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Maybelline Super Stay Foundation Review

I’ve noticed a lot of my favorite youtube girls using the Maybelline Super Stay Makeup lately which I own but don’t often wear.  I decided to pull mine out and give it another try since I hadn’t worn it in awhile and see if I’m loving it as much as everyone else.  I have mine in the shade pure beige.

I have to say the coverage of this is really good. I would say this gives you medium coverage but is very easy to build to full. The packaging claims this foundation will withstand heat, sweat and humidity and won’t rub off ( Supposedly you can get 24 hour coverage with this). It is also marketed as good for all skin types.  I agree that this stuff will last all day. I got ready this morning at 6:30 and when I drove home 12 hours later my skin still looked smooth and most of my discoloration and spots were still covered.  I did use a primer underneath and set it with my Urban Decay All Nighter Setting spray but I can easily say the lasting power of this beats most of my other foundations.

As far as being suitable for all skin-types I think this would probably work best for normal or dry skin. While the coverage was great and long lasting I did get pretty oily by mid-day and I like a foundation with a slightly more matte finish.

While this foundation has a lot of good qualities after wearing it for a day I remembered why I don’t normally reach for it. There is just something about the way this feels on my skin that I do not enjoy. It feels very heavy to me even though the bottle says it’s “breathable for all day comfort”.  Even though I don’t think this necessarily looked cakey on, it just feels too thick for me. By 3 p.m. I was counting the hours until I could go home and wash this off.

I also hate the packaging.  This has no pump and because this is a little thicker foundation the bottle gets so messy! Definitely not something that would be easy to travel with.

So, while a lot of girls are loving this particular formula I have to say that it’s not for me.  I would pull this out if I needed something for an all day event but as an everyday foundation this is not for me.

Things To Know:

1. This is a medium-full coverage foundation. It easily covers hyperpigmentation, redness, acne scars or breakouts.

2. This is VERY long-wearing

3. I find the formula of this to be too thick for me and not quite matte enough

4. If you have oily skin you will need to powder a few times throughout the day to avoid shine

5. Packaging of this is not ideal. Be prepared for messy application and a messy bottle.

 

 

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Cheap, Creamy, Conditioning AND Pigmented! Elf Studio Conditioning Lip Balms

I don’t know what I do without these lip balms! My lips have been so dry this winter, I’ve been trying chapsticks, balms, and lip butters and nothing has been helping. This weekend when I was going through my lipstick drawer I found these Elf lip balms and pulled them out and they have been working wonders on my lips. I loved these when I bought them but since the packaging is a little bulky they ended up at home most of the time but now that I’ve rediscovered them again these guys will be staying in my purse.

I have a lot of hits and misses with Elf products, some things are awesome others are useless but these are high quality.  Many balms I’ve tried can be super waxy but these are so creamy and hydrating that it makes up for the fact that they are in these bulky jars. I hate sticking my finger in products but since these are creamy you can use a lip brush if needed. These contain vitamin A and E as well as SPF 15. They haven’t made my lips peel at all or caused any irritation around my mouth.  Another great thing about these balms is the color payoff. The website says they provide sheer color but the red shade I have (romantic rouge) has amazing color payoff. If you are nervous to do a red lip I would definitely recommend purchasing that shade. I also have nice and natural which is a great nude shade. It hides my lips natural pigmentation without washing me out. The staying power of these is pretty decent as well. My lips don’t feel dry again for 2-3 hours which is much better than with the chapsticks I’ve been using. Best of all these are only 3 dollars. I purchased mine during one of the 50% off sales so I only paid $1.50.  You can’t do much better than that!

The top shade is Romantic Rouge and the bottom swatch is Nice and Natural.  I plan on purchasing Peaceful Pink and Mellow Melon.

Things To Know:

1. The packaging on these aren’t great but you get alot of product and because of the creamy texture of these you can use a lip brush

2. These are not sticky or too shiny

3. The staying power of this product is probably 2-3 hours

4. I highly recommend Romantic Rouge for a super easy to wear red lip

5. Elf products can be purchased at Target or online at this link http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/lips/lip_balm/studio_lip_balm  ( I sometimes have a hard time finding certain Elf things at Target)

 

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NARS Amour – A beautiful peachy blush

I’m a fan of peachy blushes on my skin tone and Nars Amour didn’t disappoint.  This is a richly pigmented matte blush that is great for a soft peachy glow.  Amour is described as a peachy pink but when blended out on my cheeks this reads more on the peach side for me.  Since it’s a matte shade it’s great for everyday wear and the staying power doesn’t disappoint.  While this is  a matte shade it isn’t chalky or powdery at all.  The texture is creamy and easy to blend and a little goes a very long way. I swatched this with some of my other peach blushes to give you a comparison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starting from the left:

1. Nars Amour (Matte finish)

2. Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Blissful (Matte finish)

3. Elf studio blush in Peachy Keen (Shimmer finish)

While I love all three of these colors Amour is the most pigmented and the one I have to have the lightest touch with.

What You Need To Know:

1. This blush leans more on the warm side

2. Matte finish

3. I like wearing this best with a brown smokey eye

4. Great pigmentation and creamy texture

5. I usually wear this swept across my cheekbones, avoiding the apple of my cheeks

Like most NARS products this is a bit pricey, I paid $27.00 and ordered mine from Sephora.com

 

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Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

This Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer is my new favorite under-eye concealer. I’ve been wearing it about a week now and it by far out performs any of my other drugstore concealers. I actually like this more than my Maybelline Age Rewind concealer.

I purchased mine in the shade radiant. I don’t have horribly dark under-eye circles so this covers and brightens fantastically for me. The thing I like most is I have no creasing with this. It doesn’t settle in any lines I have under my eyes and blends out seamlessly.

The applicator tip is a brush. You twist the bottom and the product comes out the tip. The application is easy and I just blend it out with the pointed end of my beauty blender.

I don’t have too much more to say besides I’m really enjoying this and I recommend it for anyone who hates creasing under their eyes.

Things To Know:

1. This is a gel based formula. I think this really helps with blending, it doesn’t feel greasy and I have no creasing with this.

2. This is marketed as an all-over concealer. I’ve mainly used it under my eyes but you can use it on other areas of your face.

3. This does a great job brightening under your eyes and around the inner corner of eyes

This is my new favorite under-eye concealer!

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Physicians Formula: Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Trio

I purchased two of these Physicians Formula Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Trio’s last week when they were buy one get one 50% off at CVS. They came in a number of different sets based on eye color, I purchased the Green eyes and Blue eyes set.  My eyes are actually hazel but I liked the colors that these came with better and I have green contacts that I wear often anyways.  I’ll start by saying I have picked these up and put them down without purchasing probably 5 times in the past few weeks. They always caught my eye but then I couldn’t figure out why they were shaped so oddly and how you would sharpen them, so I would put them back down. However, since they were on sale I bought them.  After getting home I started having second thoughts though so I started reading some reviews online. They were all bad. Most people said the tips broke off and the point wore down quickly. There was no way to sharpen them and once the point wore down you were stuck with a blunt end that was too wide to use. That gave me second thoughts again so I started researching Kajal eyeliner in general just to see if I was missing something.  That’s when I had my aha! moment.  These aren’t supposed to be used like a regular eyeliner. When using them you hold them so the stick is parallel with your eye, this does not wear down the point.  So again when you use this do not hold it so that the tip makes right angle to your lash line but instead slide the eyeliner on it’s side across your lashline. I hope that makes sense!

Now that I had done my research I decided I would give these a chance instead of taking them back. I have good and bad things to say about these pencils.

I’ll start with the good.

1. I really like the color and pigmentation. I read a few reviews that said the color wasn’t saturated enough but I don’t have that complaint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. I found these to be fairly creamy and I did not have any tugging or pulling on my eyelid when applying this. Again, I read reviews where people said these didn’t seem soft, but I have not had that issue.

3. The box suggests layering shades together and I think you can create some really beautiful looks that way. My favorite so far is lining close to the lashline with the brown and then tracing along that line with the blue.

4. I’m still able to create some pretty cat eyes looks with these even without directly using the point of the pencil. I actually think its easier creating that shape with these then with my normal pencils.

The Bad

1. These are labeled as waterproof and are supposed to last well on the waterline. I do not find that to be true at all. It fades off of my waterline very very quickly. Also, while I like the pigmentation against my skin, it does not apply very darkly to the waterline.

2. These do not set well. I notice a lot of transference to my crease when I first apply these. It seems like they take at least a good 5 minutes to set which is not very convenient. Even then I am kind of paranoid about them smudging so I have been using a powder to trace along the edge of the line. This seems to work, especially for the liner underneath my bottom lashes.  Again though, these are promoted as waterproof  so I would think these would be less smudgy.

If you are looking for these in the store here is a picture of the Green Eyes set still in the box

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things To Know:

1. These are not low-maintenance eyeliners. I think they look beautiful but they take time to set.

2. This is not a precision eyeliner. Try not to use the point! Use them correctly and they’ll last awhile.

3. For the cleanest application I recommend using a powder to trace the edge of your line. This will prevent them from smudging all over the place.

4. I really liked the color and pigmentation of these.

5. I found these to be really fun to use, I recommend layering the shades.

6. I suggest wearing these for a low-key date night or a fun lunch with friends. I do not recommend these if you plan on going to the bar or dancing, I feel like if you got hot these would probably smudge away quickly.

Overall, I say give these a try if you have some extra cash to spend and you’re looking for a new product to play with. I really liked mine and I’m glad I didn’t return them

Sidenote: I think I have a new obsession with Kajal eyeliners. I want to try some real ones from India, I read you can order them online from ebay for like 2 dollars!

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How To: Minking Your Eyelashes

Looking for a more natural looking way to give your eyes a full and glamorous look? I’ve been “minking” my eyelashes for the last week and it’s fast, easy and looks beautiful!

What You Need:

1. A good eyelash curler

2. A volumizing mascara in the shade brown

3. A lengthening mascara in the blackest shade you can find

How to:

1. Give your eyelashes a good curl with your favorite eyelash curler

2. Apply 2-3 coats of your most volumizing brown mascara from root to tip. Try and focus the most product at the roots of your lashes.  I’ve been using Maybelline’s The Colossal Volum’Express in the shade Glam Brown

3. Apply 2 coats of your blackest mascara to just the tips of your lashes. I’ve been using Maybelline Lash Stilleto because it’s lengthening and I think the black dries with a slightly glossy finish.

And that’s it! Super easy and a fun way to mix up the same boring black mascara that you wear everyday.  Your eye lashes will look fuller and longer than ever! Give it a try and let me know how you like the results!

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