REVIEW: Champagne Pop BECCA X Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector.

Light Up Your Life with Becca Cosmetics X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop Highlight!

The power house of highlight, Australian cosmetics giant BECCA Cosmetics and the Queen of Highlight Jaclyn Hill, have joined forces and produced a stellar, must have product for any self respecting highlight lover!

The Introductions:

Becca Cosmetics are renowned for their highlighters in particular, in the make-up realm – Opal and Moonstone Shimmering Skin Perfectors and the much hyped Backlight Priming Filter. Their eye-shadow palettes are also exquisite…the list of must-haves/lust haves goes on and on.

If you don’t know who Jaclyn Hill is (have you been living under a rock?) allow me to introduce you! Jaclyn Hill is one of the biggest make-up artists and personalities in the beauty game on YouTube. Uber talented, funny, articulate, pretty and not afraid to take the mick out of herself, she has certainly earned her place at the top of her game. In fact, having watched Jaclyn the last two years, I think if we ever met, we’d be instant friends – we could bond over our love of highlighters and dance parties for starters!

The Packaging:

Champagne Pop comes in an eye-catching rose gold, box complete with plastic protective strip across the product sporting the Jaclyn Hill name – the original Becca packaging encases the actual product.

Tried and Tested: The Results.

With the Queen of Contour Kim Kardashian having declared contouring as dead (well at least heavy contouring) strobing is fast becoming the “illuminating contour” method of choice for the masses and this new highlight from Becca and Jaclyn Hill collab is perfect for strobing or adding just a touch of highlight on the daily. Originally brought out as a limited edition powder highlight, Champagne Pop is now thankfully a permanent fixture and should win awards! I bought into the hype surrounding this highlight collab when it was a Limited Edition and it’s safe to say, it’s everything I expected and bought into as a consumer and more. In fact, for me it’s a dual usage product and well worth the investment –  as detailed below.

The Highlights: (pun totally intended.)

From texture, longevity to overall performance.

● Finely milled, buttery formula that is long-lasting on wearing and in sheer volume of product within the compact.
●Sheer, yet highly build-able highlight. A little goes a long way!
●Skin glows and glistens – no chunky glitter particles.
●Natural champagne shade to suit most skin tones.
● Ideal for minimal daily use on cheekbones, for strobing, dusting all over face and décolleté and inner corner highlight of the eye…
● I even like it as an eye shadow or dusted on my pins to highlight the shin bone with a tan!

*Top Tip: remember to blend out to avoid looking like you’re sweaty mess/ disco ball effect.

● Travel friendly the compact is lightweight, with durable packaging, complete with an internal, good sized mirror.

Cons:

Not a massive deal but, the powder can become somewhat messy and have fall-out within the compact, something to be aware of, in case it gets on clothes during application  – this definitely would not put me off investing in it.

Seal of Approval?

One hundred percent yes. A touch of Champagne Pop makes every day an occasion for me, bringing a sparkle to my eyes (as well as my face), such is my delight in this product. This gem of a product is a permanent fixture in my make-up arsenal and I can’t be without…a back-up is definitely in order! This marketing opportunity is hands down one of the best collaborative projects between brand and influencer in recent times in the beauty industry, in my opinion! This offering is simply stellar.

Any other Highlight Lovers out there? What’s your favourite highlighter? Have any of you tried Champagne Pop?
I’d love to know!

Tweet me: @DublinGail/Tag me on Instagram: @littlegforce or leave your faves in the comments section below!

I hope you enjoyed this Review and Beauty Chat guys!

As usual, thanks for stopping by and here’s to a fab new week.

P.S. Remember: Champagne Pop is now a permanent fixture in the BECCA Cosmetics line (thanks to the powers that be!)and is available on spackenk.com or sephora.com 

Gail. Xx
Photography: © Gail O’Connor.

FASHION ALERT: Designers To Take a Less Conventional Approach to Fashion Week Presentations?!

Is this the end of the line for the traditional runway show?
Are design houses now favouring a less conventional runway model over the traditional 6 month window between collections?

With big changes coming to fashion these questions linger on the lips of many of us fashion lovers looking at the bigger picture.

#BLOGGERCONF ’15 – The Business of Blogging: IRELAND’S FIRST Dedicated Blogger Conference!

#BLOGGERCONF

Walking up to the main entrance of The salubrious Five *Marker Hotel on a chilly but glorious morning in Dublin my heart skipped a beat. I was overjoyed and slightly overwhelmed by the sense of achievement and just how far I have come in the blogging world – here I was walking into the biggest Blogger Conference Ireland has ever seen and I was featuring on a Showcase Panel.

I paused, casting my face upwards towards the winter sun, closed my eyes and let the feelings wash over me, settle and spurn me on to taking another step in my writing and blogging journey.

The Location: The Marker Hotel, Grand Canal, Dublin.

The Date: November 22nd 2015.

The Event: BLOGGERCONF

BLOGGERCONF is Ireland’s First dedicated Blogger Conference and has solidified itself as a credible, major player and hugely respected conference based on its reputation, incredible feedback and sell-out success on this, its ‘maiden voyage’.

Founded by stellar business woman Emma O’Farrell and welcoming all influencers in tech, business, blogging, social media and digital the conference gives Bloggers and Brands the chance to connect, network and engage in a relaxed environment.

BLOGGERCONF was held in conjunction with Life’s2Good and saw a host of other fabulous sponsors join us such as Canon, Rachel Dalton Communications, Fáilte Ireland, Evoke.ie, Deliveroo and The Marker Hotel.

Xposé also attended in the afternoon to cover the conference and interview some people, including Founder Emma O’Farrell.

Our MC for the event was the delightful and often hilarious James Butler, stylist and Fashion Ed at MFI Magazine and blogger at Jus de James.

The Line-up:

The line-up was phemomenal with not one but Two Showcase Q&A Panels –

○My panel Fashion /Beauty/Lifestyle and a
○Travel/Fitness/Food Panel.

○Presentations included: those from businesses and brands such as Rachel of Rachel Dalton Communications, Jenny Taafe from I-Zest Marketing, William Fry Solicitors and Blogger Anouska Proetta Brandon.
○Masterclasses came from Simeon Quarrie of Canon, Google and The Tweeting Goddess, Samntha Kelly.

{Meeting the lovely Anouska, fellow content creator – predominantly Instagram focused (for good reason, her Insta is gorge!) We had some fun after hours with Simeon Quarrie of Canon and Anouska loves my laugh…which I’m known for. What a compliment, thanks girlie!}

The hype surrounding the highly anticipated BLOGGERCONF was intense and it wasn’t long before #BLOGGERCONF was trending on Twitter!

My Q&A Showcase Panel:

The Showcase Panel I was on speaking on about Fashion/Beauty/Lifestyle took place in the morning and consisted of:
☆James Butler of Jus de James.
☆Sinead of Beauttruth.
☆Tara of TarMarz YouTube channel/blog.
☆Niamh Webb O’Rourke of LoveLife Blog.

Time to Shine:

I was the newbie blogger on the panel (I’m blogging 11 months) but the respect from my fellow bloggers on panel and in general has been amazing. To get such validation as an influencer and content creator to speak at such an event has been incredible and I truly appreciate it every day!
I’ve had a tremendous amount of positive feedback at and since, BLOGGERCONF regarding the fact that in a year I’ve gone from being an attendeè at a previous conference for bloggers, to being an Award Nominated Blogger and on the bill at Ireland’s First Dedicated Blogger Conference this year! I cannot fathom what an incredible achievement that is for me!

Just some of the positive feedback I got after panel: delegates and fellow bloggers approaching to congratulate me and say that:

○they loved my blog and style of writing, loved hearing about everything I’ve accomplished in this short amount of time and admired my attitude towards blogging.

○ They liked that I was included on panel with some high profile bloggers.
Delegates approached me and said they admired the fact that such an acclaimed conference had “acknowledged an up and coming blogger (such as myself) who is relatable and inspiring” to them – relatable in that I am in the process of building my blog and brand and that they were in the audience and thought, “that could be me, I could make something of my blog.”

I cannot tell you the impact these words had on me, only to say I was floored and quite emotional on the inside which I struggled to conceal.

It’s so lovely to meet people you don’t know/haven’t met before and hear they read your blog content, it is such a humbling experience!
To hear that your passion, dedication and actions inspire others has a powerful impact and will stay with me forever.

{Pictured: with fellow Panelist and Blogger James Butler. I’m wearing Penneys/Primark Soft Knit Embellished Sweater and Burgundy Suede Wedge Ankle Boots, River Island Faux Leather Snakeskin skinnies and jewels from Accessorize and Arnotts. Make-up is predominatly Urban Decay. I gotta get this ‘posing’ stuff down guys…people make it look so easy!}

Showcase Panel 2: Travel/Fitness/Food included Fitness Bloggers Sarah Murphy and Rob Lipsett and Food Blogger Niamh of Gourmet Grazing Blog whom I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time!

A networking lunch provided a fantastic opportunity for brands, businesses, industry related folk and bloggers to connect, complete with delicious food from The Marker Hotel, even catering for various food requirements!

Several brands had stands at the event allowing delegates to casually peruse their wares during intervals, such fabulous brands as Caravelle New York, Beutifi, So Fragrances, Declare, Connector.ie, MeeMaw Bags and Athlone Town Centre.

{Caravelle New York: I fell in love at BLOGGERCONF – with Caravelle New York and this Rose Gold beaut…}

{BEUTIFI.com stand were I was kindly gifted this Redken Shine Spray – love this stuff – thanks guys!}

{The Canon stand at BLOGGERCONF were I perused the best of the best camera equipment – every must have in a Blogger’s arsenal of tools! I have my eye of some nifty gadgets thanks to some YouTubers I watch, as well as Simeon Quarrie and Anouska!}

{Declare’s newest release their “Essential Eye Lifting Serum” was showcased at BLOGGERCONF!}

{A great selection of clutches and a beautiful “Dreamcatcher” chain, caught my eye at the Mee Maw stand at BLOGGERCONF.}

{So…? Fragrances – Sponsors of The Fashion/Beauty/Lifestyle Panel also had a stand, to the delight of delegates and were on hand to offer guidance on their new Couture Range of scents. I was lucky enough to attend the launch of The So…? Couture Range earlier this year!}

A truly fantastic event from the organisation, to speakers and masterclasses, to the panels and Q&A sessions, a chance to meet like minded people all with lunch and a jam-packed goody bag included!

If you attended BLOGGERCONF tell me I’d love to know!
Comment below or:
Tweet me: @DublinGail or Tag me on Instagram: @littlegforce leave a comment on the GlamForce blog by Gail O’Connor Facebook page!

Thank You Notes:

A massive thank you to organiser and founder of BLOGGERCONF Emma O’Farrell for believing in me and my abilities. I can’t thank you enough Emma and have loved being part of the BLOGGERCONF Family!
Also thank you to: Life’s 2 Good for being our headline sponsor.
Our Masterclass speakers Google, Simeon Quarrie of Canon and Samantha Kelly, The Tweeting Goddess.
All of our other phenomenal industry related speakers.
Thank you to So Fragrance for sponsoring the Beauty/Fashion/LifeStyle Showcase Panel.
All delegates who attended brands, businesses and bloggers for making it a truly memorable experience.

Thanks for stopping by guys!
I hope you enjoyed this post and are excited for BLOGGERCONF ’16 – I know I am!

Gail. Xx
Photography: All images © of Gail O’Connor, Nicolette Spelic Photography,
Patrick O’Leary Photography and
BLOGGERCONF.