Powder -Make Up For Ever - Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation
Ewabili 2/18/2013 11:44:00 PM
This is sort of a BB powder. The coverage is sheer to light. I wouldn't even try it wet because with the dry sponge the coverage you get is light, at best. Better than mineral powder: even on my dry skin it never looked powdery or chalky.The finish is pretty close to real skin if you don't over do it. I've tried it over a BB cream to pump up the finish and it looked great too. Pro finish is perfect if you are looking to improve relatively good skin, to use as a powder over a liquid foundation, or to keep in your purse for touch-ups and powdering your T-zone. I'm not repurchasing simply because I prefer a dewy finish and the compact I have will last me forever.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Giorgio Armani - Maestro Fusion Makeup
Ewabili 1/24/2013 8:59:00 PM
Be warned: this is a love or hate product. You'll love it: if your skin is oily to combination. If you don't have a lot to hide. If you want natural looking skin. If you like a matte finish (if you have dry skin). You'll hate it if : If you have dry skin (shows every tiny flake), if you want a dewy finish (powdery finish on dry skin). If your skin is not in great shape. If your skin is mature. Make sure you buy the closest color to your skin, because of the sheerness of the pigments, you cannot lighten patchiness or large hyper-pigmented areas just with this foundation.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Koh Gen Do - Moisture Foundation
Ewabili 1/24/2013 8:44:00 PM
Being a foundation fanatic I had to try this! If I can compare it to another foundation it's the new Armani Maestro foundation--but better. Armani's foundation is powdery and you can see the particles over discolored areas, Maifanshi's pigments are fine, and they disappear, they blur pores, even skintone. When I tell people I wear foundation they squint and are always impressed by the realistic finish. Yes, it's not high coverage, maybe medium max, and you will have to conceal (the Armani concealer goes great with this foundation) but what you pay for is the finish! If you want to improve the look of your skin and look natural this is the tops: no wonder it's a professional foundation.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -Maybelline - Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream
Ewabili 7/15/2012 8:49:00 PM
I love this BB cream, as the reviewers mention it's a sheer tinted moisturizer and it comes in 5 shades. The lightest one is perfect for my summer skin, but wouldn't cut it in the colder months, so i'll go back to my Nars tinted moisturizers. Looks very natural, very sheer coverage, dewy. The only thing that they should have invested money in is the SPF, the 30 mark is backed by 1.15% titanium dioxide (my Nars tinted moisturizer SPF 30 has 7.4 octinoxate and 6.1% titanium dioxide) which doesn't cut it. So if you plan on going into the sun put a sunscreen under this is not a replacement for sunscreen!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Christian Dior - DiorSkin Forever Extreme Wear Flawless Makeup SPF
Ewabili 4/4/2012 12:39:00 AM
I've been comparing this foundation to the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra, I even did the half-and-half-face and my conclusion is they are evenly matched for me. I tried these at the end of the winter, checked myself in my mirror outside, inside, it was hard to find any differences. They both have the same velvety-matte finish and both formulas have the new second-skin technology. The only danger with these long-lasting formulas is if you don't moisturize your skin well it might appear even more powdery and maybe even aging. I like the fact the Forever has SPF 25 which is better if you want to use it during the day and the perfume in it is less offensive than the Idole 24hr (which smelled very old lady-ish). Personally I prefer these types of formulas for special events and going out at night although they can look relatively natural during the day or if you prefer a more matte/polished finish.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Bourjois - 10hr Sleep Effect
Ewabili 4/4/2012 12:18:00 AM
The colour range is poor but it's totally worth investigating as it's one of the best foundations I've tried. I really love it and love the fact that it's so inexpensive. Healthy mix is amazing too. So the deal is Bourjois actually owns Chanel, so the formula is similar but sheerer than the Vitalumière Aqua and similar to the new Nars Pure Radiant Tinted moisturizer at half the price. It covers minor redness and pigmentation, it has a second skin finish and has vitamins to pick up tired skin. Love it!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Clarins - Ever matte
Ewabili 4/4/2012 12:08:00 AM
The Ever Matte foundation has been on testing rotation with foundations like Teint Idole Ultra and DiorSkin Forever. I don't have oily skin except for my forehead and nose which can get shiny in the summer months. At the moment my skin is in the normal to dry (depending on how cold it is outside). The finish of the Ever Matte foundation is very comparable with the other two long-lasting foundation, the real test will be this summer, so stay tuned.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Lancome - Teint Idole Ultra 24h
Ewabili 4/3/2012 11:45:00 PM
I've been comparing this foundation to the Diorskin Forever, I even did the half-and-half-face and my conclusion is they are evenly matched for me. Since they are offering a long-wear formula they both have a slightly powdery finish. I tried these at the end of the winter, checked myself in my mirror outside, inside, it was hard to find any differences. They both have the same velvety finish and both formulas have the new second-skin technology. The only danger with these long-lasting formulas is if you don't moisturize your skin well it might appear even more powdery and maybe even aging. Personally I prefer these types of formulas for special events and going out at night altough they can look relatively natural during the day too.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -NARS - Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer
Ewabili 4/3/2012 11:21:00 PM
Although Nars isn't marketing this TM as a BB cream it is a multi-tasker. There is some moisture in this (nothing to quench dry skin though) there are brightening agents, vitamins and sea extracts and compared to most Eastern BB creams on the market right now it comes in 9 shades. Being true to the Nars colour scale, it's pretty much on the yellowy side of the spectrum. I wear Siberia in Nars and found Finland a touch darker but since the coverage is light you don't have to match exactly. It offers much more coverage than a tinted moisturizer; it's more on par with Bourjois' After 10 Hours of Sleep foundation but lighter than Chanel's Vitalumière Aqua. I like the finish, it looks dewy and soft and virtually traceless, this won't mattify your skin so put a matifying serum or lotion on your t-zone if it's oily (try fresh Umbrian Clay serum). I've been wearing it for a month now with no issues.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Lancome - Teint Miracle
Ewabili 1/15/2011 12:10:00 AM
When I got this product it almost made me dump my NARS foundation. The coverage is medium, you can build it but you'll loose the bare skin effect, it's better just to use concealer on major problem areas. It has better coverage than Natureluxe (which is cheaper) comparable but not the same quality. Guerlain's Lingerie de Peau (20 $ more expensive) is harder to blend, dries faster, slightly more coverage and a more matte finish than Miracle. I personally think Teint Miracle foundation is exactly that -- a miracle!! It really gives you beautiful skin and looks very natural under all lighting conditions and also because It leaves your skin texture intact while it evens out skintone. You will see it up-close but it'll be the closest you'll get to having great natural looking skin. BTW if you have very pale skin there is a 2C shade but Sephora carries only the 4C. Teint Miracle is a great everyday foundation, it goes on really smooth and quick, you don't need fancy brushes to make it work and you can blend it in with your fingers. I have enlarged pores on the t-zone and on cheeks, near the nose and it doesn't settle into them (another miracle). It provides amazing coverage for something that is as light as cream lotion and the best part is that you don't need much; I use half a pump for the whole face. It melts into your skin but this is not a tinted moisturizer -- it's better-- this is what tinted moisturizers want to become when they grow up. P.S I got a European sample but the North-American version doesn't have any rose fragrance.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -NARS - Sheer Glow Foundation 
Ewabili 1/14/2011 10:54:00 PM
To date I've tried Mac Studio finish, CoverGirl Simply Ageless, Teint Miracle and CoverGirl Natureluxe and out of them all Nars is the most difficult and the most temperamental foundation I've used!!! You really have to be a makeup artist to use this one, or at least know all the tricks. If you're new to foundations and want to use Nars, you better read this!!! I got it in Siberia and it was the second foundation I've used in my life (started using foundation at age 33) right after Simply Ageless. I was really overdoing it because this is a really heavily pigmented foundation and it turned my face into a pale mask (even if the foundation matches my skin-tone). It's best yo use a light hand when applying it, I use my fingers I found the best way to do this is to dab very tiny smudges all over your face at regular intervals and then blend it in by patting them in by pushing lightly downward in a circular pattern. Then dab some more into problem areas. DO NOT SMEAR because it will look awful and it's so thick it will leave streaks (yes my fingerprints made streaks)! Even though there is nothing sheer about sheer glow it didn't break me out. The coverage is medium to heavy and quite good but make sure to contour, blush or use illuminating products to ad some colour modulation because the coverage is so good that it evens out skin into a flat same colour zone. If you have large pores avoid this one or don't use it in those areas because it will settle into anything too large, into heavy wrinkles or into the fine lines around the eyes. If you have dry skin, I suggest you moisturize it really, really well because this foundation will make any dry flake or patch stand out even if they are not noticeable (most high coverage foundation do this). I wasn't' about to throw out a 58$CAN foundation, so I upped my moisturizing with Pangea Organics oil in my moisturizer and this did the trick, better than any primer that I tried before intensifying my moisturizing. I use it with Teint Miracle, I put Teint miracle into the pore enlarged T-Zone area and NARS everywhere else and on acne scars or problem areas. I chose the Teint Miracle foundation a tad darker so I avoid that even coloured mask feeling. I'm kinda confused because at 58$ this is not a "young" price-point and I'm pretty sure that this foundation works really well on young, fresh and already good skin.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Cover Girl - Natureluxe Liquid Silk Foundation
Ewabili 1/14/2011 10:02:00 PM
I got a sample in alabaster which is one of the two the palest shade and slightly pinkish. It's not too matte or shiny, it has medium to light coverage, a light creamy texture, yet it manages to even out skin-tone, hide minor discoloration and light redness, but it won't do anything for pimples or anything too red. I love how the foundation really melts into your skin leaving its natural texture intact. Since I have enlarged pores (and aging skin) when I apply anything too thick it ends up making me look unreal. Natureluxe was barely noticeable unless you looked really up close, and it left my skin very natural looking -- but better. Even if you don't feel the need to wear foundation and have good skin, this product is great and will give you that little extra boost and there is no danger of over doing it.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Pangea Organics - Balancing Oil
Ewabili 1/12/2011 12:52:00 AM
I used to have an oily complexion but with the years my skin has been becoming really dry. At first I was thinking "great, no more shine" but actually my skin has never been in worse shape. The dryness also wreaked havoc on foundations I used to cover up my skin. On top of aging, it developed rosacea and during winter, strong cold winds would make it break out in pimples/plaques for a day or two. There was an argan oil craze at the moment and after reading many articles about it, I decided to buy some. My skin was looking better and much softer but it kept on reacting to cold wind. This fall I ran out of the argan oil and in my search of natural organic oils I stumbled on this little gem. I decided to buy It because it contains a lot of different essential oils (including argan) that moisturize, soothe and protect. If I had to mix a batch up of the same oils it would cost me a fortune and I'd have over a pint. I started using it in September and I need only one drop morning and night which I'm mixing with my day or night cream. It's as moisturizing as the argan oil and the bonus is that I haven't had any rosacea reactions! The Bottle is currently half full and I think it will last until spring. The price is steep, but it's worth it for what it does.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Shu Uemura - Cleansing Beauty Oil Balancer
Ewabili 12/26/2010 2:14:00 AM
I got the pink cleanser as a gift and was using Cetaphil cleanser at the time. I also started wearing more intense foundation and makeup a year ago (when you're in your 30's you have no choice to keep your skin looking young) and I found that Cetaphil was too gentle to really get rid of all the makeup I was using. Shu Uemura's cleansing oil will really lift any makeup you have on. Also as I've gotten older and my skin has gotten dryer (originally it used to be oily), I've found that moisture is key,especially after talking with a 35 year old model who's skin was all plump and youthful. She told me her secret was natural oils, which I am now using to nourish and hydrate my skin, especially in winter. This cleansing oil leaves most of your natural sebum in place, while most cleanser will reach below the surface and strip your natural oils creating a vicious cycle of sebum over-production. The trick is apply it on your dry face, massage and and wet your hands to emulsify it, then you have to really rinse it well (about a 1 min with cool water). I usually check the color of the water dripping from my face: when it's clear -- it's clean! I've been using it for 5 months and the 150ml bottle is one third full and I never had any breakouts from it. I think the challenge for most will be to miss the "clean feel" you get after using oil stripping cleansers and you have to get accustomed to it.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No