Sample Rundown #3

It's time for another Sample Rundown! I was again able to get a picture of me wearing all of these products at once (except for the Skinfood mask, obviously), but unfortunately, I didn't have as many wow-that's-great moments in this batch. In fact, I had zero wow moments. That being said, there were a few good products in this batch, just nothing for me.

Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Extravagant -- I like the original MUFE Smoky Lash, but I don't purchase it because it dries out quickly and I'm a drugstore mascaras kinda gal. Smoky Lash Extravagant is not that different insofar as it's a dryer, thicker formula that starts to dry up a month after opening it. It's very black mascara that didn't flake horribly on me. It also gives plenty of length and a bit of volume. But unfortunately, it clumps my lashes up in a very unattractive way and creates a spidery look. I'd definitely recommend trying the original Smoky Lash over this formula.

Skin Food Rice Mask Wash Off -- This was probably the best of the bunch for me. The English-language instructions say to apply this mask to clean skin and rub it in for 15 minutes, which would wear anybody out, but my (admittedly fading) knowledge of Korean suggests that that's a bit of a mistranslation. It looks like you could rub it on for 15 minutes, or you could just let it sit, rubbing it occasionally. There are very tiny, soft grains in this mask; they almost feel like gel. For me, this mask provides some light exfoliation and a bit of hydration/brightening without roughing up my face. It's like a gentler version of the GLAMGLOW Tingling & Exfoliating mask. I might purchase this mask again, as it's not that expensive and is readily available on eBay, but I don't consider it an absolute necessity.

Marc Jacobs Genius Gel foundation in shade #10 Ivory -- I hope the above image is demonstrating the sheer horror that was this foundation. Sephora SAs promised me a great foundation for combination-dry skin, something that wouldn't be the best on my oily nose, but could manage, and would look fabulous on my dry areas. NOPE! This highly-fragranced, light coverage, fast-drying foundation felt nice when I first applied it, but within 5 minutes it looked like a complete mess. It caked in the small folds around my nose (so I can't imagine how it'd look over wrinkles), it was dry and patchy on my cheeks, and it looked blah on the more balanced skin on my forehead. Within 2 hours, it had also faded and melted off of my nose. I tried to apply this with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, a Beauty Blender sponge, and my fingers; it looked dreadful every which way. The only positive about this foundation is its shade range.

Don't believe me? I get that; Blogger seems to "soften up" a lot of my photos, for whatever reason. Here's a macro shot of my face:

And that's WITH moisturizer and primer. Nope nope nope.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer with SPF15 -- Often referred to as "HG Veil," this is a cult favorite primer. It's not hard to see why: the texture is beautiful and weightless, but it definitely helps prevent oil breakthrough and gives makeup a smoother canvas to apply to. The thing is...I don't really need it. I prefer to use sunscreen under my makeup, and they tend to do a better job at moisturizing and prepping as is needed. I do think this would be a great primer for people with skin leaning towards combination or oily, or for people who just want a little extra SPF and help under their foundation. I actually plan on giving my tiny tube to my mother for special occasions.

Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Natural in 6N -- I had a feeling I wasn't going to be wowed by this lipstick, seeing as I'm funny about sheer products. Sure enough, I liked it, but not for me. 6N is a mid-tone plum shade, very work appropriate and wearable for many skintones. There's definitely some pigment here, but the formulation isn't as opaque or long-wearing as the Rouge Artist Intense line. I also found this lipsticks somewhat drying; my lips began to feel parched less than 10 minutes after I applied the color. I think the shade range and staying power are decent, but personally, I'll stick to the Lipstick Queen Saint line for my sheer lipsticks.