Since Becca Cosmetics shot to internet fame riding high on the cheekbones of Insta-famous makeup gurus like the queen of glow herself, Jamie Genevieve, we’ve all wanted to get a piece of the shimmering, shining action.
We’ve all heard of, and most likely tried their best selling highlighter, the Shimmering Skin Perfector, with shades Opal and Champagne Pop taking pride of place in any self respecting glow-getter’s makeup bag. Personally I’m a Vanilla Quartz girl, however this shade only comes in travel size, for now; I’m hoping that if I continue spamming the Becca socials at an increasingly annoying rate, they’ll take note and add it to the full size range one day… A girl can dream!
Today I’m talking about some of their lesser know products from the foundation and primer ranges. It only makes sense that the brand at the top of the skin perfecting game would have some pretty phenomenal base products, right? Being a girl with more skin problems than I care to list, it’s full coverage all the way for me, so I picked up the Ultimate Coverage 24 Hour Foundation and the Ever Matte Poreless Priming perfector, both available from Cult Beauty and John Lewis.
Sure they’re totally Instagram worthy in terms of aesthetics and all that, but let’s get down to how they actually perform. We’ll start with the primer.
Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector – £28/40mls
First thing’s first, this product had extremely mixed reviews, some were less than encouraging. However some sung it’s praises so loudly that I figured it had to be worth a shot. Here’s what Cult Beauty have to say about this primer:
“a velvety-textured, oil-absorbent fluid, enriched with BECCA’s signature ‘Evermat’ complex – which soaks up excess sebum to leave skin looking velveteen and perfectly prepped for foundation.”
So here’s the thing, when they say oil free, they damn well mean it. This primer seems to somehow magically suck up every drop of oil from the face leaving it as matte as matte can be, with a super tacky finish (which I love) ready for your foundation to cling to and stay put all day.
Now if you’re an oily girl like me, you’ll love this, but be prepared for it NOT to work with a hydrating foundation on top, I guarantee you will struggle with separation. Also be prepared to work very quickly when applying this primer as it adheres to the skin with lightning speed. I recommend applying with your hands and letting the warmth from your fingertips help to spread the product and do the work for you. If you apply this with a brush or sponge, things will turn to shit. Fast.
One thing that I do love about this primer is the pore blurring effect, which given the lack of silicones is mighty impressive stuff, even my craterous pores appeared diminished and smoothed over.
Overall I’d say that this heavy duty primer is fantastic for those who mean business when it comes to achieving a super matte and long lasting finish, but avoid like the plague if you have even a hint of dryness in your skin if you’re looking for a natural/glowy look.
Ultimate Coverage 24 Hour Foundation – £32/30mls
Wow. I was so not prepared for this. If I thought that the primer meant business, then this foundation is be the Wall Street of full coverage. The formula is thicker than my thighs will make you WORK for that blend. Here’s the scoop:
“Ultimate Coverage 24 Hour Foundation has got you covered all day, every day. Virtually weightless, the formula has been painstakingly developed to strike the perfect balance between coverage and breathability; with 21 percent pure pigment and 22 percent water, this melts into skin and blends seamlessly for a natural, airbrushed effect.”
Being far too impatient to wait for a day off to pop down to the recently opened counter at John Lewis, I ordered the shade ‘Shell’ online, and it turned out to be a pretty spot on match. I first gave this a try on top of the Ever Matte Primer, and not gonna lie, it felt a bit like I was trying to spread cement on to my face. The combination of the two is just too much. Don’t get me wrong, after working super speedily to blend the foundation out before it instantly set (or at least felt that way!), the results were insane. Complete coverage and a crazy matte, smooth finish, but unless you are prepared to blend all the way down your neck, this foundation will not look natural in any kind of way.
I gave the the foundation a second run a couple of days later minus the primer and with a freshly moisturised base, also applying half the amount, and the results honestly were fabulous. Maybe I had just been a little over-zealous in my first attempt? Here’s the difference between the full beat and the watered down every day look…
As you can see, the full face on the left gave a far more yellowy tone to the foundation which really didn’t suit my skin tone, but with a lighter application I absolutely loved the flawless result it gave.
Now Ultimate Coverage may take a bit of trial and error while getting used to the application, but get it right and it might just become your BFF. When they say long lasting and waterproof, they ain’t lying. It saw me through a 16 hour Mayday bender without budging in the slightest – now that’s staying power!
Top tips for getting the application right:
- Use a hydrating primer before applying and give yourself a mist with a hydrating spray right before beginning to blend to help the product spread.
- Do NOT set with a powder, I promise you won’t need it and if you do, you’ll end up looking cakey.
- Try not to touch your face throughout the day, it never really ‘sets’, but leave it well alone and it’ll look amazing all day long.
- Avoid if you have a particularly dry skin type, try something creamier like Revolution Pro’s full coverage camouflage foundation instead. You can read about this one here in my previous post 😉
So there you have it folks, there are definitely pro’s and cons to both of these products, but for me they’re winners overall and one’s I’ll definitely be using as part of my ‘night out on the sesh makeup’ routine from now on.
Have you tried these products? I’d love to know what you think so leave a comment and let me know!
Until next time,
Lipstick & Late Nights 