Pure Makeup

Stacey turned me on to this foundation and I've been digging it for a while now.

:: Maybelline Pure Foundation ::

Good things:

1. This is more like a tinted moisturizer (with more pigment in it) than it is a real foundation. Feels like lotion going on, covers imperfections but doesn't have what I would consider full coverage.
2. Nice and light, nothing in it that will irritate skin or cause breakouts (it's been said you can even fall asleep in it.)
3. Love the packaging...hygenic squeeze tube.
4. Cheap! ($5.99 at Target)
5. It can be a bit sticky but if you set it with powder, it feels so nice and smooth and face looks flawless.
6. Blends very well and the colors are true, not orangey.

Bad things:

1. Doesn't seem to last all day if you touch your face at all.
2. Some women have said that the color turns on them mid-day, but I think this is if you have truly oily skin.
3. Like I said, coverage isn't full but if you use a concealer on spots that need it, this will be light on your skin and natural.

She's baaaaaaaaaack

Well kids, I've been gone a long time. And I've missed you. Tons. But, I've had a lot of time on my hands to get bored and make late-night runs to buy new makeup, which means I have tons of things to blog about in the coming weeks. So all that time apart will have done us good.

For some reason lately I've been obsessed with concealer. I've never been one to use it, as I never quite found it necessary. I've always concealed blemishes using foundation and a small brush or Q-Tip. But a new day has dawned. I am now completely sold on the idea of using concealer to "highlight" your face. You apply concealer to the shadowy parts of your face (see photo) and it makes you look dewy and glowy and like someone could eat your face like a peach!

So, on the search for a great new concealer, I decided on L'Oreal's True Match Concealer because of the good reviews it's gotten, and also because I loved the L'Oreal Air Wear but they discontinued it. Because CVS had a BOGO on L'Oreal face products, I picked up the True Match Blush as well.

I never wear blush. Ever. I've always had rosy cheeks...in fact "Rosy Cheeks" was my nickname at the nursing home where I worked in high school. So the thought of adding color to cheeks that were already chubby and red was outside of my reality. But for some reason, on this day, in this CVS, I wanted that blush. I needed it.

I went home and immediately washed my face to redo my makeup (only other addicts will understand this sort of mania). The combination of my new concealer and blush (with my already fabulous foundation and Cornsilk Powder) made me feel so hot and face-forward that I had to be seen by the world. So I drove out to Uni-Mart to buy a magazine from Apu. He dug my face. Believe me.

So here are these two new products I've been raving about. The True Match products come in three different shade areas: Warm, Cool, and Neutral. The color card they give you sucks. Here's a tip: The Warm shades are yellow based, the Cool shades are pink based, and the Neutral shades are a balance between yellow and pink. If you can't see a yellow or a pink undertone to your skin, then you're probably a Neutral like me.

:: L'Oreal True Match Concealer ::
I got this in the lightest Neutral shade. You should definitely get one a little lighter than your foundation if you want to use it as a highlighter.

Good things:
Nice consistency, very blendable and not cakey.
Color is great.
Applicator is a nice brush (as opposed to those cheap spongies) but I prefer to apply it with my foundation brush.

Bad things:
I'm still not convinced this is a holy grail concealer. I'll still be on the search for a better one.
For the price, they should give you more product.

:: L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Blush ::
I got this in Precious Peach, which is a fabulous peach shade that also is pink enough to look completely natural, not orange at all. The Innocent Flush shade also gets HIGH MARKS from reviewers, so you may want to check that one out. A few days ago I was at my friend's house and I spotted this in her makeup bag. I squealed and said, "I LOVE THAT BLUSH!" and she goes, "I FUCKING KNOW IT'S FANTASTIC!" I love when two people unknowingly love the same thing.

Good things:
Holy grail status, for me.
Not super-pigmented, so it's easy to apply without looking fake, but it also shows up in one-to-two sweeps.
Makes you look like you're glowing, but without the use of shimmer. I HATE shimmer. It makes you look like a 13-year-old whore.
Nice packaging, large surface area for optimal brush-use.
There's magic in it. I swear.

Bad things:
Not a single thing. Worth every penny.

Q-Tips

My featured favorite product today is a biggie! The Q-Tip! I swear I couldn't live without these things. They're not just for cleaning your ears.

:: Q-Tips brand Cotton Swabs ::

Good things:
Very economical.
Hygenic (throw away after one use).
Good for application of makeup (see tips below).

Bad things:
Sometimes it's not the most precise of applicators.

I love to use Q-Tips to apply eye makeup. I have a bevy of brushes to choose from and still go for Q-Tips most of the time, simply because they're great at smudging eyeliner. OR, you can use them to apply eyeSHADOW as a liner. (This weekend, I used the darkest shade in the Mojave Mauves from Wet n Wild and it made SUCH a great smokey liner for my hazel eyes.) They're also great at applying highlighter to the under-brow area and to the corners of your eyes to brighten them. One more thing: I use Q-Tips to dip into foundation or powder and use it as a concealer.

All bow to the power of Q-Tips! Feel free to gush about your love of Q-Tips in the comments section.

Wet n Wild

I have fond memories of going to the Widmann's in my town as a little girl, looking at the makeup and dreaming of the day when I could wear it. My mom would buy me Wet n Wild makeup to play with because it was so darn cheap.

The thing about this line is that there are actually some remarkable products that cost next to nothing. The pigmentation is as good as (or better than) the pigmentation in brands like M.A.C., etc.

:: Wet n Wild Mega Eyes Trio ::

Good things:
Highly pigmented.
Finely milled.
Soft and blendable.
Long lasting.
Colors are great!
Cheap! (~$3.00)

Bad things:
I can't think of a single bad thing.

I like the Egyptian Sands and Belgian Chocolates trios.

Brush-Brush Here, Brush-Brush There

I recently got hooked on a great brush that I never thought I'd need: the foundation brush. I've used fingers and sponges to apply foundation in the past, both with good results, but nothing beats using a foundation brush to apply your foundation cleanly and strategically.

Good things:
Apply foundation and blend exactly where you want it, not all over.
Small enough to use under the eyes and on blemishes to use foundation like a concealer.
Uses less product because it doesn't absorb like sponges or fingers do. (I usually just use whatever is in the cap.)
Sanitary, if you wash your brushes frequently.
Gives you the polished, smooth look (like you had your makeup done professionally).

Bad things:
Can be a bit small for large areas like the cheeks.
Washing the brush every day can be a nuisance.

I really love the Sonia Kashuk makeup brushes available at Target. I use the Foundation Brush with Cover Girl's Clean Makeup (Fragranace Free) and the Powder Brush with my pressed powder for a natural look.