All posts by Chelle
BECCA Sunlit Bronzers (Review & Swatches)
Oh BECCA – you certainly know the way to my heart! They (relatively) recently launched their Sunlit Bronzer range that boasts five shades to suit every skintone.
BECCA indicates that these are neutral bronzers with a hint of shimmer. At first glance I was absolutely convinced that these were matte bronzers, so I was curious as to how the Shimmering Skin Perfector formula (which was made infamous by their highlighters) was going to work embedded in their bronzers. Turns out the shimmer is very, very subtle and not at all reflective like their highlighters. (Phew!)
The packaging, of course, mirrors their highlighters and I love that about BECCA – It’s a solid compact with a very different feel to everything else on the market. While their highlighters have a gunmetal, mirrored finish, these Sunlit Bronzers embody the essence of a bronzer and jazz it up by making the compact a deep bronze shade.
BECCA indicates that each of the five bronzers was inspired by an actual beach. And having just been to Bali, I was tickled pink to discover that Bali Sands was their palest shade. Capri Coast is the next level up and you can see it a few shades deeper than Bali Sands. What I also love in these swatches is that you can definitely see the hint of shimmer that it gives off on the skin. I need to point out that these are not flecks of glitter and they will not make you look like a shimmer bomb went off on your face. I don’t have the next three shades because they’d likely be too dark for my skin ton, but the one after Capri Coats is called Bronzed Bondi and, of course, NOW I WANT IT because I was just at Bondi Beach last month!
In these shots I’m wearing Capri Coast on my temples, the backs of my cheekbones and along my jawline (I have no blush or highlighter on yet so as to show off the bronzer properly). As I’ve got a very faint hint of tan (literally from Bali and Australia), Capri Coast is the perfect shade for me right now. It adds colour without being too much and it blends smoothly on top of my foundation.
I think the colour is flawless for me – it adds a hint of warmth but it doesn’t turn me orange. I’ve loved it so much since I started using it, that we’re going on two weeks now and I’m pretty sure we’re in a serious, committed relationship because I haven’t yet reached for another bronzer in my collection. I did try Bali Sands once, but it was a bit too pale for my me at the moment. It will, however, be the perfect shade for me throughout the winter months as I pale out.
If you’d like to see some of the deeper shades, definitely check out Nancy’s review of the full collection over on spiffykerms.com. You can see just how deep the shade range goes, and since she’s a bit darker than me, she can carry off the deeper shades much better. I especially love the red tones in the deepest shade – Maui Nights. So beautiful!
Final Thoughts
Do I love these? Yes. A hundred times yes! The BECCA Sunlit Bronzers are absolutely wonderful and I love that the range (to my eyes) appears to be deep enough that even the fairest person and the deepest person could wear at least one of these shades. I adore the textured pattern on the powder (don’t we all!) as well as the compact itself, but it really comes down to the product and I really do love it. The fact that I haven’t reached for another bronzer in two weeks says a lot. I love me some bronzer and I’m usually always switching it up, but if you look back on my recent videos – in the description box – it’s the only bronzer I’ve been consistently wearing!
The BECCA Sunlit Bronzers can be purchased on sephora.ca for $46 CAD each or on sephora.com for $38 USD each.
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Post contains some affiliate links.
VIDEO: essence Fall Winter 2017 Collection – PR Haul
Skincare Saturday: Embryolisse – Now Available at Shoppers Drug Mart!
Embryolisse is one of the brands that I always asked my mom to bring back from her vacations to France. I didn’t care what she brought back (although I often told her the Lait-Crème Concentré was my favourite) just so long as she gave me some new products to try by them!
So imagine how happy I was when I received an e-mail letting me know that Embryolisse would be available at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada starting in September! No longer did I have to wait for my parents or brother to come back from Europe with my Embryolisse goodies!
There’s a lot to check out by them, but let me make some recommendations:
- Lait-Crème Concentré: Made infamous by the pixiwoo sisters, this nourishing moisturizer is suitable for all skin types. While I use this to moisturize, it can also be used to remove your makeup and as a cleanser! This is hands down my most repurchased high-end moisturizer – I’ve gone through probably about ten tubes of this. It’s super hydrating and doesn’t take forever to sink into your skin. ENORMOUS favourite (which you can tell, because this was the only moisturizer I brought with me on my trip to Bali and Australia in September!).
- Hydra-Masque (not pictured above): I already have a full review of this moisturizing mask on my blog from 2015 (read that here), but in short, this is a dry skin saviour. It’s packed full of hyaluronic acid, natural plant oils and vitamins A, E and F to help regenerate the skin’s barrier.
- Émulsion Hydra-Mat: I’ve never been one for a mattifying moisturizer, but it was sent to me so I gave it a shot. My mind was BLOWN! This is a lightweight moisturizer that feels hydrating but leaves a velvety finish on my skin that actually helped my foundation. It took about 1-2 hours longer for the oils in my skin to come through in the foundation on a regular day of makeup wear. I was amazed!
- Lotion Micellaire: I always have micelle solution in my skincare rotation and this one is just as excellent as all the others I’ve tried. You can use this to tone your face, but I prefer to use this as the last step in my makeup removing routine. I never find these can remove ALL of the makeup on my face in one pass, so I prefer to use an oil-based cleanser to break everything down, and then I’ll run a cotton pad soaked in this product and clean up everything was left behind. You don’t have to rinse your face after using this, so it’s a wonderful last step for me!
- Eclat du Regard: Oh wow! I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one since it’s labelled as an “express cooling and refreshing eye care” product. But this little baby stick is filled with the softest, most buttery textured eye cream I’ve ever felt. It goes on your skin like butter, but melts in rather quickly so you’re not left with some kind of residue. You can apparently use it under makeup, but I liked to use it before going to bed at night.
So that’s my roundup! So far I only see the Lait-Crème Concentré listed on beautyboutique.ca but there should be more coming soon. Let me know if you’ve tried out Embryolisse before and what your thoughts are!
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.
3 Travel Essentials via Conair
Ummm why didn’t I know that Conair made more than just blow dryers and curling irons??
A few weeks before my vacation to Bali and Australia, I started hunting around for dual voltage *everything*. After many, many years of travelling abroad, I had finally decided to just give up on the idea of bringing a transformer along with me because everything time I have used a transformer (from various different brands) it has ALWAYS fried my hair tools. I’ve lost two flat irons and a blow dryer to a smokey death at the hands of these dreaded transformers. Yes, SERIOUSLY! One sudden spark after being plugged in and turned on and suddenly there was smoke everywhere and my hot tools were dead. And of course, both times were when I was doing my hair for an important event! SO. MAD.
So I’ve given up on the idea of transformers because as far as I’m concerned, they don’t frigging work. Now I just want everything I buy with travel in mind to be dual voltage, which means I only need a plug converter to use them. And holy cow.. I had no idea Conair had SO MUCH STUFF FOR TRAVEL.
Since I’ve basically already exploded two flat irons on vacation (one in England and another in Iceland), I was the most scared excited to use the MiniPro ½-inch Ceramic Flat Iron. This tiny little baby size flat iron is incredibly miniature but does a great job at straightening my hair. It has ceramic plates which is a relief because flat irons without ceramic don’t do a whole lot for me. There’s only an on/off switch, so you can’t set your temperature, but it did heat up high enough to get me flat hair without having to go over strands multiple times. It also doesn’t require you to twist a knob to change the voltage so you’re good to go no matter where you are (so long as you’ve got a plug converter!). No sparks, no smoke, just sleek hair. Loved this! Conair also makes dual voltage blow dryers in case you’re in the market for one.
While you could use your flat iron to get your clothes ironed out from the creases your luggage has imposed on them… you’re not going to get very far with that mini flat iron, so I’d recommend grabbing this baby-sized Mini Travel Iron. This one does have a voltage switch at the back which will turn easily with a coin or a pair of tweezers. The size is really, really convenient, although you’ll notice there’s no spot for water in the body. You can opt to either spray/splash your clothes with some water if you need the added steam, otherwise this little mini iron will solve all your wrinkled clothes problems!
Hands down this is the most IMPORTANT doodad I pack in my luggage. Before I owned a luggage scale, I was that unfortunate person at the airport check-in desk trying to repack their luggage while everyone looked on. Humiliating? You bet. Especially when my dirty underwear fell out of the plastic bag it was in. GOOD TIMES.
Anyway, point is – don’t risk rushing to the airport only to weigh your luggage and find out it’s overweight. I keep this scale in my luggage at all times and always weigh my stuff before I head to the airport. This allows me the opportunity to get just shy of that dreaded 50 pounds without worrying about paying overage fees. I’ve even had a few airline check-in people ask me if I had a luggage scale because I often come in just under the weight limit. I’m always smiling at them while exclaiming “YUP!”.
So if you’re looking for convenient items that travel well, make your life easier AND are dual voltage? Check out Conair because they really surprised the pants outta me!
Products featured in this post were given to me for consideration.