New Products I'll Be Trying Out

When you're busy and always rushing to get some place, its way too easy to fall into a makeup rut. You know, those familiar few products you reach for to create that 5 minute look and dash out the door? Lately that's been me and honestly, I don't *really* mind because I love the look so much. However, with so many things in my collection and so many different products out on the market, I have to challenge myself to branch out. Therefore, for the next few weeks, I'll be incorporating these products into my routine:

They are:
1. Mehron CoveRing Tattoo Concealer #505-T
2. NYX Eyebrow Kit in Brunette
3. Maybelline Fit Me Powder # 325 Cream Beige
4. Revlon Photoready Concealer # 005 Medium Deep
5. Cover Girl Tru Conceal #4
6. Benefit Erase Paste #2
7. MAC Face and Body Foundation #N5

Have you tried any of these products? What new products would you like to try?

Staple Items

As its been crunch time with classes, I have had much less time to do makeup. When I'm in a pinch, I turn to my trusty staple items that can make me look put together and like I invested much more effort into my look than I actually did.
My go-to items are:

(1) Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in Tan
(2) MAC Studio Fix concealer in NC35
(3) MAC Indianwood Paint Pot
(4) Loreal Voluminous in Carbon Black
(5) Any lip balm really- pictured here is the MAC Hydrating Lip Conditioner (Viva Glam Ricky Martin Edition)
(6)Wet n Wild Bronzer in Princess



What are your go-to items when you're in a rush?

FOTD

Hey all! As I was rushing to get to class, I did a quick, simple makeup today. I decided to go with fresh-faced and neutral and wanted to look put-together:



I wasn't as angry as I look... promise!

I'm wearing:
(1) Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Natural Tan
(2) Mac Studio Fix Concealer in NC35
(3) Mac Indianwood Paint Pot (I LOVEEEE this. It's my go-to neutral)
(4) Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara
(5) Maybelline Baby Lips in Peach Kiss

What are your go-to staple items?

Physician's Formula Youthful Wear Foundation

I've passed by this foundation at the drugstore so many times and have always resisted the temptation to pick it up. It is marketed as a "Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Foundation" and I have to admit, I was curious.
Here's what the package claims:

Those are pretty serious claims for a drugstore foundation, huh?
It does come with a foundation brush. I don't prefer this type of brush (kabukis and stippling brushes seem to work really well for me) but was surprised at the softness of the bristles. They are synthetic and better than average quality, perfect for a cream product.
I brought the shade medium home with me and gave it a go yesterday. Right off the bat, I was disappointed that the shade I purchased was too light for me (there are only 3 shades, I picked up the darkest). I tried it anyway as I decided I could make up for it with copious amounts of bronzer. I love Physician's Formula and find that it is on the higher end of the spectrum with quality as far as drugstore products go, but I hate the fact that their color range is so limited- they seldom market anything for darker skin tones which is extremely unfortunate. Their skin bases and powder can only really be used for the fair-light/medium tones.
Here's what the medium color looks like swatched on my hand:

Unblended on the left, blended on the right

It has a mousse-y, whipped consistency to it. I applied the product with no primer and with the brush it came with, as directed. I immediately noticed that it looked AWFUL on my skin. I don't have giant pores but that's exactly what this foundation made it seem like. It sunk into all the little crevices and pores on my face and made it seems like my face had several little dots on it- weird and gross!! Also, though the brush did a relatively good job in evenly applying the product, I noticed that the finish was very patchy looking, even when I tried to blend with my fingers before it set.
It goes without saying that I washed it off right away and intend on bringing this foundation back. Though this problem might be corrected with primer, there are many people who dislike using primer and shouldn't have to work that hard to get a basic makeup product to look good.

Has anyone else tried this foundation? What is your experience with it?

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow!

Today's post is about a foundation that I've been using for a few weeks. Though I love my Chanel Mat Lumiere, I wanted something that would still offer me good coverage but feel light on my skin for the warmer weather. Its also important to me to allow my skin to breathe- and Oxygen Wow! lets your skin do exactly that.

benefitcosmetics.com says:

broad-spectrum SPF 25 PA+++ protection

oil-free formula

natural finish

hydrating benefits

light-diffusing properties

available in 9 shades

The back of the box also claims that it has several ingredients that will prevent aging and will "plump" your skin. I love a foundation that will also benefit (no pun intended!) my skin.

I don't know about you, but it sounds pretty good to me! At $34.00, this foundation is pretty pricey, so how does it perform for your money?
It comes in this snazzy, clean-looking pump dispenser. I love the fact that it is packaged this way because it keeps things hygienic. I also love that the pump is easy to control; it doesn't pump out massive amounts of product which ends up being wasted.

my color is "toasted beige"

The foundation itself is pretty runny. I was surprised by this and couldn't help wondering if it would give me any coverage at all.

Eep! Don't run off my hand before I snap the picture!!

I like to apply it was a flat top kabuki brush, buffing in small, circular motions around my face. I couldn't help but like what I saw. I wouldn't call this a full coverage foundation but at one application, it offered a natural, medium-coverage look. It is also buildable so at 2-3 layers, you can achieve full coverage that does not cake up. Best of all, it still looks natural, and feels absolutely weightless. You can't really feel this on your skin which is great. I didn't notice any "plumping" effects as the company claims, but this may be more oriented toward older women or those with dry skin.

Here's a swatch:



Unblended on the left, blended on the right

The only downside to this foundation is the wear time. I have combination skin (not excessively oily by any means) and after about 3-4 hours, my nose starts to look shiny. Unless you have very dry skin, I would definitely recommend setting Oxygen Wow! with a powder for optimal staying power. With setting, I had no issues and really enjoyed the look and feel of this foundation and I can see myself reaching for this constantly as the weather gets warmer.

Have you tried Oxygen Wow! foundation? Do you think it lives up to its claims?

Happy Monday all! Its going to be a great week ☺

Maybelline FIT Me Foundation: First Impressions

I've been curious about the Maybelline FIT Me foundation for awhile. It seems like everywhere I turn, there's an ad for it. New gel consistency? Let's skin breathe? Natural coverage that looks like real skin? Yes please! After a few months of resistance, I saw Maybelline products on sale BOGO (buy one, get one) 40% off, so I thought it would be a goof time to give it a go. After all the hype, how did it measure up?

First, I poured out about a nickle-size amount on the back of my hand for my whole entire face. The consistency of the foundation, despite claiming a new "gel" technology, did not appear to be any different than other foundations I've used in the past at first use. I buffed it onto my face in small circular motions using my trusty flat-top kabuki brush. After the first layer was finished (which is the amount I typically use for any liquid foundation) I was disappointed to see that my skin looked .... exactly the same. Even after a few minutes, the foundation did not set and still had a tacky, dewy feel to it. Ever the optimist, I decided to apply one more layer. FIT Me does not look cakey with two layers on but again, my skin looked exactly the same.

FIT Me Swatches: unblended on the left, blended on the right

My skin is pretty clear and I usually need minimal coverage (aside from my hideous Uncle Fester under eye circles!!) but this foundation only slightly evened out my skin tone. Even though it isn't marketed as such, the coverage equates to a light coverage tinted moisturizer. After trying other amazing products from Maybelline (Instant Age Rewind Concealer!!) I was extremely disappointed with the FIT Me foundation and felt that they could have done much better with this. What I do like about this product line is that they have a wide range of foundation colors, from very fair to darker than the average drugstore foundation/concealer. However, if the products are perform poorly, then I guess that doesn't matter much! I usually like to give products a few tries before I make my mind up about them, but considering all the other great drugstore foundations out there, I can't see myself wasting my time with FIT Me.
Due to the BOGO sale, I also picked up the FIT Me concealer, but after my experience with the foundation, I didn't have the heart to try it out on the same day. It is currently sitting on my vanity as I stare at it from afar with contempt.

Let's all give the concealer the stink eye!

Have you ever tried any of the products from the FIT Me line? What's your take on it?