First Look| Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream in 530 Light Medium

 In the summertime I tend to oscillate wildly between loving ALL TEH BASE MAKEUPZ solid bulletproof coverage or  #Iwokeuplikedisnobasejustflawless sheer coverage. Base tends to glop up rather quickly in humidity for me and my skin turns into a true combination type when it gets hot.

Covergirl's Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation is a big drugstore hit in my book when it comes to lightweight demi-matte formulas, so I spared no time tracking down their newest Clean Matte BB Cream ($8.49 at drugstores). The only problem with Covergirl, and many other drugstore brands, is often the abysmal shade range and lack of olive undertones.

Somewhat fortunately, the Clean Matte BB comes in 6 shades from Fair to Deep and I chose Light Medium 530 for my NC30 skin. Covergirl's shade range is notoriously pink but Light Medium is a yellow leaning neutral beige that matches me. Light looks to be pink leaning and Medium is much too orange/golden for me. Although it's marketed as a "BB", there is no SPF or skincare benefits in this formula and you should rely on a separate product for sun protection.

I've swatched UD Naked Skin Foundation in 4.0 (most olive), MAC Waterweight in NC30 (most peach), Covergirl Matte BB in 530 Light/Medium, and L'oreal Pro Glow in 205. I think it's a neutral yellow. In direct sunlight, you can tell that it's more "grey" than my cool yellow neck.

This is outdoor lighting. 

Indoor lighting. 

Flash. 

Once again, Covergirl managed to impress me with a budget friendly base that offers great coverage and wears beautifully on the skin. The packaging is simple and sanitary and the product has no strong scent.

Coverage: This BB cream offers a solid medium coverage. It will hide redness and slightly pigmented spots, but a concealer is needed for blemishes. I find that I still need a bit of under eye concealer after one coat, but this BB can also be built up in thin layers. I use about 2 pea size dots for the entire face.

Wear: I choose to set this BB down for maximum wear time, but I've worn it alone for 5 hours of perfect wear and slight oil breakthrough on my t-zone at the 8 hour mark. It's really perfect for running errands, more natural skin days, or anytime you don't want to worry about your skin looking *too* perfected. I find it to be very similar to the RSG foundation, but Light-Medium is decidedly more yellow than the shades from that range.

Finish: The demi-matte finish can look flat on the drier parts of my skin, but it doesn't cake up or bunch into fine lines, textural issues, or pores. You can let change it to a "satin" finish by letting your natural oils peek through, not setting the product, and/or mixing it with a liquid luminizer or lotion. I prefer to wear an iridescent blush with this base to add some life back into my skin.

Here's a freshly applied layer.

Clean Matte BB won't be a great hit for dry skin types this summer, but anyone from normal to oily will find it agreeable. I personally find myself reaching for it on a daily basis! It performs like a mid-range foundation with a wallet friendly price tag.

xo Be

Review| Hourglass Illusion Skin Tint

Hourglass Illusion Hyaluronic Skin Tint ($55) is currently my HG foundation. 

I match to Nude for NC25-30 and Warm Ivory for NC20-25. Nude is more peach toned and Warm Ivory is a cool yellow. 

It's not really a "tint" but a medium to full coverage foundation that's nice to dry, dehydrated, and mature skin. The bonus SPF 15 makes it a good "slap n' go" foundation for winter mornings. Most dry skin friendly foundations tend to fade and patch within hours but this one holds up in central heating and frigid 20 degree weather. Yes, it's on the pricey side. You'll only need half of a pea size to cover your entire face and I've used a sample jar for a full month (perhaps 1/5 of the full size).

It's not a liquid foundation and more similar to the BareMinerals Gel Rescue Cream or Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation in texture: thick and mousse-like but easy to blend. I really like applying it with fingers or a dense foundation brush. 

Although it's high in coverage it looks like dewy and healthy skin and you can always layer some setting powder on top like I do if you have an oilier t-zone. I don't find it settling into the sides of my nose or balling up with a moisturizer/sunscreen underneath. I wouldn't suggest layering it on top of itself since it may look *thick* on the skin. Overall, it's a lovely every day foundation that looks like natural skin. I ALWAYS get compliments on my skin (and beauty, duh *hair flip*) from both men and women when I wear it. 

Here are swatches in different sources of lighting: Hourglass Illusion Skin Tint, Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation in Light-Medium Sand, BareMinerals Gel Rescue Cream in Buttercream, D&G Lift Foundation in Caramel, IT Cosmetics CC Cream in Light. 

 I picked these base products to swatch since they are similar in effect on the skin or have a similar texture to the Skin Tint. The BM is a good dupe, but it doesn't last as well on the skin and can ball up if you apply too much. 

Lol, ignore the graphic puckered butthole inspiration that is the middle swatch. 

The HG Tint is also the lightest and most olive shade in this line up. I thought that the IT CC cream was olive since it matches me to a T but it looks the most neutral once swatched. Dafuq...

And here it is on the skin. It's literally the only thing I've been wearing since trying the sample. I always set my t-zone at the very least because it can get DEWY by mid-day. If I'm particularly active that day I'll blot the sides of my nose. 

This may be the first time I finish an entire tube of foundation without exasperation/desperation...

xo Be

First Look| BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream

When the BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream ($29) was first released, I poopoo'ed at the thought of it. What's another tinted moisturizer gonna do for me? I didn't see too many first impressions of the products, but I heard that it pilled and balled up on the face. Yuck...

Not to mention the marketing scheme was absolutely ridiculous. "It's a BB, CC, TM, magic elixir, apothecary brew, healing chakra crystal...all in one!!!" Erm, I'll pass.

But after trying it out for just a few days, I can already tell that I'll be making a dent in this 1.18 oz bottle. For some reason, I was imagining the packaging to be much bigger since it's shaped like a tube of body lotion, lulz.

Look at this deceptive ass packaging. 

Here are the claims. 

And ingredients....

I use Buttercream 03. It seems to match NC20-25. Ginger is my next step up at NC25-30 and I may purchase it for the summer since I've already fallen in love with the formula! The color match isn't "sheer", so you'll want to pick something with the correct undertone and close to your depth. 

Here's a shot in direct sunlight for comparison. It's very similar in tone and depth to the other foundations in my rotation at the moment. From left to right: MAC F&B in C2, Buxom Show Some Skin Foundation in Dim the Light, Smashbox CC Cream in Light, BM Gel Cream in Buttercream, ByTerry Cover Expert in 7, Bourjois HM Serum in 53.

The coverage is sheer to light. It does a great job of covering up my minor redness and faint broken capillaries, but dark red and angry zits need concealer. It also kindly covers some of the darkness underneath my eyes. I've never needed more than one pea sized glop for the entire face...half of a pinky nail is actually more than enough. I don't like layering it (there's foundation for coverage!) but it doesn't ball up.

It's *very* moisturizing. I don't have to use a moisturizer underneath, but I like using it on top of my Biore sunscreen for added sun protection. I think if I tried to layer this over a thick cream it would have the tendency to slip and break up on my face. However, used on its own or over a light moisturizer it holds on very well and lasts through an entire work day, with minimal fading by 6 hours and mostly gone by 10. It doesn't accentuate dry spots or flakes too badly, and it seems to glide over my laugh lines and fine lines. However, I don't see it hiding my pores (they're not accentuated, just still slightly obvious.)

Here is the exact same face in two slightly different lighting conditions: warm indoor lighting and indirect sunlight. 

Blurred pores and no visible redness, nice. 

In the direct sunlight shot, you can see that my skin  has a great luminescence that can't be recreated with powder products, no matter how hard I try. It helps that I've set this down with MAC MSFN in Light and used Maybelline Master Concealer in Light right under the eyes and on top of my bug bite. 

Overall, what makes me prize it above other base products is how kind it is to very dry skin. It's obviously not made for combo to oily skin, but normal skinned gals can set it with a powder and expect good wear time out of it. It's also very natural looking and hard to detect as makeup on the skin. It's a one step wonder (as advertised, waddayaknow) that evens out minor redness and slight spottiness: perfect for the beach, saving time in the morning, and very good skin days.

If you have doubts about the product's "worth" compared to its price, I think you should really question your existence as a dry skinned person, ask yourself if you need coverage, and then shell out the moolah! (P.S., $29 per 1.18 fl oz works out to be $24.60 per standard 1 fl oz.)

xo Be