Edit| Dewy, Radiant, Luminous Foundations on Rotation (IT Cosmetics, Dior, Benefit, L'oreal, and Bourjois)

You know these foundations are heavily abused and loved when you can see fingerprints and smudges ERRWHERE on the packaging. My apologies.

I've been testing these five out for the past month or so, making sure to understand each one's nuances and unique traits. Have you noticed that none of them are matte finishes? I'm back on the dewy "this is really my skin no really" bandwagon. Each have their own pros and cons, but all give off a radiant "glow from within" and all that jazz. Of course, some of them venture on the greasy side if not set properly with a powder, but more on that later. 

From left to right: IT Cosmetics CC Cream in Medium, Dior Diorskin Nude in 31 Sand, Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in Petal, L'oreal True Match Lumi in W3 Nude Beige, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 53 Light Beige.

You may have seen these swatches before in earlier posts, but I want to include them for reference in case you are close to my shade range (NC30 to NC35.) My skin type is currently dry to normal, with some flakes on the nose depending on the humidity. I need all the help I can get to make my skin less dull and lifeless. 

Let me just do the dirty work for you and break it down by "best of":

1. Best shade match: Hands down Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in Petal is the most yellow toned foundation I've ever seen at a mass retailer besides MAC. Since it's so yellow, I can see myself getting away with it when I'm lighter or darker. 

2. Best wear time: Between Diorskin Nude and IT Cosmetics CC cream, I can go for 12 hour days and run errands in blazing hot weather without sweating my face off. Both look flawless even after a long day and multiple blottings. 

3. Best value: Those who want a dewy and luminous foundation without breaking the bank can try L'oreal True Match Lumi. It looks peachy in swatches but alright on my face, and the formula performs well for its price.

4. Best coverage: The IT Cosmetics CC cream is actually a full coverage foundation (deceptive name, right?) and can cover up all of my dark circles, hyper-pigmentation, and broken capillaries with one layer. 

5. Best finish: All of these give off a dewy and luminous finish, but Diorskin Nude actually veers more on the natural/satin side, making it look less "natural" but definitely more polished as a base. I wouldn't call it nude, but it has the least chance of looking greasy on the face or transferring onto your clothes. 

Poor Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, I didn't give it enough love from what you can see. It's a decent foundation, but in no way better than the original Healthy Mix formulation. It's very sheer coverage in a portable bottle, making it the perfect foundation to slap on when you're in a hurry and don't care to cover up your flaws. 

That's all for now, I'm expecting this trend to continue indefnitely as long as I live in San Jose as the dry weather makes my skin react badly to heavier foundations. We will see, though, as I'm always fickle and wanting to experiment with different finishes and textures. 

xo Be

First Look| Obligatory Drugstore Haul

It starts with one YT video. You're thinking to yourself, wow this girl has a keen eye for new products! Wait a week. By this time everyone and their mother has hauled the exact same thing, perhaps in varying quantity. Then you think to yourself, "Hey...are you sponsored?"

No, I'm not sponsored. I took it upon myself to find these new products just to offer an opinion on them, not that anyone cares. Also, I get giddy hauling drugstore products just because the feeling of ripping apart plastic from paper is magical.

Revlon has reissued their Photoready Skinlight Face Illuminators ($10.99 retail) in four shades. Due to undertone conflict of interest, I went with Bare Light for every day and Bronze Light for every day in the summer. They aren't as refined in glitter (is glitter ever refined?) as my Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, but they do just as well under foundation. Best bet with these is to use them sparingly and on high points of your face.

I also found the last of two Colorburst Matte Balms ($8.99 retail) in Shameless. This has been out for quite a while and the hype was definitely real. It looks great on any skin tone and is vampy without looking gothic. I like the minty smell and its lasting power.

L'oreal has a line of colored gloss (surprise) that has very fancy names like "101 Rose Melody" and other music/dance related things. Technically, they're called Color Riche Extraordinaire Liquid Lipsticks. They are very pigmented, feel glossy on the lips, but don't last very well either. For 9.99 retail, they aren't the cheapest either. They do smell good, like a faint artificial fruit/cherry, but I wouldn't purchase another.

They also have a new concealer out, Visible Lift CC Eye Concealer ($9.99 retail). I'm not sure how "CC" snuck itself into the name, but I picked up "Light" which seemed reasonably yellow-toned. The coverage is minimal, but it does redeem itself with a cooling rollerball. Probably best for when you need "CC" coverage.

Maybelline Volum' Express One by One mascara ($7.99 retail) is one I've never heard of even though I'm sure it's been on the market for quite some time. A few of my old drugstore mascaras had dried out and since my lashes are looking great with Latisse, I figure something that defines and separates will do just fine with them. The bristles on this one promises to never clump the formula. Interesting...

Finally, the very anticipated Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer ($6.99 retail) aptly labeled "for use by adults only", because I very much wanted my baby to have baby skin. What the hell. Upon application it feels very silicone-y and slippery, almost greasy. It takes 10 seconds to set and blurred my skin well. I'll have to do a comparison with Benefit's Porefessional for you.

How's your new year going? Any resolutions you've already broken?

XO, Be

Favorites| October 2013

I seem to have quite a lot of high street favorites for this past month. Yet another month gone! The Sephora VIB sale is coming up soon, and since I have a quite a few items on my wishlist, my last month has had to be scrimp and save. I've been scrounging the drugstore for dupes, and I've found quite a lot of great things!

Clockwise: Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Nude, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 53, Flower Beauty Zoom-In Ultimate Mascara, Urban Decay Cannonball mascara, Sephora Microsmooth Foundation Face Powder in Medium Beige, NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee, L'oreal Infallible Shadow in Amber Rush, MAC blush in Immortal Flower. 

The highlighting concealer works very well for hiding slight dark circles (insomnia is amazing) and brightening the face in general. I've never tried YSL's Touche Eclat pen, but I think this is as close as it gets for 1/1000th of the price. I've heard of some people complaining that it doesn't last, but I set with a translucent powder.

The Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation is definitely a great find for highstreet. Now I see why there's a cult centered around Bourjois products. This foundation is moisturizing, medium-coverage, and reminds me of MAC's Studio Sculpt for half of the price. It's a staple from now on for me.

You've seen my review for the Flower Beauty mascara, but in conjunction with UD's Cannonball, it's a match made in heaven. Long, long lashes that aren't crispy or flakey are yours to claim!

Ever since noticing that my MAC MSFN in Medium was a little too neutral/pink for my paler olive tone, I had to try to find a drugstore dupe. A lot of people claim that Rimmel's Stay Matte/Maybelline's Dream Matte powders are dupes. THEY ARE NOT. MSFN is a finishing powder with sheer coverage for drier skin types and gives a luminosity. It doesn't control oil. I asked around, and Sephora's knock-off is supposed to be the exact dupe for 8 bucks less ($22 retail.) I really enjoy it and it's yellow/glowy enough for me. 

NYX Butter Gloss in Creme brulee is so moisturizing for a gloss and the nude-y color makes it easy to layer over any lipstick. It's definitely a cult favorite for a reason. Amber Rush is also one of those staples that I can rub onto my lids and leave alone, and it still looks dimensional and worked on.

Finally, MAC's Immortal Flower is limited edition (I found mine on Ebay) and I believe it's the dupe I've been looking for. It's a light apricot with a tinge of pink and comes in a satin finish. I've been abusing this the entire month, even though I'm not quite sure if it's authentic or not. Whatevs, I love the color. 

That's all for today, I have to show you a few new things I've gotten at Sephora this past week. I've discovered that Downtown Disney's Sephora is literally 10 minutes away and parking is free. Woohoo!

Be

Collection and Haul| Fall Essentials

Ah, fall. The time for mattes, berries, and vampy makeup to saturate the blogging world and make every post several berry lipstick collection videos a day. Here are a few of my picks for this fall season. L.A. has a very mild autumn that I'm in love with! It's not searing through my bones cold like NorCal, or wet and rainy like San Diego. Instead, there's a gloom over the skies that makes the temperature colder rather than too windy, wet, or freezing. Nice.

I did pick up several new things in time for the fall as my punchy bright lipsticks, blushes (also read: bronzers), and perfumes have gone back into their cryogenic chambers until next year. Darker, moodier, and sparklier colors are coming out to play. Also gone is the mattifying powder, as my skin is going back to its dry tendencies.

Lipsticks: My berry lip picks are a little different and hardly mentioned. YSL's Rouge Volupte in #12 Forbidden Burgundy ($34.00) is the nouveau riche pick for opaque, head turning color without the harlot label. Also, Thanksgiving is a time of eating, not lipstick touch ups! Maybelline's 410 Blissful Berry ($7.98) is a sheer one that won't be requiring any touchups since it leaves your lips with a stain all day. 

Eyeshadows: I hauled three new eyeshadow singles just for fall! My first eyeshadow pick for fall would be Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk ($6.99). I was originally never drawn to this color but decided that for the color months, perhaps a garnet on the eyes wouldn't be too harsh. It's a very creamy formula that leans almost toward a cool brown/taupe rather than full on red or purple entirely. 

Another two that are great are L'oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in 997 Eternal Sunshine and 556 Smoldering Plum ($7.98). The formulation is AMAZING and so buttery soft. While not as opaque as UD's Half Baked, Eternal Sunshine is great as an inner corner highlight as a soft gold that isn't yellow. Smoldering Plum does need some expertise to work into the crease, as a muddy/dark/sparkly eye is never attractive. 

From top to bottom: Smoldering Plum, Pomegranate Punk, Blissful Berry, Forbidden Burgundy, Eternal Sunshine, Warm Soul, MSFN Medium.

Blush: I've tucked away my bright Tarte blushes and peaches for now and hauled MAC's Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul ($25.00) for the colder months. With such bold eye and lip looks, it's better to pull the attention away from blush. I still want something that adds color but doesn't draw attention. With just a touch of glimmer, Warm Soul is a winner in my book for any season. 

Powder: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium ($35.00) has replaced my Rimmel Stay Matte for the colder months. I no longer need oil control, and this powder (while rather ashy as a swatch) gives a great sheen and brightens my face while it sets my liquid foundation.

Perfume: It's time to break out the maneater perfumes with heavy white florals and warm musks lingering on the low neckline of your slinky black dress. I'm a huge fan of oriental perfumes in the winter (and night-time), and Dior's Hypnotic Poison ($75 for 1.7 oz) always does the trick. Sephora says its notes are "Bitter Almond, Caraway Spice, Sambac Jasmine, Cinnamon, Tuberose, Vanilla, Musk, Mosses, Jucarunda Wood." I say, not sure what "jucarunda root" is, but it sure smells like root beer upon first splash. I love root beer, so that's not a problem. After a few minutes it mellows down into a very sexy scent perfect for holiday office parties. It's not overwhelming, but more than one spritz is asking for trouble since it lasts so long on the skin.

That's all for tonight, hope you enjoyed seeing my fall star players. I'll probably be the girl rockin' crazy vampy lips even to the grocery store, but I feel bashful with dark eyeshadows. Holiday season isn't quite here yet, but once winter comes, you'll definitely be seeing my dark reds come out to play. 

Have a great weekend!

Be