little white truths

Not long ago I posted reviews on my Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors in Moonstone (see here) and Topaz (see here).

I promised myself that I would review Opal soon after that, but I've been sidetracked by other things and it was only today that I realised I hadn't yet done so. Ooops!

Anyhoo. While the formulas of each of these products is the same, I wanted to review them separately because I use them for different things and I felt they all warranted separate posts. Do let me know if you'd like to see a post with comparison swatches and I'll add that to my list : )

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. If I want to use it as a spot highlighter, I squeeze the product out into a container like this, use what I need 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 the colour below in direct sunlight:

Heavy and light swatches, direct sunlight:

And indoors:

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. Plus it's reasonable value because you get so much product and the bottle should last for ages. 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.

Opal is a gorgeous peachy gold colour that's best for light/medium to medium skintones if you're planning on using it alone or as a spot highlighter - but it's also a fantastic product for mixing in with your foundation (or using underneath it) if you want to add a believable glow.

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.

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 highlighters 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.