Oh, what do I care if icicles form?
I've got my love to keep me warm.
-- Billie Holiday "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"
Earlier this year I came across a Sephora annual sales event, and believe it or not, this gorgeous limited edition BECCA Après Ski Face Glow Palette was marked down at half price. Of course I had to get it, considering my weakness for pretty packaging and this palette here is probably the prettiest face palette I've come across. Echoing the winter theme of its namesake Après Ski (French for "after ski"), the palettes are housed in a silver reflective mirrored case bordered by blue frost motifs, which does conjure up pictures of a silvery white winter wonderland (but, to tell the truth, that reflective case is a true fingerprint magnet, mind you ; ) )
今年年初剛好碰上Sephora大特價，看到這盤美翻的聖誕限量BECCA Après Ski Face Glow Palette竟然半價，二話不說就打包了 (
*´艸｀) 一如既往的外貌協會如我這次也人設不崩，這盤大概是我見過包裝最美的打亮盤了@o@ 因為這個系列名為Après Ski，即法文滑雪後的意思，包裝採用銀色鏡面搭配冰藍雪花的邊框，確實很有一片銀裝素裹的雪景意境（不過那個鏡面真的超容易沾指紋就是了囧）。
I think this palette is quite worth the price even if it isn't on sale. Usually a normal-sized BECCA highlight costs US$38 at 8g, with this palette you get six shades comprising of highlight, blush and bronzer at 2.55g each for US$54. And when it's at half price there's no reason not to grab one, none at all! Shade-wise, there's Rose Quartz (permanent highlight), Icicle (limited edition highlight) and Winter Berry (limited edition blush) from the top row, and the bottom row (from left to right) comprises of Blushed Copper (permanent blush), Opal (permanent highlight) and Bronzed Bondi (permanent bronzer).
我覺得這盤就算不半價也還是蠻超值的，畢竟BECCA一顆正貨打亮8g要38鎂，這盤共六色每色約2.55g涵蓋打亮、腮紅、修容打折前只要54鎂，半價換算台幣千元有找不買說不過去好嗎？XD 色號有上排（左至右）-- Rose Quartz（常態打亮）、Icicle（限量打亮）、Winter Berry（限量腮紅），下排（左至右）-- Blushed Copper（常態腮紅）、Opal（常態打亮）、Bronzed
Bondi（常態修容）。
Even though I'm mighty pleased with this purchase, there's just this teeny tiny bit of a bummer when I found that only one out of the three highlighters can be used as highlighter on fair skin. (I'll upload a video of the arm swatches later, if you're interested you can head over to my Instagram @bonjourjasmineblog to get a better feel of the prettiness of the GLOW ; ) )
Arm swatch (left to right) :
Rose Quartz (highlight) -- a very pretty shade with a warm pinkish glow, too bad it's a bit darker than my skintone. It would look like a misplaced blush if I apply it on my cheekbones, but its texture works quite well as an eyeshadow.
Icicle (highlight) -- my most anticipated shade, and easily my favourite in this palette. True to its name, this shade is very white and very cool-toned with a flash of blue. It has an Ice Queen feel to it, but not too dramatic. Perfect for cool-toned eye looks, and for impersonating Elsa while belting out "Let It Go" in a dozen different keys.
Winter Berry (blush) -- a berry red with a matte finish. It's supposed to give you that fresh-faced glow after an afternoon skiing on the slopes, hence the name of this palette. It does give the cheeks a natural rosy flush, but this blush is pretty pigmented. There's just this fine line between Snow White with the rosy cheeks and a baboon's backside, so you'd want to use a light hand with this.
Blushed Copper (blush) -- a warm copper-brown shimmery shade that's probably difficult to use as a blush for fair skin, or, for that matter, yellow-toned or dark skin as well because it's really too shimmery for a blush. However the texture is soft and smooth and pigmented, it applies as an eyeshadow just as well.
Opal (highlight) -- one of the iconic BECCA highlighters, it's a beautiful nude gold. Unfortunately it's also too dark to work as a highlight for me, but fret not! For it has a lovely texture similar to Blushed Copper's, and works well as both as an eyeshadow or an eyeshadow topper.
Bronzed Bondi (bronzer) -- a matte warm brown, but the colour payoff is less satisfactory compared to the other shades. It could be a pro though, the mediocre colour payoff, keeping it less prone to heavy-handedness. It can also be used as an eyeshadow of course, but considering the texture and its so-so pigmentation, it might be harder to blend on the eyes than the other shades.
雖說買了不後悔，但我主要是為了BECCA的打亮慕名而來的，結果有點小哀傷的發現三個打亮裡只有一個能作為白肌的打亮
(^_^;) （ins上會放手臂試色影片可以更好的感受一下各色的光澤跟質地，有興趣的話可以看看啦～帳號是 bonjourjasmineblog）
手部試色（左至右）：
Rose Quartz（打亮）：粉晶色光澤超美，但是因為它比我的膚色深一些，我擦在顴骨上如果光線沒打到就會有一條明顯的膚粉色塊在那裡，很像腮紅上錯位置
囧> 疊在眼影上倒是效果不錯。
Icicle（打亮）：最吸引我的一色，也是本盤最愛。Icicle是冰凌的意思，色如其名很白很冷，白到有點發藍的冰白色。我覺得擦上去有種冷冽（？）感，但是不會不自然。特別適合搭配冷色調眼妝，cos冰雪女王唱let it go首選（別鬧。
Winter Berry（腮紅）：莓紅色霧面妝感。這盤主打的滑雪後好氣色主要是在講這色，薄擦在蘋果肌會有冷天裡白裡透紅的妝效。但是！這色非常顯色，失手會變成紅屁股，白雪公主跟狒狒屁股只差一線間，請斟酌力道。
Blushed Copper（腮紅）：白肌大概難以當腮紅用的珠光古銅色，黃肌跟小麥肌要當腮紅用可能也有點難因為太閃。但是這色粉質綿密光澤細緻又顯色，請不要放棄它，拿來當眼影也超美的。
Opal（打亮）：BECCA打亮招牌色之一，是美麗的膚金色。可惜對白肌來說也是有點太深，但跟Blushed Copper一樣天生麗質難自棄，不能當打亮拿來當眼影一樣器用（豎起拇指）。另外還看到有國外部落客推薦輕輕疊擦一層在霧面的Winter
Berry腮紅上會非常好看，不過我還沒試過XD
Bronzed Bondi（修容）：霧面偏暖的棕色，算是這盤裡比較不顯色的一塊。往好處想作為修容不容易失手也是好事（攤手）。也是可以當眼影使用啦，不過我覺得粉質跟顯色度真的還好而已 (￣▽￣)＞
As I only used Icicle from this palette for the look, there's only one detailed on-the-face shot for Icicle this time. The glow is definitely delicate yet deep impact, the hue undoubtedly a cool white, and it does not overly emphasized pores, I think. Oh and just to be clear, this Icicle shade gives a pearly sheen finish, it does not have chunky glitter in it. The few large-sized particles that you see on the photo above actually comes from those white frosty flowers I used for the product flatlays LOL.
這次妝容因為只用到這盤的Icicle，所以只有Icicle的上臉近照。整體來說打亮夠高調但是妝效相當細緻，顏色非常冷非常白，顯毛孔程度我覺得還好。另外說明一下這色是珠光，並沒有大亮片，上面照片有幾顆看起來比較大的亮粉顆粒不是來自這盤，其實是從前面擺拍用的道具花掉下來的，被我沾到臉上了（眼下也有一些 XD）。
The look. Of course it had to be icy, considering the name of the highlight. And when you speak of icy, blue comes to mind. Unfortunately, blue eyeshadow, in Asia at least, has such a stigma around it, probably gaining its bad rep from hostess sterotypes and washed out celebrities. Honestly I think that as long as you don't wash the entire lid in blue you'll be good, but here's one failsafe way to master that horror of an eyeshadow colour -- use it as an eyeliner colour, it really adds a pop to your look. I used a silvery white eyeshadow to complement the blue eyeliner, and with the aid of Icicle on my cheekbones and nose bridge, I daresay there's an element of frost in this look (and this combination reminded me a bit of Swan Lake so I took the liberty to dress like a ballerina, sort of ; P )
這次呼應打亮Icicle的名字想來個看起來冷冰冰的妝容（笑） 既然是冷嘛，當然要來用一下藍色眼影。想當年大家提起藍眼影都會想起純美姊（還有人記得她嗎？）或是酒家女，然後藍色就變成了很多人避之不及的顏色 （T__T） 其實我覺得只要不要大範圍的上應該就不會太過慘烈，一個零技巧的駕馭藍色眼影的方式就是拿它來畫高彩度眼線。這次使用了銀白眼影 x 藍眼線的配色，搭上Becca的冰白色打亮（打在顴骨跟鼻樑上）應該很有點冰冷的感覺（然後因為覺得這樣的配色很天鵝湖就自顧自的弄了個仿芭蕾舞者的造型 XD）。
That's all this time, hope y'all are freezing (just kidding)! Actually I just want to show off this very white and very cool Icicle highlight, and while doing it, to find an excuse to put that huge (but mostly inutile) feather of mine into use LOL.
這次就這樣啦，希望大家有覺得冷（喂） 其實只是想秀一下很白很冷的Icicle，順便用一下我一直派不上用場的雞肋大羽毛 XDD
Bises! ♥♥
