Showing posts with label highlighter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label highlighter. 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
23 September 2017

HUDA BEAUTY GOLDEN SANDS 3D HIGHLIGHTER PALETTE REVIEW


Today's review is an exciting one, because I'll be talking about the Huda Beauty 3D Highlighter Palette. The reason I got it was quite tragic - I dropped my BECCA Champagne Pop highlighter and it smashed, and even though I put it back together, it left a hole in my heart. I have about 150 highlighters, but this is actually the first highlighter palette I've tried, so if you wanna know my thoughts on it, keep reading!
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Днешното ревю е вълнуващо, защото ще говоря за 3D Highlighter палитрата на Huda Beauty. Причината да си я взема беше доста трагична - изпуснах Champagne Pop от BECCA и се натроши. Въпреки че го залепих с ракия, дупката в сърцето ми остана. Имам около 150 хайлайтъра, но това е първата ми палитра с хайлайтъри, така че, ако искате да научите мнението ми, продължете да четете!


It comes in cardboard packaging with Huda's face on it. It's holographic, which makes it so cool. It's also magnetic, so it shuts securely. I was debating between the Golden Sands and the Summer Solstice special edition, but decided that I wanted something more practical (the special edition one has a purple shade in it).
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Опаковката е картонена и лицето на Худа е на капака. Има холограма, което я прави много готина. Затваря се с магнит. Колебаех се между Golden Sands и специалното издание Summer Solstice, но реших че исках нещо по-практично (лимитираната серия има лилав цвят).


The palette has 4 shades - 1 cream and 3 powders. Fiji is the cream one and you're supposed to put it on your cheek bones first sort of like a primer (but I also saw on Huda's Snapchat that she uses is it alone all over her body). Then to set it, you use Seychelles. Both are warm-toned golds and I find them the perfect colours for me, as I was looking for something similar to Champagne Pop. They're actually way lighter, so I'll be able to use them all year round.
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Палитрата има 4 цвята - 1 кремообразен и 3 пудри. Fiji е кремообразният и се слага на скулите като основа (но видях в снапчата на Худа, че го използва самостоятелно по цялото си тяло. След това, отгоре се нанася Seychelles. И двата цвята са топло злато и ги намирам за перфектните нюанси за мен, тъй като търсех нещо близо до Champagne Pop. Те са всъщност доста по-светли, така че ще мога да ги използвам през цялата година.


Tahiti and Zanzibar are where the fun begins. Tahiti is supposed to go a bit lower than the previous two and blend in with your contour and Zanzibar is applied more towards the apples of the cheeks like a blush. I thought it was going to be over the top and too blinding, but it looks so pretty and (almost) natural. I can definitely see why it's called a 3D highlighter palette.
~
Забавлението започва при Tahiti и Zanzibar.  Tahiti се нанася малко по-надолу от първите два и се блендва с контура, а Zanzibar - повече към бузите като руж. Мислех, че ще изглежда прекалено ярко и заслепяващо, но всъщност е красиво и (почти) естествено. Определено разбирам защо се казва 3D хайлайт палитра.


As you can see from the swatches, all the colours are very opaque. They're easy to blend - Fiji actually requires the most effort, but once it sets, it doesn't move. You definitely don't have to wear all of them together. If you want a more natural look, you can just use Fiji and/or Seychelles, but I love to glow.
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Както се вижда от суочовете, всички цветове са много наситени. Лесно се блендват - всъщност Fiji изисква най-много усилия, но след като изсъхне, не мърда. Определено не е нужно да носите всички цветове заедно. Ако искате по-естествен вид, може да използвате само Fiji и/или Seychelles, но аз обичам да сияя.


I really don't have anything bad to say about this palette. I got it discounted on CultBeauty - for £34 instead of £40.  I would recommend it to anyone who loves their highlighter. It's more of a luxury, you don't really need it, but it is innovative and I appreciate that.
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Наистина нямам нищо лошо да кажа за тази палитра. Взех си я с намаление от CultBeauty - за £34 вместо £40. Бих я препоръчала на всеки, който обича хайлайта. По-скоро е лукс, отколкото необходимост, но е иновативна и оценявам това.

xo,
Kalina
31 May 2017

HIGHLIGHTER COLLECTION


I noticed that I've stacked up a decent pile of highlighters recently, so I decided to put them in a post and tell you what I think about them. Some of them were sent as PR from the companies, but most of them I bought myself.
~
Забелязах, че съм натрупала стабилно количество хайлайтъри напоследък, така че реших да ги събера в пост и да ви кажа какво мисля за тях. Някои са ми пратени като PR, но повечето съм си ги купила сама.

Becca Pearl & Champagne Pop

Let's start with the most popular ones. I first got Champagne Pop and loved it, but it was too dark for my pale skin (works for me only when I have fake tan on), so I wanted to give the brand another go, because the quality of the products is really up there. I ordered Pearl, which is completely white and is perfect for me. They're both so intense and long lasting, which I love, but I wouldn't recommend them to someone who's into a more natural look.
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Да започнем с най-популярните. Първо се сдобих с Champagne Pop, който е страхотен, но твърде тъмен за бледата ми кожа (нося го само когато имам изкуствен тен), така че исках да дам още един шанс на марката, защото качеството на продуктите наистина е високо. Поръчах си Pearl, който е напълно бял и е перфектен за мен. И двата са много наситени и дълготрайни, което обожавам, но не бих ги препоръчала на някой, който предпочита естествен грим.

theBalm Mary Loumanizer

This iconic highlighter is probably my most used one and it's been through a lot - it fell and shattered, but I miraculously managed to save it. I've included it in so many posts, which you can read here, here, here, here and here, so you already know I love it.
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 Този всеизвестен хайлайтър е може би и най-използвания ми и е преживял доста - падна и се натроши, а аз по чудо успях да го спася. Включвала съм го в толкова много публикации, които можете да прочетете тук, тук, тук, тук и тук, така че вече знаете, че го обожавам.

Catrice Deluxe Glow Highlighter, High Glow & Prismatic Pink

I bought the High Glow highlighter a long time ago, because I didn't have this many products then and wanted variety. It's still a very good one, but it cracked and part of it fell without me dropping it, which I think is due to the fact that it's mineralized. I received the palette and the Prismatic Pink ones from the company and they are quite different - all the colours in the palette are very subtle, which is not my thing, but the pink highlighter is way more opaque and almost duochrome, which is so different from everything else I own and I love it.
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Купих си High Glow преди доста време, защото нямах толкова много продукти тогава и исках разнообразие. Все още е добър, но се пукна и част от него падна без да съм го изпускала, което мисля, че е поради факта, че е минерализиран. Получих палитрата и Prismatic Pink от марката и са доста различни - всички цветове в палитрата са много бледи, което не ми допада, но розовият хайлайтър е много по-наситен и почти холографен, което се отличава от всичко останало, което имам и го обожавам.

Catrice Face Glow Definer

This is the only liquid highlighter I have and again, I received as PR, but boy am I impressed. It's so opaque it could be compared to the Becca ones. It's a nice gold/champagne colour and is almost the same as Champagne Pop, so if you're looking for a dupe, this is it. The only downsides are that 1) it dries very quickly, so you have to blend it fast and 2) I think it's limited edition.
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Това е единственият течен хайлайтър, който имам и отново го получих като PR, но наистина съм впечатлена. Толкова е наситен, че може да се сравни с тези на Becca. Златен/шампанско цвят е и е почти еднакъв с Champagne Pop, така че ако си търсите двойник, това е той. Единствените недостатъци са, че 1) Съхне бързо и трябва да сте бързи с блендването и 2) Май беше лимитиран.

Essence Light Up Your Face Palette

This is another face palette I received as PR, but it's very different from the one by Catrice. It has 3 colours and the first one is very chalky and not a good colour, but the other two are great - opaque enough and not as subtle.
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Това е още една палитра, която получих като PR, но е много различна от тази на Catrice. Има 3 цвята и първият е много тебеширен и не хубав цвят, но другите два са страхотни - достатъчно наситени и не са бледи.


Here are all the swatches with and without flash, starting from the Catrice liquid at the top, Pearl, Champagne Pop, Mary Loumanizer, High Glow by Catrice, Prismatic Pink and then the two palettes.

Which is your favourite one?
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Ето ги и всички суочове със и без светкавица, започвайки от течния на Catrice отгоре, Pearl, Champagne Pop, Mary Loumanizer, Catrice High Glow, Prismatic Pink и след това двете палитри.

Кой е вашият любим хайлайтър?

xo,
Kalina