Foundation

My beauty discoveries of 2007

Paris B 1 Comment

2007

My beauty discoveries of 2007 include:

My other highlights include getting in the local news which is awesome recognition for this barely 1 year old site 🙂

And that was part of how 2007 turned out for me in the beauty and fashion sector.

Here’s wishing all readers of My Women Stuff a Happy New Year 2008!! Do come back for more women and beauty stuff next year 🙂

~ Paris B ~

Review: Makeup: Lumiere Mineral Cosmetics Foundation

Paris B 17 Comments

I first heard about Lumiere Mineral cosmetics after reading Vivawoman’s review on its kabuki. I may or may not review the Lumiere Minerals kabuki brush separately but believe everything she says. Its awesomely soft and applies well.

My review however is on its mineral foundation. I purchased the foundation as part of their specials set which came with 2 foundations and a kabuki brush. I got my foundations in the loose powder Flawless Foundation texture which promises this:

Unlike other mineral foundations that are chalky and heavy feeling Flawless is finely milled, soft & moisturizing. Formulated with squalane to create a creamy textured foundation that will almost melt into the skin to rehydrate and rejuvenate dry, lifeless skin. Flawless is a mica free matte but not flat foundation with a touch of glow.

I had not had very good experiences with mineral foundations in the past so I was wary. However, my concerns were quite unfounded because this mineral foundation is awesome!

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Review: Makeup: L’oreal True Match liquid foundation

Paris B 12 Comments

loreal true match

I picked up the L’oreal True Match Foundation one day due to an emergency which left me without any makeup. I’d heard a lot about it and seen the advertisements and thought I’d give it a shot, because its a reasonably priced liquid foundation. I’m not very good with liquid foundation so I thought it would be a good time to experiment with a reasonably priced foundation.

L’oreal True Match foundation proclaims to have a colour to match every skintone and has an ingredient that helps it adjust to match your skin colour, so you always have the perfect foundation. They have also classified the shades so its easy to match it to your skin, provided you know what tone your skin is.

There are a few categories:

Neutral – neutral tones
Warm – yellow tones
Rose – pink tones

You pick category first then shade which correspond to the numbers. The higher the number, the darker it gets. I thought it was all just hoo-ha to be honest.

I have a neutral skintone (not warm not cool) so I picked up N1 – Nude Ivory because from my experience, I usually just head for the lightest foundation shade and work my way up. This time, I was spot on. N1 is a perfect match for my skintone. It literally melts into my skin and blends perfectly so you can’t even tell I have foundation on. Perfect!

The foundation comes in a glass bottle with a pump. The texture is quite thick and creamy, almost like that of a moisturiser. You just need a little dab on your forehead, nose, chin and cheeks to have perfect smooth coverage. If you prefer heavier coverage, then just apply a little more. But be careful not to overdo it.

I found that unlike my previous experience with liquid foundation, this one did not leave a thick cakey texture on my face. It was easy to keep it light and it did a good job of evening my skintone and doing some slight coverage of imperfections. Once set with some loose powder or silk powder it lasted the whole day for me plus my skin looked damned near flawless! Bear in mind that I live in a hot and humid climate but work in an air-conditioned environment so that might be the reason it stays on. But by the end of the day, I usually still look more or less the same as when I left the house in the morning with minimal fading. That’s pretty awesome in my book!

A bottle retails for RM59.90 if I recall and there are 10 shades for you to choose from. N1 (Nude Ivory) which I went for looks very pale in the bottle but works great for those who are fair to medium. I tried R1 (Rose Ivory) but it left a pinkish white cast on my skin. W1 (Warm Vanilla) left my skin looking yellow. I half-expected to have a reaction to it but to my surprise, I did not. No skin problems after prolonged use. L’oreal goes on sale often usually 10% but sometimes 15% so wait for the discounts to try it.

Pros: Cheap, good coverage, good match for skintone, pump bottle has less wastage

Cons: Nothing major

[rating:4.5/5]

8 Foundation tips and tricks

Paris B 23 Comments

Foundation is, as the word suggests, the foundation of all the makeup you are going to put on your face. Get it wrong, and like a house, it all falls down around your ears. Here are 8 tips and tricks when it comes to foundation.

  • Always test your foundation colour in natural daylight where possible.
  • Test foundation on your jawline not on the back of your hands. Your hands are usually a little darker than your face. Alternatively, use the inside of your arms where the skin is usually lighter and a closer match to your face.
  • Do not get pressured into buying a colour or foundation type just because the sales assistant said it suited you. Test run it out in natural light and if you can’t, make sure YOU are happy with it as a match or with its texture.
  • Where possible get the best match for your skin tone. This means that the colour when applied on your skin melts into your skin and you cannot tell where your skin ends and where the foundation begins. Foundation is not meant to cover or conceal. It is a means to evening out the colour tone of your face. A good foundation with good coverage will never look cakey or thick, but will look natural on your skin.
  • Never get a foundation colour that is lighter than your skintone, hoping to make yourself look fairer than you actually are. A colour that is too light will cause your skin to look ashy and grey. Not a pleasant sight.
  • If you want to look a little tanned, get a foundation shade that’s a little darker than your skintone. Make sure that you apply it on your neck as well or you will end up looking very strange.
  • If you bought a liquid foundation color in summer when tanned and find that its too dark for you in winter, try mixing in some moisturiser or sunscreen to lighten it. You need sunscreen in winter too.
  • If you have a powder foundation that is a little dark for you, apply it with a large powder brush or kabuki brush. It will cause the powder to go on more sheer and you don’t have to toss your foundation.

Foundation and mascara are two items in a woman’s makeup arsenal that people find the hardest to get right. I myself have been experimenting with both liquid and powder foundation from different brands and with different textures. I’m dipping my toes into mineral powder foundation again to see if it works for me this time.

I’m happy to read any other tips or tricks with foundation if you have any.

Picture courtesy of wyee

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