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Gotta write this quick, because I have shit to do at work...
I finally ran out of the Gorgeous Cosmetics foundation that I got at IMATS last April. Pretty impressive that it made it almost a year. I will definitely be buying more of it this year.
I had a sample of Makeup Forever's new ProFinish lying around that I got a Sephora a few weeks ago. I've been hesitant to try it, as #1 they didn't have a color that matched me correctly, so they gave me two different ones to mix and #2 a convertible foundation where the dry application is the full coverage? Wha?
So in a hurry this morning, I gave it a whirl. Neither color works well on me, the dark being too dark and yellow, the light being waay too light and pinkish. Blending them was also a bit tricky, as the dry application sets up really fast. But... damn! The coverage! Seriously! I barely had to use any concealer afterward, and I enjoyed that there wasn't a need to set it with powder. I did set my Mac concealer with a bit of translucent powder, just to make sure it stayed put, but then blush and a final hit with setting spray and I was done. I dislike the sponge applicator, but I can't see how I'd use either my fingers or a brush to apply it dry. Its possible that the full size sponge might be better, but its still a damn sponge. Still soaks up oil.
I've had it on for about two hours now, and my face still looks pretty matte, and the coverage is pretty outstanding. Again, you'll have to forgive the corpse like lighting in my office. I'm working on getting a shade and a desk lamp so I'll look more like a human. I'll update later in the day when I have time to do so. If anyone has any experience with this new stuff, please let me know. Or go to Sephora and ask for a sample and try it yourself!
UPDATE 2:12pm: Foundation holding strong in most of my oil prone areas (forehead, cheeks, chin). Nose too, though not as well. It still looks matte for the most part, but i'm starting to see the oil seep through. I can't find my stupid blotting papers, or I'd take care of it. But it seems like this foundation might actually be good for something. So thats cool.
So, all of last year I was unemployed. And it was awful. Being unable to afford decent moisturizer (and not wanting to slather mineral oil laden drugstore brand all over my face) I made do with whatever samples I had lying around. There was Algenist, Origins, Philosophy and others. I actually managed to make do without doing any damage to my skin.
Now that I have a job, I've set out to find a new moisturizer for my terribly oily skin. After doing some research, I decided I'd give Clinique another go, despite my hatred of their "Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion". Apparently the gel version of the same is a completely different story. I tried it on my hand in Sephora and actually liked the finish it gave once it dried. But I asked the very nice and personable sales lady for a sample first, since I don't want to commit to something and then hate it.
So today I'm doing a day long review. Before starting, I'll mention what I'm also wearing as far as makeup:
Eyes: Inglot eyeshadows in various shades, NYX liquid eyeliner (look for a review on this soon), Smashbox Hyperlash Mascara.
Lips: Sephora + Pantone Universe Gloss Brilliant Dazzling Lipgloss in Peony
Face: Urban Decay Setting Spray - Deslick, Cover FX mattifying primer, Gorgeous Cosmetics foundation, Urban Decay concealer pencil, Inglot powder and blush, Urban Decay setting spray (again)
6:10 am: I like the gel consistency. I apply moisturizer with my fingers and tend to rub it over the pads of my three middle fingers on each hand in order to apply it evenly. With most lotion type moisturizers, this action can cause my usually dry hands to soak up some of the moisture, with the gel, that didn't happen, so I got the full dose onto my face. This probably means the stuff will go pretty far and I won't need a ton. All the tightness from cleansing in the shower was gone, but I didn't feel greasy or the need to really rub it into my skin.
8:08 am:
I put my makeup on at about 6:30 this morning, and its holding up pretty well. You'll have to forgive the terrible office lighting making me look a little like a corpse. What I'm looking for is for the moisturizer to not make my face feel like an oily mess by the end of the day (like the last sample I was using, handed to me by some lady at a kiosk in Arundel Mills Mall. Think its called Vivo or something like that. TERRIBLE)
11:00 AM: Makeup's been on for about 4 and a half hours now. Weird to think I'm one of those people who gets up that early... But whatever. The picture is not really doing a good job of showing it, but the amount of oil is pretty low. I can see it starting to build up on my nose, but it seems to be staying put on the rest of my face. And considering I think I forgot the second round of my setting spray today... thats pretty good. So far digging the moisturizer.
3:00PM: Starting to get a bit shiny, but my face doesn't feel oily or greasy. Ok, my nose a little bit, but usually the oil in my face would have eaten through my makeup on my cheeks, forehead and nose by now and I'd be a hot mess. Considering this makeup's been on for almost 9 hours now... It's doing pretty well. I feel like I've been giving Clinique a bad rap for a while. Note that the headphones are now in both ears, showing that I've given up on any real work getting done today...
6:00pm: I didn't take a photo, as I was in the middle of something, but everything about my makeup still looked awesome, and my face felt lovely and not too oily. I think I actually like this moisturizer, but its still day one. I'll give it a few and see if my skin reacts strangely.
On a side note, I just gooped a bunch of Vaseline on my face so I could make plaster masks with a friend. Can't WAIT to see the breakouts I'll have tomorrow...
Have a good weekend everyone!
I recently discovered that I hated my foundation. Maybelline Pure Makeup. Its water based, which is nice and doesn't clog your pores. But forget about it if you have oily skin, or even just an oily T-zone like moi. Now, I'm not the best at keeping my makeup touched up throughout the day, but you'd think your foundation could stand up for an hour at least.... Not so with Pure Makeup, it was patchy and cakey within an hour.
So I went to Total Beauty to find a better foundation. Something rated well for oily or combination skin. The results weren't promising. Too many products with too few reviews each. Irritating. On the basis of saving some cash, I decided to go with a "drug store" brand. I found good reviews of Revlon's ColorStay stuff, and I've always liked their ColorStay lipstick. They were kind of pioneers of that "lasts for 16 hours" stuff as I recall. So I set out to CVS to buy the stuff. I found there are three different kinds of ColorStay foundation: Normal/Dry, Oily/Combination and Sweatproof.
Now, my main complaint from my Maybelline Pure was that if I started to sweat, even a little, the makeup would just dissolve instantly. So, I went for the Sweatproof when I chose the new foundation. The reviews online promised it would stay put, not come off my clothes, and that it was light and comfortable. Here begins my journal style-review of my new foundati
on.
7:45 AM - Applied makeup to moisturized skin (ran out of primer, so didn't bother). Purposefully did my makeup before drying my hair, to check for "sweatproofness". Makeup is the consistency of watery clay. NOT light. Not uncomfortable, but certainly not like spreading whip cream on my face. My face now has these layers on it: moisturizer, foundation, concealer, powder, blush. Blow-dried my hair. Sweat not too much, but enough. Divot under my nose remains perfect, starting to see some minor caking on cheeks near nose, but easily fixed.
--Sweatproof makeup - confirmed! (but I already had sweatproof makeup, I use it on special occasions like weddings and stuff, L'Oreal Infallible, look for it in a future review)
9:30 AM - Cheeks, forehead, chin look fine. Nose is starting to get cakey and I can see my bare skin in some patches.
12:30 PM - Entirely gone from the end of my nose. Starting to look cakey on cheek area right next to nose
1:09 PM - Cheek area from earlier definitely starting to be cakey, not patchy yet. Makeup is only on the sides of my nose, and collecting around the nose-pads of my glasses. New: now collecting in fine lines around my mouth.
5:16 PM - Just got home from work. Time to check this "16" hour makeup after about 9.5 hours since putting it on. Remember, I've done no touch ups today, as I wanted to get a feel for my new foundation. Wearing off over my eyebrows, creating a weird effect that makes me look angry. Caking up above my upper lip. Entirely gone of my nose, areas where nose-pads of my glasses are have rings around them. cheeks/chin look ok. Best test will be to remove it to see if its still really there.
All that being said, it doesn't look all that bad. I think if I were good about touching up with powder throughout the day it might look better. It also might be more effective with primer.
Still, I think I might return it and try the "oily/combination" kind. We'll see.
Thanks for reading! I'll post again soon (yeah right).
Wow, so I really suck at updating. Especially since I've been unemployed all summer and have had ample time to do so. So, here, at long last, is my Arbonne Cosmetics review.
I have a bunch of Arbonne products, which I bought from a friend's mom who is an Arbonne Consultant. Basically, its like Mary Kay or Avon where you can only buy it directly from a consultant.
The theory of Arbonne is great. Only natural products, no weird chemicals or rendered animal fat (EW! its called Sodium Tallowate, but I'm not sure how its spelled. check your products for it and promptly get rid of them. its basically boiled road kill). I'll review, at least briefly, the products I have used from Arbonne, and will be happy to direct you to my friend's mom who sells the stuff if you're interested.
The Arbonne Primer is a decent product. I know some who use it as both moisturizer and primer, but I didn't find it moisturizing enough to do that. It was more or less effective at its job, but I like my Smashbox primer better. And at something like $30/bottle, it didn't quite feel worth it to me. Supposedly using all Arbonne products in tandem makes them more successful and actually improves your skin (you should SEE the woman I first bought stuff from, she looks fantastic all the time) but as I couldn't (and definitely can't now) afford all the products at once, I wasn't seeing those benefits. Overall, I hesitantly recommend it.
Arbonne Foundation has about the same review as the primer. It did its job, but not better than any other foundation. I've been using this cheap Maybelline stuff for a while and I like it better (the Maybelline is water based and very lightweight for a liquid foundation). And again, for the $39.50 price tag, this foundation better be the best freaking stuff ever. I also had trouble finding a shade that matched my skintone. The lady I bought it from eventually had to squirt some lighter stuff into a ziploc and give it to me to blend with it. So, what she was telling me is I have to buy TWO shades in order to get my one perfect one. Overall, I don't recommend it.
The Arbonne FC5 line is my without-a-doubt favorite facial cleansing system EVER. It comes in several different combinations, based on your skin type being Oily, Normal, Combined or Dry. Theres (I think) an eyecream, moisturizer, hand cream, cleanser and translucent (and oil absorbing) setting powder. And the best part? Stuff smells fantastic. Fruity and sweet and clean. The cleanser rocks, it never feels drying but successfully gets off all the crap from my face. The moisturizer is also awesome, its not too heavy and not too light, which is perfect for my combination skin. I unfortunately have not been able to try the eye cream or the setting powder, aside from when my friend's mom was presenting them, but I look forward to having a job again soon so that I can purchase these also. Overall, I highly recommend the FC5 line.
My opinion of Arbonne varies greatly (clearly). I'm very very fond of all the skin care products, but not overly thrilled with the cosmetics. But then again, I'm a fan of dramatic makeup. I know other friends of mine who love every part of the Arbonne line. Its great if you want that subtle, natural look. But of course, my last review was praising neon-pink eyeshadow. So, my review of Arbonne is skin care = awesome and can't be beat! but cosmetics = your money's probably better spent elsewhere if you're looking for high-drama, high performance stuff.
I'm currently working on figuring out a way to film tutorials, I have a couple of makeup looks that I'd love to share. As soon as I deal with the lighting and camera problem, I'll get those up for anyone who's interested.
Thanks for reading, and please subscribe! I only have two followers! Thanks Julie and Meghan!
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