Review| NARS Radiant Creamy Compact Foundation in Stromboli

My lemming has been fed, nothing to see here people. Just another wonderful product that deserves all of the surrounding hype: the NARS Radiant Creamy Compact Foundation ($38 retail for the powder and puff, $10 for the compact itself).

Francois you so fancy but can't afford to give us the compact for free? The baby cream foundation case snaps its tiny little body into a momma case which includes a big mirror and perforated (aerated?) side for the puff to breathe. The outer shell is made of the same rubberized material as all other NARS compacts. Because cream foundations are more sensitive to air, the cream pan has a lid within itself. Pan-ception.

The little amount of product for the price is sort of a boon, but if you are like me and never go through foundations quick enough, you may find that it's the perfect size for a month or two's worth of use. By that time you will have gone up a shade lighter and ready to repurchase a baby pan.

The foundation claims to be very lightweight on the skin but provide excellent (read: medium to full coverage) depending on method of application. The sponge gives very thick coverage, but an application with fingers is the best way to apply this cream. Not very sanitary, but it does help melt the cream into your skin better than any synthetic brush. I found the coverage to be true to its claims all the while feeling as light as a powder foundation. Amazing! No cake batter to lick from the spoon here.

You don't get very much product in the pan, but there is a huge selection of colors (22!) to choose from that is very similar to the coloring system of their Sheer Glow line. I am also a perfect match in Stromboli for this foundation. It is the most olive toned medium shade out of Punjab, Santa Fe, and other medium tones that have too much orange or neutral undertone. I also picked up Ceylan (around a MAC NC25 equivalent) for the upcoming fall and winter season. I think that even very light or very dark skinned girls will have no problem finding a close or exact match. The cream formulation gives my skin a satin finish with subtle luminosity. In fact, it looks very healthy and skin-like. I set with a powder on my T-zone and it lasts throughout the day.

I would have to say that its portability, ultra lightweight texture, performance par liquid foundation, and easy pairing with moisturizer or sunscreen makes this a new found favorite of mine. I love how I can easily touch up through out the day on trouble spots if needed.  It is easy to pick a level of coverage with this product, and I think dry to normal skinned gals will greatly appreciate this foundation.

Below are some photos and a swatch of my shade Stromboli (Medium 3):

The shades all look very deceptively dark in the pan but translate to much lighter once on the finger, so make sure you take your time to look at swatches online or in stores. Also, see how disgusting the sponge quickly gets if you use it? I would opt for your own BeautyBlender or tossing the sponge completely before you grow the next batch of biochemical weaponry.

Anyway, I hope you will give this expensive little sucker a try, it really is a game changer for foundation.

Be

Beauty Blab | Making Room for New Makeup

This past weekend has been moving hell. I won't get into details, but now I am finally settled into my new home in LA. My new room is loads bigger, but I hate how much clutter has built up over the past two years, especially when it comes to makeup. I've tossed out a bunch of things:

• Lip glosses. They've oozed out of their containers, gotten sticky and dated, or just have gone past their expiration date. I have at least four that may have reached radioactive radiation status.


• Old foundations. I have a bunch that don't match, aren't the right formulation, or is just plain OLD. Toss!


• Powders and blushers that I've outgrown. I'm talking sparkly disco balls, powders that I've had for over three years, and a drugstore mattifier that just doesn't work!

A few things I'm looking forward to trying this fall:

• NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation. I recently picked up NARS Sheer Glow in Stromboli and fell in love, and I want to know how this new compact measures up! The shade range is phenomenal, but I may have to wait until the season gets colder/drier before I test it out.  I also have to use up a few compact foundations I already have lying around! ($48 retail)


• Jouer's Creme Eyeshadow Crayon in Rococo and Baroque. As reviewed by Essiebutton and Rae from Raeviewer, these eyeshadow crayons seem to be a hyper pigmented and longer wearing version of Maybelline's Color Tattoo. Must try. ($24 retail)


• Pixi Glow Tonic. This is more for my mom than me. She has hyperpigmentation, uneven skin texture, and acne scarring issues to address. I've heard nothing but massively positive reviews about this. Now....where to find it...($ mystery price)


• Tom Ford's eyeshadow trio in She Wolf. Absolutely beautiful and overpriced. I feel like the $60 price tag can only be justified by how much use I can get out of it. I still have so many palettes that have not even been scratched at the surface, let alone hit pan!

My main goal, however, is to go on a no-buy for the rest of the month until I can find new employment in this strange and crazy new city. You can't ball with no budget after all. After seeing how much makeup I currently own cram into three plastic bins, I think my makeup binge is done for now. However, I won't say no to anything ground breaking. Fall 2013 collections have already started rolling out on department store shelves and I still have yet to visit the many malls currently surrounding my new home!

That's it for now. Let me know how often you go on a no-buy, or whether you use most of your makeup up before buying new products!

Be