BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal Review

I was FINALLY able to get my hands on the Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal by Becca. This guy has been sold out everywhere for months now, which only made me want it more! This is a very hyped up product and usually when a product has so much hype, I tend to have too high of expectations and end up being disappointed with the product. This highlighter, however, was definitely an exception! The pigmentation is absolutely insane. One small dab of your brush and you can highlight your entire face. The color itself is also gorgeous. It’s a warm gold tone that looks stunning on the skin, especially if you have a bit of a tan. I’ve worn this guy nonstop since I picked it up a few weeks ago. It’s definitely become a staple in my makeup collection.

The only things I don’t like are: #1 the packaging. The top portion with the mirror is bulky and the mirror won’t stand up on it’s own so it’s difficult to apply this guy on the go. #2 the price. It retails for $38 at Sephora. That’s right, 38 DOLLARS! Definitely really steep for a highlighter. Especially when MAC and Benefit sell amazing highlighters for nearly $10 cheaper. However, the product itself is amazing and I would probably fork out the money to buy it again.

Here’s swatches of Becca’s Opal with some other popular highlighters for comparison. All swatches are just one swipe applied with my fingers on bare skin and photographed in natural light.

If you’ve been able to try out Becca’s Skin Perfectors, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below! As always, thanks for stopping by my blog!

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna Review

I know this is no brand spanking new product, but a few months ago Rihanna released a shade of lipstick for MAC’s Viva Glam collection. I’ll be honest, I was really on the fence about buying this lipstick or not, and it was probably the packaging that gave me the final push to purchase it. Who can really resist when MAC does special packaging?! But after wearing this lipstick, I’m pretty surprised that I’m liking it as much as I am.

The lipstick itself is a blue-based red in a frost finish. It is very similar to Ruby Woo (As the name definitely suggests). I feel like MAC took the same color and just turned it into a frost finish instead of Ruby Woo’s signature matte. RiRi Woo also appears to be a lot more sheer, making it a little more versatile if you want to pair it with different colored lip liners, or layer lipsticks. It also feels great on the lips, it’s not drying like Ruby Woo tends to be because of it’s matte finish.

(Swatches are one swipe of lipstick in natural light)

In my personal opinion, I don’t think that RiRi Woo is a necessity unless you’re an avid Rihanna fan, or you just can’t resist that amazing packaging. As you can see from the swatch above, it’s really similar to both Ruby Woo and Russian Red. The only difference is the frosty sheen that can easily be achieved by just using a gloss. But if you’re looking to add a red to your collection, RiRi Woo might be one to check out simply because of how versatile it can be.

Please share any of your thoughts on this lipstick below! Thanks for stopping by and have an enjoyable and relaxing weekend!

 

June 2014 Favorites

Hey guys! It’s that time again! Can you believe that the year is already half over? June especially seemed to fly by for me! So here’s some products that I’ve been loving throughout the month.

The Balm’s Mary-Lou Manizer

I heard such great things about this highlighter that I finally broke down and purchased it. Boy, I’m so mad that I waited so long to get it! Since I received it I have shoved all of my other highlighters aside and have used this guy every single day. It’s a pretty intense light-golden hued highlighter, and it makes my skin GLOW! It also lasts all day long on me. I cannot say enough good things about this product! It’s definitely moved into the top spot for my favorite highlighter.

The Balm’s Betty-Lou Manizer

I liked the Mary-Lou Manizer so much that I also decided to pick up the Betty-Lou Manizer. This is a deeper rose-toned highlighter and it’s a bit to dark for my skin  to use as a highlighter, so I like to apply it over top of my blush. I’m usually not one that loves anything shimmery on my cheeks, but this is so beautiful that I’ve been wearing it nearly every day. It gives a very natural “glow from within” look that really livens up the face.

Milani Rose Powder Blush in Love Potion

Speaking of putting the Betty-Lou Manizer over my blush, this is the one I’ve been putting it over! I’m absolutely in love with this blush. It’s a matte muted pink and I’ve been loving it for the summer. It’s extremely pigmented, so a little goes a long way! I also wrote a review on these blushes, so if you’d like to check it out, click here: https://xoxokarbear.wordpress.com/2014/06/02/milani-rose-powder-blush-review/

Lorac Alter Ego Lipstick in Dutchess

Lorac recently released a new line of lipsticks, so naturally, I had to pick some up! The first color I was drawn to was Dutchess. It’s a muted purple color with a matte finish. This guy is a little tricky to work with since, let’s be honest, the color looks like a bruise! So I like to lightly tap it onto my lips instead of apply it like a normal lipstick. The light amount of color is so gorgeous and a little different from the nudes and pinks that we tend to see most of in the summer months. I also love the packaging of these! Lorac just nailed it with these lipsticks.

L’Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara

It’s no secret that my favorite drugstore mascaras belong to the L’Oreal Voluminous line, so I decided to try out Miss Manga since it’s pretty new on the market. It has a natural bristle brush which strays away from the usual plastic wands that the Voluminous line usually carries. I have to say, I’m loving the wand! One thing in particular that is unique about it is that the wand bends. We’re not talking about a slight bend, it literally bends to a 90 degree angle! This was a little strange to get used to, but I’m finding that I love it the more I use it. The mascara gives me length and volume and hasn’t once smudged on me during the day. I’ll definitely be repurchasing this guy!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul

I’m a huge fan of matte lips, and I’ve been loving the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. They are super long lasting and have a ton of different colors. The best part? They’re extremely wallet friendly at only $5.99 a pop. The only negative is that they do dry out the lips, as do most matte lip products. So I just plop on a bit of lip balm before I apply the Matte Lip Cream and it seems to help quite a bit.

 

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

I think it’s safe to say that I’m obsessed with this bronzer! It is literally the perfect shade. It’s not too muddy or too orange, and it looks incredible on the skin. It can be used as a typical bronzer, or as a contour for people with a lighter complexion. Also a fun tip, if you’ve been looking to track down the NARS Ita brush, the little brush that comes with this guy is a great dupe! It obviously has a much shorter handle and the brush is slightly thicker than the Ita, but it’s great to test out to see if you like the application before you splurge on a brush.

That concludes my June favorites! Thanks so much for stopping by and please let me know what products you’ve been loving this month! I’m always looking for new products to try out. I hope you all have a great week and that all of you Americans enjoy your 4th of July!