Thursday 5 May 2011

All the Bases: BECCA Luminous Skin Colour, Concealer and Boudoir Skin Powder

A couple of weeks ago, I had the great privilege to be invited to the BECCA Boutique to meet Rebecca Morrice Williams, founder of the brand. It was a huge thrill and there will be more to come about my time with Rebecca and the collections coming out this year. In this post I want to talk about the base products that I was introduced to that day.

BECCA+Base2

BECCA+Base1


I don't mind admitting that I was really nervous about meeting Rebecca (she's lovely and I shouldn't have been) so by the time we'd finished chatting my face had turned a glorious shade of puce. Fetching! Knowing what a fan I am of concealer, I was offered a shade match which they very kindly turned into a full-on makeover. I had my make-up applied by the lovely BECCA artist that you might have seen in the Zuneta videos.

She applied their Luminous Skin Colour Tinted Moisturiser in Sand all over the face. Then, rather than using their stick foundation, she the applied the Boudoir Skin Mineral Powder Foundation in Desire over the tinted moisturiser. The two products paired together did a fantastic job of covering my extremely high colour whilst remaining natural looking. There was actually no need for concealer but I was matched with Praline concealer as I was keen to give it a try.


Becca+Luminous+Colour

Becca+Luminous+Sand2
Unblended swatch of Luminous Colour in Sand

Becca+Luminous+Sand3
The swatch blended out

I have been using the three products at home since my visit to the Boutique and have been really impressed with them all. The Luminous Skin Colour tinted moisturiser gives very sheer coverage, I find it enough to even out my skin colour and it gives a nice finish. I also really like the fact that it has a pump dispenser and an SPF of 25. It is worth bearing in mind that I don't have that much to cover on my face blemish wise and my particular issue is uneven colour. This is probably not one to use alone if you normally use a medium to heavy coverage foundation but you can supplement with concealer or foundation in specific areas if required. I have worn the tinted moisturiser on it's own quite a bit but I also like to use with the Boudoir Skin Powder when I want to achieve a more flawless look.

The Boudoir Skin Powder is a pressed mineral powder foundation and I believe it contains soothing ingredients. I apply this with a kabuki style brush concentrating on the forehead nose and chin. It gives a more matte finish than using the tinted moisturiser on it's own but doesn't leave the face looking 'flat'. I find the products combined have a really good staying power. Desire is definitely warmer and a little darker than my skin tone as you can probably see in the product pictures but again this doesn't look strange it just warms my skin a little rather than looking like a miss-match.


Becca+Concealer+Praline2

Becca+Concealer+Praline1

Becca+Sand+Praline1
L-R: Praline Extra Coverage, Praline Medium Coverage, Luminous Skin in Sand

I'm in love with the concealer. It has two sides, one side is a heavy coverage formula and the other is medium coverage. I've used both sides but find the medium coverage side is sufficient for most areas that I want to conceal. I really like the consistency as it's opaque and sufficiently creamy so that it applies easily without looking cakey but not so much that is moves around. It also doesn't flash white in photographs like some of my concealers.

Praline is a really good colour match for me, although it looks quite yellow on my arm it's perfect on my face. It's particularly good at toning down redness around my nose. I have tried it on my dark undereye circles as well as on blemishes but I personally find it too heavy for that area. The heavy coverage side has been useful for covering the areas of pigmentation above my brow. Rebecca and I talked quite a bit about concealer and this is one of the fundamental pieces of her line. Their concealer comes in 34 shades and I think it would be hard not to find the perfect shade for everyone amongst them.

Boudoir Powder Ingredients

Concealer Ingredients

My experience with the base products really proves that what BECCA want to achieve is totally possible. The brand ethos is to enable ALL women to look flawless regardless of age or ethnicity. My face was transformed from red and shiny to a polished, natural finish and I left the Boutique feeling like a million dollars. It's been just as easy to replicate at home too. I'd highly recommend a visit to the Boutique if you're ever in London. I'd also recommend a look at the newly re-vamped BECCA website. As well as the online store they have a 'Get The Look' section and an 'Ask An Artist' area, which is really handy if you don't have a counter nearby.




Disclosure: I received these products without cost for review purposes. The links I have included are affiliated to anyone and all of the opinions are my own. The red face was all my own too!

9 comments:

  1. This is great Jane. I've always avoid Becca base makeup because I heard that the foundations are very sheer and the concealers a bit cakey. Clearly this is not the case. I love the sound of this combination. Will you post a photo? Thanks for the review!

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  2. The TM is definitely very sheer probably on a par with Laura Mercier I suppose. I don't think it will work for everyone on it's own certainly. I'm going to do a comparison of a few sheer bases very soon.

    I think there are a couple of FOTD pictures where I have used all of these products. I will try and get a proper picture soon though x

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  3. Fantastic post! I don't know where I'd be without my Becca luminous skin colour, it's my ultimate go to base. I love the sound of teaming it with the powder for a more polished look - you must share a piccy one day!

    Thanks for the great post, I'm definitely planning to pop into the boutique and check out that concealer. My sister is getting married soon and I think Becca would be a great choice for the make up.

    X

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  4. Thanks for the great review. I've always been tempted to try BECCA base products but always thought they'd be too sheer for me. Combining the mineral powder with the TM sounds like an excellent idea! The concealer sounds like good stuff too x

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  5. What a great post! I have a ton of Becca product, but I have never gone for any of the skin-toned items, which is silly since that's what she's known for. My issue is I have no place to try it in person, and foundation is one item I won't buy online, sight unseen. I did write to them, and they recommended colors for me, but I am still wary. You lucky duck that you got to meet her.

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  6. i've always wanted to try Becca skin illuminator ever since I saw Lisa Eldridge's videos. Now I want the skin range too! I want everything!!!

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  7. Thanks for this post. I didn't get on with the concealer, but I got it so long ago (when the brand first came out here) you make me wonder if I should re-try it ;) I have been very interested in the Boudoir Powder but always wonder if my sensitive skin wouldn't get on with it, I must say you are tempting me though! x

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  8. The texture and color of the Luminous Colour looks very nice! I always prefer to use foundation with a touch of yellow. Thanks for the review! :)

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  9. @The Beauty Bite: I’ve been wearing the luminous skin colour most days then adding other foundation where I need. The SPF 25 has been great with all this sunshine! I would definitely recommend a visit to the Boutique with your sister, I agree that it would be a great choice for wedding makeup.

    @Nat: Hi! The tinted moisturiser is definitely sheer for sure but it makes a nice base to use with other things.

    @Zuzu: It was very exciting to meet Rebecca and her team. They were all so lovely. It’s true that it’s hard work getting base products right when you can’t do it in person so I understand your hesitancy. Hopefully you’ll get a counter near you in the future, I believe that they’re just setting up a new boutique New York.

    @SmolderPhloof: I really want to try the Skin Perfectors too. They look beautiful!

    @Replica: It’s tricky to say with the Boudoir Powder. I don’t wear it every day as I’m still paranoid with mineral foundations. Do any of the ingredients look like they would cause you problems?

    @Makeup Magpie: Hi! Yes, I prefer foundation with a touch of yellow too. It realise it looks a bit wrong on my arms but works well on my face.

    Jane x

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