Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: September 2016

Favorite Compact Powder Foundations

favorite compact loose powder foundation

Hey All! Today I’ll be reviewing about my top 3 Favorite Compact or Loose Powder Foundation which I’m currently using in conjunction with my favorite liquid foundations. 

These compacts are so good at absorbing oil from your skin and giving you that mattifying or slightly silky finish. Some of them come with Spf while one can be used wet or dry. I’ve repurchased a few of them simply because they’re so good, while a few are the ones I’m currently testing and loving. I must admit that I don’t have a lot of powder foundations given that I have an oily skin. I really should have, but my issue is, once I fell in love with one specific powder foundation, I tend to hoard them while forgetting to venture and try some other ones out there. I’m kind of a product/brand loyal once I’ve found the right or compatible product for my skin, and that’s because in the past, I’ve had issues with powder foundations looking cakey on me, plus I’m also loving the liquid matte foundations that’s been popular lately.

Powder Foundations are really great for the summer when your skin is prone to sweating and humidity, but I still think that you should go to where you’re most comfortable with and what works well for you. I like using liquid foundations during the cold months because my skin tends to be drier and liquid foundations give that extra moisture on my skin.

Anyways, you ready for my top 3?

 

 

mac mineralize loose powder foundation

MAC Mineralize Spf 15 Foundation/Loose (Medium Plus) : Had this for some time and is currently being discontinued by MAC. The closest product I could find is this. What I like a lot about this foundation is its overall packaging and formulation. I love mineral makeups, but my skin tends to break out with them. Yet this foundation is mild and it works really well in making my skin looking oil-free. I also love its quick easy to apply buff/sponge.

 

 

dolce gabbana perfect matte powder foundation review

Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Matte Powder Foundation (Warm 100) : L.O.V.E. I am totally crazy about this foundation. My absolute favorite and hands down one of the best powder foundations I’ve tried. I know a lot of people that swear by this and have repurchased this several times. What I like about it? There’s a lot to like about it for sure. Besides from creating a very natural look, it can be used wet or dry and it has such a fine and smooth formulation that mattifies my skin for several hours without any annoying scent and no breakouts later. My skin does not look completely flat like a flatbread, (LOL) but more silky or velvety.  I also love its gorgeous packaging and it comes with a nice sponge. I’ve repurchased this several times now because I’m afraid of D&G discontinuing this, plus this particular product tends to run out easily. Another great thing about this product is that the shade Warm 100 is really spot on my skin color. Just a few drawbacks though, first, the price. It’s $61, so better use it down to its last grain. And lastly, there’s no Spf. Might as well make good use of moisturizers and primers with sunblocking capabilities. I recommend Murad Oil-Control Mattifier and Smashbox Photofinish Primers since they both have SPF.

 

 

 

chanel le teint compact foundation review

 

Chanel Le Teint Ultra Tenue Ultrawear Flawless Compact Foundation Spf 15 (30 Beige) : A great all-in-one compact that answers to your oily skin issues. It produces a matte effect but it also has a natural and flawless finish. Extremely buildable and comes with a sponge applicator and with the typical yet subtle Chanel foundation scent, just like the Vitalumiere Aqua and the Perfection Lumiere Velvet. The shade 30 Beige is also a true match to my skin tone just like D&G Perfect Matte Foundation in Warm 100 reviewed above. Actually, these two powder foundations mentioned are almost neck and neck with each other. I can’t tell which one I preferred more. I just had this Chanel Le Teint Ultrawear Compact Foundation but I’m already liking its soft and well-refined formulation that is very very similar to D&G Perfect Matte Foundation as well. Plus it has an Spf 15 and it’s also $1 less.

 

As you can see in the swatches below, the shades from Chanel Le Teint Ultrawear Compact Foundation in 30 Beige and D&G Perfect Matte Foundations in Warm 100 are almost invisible on my NC30 skin. As with the most effective way of choosing your foundation, the shades should match and disappear on your skin tone quite well. 

 

favorite facial compact powder foundation skin swatch

 

Any recommendations for a good mattifying powder foundation? What are the ones you swear by?

 

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See yah!

 

 

Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 Review

murad mattifier oil in control spf 15 review

 

Howdy Friends!  In my quest for finding a great mattifying product in a sea of varying mattifiers out there, be it makeup or skin care, I stumbled into this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier with Spf 15. Actually, I’ve been so curious about this particular mattifying moisturizer because I’m a huge fan of Murad skincare, especially the Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum and the Murad Essential-C Cleanser. Murad products are one of those reliable skincare products that actually work, and the ones I usually rely on whenever I have skincare issues.

I have an oily and acne-prone skin which I’ve been trying to manage with some mattifying makeup foundations and oil-control blotting sheets, but lately, I’ve been experimenting on this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier Spf 15 to see if this moisturizer is going to help me even more in managing my skin. I don’t think I have the oiliest skin in the world, but it’s oily enough to bug me.

A lot of people seem to swear by this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier and I tested it against my normal oily-prone skin and also against my regular daily moisturizer for several days to see if this product actually works or would actually work better than the products I’m currently using in controlling oil.

I used the Neutrogena Shine-Control Blotting Sheets for this experiment and swiped them once on the oiliest part of my face which is the forehead down to my nose. As a baseline to show my skin’s oiliness, I swiped the oil-control blotting sheet on my forehead and nose right after washing my face, and as you can see below, there’s almost no oil blotted. Just so you know, this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier is meant to give your skin that mattifying effect for 8 hours. 

 

Here’s what I did and what I found:

 

 

 

 

neutrogena shine control blotting sheet

Day 1: Washed face and blotted with an oil-control sheet as a baseline for oiliness. No moisturizer or anything applied on the face thereafter. 7 hours later, I swiped the oil-control blotting sheet on my face.

Day 2: Washed face and applied my regular moisturizer on the face. 7 hours later, I swiped the oil-control sheet on my forehead and nose.

Day 3: Washed face and applied the Murad Oil-Control Mattifier on the face. 7 hours later, I swiped the oil-control blotting sheet on the oiliest part of my face.

 

testing murad oil control mattifier spf 15

 

As you can see above, this product works, but it didn’t completely obliterate the oil from my face. It just minimized or controlled it even after almost reaching 8 hours. What I noticed is that this particular moisturizer works best at the beginning of the application but as the 8th-hour approaches, my face looks quite oily already. If you have moderate oiliness on the face like me, I suggest that you may still need the help of mattifying powders or foundations plus oil-control blotting sheets to combat the oiliness along with this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier as a moisturizer. Until someone invents a cement face powder for my oily face, lol, I’ll be using and recommending this as a good oil-control product.

 

murad mattifier oil in control spf 15

Have you tried this already? What was your experience?

 

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YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-In-Stick Review (Part II)

Hello World! It’s officially Fall! time to get cozy because cold weather is coming 🙂 but no matter what the weather is going to be, let’s not all forget to put on some gorgeous lipsticks. Cold times call for nicely flushed lips, and who says you can’t rock a bold lip color on the fall? after all, we never really want this summer to be over, do we? course not!

Remember that “Sample of the Week” review that I did a couple of weeks ago? That said review was about a sample of YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipsticks and you can read it HERE. In that said review, I rave about those lipsticks and mentioned that I was planning to purchase them in larger sizes with a few colors I was eyeing in mind.

Well, here’s part 2 of that said review, or should I say, a continuation of my love for YSL Lipsticks. 

 

ysl rouge volupte shine oil in stick lipsticks review

 

These YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-In-Sticks are definitely a must-have. They’re light to medium coverage lipsticks wherein you may only need one (doubt it, LOL) and I’m pretty sure you’ll love it. These lipsticks are one of the most beautiful lipsticks I’ve ever tried, hands down. I love the packaging, love the hydrating formulation, the delicious scent, and most of all, I am in love with their pigmentation. There’s an excitement every time you apply one of these on your lips. I don’t know what it is, but they just make your lips look luscious and gorgeous. 

 

ysl saint laurent rouge volupte shine oil in stick review

 

Another best part of these lipsticks are the fact that there’s enough or even a lot of product in their tubes, so I always feel like I got my money’s worth. The shades that I purchased are extremely different from each other and I just love them all. I do think that most of the shades in this line are almost all on the bright side, like lots of neons, corals, pinks and nudes. They’re definitely more of a summertime lipstick, but don’t we all yearn for some color in the gloomy days? I do. 

 

ysl rouge volupte shine oil in stick swatches photos reviews

 

  • N 43 Rose Rive GaucheSmoky Rose. For my NC30 skin, this shade appears more like a nude coral-peach on me.
  • N 45 Rouge TuxedoCherry Red. Reviewed HERE
  • N 46 Orange PerfectoPoppy Coral. Such a perfect, gorgeous and fresh orange-coral shade that is very versatile specially for medium skin tones because it’s not too neon-like.
  • N 48 Smoking PlumJuicy Plum. My most favorite shade of all the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-In-Sticks because this shade complements my skin tone very well and my fairly pigmented lips. It has mauve hues that works really well on my lips, making it a “my lips but better” kinda vibe. Ya know the feeling…

 

ysl rouge volupte shine oil in stick lip swatches and review

 

 

Some people compared these lipsticks to Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo (reviewed HERE) in terms of coverage and formulation. Personally, I think these are way better in the sense that these lipsticks have a staining power compared to Chanel Stylo which almost doesn’t leave a trace, at least not on me. Though they both have extremely hydrating formulas, they differ quite slightly when it comes to coverage. These lipsticks may have slightly less coverage than Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo but you almost can’t tell the difference. The nice thing about the Rouge Coco Stylos are the fact that they don’t have any scent, which may be a better option for those who dislikes scents or tastes in their lipsticks.

 

ysl rouge volupte shine oil in stick 43 45 46 48

 

If you’re looking for these lipsticks in the store, be aware that they’re kinda tricky to find. Of course they’re all in the YSL beauty aisle, LOL obviously, but sometimes they get mixed up with the YSL Rouge Volupte Shines and the Rouge Voluptes. There’s a difference between the two, or three, yeah, read it HERE. Sephora usually mixes them together with the Volupte Shines, while YSL’s website really made a distinction of each line.

 

Anyways, hope you like this review, Happy Autumn! It’s raking time!

 

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