Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector (Liquid) in Moonstone - review and swatches

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These Shimmering Skin Perfectors from Becca really don't need an introduction: they're one of those cult products that's loved the world over, and for good reason.

I can't remember exactly when I bought mine (last year or the year before?) but I know I bought both Moonstone and Topaz first - not only because I didn't have any liquid illuminators in my collection at the time, but also because I'd read that you could use both shades to either darken or lighten your foundation, if your skin's the right kind of colour (which mine fortunately is).

Later on I bought Opal because that's the shade that matches me best as a stand-alone highlighter, but despite this it's Moonstone I've used the most because it's light enough to slightly lighten those darker BB creams and tinted moisturisers that I use over summer and that now don't quite match me as they are.


Becca claims/product details:
  • The iconic highlighter that started it all
  • A sheer, crème-liquid that perfects skin with ultra-fine light-reflecting pearls for a soft, natural glow
  • Achieve a subtle luminosity
  • Melts into your skin for polished, natural-looking radiance
  • Water-light and sheer, it has a prismatic effect that allows it to adjust in any light, so your refined glow is never lost
  • To use: apply as a base over the entire face; mix with your foundation for a radiant complexion; use over makeup to highlight cheekbones, browbones and temples 
  • RRP $66 AUD for 50ml, but do shop around (you can easily find it online for around $50)


There's the dreaded pump above. I say dreaded because a lot of people have commented that the pump dispenses far too much product - unless you're using it all over your face, in which case the amount is spot on. 

While it's true that the pump dispenses too much product for application as a spot highlighter, this is an easy fix and it doesn't bother me at all:


Above is what one, gentle pump looks like (minus two applications as a spot highlighter - you can see where I've dabbed a little off). If I want to use it as a spot highlighter, I squeeze the product out into a container like this and keep the excess. 

You'd probably want to use it all up within a week or two so it doesn't dry out, although I've never had it dry out on me because I can easily get through the amount within a couple of weeks, and I don't feel forced to use it every day to achieve this.


There's an unblended and blended swatch in natural light above, and in direct sunlight below. Moonstone is a pale gold colour that should suit a lot of skintones, and it's the kind of shade that looks reasonably natural on the skin (depending of course on your colouring).


One more, indirect sunlight:


 And below I'm wearing it on my cheekbone and browbone, shot taken outdoors:


The same application, shot taken indoors:


And one more outdoors shot for good measure (you can see it looks pretty natural on the skin, which is my preference for highlighters - I'm not big on a strong look because I don't think it suits me):


Verdict

This is a great product and I've given the formula an HG tag because it's definitely the best liquid illuminator I've used to date and it's also reasonable value because you get so much product and the bottle should last for ages. 

In total I've probably used Moonstone consistently for well over six months (I use it just about every day during autumn and winter), and since I normally use a gentle pump mixed in with my foundation, it's remarkable that I'm only around halfway through the bottle. If you were only going to use this as a spot highlighter, I'm convinced you'd never get through it!

The formula is a thin, light cream with no detectable scent. It's one of those products that just vanishes into the skin without feeling heavy/oily or drying, so I'd say it would suit all skin types and you shouldn't be aware of it once it's on.

Moonstone is a pale gold colour that should suit many people, although it's probably best for lighter skintones if you're planning on using it alone or as a spot highlighter.

As mentioned above, even though Opal is my perfect highlighting shade (my skin is medium), I bought Moonstone so I could bring down the colour of some of my darker bases so they would suit my winter skin, and while it does this successfully, it doesn't make a dramatic difference so if the colour is really off, you may need to use something else (and of course it also depends on the ratio of luminiser to base and also the pigment level of your base product).

What sets these illuminators apart for me is both their versatility and also the effect they give on the skin. Liquid illuminators are more versatile in general, but these Becca ones don't contain noticeable glitter chunks and instead just give a natural, credible sheen to the skin. 

While you can certainly build them up so they announce themselves as highlighters, if you want a 'look at me' highlight you're better off going for the pressed or poured versions - but with so many big bang highlighters flooding the market, there's absolutely a place for products like this that are work-appropriate and suitable for day use.

Although I like Moonstone best as a mixer product, I have used it as a stand-alone highlighter and application is fool-proof. I prefer to dab it on with my fingers, but I'm sure you could use a brush or a sponge and it will be just as easy to blend and sheer out because the formula is so easy to work with.

Another huge plus with these liquid versions is that they don't look overly metallic on the skin, nor do they emphasise texture (a problem I've had with the pressed versions), so I feel these are the stand-outs in Becca's highlighting offerings and they're also the best value of the three versions on a per-gram basis.

All in all, these are the most versatile, best-value highighters I own and they also give me the best effect with very little effort. If you had to pick just one highlighter, I would recommend one of these - although of course do test them first to check that they give you the look you're after.

Awesome.


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