Showing posts with label foundation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foundation. Show all posts

11 April, 2014

3 Things I'm Really Going to Regret Not Buying During the Sephora Sale

We all have regrets before sales, during sales, and after sales. Before sales, I always wish I had saved more money, so I would have more money to spend. During sales, I sometimes I wish I got this thing instead of this other thing, because this other thing isn't actually that great - but it was cheap. And, after sales, I always wish I had bought these other things that I wasn't brave enough to.

The Sephora sale was, of course, a challenging moment in my life. I did get a lot of stuff I had been craving - The Bumble & Bumble Surf Shampoo & Conditioner, the Ren Invisible Pores Detox Mask (which I am already addicted to), the Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara, and the Ole Henrisken Clean Truth Brightening Cleansing Cloths that were always just a liiiiiitle too expensive to justify pre- sale. I'm really happy with all my purchases, but of course, there are few things I really wish I had bought. Here are my top 3.

1. Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation (price: $42)


I've been told this is a really great foundation for full coverage, and I am a huuuuge fan of Make Up Forever, but the $42 price tag combined with the fact that I forgot to go get shade matched at a Sephora in person really made me waffle on this. Plus, I have about seven tubes of foundation right now, so I didn't think it was THAT necessary.
However, on the other hand, I really don't have a go- to full coverage foundation yet, and my skin has been breaking out a bit lately. Additionally, I would really like to get more into luxury foundations, as that's something I haven't tried extensively before, and I think this would be a good starting point.
Likelihood that I will eventually buy this: 8. If I go into a Sephora and find a shade I like, and it feels good on my skin in- store, I think there's a strong likelihood that this will be purchased.

2. Dior Rosy Glow Healthy Glow Awakening Blush in Petal (price: $44)
Everything about this blush looks absolutely gorgeous. The packaging looks so luxe, the color is unique and beautiful, and ughhhh I want it so badly! I managed to talk myself out of it because I do have quite a few blushes, and I don't feel to deprived in that arena. I don't have one this color, but I do have many different shades that look flattering on me, so do I really need this??
Likelihood that I will eventually buy this: 5. I really love this, and I haven't found a barbie pink color similar to this in the drugstore yet - what I love about this is that it really is unique. However, if I were to find one (and I am sure there's one out there somewhere), I wouldn't have any need for this. If I can't find a shade like this anywhere, I could see myself asking for this during my birthday or something to that effect. Blush does last a long time, so I do see good value for the price. I just don't need another one right now.

3. GLAMGLOW Supermud Clearing Treatment (price: $69)

I honestly build up the steam to buy this about once every two weeks, but it hasn't happened yet. Here's why: I spend the whole week hating my skin, and convincing myself that my face wouldn't look like this if I had a really nice mask. I don't think the effectiveness of this is heavily disputed. Generally, it's very well- reviewed, and I know a few beauty bloggers that swear by this. I have actually been lucky enough to sample this, and I have to say, I did notice a difference with this mask, even with the paltry amount I put on my face. So I've built up the steam to buy this, and then I go into Sephora on saturday afternoon, take one look at a) the price and b) the size of the jar, and convince myself that I will never need a mask that badly. I cannot stress how disappointingly small this product is. I'd be surprised if you could get 10 uses out of this. That's about $7 per mask. SERIOUSLY?! I'm a law student living mostly on student loans. I literally will not ever be able to justify this - even with a 15% discount. But oh, do I want this....
Likelihood that I will eventually buy this product: 2. The silver lining of this story is that there are a lot of lovely masks out on the market. You could spend half as much and get the Ren Invisible Pores Detox Mask, which I did buy during the sale, and absolutely love. If you go through all the drugstore masks and all of the reasonably high- end masks and you still can't find something that rivals the Glamglow, then I'd say, what the heck are you waiting for. But until I do that, I'm going to keep exploring.

Do you have any beauty regrets post- Sephora sale? And what did you choose to splurge on during the sale? Let me know in the comments!

Xx Kate







05 April, 2014

Quick Look: Benefit's The Big Easy


Benefit's new foundation, The Big Easy, came out a few months ago and, after reading some pre- reviews of the project, I was so eager to try it. The reviews for this "Better Than BB" product promised good coverage that felt lightweight on your skin. One of the unique innovations with this product is a 'liquid to powder' formula that was supposed to be especially nice for oily skin. I personally do have oilier skin, and I feel like a lot of foundations are good for dry skin, but few that are targeted to oily skin. Benefit does claim that this foundation is good for all skin types, though. I quickly purchased it and have been trying it out for the past few weeks. Here are my thoughts.

The application of this product is relatively easy. It's one of the few foundations I feel comfortable using my fingers to apply it, but it also yields a very nice application with a foundation brush and with my beauty blender. It's really quite user friendly.

The Big Easy really does sink into my skin well and feels incredibly lightweight. However, I think that it feeling lightweight logically means that it will be lightweight. I would say that this coverage is light to medium. It's great for me if I'm having a relatively good skin day, but sometimes I prefer a fuller coverage alternative. I'm not saying that this doesn't cover things nicely, but I struggle to build it up to full coverage. Here is a picture of this foundation on my skin not blended (left) and blended (right). I don't even detect it on my skin once blended out.


The Big Easy has an SPF of 35, which I was really excited about, as I love protecting my skin. I have five other foundations with SPF, and they are all 15 or lower. SPF 35 is very significant, and I know that this is going to give me great protection, which will definitely be beneficial in the long run. I know some people do shy away from SPF in your foundation, as it tends to have a "white out" effect on your face when you take pictures. I was aware of this, so I made sure to test this out for The Big Easy. I took a picture of it with flash, and I was very pleased to see that it didn't seem to blanch my skin. However, because of the SPF, there is a detectible "sunscreen" fragrance. It's extremely mild, and I didn't notice it until I actually consciously smelled it, but it could be something to keep in mind if you're sensitive to smells.
enjoying the sun with The Big Easy!

This product hasn't broken me out, and I find that I can wear it all day and my skin doesn't get as oily. I don't feel that I need to set the foundation with powder, as the liquid does change to powder, so that saves me a step on rushed mornings. Overall, I do really enjoy this product. I will admit, it's not my holy grail, as I do like a foundation that I can build up to fuller coverage easily. I would recommend this product for anyone with oily skin who doesn't struggle too much with blemishes or dark spots. This is an excellent foundation to have during the summer when SPF and oiliness are even larger concerns, so I do look forward to continued use.

What's your holy grail foundation?

Xx Kate