It only took me two months to try out the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Poreless Finish HD Micro-Powder in Translucent ($24 at Ulta), but I've realized that this may be the first loose powder that I finish up.
Showing posts with label setting powder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label setting powder. Show all posts
Haul| Ulta ft. BECCA, IT Cosmetics, Urban Decay, NYX, etc...
Although I sample and test base products like crazy for this blog, I rely on a very small capsule sample of products to get me through the day to day. I finally had a chance to redeem some Ulta reward points and went HAM with these selections.
I wasn't swayed by the Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation ($44) at first with its paltry shade range and the huge promotion that went along with its launch. People were complaining of GLITTER?! No thanks. However, many companies have really stepped up their game for new serum foundations and...I had to try. I picked up shade Light which seems ORANGE in bottle but blends out to be a nice and yellow NC25.
I actually trial-ed it with a sample first and when it held up a dewy finish for hours with a flawless natural finish...I was sold. I'll be testing it out for a while before posting an in depth review. So far? Magic. It reminds me of the MAC Waterweight foundation with a glowier finish, so you won't *need* both. There's no GLITTER, but you'll look shimmery in full daylight if you don't set it down with a matte powder.
I also repurchased the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder ($34) in Medium Light which matches their foundation range from 2.0 to 4.0. This stuff is THE most finely milled powder I've tried that sets everything to matte perfection without caking up or looking like powder on the skin. It's a little drying for truly dry skin types, but with my skin hovering at normal/combination...it's perfection.
Finally, for base envy, I had to try the ever-raved It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer ($24) in Neutral Medium. I was afraid of its thick consistency before, but it's so kind to fine lines and dry skin and seems to form a film just on top of your undereyes and provides MEGA MAX coverage. Neutral medium seems to be NW20-25. You need less than a dot of product under each eye and I find that blending with fingers gives the best coverage.
Since Ulta had a BOGOhalf off deal for NYX Cosmetics...I needed to pick up their Vivid Brights Eye Liner ($7.99) in Vivid Fire (red) and Vivid halo (yellow). These are incredibly pigmented for their price and last well on the eyes if you work in thin layers. Don't layer as they will flake!
And a cheap thrill? TonyMoly Banana Milk Hand Cream ($9.99). Kitschy? Sure. It smells like banana runts and actually moisturizes my hands.
I'm content and complete for now. My newly returned combination skins loves the set up and I couldn't be happier with my current base routine.
xo Be
Review| Too Faced Primed and Poreless Pressed Powder
I've been completely loyal to my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light for a very long time, but the heat of summer and my pore size said it was time to find another setting powder to add to my collection.
I honestly don't have many. On most days, I either forego setting powder altogether or dab only a bit onto my t-zone. The rest can be chalked up as "dewy skin."
However, I've heard many raves for the Too Faced Primed and Poreless Setting Powder ($30). They do have a loose version, but I hate dust being kicked up all over my vanity in the morning. It boasts to make your skin look "HD" meaning airbrushed: no pores, fine lines, oil seepage, or generally human skin qualities showing through once you place this down.
Mattifying? I guess. It keeps my slightly oily t-zone matte for most of the day and requires a touch up in 4-5 hours. However, it does do the job without looking cakey and smooths out my pores and fine lines as promised. I can layer it on top of any base product and it will not bunch up on my skin.
The product itself is translucent, but if you have a very deep skin tone it may be too ashy and chalky.
The puff included is also really cute and handy for touch-ups. I find that my standard fluffy powder brush can pick up too much product, so I use something delicate like the Wayne Goss 02 brush to pick up just a bit of product and press it into my pores to blur them. I then sweep the remaining product onto my forehead, under the nose, and chin.
Overall, it's a good one to keep at your work desk or in your bag for touch-ups. I think the best part about this powder is how natural it looks. It doesn't accentuate any of my dry spots.
xo Be
Review| Wet n Wild Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana
If you have dry skin and are looking for a great setting powder that isn't Guerlain, NARS, or some other high end fancy pants branded product...look no further than the drugstore.
The Wet n Wild Coloricon Bronzer SPF15 in Reserve Your Cabana (around $5) is not a bronzer unless you're pale as a sheet. Even then, I doubt it would work as a bronzer because this shiz is subtly shimmery....
For the price you get a huge pan! There's no mirror, so I depotted mine into my own z-palette because the packaging looks horrendous on my vanity.
So fat. I love it.
Sure, it COULD work as a subtle highlighter as well if you like the Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Glow's highlighter shade or the Kevyn Aucoin highlighting powder in Candlelight (swatched below.) WnW's "bronzer" is along the same vein. I myself have intensely dry skin that won't produce oil unless it reaches a 100 degrees outside and 99% humidity in the air. So, it works beautifully as a setting powder from NC20 to NC40. I think very tan to deep skin tones will find this too ashy/chalky to work.
This is indoor lighting. My wrist looks to be at NC30 here.
This is flash photography. It has less luminosity as the other two designated highlighters, but is more *stark* white.
Here it is in natural outdoor sunlight. You can't see any visible particles of glitter, which is a huge plus if you're going to put it all over your face.
Seriously, these are the same thing as Guerlain Meteorites or Hourglass Ambient powders! It's cheap, effective, and sets my liquid base product without making me look flat.
xo Be
Review| Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder in Translucent
It looks very pink toned in the tub but with a light dusting it is translucent and doesn't add any color or coverage over my liquid foundation. I'm a fan of my Laura Mercier tub o' powder, but it can get a little too mattifying at times. Ever since moving to Northern Cali, my skin has been dry enough to forgo powder. However, foundation never holds up well in air conditioned office spaces and a powder is the best preventative step I take to stop liquids from breaking up on the skin.
The Coty Airspun has some great pros:
- Translucent and not pink toned.
- Can be layered without looking cakey.
- Lightweight and very finely milled.
- Lots of product for a low price ( I hear that some can find a tub for less than 4 bucks at certain drugstores!)
- Blurs fine lines and pores (but no effect on my deeper laugh line.)
- Works well with dry to normal skin.
But also some cons:
- Very strong fragrance. It smells like powdery roses and doesn't linger for more than 15 minutes, but I can see how many can be turned off by the scent.
- The tub does not have a screw-on lid and isn't friendly for touch ups or traveling.
- As with any loose powder, there is a lot of potential for messy powder residue on your vanity and work station.
- Useless puff is useless.
It creates this dreamy airbrushed effect that's very similar to the NARS Light Reflecting version but for a fraction of the price. The packaging also states that you can use this as a powder foundation. Somehow, without adding a pink tinge, it can be powdered over bare skin to hide redness and pores!
If you're on a budget and don't mind scented products this setting powder is a true workhorse. I believe they have colored versions of this powder, so I'm searching for a more yellow based and light coverage edition.
xo Be
Review| Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder
As a strictly impulse buy, Maybelline's Dream Wonder Powder couldn't live up to my high hopes.
That's not to say that it's a horrible product that oxidizes, cakes up, slides off, or anything absolutely horrible. However, it's no MUFE Pro Finish or even MAC Studio Fix powder.
Retailing for 8.99 at drugstores, the Dream Wonder was meant to replace Maybelline's famous Dream Matte powders (which I never found to be quite mattifying in the first place.) It does come in a somewhat large range of colors; I saw 12 in the display but it could just be two of each color. Maybelline claims that there's less talc in this powder, making it feel creamier and better on the skin.
The texture is indeed very creamy and the powder doesn't kick up too much when you swirl a brush into the pan. Maybelline doesn't state specifically that the Dream Wonder is meant to be a foundation powder or setting powder, but it gives me a light to medium coverage with a semi-matte/satin finish. When I layer it on top of foundation, it really doesn't cake up. The closest thing I can compare this to is MAC's MSFN, where it isn't exactly opaque nor sheer and you can use it alone or over liquid foundations.
If the color match wasn't too dark, it would work really well as a quick errands foundation powder. I picked up Sandy Beige expecting yellow tones for NC25-30 skin, but it's leaning towards NC35-40. Guess I'll have to wait until summer to use this. I've also heard a lot of complaints that the colors run way too dark, with some girls around NC25 using Classic Ivory. Um...no.
It comes with a mirror and sponge for on-the-go application. I absolutely hate the packaging on this product because of the cheap plastic parts and general clunkiness.
If the texture is creamy and the coverage isn't too much, what do I have to complain about? The lasting power is shiet.
With MAC MSFN, I can apply and expect the powder to stay around for about 4-5 hours without looking cakey or sliding off. With this powder, it seems to dissipate after 2 or 3 hours, leaving my complexion bare as if I had never applied a base product.
When I layer it on top of another foundation, it's nothing that blows my socks off. It's not mattifying enough to be used in the T-zone or glowy enough to be used as an overall finishing powder. If your skin is absolutely normal/perfect/ flawless and awesome in every possible way, you *could* get this just to brag about how little you can get away with. Otherwise, beware.
Xo, Be
Review| Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused and Dior Shimmer Star in Amber Diamond
As a dry-skinned gal in the winter (and fall, and some of spring...) I have no time for such nonsense as mattifying primers or setting powders. I prefer to over-moisturize and use a neutral foundation, rather than using a moisturizing foundation that can oil up around the sides of my nose or become patchy as the day wears on. My best bet is to use a long wearing foundation that holds another powder product whose main job is to illuminate the skin.
Hourglass powders are a hit or miss for many people, but they are a definite hit for me. Some people say they are like the emperor's new clothes; does absolutely nothing but at least it looks fancy and you feel good applying it right?? My first powder was Ethereal Light, which gave my skin a soft-focus look that was very dreamy. I picked up Diffused Light ($45 retail at Sephora) to use as a setting powder for foundations that like to stray or look too matte.
Then, in order to really highlight my cheekbones and bring about a warm bronzed glow, I chose Dior Shimmer Star (sounds like a stripper's roll on glitter...) in Amber Diamond ($45 retail at Sephora.) I was expecting a lot for its price point and it definitely delivered as well as UD Naked Flushed's highlighter or Benefit's Watts Up.
That is to say, it's very uniquely warm but doesn't blow anything else out of the water. I like the luxe packaging and texture of the powder. It isn't chunky, but it's very obvious. Applied with a brush, it gives a healthy sheen from talking distance but GLITTERS if you stand too close to me. I don't use it on my cupid's bow/nose bridge for this reason. Glittery nose. Yum.
You can see the Dior highlighter on top and the Diffused Light powder on the bottom. These are very heavily swatched twice so that they would show up.
Here is another view for you. The highlighter is very apparent without being gaudy imo, and the powder is nicely yellow. Seems like the warm girl's alternative to Dim Light.
They are both blended in here. If you apply the highlighter to such a large area (god bless your cheekbones) you can definitely see that it's almost bronzed. Meanwhile the setting powder dissolves into oblivion.
Look closely, however, and you will see that my skin on the Hourglass side is eerily smoother.
So there you have it, two products that can be workhorses for your winter season's parched skin. I wouldn't say that they are absolutely must-haves, but very fun splurges that could make your skin look "even better" even when you're hacking up a lung and sore all over.
I've just gotten over a bout of the flu (and the "man flu" after giving it to my dear baby husband) and don't feel great without perfecting my base every morning. I don't even feel the holiday season in full effect yet except for crazed nouveau riches shopping for presents at South Coast Plaza.
How's your holiday month going? I can't wait to get in the car and drive back to San Jose!
XO, Be
