L'Oreal Visible Lift Foundation | A New Favorite

Okay so here's the thing...

I've tried out a bajillion foundations in my short time as an active makeup enthusiast and I have found only a handful that take the cake. This foundation is one of them.

I am talking about L'Oreal's newest foundation, the Visible Lift Blur Foundation. I am so in love that words cannot even do it justice. I love the coverage, the plethora of shades that are available, the texture, the longevity, the price, and just the overall existence of this product. Let my latest video speak for itself. I cannot say enough good things! Once again, amazing job, L'Oreal!

Oh, and by the way, I have grown to love this even more when applying it with my beauty blender! ;)

xoxoxoxo

(Late) July Favorites!

A few days ago I uploaded my July Favorites video on my YouTube channel. For those of you who aren't subscribed, or those of you who just want to see a list of all the products I mentioned, I figured I'd just share all that with you here. Enjoy :)

Foundation 101 | Everything You Need to Know!

The task of finding the perfect foundation can be daunting and overwhelming. How are you supposed to know what undertones are in your skin? What type of coverage are you supposed to look for? How do you apply it? Well, I have (hopefully) the answers to all those questions and then some! Watch the video below or read on to learn how to find your perfect foundation.

Finding the Perfect Shade
Do you need a warm, cool, or neutral toned foundation? Finding out the answer to that question can be a little tricky but there are a couple things you can do to arrive at the solution. Look at your skin tone -- all over. If you see more olive, yellow, or gold undertones, you will most likely benefit from a warmer foundation. Pink undertones? A cool foundation may be better for you. If you have a mix of both a neutral foundation is a great place to start. Still not sure? Head to Sephora, Ulta, or your favorite makeup counter to get color matched. They will be able to tell you exactly what you need.

Color Matching
A huge mistake women tend to make is attempting to match a foundation to the color of the back of their hand. To that I say; NONONONONONONO!

The best place to test a foundation is your jawline down to the top of your neck. You want to make sure the color matches along your jawline and blends nicely into your neck in order to avoid that "mask" look. I highly recommend trying out a couple different shades by blending the foundation slightly (all you need is a small swatch) into your jawline/neck area, letting it dry, and comparing the colors to determine what is best for your skin tone.

Finish & Coverage
Foundations can leave a natural, dewy, or matte finish on the skin after application. The type of finish you want to have is entirely up to you. However, I would definitely recommend matte foundations for those who have oily skin (like me!), and dewy or luminous foundations for those with combo or dryer skin.

Determining the type of coverage you would like is also personal preference. In my experience, it seems that most foundations have a medium coverage, but there are also foundations that provide light and full coverage. The types of coverage are pretty self-explanatory...a foundation that is medium to full coverage is going to cover up more than a light coverage foundation.

Drugstore or High End?
I've had much more experience with drugstore brand foundations and I must say that they definitely get the job done. I don't think you can go wrong with Revlon's Color Stay Whipped Foundation, L'Oreal's True Match (and True Match Lumi if you have dryer skin), and Covergirl's 3-in-1 foundation.

As far as high end is concerned, I am OBSESSED with Make Up For Ever's Mat Velvet + foundation because I am super super oily. I love it and it was well worth the investment. I will certainly update when I have tried more high end brands.

Tools
While your fingers are always a great tool for applying makeup, my hands down, holy grail, best brush of life ever is the Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki brush. I could go on, and on, and ON about this amazing tool. My foundation goes on so much smoother, easier, and has a flawless appearance when I use this brush.

Another great line of brushes is from Real Technique -- I know they have them at Ulta and are very inexpensive. My favorite foundation brush they make is the Expert Face Brush. Another great option!



Hopefully this post helped you if you are in the market for a new foundation! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave them below or e-mail me.

xoxo

November Favorites!!!

November Favorites video is now up on my channel (filmed with my *NEW* camera so get ready for HD quality! Yay!). Full descriptions and information on the products I mentioned are listed below the video, so just click "read more" if you want all the details! Enjoy ladies -- and hope you all had a wonderful holiday! :)

Review -- Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick!

First of all, you must know that Maybelline is one of my favorite drugstore brands. I haven't tried many of their foundations but I'm a huge fan of their mascaras and lip products. I was super excited to try this foundation stick and had high hopes for it. Before I share my opinion, let me tell you a little more about the foundation.

According to Maybelline's website, the Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick comes in 12 shades, is oil-free, has a "powder-core" that is supposed to help eliminate excess oil, and leaves your skin "flawless, shine-free...and natural matte coverage." The website also suggests applying the product then blending with your fingers.

The shade I picked up is in 220 Natural Beige and I must say it is a near-perfect match. I applied the foundation directly to my face and blended it in with my fingers, just as Maybelline suggests. I noticed that with just one layer, the foundation appears to be light-medium coverage. I still could see some of my acne scars and blemishes through the foundation, so I let it set for a few minutes before applying a second layer. The second layer did a better job at concealing the areas where I needed more coverage.

Once the foundation was set, I noticed it felt powdery on the skin -- not oily or sticky like some other foundation can be, and not drying on the skin either. I didn't noticed any excessive shininess to my normally oily skin. 

To really break it down for you, here are my personal pros/cons and final thoughts:

PROS

• Good range of shades to choose from; mine in particular was a near-pefect match
• Quick, easy to use. No special brushes or other tools needed
• Lightweight -- does not feel too heavy or cakey on the face
• Powdery, somewhat matte finish. Did not feel oily/sticky on the skin and did not cause skin to appear excessively shiny or oily
• Buildable. Can easily apply more than one layer to build higher coverage
• Inexpensive price tag. Target has it for just $6.99!

CONS

• Light-medium coverage. Personally, I prefer a higher coverage foundation to a lighter coverage because sometimes layering too much foundation can cause the skin to look cakey
• Not a lot of product in the tube. I feel like I've been going through my stick pretty fast. Maybe that's because when I wear this foundation I layer it to have higher coverage, but I was surprised when I saw how low the stick was getting after having it for only a couple weeks (and not even wearing it every day or every other day for that matter)

TIPS

• As with most foundations, using a primer before applying the product and setting it with a translucent or tinted setting powder afterwards helps to extend the lasting power of your foundation. I always recommend doing both of these steps when wearing any type of foundation
• Do not twist the product up too high! I made the mistake of doing this and broke part of the stick. Luckily it was salvageable, but I have to be careful how high I twist the tube now. Oops!
• Use your fingers to blend. After trying my Expert Face Brush by Real Techniques to blend this foundation, I definitely prefer to use my fingers, just as the website suggests

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Would I repurchase this product? Probably not -- but only because I prefer my higher coverage foundations (like the Revlon Color Stay Whipped foundation), and don't necessarily like to add multiple layers to my skin. 
• Would I recommend this product to a friend? Absolutely! For anyone I know that likes light-medium coverage foundations and needs a quick, easy foundation routine...I would say definitely try this out. For me, however, it just isn't my favorite.

What are your thoughts? Have you tried this yet? Let me know what you think if you have!

xoxo

6 Steps to a Flawless Face

Garnier Ultra-Lift 2-In-1 Wrinkle Reducer Moisturizer + Benefit Porefessional Primer + Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Palette OR L'Oreal True Match Crayon Concealer + Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundationr  + Real Techniques Expert Face Brush + Real Techniques Powder Brush + Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Translucent Powder + Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray  

1. Moisturizer: I like to use Garnier 2-in-1 Wrinkle Reducer all over my face and neck before I apply any other product.

2. Primer: Benefit Porefessional is my weapon of choice. I apply this all over my face, focusing a lot of the product onto my t-zone and areas where my pores are slightly larger.

3. Concealer: Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Palette/L'Oreal Concealer Crayon - I apply my concealer to the under eye area and on any blemishes I need to cover up. If I'm using the Sonia Kashuk palette, I use the green tinted concealer to cover up any redness I may have. I use the lightest shade under my eyes and the medium shade over the green. If I use the L'Oreal crayon, I apply it to the under eye area and on any blemishes/redness I have.

4. Medium-Full Coverage Foundation: best applied with a foundation brush or flat top kabuki brush. I let the product sit for a few minutes before I use my setting powder. I also touch up any blemishes or under-eye areas with concealer and absorb any excess foundation by lightly dabbing certain areas with a tissue. My favorite for a while now has been Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation. I also like L'Oreal True Match and L'Oreal True Match Lumi.