La Femme Blush-on Rouge

0.14oz of beautifully pigmented blush Purchase available by pan or in pot

PROS

• Very, very pigmented. (Use sparingly- you can always add more color as you need it but it's difficult to take away.) The color pay off is better than any other blushers I have ever come across. 

• Inexpensive. (Makeup Mania sells a wide variety of colors for a reasonable price. 3USD at makeup mania and you can also purchase on Amazon . When compared to MAC blush 0.21oz for 18.50USD)

• Wide variety of colors for many skin tones. 

APPLICATION

• These are powder blushers so they apply very nicely with duo-fiber brushes (MAC 187 or comparable sigma SS187 *Sigma now changed their numbers* or Sigma F40 priced at 16USD also does a great job for application.)

•  Blends beautifully

 There are MORE colors, but these are the ones I have. If I had to choose TOP 5, they would be (in no particular order) BLOSSOM, MISTY PLUM, SCARLET, CORAL SPICE, PEACH SPARKLE. 

*Swatches are ONE SWIPE with no primer or foundation under. If you were to apply, the color would be much more sheer as you would apply with a blush brush of some sort. *

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

This is a rich, creamy foundation. 

A little goes a long way. (I use a pea size to cover my entire face and neck area.)

It is very pigmented and covers sun spots and mild freckles. 

APPLICATION:

Can be worn as is or set with a powder. (I have used this foundation with MAC mineralize skin finish and it looks absolutely flawless.) I have found that using fingers is the best way to apply this foundation.

I have tried a standard paddle type foundation brush but the application is too heavy.

I have also tried using a MAC duo-fiber brush but the micro-exfoliation causes the skin produce more oils during the day. Which brings me to the next point.

This foundation is long-lasting (12+ hrs) and stays put- even without a face primer. However, I live in Hawaii and with the amount of heat and humidity we get, this foundation tends to oxidize quite a bit and at the end of the day, my skin sometimes looks a shade darker than normal and feels sticky in the T-Zone. 

I have used the foundation in Seattle and San Francisco during winter months with no problems. 

With some other foundations, slippage can be a problem (ex. after you rub your nose you find that you have a spot with no foundation on it) This is definitely NOT the problem with this foundation. This is probably one of the many reasons I truly like this product.

CONS

Scent- It does have a bit of a scent to it. (Isn't horrible, but it'd be good if it was unscented)

Price- It retails at Sephora and Amazon for about 42USD. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation Cream Ivory. You can search the sidebar of this blog for deals on this product. deal

Maybelline FIT

Walgreens currently (01/09-15) has a sale on Maybelline, Covergirl, and Revlon products. SALE 

Their Maybelline sale is buy one and get one 50% off.

Of course I had to try the new addition to the maybelline family--FITme!

The line consists of liquid foundations, concealers, bronzers, blushers and powders. 

fyi: I am shade 120 in this line. For concealer (under the eye) I am shade 110. (In MAC, I am shade NC25 and NC20 in powder, foundation (under eye) NW20. MUFE HD 120)

FOUNDATION: 18 colors (boasts that it allows skin's natural highs and lows to shine through- no oils, no waxes)
Extremely light weight and moisturizing.  
Very blendable 
Breathable
Non-cakey 
Natural appearance 
Acts as a 2nd skin that hides imperfections

Inexpensive
Medium to full- buildable coverage
PLUS- The display has mini testers attached to them for swatching

CONCEALER 6 Colors

Very blendable

Creamy

Long-lasting

Thick enough to cover flaws

Does not cake when powder applied over

Full coverage

PLUS- The set-up is made so that concealers are placed in shade range you are in making it easier to select the shade that's suitable for you! :)

BLUSHERS 12 Colors

Sheer to medium coverage

Pigmented for a natural glow but buildable for night-time affairs

True to color (what you see is what you get)

Easy to blend

Long-lasting and non-fading color! *12+ hrs of wear*

CONS:

Narrow variety of colors for color range (4 different colors for each type of shade- light, medium, deep)

POWDERS 18 Colors

Non-scented

Non-cakey- even with touch ups

Smooth finish

Finely milled and won't fill in fine lines like some mineral powders do

CONS:

Packaging could be improved- Mirror is located under the powder which makes it a hassle to apply while looking in the mirror if you need additional powder. 

Packaging is a little bulky

This has got to be the best drug-store foundation I have ever tried. For the price you pay ($8 something at Walgreens. You can score this line on AMAZON for around $6 something. Search Amazon.com for maybelline fit me) It is worth every cent. I'd dare to say it is comprable in texture and application to MUFE HD foundation ($40 at Sephora) It has 18SPF so in that respect, it's a hit and miss if taking flash photos at night. (FITme= Minimal white cast-sometimes, MUFE HD= no white cast- ever!) But, for daytime use, it is a cheaper alternative and truly gives you flawless skin.

INGLOT eyeshadow review

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

This holiday we did a lot of traveling.

We went to the bay and Sac-town and took a road trip across the West coast to Portland and Seattle. We also went to Long Beach and drove to Fashion Island where Inglot Cosmetics just opened about 7 weeks ago.

Staff there are very friendly and helpful.

If you are new to Inglot, they are a cosmetics line that is fairly new to the states, but have been around for a while in the UK. The founder of Inglot is a chemist.

They currently market the only "breathable" nail polish. This means healthier nails, even with prolonged nail polish use. ^_^

The color selection for foundations, nail polishes, eyeliners, eye shadows and lip products are quite impressive. They have a freedom system which allows you to be very creative, placing lip products, blushers, eyshadows or powders in the same palette. This would be good for travel or for limiting the amount of product to be transported while doing a specific look or person. The magnets are strong and the palettes are stackable.

PRICING:

There are a variety of palettes to chose from.

I bought the palette that holds 10 rectangular shadows (2.7g of product per pan).

One of the pluses this product offers is that you get MORE product in a smaller storage space and for a cheaper price; when comparing to MAC's pro palette. (You buy the palette that holds 10 for 50USD and pick any 10 eyeshadows you want. This comes out to about $5/eyeshadow. O_O!!!)  

Refills for rectangular shadows are $7USD

Refills for round shadows are $5USD

PURCHASING:

I have contacted INGLOT and they have informed me that they will be expanding. However, there are only a select few US locations that have the privilege of having them--> stores Peep it to see if you are lucky to have one near to you! At the moment, you cannot purchase online. However, on my trip, I spoke with a sales rep who told me that if you call a store and make a phone order, you can have them ship it to you after providing a credit card number. (Additional shipping rates will apply.)

APPLICATION:

• Very easy to blend
• Extremely smooth
• Highly pigmented, even without primer
• Colors are true to what you see, without being swatched
• Long-lasting (I've had it last for over 14hrs WITHOUT primer with minimal fading, if any)
  
  IMO: Inglot eyeshadows gets a big, fat double thumbs up. I'd venture to say they impress me more than MAC eyeshadows and NARS eyeshadows. I cannot wait to make my new purchase.
  

*Top is one time swatched with base. Bottom is without base.*