Liquid -Shiseido - Perfect Refining Foundation
greymattergirl 4/2/2013 4:18:00 PM
This would hands down be HG worthy if it were a shade lighter. I dont know why I dont see more buzz on this foundation in the beauty community. Remarkably good coverage for such a light weight formula. Very pigminted, while feeling almost weightless. Someone described this as "stretching" across the skin to cover scars and imperfections, while I have no scaring, I do agree, the texture seems to stretch across the skin minimizing and blurring problem areas. I apply this with the Shiseido Perfecting Foundation Brush, and the brush is spectacular as well. This foundation has a beautiful semi-matte finish, and imparts a subtle glow, while still looking very fresh and natural. The wear time is pretty good, around 6-8 hours as long as your skin isnt hyper oily. Really the only complaint I have with this foundation are the color choices. They all seem to run on the yellow side, even the I (netural) tones. Dont even try to choose a shade based on the names..they are all a variation on "ivory," yet none of them are ivory. The only one that comes close to an ivory color is the I00, and it's a tad yellower than most of the ivories I have seen. I am usually the lightest shade in most foundations, sometimes the second to the lightest if the range is extensive, and I can only barely pull off the I00 shade, and in fact, I could not wear this out in full sun light, its ever so slightly too dark, not even a full shade darker, but enough that you can see its not a perfect match in full sun. The packaging is also really nice. Very travel friendly, glossy black plastic, and compact. Dont let the size fool you, though quite small, it still holds 1fl oz, the same amount as most foundations. For my needs and wants, this is a pretty perfect foundation. I will repurchase and continue to use, even with the shade being slightly off, I will just take a bronzer lightly to my neck. Wish it came in more shades and more varied tones, I think this foundation would be outstanding if more women could use it. I really love this stuff, and reccomend it highly, just be sure to get a good color match before purchasing!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Deborah Lippmann - Mermaid's Dream
greymattergirl 12/16/2012 12:12:00 PM
I was never a nail polish person. I found doing my nail so tedious, and boring. I never liked any colors on my pale skin, they just seemed to out of place. I preffered to keep my nails short, clean and natural, sometimes adding a clear coat if I was feeling fancy, lol. Well all that has changed. Now I LOVE nail polish, love giving myself a manicure, and love trying new bold colors, and thats all because of Deborah Lippmann. I will NEVER buy any other brand of polish. These polishes are a HG for me all the way! I mean these are by the far the best polishes in the world as far as Im concerned! The colors are well thought out and to die for! Mermaids Dream I never would have considered wearing at age 36..well forget that! Its beautiful! After trying the color 'something Vegas' I think..its a putty grey color, I fell in love and bought like 10 different colors. I have been impressed with every single product Ive gotten, including the Stripper remover. Her cuticle remover is magic, and the cuticle oil..OMG..smells like a tropical getaway, and is DIVINE. I will purchase these polishes and only these for the rest of my life! I have a color, I think its called 'I know what boys like' or something to that effect, its a periwinkle blue...I never would have dared to wear such a color, and now its one of my favorites! These polishes dry quickily and perfect! If you ever had trouble with streaks, ridges, chipping, flaking..try Deborah Lippmann, its impposible to go wrong! I use these polishes and it looks like Ive just come from the salon. I absoloutely can not say enough about how much I love these polishes as well as all of Lippmanns products! These are perfect in every way, from color choice, to wear, to finish, dry time..the colors are creative, original, and just sublime. Top of the line all the way, pricey, but sooo worth it if you love polish. If I had to pick one word to represent the line, the polishes, the colors, the quality..not to mention the excellent customer service..it would be, PERFECTION.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Kevyn Aucoin - The Sensual Skin Enhancer
greymattergirl 12/16/2012 11:52:00 AM
I have this in shades 01 and 03. I bought it to use as a foundation, and sometime concealer. Well I could say a lot about this product, it is VERY versatile for sure. I will warn that if your not fairly experianced with MU application, this might be a bit tricky, I wouldnt reccomend for begginners. I have tried this several ways..Ive used just the product with a damp beauty blender, Ive tried it with moisturizer to sheer it out, Ive tried with various brushes both damp and dry, and with fingertips. It provides anywhere from the sheerest coverage to the most full of coverages. So far my absolute favorite method has been to mix on the back of my hand, (so it warms a bit) a SMALL dab of the SSE with a pump of Smashbox Primer, and a small, maybe 1/4 pump of BECCA Skin Perfecting Lotion, the lightest shade, Pearl, I think is the color. I mix those with a cotton swab and then apply with a damp Real Techniques Stippiling brush..starting where I need the most coverage, which for me is my cheeks..then blend out. Then, if I need more coverage where my broken cappalaries* are, I just swipe a small bit more of the SSE on my hand, swirl the stippiling brush in it, and buff over the area in need. I find this provides the effect I desire. For me, I doubt I will get this to work as a foundation in any other way unless mixed with a primer. It just works better on my skin this way. I had given up on the Smashbox primer and had it stored under my bathroom sink for ages..luckily its found new life when mixed with the SSE, so thats a plus, at least I can find a use for it now. When I dont use the primer mixed in with it, I find this used as a foundation, for me, sits on top of the skin, transfers, and fades fairly quickily around the nose and chin. It also seemed to settle into lines more than I would have liked. I dont have oily skin for the most part, and even with a primer used underneath, I didnt find this had a very long wear time, even when powdered. In fact it looks quite crappy as it fades away..very patchy, and just blah. It seems to work better for my skin type actually mixed with a primer. That being said, for those that dont have difficult skin like mine, I think this could very well be a HG product, keeping in mind the fact that you may have to try it several different ways, and with different mediums to see what works for you. Dont give up on it if you get it and it doesnt seem to work. Play with it, try things you never thought of..I had this for almost a year before I tried it with the primer and the Becca. Every few months it would pop back into my head and I would think, well I wonder what will happen if I try it with this..or with this brush etc. Try different ratios to moisturizer, primers, or even other foundations. I will not repurchase this product because having 2 shades will last me the rest of my life, lol..I will never be able to use all of it up, even if I used it everyday. So dont let the price put you off, you deffo get your money's worth..yes it is a small container, but its so highly pigmented that you use such a tiny amount, its practically infininte. I do enjoy this product, it can be used in so many ways, for so many different coverages, mixed with diffrent products you can create multiple effects, so that makes it fun to use. I still discover new ways to try it all the time. Its a great concealer as well, but may not be stunning on dry patches for some people. It also has a perfume smell..old ladyish if you ask me. I dont like the smell, but I dont notice it after application, and I have a pretty sensitive nose. All in all I think its a pretty good product. I would reccomend it..its a good piece to have in your collection, the versatility alone makes it worth it. Not a HG for me, but so fun to play with, and so nice to have something should I ever need very full coverage for some reason. A great multi-tasking product. I say if your on the fence about this product, go for it! At the very least you will get a lifetimes worth of concealer out of it. I think next I will try this as an under foundation color corrector, Ive heard that it can help if you have a foundation that is to dark or light by adding it as a complexion corrector first, then adding the foundation of your choice..obviously you would need to sheer it down or you would be hella cakey looking. I have several foundations a shade or 2 to dark, so I will see if using this sheered in shade 01 will help make those foundations work for my pale skin. A learning curve, yes..but a fun one if you love makeup. :))
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Guerlain - 'Lingerie de Peau' Invisible Skin-Fusion Foundation
greymattergirl 11/2/2012 12:53:00 PM
I am so excited to write this review! I fell in love with this foundation immediatly, only to have my heart broken because even the lightest shade was to dark for me, not to mention it oxidizes slightly on my skin making it even darker. I had 2 bottles..I ended up giving one to my mother, and the extra bottle then sat unopened in my closet for almost a year. I've gone a little foundation crazy since then, looking for my HG, and I've found some good ones, but nothing I went crazy over like the Lingere de Peau. Im my collection now I have..Kevyn Aucoin SSE, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, Lancome 24hr, MUFE HD and the MUFE Face & Body, Armani Maestro Fusion, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, as well as the Guerlain Parue Extreme (also way to dark in the lightest shade.) Well out of those the MUFE Face & Body has been my favorite..but it is ohh so sheer, and now that its cooling off a bit in FL I thought it would be nice to be able to wear something with more coverage as it won't melt off as badly. (not that the MUFE did, but I really like more coverage.) So I sat here racking my brain, and wondered is there any possible way I can make that Lingere de Peau just slightly lighter so it would work for me? Will I ruin the delicate finish if I do? I decided to try and mix it with the MUFE F&B, as the F&B is ever so slightly light for me. Well folks..it worked like a DREAM!!!!!! It is now the perfect color for me! It mixes soooo easy, and it doesn't ruin the finish of the de Peau at all! There is absolutely zero trace of the MUFE being mixed..because after all, thats one of the many joys of this foundation, the finish, texture, and look of it. I am so beyond elated, there are no words. I can now happily call this foundation my HG for when it's not humid out. I'm kicking myself for giving the other bottle away because now I will most deff be using all of it. I will repurchase this foundation, and ofc will have to also repurchase the F&B, which I would anyways for summer. Lingere de Peau is hands down without a doubt the best foundation I have EVER used. The finish and coverage are absolutely perfect for the results I want in a foundation. I have never had more beautiful looking skin, not to mention what a joy the foundation itself is to use. Soft, silky, so lux..not to mat, not to dewy, great med coverage, and slightly buildable where you may need more. Guerlain has always been my favorite brand of foundation, but I couldnt use a single one of them because of the color range. Im so picky when it comes to foundation and it killed me that the one brand that worked so perfectly for my skin never had shades for my paler skin in any one of their formulas. To mix and apply I simply put 1 pump of the de Peau and maybe a little less than 1 pump of the F&B right on my hand, mixed an applied with a Real Techniques Stippiling Brush and just dabbed on my face and then buffed slightly with the same brush, after it was on and smooth I used my fingers to press the foundation in, as the de Peau 'activates' with body heat. OMG, the result was perfection! I am in bliss right now. I know a lot of other women have the same complaint as I about the color choices, and I had to review so they know if you love this foundation as much as I did, but you happen to be pale, you can make this work for you without ruining the finish of it. Yes, the downside is your buying another pretty pricey foundation to mix with an already very expensive foundation..but when I think of how much Ive spent trying other brands and formulas, its well worth it to me to make this HG work for my coloring. This foundation last well through the day in non-humid climates, it doesnt seperate on me, wears off pretty nice, and doesnt break me out at all, and I have sensitive skin. Im so in love, I cant say it enough! I reccomend everyone try this foundation if you havent already found something your in love with, and for paler girls, this will work if your willing to go the extra mile to mix it with the MUFE. This is perfection in a bottle for my skin! Btw..I have this in the color Rose Clair, and mixed it with the porcelain color in the F&B. UPDATE: This is now being sold in the states in the color 01 beige pale. It is spot on the perfect color for me, and I dont have to mix anything anymore! Now available at Sephora in this shade and I immedialty purchased it, LOVE LOVE LOVE!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman - Brush Collection Core Collection
greymattergirl 10/10/2012 9:23:00 PM
I have every brush in this collection, but the Core Collection was my first set. I can't say enough about them! Excellent price, great quality, and they work like a dream. They are easy to clean and feel quite sturdy yet light weight. I just LOVE these brushes, all of them! The buffing brush is probably my favorite out of them all, it just makes application so quick and easy. Without a doubt I will always have these brushes in my collection. I still marvel every time I use them at the quality for price. It's like Sam Chapman gave us all a gift..affordable awesomeness. I'm not made of money and when I do have some extra I like to spend it on my makeup and skin care, it doesnt leave a lot left over for brushes, but ofc as we all know, we need good brushes for the best application..these brushes really do meet all points on my checklist, and for the price I almost feel guilty, like I've stole them, lol. Really the only issues I could see anyone having with these is they are synthetic. Persoanlly I prefer synthetic, easier to clean, dont shed as much and dont soak up as much product, but to each his (or her) own. ;) I havn't had even one of these brushes shed on me..not once. They are super soft, and really perfect in every way. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these brushes, I'm furious with myself for waiting so long to buy them. If you dont mind them being synthetic, I say, run out and get them all as fast as you can, you won't regret it! 100% pure awesomeness all the way!!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Make Up For Ever - HD High Definition Foundation
greymattergirl 10/10/2012 9:04:00 PM
This is a really nice foundation. I do like it alot, but it's not a HG for me. The absolute best thing about this foundation for me is the color match!! The absoulute best color match I've ever had! I was begining to think I would never find a perfect color match, I'm pretty pale, but all others I've tried are either a tad to light or way to dark. MUFE was a PERFECT match for me in #115. It does look really good from a distance, but up close in the mirror I can still see where it gathers a little around my nose, and it doesn't seem to have the best lasting power. To be fair, I've yet to try it with a primer though. This won't be an every day foundation for me, but when the weather isn't to humid this will be nice to wear. It has pretty awesome coverage..med without looking cakey, and slightly buildable. It has a very natural looking finish, not to mat, and not to dewy. I don't know that I will repurchase, as this bottle will last me quite awhile and by the time I use it up I'm sure I will be on to trying something new..but it's not out of the question, it may be worth it just for the color match. I do reccomend it though, while not a HG for me, I think this foundation would be great on a lot of diff people. I would, as always, suggest getting a sample first to see how it suits you. A really nice product, and I'm glad I bought the full size and it's a welcome addition to my collection.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Sunday Riley - Good Genes
greymattergirl 10/10/2012 9:23:00 AM
I feel I must preface this review after reading some of the negitive comments. No product is going to work on 100% of people, 100% of the time. Just not going to happen. It doesn't mean the product is bad, everyone has different chemistry, skin type, climate, etc. I know I've said this before, and often, but I can't help thinking it warrents repeating. So as far as the Good Genes goes, and for most of the SR skin care line..Just amazing. It really is. I will start off by saying this stuff is expensive by most peoples standards. The best way in my opinion to start with this line is to get samples. I live nowhere even close to a store, but I was able to get free samples via the mail, and I must say Barneys in particular goes above and beyond the call of duty to accomadate people. I live in FL, and the Barneys in Boston didn't blink an eye when I inquired about the line and possible samples. They are #1 in my book for customer service. I was sent samples of Ceramic Slip, Good Genes, Stimulant 2 (which is magical) and Skin Adreniline. Let me say I ordered every single product exept the Stim 2 because I guess they are being repackaged and there are none at the moment to be had. The samples are generous and you will deffo be able to tell if it's something thats going to work for you before buying. For me these products showed results FAST. I have rosy cheeks and pale skin..so the pink really stands out and I hate it, lol. ONE treatment of Good Genes in the evening and when I woke up the next morning my pink cheeks were gone! My pores were almost impossible to see, my skin had the proverbial glow. I was shocked. We've all read those claims a thousand times over. For me, this was the first product that delivered. My skin is very sensitive and the Good Genes did feel strong on it, but the more I used it, it became a non issue. I don't use a lot of retinols and the like so that is to be expected. Just something to keep in mind when trying. Good Genes is a HG product for me, as is the whole skin care line. Theres nothing I've tried that I haven't loved. The Stim 2 should be a National Treasure for people with skin like mine. It really works like a miracle. (And it should for over 200$) As I said, they are expensive, BUT they last forever, a little goes a long way, and I do feel for how they deliver results, they are worth the hefty price. Good Genes doesn't have what I'd call a good smell, but it doesn't bother me, it quickly fades and again, is worth any displeasure because of the results. I can however, see the smell as possibly being a deal breaker for a select few. Good Genes used in combination with the line only enhances the the effects. The Good Genes makes my skin look plumper, younger, healthier, more even, brighter, softer..so the name is quite accurate. All in all I recomend Good Genes 100%. HG all the way for me. Just get the sample to make sure it's right for you.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Make Up For Ever - Face & Body Foundation
greymattergirl 8/2/2012 4:50:00 PM
I have been on a maddening hunt for a foundation that will stand up to the Florida humidity. I had finally accepted defeat after trying Guerlain, Chanel, Kevyn Aucoin SSE, and my last purchase, Lancome 24hr. I told myself my expectations were to high, I was looking for a product that didnt exist. I thought I had found my HG in Guerlain, but the shades were not light enough for my very fair skin. Well, I decided to give it one more shot, and I had it narrowed between 3 choices, MUFE Face & Body, Kett Cream, and Shiseido Sun Protection. All 3 claim to be either water proof or resistant. Well I ended up going with the MUFE as it was my birthday and Sephora had some goodies to go with it and I knew I could return it with no problems should I need to. I would like to add that on top of our evil humidity, I also had a hysterectomy, and so to add injury to insult, I sweat like a bloody pig all hours of the night and day. I couldnt go 10 mins outside without all my foundation melting and running down my face..if I could get to AC quick enough to prevent the meltdown, on my nose where my sunglasses sit, the makeup would be 100% gone, leaving redness and splotches where the makeup would have worn off. -.- So the thousands I've invested in my collection did me no good, as I couldn't use my products w/o a base to first put them on. Well enter MUFE F&B. First off the color range is fantastic, I'm usually the lightest color in any range, and I chose 38, Pink Porcelain. When I first saw it, I thought maybe I needed the pinker shade, but nope, it was a PERFECT match. I have pretty clear skin to start with but, I have alot of redness in my cheeks and some broken capillaries..but usually no breakouts and no scarring. This foundation is SUPER SHEER. I knew this before buying, but had no idea just how sheer it was untill I used it. If you are looking for even medium coverage, you may not want this foundation. Yes, it can be layerd and built up a bit, but it will not cover serious flaws in any way shape or form. I used one layer all over, with fingers, after it set I used a BB to kind of "press" any excess off while blending edges. After that I used a few drops to go over my cheeks where the redness is, and also let that set, and tapped at it again as it sets quite dewy..by tapping it takes the shine down just a touch, making it look super duper natural. The website says it sets from a liquid to a somewhat powdery finish, but my arse it does..I didn't find it had a powdery finish at all. May be my skin type, but it didnt bother me and it looked flawless regardless. Now even with 1 layer all over and almost 3 layers on the cheeks, the redness still could be seen ever so slightly, but it evened my complexion to a level I was satisfied with. You can still see my freckles, and the pink left in my cheeks still looks natural and nice, and was toned down enough that I still needed to use a blush to add a bit of color back in. It did not settle into fine lines like my Chanel, it did not dry my skin, (which is normal, sometimes a bit oily in places), it did not seperate or flake. It seemed to adjust to my skin in a perfect way in all areas. Now to the good stuff..I would not say this is water proof..but, its damn close. I applied this the first time and decided to go to the store, 3/4 of a mile from my home. In July. In Florida. With no AC, and sunglasses on. Before I even turned my car on, I had sweat dripping down my face. Half a mile down the road, I was so sweaty I could feel the sunglasses sliding on my nose from the sweat. I did use some Chanel loose powder to set under my eyes and around the area where my glasses would sit. On the way home, I was sweating so bad I had drops on my cheeks and nose. When I removed my glasses I did have a bit of transfer, but that could have been the powder. I also had a bit of redness where the glasses where on my nose, but a simple tap of my finger and it was like it was never there. I looked in the mirror and it was PERFECT. No lines where the sweat had ran in droplets, no seperating, no creasing, no shine! It looked as if it had been freshly applied! It looks so natural, doest set in pores, didnt wrinkle at the corners of my eyes..just perfect. I am amazed. I havent tried it in the pool, but I was looking to combat the sweat and so far, I think this does the trick. Its so light, I dont feel it on the skin at all, even after the sweat. Ive seen reviews where people have said it gets a tacky feel once you sweat or as it wears, I did not experiance this at all. It feels soft and I forget its even on, which I have never once experianced with any other foundation. If I had to pick a con about it, I would say perhaps the coverage, but really I cant even complain about that. Its so sheer that it really lends a hand in shade selection as it lets your natural color come through, making it blend flawlessly, and making it very hard to get a wrong color unless you go way out and buy a color much different from your own. You could easily get a shade lighter or darker and probably make it work, and this is coming from someone who is extremely pale and even the slightest mismatch shows up on. If you have healthy skin, like the sheerest of coverage, want a natural/dewy finish, sweat resistant foundation, this may be for you! I am in love, and untill I find a more water resistant formula that also gives me the same perfect pores and lasting ability, this is my summer HG! I will finish with one last warning, and I know Ive said it already, but in an effort to avoid broken hearts, it can not be said enough how sheer this gel formula is. I think its even sheerer than my LM tinted moisturizer. It goes on like colored water, but it blends seemlessly with your own skin, you can not even see it when you use magnification. All in all I really love it so far, and cant reccomend it enough for high humidity and heat!
11 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Lancome - Teint Idole Ultra 24h
greymattergirl 5/1/2012 4:27:00 PM
I bought this foundation after I purchased the Guerlain Extreme and found that the color match would never work for me in a thousand years. I went into trying this foundation with a bitter heart as I LOVED the Guerlain beyond words, but I am just to pale for the Extreme color range. Its a great foundation..very long wear, stands up to the Florida humidity (but not the summer humidity) and doesnt transfer or breakdown when I get my hot flashes (from a hysterectomy)..it also didnt oxidize on me like the Extreme. That being said, while it was wonderful, its just not as pretty on my skin as the Guerlain was. Had I tried the Lancome first I would have said it was perfect in almost every way..and I couldnt tell you what exactly the difference is between the 2 and why the Guerlain seemed to make my skin look "prettier", but it did, in fact no foundation has ever made my skin look better, but Guerlain apparently hates pale people so these are the cards I have been dealt, lol. I do love this foundation, it does what it says and it does it well, and the color range is pretty fantastic to boot. I will use and repurchase this foundation..at least untill the day my prayers are answered and Guerlain ups the game on their color selection. I would urge those with very dry skin to sample this foundation first..my skin is normal..but I can see how it might be drying to those with dry skin if you dont moisturize properly. Overall its a great product that lives up to its claims, (mostly) with a very decent color range. It has a beautiful finish that isnt quite matt or satin..its quite perfect in my opinion, depending on what ur looking for ofc. ;) The coverage is excellent, it covers my pink cheeks and broken capilleries* but u can still see some of my freckles showing through, and it can deffo be made into full coverage where u need it. Its pretty awesome for the most part, and I'm happy to give it 2 thumbs up and 5 lippies..and for the moment, its the best long wear foundation I know of that works for my skin. UPDATE: Will not repurchase after I wore this in summer. Did not hold up in the humidity, when it wore off it looked awful, came off in patches and seperated horribly. Love the finish, color range, it never broke me out, but just wont work for the weather in my state.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Guerlain - Parure Extreme
greymattergirl 5/1/2012 4:03:00 PM
Oh this foundation just sends me into fits I tell ya! Ok, so let me break it down..I am quite pale, probably around a NW15 or lower. I live in Florida and the weather is humid with a cpaital H. Sooo, I was looking for a long wear foundation and I had never tried Guerlain so I decided to take the plunge and order it sight unseen from Sephora. Well, I both LOVE and and hate it! I of course ordered the lightest shade they carry, which is not light enough for me, couple the fact that the shade is to dark with the fact that this oxidizes like a mofo..on me it oxidizes like 2-3 shades DARKER, and I think we can all figure out that the color match will never work for me. :( This puts me in such a state of sadness because the formula is AMAZING! My skin looked flawless..and I have quite a bit of redness in the cheeks along with broken capilleries. It wore like a dream, didnt transfer, didnt melt or seperate (like my Chanel foundations) and has the most beautiful finish! If this foundation came in my shade and didnt oxidize this would hands down be my forever HG. At night I dream Guerlain will make this in my color and fix the oxidation problem, lol! And yes, I tried every primer known to man to prevent the oxidation..nothing worked. I do suffer from hot flashes from a hysterectomy and thought maybe keeping sweat from mixing with it by using a primer might help (which kinda defeats the whole purpose of buying a "sweat proof" foundation, I know) but I was desperate to try to make it work since I loved it so. I ended up having to give it to my mother who has much tanner skin than I -_- and oh my, it looks devine on her and doesnt oxidize a bit! So, in conclusion, this foundation is perfection for the right skin type and color. Pale people, just stay away and save your money..the shade selection is criminal I tell ya! But if you are one of the lucky ones whose skin color and type agrees with this..well I cant imagine another long wear foundation being better than this one. It really is beyond beautiful and perfect when its a good match. Hopefully one day Guerlain will add some shades so I can feel pretty too, lol! I did find that Guerlain's Lingerie de Peau had some lighter shades (though not quite light enough for me) and I adore that formula almost as much as this one..and I can wear that one depending on the time of day and light I will be in, I usually have to wear it at night out of natural light as even the lightest shade is 1-2 shades to dark for me, but I love it so much I'm going to use it when I can. Its an absolutely beautiful foundation as well, and doesnt oxidize as bad as the Extreme. All in all my pale skin is getting no love from Guerlain, but their foundations are superb aside from the color choices!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Chanel - Vitalumiere Aqua
greymattergirl 6/22/2011 9:00:00 AM
Well I have a few things to say before my actual review..a few reminders for those reviewing products. It seems to me that some people will give a poor review of a product, not because the product is bad, but because they don't understand their own skin type and needs. There is no one product that is going to work for evey type of skin, so if you try a foundation, say Vitaluimere and you have very oily skin, well its not going to work for you..doesn't mean bad product, just not the formula for your skin needs. That being said, Vitalumiere Aqua IMO is great for people not looking for heavy coverage, with normal to combination skin. This will not cover like say Pro Lumiere will. It does not feel heavy, and very much looks and feels like a second skin for about 4-6 hours, taking in account skin type, humidity etc. This foundation will flake and float on the skin if you haven't exfoliated, but if you have, and your properly moisturized, this will set quite nicely. If you use a magnifier on your skin after application, you can reallly see the difference in the way it lies on the skin. I know some have complained about the color range..I for one am thrilled that Chanel is finally offering both pink and yellow based choices for once. I can't review the darker shades, but as a person with pale skin..(and I mean pale, you can see my veins through my skin, lol..gross, I know).. it's always quite hard to find a shade thats right for my particular pastiness, the first and lightest shade with pink undertones was as close a match for me as it could possibly be, which was BR10. This foundation isn't going to cover major flaws, but if you have skin thats in realtivily good conditon, and you like a light, natural, finish, I think you may enjoy this foundation. It doesn't have the best staying power...it does look sublime for a few hours, and by the time you hit hour number 4 you see things start to go down hill a bit. That time could vary I suppose based on your skintype and surrondings..for instance I'm in Florida so it's not going to last in the same way it might if i was in Ohio. :) I know some are put off by the smell, I personally loved it. It smelled expensive, if that makes any sense, but it disapates quickly if your sensitive to that kind of thing. I do think that as most Chanel foudations, that if you have hyper sensitive skin, this might break you out a touch. I have pretty sensitive skin, and I do notice some irratation after hours of prolonged wear..but I do seem to get that with most of Chanel's foundations..just my type of skin. However, if you have a good skin care regime, I think that can be counter balanced if you enjoy the foundations enough to continue using them. I personally use Dr. Hauschka, and any possible irratation I see is erased after a good cleanse and tone/moisturze from his skin care line. I would deff repurchase this foundation as I would most Chanel foundations, but I do understand this particular formula isn't going to suit every woman. But as far as light, summer coverage, I think it's wonderful..at least for my personal skin needs. :) UPDATE: After using this foundation off and on for over a year I'm done with it. The more I used it the more I noticed irritation increasing. Again nothing against Chanel..but now Ive tried almost every one they have and they ALL cause me irritation and some breakouts. I still think its a lovely foundation, it just doesnt suit my skin needs. I reccomend highly to those who know Chanel wont bother their skin. Also I grew tired of it seperating on my nose..or emphasizing any dryness I might have, which had never happened to me before, as I dont tend to have dry skin..but somehow this foundation found some, lol! Still I think it's excellent, just not for me.
24 out of 27 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -By Terry - Rose de Rose Sheer Liquid Blush
greymattergirl 6/21/2011 5:19:00 PM
I have been coming to MUA for almost a year, I have never written a review, but have used the reviews here for many of my purchases as I live in a VERY small town with no access to high end dept stores unless I use the internet. Needless to say I research ALOT because nothing sucks more than paying out the nose for a product and when it gets to ur home, it sucks, lol. So that being said, behold the first product that has driven me to write a review..By Terry Rose de Rose Sheer Liquid Blush. Let me just say right off this a HG product for me. This is AMAZING! For comparisons in taste, the blushes I currently have in rotation are a couple of MAC's, some cream blushes from MUFE, NARS multiple, and powder blush in Orgasam and a couple of BECCA Beach Tints. I am extremely pale, and it's ever so hard to find blushes that don't look over done even with a light hand and the proper techniques. I love some shimmer in my products, but I am VERY picky about the kind of shimmer. Rose de Rose has fine, teeny tiny, particles of shimmer that are the best I've ever encountered to date. Everything about this liquid blush screams luxuary. The finish is nothing short of sublime. Not only did it look lovely on my super pale skin but my daughters who are of mixed race, with lovely honey toned skin, looked beautiful. I will say you should know how to properly use a liquid/gel based blusher. A heavy hand with this will impart too much shimmer. Rose de Rose IMHO is ment to create a natural flushed glow. I've been using BECCA Shimering Perfector as a liquid highlighter, and with this blush you don't even need a highlighter at all. I think this blush in all shades would probably look good on each and every shade of skin unless your going for a more dramatic look...but for a natural, perfect finish I can't think of one product that can top this. I tested this blush against Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and Pro Lumiere as well as Laura Mercier's Tinted Moistirezer*, it looked perfect on all formulas. Easy to blend, if you know what ur doing, and yes it does smell of roses, but it does disapear litterly in seconds after application if you dont happen to like the scent. Though honestly it could smell of garbage and I would still use it, it's thats good! It is very expensive, but you only use the tiniest amount, so it will last, and it's worth every penny! I highly recomend this product!
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No