Sunday, March 4, 2012

Becca Compact Concealer Review (With before & after photos)!

Becca Compact Concealer

I'm the prowl for a new concealer! As of lately I've been stuck mostly on my MAC Prolongwear Concealer, MAC Studio Finish Concealer and Coastal Scents Camo Quad. But, you all know me by now, and I get bored quickly with the same ol' products every day, and love switching it up and discovering new products.

I've been wearing MUFE Full Cover Concealer every once in a while, but the more I use it, the more I kinda realize I'm not a huge fan. Any lovers of Make Up Forever Full Cover out there? After a few hours I notice it settles kinda funny and it causes my eye makeup to transfer.

Anyways, Since my complexion has been resembling Snow White lately, I needed to find a concealer light enough to match my skintone that offers heavy coverage and is also long lasting.

So, I was recommended to try out Becca's concealer. I've never tried anything from Becca before, so I excited to give it a go. It turns out Becca Compact Concealer is everything I was looking for. 


Becca Compact Concealer consists of two concealers - one is called the "extra cover" and one is called the "medium cover". The idea is to create the amount of coverage you'd like - by layering or using each of them on different areas of the face.

The "medium cover" works great for the under-eyes and the "extra-cover" works great for spots on the face, as they often need more coverage. The consistency of the "extra-cover" concealer is slightly drier, so it's very ideal for spots, as it's not going to budge/fade.
Becca Compact Concealer comes in a huge variety of shades (34 to be exact) to match all skintones - from very fair to deep dark. I've never seen so many shades - especially for a concealer, so there shouldn't be too many problems finding your perfect shade.

I have the shade Sherbet, which is a duo of two fair shades. They're almost identical, except one of them is slightly peachier. It's a pretty nice match if you're around the MAC NC15 coloring.

 Becca Compact Concealer in Sherbet

Here are both shades swatched on my hand. My hands are a little darker than my face, but on my face, it's a spot on match.

READ MORE!

This is definitely a drier consistency concealer, so to avoid any accentuation of dryness, it's a good idea to moisturize your skin prior or after it's applied, lightly go over the area with a slightly damp cosmetic sponge in light "press and roll" motions.

The coverage is great. I usually always apply a thin layer of the medium coverage side and then go over any extra darkness with the extra-cover side.

It has a fairly matte finish, and although it's matte, I always make sure to set my under-eyes with a powder to avoid creasing. I have worn this without setting it with powder and experienced product settling in my fine lines (it will happen with any cream concealer). When I set with a powder, I have no problems at all. *For reference, most of the time I use Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder. I've been using it for years and it's still my favorite.

For spots: I like using a small pointed liner brush for precise application (and to lessen waste of any product). I'll lightly apply the concealer to the blemish completely covering it, and then with a fluffier eyeshadow brush (such as a blending brush) I'll lightly (with no pressure) blend out the edges so the concealer blends in with my skin.
For under-eyes: I sometimes use a brush, and sometimes use my finger. To lessen waste of product, I'll more often use a small brush, then apply it to my under-eyes and blend with my finger with light tapping motions (no rubbing). Using my finger works well as the heat from my finger also helps soften the product so it spreads easier on my skin. Sometimes I'll go over the area with a blending brush to pick up any excess product that may be "chillaxin" in my fine lines.

Here are some photos applying the medium-cover concealer to my under-eyes.
As you can see, the coverage is quite good. It covers my darkness and sun spots and and brightens up the area very well.

I don't have too many blemishes at the moment (thank goodness all of my L'oreal Infallible Foundation caused blemishes all went away), but I wanted to show the coverage for spot concealing. 

It completely covered my freckle and few red spots. 

I find that the lasting power is very good. By the end of the day it's all still in tact.

Now, the only downside about this stuff is the price-tag and the availability. There's really nowhere near me that I can find this product other than a couple of spas/salons which I will not be going to in order to purchase Becca products. Depending on your location, you may be lucky enough to find a counter near you. Otherwise, you can purchase products directly off their website, Apothica.com (there are often coupon codes available, so check Google first!) and Dermstore.com.

As for the price, I'll go into more details about it below.

PROS: I really like the idea of having two different coverage concealers in one compact. It's very handy that you can have your product for under-eyes and spots all-in-one. A full coverage is hard to find, and this product provides a full coverage that doesn't feel or look heavy and lasts all day.
CONS: The only real con is the price. It's (are you ready?) $38 for 0.1 oz! That is 3 dinky grams of product for a mere $40. That adds up to almost $360 an ounce. For comparison, MAC Studio Finish Concealer costs $17 for 0.24 oz/7grams of product and around $69 an ounce. Mac Studio Finish is a really good less-expensive option that works almost as good.
PACKAGING: The packaging is nothing spectacular. It's made of that same rubberized material that Nars packaging comes in - so it gets dirty very easily (but cleans just as easily with a makeup remover wipe). The plus side with it is it's small and very compact, so it's ideal for travel, and it has a mirror for application and/or touch-ups.
OVERALL: I can't say that this product is a good value for the amount of money you pay, but it really is a fantastic product. We all kind of have our "set price" we're willing to pay for certain cosmetics, so it really depends on you and your budget!

If you've tried this product, let me know how you liked it in the comments!

In other news, I've been a little absent these past couple of days because my aunt is in town - permanently! She's lived in another state all my life, and finally decided to pack her bags and move close to us in Chicago. I don't really have a big family and I'm only close with two of my aunts, so it's really nice to be even closer now, especially since it's been really hard on my family since my Dad's passing (it still feels weird to say this as I'm still in denial of it all). Family really is everything and I'm so grateful to be surrounded by so many loved ones.
 (At the airport last winter!)

Hope you all had a great weekend!

16 comments:

  1. This looks like it works really good. I like the two different sides of it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been hearing a lot about Becca lately! Sounds and looks like it'd be worth a try!!

    http://truccotreatblogs.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. that's nice you have your aunt closer now. The concealer looks amazing but yea the price, yikes!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been on the hunt for a new concealer. I might have to check this one out. I only have one Becca product, Watermelon Beach Tint. Great review!

    Thats great your Aunt decided to move closer :)

    http://blog.missbrittanyboo.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I personally really like the MUFE Full Cover concealer, but I only use it for blemishes, not for under my eyes. The shade I have is also too dark for me at the moment, it's really a summer shade. Great review, I wish it was a bit cheaper, because it looks like it works phenomenally!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That looks like such a good concealer, I love how it concealed all spots on your face without looking cakey. Pity about the price, that's ridiculous!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks like it works great, but the price! Ahh!

    http://beauty-twist.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. One of my all time favourite Brands. It was the first concealer I ever owned and even though I dont really use concealer I always have one of these becca duos in my collcetion just in case..

    ReplyDelete
  9. i dont have many good concealers. this sounds great though!

    ReplyDelete
  10. ...wow....Okay I was all for this until I saw that price Ouch!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello :) i come here everyday for a while now...and i must say that you look lovely 'tanned' but i'd really love to see you without it...please don't take it as a rude comment i don't mean and do not intend to be rude...

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have to ask! Where are your boots from? You and and your aunt look so cute!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thanks!! They are Anne Klein fabric (microfiber maybe?) boots. I purchased them for around $70 at Lord and Taylor probably 4 years ago. I don't know the style name anymore, but I found these on eBay which are the same exact ones, but in a different pattern. Mine were plain black. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-ANNE-KLEIN-Women-Wool-Fabric-Tall-Knee-High-Side-Zip-Heel-Boot-Sz-9-5-M-/140718362521?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&hash=item20c377cf99#ht_2464wt_1265. These are also similar : http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-ANNE-KLEIN-Dirk-BLACK-SUEDE-BOOT-Womens-Shoe-6-5-M-/300675822997?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&hash=item4601acf595

      Delete
  13. Hello, I'm NC30. Could you suggest the best shade for this concealer? I can only order online and I'm lost with all the shades. Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete