BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Review, Swatches & Photos

Let's talk about hype - you know the kind where every blogger is ranting and raving about a certain product to the extent that it sells out practically before it hits the shelves and causes websites to crash and burn upon launching. Well there was that type of excitement about the BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector collaboration Champagne Pop (LE, $46.00 CA). Of course, Jaclyn Hill is a famous YouTube beauty blogger with over 1 million subscribers, who is known for her full face glamorous makeup looks and bubbly personality.

Full admission - I don't follow Jaclyn Hill on YouTube, I actually just stumbled upon her recently and while doing that happened to see one of her videos where she talked about her BECCA collaboration. I'm a huge highlighter aficionado and I love BECCA's Shimmering Skin Perfectors so that predilection alone made me want this product! So let me preface this review by stating that I did not buy Champagne Pop because of Jaclyn Hill's name but bought it because I'm hardcore highlighter junkie and I was curious as to whether it would live up to the hype. 

BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop

Champagne Pop comes in a bronze-gold bubble embossed box with Jaclyn Hill's signature featured on the front. The packing of the product itself is in standard BECCA packaging. Champagne Pop is described as a "soft white gold with peachy pink undertones" - the only thing I would add to that description is that it is a mid tone highlighter as it is neither very light or dark. Photos in natural light on NC40 skin.

BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop (heavy swatch left, sheer swatch right)

Champagne Pop is silky smooth and buttery to the touch. As it is very highly pigmented, a light touch is necessary unless you are going for a strong metallic look. It applies and blends well and lasts on my combination skin all day. I don't own all the shades of the pressed Shimmering Skin Perfectors, but I would say based on my experience Champagne Pop performs as well as any other in the range.

I think a big pro for this product is that it's medium tone makes it wearable across a large spectrum of skin tones. I know Jaclyn Hill designed this shade with that purpose in mind and I commend her for achieving that. The only con I can think of (besides the price point) is that Champagne Pop's colour is not that unique. Many bloggers have pointed out that it is very similar to the Balm's Mary Loumanizer and BECCA's Opal. And while side-by-side swatches of these products reveal visible differences in colour, I feel that when sheerly applied on the face these differences would be negligible at best.

To address the topic of the price point, all of BECCA's pressed Shimmering Skin Perfectors all retail for $46.00 CA for 8.0 grams of product. Though this is definitely on the expensive side, a little of this product goes a very long way and as such this product will last a very long time.

So does Champagne Pop live up to the hype? In my opinion this is a beautiful, well formulated highlighter that is very nice to have but not absolutely necessary, particularly if you already have a good highlighter collection. If you are looking for an excellent highlighter and this is still available, and you aren't sticker shy, then by all means pick it up! I wager you will not be disappointed. Champagne Pop is exclusive to Sephora, it is currently listed as out of stock online but may be available in-store.

Grade: A

Gareth Pugh for MAC Preview

GARETH PUGH FOR M∙A∙C 

Challenging the conventions of fashion with his signature style that blurs the traditional gender divide…M·A·C is proud to partner with London-based designer Gareth Pugh. Infusing his trademark esoteric experimentation into Beauty Powders, Metal-X Cream Shadows, Technakohl Liner, Pigments, Lipsticks, Lipglass, Studio Fix Boldblack Lash, Powder Blushes, Nail Lacquers, Buffer Brush and a Makeup Bag, he delivers an assortment of futuristic yet primal shades in custom geometric packaging.

Gareth Pugh for M∙A∙C Available November 23, 2011 through December 23, 2011

Beauty Powder in Elude
Translucent Neutral Beige
$72 CDN/$60 US

Square-handled buffer brush
$72 CDN/$60 US

Flight Lash
Dense, geometric, triangle-shaped lash
$21.50 CDN/$18 US

Lipglass in Outrage
Sheer berry with blue pearl
$27 CDN/$22 US

Lipglass in Vacant
Sheer light lavender grey with violet pearl
$27 CDN/$22 US

Lipstick in Fervent
Glossy blackened berry (satin)
$27 CDN/$22 US

Lipstick in Restrict
Creamy greyed nude (cremesheen)
$27 CDN/$22 US

Studio Fix Boldblack Lash
Blackest black
$18 CDN/$15 US

Metal-X Cream Shadow in Ardent
Frosty blackened burgundy
$38.50 CDN/$32 US

Metal-X Cream Shadow in Obscura
Frosty gunmetal grey
$38.50 CDN/$32 US

Nail Lacquer in Ascension
Grey with blue violet reflective pearl (frost)
$27.50 CDN/$23 US

Nail Lacquer in Hyper
Deep blue with violet pearl (frost)
$27.50 CDN/$23 US

Nail Lacquer in Inert
Creamy mid-tone greyed nude (crème)
$27.50 CDN/$23 US

Pigment in Deceit
Blackened plum with pink pearl
$38.50 CDN/$32 US

Pigment in Guise
Frosty grey
$28.50 CDN/$32 US

Powder Blush in Strada
Mid-tone nude
$36.50 CDN/$30 US

Technakohl Liner in Graphblack
Rich graphic black
$23 CDN/$19 US

Technakohl Liner in Greyprint
Rich pewter grey
$23 CDN/$19 US

Gareth Pugh for MAC makeup bag
$90 CDN/$75 US

This is one of those MAC/fashion designer collections. If you've never heard of Gareth Pugh, check out this video of his Spring/Summer 2011 collection:

Prices for the Gareth Pugh for MAC collection are higher than regular MAC collections but that's due to the unique packaging. These are collector's items. 

What do you think? Do you splurge on this MAC/designer collections or pass them by? 

Click here to read a Q&A with Gareth Pugh on his collaboration with MAC.

C.

MAC & Marcel Wanders Collection Preview

“If I have a basic motivation, it’s to inspire people to make their life a Masterpiece!” Is that not what we do every day at M·A·C? So it is that the Dutch industrial designer – known for everything from his “Happy Hour” Chandelier to his “futuresonic” way with old Delft porcelain, and for co-founding now-iconic design collective Droog AND the amusing, classicism-meets-futurism objects of his own group, Moooi (from the Dutch word for “beauty,” but with an extra “o” for extra-beautiful!) – wandered HERE...It had to be!


M·A·C partners with Marcel Wanders – his first foray into the world of cosmetics – and design sophisticates (and people with innate and irreverent tastes) will be bonkers for these limited-edition Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Sheer Mystery Powder, Air of Style Scent Concentrate and his signature brush and clutch creations, not least of all for their arresting packaging – fine collectors’ items all! But also for the rich palette, inspired by 17th Century Flemish painting, and particularly Vermeer’s – “Girl With a Pearl Earring” – and the idea of an artist painting a portrait, and falling in love. “Always, with a sense of love in the product...” he says. Marcel speaks our M·A·C language.


In North American stores and at counters on November 24th. 

Air of Style Scent Concentrate solid perfume ($36 CDN/$30 US)

MAC & Marcel Wanders Brush ($90 CDN/$75 US)

M·A·C & Marcel Wanders Brush Clutch ($78 CDN/$65 US)

MAC & Marcel Wanders Aleydis Lip Gloss ($26 CDN/$22 US)
Fuchsia

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lip Gloss in Beatrix ($26 CDN/$22 US)
Golden nude

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lip Gloss in Gertruyd ($26 CDN/$22 US)
Blackened red

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lip Gloss in Mary ($26 CDN/$22 US)
Light gold

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lipstick in Catharina ($26 CDN/$22 US)
Fuchsia (cream)

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lipstick in Digna ($26 CDN/$22 US)
Blackened red (cream)

MAC & Marcel Wanders in Gesina ($26 CDN/$22 US)
Red with slight pinkish undertones (cream)

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lipstick in Martha ($26 CDN/$22 US)
Golden champagne with pearl/frost (frost)

MAC & Marcel Wanders False Lashes in False Black ($21.50 CDN/$18 US)

MAC & Marcel Wanders Sheer Mystery Powder in Light Medium ($72 CDN/$60 US)
Pale ivory

MAC & Marcel Wanders Sheer Mystery Powder in Medium Plus ($72 CDN/$60 US)
Tan beige

So what do you think? I'm saying much of this is overpriced, but of course, it is about the design. The look of this collection is fantastic but I'm not sure how much of the colours are must-haves. I'll be checking it out but nothing is grabbing me from just the images. 

Are you excited about this collection? Any big fans of Marcel Wanders?

C.

MAC's Venomous Villains: Sneak Peek!

How exciting is this??? MAC released this teaser video entitled "Venomous Villains" confirming rumours of a collaboration with Disney. Watch it here: http://www.maccosmetics.com/vv_landing/index.tmpl

Coming in September 2010, MAC will release a collection inspired by some of Disney's most infamous, nasty females (hints of the villainesses are in the video). Think about it, Disney's female heroines tend to be fresh-faced beauties while the evil (often jealous) enemies clearly are wearing make-up and lots of it! 

See, none of these beauties appear to be wearing much make-up at all apart from Princess Jasmine's cat-eyeliner and perhaps a bit of lip colour. Those doe eyes, glowing skin and unblemished skin came naturally to these fictional ladies - remember the description of Snow White's beauty? " Lips red as the rose. Hair black as ebony. Skin white as snow." 

The villains on the other hand, they all kind of remind me of screen legend Joan Crawford, who's known almost better as a real-life villain thanks to the film Mommy Dearest (1981) and the book written by her adopted daughter Christina Crawford it was based on. Joan Crawford (who I was once told I look like) had dramatically beautiful, slightly exaggerated features - full, arched eyebrows, large, hooded eyes, high cheekbones and a wide mouth.

"No wire hangers!"

The Disney villain who most resembles Joan Crawford would be the narcissistic Evil Queen from Snow White. For her obsession with beauty (she wanted to eat Snow White's heart!), she's got to be one of the four Disney villainesses MAC is creating a collection around. The colours MAC might come out with for her are reds, whites, purples, pinks and blacks.

I'm thinking The Little Mermaid's Ursula has got to be another MAC inspiration with her grey, inky black and purple colours, crimson nails, blue eyeshadow and red, red lips. There will most likely be aquas, greens and blues to tie into Ursula's underwater world.

Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations was the first Disney villainess I thought of when I heard about this collaboration. Her obsession with fashion drives her want to skin puppies to make a coat and her crazy, aging fashionista persona is so very MAC, isn't it? Cruella's two-toned hair, blue eyeshadow, red lips and fondness for black white could be inspiration for MAC's collection. I'm also thinking orange, red and turquoise.

The dark fairy Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty is my last guess as to the 4th Disney villainess. Monstrously beautiful with her angular bone structure, grey-purple eyeshadow up to her eyebrows, yellow eyes and horned headwear, Maleficent can turn into a black and red dragon - plenty of colour ideas for MAC. I'm thinking of glittering blacks, greys and purples, gold, green and rose.

Some other possible Disney evil femme inspirations could be The Rescuer's Medusa:

Or Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters:

Or the Queen of Hearts from Disney's Alice in Wonderland:

I know I'm very excited about this! Are you? These evil ladies are inspiring, don't you think? Which Disney villainesses do you think MAC is going to use?

C.