The name Becca is synonymous with glow. The brand’s Shimmering Skin Perfector liquid highlighters have been a makeup artist staple for years, and for good reason. More recently Becca expanded the line to include powder versions of their cult classic highlighters which quickly overtook their predecessors in popularity. The shade “Champagne Pop” practically broke the internet when it first released.
Personally I prefer the liquid Shimmering Skin Perfectors because they manage to remain undetectable on the skin while giving the most incredible glow. But being a true beauty junkie, of course I had to try the pressed highlighters and have accumulated quite a collection over the years. The gorgeous packaging definitely helped win me over too. I absolutely love both the standard rubberized black compacts as well as the stunning metal ones that they put out for limited collections.
I’ve taken advantage of several holiday kits, mini sets, and freebie gifts so some shades are minis, in limited edition packaging, or contained in palettes. The formula however remains consistent with the full sized Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed highlighters.
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter Overview
The Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighters retail for $38 and contain 0.25 oz of product. There are ten shades in the permanent line in addition to numerous limited editions.
The Shimmering Skin Perfectors also come in a mini size that contains 0.085 oz for $22 and they’re available in five shades: Moonstone, Opal, Champagne Pop, Rose Gold, and Vanilla Quartz.
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Formula
The texture of the powders basically the same across the entire line. It’s a softer powder that smooth to the touch and picks up quite a bit on a brush. The highlighter is not the most firmly pressed so there can be some fallout and I usually tap the brush off before applying. The level of radiance varies from shade to shade but for the most part they’re pretty intense, almost metallic highlighters.
So lets get into it, shade by shade and I’ll also give suggestions for the best Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors for your skin tone.
Moonstone
Moonstone is one of the original shades of the liquid highlighter. It’s a pale champagne color with a soft shimmer. To me this shade is what you’d call “classic highlighter” with it’s hint of a gold undertone. It reminds me of theBalm’s Mary Lou-manizer and it’s a pretty easy shade to use.
Moonstone gives a more subtle amount of glow to the skin compared to some of the other shades in the line. However, it’s still more shimmery than say, the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter or the It Cosmetics Hello Light Powder Luminzer. I usually use this for more neutral looks and it works great as a daytime highlighter.
Best for: Fair to Medium skin.
Vanilla Quartz
This is one of the newer shades to the line. It’s very similar in both tone and depth to Moonstone, they both have a pale champagne base. The biggest difference would be in the tone of the shimmer. Whereas Moonstone has a seamless monochromatic reflection, Vanilla Quartz has a pinky pearl sheen.
I don’t love the way Vanilla Quartz wears. It’s more apparent on the skin and kind of looks like it’s just sitting on top of my cheeks.
Best for: Fair to Light skin.
Opal
Ah Opal, I think this is Becca’s most iconic shade, Champagne Pop’s popularity notwithstanding. It was also part of the original lineup of liquid Shimmering Skin Perfectors and I think its truly one of the most uniquely flattering shades of highlighter I’ve come across.
Opal is a pale, neutral peachy shade. The shimmer is more frosty than Moonstone and I use this shade when I want a more intense highlight. I absolutely love how the peachy warmth of Opal melds into the color of my skin. The effect is a glowing cheek that really shines as it catches the light.
Best for: Light to Tan skin.
Champagne Pop
This is arguably the most hyped shade in Becca’s line. First created as a Jaclyn Hill collab, it’s become a permanent shade in the line and they even added it to the liquid highlighters.
I was pretty skeptical when everyone was losing their minds over the initial launch. Aside from not being a particular fan of Jaclyn Hill (to say the least), I also thought it would look really obvious on the skin.
In reality it’s actually pretty similar to Opal. It’s slightly paler and has a warmer, more orangey undertone to it, Opal leans cooler, more rose gold. Becca describes it as “soft gold with pinky-peach pearl” and claim that it’s flattering on all skin tones. Though I think it would be too dark for fair skin, I kind of see where they’re coming from. I can see the warmth in the shade being flattering on deeper skins as well as lighter ones.
Champagne Pop is pretty metallic and I use it when I want an intense, dramatic highlight.
Best for: Light to deep skin
Rose Gold
In the same color family as Opal and Champagne Pop we have Rose Gold. This is a much deeper take on the warm peachy shades than the other two. It’s a subdued copper with gold particles scattered throughout. On me Rose Gold is already too dark to work comfortably as a highlighter but it can work as a blush topper.
Though it’s got a medium level of reflectiveness, the bits of sparkle are pretty apparent and I don’t love the way it looks on my cheeks.
Best for: Medium to Tan skin.
Rose Quartz
This is a pale warm pink with a soft shimmer. It reminds me depth and reflectiveness of Moonstone but it’s a much cooler shade. I really like pink highlighters even thought they’re not as flattering on my skin as warmer colors. Rose Quartz is what I reach for when I want a more subdued, cool toned glow.
Best for: Fair to Light skin
Lilac Geode
Lilac Geode is a deeper and warmer version of Rose Quartz. It’s a peachy pink with a gold pearl finish. This shade has a shift to it that changes from pink to gold as it catches the light, but it’s a subtle effect. I wouldn’t really call it a duo-chrome, it’s more of a pearl finish.
Best for: Light to Medium skin
Prismatic Amethyst
This is a very pale shade. It’s an icy lavender with a pink holographic shift. The texture of the powder is a bit dusty and it’s color payoff is a bit sheer. It’s probably the dramatic color shift out of all my Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors and it’s very reflective as it catches the light. The effect is very brightening but it’s definitely not the most natural looking highlight.
Best for: Fair to Light Skin
Topaz
This is a beautiful warm bronze with a smooth reflective sheen. The texture is similar to that of Rose Gold but its deeper and warmer. It’s too deep to work as a highlight or even a blush topper on my skin but I can use it over my matte bronzer to give the face a glow.
Best for: Tan to Deep skin.
Own Your Light
This is one the most recent limited edition releases. It’s a medium warm peach with a gold shift. This shade is warmer and the shift is more dramatic than Lilac Geode. I didn’t love the way this looked on me, I found the color a little intense and not super flattering but it would probably work better on deeper skin tones.
Best for: Medium to Deep skin
The following are shades that I don’t own so I’m providing descriptions based on the information and swatches on Becca’s site.
Chocolate Geode
This looks like a deeper, more coppery version of Topaz. It’s the darkest shade in the current lineup and it’s got a warm, almost hint of reddish undertone.
Best for: Deep skin
Pearl
Pearl is a soft pearly white. It’s similar in finish to Moonstone but the icy white hue makes it less wearable for warmer skin tones.
Best for: Fair skin
Prosecco Pop
This is the light true gold shade in the permanent line. It’s deeper than and has a much warmer yellow tone than Champagne Pop, which is cooler and more neutral than Prosecco Pop.
Best for: Medium to Tan skin
Limited Editions
Becca has numerous variations of limited edition Shimmering Skin Perfectors as well as a few shades that are exclusive to Becca Cosmetics . Some are sold at other retailers like Sephora or Ulta but the full collection is available on Becca’s site.
Limited edition or exclusive highlighters that are currently being sold are Smokey Quartz, Bronzed Amber, Royal Glow, Spanish Rose Glow, Golden Mint, and Gold Lava.
The only one that I’ve tried is Smokey Quartz which I thought I’d love but subsequently returned. The formula was really thin and dusty and I didn’t like how it look on my cheeks.
Cruelty-Free and Vegan Status
Becca is a cruelty-free brand. Neither they, nor their suppliers test ingredients or finished products on animals. They also don’t have third parties test on their behalf and they don’t sell their products in countries where animal testing is required by law. Becca is owned by Estee Lauder who is not a cruelty-free brand.
Becca does not claim that any of their products are vegan and many if not all of the shades of the Shimmering Skin Perfectors contain Carmine.
Where to Buy the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors – $38 / $22
Note: not every shade is available at each retailer listed below. Those higher on the list have a wider selection.
- Becca – Free shipping on all orders and free returns. Limited International shipping available. Shop exclusive and limited edition shades here. Shop mini sizes here.
- Sephora – Free shipping on orders over $50 and free returns. Mini sizes available.
- Ulta – Free shipping on orders over $35. Shop mini sizes here. Shop limited edition shades here.
- Macys – Free shipping on orders over $25 or any order with Macys card and free returns. Shop mini sizes here.
- Beautylish – Free shipping on orders over $35 and free returns. International shipping available. Shop mini sizes here.
- Nordstrom – Free shipping and free returns. Shop mini sizes here.
- Bloomingdales – Free shipping on orders over $150 and free returns.
- HSN – $3.50 S&H
- Dermstore – Free shipping on orders over $35.
Regardless of where you choose to purchase from, make sure to check if Rakuten (ebates) is offering cashback. Sephora offers cashback for anywhere from 2% to 8% so it’s definitely worth looking into. If you haven’t signed up for Rakuten yet, you can do so here, it only takes a minute and then you’ll earn cash back every time you shop through their link. They also have an extension which I recommend installing, that activates cashback on all eligible websites with one click. It also scans for coupons.
Final Thoughts
If I had to sum up my thoughts on the pressed Shimmering Skin Perfectors I’d have to admit they’re not my absolute favorite formula of pressed highlighter. Like I mentioned earlier, I prefer the liquid version (which seems to have been discontinued, WHY???😭😭😭). I gravitate toward a smooth and seamless powder like the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter or the highlighter in theBalm’s Will Powder Palette. Some of the Shimmering Skin Perfectors are just too sparkly or thin for my liking.
That being said, it is still a solid formula and there is a range in terms of the level of shimmer. I think the strengths are the absolutely gorgeous packaging (reels me in every time), and the wide variety of shades. I like that they’ve got both warm and cool options as well as light to deep.
My personal top picks are Champagne Pop and Rose Quartz. I do like the tone of Opal but it’s a bit sparkly for my taste. If you still can find a liquid version of Opal I urge you to snatch it up before it’s gone.
Thanks for reading, let me know what are your favorite shades in the comments below.
Bye now,
