Review: Foundations for Fair Skin (2)- Lacome, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown

So, after a long absence, I have returned to continue my foundation review. I still have not found a product that I can fully stand behind, so it makes wanting to blog about this difficult. Drug store brands tend to break me out and migrate throughout the day or at worse cause an allergic reaction. As I've mentioned before, I've been on a hunt since May and so far, my hunt has yielded no prizes. I have also found out that I'm more than likely three quarters Irish, one eighth French and one eighth something else which generally produces pale skin. After scouring the internet, I've found that this is not an uncommon problem for people with pale skin. So, without further ado, I'd like to talk about three more unsatisfying foundations and let you all know what's up on the horizon!

First off, here is Lancome's Teint Idole Ultra.

I was told that I was the shade 110 Ivoire C. I trust this deduction because I usually use the lightest or second lightest shade. This time, the problem was not in the shade itself but the formula. I have combination skin which tends toward dry except for in a few places and this foundation stayed dewy. I like a matte look, personally, and even with setting powder (I was using the Marcelle Face Powder at the time- I am no longer doing so), I felt the foundation would not set. I did, however, find that it was at least a medium coverage and it did tend to cover up most of what I wanted hidden. This foundation truly was a mixed bag. I feel that if you're looking for a foundation that gives you a dewy look and has a decent coverage, this one is pretty good but beware of it's $50 Canadian price tag. Another thing I didn't like was the smell. I can't even really describe it but it wasn't for me. I'm glad that I got a sample so I didn't have to buy the full size. I'd give this foundation a 1.5/5 but that's only because it wasn't what I was looking for.

Next up, Estee Lauder's Maximum Coverage Camouflage Foundation

By the time I came across this foundation, I was desperate for something to cover up my red blotches and acne scars. I spent a lot of time researching this product online and I just decided one day to head to Sears on my lunch break and see if they had it. They did and I purchased the shade Extra Light after being colour matched to it. Now, I loved this, would have given it a solid 5/5 after the first couple of days of use. I did find that it remained dewy even with a setting powder but I didn't care. It covered all of my imperfections, which is what I needed it to do. After a few days I began to question my decision, however, because it started to get everywhere. Despite its full coverage, it did not seem to have any staying power. I work 9 hour days, so I need my foundation to last. Another thing that I noticed was that over the day, this foundation oxidizes and gets darker. It was a nightmare! Add to that the price tag of $41 Canadian and it just isn't worth it. I don't like coming home from work only to realise that I look like an orange. I took a couple example pictures, the first is of when I first apply the product, the second is mid-set and the third is a completely dry product. This foundation is in the middle:

So, as you can see, the beginning shade is much different than the end one. Definitely watch out for this when purchasing this product!

Lastly, we have Bobbi Brown's Long Wear Even Finish Foundation.

For this foundation, I actually went back to Sephora and asked them to match me via their Colour IQ again. This time, I had vastly different results which turned out to be much more accurate. I purchased this foundation in Porcelain 0 for $55 Canadian. So far, this foundation matches, it goes on easily and it does have decent staying powder. What I don't like about it is that it has a weird scent and a light to medium coverage instead of a medium to full which I had expressed the need for. I find that no matter how many layers I use, it still doesn't have the coverage that I need. It's fine for now, I am still using it, after all, but I am hoping to find something more suitable for my needs.

Coming up: I've just ordered Kat Von D's Lock-It Foundation in Light 42 so there will be a part three of this series. Hopefully there will be no need for a part four.

Nike.

So, I have been away for a bit and I apologize. It's been CRAZY over here in Tristaland. I've been averaging 45-50 hours a week at work, I've interviewed for a management position and I am working as hard as I can just to make some money. I'm debating on going to makeup school, so having some savings is essential. Another thing that happened was out poor kitty passed away on Black Friday and I miss him so much that I just couldn't bring myself to think of anything pretty. So this is just a dedication post to him because he kept me company while I made myself beautiful in the morning and forced me out of bed with his incessant yelling. He was there for me when I was spending hours doing homework, demanding attention so I would take a break. I am having a hard time living my life without my little buddy here with me but I'll get through it. I miss him more than I ever thought I would. I've never been this attached to a pet before. Hopefully soon I'll be back on track and get the chance to update about all of the wonderful things that I've been trying out and using.

Rest in Peace Nike. You are very missed here. You were the best cat I ever had the pleasure of knowing. Even I'm man enough to admit that my eyes are blurring as I write this, despite the three weeks that have passed without you. <3

Review: Foundations for Fair Skin (swatches)- Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Almay

So I took a swatch of a few of the foundations that I still have lying around my house just to display the vast difference between the shades that I've been matched for. Now, some of this can likely be accounted for the different seasons but I still don't think that my skin changes that much since I wear SPF constantly due to the ghostiness of my complexion. Anyway, here it goes.

From left to right: Bobbi Brown's Long Wear Even Finish Foundation in Porcelain, Estee Lauder's Maximum Coverage Camouflage Makeup in Very Light and Almay's Clear Complexion Foundation in 100. While I know that these were tested on my arm, my face isn't that far off. I don't think I'll ever put the Estee Lauder or the Almay on again. The Bobbi Brown is virtually invisible although it is a much lighter foundation. I prefer it so far over anything else I've tried. I still think that it's more of a light to medium coverage as opposed to a full coverage but it matches and evens me out. I'll take what I can get.

Next up I'll go into more detail about these foundations individually along with the Lancome one I tested.

Review: Foundations for Fair Skin (1)- Estee Lauder, Lise Watier

So, I'd like to start this out by saying that I am a ghost. Like, not a real ghost. I'm not actually dead and I don't hang around creepy places scaring people (okay, maybe a little) but if you look at my complexion, I might as well be dead because I'm so pale. Needless to say, it is virtually impossible to find a foundation that actually matches and does all the things I need it to. Not only am I extremely pale, but my skin is very discoloured in places and I also have acne scars and severe redness in some spots that so far has been impossible to hide. All in all, there's a lot to cover up and its proven to be very difficult to do so. I've tried everything from this point: low end stuff averaging from $7-$15, high end stuff costing around $50 and I've gone through three different lines of Estee Lauder foundations. You see, I'm extremely picky and I want the $40-$50 I spend to actually be worth it and when it's not, I tend to get upset. Add to the fact that I don't like slathering my face with concealers and creams etc because it always causes breakouts and you have a girl that is very difficult to please.

Let's start with this:

I've used Almay's Complexion Corrector in Ivory, it's too dark. I've used Cover Girl and it melts off within an hour. I've used Mabelline and it's the same thing as the Cover Girl. When I used Revlon, it made me break out like crazy! So after all of this, I decided to go get properly colour matched and invest some good money into something that would make me look normal and not like some melty faced oompa loompa. This is where the story begins.

Last year, when I was at Anime North, we had some time before heading to our hotel so we went to Yorkdale Mall in Toronto to do some shopping. Since my makeup obsession is certainly nothing new, I went straight for Sephora and asked for assistance in colour matching since clearly I wasn't having any luck on my own. Now, I won't go into detail with the whole sordid tale but I will say this: I was treated poorly, was told to buy Estee Lauder's Double Wear in Cool Bone (1W1) which is the lightest shade of this line.

The Sales Rep put it all over my face and it looked like it matched. I knew right away when I put it on myself the next morning that it was definitely a little too dark for me, which is very unfortunate. At that point, I was willing to deal with something that was slightly too dark because I actually really liked this foundation. I found that even for a medium coverage foundation, it was lightweight and it actually did cover everything that I felt I needed covered. It was also buildable, so if I layered it on problem areas, let it dry, and then added another layer, those problem areas literally disappeared. After a week of use, however, I realised that this foundation was just too dark and I couldn't wear it without looking like I was trying to be orange. I feel like I still compare every foundation I try to this one, so if you can wear it, I highly recommend this. It just wasn't right for me. 

After this little mishap, I went to my local Sears where I was informed that the Cool Bone shade was the lightest, and I would not be able to use this line. I was colour matched there for Estee Lauder's Lucidity line, which I never actually got to try because they were out of stock in my shade. Instead, I was sold the Invisible Fluid line in 1N1, again the lightest shade available. 

Despite my love for the Double Wear line, I did not like this foundation at all. It was far too sheer for me and my skin problems. Wearing this foundation literally looked like I was wearing nothing on my face and for someone with so much redness and scarring, this is just not something that I want. It was like the sales rep didn't even listen to my concerns and sold me something that matched my skin tone. I wouldn't have even known if it was too dark or not, since it was that sheer. I may as well have left my house without even putting on a BB Cream. Needless to say, I returned this  foundation within the week and went elsewhere to find something that would actually work.

The next foundation that I was matched to was Lise Watier's Teint Mousse Mattifyant in Ivoire. 

The good news is, I did not return this foundation, the bad news is that I did not re-purchase it either. I would say that this is a light to medium coverage foundation. For some reason, my skin is much better in the summer than the winter. I don't question it, I just go with it, so a light to medium coverage mostly worked. I did wear a BB Cream beneath it, L'Oreal's, and the two together were satisfactory. I was told in store that this foundation was buildable, it was not. I was also told it matched perfectly, it did not, but it was very close- just a tad too dark (which is the story of my life). While I won't buy this again, as long as one goes in with their eyes open to it, I do recommend it for people with better skin than I have. It was lightweight and easy to apply, although I don't recommend using a brush; it just doesn't work.

It seems that after this many trials, I should have been able to find something that worked for me, this is not the case. In part two, I will discuss Lancome's  Teint Idole Ultra in 110 Ivoire C, Estee Lauder's Maximum Coverage Camouflage Makeup in Very Light and Bobbi Brown's Long Wear Even Finish Foundation in Porcelain. I'm hoping to try Kat Von D's Light 42 as soon as I can make it back down to Toronto since I still haven't found that perfect foundation. 

New Things!

I went on a trip this past weekend to Toronto to see Les Miserables and to visit my dad and ended up coming home with a bag full of makeup. I know I haven't updated too much lately due to a combination of frustration over foundations, my poor little sick kitty and business at work but I was so excited that I get to try all of these I just had to post about my loot bag!

My step mom's daughter in law works at a drugstore chain as a general manager in the beauty boutique and she'd just returned from a convention, I believe, when I ran into her at my dad's condo. She asked me if I needed anything and to be completely honest, I don't so I said so. She said she was still going to make me up a little gift bag because she had so much stuff lying around. I will never say no to free makeup, ever, so of course I thanked her and went on my way, since my dad wanted to show me around. When I got back, there was not a small gift bag, but this is what I found on the counter:

 I wish I had been able to thank her in person, but she and my step brother had already left for the mall. When I finally got back to my dad's, my step mom gave me even more. This is what I ended up with:

Currently, I am testing out the Korres Pomegranite Toner and the Cover FX Anti Aging Primer. I know that I'm only 27 but the wrinkles are coming! So far, the primer paired with my new Bobbi Brown foundation seems to be keeping those pesky fine lines at bay. I'm also using the Preven's Makeup Removing Wipes but I'm not overly fond of the smell since it's floral and I've never been a fan of those sickly sweet kind of scents. It's only been a couple days but so far the other two are working for me, will update if I realise otherwise.

Despite being given this pile of products, I still managed to spend about $150 at Sephora.

I got colour matched (again!) and picked up Bobbi Brown's Long Wear Even Finish foundation in Porcelain which is miraculously a shade down from the lightest, Alabaster. It seems to match me so far, but I have been fooled before; it doesn't quite have the coverage necessary, but I'm beginning to think that I need to take what I can get. Because of my friend M's blog here, I picked up Urban Decay's De-Slick Mattifying Powder and after three days of use, I'm in love~ I work 9 hour days and my makeup stays matte and dry all day. This has never ever happened before, not even with the Marcelle powder that I posted about previously. I am actually very happy despite the $38 price tag. I also picked up Kat Von D's Liquid Love Lipstick in Jeffree since I don't have anything that bright pink colour and Urban Decay's Lip Junkie in Naked since I got a sample sized one and loved it. I've used the MAKE UP FOR EVER Sens'eyes before and it's fine, so I picked up another small one to replace the one I'd used up.

Hopefully things have calmed down enough on the home front that I can continue to work on my epic foundation post and get that up soon. I've been on a search since May, so hopefully it will be very informative. I look forward to being able to post about the rest of these products soon!

Swatch Test: Urban Decay Ammo Palette

After a request from M when she heard that I ordered it, here is a post dedicated to Urban Decay's Ammo palette. I really like most of this palette so far. The colours go on easily when wearing a primer and they blend with each other with little to no effort. Unfortunately, I find it basically impossible to blend these shadows with any other brand which I think is very strange but that aside, I do really like UD eye shadows.

One thing I like about this palette especially is that it has the shadow sin included. I've been dying to get my hands on this shadow since I first bought the primer and I love the two together. Blending sin in with a darker neutral colour like smog (also in this palette) makes for a great work appropriate look for the day. The palette also features shadows like last call and grifter which are fun and interesting for an after hours look.

Anyway, without any further delay, here is the palette:

In general, I prefer shimmery shadows and not sparkly ones. I have another sparkly UD shadow and I find that it gets glitter everywhere which is incredibly annoying. That being said, I doubt I'll ever actually use oil slick or maui wowie. For reference's sake, I took a picture of my really pale arm so that you can see exactly what the colours are in the swatch test. 

The shades go as follows on my arm:

smog

mildew

oil slick

last call

chopper

maui wowie

shattered

polyester bride (which you can just barely see because I really am that white)

grifter

sin

Obviously these shades will turn out differently with a primer and on different skin tones. But there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, Urban Decay's Ammo Palette.

A Little Spot of my Own

So, after many weeks of absence, I have returned! I won't go into detail about where I've been (computer trouble, phone trouble, illness, etc) but I will say that I have something to talk about today! I find that having a safe, comfortable place to put on my makeup is essential for my daily routine. I always look me best when I have the luxury of taking my time and sit down and really look at everything that I have. Seeing it all is really important because I have about ten or so eye shadow palettes that all have very different colour combinations and sometimes I forget about one or two of them if I can't see them.

Months and months ago, my sister posted an interesting blog post on my facebook wall with a wonderful solution to a rack that sits over top of my toilet and didn't have the room I needed for all of my makeup. Ms Tapioca posted this way back in 2011 and do I ever wish that I had seen it before then! Now that I have, I have created a very similar spot for myself in my hallway of all places.

Here are some pictures of it:

Instead of purchasing the pull out trays, I just put all of my palettes there. I'm more of a fan of palettes than single shades since I like having variety of colours to choose from depending on my mood. I found the plastic lip stick holders at the dollar store of all places and they were unfortunately gone when I went back for more. It's a good thing that I bought two, since those things are insanely useful for placing small, sample sized products, lip glosses and my primer. I also like the larger plastic container because underneath the area where my mascaras and brushes are I can keep spare products for easy access when I run out of something already displayed. (As you can see, my eye primer is certainly almost done and I have a spare hidden nearby so that I don't have to leave my little spot to get more mid-application.) I have also put a small garbage can beneath the shelf for easy disposal. 

Now the only thing I'm missing is a mirror and maybe an extra light so that I can apply my colour matching BB cream there instead of the washroom, where I have four bright vanity lights. So far, I love this vanity and I really especially love that all my makeup is safe. There have been some definite mishaps with it falling off shelves (into the back of the toilet) lately and I am really not looking to replace something that was in perfectly good working order before being dropped or something. I highly recommend this design and would like to thank Ms Tapioca for sharing her idea!