One makeup item that I get asked about often is highlighter. I mean, sure, you use it to single out key words and phrases when studying or when your phone company has charged you that extra dollar or two, who cares, right? WRONG. *record scratch* Sorry, friends, I’m coming off of only 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night so I’m a wee bit tired today, hence why I’m clearly in the wrong frame of mind. Let’s try that again, shall we?
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One makeup item that I get asked about often is highlighter. I mean, sure, you slap some gold or iridescent glitter on your face, bing, bang, boom, you’re out the door lookin’ like Beyonce, right? WRONG. Oh no, this isn’t another mistake…I’m here to tell you that highlighter is so much more than that . While the terms highlighter, illuminator and luminzer are used interchangeably in the beauty world and all, technically speaking , do different things, they are all created for the same purpose: to illuminate you from within. Nothing scary, nothing shocking, and nothing overly obvious, just a subtle glimmer to make you look healthy and radiant. In other words, a good highlighter will give you that J. Lo glow that you have long yearned for, with ease (shout-out to my friend and ex-colleague Amanda for repeating the phrase ‘J. Lo glow’ to me so often, it stuck. Miss you, girl! ♥).
Now, I don’t want to get too technical or too negative, but what exactly is “a good highlighter”? Hard. To. Find. There are many aspects to consider when searching for a highlighter: is your face of a warm or cool undertone? Will the highlighter in question make you glow or make you look ashy? Like a disco ball? Is the highlighter made of glittery chunks or softer, more refined shimmer? Is it the correct tone for your face, not to match it exactly but to make you look resplendent, not…heaven forbid, shiny ? Will this product fade throughout the day or stand the test of time? Is it a brand name I trust? *passes out from stress*
I’m sorry to say, but it’s no easy feat. Just reading half of those questions can make a girl’s head spin. Not to worry, though, because this is exactly what I’m here for, and I’ve already done all the work for you. *the skies open, baby angels in diapers start singing HALLELUJAH*
Enter the Becca Cosmetics x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop, or, as you may call it, the answer to all of your prayers. I’m going to be frank – I have never really been a ‘fan’ of highlighter, only because to me, there was no point. I have a deep complexion and after months of searching for a product that could offer me a luminous glow without making me look like a zebra and/or like the spoon you’d be served to stir with at high tea (shiny), I rallied the troops and called it quits. It was a shame because I have dry skin, so often my skin can look dull or flat, especially in the colder months of the year. But, this, this product, ladies and gentlemen, is a game-changer.
Formulated by the team at Becca Cosmetics along with makeup artist and YouTube personality Jaclyn Hill, Champagne Pop offers something that most other illuminating products do not – versatility. That’s right, this product is designed to work across a wide range of complexions. When I first learned of this, I chuckled to myself and instantly dismissed the product; what an insane notion! With us lovely humans coming from a plethora of backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures, there’s simply no way to appease us all, to satisfy our skin’s demands. It is simply impossible.
…or, so I thought. To quell the curiosity that was ever-growing in my mind, I picked one up. And by golly, was I surprised. The soft, peachy gold tone of this powder somehow manages to illuminate my face, without making it look oily or, like I have previously experienced, like there is a bright, white mark on the sides of my face. It adds warmth and radiance to my face, without making me look overly warm, cool or even shimmery. I even tried it on a few of my friends, to see if this warm shade would transfer well onto their cool-toned light, olive-toned medium and cool-toned dark complexions with the same grace as it did mine. It did. After days and days of experimenting with various application techniques and applying it to different areas of my face for different looks, I discovered that this powder had reached ‘holy grail’ status; I didn’t want to be without it, for I always looked healthier and, in my opinion, a touch prettier, with it on. It can do no wrong!
L-R: Champagne Pop swatched heavily, blended out and a single swipe.
Well, almost. As pictured above, there is one thing to consider before you try this near-perfect highlighter out: light touch, light touch, light touch! Nothing good comes from applying this with a heavy hand, not even remotely. While the fine pearls in the product lead to a superfine, buttery soft texture and subtle shimmer, rather than the chunks of glitter used in similar products, they do not restrict the powerful pigmentation this product has. Lots of pigmentation is great when you realize that this product could also be used as an eyeshadow or as a blush/bronzer topper when dusted lightly over your favourite matte shade (score!), but it does not bode so well when highlighting your face. Highlighters are meant to be subtle and soft, not BAM! IN YO’ FACE, so ladies, please, take it easy with this one. Seriously, I lightly sweep my brush in the pan and then remove the excess by lightly tapping my brush against the product’s side. Don’t forget, it’s always better to start slow and build up the product rather than applying peachy eye black to your face and regretting it later (or worse, walk out the door without even realizing). 🙂
Close-up shot of the effect Champagne Pop has when blended out.
Some other things worth noting…
Not to get all dramatic on you here, but hey, it’s me, what else do you expect: with every ray of sunshine, must come a little rain (makes for a healthy, balanced ecosystem, y’all. SCIENCE. :P). Champagne Pop retails for a whopping $46 CAD. Yup, even I, lover of makeup and all things beauty, had trouble coughing up that kind of dough for a highlighter (which I hadn’t even swatched , mind you, I trusted my blind intuition — okay, and the loads of hype I was hearing). To be fair, though, there is a lot of product in the pan, 0.28 ounces to be precise, and as you only need to use a little, tiny bit each time, one pan should last well beyond its expiry date. Plus, let’s be honest, anyone who knows me at all knows that I would have just spent that money on Starbucks coffee, naïvely “only adding $10 at a time,” and I’d rather spend that money on something that I can actually use daily than spend it on something that passes through me in a matter of hours (sorry for the visual). Just sayin’…
Oh, and did I mention the glorious packaging!?
Champagne bubbles!
Overall, I’d say that this is one of those products that is worth every ounce of hype I’ve heard and more. Truthfully, it shakes up the whole makeup market, as brands will be are probably trying to replicate the beauty of Champagne Pop, while putting their own little spin on it. Think of this as the Urban Decay Naked Palette of the highlighting world; do you remember the amount of “dupes” and “takes” you saw and still see now, years after its release? Champagne Pop is that product; it motivates big brands to come up with ways to think outside of the box and push the boundaries, to re-think “the norm” (in this case, patchy, chunky highlighter ill-suited for the royalty that we are ;)). It effortlessly streamlines your routine and takes the guesswork out of makeup, all while making you look dewy, glowy and naturally radiant in the process. Luminous. Dazzling, even. Effervescent. Okay, I might be getting carried away, here, but you know what I mean! 😉
Well done, Jaclyn Hill & Becca Cosmetics. Champagne Pop is a stunner. Bravo. 👏🏾
Cheers. 
So, have you given Champagne Pop a try yet? Do you like it? In general, have you dabbled in the highlighting arts? Are you a little intimidated or baffled by it, like I was? Or, have you already found your perfect, holy grail highlighter? If so, do share what it is, I’d love to sample some more now that I’m no longer terrified of it, LOL! Let’s have a conversation!! 🙂 ↓
xo,
S♥
