Blogtember Day Two: Favorite Drugstore Foundation!

Revlon ColorStay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin

Hello Friends!

I already failed at keeping to my schedule! *SIGH*

Since I did my favorite high-end foundation Monday, I thought I would do my drugstore foundation today! It seems like this stuff is everywhere right now, and for good reason!

This foundation was recommended to me by several people, and I was looking for something a bit lighter than the Cover Fx cream, since it's been awfully hot and humid here lately, so I thought I'd give it a try when I saw it at the drugstore.

To my surprise, I found the right shade my first try! I wear shade 180, Sand Beige, and I went for the Combination/Oily version of the foundation (they also make a version for Normal/Dry skin, which I hear is also amazing).

On first inspection, I wasn't thrilled with the packaging- I don't like foundations that have an open top (as opposed to a pump), but the foundation is relatively thick for a liquid foundation, so it's not going to pour out really fast. 

I find that the coverage is medium to full, and I was really impressed by how much redness it covers up (I rarely wear concealer with it). I apply it with a rounded, fairly dense brush (my favorites is the Real Techniques buffing brush), and it goes on very smoothly.

The foundation sells for $11.99 full price, but Revlon products are often on sale at drugstores (I got mine for 50% percent off!). I also recommend buying at store that has a good makeup return policy. I found out that Rite-Aid and its affiliates will return or exchange any beauty products for any reason, so that takes the stress out of choosing a shade! (I am not sponsored by Rite-Aid, but that got me excited, and I thought I'd pass that along!)

I love this foundation, and I am definitely planning on re-purchasing!

Always,

Nani xx

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My First M.A.C. Haul + Review!

Hello Friends!

I don't know what's taken me so long, but I've never tried anything from MAC before. I received a gift card for my recent graduation, and I thought it was high time to try some out!

I have to preface this review with a side note. I was not terribly impressed with employees that "helped" me out. The MAC counter that I went to was in an upscale department store in my area, and them employees certainly made that clear. Until I made it clear that I intended to purchase enough product to make it worth their while, I was treated like I wasn't quite good enough- posh enough- to be there. Looking back, I probably should have said something to the management or customer service desk, but I just didn't think of it at the time.

I went ahead and had a full makeover. The look was a little... much... for me, but that's what you expect from the over-made-up girls you see at MAC counters. I didn't purchase all of the products they used, since some of them were duplicates of similar products I already had, but I did purchase some of them. Here's my reviews, after a month of trial.

MAC Prep + Prime Skin Smoother - $30

This stuff is interesting. It's pretty thick and gloopy, almost like shortening (okay... not the most flattering description... sorry), but when it goes on, it settles into a smooth, almost silicone like texture. It works well to smooth over rough or dry areas on the face. I find it to work pretty well, but I wouldn't use it as an all-over primer, since it is fairly heavy. It works well in conjunction with a lighter primer for the rest of the face.

MAC Matchmaster Foundation in Shade 1 - $33

Okay, you guys know I'm always on the prowl for a the foundation. I was actually really impressed with this one. Having been skeptical about the "color adjusting" technology for quite a while, I asked the makeup artist how exactly it works. She mumbled something about having pink, yellow, brown, and reflective pigments... I'm not sure either of us understand what she said, but I can say that this foundation works pretty well for me. I have fair skin with slightly yellow undertones, and this comes closer to matching my skin than most foundations.

It works adequately on my oily skin (when used with primers, powders, and other oil control methods), but I don't think it's anything to write home about on that accord. It's definitely a medium coverage, and I find I like it better with a light dusting of a powder foundation over it.

My main issue with this foundation is my fault- the weather got nice, and I ended up getting a tan a few weeks later, so it's now too light... sigh.

OH! Also, I asked the girl at the counter about the many people who say that MAC foundations make them break out. She said that they are "non-acnegenic," so it must be that those people just "didn't wash their faces." Well... I wash my face, and I broke out. So.

MAC Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow in Brownluxe - $40

Okay... So I definitely did NOT realize this was $40! I don't know if it was on sale or if I just didn't ask... but FORTY! For eye shadow! Grrrr....

I really like this palette. It had one matte, the "eggshell" at the top, a "frosty orange gold," a shiny "light yellow chocolate," and two pearl shades "deep bronze" and "blackened plum."  They work well on their own, but look really lovely together. I find that I like them best when used wet- the makeup artist used setting spray on the brush after she loaded it with shadow. It gives a really lovely rich tone.

This one needs a preface. While waiting for my appointment, I perused their counter. I saw these lip products, and told my friend that I wouldn't be caught dead in them... So that's what I ended up wearing... and loving them. They are quite gaudy, so bare with me, as these are my favorites from the trip.

Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick - $15 and Viva Glam Nicki 2 Lipglass -$15

I really love these two paired together. The purple of the lipglass counters the yellowy-ness of the lipstick, and calms it down. I haven't had the guts to wear them separately yet. I do recommend applying the lipstick with a brush, it's not very forgiving. 

A side note about these products- I don't know if you guys already know this, but all proceeds of the Viva Glam lines go towards helping people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

All in all, I had an interesting time with MAC. I love some of the products, but not enough to make me a regular customer, when there's a Sephora in the same complex!

What are some of your favorite MAC products? Let me know in the comment section.

Always,

Nani xx

Ulta Haul, Part One- The Products!

Hello Friends!

I totally failed guys! It was final exam week, and I had to choose whether to blog or pass my exams... I'm on break now, so I should be able to make up for it with a couple posts next week!

Anyway, last week I promised you guys a review from my trip to Ulta. I think I'm going to split it into two parts- products and brushes- and upload them separately, because it's just too much for one post!

If you've been following along with my blog, this first purchase shouldn't be much of a surprise to you: I bought more foundation. It turns out that the Rimmel foundation that I thought was perfect ALSO turned pink on my skin. After doing a little research, the best explanation I can find is that it has something to do with the the foundation reacting to the mix of oxygen and the pH of my skin. Whatever the reason, I've been using this new foundation for a week, and I haven't had any problems with it (fingers crossed!), and I've given the rest of the Rimmel to my sister. :)

 

This time, after explaining the pink/oxidation and my oily skin to the lady at Ulta, she recommended the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hour Full Coverage Foundation ($38) in Light, their third shade out of eight. I have used this foundation before- I bought it for my trip to Costa Rica last summer, in shade four, Medium, but in the winter that's far to dark for me. I really the color palette this line has. Most of the shades are neutral tones, so they work wonderfully for me.

The clay in the foundation works wonders for oil control, which is perfect for me. The coverage is definitely full, but it doesn't wear heavily on the skin. It feels really nice going on, and I really don't need much of it, especially when I use my new brushes (review to come). I've definitely found that it wears for almost exactly 12 hours, just like the label says! We'll see if things change, but as of right now, about a week and a half into the use of it, I'm pretty happy with it.

I had intended to buy a Lancome mascara that Fleurdeforce recommends (Hypnose Star, $28), but Ulta doesn't carry Lancome. When I asked about it, however, one of the employees had just quit Lancome, and so she was able to recommend a similar product, Lorac Pro mascara ($23), which happened to be on sale for $10. (The sale is still available on their website... very tempting!)

Lorac Pro is a nice deep black formula that doesn't flake, but what sets it apart is the wand.

The wand is almost conical, and I think the secret to it is that the bristle length is designed to match to the length of the lashes in that area of the eye (short on the inner corner, etc), at least for me. I find that if I curl my lashes I can get away with two strokes of this stuff, as opposed to the 3-4 strokes of Benefits' They're Real mascara (which I also liked). It also separates the lashes well. I've used the plastic wands for so long that it took me a bit to get used to the spoolie brush, but I really like it. My only complaint about the mascara is that it is NOT waterproof in the least. I have to put it on after I use my setting spray, or I look like the prom queen runner-up... lots and lots of mascara all down my face.



I had heard a lot about Nyx, but I hadn't ever tried it (it's not widely available in my area), so I got pretty excited to see it at Ulta- and it was on SALE!

I picked out this eye shadow, Nyx Nude Matte Shadow in "I Have a Headache" ($4.49), to use as a base for other eye shadows, since I've found that if your put a color similar to your skin tone all over your lid, the other colors you put on blend better and wear more evenly. I've been using "Desire" from Stila's In the Moment palette, but I'm running it out, and it's not available on its own (and the palette is way too big to carry!). This is almost an exact dupe, and way better quality than I was expecting. The only downfall- the packaging. It looks a lot like the Urban Decay individual eye shadow pots, but the inner liner that holds makeup is loose- just loose enough to be annoying, and the plastic feels really cheap. For the price, though, it's understandable.

I also picked up this Nyx Concealer in Green ($4.99). With all the stress I'm under from school right now, my skin is a MESS. I've never used a red-cancelling green concealer before, but I think I like it. It's definitely working. I think I'll go with a liquid next time, but that's just because I'm not a fan of stick concealer. No complaints!



The last thing was this little set of EOS lipbalms in Strawberry and Passion fruit. These lip balms are everywhere right now! I saw the cute spring packaging, and the pastel-ness lured me in. I like them a lot, particularly the purple passion fruit one!



Ok guys, this is the end of part one! Stay tuned for part two, the brushes!

Always,

Nani


(P.S. This post was written during WWF's Earth Hour. Did you #DoItInTheDark?)

Ulta Review

Hello Friends!

I had the opportunity to go to Ulta yesterday. From what I understand, it's a fairly wide-spread chain across America, but I had never been before. Here's a little about my experience.

When I first walked in, I was surprised by the size- the store was huge. Then I was surprised by the contents of the store. I expected something like Sephora (high quality makeup, well organized, well lit store, etc.), but what I found was pretty different.

As far as I can tell, Ulta (at least the store that I visited) is divided into fourths- high quality makeup, drugstore/high street makeup, perfume, and hair/nails.

The high quality makeup selection was fairly small, I think, though they had a lot of top notch brands. The set up was very much like Sephora, wide aisles, lighted display shelves, etc. Although the selection of brands they had was limited, they had large selections within the brands that they did have, wider than Sephora carries, in some cases (Tarte, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and Cargo, for example). They also had several that are not easy to find around here, like Butter London and Iman. I was disappointed with the lack of several staple brands though, like Make Up Forever.

The drugstore/high street section was a whole other kettle of fish. In keeping with the drugstore theme, I guess, it looked a lot like a drugstore, with narrow aisles and the shelves all jumbled up and crammed together. I was happy however, to see that they carried a lot of brands that I can't find anywhere else! I've never actually found Nyx cosmetics in a store before, so that was exciting. I also was able to buy some Real Techniques by Sam Chapman (of Pixiwoo fame) brushes.

The customer service was so-so. The attendant was willing to help, and helped me find the products I was looking for (reviews to come!), but was a little distracted by her friends. Maybe I'm spoiled by the treatment I get by having friends at Sephora, but she seemed like she was trying to go fast to get back to whatever she had been doing before.

One thing I really liked, however, was that Ulta does sales! Sephora really doesn't- they'll do special sets with discounted products, but Ulta does true "buy one, get one half off" type sales. I got a Lorac Pro mascara (normally $23) for $10. Ten dollars. That would NEVER happen at Sephora.

Overall, I think I was impressed by Ulta, but not that specific store. I think, since the sales are so good, I will continue to shop Ulta for the products that might be cheaper there, but online only. Maybe I'll try another location sometime, we'll see.

Review of the products pictured above will be spread out over the next few weeks... As you can see, I took advantage of the trip!

Always,

Nani xx

Sephora Haul! 02.05.2013

Hello Friends,

As you will soon learn, I have an addiction. I can't go into Sephora without spending money. When I say addiction, I'm not kidding. The employees literally know me by name.

Anyway, I went into Sephora in need of foundation the other day, and came out with ten products. Sigh.

I've been using various shades of Make Up Forever Mat Velvet + foundation,

but I found that before the expiration date comes, the foundation oxidizes, and turns pink. Since I have fair skin with golden undertones, the pink looked ridiculous, so it was time for a change.

Felicia, a wonderful employee at my local Sephora (although she's leaving for Rhode Island soon!), introduced me to the new Make Up Forever Pro Finish powder foundation in 113 Neutral Ivory ($36).

Normally, I don't like using powder foundation, but I love this foundation. I can't rave about it enough. It goes on very smoothly and has a good coverage. I get bad breakout when I'm stressed, and as I'm a college student going in to midterms, I'm definitely stressed, and it covers the spots very well. For best results, I apply it with the Sephora brand Perfectionist Makeup Sponge (A molded Beauty Blender dupe, $12).

It can be used wet or dry, although I prefer dry, since the wet application is a little sheer for me.

Since I have oily skin, a good primer is essential for me. Something I hadn't realized is that oily skin also tends to be dry skin- your face produces more oil to make up for it. Because of this, Felicia found a really nice hydrating primer, Smashbox Photo Finish in Hydrating ($42)

It has a really good feeling to it. It's very sheer, and smooth. It soaks in nicely, instead of sitting on top if the skin, and it smooths out the skin to leave it ready for the makeup, which is especially important with a powder foundation.

She also recommended another primer for the under-eye area (which was her very gentle way of saying "Those dark circles under your eyes are horrific," which they are), Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer ($29).

The information on their website says that it reduces under eye circles, puffiness, bags, and fine lines. I'm not sure how much I believe them. It does hide the circles to an extent, since it refracts the light, but I'm not sure I'll be buying this product again, especially since it's almost thirty dollars.

Since my foundation changed, I needed a new concealer, too. Felicia found the Cover Fx Cream Concealer in N Light ($27). (I ended up exchanging it for the G Light, as the N was too orange-y for me.)

I'm having a learning curve with this stuff. It is so concentrated that I only need a tiny bit, and I still find that I tend to put on too much, causing it to show through my foundation. It does totally wipe out my under eye circles and spots though! For now, the jury's still out.

Since I was going for a 1940s glam look, Felicia set me up with some neutral eye shadow. She actually used three, but I had some similar to the other two. I ended up purchasing Urban Decay eye shadow in Secret Service, a lovely matte brown ($18).

I love this color. It's so beautiful, and very natural. It blends well, and as an added bonus, it is exactly the right color to fill in my eyebrows.  I'll definitely be purchasing this again.

We chose a red lip color, Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella ($25).

This is one of the best lip colors I've ever used. It 's highly pigmented, glides on, and lasts a very long time. I have very dry lips, and it moisturizes really well. I appreciate that once it's on, I don't notice it anymore. The color is opaque, but it doesn't dry harshly. I'm very pleased with it.

In the picture at the top of the page, there's also a cream eyeliner, and two brushes. The cream liner is Sephora Collection Waterproof Smoky Cream Liner in Must Have, a matte black ($12). I like it, but it's pretty generic. My only complaint is something I should have expected- because my eyelids are a little oily, if I don't put a powder over it, I get a mirrored image of my eyeliner in the crease of my eye. The brushes are both Sephora brand, a fluffy eye shadow brush, and an angled flat liner.

For a finishing touch, I got a setting spray (since, like I mentioned, I have oily skin, it's a must). I settled on Urban Decay's De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray ($29).

I didn't think it helped that much, until I went without it. With the spray my makeup lasts all day, but without it it only lasts about 4-6 hours. It's definitely worth the price.

Since I spent a ridiculous amount of money on this stuff, and I'm a student, I have grounded myself from going in there until... I'm not sure. But not for a while.

Always,

Nani