Monday, May 9, 2011

Top Foundations

Hey Everyone!
So I’ve been testing quite a few foundations lately to find one that best suits my preferences.  I have been an oily/combination skin person for the longest, until about a few months ago, I noticed my skin is altering….and I think it’s because of hormones changing and age…ahh!! LOL Before I was always a matte medium/full coverage foundation wearer for the longest, until my skin wants to now adjust and become a little drier.  So I went on the hunt…I needed something that gave me a little more moisture yet was still a full coverage or a least medium to full.  With that said, below I will list in order the foundation I started out with, and end with what I’m currently using now. 


NARS Sheer Matte Foundation
This foundation has great coverage; the consistency was nice and silky.  I would say it’s a medium to full coverage.  The downfall I didn’t like was, I felt very oily and the foundation felt a bit heavy towards the end of the day.  I can tell I was really wearing makeup and just couldn’t wait to take it off.  I did use a setting powder and would touch up mid day, but I felt my face didn’t stay as matte as I’d like at the time.  It does have illuminating ingredients so your skin looks very refreshed and immaculate, but it still wasn’t matte it enough for me.  Also, the foundation would emulsify just a bit, so my skin tone would appear darker than what it should be.  If I went a shade down then it would be a smidget lighter (so no happy median for me). I would recommend this foundation to someone who has normal skin, maybe a tad combination; but definitely someone who doesn’t get oily as much.

NARS Pressed Powder
So after my experiment with the liquid I thought lets go back to using powder, since I still tend to be an oily basket. LOL This powder is great if you don’t require a full coverage.  It’s light to medium coverage (and buildable) and gives a slight healthy natural finish.  The powder however really emulsifies with your skin tone a lot, more than the liquid foundation in my opinion.  I actually had to switch colors and go a tone lighter from what I tested while at the counter.  Rule of thumb is to definitely wear the foundation for about 1 hour so you can determine if the color is a perfect match or it being a tad darker.  After a while I felt my skin wasn’t breathing correctly, so some areas very dry and some oily.















Makeup Forever Matte Velvet +
I really loved this foundation because it really stays matte.  The coverage is medium to full and really, I mean really mattifies your skin.  I would use this at times when I knew I needed my foundation to last all day without any touch ups.  I would set this with the HD Translucent setting powder and I was good for about an 8+ hour day.  The MUFE foundation ranges in more than 20 colors so you definitely can find your perfect match.
Chanel Mat Lumiere
After realizing my MUFE foundation did keep my skin matte, I felt it was too matte, my skin would appear dry and I needed some dewiness.  So I switched to Chanel.  I do love this foundation more than NARS and MUFE.  I would say this is a combination effect of both.  It definitely stays matte and also gives you’re the healthy illuminating glow.  I would call this my special occasion foundation because it’s just so luxurious and it just feels so good on your skin. 
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place
I realized I was using the Chanel foundation more than usual and not for just special occasions as I intended to. J  And because it’s a bit pricy to always refill, I was on the hunt for something similar but with a lower price tag.  So I heard to try Estee Lauder.  Great full coverage, it does last all day, and my skin wasn’t dry feeling.  But I felt over a period of time throughout the day my face was looking like it would change to maximum coverage.  So I moved on to this…
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Light
This is my holy grail thus far….finally. J  It has the same effect as the matte, but it definitely is not the full coverage I need.  You can see my natural skin through this foundation.  It really stays matte all day, yet the skin looks perfect with a healthy glow, and I don’t have to touch up hardly with any powder, it’s nice and dewy but NOT oily.
I hope this helps for any of you looking for foundations.  Remember this are my opinions on how each product reacted to my skin type.  Please ask any questions in the comments if there’s something you need to know that I didn’t cover.  Upcoming I will test some drug store foundations to see if any are comparable to the ones I mentioned above, but with better price tags of course. J  Please look out for that soon.


Have a nice day!
Tiffany

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Update

Hey Everyone!
I’m so sorry for the delay in not posting.  I will promise to be so good and make this my ritual duty, at the very least of posting something weekly. J  Anyhow, just a little update of what I have been up to, hence why I haven’t blogged in some time. 
Last week I worked an event called Ladies of Indulgence (www.ladiesnightofindulgence.com) at the Alameda Fair Grounds in Pleasanton with my friend who’s also a freelance makeup artist Glam by Ursula.  The event was a good experience for the both of us.  We were able to network ourselves, gain new clients, and of course glam up the ladies who visited our booth.  It was super crowded; we were jam packed nonstop for 5 hrs…ahhh!
This weekend I will be attending Mayday a Hawaiian festival, also at the Alameda Fair grounds for Mothers day.  My niece is a Tahitian dancer for Otea Api and will be dancing in a show.  Soooo of course, I will be doing her makeup as well as other of her dancer friends. 
I have a few photoshoots I have been involved with, so once I obtain some pictures to share I will post those as well so you can see.
My upcoming posts I’d like to do are a foundation review.  I have tried out about 5 foundations over the past few months, so I want to share my thoughts.  Also to include are hauls, hauls, and more hauls.  I have been shopping lately picking up some items from makeup to new skincare, and anything beauty.  So I will also share what I’ve got and also my review on how I like the products so far.
Well that’s it for now…..please definitely check back for new posts as I promised they will be updated more frequently.  J  Have a good day!
Talk to you soon…
Tiffany