Wearing the Becca Anniversary Palette in Vintage Jewel on my cheeks and lips

Oh, Starbucks Soy Chai Latte… You’ve powered me through countless first drafts. But sometimes you can be sooo demanding! Sorry, but isn’t it better to hear bad news from a friend?

It might not always be obvious, but when we meet at Starbucks in the mornings, I’m usually…asleep. Or very nearly. It’s often terribly early, but I look forward to our visits, and so I’ve made some time-saving adjustments to my regular makeup routine in order to make our appointments.

I know you’ve wondered about my cheeks…and how they can look so fresh and flushed, and how my lips can look so glossy, so early in the morning.

You see, I have a secret, and I’m about to share it with you (because that’s what BFFs do). The credit goes to Becca’s new Anniversary Palettes.

Becca recently released two $36 limited edition palettes to commemorate their 10-year anniversary (makeup-versary?), and they’re both really great for creating quick makeup looks without a lot fuss.

Both Dusty Rose and Vintage Jewel come with four cream products each (a Lip & Cheek Crème, a Crème Blush, a Lip Gloss and a Crème Highlighter) in a mix of new and old shades, which I usually use my fingers to apply (because I lack the coordination for brush work so soon after dawn). The palettes are about the size of a regular powder compact, and they come with what looks like a makeup Snuggie — a cute chocolate brown zippered pouch.

Vintage Jewel includes 1) Lip & Cheek Crème in Snapdragon (a bright orange pink, new), 2) Crème Blush in Hyacinth (a bright watermelon pink, repromote), 3) Lip Gloss in Cosmopolitan (a deep berry shimmer, new) and 4) Crème Highlighter in Beechnut (a golden bronze, new)

One thing I admire about Becca is how well they seem to understand girls on the go, because the last thing I have time for when I’m rushing out the door at 6:30 in the morning is a smokey eye and a layered lip look with liner, lipstick and gloss. And maybe I don’t want to spend 15 or more minutes on my makeup. With the Anniversary Palettes, I can look refreshed and put-together in less than 5.

Say it’s the crack of dawn… I splash some water on my face, apply sunscreen, fill in my brows, swipe a little concealer under my eyes, and curl my lashes. Then, I grab one of the Becca Anniversary Palettes, blend a bit of Crème Blush and Crème Highlighter on my cheeks, and pat either the Lip & Cheek Crème or the Lip Gloss on my lips.

The blushes and highlighters last a good 6-8 hours on me, and the lip products, about 2 (I also have to reapply them after meals).

Dusty Rose includes 1) Lip & Cheek Crème in Tuberose (a coral pink, repromote), 2) Crème Blush in Turkish Rose (a rosy nude, repromote), 3) Lip Gloss in Cassini (a pink, new) and 4) Crème Highlighter in Narcissus (an opalescent peach, repromote)

Swatches from the left: Vintage Jewel Palette with 1) Lip & Cheek Crème in Snapdragon, 2) Crème Blush in Hyacinth, 3) Lip Gloss in Cosmopolitan and 4) Crème Highlighter in Beechnut; Dusty Rose Palette with 5) Lip & Cheek Crème in Tuberose, 6) Crème Blush in Turkish Rose, 7) Lip Gloss in Cassini and 8 ) Crème Highlighter in Narcissus

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Greetings from (now) sunny Novato! — home of the most intense hailstorm I’ve experienced in years.

No joke. Last night around 3 in the morning, I awoke to the most frightening sound! A roar of thunder that shook my world to its foundation (and must have terrified Tabs), and then a deafening tick-tack-tack sound from what I quickly realized was hail pelting the house.

It wasn’t raining when I went to bed last night, but the storm must have blown in from the ocean some time after midnight. El Hub said he was awake for a little while before the thunderous boom that jolted me awake, laying there with his eyes closed. He saw the flash of lightning through his closed eyelids, and then the counting, 1-2-3, before the big boom. Three miles from the heart of the storm.

SCARY!

Anywho, the weather looks pretty good now, both here and in the Balearic Islands (in case you were wondering). Partly cloudy and mid-sixties? I’ll take that, and to go with it, swatches of the three Nail Colours from the new Becca Balearic Love collection, $15 each.

The first thing I noticed about these polishes — I mean, after the colors — is how thick they are. Two coats deliver full coverage.

I really like the wide brush! It just sweeps over the nail, covering such a large area that I only need about three swipes per layer.

I’m still testing for wear time, but so far so good. Here are some swatches to whet your appetite.

Wine Red

Sandy Nude

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Lately, like a good love song, Becca Eye Tint in Romanticism ($24) has been my weekend jam! Since I haven’t been in the mood to wear a full eye look on Saturdays and Sundays, I’ve been turning to this creamy eye tint in a tube.

A lightly tinted mauve with silver shimmer and a finish with a glint of gloss, this cream-to-powder eyeshadow from Becca’s Balearic Love collection may not be flashy, but I sure do like how it looks. I love that when I stand a few feet away from a mirror, I can tell that I’m wearing a little color on my lids, but I don’t feel like I’m wearing a ton of makeup.

For more on the Becca Balearic Love collection, check out…

• Becca Balearic Love’s Violet and Bronze Line and Define Pencil in Cabrera Beckons Brown, Green and Hazel Eyes
• Roses Are Red Before They’re Pink With Becca Sheer Tint Lip Colour in Valentina
• Becca Mineral Blush in Bolero Gets Better as the Day Wears On

It’s one of those products that doesn’t broadcast itself over the loudspeakers, if you catch my drift. People will think to themselves, “Pretty! She did something different with her look today, but I’m not sure exactly what…” Like getting highlights a shade or two lighter or darker than your natural hair color, Romanticism might not be obvious at first, but it’s easy to spot upon closer inspection.

With a dewy finish, it looks a little bit wet to me, like a raven-haired mermaid’s lids when she pokes her head above the water.

And speaking of water, that’s something Romanticism was designed to resist. It does a decent job, too, holding up fine to rainy days and light workouts. Now, I wouldn’t wear it to spend the day at the beach or pool, but it can stand a little water (for a full day of frolicking in the surf, the Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams might be a better bet).

Romanticism unblended (left) and blended (right)

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I was quite the Flowerchild back in my Becca Halcyon Days. Yup, they called me Damselfly…

When Flowerchild and Damselfly, two of Becca’s flawless Mineral Blushes from last spring’s Becca Halcyon Days collection, worked their way into my heart and my everyday makeup routine, it was just like the first time I tasted bubble tea. I wanted, needed, craved them 24/7 for weeks.

Mmmm, tapioca pearls…

With the Balearic Love collection, the compact Becca Mineral Blush clan grows by one member. Bolero ($32), a bronze with faint reddish tones and the sole blush in the release, is just as pigmented, easy to apply, long-lasting and resistant to fading as the other Mineral Blushes I’ve tried, but those pluses aren’t even my favorite things about it.

What makes Bolero really stand out to me is how it just seems to look better and better over the course of the day.

I’ve been trying to unravel its secret, and I keep coming back to one thing: the finish. Becca loves combining shimmers and mattes (like Cabrera liner, also from Balearic Love), and with Bolero and its semi/demi-matte finish, they’ve done it again.

Bolero rides into town on a mostly matte finish with a super subtle sheen, but as the day wears on and oil builds up on my skin, Bolero turns up the radiant shine (picture a gal holding her surfboard on the cover of Shape). I’ve been wearing it as both a blush and a bronzer for sun-kissed, sculpted looks.

I also love how Bolero caters to my lazy side looks when it’s worn with minimal makeup. Over the past couple weeks, I’ve tried it on top of bare skin, tinted moisturizer and full-coverage liquid foundation, and it seems like the less makeup I wear with it, the better Bolero looks.

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Quite frankly, Becca Sheer Tint Lip Colour in Valentina ($24), the sole lip product in the new Balearic Love collection, surprised the heck out of me when I saw it in person for the first time. From the look of it on the model in the Balearic Love campaign, I expected a lighter pink, but on me, it begins as an intense rose.

What I love most about this lipstick is how it changes on my lips over time. What starts as an almost opaque rosy red (at least on my lips), slowly fades and wears down to a softer rosy pink. One layer provides medium coverage that then fades to a quiet pink stain.

The basics…

• Flavor and scent: Both are like faint brown sugar
• Wear time: About three hours on me
• Formula: It’s pretty moisturizing, but in the dead of winter I would probably wear it on top of an even more moisturizing lip balm
• Finish: A soft shine that fades to a matte pink stain

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