Review| Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation

I'm so obsessed with base products that I can literally get anxious about matching my foundation when the weather starts to change. Why? 

Cold and dry air + Lack of sun = Very miserable Be with lots of dry patches, flakes, bumpy skin, and terribly chapped lips. Not to mention I become deathly pale (ok like NC20 but still) and my olive undertones  make me look like Lord Voldemort.

Humidity in the air + Lots of sun = I'm sweating buckets in an air conditioned room, my foundation looks like it's melting, I'm tanner than leather and I have to blot every three seconds. My skin rarely burns but instead tans like crazy. I can go from NC30 to NC40 in a single day trip to the park.

But y'know what, Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation ($34) has been a good friend through sun and rain. 

I actually picked this up because I knew that when I moved back to San Jose I would be maintaining my skin tone or even get lighter. My skin gets drier, so I wanted a dewy finish foundation that would help me maintain a glow. My mom uses this on a daily basis since it has SPF 25 but she has oily skin, so I was curious to know if it could survive the seasons. 

Out of the measly 8 colors on display, I swatched Petal and Champagne. The latter seemed to be a smidge more orange but also paler. I guestimated Petal to be around NC25 since it is the second lightest color they had.

Strangely when I went home to swatch it on my face, it was so incredibly yellow that it seemed to mask my super pale face and match more to my neck. It didn't look incredibly off with my chest area either! WTH WITCHCRAFT. 

This foundation has risen to the place of my "daily" foundation, replacing my Smashbox CC cream. Everything about it is "just good, not great", but somehow I'm compelled to reach for it every morning.

I think that its strong yellow tones can stretch it from NC25 to NC35 easily. Even if I get a little sun or hide in my troll cave, it still works. I don't know how and I don't know why but me likey...

It has SPF25 which is a good bonus to my moisturizer with SPF30 and I think it's lightweight on the skin for light to medium (buildable) coverage. You can still see some of my darkest broken caps, but any redness or uneven skin tone is covered. It's good for when you want to look polished but not made up. 

Right now I like its ultra-dewy finish, so I leave it alone and only powder my T-zone. It looks super healthy and glowy so no need for highlighter afterwards. There is still a dimension to my face with this foundation. If I don't wanna do the dew I simply set with a mattifying powder which also prolongs the wear time.

It's a little on the runny side and I don't like how it gets the white pump dirty so quickly, but I find application with a buffing brush to be the best idea. It lasts for a decent 6 hours and doesn't look like I've dipped my face in bacon grease at the end of the day. It simply fades away slowly and evenly around the face. There isn't any caking around the nose or settling into my lines either. In fact, it hides my laugh line!

This is one coat of the foundation over Smashbox Hydrating Primer and set with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused.

I know, it sounds like I'm selling it for more than it is. The biggest weakness of Hello Flawless is that it's not flawless, not by a long shot. I still need additional concealer and wish the lasting power was longer. Not to mention, I feel like the drugstore dupe (Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation) is just as good for half the price, with better coverage!

 I think that once the dead of winter draws nigh, I'll be clutching onto this foundation for dear life. For now, the extra powdering and concealing will have to do. 

xo Be

Collection: Powder Foundations

Hey all!
For the past two months my powder collection has been steadily growing while my liquid foundation pile remains stagnant. Why? Blame it on the heat and general summer attitude. I have plenty of time in the world during the summer to apply makeup, but I don't want anything sliding or melting off my face two hours into the sun.

While I do have some setting powders (all are drugstore), I have been hauling in new MAC powders as well as some from Sephora. I'll give you a brief rundown of the mid-range powder foundations I have in my collection right now.

Warning! This post is picture heavy! Continue below to see just how much of a hoarder I've become...

Above is Benefit's Hello Flawless powder in "Petal."
Shade NC20-25

Pros:
- Very easy application with brush. Looks absolutely beautiful with a good moisturizer.
- Natural coverage or spot application. Very natural coverage.
- Yellow toned.

Cons:
- Price $35 for a very small amount in pan. Absolutely useless brush included for your convenience.
- Will kick up like any other powder. Be gentle!

Above is Makeup Forever's Pro Finish in 127 "Golden Sand."
Shade NC30-NC35

Pros:
- Can be used wet or dry, wonderful color match for my Asian skin tone.
- Nice finish, okay oil control for my t-zone
- Finely milled.
- Includes compact and sponge in separate compartment.

Cons:
- May be expensive for some at $36 dollars.
- Case is not sturdy for jostling handbags and won't protect against errant hooligan knick-knacks in your bag. Powder can come loose.

MAC's Studio Fix in C5.
Shade: NC40 equivalent, more yellow

Pros:
- Very long lasting and excellent oil control properties, enough to quell any evil thoughts from grease monkeys.
- Compact is iconic. Cult favorite product for many MAC users.
- Shade is very yellow toned in comparison to the orange-y NC shades (meaning if you are a special color, you can find your color match with studio fix.)

Cons:
- Cake face extraordinaire! Make sure you use a brush and spot conceal and not just apply this on wet unless you're trying out for King Lear.
- Powdery look, but can be solved with Fix+ and light application.
- Color still not right for me right now, but will be during the middle of summer.
- Some people have complained of breakouts. Wash your face correctly or check the ingredients for allergens.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light Plus, Medium, Medium Plus
Light Plus: NC20-NC25
Medium: NC/NW 25-30
Medium Plus: NC 30-NC 40
Here is my ultimate favorite HG powder. You know I like something when I hoard it in three shades "just in case" to encompass every seasonal change to my skin tone. Sad.

Pros:
- Can be used as powder foundation or setting powder depending on application.
- Beautiful luminous glow to the skin after a few hours of wear.
- Very long lasting for a powder. Doesn't transfer.
- Forgiving shade range due to sheer coverage.

Cons:
- Low to no oil control. Great for dry skinned gals in this respect.
- Awful shade range if you're very very yellow. (Light plus or Medium Dark are your only options and they can be too light or too dark for you.)
- Flashback. I generally avoid getting pictures taken, so this is not a problem for me.
- No mirror for touch-ups. Again, I do not touch up with this powder and use it mainly as a very natural powder foundation.


So, that is all of the powder foundations that I currently have and covet. I've done a lot of research on these powders and they all look very fantastic, require little time and effort, and last throughout the day. I actually manage to look like a "natural" beauty with these powders as they are not noticeably "make-up", powdery, or cakey on the face.

Let me know your experiences with powder foundations and whether you like powder or liquid!
-Be