Collective (Drugstore) Haul & Swatches - Things I've Hauled While I Was Away

So while I was away, I did buy makeup here and there. I was intrigued by the LA Splash liquid lipsticks so I picked up a few shades. There was many other shades that appealed to me but decided to just pick these colors to see how I liked them. I love and hate these, lol. Will tell you more on my review.

Favorite Blushes, Highlighters, Foundations/BB Creams, Face Powders, Concealers, and Makeup Removers of 2014

I don't know if you noticed but in 2014, I didn't do any favorite posts. So with that said, I've decided that I'm going to sort my 2014 favorite product in different categories. This is more like my face makeup favorites.

Clinique Fresh Bloom 13 Plum Poppy Blend. It has a wonderful soft texture and pigmentation. I love the pinky rose nude color. It looks very natural on the cheeks and has just a subtle sheen.

Tarte the chic to cheek deluxe Amazonian clay blush set. This set is by far my favorite Tarte blushes. I found these blushes to be softer and easier to blend and I really like the shade range. This is just too bad it was limited edition so I'm glad I got my hands on it.

Benefit High Beam Highlighter and Posie Tint Cheek Color. Ahhh this is a perfect set. So little and cute! Nice color and staying power.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Cheek Rush X-Pose Rose. A little tricky to apply but once you get past that, the color is beautiful and very long-lasting.

Milani Baked Blush Bella Rosa. One of the most pigmented blush I own. I have to use a small stipple brush to apply this cause it's so pigmented.

YSL Dare to Glow Silky Highlighting Veil Fatal Red. Very gorgeous highlighter. I got it on sale.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Powder Makeup. Unfortunately, I did not review this powder. I mainly use it to set my foundation and it really helps prolong the longevity of my foundation. 

NYX Blotting Powder Medium Dark. It's a bit yellow tone for me but it actually blends well with my skin tone and I love how weightless it feels. It's especially good for erasing shine on my forehead.

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation True Ivory. The color is a perfect match for my skin tone. It's long-lasting with medium to full coverage.

Missha Cho Bo Yang BB Cream. I don't use this all over my face. Mostly in the areas I need more coverage and brightening. It's thick so it covers very well.

ELF Studio Maximum Coverage Concealer Sand. The texture is thick and creamy, coverage is medium. I mainly use it on my cheek area where I want to brighten and even out skin tone.

L'Oreal Clean Artiste Waterproof & Long Wearing Eye Makeup Remover. Does the job well. I like the packaging.



Finding any of your favorites here?

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation True Ivory - Swatch and Review

A few weeks ago, I was stalking Walgreens to see if any new collection or product made it to the shelves but I didn't really find anything of interest. However, when I got to the Rimmel stand and saw that they had a BOGO sale, I decided to try out this long lasting 25 hour foundation.

Packaging

• Plastic squeeze tube. It's practical and I prefer that to a bottle without a pump. 
• 1 oz or 30 ml

Product

• True Ivory is a neutral light/medium shade with neutral undertone. I thought that the shade range is slightly darker than it should be. Most ivory foundation are a bit light on me but this one is a perfect match for my skin tone. 
• The foundation yields a medium coverage that can be built up to full coverage. It does set rather quickly. I find it easier to apply one area at a time. It dries down to a satin finish. 
• It feels a bit sticky on the skin. I don't really like that but I can deal with it. 
• It's quite long-wearing, although I wouldn't vouch for 25 hours. At 8 hours, I noticed very subtle fading. It definitely hold up in hot and humid weather. However, it doesn't control oil and shine so I still find my skin a little shiny. 
• it has a floral scent that lingers for a little while.

Final Thought

It's definitely long-wearing and holds well against sweat and humidity. I also like the finish and the medium-full coverage but I don't like the slight sticky feel. I think for the price, it's definitely worth a try if you want a long-wearing foundation with an affordable price tag.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $6-$7
Availability: Walgreens, CVS, Wal-Mart, Target

Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid Touch Foundation Classic Ivory - Swatch and Review

Great news, my son passed his driving test yesterday. In spite of that, it doesn't make me feel at ease either. New drivers always scare me.

When I spotted this new liquid foundation, I was curious to try it out. Mainly for the lightweight feel. I generally don't really need much coverage. As long as it evens out my skin tone and makes me look refreshed, I'm good with that.


Packaging

• Glass packaging with a teardrop like applicator. I find the applicator handy dandy.
• .67 oz or 20 ml

Product

• I got the shade Classic Ivory, which is a light beige with neutral undertone. It's slightly lighter than my natural skin tone but not by much and contouring helps giving my face dimension. 
• You need to shake the bottle before use. The formula is very fluid and liquidy. It doesn't offer much coverage, light to almost medium coverage if you build it up. 
• It does a good job at evening out skin tone but if you have some trouble spots or dark circles, you definitely will need to pair it with a good concealer. 
• It dries to a matte finish and personally I don't think it flatters me. Also, I don't even have dry skin but it makes my skin looks dry as it settles into the tiniest lines on my face that I didn't even know were there. I definitely recommend using a primer with this foundation. 
• In normal condition, it wears well for up to 6 hours before I notice it fading. On days, I'm running errands and the weather is hot and humid, it will wear off within a couple hours. 

Final Thought

Overall, I'm not liking it. I have normal/oily combination skin and this foundation makes my skin look like a dry desert so for best result make sure to use a primer. Secondly, it wears off easily in hot and humid temperatures and it will probably work best during the colder months. And if you are someone who needs more coverage, you will need help from a concealer if you want to use this foundation. Other than that, I like the lightweight and soft feel it has. Lastly, there is only .67 oz in the bottle and for the price, it doesn't work for me.

If you were wondering how it compares to the L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder, the finish is more matte and looks drier. Check out the last picture on this post to see the swatch comparison. I think the finish on Magic Nude is much nicer.

Rating: 7/10

Price: $10-$11
Availability: Ulta, Walgreens

On the right, see how Maybelline Dream Wonder settles and emphasizes every little creases on my hand? I get the same result on my face. No bueno, me no likey!

Let me know what you think if you tried it.

L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder (Creamy Natural) - Swatch and Review

Hi everyone,

It is said on the blogosphere that this new L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder is the drugstore dupe of Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation and so when I heard that I was like ahh I need to try it then! Though the two are different brands, they are both made by the same company. I've not tried the GA Maestro so I can't really compare the two.

Packaging

• This bottle is made of glass, therefore be cautious not to drop it on a  hard surface. Otherwise, I like the rectangular shape of it. 
• There's no pump or dropper, which is a bummer. I would have liked a dropper just like the Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation. You will also need to be cautious when dispensing the product for use.
• .91 oz or 27 ml

Product

• The foundation is very thin and liquidy, which is why I mentioned that it would have been nice if the packaging came with a dropper. Because of that, I think you should shake the bottle before use. I put my finger and close the opening with it, tilt the bottle until I get some product on my finger and then I dab it on different areas of my face. The direction recommends not to use a sponge or brush but I still went with a brush and it works just fine for me. 
• I picked the shade creamy natural, the 3rd lightest shade of the line. It's just a bit darker and warmer than my natural skintone but I was able to make it work due to the thin consistency of the foundation. The classic ivory would've probably been a better match for me. I think the shades run darker than usual so keep that in mind when purchasing. 
• The texture of this foundation was very silky. It glides on the skin like butter. It looks dewy upon application but dries down to a powdery satin finish. 
• It has light coverage but can be build up to a medium coverage. It should be good for those who don't need or want a lot of coverage but just a bit of color to even out skin tone and blur pores. I'd recommend pairing a concealer with this foundation, especially if you have some trouble areas that need more coverage.
• The foundation holds well for 5-6 hours before I notice a bit of fading and a little shine peaking through my forehead. After 8 hours, though it didn't look as fresh as it did in the morning, I was quite happy that it didn't completely melt off my face. When paired with a good primer, it can last a few hours more. 

Final Thought

Skip this foundation if you need full coverage. It might not work if you are very oily. But for dry to combination skins who are content with light to medium coverage, you may want to check this foundation out. It feels very silky and light on the skin and will hold through most of the day.

8.5/10

Price: $12.99
Availability: Ulta, Walgreens

Huge Jordana Haul (With Preview Swatches) & Some L'Oreal

I'm super excited to show you this haul. I went to Walgreens last night to pick up two hand full of Jordana products. Crazy eh? Well, to justify my craziness, Jordana was on sale at for BOGO 50% off so I went nuts and grabbed whatever my two hands can hold.

Ok so the funny story is that I went to another Walgreens first before doing my grocery shopping and I had picked up just one Jordana Balm stain along with two L'Oreal products. After I was done grocery shopping, came home and ate supper, I decided to swatch Tropical Frenzy, which is the shade I initially got. I was like wow, this feels nice. I go online looking for swatches and reviews of the other colors and come to find that it was on BOGO sale at Walgreens and I didn't even know! Boo me! But I blame Walgreens for not labeling the sale.

It was 9 pm and I decided to run off to the Walgreens closest to home, an hour before they close to grab the rest of this haul because I didn't want to miss out on the BOGO sale. Yep, beauty junkie mentality to its fullest!

I don't know how new these balm stains are but I think they are fairly new. In all, I purchased 7 of the Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains. They have 8 shades available and the only one I didn't get is Candied Coral. Beats me why I didn't get it. Maybe because I already had a coral balm stain? I don't know what I was thinking. Here's a quick preview of the swatches below. I will review them eventually.

Quick note, Tropical Frezy and Sweet Pink are extremely similar when swatched. I think Tropical Frenzy may be just a tiny bit brighter but honestly you don't need both. Another thing I want to mention is that prices vary between Walgreens. The first Walgreens I went to, they charged me $3.29 for one of these, whereas the second Walgreens I went to, they were sold for $2.99 each. With that said, the prices are low to begin with and the sales makes them even lower, which is why I ran off to Walgreens like I had a makeup emergency crisis, lol.

Secondly, I saw the 12 Hours Made To Last Eyeshadow Pencil, which reminded me a lot of the Milani Shadow Eyez and the Rimmel ScandalEyes. I just had to have them. I really want to know how they compare. These are $3.99 each. I picked up the shades: Endless Emerald, Continuous Almond, and Pink Evermore.

I love eyeliners and seeing that they came up with the 12 Hr Made To Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil, I had to try a few as well. These were $2.49 each at regular price, again like I said earlier prices may vary between stores. I got the shades: Purple Fix, Jade Jewel, and Espresso Last.

So far, my initial impression of these new Jordana products are good and they have a potential to become new favorites as well but I will tell you want I really think of them once I have used them enough to form a better opinion. One thing is for sure, the prices for these babies are awesome and won't break the bank!

Lastly, while I was at Walgreens, I saw that L'Oreal was on BOGO sale as well and I've been curious about the Magic Nude Liquid Powder since I read on Beautezine that it is comparable to the Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation. I have not tried the Maestro foundation but I wouldn't be surprised if the formula is similar since Giorgio Armani is owned by L'Oreal. I had that eye opening experience with two eyeshadows from Lancome and L'Oreal which were practically identical, you can read it HERE if you missed it. L'Oreal is the parent company to several high end brands like Lancome, YSL, and Urban Decay. This is $12.99. 

Didn't know what else to get for my BOGO item so I grabbed the L'Oreal Clean Artiste Waterproof & Long Wearing eye makeup remover. Normally priced at $7.99 for a 4 oz bottle. I go through these makeup removers a lot so it's always good to have a back up.

Whewwww...Ok, that's it for now. Did you take any advantage of the Jordana sale at Walgreens?

Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick - Swatch and Review

A few days ago, I impulsively grabbed one of these new Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick. I've never tried a foundation stick before so I was very curious to find out if this could become a new favorite.


Packaging

• I consider the packaging rather compact. It's small and light-weight, which is rather convenient for traveling. 
• I feel that the cap can potentially become loose over time. I haven't had it long enough to confirm that it will happen but based on my observation it looks a little flimsy.
• There's .32 oz or 9 g of product, which doesn't seem like much. When I twisted the entire product out, the diameter is probably around 3/4 of an inch and the length roughly about 2 inches long. 
• There's an anti-shine core at the center that is supposed to help control oil and give you a matte finish.

Product

• There are 12 different shades to choose from and I did have a bit of a hard time figuring out which one would be the best match for my skin tone so I grabbed 120. I find it to be a bit too cool and slightly lighter than I would prefer for my skin tone but once blended the shade actually worked. It does make me look flat and pale but I don't mind it much since I can easily fix that with contouring and blush. 
• The texture of the foundation is quite emollient and feels like gel. It blends easily and I feel like it doesn't really absorbs into my skin but kinda just sit on top of it, which helps smooth out pores. I apply it directly from the stick unto my face and then use a brush to blend and buff the foundation with my skin. It feels very light and can give you light to medium coverage. It does a very good job at evening out my skin tone, blur my freckles, and minimize the appearance of small scars. Please forgive the horrible picture and ghostly face below. I'm quite pale and I've been breaking out one pimple after another so my skin is in bad shape. Those little acne scars are going to take some time to go away. 
• Once blended it give a soft powdered and almost matte finish. I guess it's more like a satin finish. 
• I found that the foundation lasted fairly well on me. It held up to 6 hours before I start noticing signs of fading. It also does a very good job at controlling shine from my T-zone, which I'm pretty happy about. 

Final Thought

The amount of product in that stick isn't much and if used daily, you can certainly go through it quicker than your average liquid foundation. Overall, I do like though. I don't really need to set it with a powder since it seems to go from cream to powder finish. It offers decent coverage, does an excellent job at keeping the shine at bay, and last through most of my day.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $7.00-$10.00
Availability: CVS, Walgreens

Planning on picking this up? Do you have a favorite foundation stick?

Wearing Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation on the left, no makeup on the right

Wearing Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation all over face

Motives Custom Blend Foundation - Review and Swatches

Hello Lovelies,

Today, I'll be reviewing this foundation, which was provided to me by Motives Cosmetics for review. One thing I appreciate about custom blend foundations is that they are specifically customized the formula for your skin type, skin color, and the coverage that you're looking for. Other than Motives and Prescriptives, I don't know who else does custom blend foundation.

I usually have a really hard time getting the right shade when purchasing drugstore foundations or when purchasing online. More than often, I would end up with a color that does not match and I usually have to have another foundation to mix it with in order to get a shade that is closer to my skin tone.

Typically, you would need to be present in order to have the foundation blended to match your skin color; however, since that was impossible in my case, I had to provide a few pictures of myself without any makeup and in natural daylight. I also told Motives that in most brands, the second or third lightest color have been the closest to my skin color and that I have neutral undertone. I'm happy to say that they did a pretty good job matching the foundation color to my skin.

Here's what's in my custom blend:

• Light to medium coverage
• Natural finish
• oil control for my T-Zone
• moisturizer
• a bit of SPF

Now before we get into the nitty gritty stuff about this foundation, here's some stats about my skin. My skin is usually in pretty good condition on most days. I'm not acne prone but I get the occasional pimple, depending on stress and that time of the month. I exfoliate regularly, like 2-3 times a week, and I cleanse and  moisturize my face twice a day. I'm a bit oily on the T-zone, otherwise my skin is normal in other areas. I have some light freckles on my cheeks, uneven skintone, and some acne scars that I want my foundation to cover. On typical days, I prefer light to medium coverage. I don't feel the need to always look flawless but I like my face to look awake, refreshed, and natural. Being pale can often make me look like I'm sick.

Packaging

• Standard glass bottle with a frosted finish. Unfortunately, it didn't come with a pump dispenser. I'm pretty sure that's a bummer for a lot of people, including myself. 
• I don't know exactly how much product is in that bottle since it doesn't say on the label but I would estimate that it looks to me like 1 oz.

Product

• The formula on mine was rather thin and runny. However, when I applied it, I felt that it set quite quickly.
• When I did one layer, I didn't notice much other than it evened out my skin tone. When I added a second layer, I was happy to see that it provided a medium coverage without looking cakey. 
• The finish was semi-matte and looked quite natural. I didn't feel the need to use a powder because it didn't make me look shiny.
• I didn't detect any offensive, paint-like odor, coming from this foundation, which some foundation tend to have. It only had a very faint cosmetic scent to it. I don't know how to describe it but it's very subtle. You won't smell anything unless you put your nose right on top of it.
• Another thing I noticed that this foundation does very well is controlling the oil on my T-zone. After 6 hours of wear, I see no shine. I was pretty happy about that. Not too many foundations can do that for me. 
• I typically look for a foundation that last 8-12 hours as I am too busy for any touch up. I am very pleased with the longevity of foundation. After 8 hours of wear, I barely notice any fading. 

Final Thought

This foundation pretty much has everything that I expect and need in a foundation, well that's the beauty and advantage of being custom made and that's what makes this foundation special and different from others. You tell them what you want and they'll concoct the perfect formulation for you. What more can I ask for? I suppose a pump dispenser would be nice.

My rating: 9.5/10.

Price: $35-45, depending on add on and customizations.
Available at http://www.motivesatlanta.com

If you by any chance decide to purchase from Motives, I would greatly appreciate if you put me as reference when you register. My email is xxxbeautyredefinedxxx@gmail.com. Motives has agreed to give 15% to 20% discount for my audience so be sure to mention that you were referred through my blog. You may message them for more detail on the discount. Also, purchase over $100 qualifies for free shipping. Let me know if  you have any questions. :)

Have you ever used a custom blend foundation? If yes, where did you get yours and how did you like it?

Milani Cream To Powder Makeup - Review and Swatches

Hello lovely readers,

I've tried this cream makeup for at least a week now and I'm ready to give you my review. This is the shade medium beige and I had originally picked it up in the intend of using it as a contour cream. My skintone is light-medium with neutral undertone so when I saw that it seemed dark enough in the pan to use as a contour, I thought that it was going to work. Well, it didn't quite turn out that way, lol. When I put it on my face, I felt that the color was close to my skintone so it definitely wasn't going to work as a contour cream.
It is a shade darker than my natural skintone but once blended in, it wasn't really that noticeable so instead I decided to just use it all over my face.

Packaging

• Packaging is a bit bulky and includes a mirror and a sponge applicator. I personally don't like using sponges because I feel that they absorb too much products and take longer to do the face. What I did with this cream is swipe the product with my finger and place it where I want on my face. I then use a dense brush to smooth it out and buff it in. Doing it this way works great and makes your skin look flawless. 
• Net weight is .28 oz or 7.9 g.

Product

• The first thing I noticed is the scent. I first I didn't like it but I guess after continuously using for a week, I kinda got used to it. It doesn't smell bad but it's quite strong and lingers for a while. The scent reminds me a lot of baby powder. 
• The cream feels light, very creamy, and buttery, similar to what you get from face primers. With that aspect, it makes the cream easy to blend.
• The coverage is buildable and medium to full coverage.
• The finish is dewy and I don't know if that's just me but I still feel the need to add some powder on top to minimize the shine. 
• It last me well through out the day. When I get home from work, I see very little fading and I never touch up my face. I'm one of those people who just do their makeup in the morning and call it a day, lol. I am too busy to be checkout my face and reapplying makeup. The only thing I might touch up on is my lips, especially if they feel dry and need some sort of moisture. 
• I'm a person who sweat very easily so I'm not sure if this will work for me in the summertime but for winter, it works.

Final Thought
The scent was a bit bothersome. The texture feels like silicone, which was kinda weird but the product worked well for me overall and surprisingly gave pretty good coverage without looking cakey. I have oily/normal skin and I'm a bit oily on my nose and forehead. This product does not control oil and I feel that it is better suited for people with dry to normal skin. I don't like the bulky packaging but considering that there is a mirror and sponge, this is travel friendly if you need to touch up.
I guess to me, this product will be a hit or miss depending on the individual. I'm kind of in between. I don't love it but I don't hate it either. 

My rating: 8/10.

Do you use a cream bronzer/contour? If so which one do you have?


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