Becca X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette

Welcome to this week's review on the limited edition highlight-blush face palette launched by Becca cosmetics the previous year. This item was so hyped up all over social media and youtube that i jumped on to the bandwagon and ended up purchasing it even though I din't originally planned to. What made me buy the palette was the fact that I wanted to try Becca highlighter formulas since forever , and their new blush formulas as well! After all , Becca is known for their intense highlighters with stunning shade ranges and powder to cream finish formulas! 

Starting off with a little background about the creator of the palette , Jaclyn Hill , the undisputed queen of champagne glow godesses! (I make it sound so extra). So in 2016 , Jaclyn collaborated with Becca to create her custom highlighter shade with the same formula that Becca has always created their highlighters with : It was the iconic , Champagne Pop! This one was supposed to be a limited edition item but it was SO hyped up and loved to the extent that it was all beauty gurus wore for the entire half of 2016 after it launched. It was talked about by big youtubers including Jaclyn herself. It was meant to be a product that compliments skintones ranging from pale to deep and having used the Champagne pop I can definitely say that it might not be 100% true. The colour is a peachy-gold shade with very pearlescent champagne reflect that almost has a duochrome look when applied heavily. It beautifully goes on medium to tan to even deep skin tones but skips to highlight very pale skintones. It almost appears as a stripe of gold across the cheeks if applied on skintones that are very pale. It is a warmer undertone product and therefore looks beautiful on people on the warmer spectrum but I can somehow justify saying that it is a versatile product for most of the skin tones except for cool toned pale. Becca's moonstone is a better alternative for someone who finds this colour to be almost too dark to highlight with!
After this product got the love that we saw on youtube , and rose to be among the cult favourite highlighters of ALL time , among the likes of Becca's Opal and MAC's soft and gentle , Becca listened to the overgrowing and overwhelming demand and made it permanent in their collection. Which means , you can get the full sized champagne pop separately instead of buying the face palette or more so , if you missed out on the limited edition palette!
The Sephora Australia describe the product as :

A collaboration with Jaclyn Hill, the creator of the original Champagne Pop, this limited-edition face palette features five iconic shades to give you all the customized glow you want. Mix and match two Shimmering Skin Perfector highlighters, two shades of Mineral Blush and a pop of color with Luminous Blush to create endless layers of light and color.


It is free of parabens and sulphates and can be layered according to your liking!
The palette itself is a beautiful mix of 5 shades : 3 blushes and 2 highlighters that we will go over in detail later in the review.

The palette , known as the Champagne Collection Face Palette comes in a beautiful gold and white packaging , with the actual palette being a gorgeous luxurious white almost too pretty to use sturdy one. It has an all gold interior and looks straight out of a dream! The whole white and gold is to die for! The moment I saw it , it was so reflective of Jaclyn's personality that it just spoke of the actual work they put in to create something that compliments her own self and speaks for her.

The inside of the palette is all reflective gold with this HUGE AMAZINGLY HD Mirror that just takes the quality of the palette to another level! I mean I had owned the palette for 30 seconds and already dug my nail in it 😔, but I'm a monster and you don't have to be. SO it comes with 3 small blushes on top and 2 bigger highlighter pans at the bottom. The inside looks like this : 

Gorgeous , I know! 

It comes with a clear protector on top with names on it for each product and a detailed description of each of the powders at the back of the box as well as the palette. The top 3 shades you see are the blushes in the order left to right : 

Rose' Spritz: A luminous pink toned blush with gold sheen
Amaretto: A nude muted tone blush in a matte finish 
Pample-mousse : A bright coral matte blush.

The 2 highlighters are left to right : 
Champagne Pop : The iconic shade that inspired the whole palette. It's a peachy gold with an intense sheen to it and a champagney reflect! 
Prosecco Pop: It's the sister highlghter to the one mentioned above and is exclusive to this palette , also created by Jaclyn herself. It's a true gold without being bronze or too dark! A shade darker and more gold than Champagne Pop!

The blush shades and Prosecco Pop are exclusive to this palette and Champagne Pop can be found in full size. The palette is perfect for those of you who have been wanting to try the Becca blushes and their highlighers in general. It might not be an excellent investment for those who do have a full size Champagne Pop because as fancy as the packaging gets , the price tag is pretty fancy too!

SO if you do have Champagne Pop in full size or do plan to get it , I'd say re-think your decision about this one. I'm just one of the many to tell you , this is good stuff! I love the quality overall in each pan and I think the luminous blush is to die for. I reach for the Amaretto blush as well when I don't want a ton of colour on my cheeks as it might look too neutral in the pan but gives a very understated blush to the cheeks and is perfect to pair up with bright lips or bold eye!

The highlighters are beautiful but the only issue some people had with it was the fact that they can appear a bit less smooth to the touch compared to their full sized counterparts but the application is the same , pigmentation is on point with these and they are indeed very very blinding. They are somehow glittery and shimmery with not an obnoxious amount of glitter but enough to be visible in the lights which might be subject to personal preference. I personally don't mind a little glitter unless it kicks off fall-out on the face.
The only little complaint that I have is that I'm a warm toned light-medium skintone and the highlighters do show up beautifully on my skin but they don't necessarily differ in shades as much. It sure won't on darker skintones as well! I'm pretty sure the difference would be a lot more clearer on lighter skintones than mine. To summarize what I'm saying I'll insert swatches of the shades in the palette on 3 different skin tones put together by Becca so you can see for yourself! 

The blushes and highlighters are beautiful and if you've been on the fence about this one , I would suggest get your hands on this one as limited edition ones are not here to stay forever. 

The palette retails for AUD 89 which seemed like a lot to me but let me breakdown the price for you :
$89 for 2 highlighters and 3 blushes by Becca is a steal if you do the breakdown this way -

The full sized highlighter pans cost you 60-68 AUD each here in Australia from Sephora. The full sized mineral blushes being AUD 50 each and Luminous blush being AUD 53.

The ones in the palette are smaller in comparison but you do get a considerable amount of product0(19 oz.) in each highlighter pans and each blush pan being 0.10 oz.

That being said , the total worth of the palette comes out to be $281 if added by cost of each product , minus the weight changes that bring the cost down ofcourse but if you were to buy these individually , the palette seems like a fraction of the price. 

A lot of times palettes can have a shade or two that you know you're not going to use so it would preferably better to get individual products in full size but knowing and owning this product puts me in the position of saying : This one has shades that you cannot go wrong with. They are very much wearable , daytime or nigh-time. They compliment each other and all 5 shades together for creating combinations depending on what look or degree of luminosity you want. I cannot say enough good things about this.

If you were wanting to try Becca as a brand , this one is a winner.

Where to buy in Australia :

Sephora Stores 

Sephora's website : https://www.sephora.com.au/products/becca-jaclyn-hill-champagne-collection-face-palette/v/default

Tarte Tartiest Pro Palette - Amazonian Clay Eyeshadows

Welcome to the second review in my written review series! Today we're talking all about the sort-of new to the eyeshadow jam - Tartiest pro palette , a much awaited and much talked about member in the makeup world. It was released this year by Tarte cosmetics , a natural makeup brand that always emphasises and takes pride in their paraben free mineral formulas infused with goodness of natural ingredients and less to negligible concentrations of chemicals used in cosmetic manufacturing otherwise.
Starting off with a little background about the brand itself , Tarte is a brand sold exclusively at Sephora and Ulta in the States and in Sephora stores and online here in Australia. They claim their brand to consist of chemical free , high performance delivering and natural in all respects. Tarte has previously made top knotch powder formulas like their Amazonian clay blushes that stay put for 12 hours and their amazonian clay eyeshadows are the same powder format in eyeshadow pans.

The pro palette is descried by Tarte as a "makeup artist " /  high-performance professional-grade palette powered by healthier ingredients. It includes 16 longwearing matte eyeshadows infused with Amazonian clay for smooth blending and flake-resistant wear, plus four brand-new iridescent luster shades with a micro-shimmer, duo-chrome formula. Deeply concentrated mineral pigments and new tarte smartblend technology give you the best in even, intense colour payoff in neutral-to-bold shades for all skin tones.

They also list other benefits of this one being : 

• Naturally-derived Amazonian clay formula
• Mineral pigments that soothe and soften the skin.
• Paraben-free, sulfate-free, phthalate-free.

The " Pro " line by Tarte is targeted basically towards everyone from a beginner to a pro artist. It is meant to offer everyone something that they can utilise according to their skill level which makes it a master line.

The selling point of this one for sure is the fact that it is natural makeup i.e. it is free from harsh chemicals that we see in other cosmetic products that are infused with parabens and sulphates. For people who are allergic to parabens , this is a great one that won't react with the skin on your eyes or make them water.

The packaging is a matte black sturdy one that looks luxurious and has a gold back and comes in a black cardboard box with Tartiest pro written over it. The packaging is very heavy and sturdy.

The palette has a wide assortment of colour arrangement to offer : It has basic browbone colours , setting th lid colours , basic transition shades , crease defining shades , and pops of colour here and there. 

Coming to the mattes of the palette , I'm honestly stating this as a fact : some of the best mattes you can find on the market are in this palette. I remember swatching two mattes in the sephora store and I was shook. They feel like silk to the touch and the pigmentation is next level! I did see mixed reviews on this one but the moment i swatched it , I knew it was a favourite already. The shades can appear a bit ashy on darker skintones and take more blending if you go towards the darker colours in this one but all in all they are decently blendable and bright , with a good staying power. The mattes are amazingly smooth to the touch and easy to blend , but can be patchy if you don't dust off excess powder while loading your brush with the pigment , which is always a great thing to do and delivers smooth application. The mattes are not exclusive to this palette and can be seen in other past or future Tarte palettes however , the 4 shimmers found in this one are exclusive to this palette and can be found nowhere else in the brand. These 4 shimmers are new formulas and are exclusively formulated for the Pro palette. Tarte calls them duochrome , but I beg to differ.

The first 3 shades of shimmers from top to bottom , are plain shimmers that are indeed smooth and pigmented and can be amplified with a base like Maybelline colour tattoos , or worn alone over the mattes. They are not duochrome whatsoever , but the bottom right shade in the teal bllue-green colour is very much duochrome. The rest 3 shades are shimmers. Now for applying these 4 shimmers , I would suggest put on a base on the lid before going in with these , anything from MAC paint pots to maybelline colour tattoos. The base amplifies the shimmer colour and gives it a surface to adhere to. Also , it enhances the longevity of the shimmer shadow. The shade names with pictures and swatches will be listed down below for reference.

As a final verdict , I would say the shimmers are decent quality and perform like nice high-end good quality shadows but what makes this palette a win win are the mattes : they are a dream to work with!

To give a clearer picture , I would compare them with fellow Tarte palettes that have launched prior to this one.

The brand has over the years launched a winner palette : The tartelette and tartelette in bloom. If you are familiar with the formula of any of the two , the amazonian clay formula is revamped and newly formulated , unlike to both of these. Now those of you who have used the Tartellete in bloom palette know it is an absolute pleasure to use , It is buttery , non powdery , super blendable and everything you look for in a shadow , topped up by the fact that it's a neutrals palette. The formula is an A+ with that one!

 The amazonian clay shadows infused in the Tartiest Pro are different in various respects. Firstly , the color palette itself is a lot more diverse and suited for not just neutral lovers but has pops of fun colours that take the cake for me! The formula itself is a lot more like Tartelette in bloom but unlike the first Tartelette palette. The amazonian clay formula is buttery , soft , fully blendable and pigmented to perfection. The only dud surrounding it is that there can be a little bit of kickoff from the powder while swirling the brush in there but that's commonly seen in pigmented buttery shadows that blend and do the job for you. The formula is a winner according to me , but a lot of people prefer the tartelette in bloom which is clearly understandable as that formula is unrealistically smooth and glides on like butter. It is a lot creamier than amazonian clay formula and being a neutrals palette , it is better suited for someone who is a matte neutral lover.
Another reason makeup lovers prefer the tartelette in bloom is due to the fact that you can't just go wrong with that one! Even if you go heavy handed with that one , a few strokes of blending can fix it in a matter of minutes. This one on the other hand you have to be careful with , as the colours are a lot more vivid and brighter in comparison and take more time to blend which is due to the nature of the colour palette it offers. The shadows themselves are top notch quality.
The shades are :

classic (cream)
innocent (soft peach)
whimsy (brick)
smoked (dark brown) 
ethereal (bronze)
vintage (ivory) 
fierce (cool plum)
no filter (purple mauve)
vamp (deep plum)
glam (champagne)
chic (pale pink)
profesh (taupe)
mod (deep cherry)
drama (maroon)
minx (shimmering mauve) 
indie (greige)
bold (light brown)
edgy (chocolate)
punk (black) 
trendy (prismatic teal) : duochrome

One more plus about this baby is that it is made for beginners and is designed in a way which makes it easy to create full looks.

The rows of the shades that are put together make it easy for a beginner to know what shade goes where and it comes with a how-to guide with looks and instructions to create them using the palette.
The rows in the palette basically do the job for you! It is indeed a beginner's best friend.

You get 1 g of product per pan and there are 20 pans in this palette. The pan size is smaller than the Tartellete in bloom but you get more shades and less product in each shade pan.
The price of this product here in Australia is AUD 83 , which is considerably a lot for an eyeshadow palette but prices in Australia are usually 2-3 times higher compared to States. The cost breakdown makes each pan / shade $ 4.15. You can find this palette on Sephora Australia's website and also in stores.

Link : https://www.sephora.com.au/products/tarte-tarteist-pro-palette/v/default



Swatches from Temptalia:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kits ~ Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kits have undoubtedly changed the makeup game and have brought it up several notches higher in the highlight world! Starting with the usual 4 pan of full sized highlights , the architect turned browcitect (That's totally not a word - I just made that up lol ) has slayed the industry with her 6 pan highlighter palettes. This collaboration in particular was with my personal favourite  beauty and lifestyle blogger , Nicole Guerriero. She has been a fan favourite among beauty gurus of youtube with millions of subscribers and a loyal fan base. 
The brand itself has created brow products , contour palettes and highlighters in single pans as well as palettes. 

The theme of the glow kit comes off as girly , fun and bubbly : all things Nicole!

Anastasia has created glow kits previously and if you're not familiar to her formulas , they're beyond creamy , appear almost wet and have a cream to powder finish that makes you glow crazy , we're talking extra terrestrial here..
They're metallic and ultra luminous and create a smooth stark glow to the high points of the face.

The palette as said above comes in the regular ABH packaging with 6 pans with 0.16 oz in each pan and 4.5 gm in total.
ABH describes it as " Metallic powder highlighters for intense luminosity , complementing shades can be layered together to brighten cheekbones or worn separately on eyelids , brow bones and inner corners."

I personally love the formula and use it almost everytime as inner corner highlight and to amp up my lid eyeshadow to another level of luminosity.

They are not lying when they say it's metallic! Coz girl is a total game changer.

coming to what's inside the palette ,

The shades are :
Kitty Kat : A medium peachy pink with warm toned shimmers and very minute glitter particles that are finely milled and not obnoxiously glittery.
This one in particular won't pop up as much on very pale undertones but might look noticeable and get the job done on medium skin tones pretty well. It's a pink based highlighter and is a stronger version of MAC's extra dimension skin finish in Beaming Blush.

Forever Young : It is the more beige version of Kitty Kat and tends to be more warm toned and versatile for many skin tones. It has a metallic finish and is best applied with a denser brush rather than a fan brush as it may waste your product due to less dense brush hairs.

Daydream : It's a very unique , never made before kind of a colour with orange tones and still very warm , keeping up with the theme of the kit itself. It looks harsh in the pan but appears subtle and dewy once blended in the skin with subtle strokes.

Forever Lit : This is one powder that would speak to paler , fairer skin tones on so many levesl! It has a beautiful white silvery sheen that is not obnoxiously glittery but shows up bright and loud on the skin. It is pretty cool toned and has whiter undertones as opposed to other colours in the palette. This one is the most reflective due to the nature of the colour.

Glo Getter: This one is a true gold bronze highlighter with warm undertones and very shimmery metallic finish. It is well suited for medium skin tones and above, which is great and makes the kit versatile for different undertones and skin colours.

143 : This color is special to Nicole herself and is a dark copper gold with the same amount of opacity and sheen with metallic finish to it. It is best suited for medium to dark skin tones. 


The kit retails for $65 AUD here in Australia on Sephora's website and was also sold on Anastasia Beverly Hill's website. It seems a fair price for 6 full size highlighter pans and the cost breakdown makes it AUD 10.8 each pan , which is a great price for the quality of the product.
Encased in a beautiful rosey-pink high shine gleamy ABH packaging , it lacks a mirror but is lightweight which would make a strong case for travel friendly makeup , but I wouldn't recommend travelling with this baby owing to the nature of the product that makes it fragile and it can be a hot mess if not taken care of!

The shade ranges have a lot to offer for every possible skin tone and the opacity and glimmer of the powders can be seen from outer space. You get my point.

Because it is so high shine with a cream finish , my dry skin fell in love with it , with every use.
I have light-medium skin with very warm undertones and except for Daydream , all the shades show up on my skin pretty well. The 2 gold shades remind me of my favourite MAC highlighters , but instead , are the on-steroid version of MAC Soft And Gentle and Oh!Darling. The ABH formulas are creamier and more workable but are not for the faint hearted!
These are for the glow goddesses that want a pop of blinding highlight! As a last suggestion about the product , if you're a subtle barely there highlight person , this might not be your girl. On that note , I prefer a more visible stark sheen on the tops of my cheeks and Kitty Kat , my favourite shade out of the kit is perfect and has rose gold shine particles to add the extra oomph! That being said , shades subject to  personal preferences but this one in particular is a versatile palette , well thought of and beautifully put together! S/O to Nicole G for the pink dreamy box of glow.



Here are a few pictures of the Glow Kit with swatches : 

I hope the review helps you decide if the product goes with your liking! Thankyou for reading! Lots of Love
~ Prab S.