Feb 23, 2012

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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.

Sorry the lighting is bad but Yuck! Look how gross this bottle gets!

 

 

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Feb 22, 2012

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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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Feb 18, 2012

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Fusion Beauty Illumifill Line Filling Luminizer

This is a pricey product and I would never have tried it if it hadn’t come with a set I got on hautelook but I’ve fallen in love with it and I feel like it’s worth the $49 price tag if you have extra cash to spend. It’s a lumizer that can restore and plump skin while giving you a lovely glow. You don’t need much product when you use it and a year later I’m still using my sample size. I think if you purchase the full size you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.

This is one of those items that is hard for me to explain why I love it, but my skin just looks so much nicer when I use it. It’s supposed to fill in fine lines and wrinkles and plump up skin but I don’t have many wrinkles yet. I do feel like it minimizes the look of pores and gives you a very glowy airbrushed look. It’s very easy to work with and makes any foundation I wear look better.

This product has a rollerball for an applicator and is a pearly pinky white when you first apply it to your skin. Once you blend it in the pearly pink/white shade disappears and you are left with a glowy base that has no shimmer or sparkle in it. I feel like this looks natural in any light and would work well no matter what your skin tone. I like using this on days when my skin is looking dull. I find I reach for this the most during the winter when my skin just generally lacks any natural light or glow.

Things To Know:

1. I apply use this as a primer itself OR after my primer but before my foundation. I use the roller ball applicator and apply on my cheek bones, forehead and down the center of my nose. Then I blend out all over my face.

2. Let this dry before applying foundation to prevent the product from clumping up when you buff in your foundation.

3. I do not like this product over my foundation. I recommend always applying it before foundation.

4.  I have oily skin and I do not feel like this makes my skin greasy. I think this would work well with any skin type.

5. This will give your skin a very natural and subtle boost. My skin looks healthy and smooth when I use this.

This is definitely a splurge product but I love the results when I use it. It’s hard to find products that make you look glowy without being shimmery or sparkly. This is one of those products! If you try it let me know if you love it as much as I do.

 

 

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Feb 18, 2012

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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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Feb 6, 2012

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Drugstore Primer Fail: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Primer

I bought this primer because I love the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Foundation which I’ve reviewed here and because it was pretty cheap, only 5 dollars at Wal-Mart.

The bottle says this primer should instantly transform skin into a perfectly smooth canvas for makeup application, vanish lines, wrinkles, pores and other imperfections, and give you a subtle youthful glow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would say the texture of this is definitely a silicone based primer but it feels much greasier on my skin than my smashbox or rimmel primer. I definitely did not like how it felt on my face after application.

The next thing I hated was how oily my skin got after only a few hours. I realize this isn’t marketed as a mattifying primer but I’ve found pretty much any primer I’ve tried provided some kind of shield between the oil my face produces and my foundation. With this stuff I might as well have skipped the primer altogether because after just a few hours my skin was shiny and the oil from my t-zone had broken down my foundation making my skin look splotchy.  Even my NARS blush wore poorly with this stuff.

I did not find this primer had any kind of brightening effect and my pores did not appear minimized.

Now I gave this primer a number of chances, I’ve owned it for about 2 months now, and I’ve tried it with various foundations. I’ve yet to find any products that I liked wearing with this stuff. Definitely not worth even the 5 dollars I spent on it!

Things To Know:

1. I don’t like this product at all!

2. You may have better luck with this if you have dry skin, but I would pass if you are combination or oily

 

 

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Jan 28, 2012

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Rediscovered Favorite: L’oreal Magic Smooth Souffle Foundation

Recently I’ve been going through my makeup trying to reorganize things and I came across the L’oreal Magic Smooth Souffle Foundations that I had purchased this summer. I had purchased two shades 524 Buff Beige and 518 Natural Buff.

My first thoughts when I came across them were:

1. Neither of these shades will match me since I bought them in the summer and

2. I bet this product is all dried up because it’s one of those moussey cream textured foundations.

However I opened both jars to find the foundation to be just as creamy as the day I bought it and surprisingly 518 Natural Buff blended into my skin beautifully!

The texture of this product is very creamy and whipped and I find that it buffs into the skin beautifully.  For some reason I originally thought this type of foundation would make my skin look oily or shiny but I find I get a very natural matte finish when I use it.  I love the coverage it provides, it literally erases the pores around my nose and inner cheek area and I feel like I have the prettiest flawless skin when I use this.  When it comes to acne scarring or hyper-pigmentation I get a fairly decent coverage and I need to apply minimum concealer.  It glides over lines and pores without settling and looking cakey.

I’ve been wearing this over my Fusion Beauty Illumfil primer. I chose this primer because I feel like my skin has been looking a little dead due to winter and this adds a very subtle glow to my skin. With this primer I’ve been getting a good 6 hours of wear from this foundation, I think if I used my smashbox primer I’d probably see more extended wear. I haven’t found the need to use a powder to set this which is very rare for me, I almost always use a powder.

The packaging is nice and sturdy. The product comes in a glass jar with a twist off lid.  The only con about the jar is it’s a little cumbersome in size and may not be great for storage.

Things To Know:

1. I find this buffs in best with a flat top stipling brush. I have been using my Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Blusher Brush.

2. I have found this foundation gives a beautiful airbrushed finish that still looks natural and glowy but not greasy

3. The texture of this product is very velvety and smooth. It feels much lighter and more natural than a liquid foundation.

4. I think this would work well on all skin-types. I have oily skin and it looks great on me even without a setting powder

5. The lasting power on this would be anywhere between 6-8 hours depending on your primer

6. This product did not dry out in the jar.

7. There are 12 shades to choose from in this line.

Overall I really am loving this foundation, and while it is a little pricey for a drugstore brand, $15.99, I recommend waiting until you can get it for a buy one get one %50 off deal. I definitely rank this in my top 3 drugstore foundations.

 

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