Drugstore Reviews and Re-Views

I know that I'm pretty bad at reviewing drugstore products, and I apologize. It's not that I don't like them, and it's not that I think luxury products are inherently better. There are a number of drugstore gems I couldn't do my face without. I just don't think to review a lot of those products. Furthermore, drugstore foundations aren't exactly known for their shade ranges--finding something pale enough for me that isn't Pepto-Bismal pink takes a lot of effort.

Recently, I've been testing out two products that are new to me (L'oreal True Match foundation and Flower Beauty Color Play Creme Eyeshadows) and re-trying two products I always liked, but haven't used in ages (Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Black Cherry and Maybelline Full n' Soft mascara).

Here's the HD "face of the day" utilizing all 4 items:

Straight off the bat, I think we all can tell that Revlon Black Cherry is just not that flattering on me. I'm actually wearing it over MAC Beet lipliner to make it slightly more pink, but still, it just doesn't work with my skintone. It also makes my teeth look oddly yellow.

Now, let's be clear here: I recommend the Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick line often because the formulations are creamy, decently long-lasting, and relatively fragrance free. But over the years, I've come to prefer a more matte, long-wearing lipstick, so the Super Lustrous line no longer fits my needs. I give the overall formula a 5 out of 5, but I'm purging Black Cherry because it looks awful on me. I'll probably replace it with something more purple than plum, and in a long-wearing formula.

The Flower Beauty Color Play Creme Eyeshadow in Good As Marigold has been an absolute, 5 out of 5 love of mine for the past two weeks. The formula is extremely wet and creamy, sort of like a whipped mousse texture. Hence, the jar can be a bit messy. Flower staves this off by putting a little plastic lid inside the jar (to prevent the product from slopping everywhere). Actually, I think the packaging is pretty stellar overall; you can see the actual product through the bottom, the lid is air-tight, and the whole thing looks relatively sleek and pretty. A little goes a long way with this stuff. You'll definitely want to use an eye primer under this product, given how creamy it is, but I always use an eye primer anyway.

Naked face on left, one layer of L'oreal True Match in W1 on the right.

I purchased the L'oreal True Match foundation in W1 on a whim: it looked like it was pale with cool-yellow undertones. That's a tough find at the drugstore! And I'd heard good things.

I tried applying this product two ways: once with my fingers, and once with a damp Beauty Blender sponge (which is shown above). Using my fingers was a major fail. This product doesn't have a ton of slip to it, so it's hard to blend without some added moisture. The damp BB made things much easier; I'd assume this product would also work better over a layer of moisturizer. The shade W1 is darker than my neck, lighter than my face, which puts it in the N10 range.

You can get light to medium coverage with this foundation, depending on how you apply it and how much you layer, and the finish is relatively natural. It also feels pretty light-weight. But I noticed three bad things about this product:

• it can transfer, if you put enough pressure on your face,
• the SPF causes some flashback in flash photography, and
• it's full of microshimmer.

The microshimmer and flashback are both visible in this SD photo--take a look at my forehead:

I look terrifying, I know...sorry.

L'oreal True Match's shade range is what's really impressive. And I've heard it's a great "mixer" if you're trying to thin out other foundations. But I personally wasn't wowed, and I've yet to love a foundation that's got shimmer in it. I'd give this one a 3 out of 5.

Last, but most certainly not least, I've been retrying Maybelline Full n' Soft mascara. I've been trying to figure out why I stopped using this stuff. The answer? I got distracted trying a lot of other products. While CoverGirl Clump Crusher is still more dramatic and more iron-clad against rain and humidity, Full n' Soft has reclaimed its place as my favorite "natural" mascara. I can put on one thin coat for a "is she wearing mascara?" sort of look, or layer it 3-4 times for a bit more drama with next to no clumping. Gorgeous stuff, definitely a 5 out of 5.

Mini-Reviews: Giving It Another Go

I can be a little fickle. Sometimes, I try a product and absolutely LOVE it, but never wear it again. Then there are products that I think are "just okay" or don't much care for, but I really really REALLY want to love them, so I hang on to them. As I continue shrinking and re-evaluating my calculation, I think it's important that I give these products one last chance to impress me.

MAC Candy Yum Yum lipstick is one of those products that I totally loved when I first tried it, but never wore again. And I'm not entirely sure why. Yes, it's a bit of a drying formula, and I wouldn't call it my most flattering shade. But it's so pigmented and unique, and if I blot it down over a bit of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream, it's an incredibly chic, work-appropriate fuchsia.

The Flower Beauty foundation is something that definitely didn't work for me. It was actually too dewy for my combination-dry skin, if you can imagine that; it didn't just fade on my oily nose, it also moved around on my dry cheeks and rubbed off of my chin if I applied a little pressure. I don't usually wear foundation without powder and/or setting spray, though, so it's rather unfair of me to judge the Flower foundation without pairing it up first. And if I set it--as I did here--it looks just fine. Not as flattering as MAC Face & Body or as super-natural as the Tarte BB cream, but certainly doable. Still, it's not GREAT on me, so I won't keep it around.

The two Wet n' Wild products should probably be removed from my collection. The ColorIcon brow pencil in Taupe is really nice, especially for the $1 price. I like to think of it as Shu Uemura Seal Brown's creamier, "heavier" cousin due to the similarity in color. I'd totally recommend it. But the Shu pencil is still my all-time favorite. And while the MegaLiner liquid liner isn't BAD, it certainly isn't a keeper. It's ok for getting a thin line just along the lashes, but it's a bit difficult to fill in my flick with the flimsy brush,  and it actually flakes on my eye area. I could use it, but why should I? I have other products I definitely prefer. Not needed. Both of these will be going away.

So the one thing that's staying is the bright lipstick. Who knew? ;) That being said, I'm REALLY trying to cut down my collection, and that includes getting rid of some of the lipsticks I've always loved. It needs to be more elite, comprised of products I'll wear regularly, and big-move-ready.

More Pale Foundation Swatches!

Thanks to some very kind friends with lots of sample jars at hand and well-priced blogsales, I was able to get a whole slew of new pale/pale-ish foundations to swatch! I did thick swatches with about as much product as I'd use to make up my full face to try and show off the undertones and depth of each product. Bear in mind that I haven't tried most of these products on my face yet, and some foundations blend out lighter or darker on one's face than they do in a swatch.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Armani Lasting Silk foundation in #2 Ivory, Dolce & Gabbana Luminous Liquid foundation in 60 Classic, Flower About Face foundation in LF1, Becca Luminous Skin Color in Sand, Becca Radiant Skin Satin Finish foundation in Shell, Ellis Faas Skin Veil in S101, Illamasqua Skin Base in 2

Based on these swatches and what I've seen in person and in the photos (and just that--the D&G is the only one I've worn!), the D&G liquid and Illamasqua skin base are the lightest and closest to MAC N5-10, followed by the Flower foundation and Becca RSSF, which appear to be about MAC N10-15. The Armani appears to be the darkest, probably around N15-20, followed by Becca LSC, although LSC is notorious for being very sheer and malleable. The Ellis Faas is quite peachy. After washing my hands with soap twice, Skin Base and Lasting Silk were still visible on my skin.