Showing posts with label cosmetics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cosmetics. Show all posts
22 March 2018

WHAT MAKES BECCA SO CULT?


The focus of today's post is going to be the brand BECCA Cosmetics. When I hear BECCA, I think of glowy, lit from within makeup, which looks effortless and natural. We're not going to be talking about ultra matte foundations, strong contouring and neon colours, but quite the opposite. So, how does BECCA stay relevant in today's saturated market, when it doesn't offer the widest range of products and trends?

The first thing I'm going to do is review the products I have.

Backlight Priming Filter

This primer came to my attention after I listened to Jacklyn Hill hype it up over and over again, but we're going to be talking more about her later. What made me buy it was the claim of hydrated and lit from within skin, which let's be honest, who doesn't want? I've never been big on primers, because a simple moisturizer has always done the job for me and I can't say that the Backlight Priming Filter is that outstanding either, but what makes me repurchase it is the effortless look it gives my skin. It makes full coverage foundations seem almost natural and really adds a glow, which makes me look healthy and luminous. That being said, the target customer is limited due to the fact that it does not hide pores or smooth out texture, doesn't reduce shine and oil - on the contrary, it enhances it, so I can't see anyone with oily or acne prone skin loving it.

Brightening Corrector

This corrector is the newest addition to my growing BECCA collection. The reason behind this purchase were the before and after photos shown on their website, which are really convincing to someone who's always struggled with dark under eye circles. I got the shade Light to Medium (there are only two shades) and started wearing it the moment it arrived. I personally love the coverage and hydration it gives to my under eye area, but again, it does have some downsides. I watched reviews on YouTube to see how other people used it and not all of them were positive. I think the reason behind is that again, I am the target customer, but someone with little to no dark circles wouldn't like it, as it really brightens and highlights the skin. Another thing is that it leaves a really dewy finish, so you have to be careful with how you use it. I have no problem wearing it on its own, because my under eye area is hollow, but if you don't want it that highlighted, you probably have to put another concealer on top and set it with powder.

Pearl and Champagne Pop Highlighters

Now we're talking - the product that really put BECCA on the map - the highlighters.
Since the rise of social media and its influencers, brands have become more aware and smarter in their advertising, which is a natural way to adapt to the market. BECCA made a really smart move by collaborating with one of the biggest beauty influencers, Jacklyn Hill (seems like everything she touches turns to gold, e.g. the Morphe palette too). I have to be honest, I hadn't even heard of the brand until I saw the blinding warm gold highlighter, which became an instant hit. The reason why everyone loves it is because it is in fact an amazing quality product, but also because of the name behind it. As you can see, mine had a major accident, which left a little crack in my heart too, but I managed to put it together and still use it to this day.

The other shade I have is Pearl, which is a true white. I don't use it as much, even though it's equally as blinding, because it's too light for me (don't ask me why I got it in the first place), but I still think it's a great item in my collection.


Even Aria loves Champagne Pop.


Other products that BECCA has include eyeshadow palettes, lip glosses, blushes, different forms of highlighters, concealers, powders and bronzers, which as you can imagine all aim to give you a flawless, but natural look. I'm not calling BECCA boring or a one trick pony, but compared to other brands on the market, which seem to put out hundreds of different products each year to cater to all sorts of clients and trends, this brand keeps it simple. So, what's the selling point?
I think we can all agree that throughout the changes and trends in makeup, a radiant natural look will always preservere and be something that people want to have. Another advantage is that when you have less products, you can really focus on perfecting them and giving people the quality they expect for the price. I'd say that BECCA is fairly secure, compared to Benefit and Too Faced for example, which have a lot of hit or miss products.

BECCA is also a cruelty free brand and a lot of its products are vegan, which is definitely something that influences customers. At the end of the day, it's really up to you to decide if the products would be suitable for you and if the price is justified. I have only had good experience with BECCA, so you have my thumbs up.

So, what really makes BECCA cult? 
A simplistic approach and luxurious products. Promising a look that's classic and always relevant. Smart business moves in collaborating with influencers. Delivering high quality. Keeping its clients by being true to its concept and luring new ones in by releasing easy to use effortless looking products.
Sounds like a formula for success, right?

xo,
Kalina
11 February 2017

VALENTINE'S DAY MAKEUP + H&M BEAUTY


I was so so happy to receive a box full of H&M beauty products, because if you've been following my blog, you'd know that fashion wise, H&M is 2/3 of what I wear. So, I tried all the products and created a classic Valentine's Day look, which you can see in the photos below.
~
Много много се зарадвах, като получих кутия, пълна с продукти на H&M, защото ако следите блога ми, ще знаете, че дрехите на марката са 2/3 от облеклото ми. И така, изпробвах всички продукти и създадох класическа визия за св. Валентин, която можете да видите на снимките по-долу.

Eye Colour Palette


This is an eyeshadow palette with 9 colours in total, including both mattes and shimmers. Most of them are neutral, which I love, but I would definitely say, the mattes are way better than the shimmers. It's a great size for travelling and you get everything you need for a full look.
~
Това е палитра със сенки с общо 9 цвята, включваща матови и блестящи сенки. Повечето от тях са неутрални, което харесвам, но определено бих казала, че матовите са много по-добри от блестящите. Добър размер е за пътуване - получавате всичко, от което се нуждаете за пълна визия.

High and Mighty Mascara


First of all, I LOVE the packaging of this mascara. It promises volume and length, but I think I only got the length. It does separate the lashes and doesn't crumble or flake. I always say this when I'm talking about mascaras though - my lashes are super long, because I use growth serums.
~
Първо, ОБОЖАВАМ опаковката на тази спирала. Обещава обем и дължина, но мисля, че аз получих само дължината. Добре разделя миглите и не се раздробява (не намерих друга дума). Но винаги казвам това, когато говоря за спирали - миглите ми са супер дълги, защото използвам серуми за растеж.

Aqua Liquid Eyeliner


OMG this is probably my favourite product out of all of them. It's a gold liquid liner with tiny specs of glitter and it looks so cool just above my black eyeliner. I think it's a dupe for Urban Decay's Heavy Metal Liners, but I haven't actually tried them, so I can't say for sure.
~
Това е може би любимият ми продукт от всичките. Течна златна очна линия с малки частици брокат е и изглежда много яко точно над черната ми очна линия. Мисля, че е двойник на Heavy Metal очните линии на Urban Decay, но не съм ги пробвала, така че не мога да кажа със сигурност.

Light and Shade Contour Duo


I loved this one as well. The cream highlighter is so opaque and works great on my pale skin. The contour blends well and is a good base for powder contour.
~
И този продукт много ми хареса. Кремообразният хайлайтър е толкова наситен и изглежда страхотно на бледата ми кожа. Контурът се разнася добре и е база за прахообразен контур.

Pure Radiance Powder Blusher


The colour seemed a bit too intense for me when I first saw it, but when I actually put it on my cheeks, I loved it. It's not too opaque, which is what I look for in a blush and it blends well.
~
Цветът ми изглеждаше много силен, когато го видях за първи път, но когато всъщност го сложих на бузите си, много ми хареса. Не е твърде наситен, което търся в ружовете и се разнася добре.

Precision Sponge


I wanted to show the side-by-side comparison of my old one with the new, which I haven't yet used. This was the first makeup sponge I'd tried and I still use it, even though it's not as good as the Beauty Blender.
~
Исках да покажа сравнението между старата ми с тази, която все още не съм използвала. Това беше първата ми гъбичка за грим, която пробвах и въпреки че не е добра колкото Beauty Blender, все още я използвам.

Matte Lip Colour


This lipstick looks very sleek and classy and I love the colour, it's perfect for Valentine's Day. It's matte, but it's not too drying and it's very long lasting - I ate crisps and it had barely smudged. The only downside I found was that it clings to the dry patches on the lips.
~
Това червило изглежда много изискано и обожавам цвета, перфектен е за св. Валентин. Матово е, но не е прекалено изсушаващо и е доста дълготрайно - ядох чипс и почти не беше мръднало. Единственият недостатък, който забелязах, беше, че леко се захваща за изсъхналите места на устните.

Lip Definer


And of course, I used the matching lip liner, which actually reminds me of the Kylie Cosmetics liners - it's very creamy and glides on the lips. Lip liner is now a must for me, I can't apply lipstick without it.
~
И разбира се, използвах и съответстващия молив за устни, който всъщност ми напомни на моливите на Kylie Cosmetics - доста е кремообразен и се плъзга на устните. Моливът за устни вече е задължителен продукт за мен, не мога да нанеса червило без него.

The Look






All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by all the products. H&M have definitely upped their beauty game and I might go out and buy a few things myself, because they have many more interesting products to try.
~
Като цяло, бях приятно изненадана от всички продукти. H&M определено са вдигнали нивото на козметиката си и може би ще си купя някои други неща, защото имат още доста интересни продукти за пробване.


xo,
Kalina
5 December 2016

ANGEL SEASON










It's angel season aka it's time for the Victoria's Secret fashion show and me being the superfan that I am, I always wear my VS robe and use my products most around this time of year. I can't wait to watch the show tomorrow, especially since it's time for exams and I need a distraction.

Who's your favourite angel? Mine are Candice and Adriana (sadly Candice isn't walking this year)
~
Сезонът на ангелите е или по-точно е време за шоуто на Victoria's Secret и тъй като съм суперфен, винаги нося VS халата си и използвам продуктите си най-много по това време. Нямам търпение да гледам шоуто утре, особено понеже имам изпити и се нуждая от нещо да ме разсейва.

Кой е любимият ви ангел? Моите са Кандис и Адриана (за съжаление Кандис не участва тази година)

xo,
Kalina
16 September 2016

NEW IN: CATRICE & ESSENCE + FIRST IMPRESSIONS


I recently received 2 very cute PR packages from Catrice and Essence (you can see the packaging on my FB page), so I wanted to show you what exactly was inside them and share my first impressions about the products.

We're gonna start with the stuff from Catrice!
~
Наскоро получих два много сладки PR пакета от Catrice и Essence (можете да видите опаковките на FB страницата ми) и исках да споделя тук какво точно имаше в тях и какви са първите ми впечатления от продуктите.

Ще започна с нещата от Catrice!


1. Matt Lip Artist
A lipstick in a crayon shape with a matte finish. I really like the colour I have, but it's not something I would wear very often (cause it's not a nude haha). It promises up to a 6-hour longevity, which I don't really agree with, but it's not very drying, which is always a plus.
~
Червило във формата на пастел с матов финиш. Много ми харесва цвета, който имам, но не е нещо, което бих носила много често (защото не е неутрален хаха). Обещава до 6-часова дълготрайност, с което не съм съгласна, но не е много изсушаващо, което винаги е плюс.


2. Longlasting Eyeshadow
Pret-a-Lumiere (wonder where the Germans got the French name from) in the shade 050 La Vie En Rose. The colour itself is very pretty, but I have an issue with it - it's not very opaque. It does blend well.
~
Pret-a-Lumiere (да им се чудиш на германците откъде са измислили френското име) в цвят 050 La Vie En Rose. Самият цвят е много красив, но проблемът ми с него е, че не е много наситен. За сметка на това, лесно се нанася.


3. Noir Lacquer
I'm serious, Catrice is a German brand. I haven't tried this nail polish yet, so I can't say anything about it, but a black one is always handy.
~
Catrice е немска марка, заклевам се. Не съм тествала този лак все още, така че не мога да кажа нищо за него, но черният цвят винаги е практичен.


4. Catrice Deluxe Glow Highlighter & 5. Essence Light Up Your Face 
Probably the most exciting things I got were these two highlighter palettes. I'm obsessed with highlighters, so they will definitely be put to good use.
~
Може би най-вълнуващи бяха тези две палитри с хайлайтъри. Обсебена съм от хайлайтъри, така че определено ще ги използвам.


First of all, I need to say that both are great. I would say that the Catrice palette is just a tad more subtle, the powder is finer and gives a more natural look.
~
Първо искам да кажа, че и двете са страхотни. Бих казала, че палитрата на Catrice е една степен по-лека, пудрата е по-фина и дава по-естествен вид.


The one by Essence, as you can see, is more opaque, but the glitter is chunkier, so you need to be more careful when applying it, otherwise it may look cakey.
~
Тази от Essence, както се вижда, е по-наситена, но брокатът е по-едър, така че трябва да сте по-внимателни, когато нанасяте, защото иначе може да изглежда натруфено.


6. Essence Extreme Lasting Eye Pencil
I am so impressed by this one! The colour is perfect for everyday and can be used in different ways. It really lasts extremely long and doesn't smudge at all. It's waterproof, but the only thing is, it doesn't work in the waterline, because of the glitter.
~
Толкова съм впечатлена! Цветът е перфектен за ежедневието и може да се използва по различни начини. Наистина издържа екстремно дълго и изобщо не се размазва. Водоустойчив е, но не става във водната линия, заради броката.


I would say it's a pretty good dupe for the bronze limited edition KyLiner, but I don't have that one, so I don't know how accurate I am.
~
Бих казала, че е много добър двойник на лимитирания бронзов KyLiner, но го нямам, затова не знам колко съм точна.


7. Essence The False Lashes Mascara
I had to try it right away because I have a mascara problem. I'm really impressed by it as well and I would even compare it to my beloved Better Than Sex by Too Faced. I might do a separate post comparing them, let me know if you're interested.
~
Трябваше да я пробвам веднага, защото имам проблем със спирали. Много съм впечатлена и от нея и дори бих я сравнила с много обичаната от мен Better Than Sex от Too Faced. Може да направя отделен пост да ги сравня, кажете ако бихте чели.


8. Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipstick in 02
Don't even get me started on this one. If I have a problem with mascaras, I have to go to lipstick rehab. It's matte, it's in my favourite colour for a lipstick (really similar to Mehr by MAC) and it lasts SO LONG OMG!
~
Не знам как да започна. Ако имам проблем със спиралите, трябва да отида в клиника за пристрастяване към червила. Матово е, любимия ми цвят за червило е (близко до Mehr на MAC) и издържа ТОЛКОВА ДЪЛГО!


So, all in all, there are some amazing new drugstore products and there's something out there for everyone. Big thanks to Catrice and Essence, you rock pls don't stop sending me stuff, I love it.
~
В крайна сметка, има страхотни нови продукти в дрогериите и има по нещо за всеки. Много благодаря на Catrice и Essence, супер яки сте, моля не спирайте да ми пращате неща, много са хубави. На български не звучи като шега оф

xo,
Kalina
21 February 2016

5 Beauty Hacks


I can confidently say that I now have my fair share of experience in the beauty department, the main reason for which is my blog. Over the years I have found a few tricks that make my life a lot easier and today I'm sharing with you the ones I use all the time.
~
Уверено мога да кажа, че вече имам известна доза опит с козметиката, като основната причина за това е блогът. През годините намерих няколко трика, които правят живота ми много по-лесен и днес ще споделя тези, които използвам постоянно.


1. Micellar Water + Q-tips
This is great for cleaning up mascara smudges or fixing liquid eyeliner. You can use the swabs without the micellar water too if you're in a hurry.
~
1. Мицеларна вода + Клечки за уши
Това е страхотна комбинация за почистване на петна от спирала или поправяне на течна очна линия. Можете да използвате и само клечките за уши, ако бързате.


2. Perfume on spots
You should generally avoid squeezing your spots, but if you couldn't resist the urge and already did the damage, smudge a bit of perfume over it. This works because the alcohol in the perfume acts as a disinfectant and stops the spot from spreading.
~
2. Парфюм на пъпки
Като цяло трябва да избягвате да стискате пъпки, но ако не сте успели да устоите и вече сте го сторили, намажете малко парфюм отгоре. Това работи, заради спирта, който дезинфектира и спира пъпката от разнасяне.


3. Hairspray + Toothbrush
If you're a normal human being and have flyaways when you tie your hair up, this one's for you. After spraying them, brush them through with a toothbrush. It leaves your hair smooth all day.
~
3. Лак за коса + Четка за зъби
Ако сте нормално човешко същество и имате стърчащи косъмчета, когато си вържете косата, това е за вас. След като впръскате малко лак, срешете ги с четка за зъби. Резултатът е гадка коса през целия ден.


4. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is the biggest beauty hack ever. I use it as moitsurizer, lip balm, lotion, eye makeup remover and hair mask.
~
4. Кокосово масло
Кокосовото масло е най-големият трик. Използвам го като хидратиращ крем, балсам за устни, лосион, маска за коса и за почистване на очен грим.


5. Maybelline Dr Rescue Gel Effect Top Coat
This little top coat has made the biggest difference with my nail polish. My nails stay intact for over a week.
~
5. Топ лак на Maybelline Dr Rescue Gel Effect
С този топ лак виждам огромна разлика. Лакът ми стои по повече от седмица.


So, these are my favourite beauty hacks. Do you have any?
~
Това са козметичните ми трикове. А вие имате ли такива?

xo,
Kalina