a BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector, it’s only lightly luminous and glowing, so it doesn’t look like I’m sweating.

Now, even though it’s classified as a general purpose primer, it doesn’t exist solely to extend the wear time of your foundation, concealer and complexion makeup. It specializes in blurring pores, illuminating, moisturizing AND prepping and priming your skin so that anything you layer on top of it goes on smoother.

I use it as a lightweight, illuminating, pore-blurring lotion to prime my face before I apply my foundation, or whatever else I plan to layer on top. I don’t notice it significantly extending the life of my complexion products when I use it with them, but that’s fine by me because that isn’t something it’s designed to do.

Fascinatingly, it somehow manages to illuminate my skin without emphasizing my pores, which is a rare thing indeed, so this is like a magic potion you can keep in your makeup bag.

nars mekong eye closeup — Here I’m wearing BECCA Backlight mixed with foundation and under-eye concealer

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An Affable Autumn Moody Monday Makeup Look for a Folksy Fall

November 2nd, 2015 by Karen 44 Comments

I wasn’t sure what to call this look… Moody Monday? Or Folksy Fall? How about Affable Autumn?

So I’m leaning toward a combination of all three — an Affable Autumn Moody Monday Makeup Look for a Folksy Fall — because it’s overcast and drizzling right now (it rained hard last night), and part of me definitely wants to be sitting by a warm fire under a flannel blanket while sipping a mug of hot cocoa, while another part of me wants to be walking around outside in the rain dressed in black from head to toe with my headphones on while listening to Joy Division.

Basically, I’m feelin’ it. 🙂

There are three main concepts at work in this cozy/moody Monday makeup look. First, it features a warm matte reddish brown smoky eye. Second, the edges of the winged liner have been blurred. And third, the dark matte plum lip.

It’s a lot of look, for sure, but I think it all goes well together, especially if the weather where you are is anything like the weather is here now. It’s like it just turned full-on fall last night!

Skipping the winged liner or leaving out the falsies would tone it down. Or, you could not line your lower water line with the black liner, and just leave your lower water line bare.

Of course, to go the other way completely and boost the drama, you could go more intense with the brows, or add a gloss on top of the plum lip, or use a gel or liquid liner, which would add even more oomph (I just used a black eyeshadow applied with a wet brush). Any of those tweaks would look super cool.

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