My last three months of the So Choix makeup sample subscription (plus: step right up for another stunning duochrome!)

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October's (upside down) box (contents reviewed below)

I like doing these So Choix review posts, even though they're time consuming, because I get to write mini reviews of a bunch of fancy products that I would probably never buy. I hope they're interesting to you too. (If you want to read more about how this subscription works, read my first post about it.) I won't write a detailed review with photos of everything here, because there are few things that I just don't have many feelings about.

One thing that changed about the So Choix boxes this fall is that they started sending them in bubble mailers, instead of packing a small box inside a larger box. I don't know if that's less wasteful, but I like it better, because the bubble mailer fits in my mailbox and I don't have to trek down to my apartment office to pick it up (and the small box inside still protects things).

I think the theme of the last three months (or at least the last two) is Weird Shit I Wanted to Try Because What Even is It? That, combined with Is This Product Really Like This or Did This Happen When They Depotted It?

September

Nars Dual Intensity eyeshadow in Tarvos

This is a stunning, shimmery mint. I wonder if there is a NYX single similar to this (Mermaid?). On its own, Tarvos is sheer and glittery and lovely. It's also gorgeous over a darker shadow. The swatches below are over regular eyeshadow primer on the left (because it desperately needs a primer to adhere) and on the right over NYX's glitter primer (awesome stuff, btw), which makes it look amazing. It's a little chunky/flaky, and here's the first place where I wonder if the actual product is like that or if it's something that happened when it was repressed. I haven't read anything like that in reviews, so I'm guessing it's the latter. It doesn't really cause problems, anyway.

Nars Audacious lipstick in Liv

When I first tried this on, I thought, "That's weird, I didn't think any of the Audacious lipsticks were sheer." It turns out that the lipstick was slightly separated in the pan with a sheer layer on top. Once I got through that, there was a more accurate (I assume) layer underneath. But see, weird things can happen when lipstick is melted down and repotted, so keep that in mind, though it's the first time I've seen it in this subscription. Liv is a nice vampy purple but nothing really special. You have the typical settling into lip lines that dark purples tend to do.

A messy application in need of some lip liner.

Estée Lauder matte lipstick in Shameless Violet

This lipstick, on the other hand, is amazing. It's a little patchy on the first layer, but you can quickly build it up to be opaque. It's comfortable and a true purple shade that actually looks good on me. You can see it on my face in this Instagram shot (sort of). It's very comfortable and wears well.

Good enough close up, but from a normal distance it looks totally even.

Comparison swatch (taken from this post).

Left to right: Revlon Berry Haute, Urban Decay Revolution Rapture, and Estée Lauder Matte Shameless Violet.

Nars Sheer Glow foundation in Gobi

This is a decent foundation, though I would argue that it's neither really glowy nor sheer. More like semi-matte and medium coverage. It's a little too yellow to me, which is good news for pale folks on the warmer side. The main problem I had with it was that it highlighted flaky skin really badly, and that it settled into lines and creases. So it's not the one for me. Here is a swatch (second from the right) with comparisons (from this post).

Left to right: UD One & Done in Light, UD One & Done in Medium Light, TheBalm Balm Shelter in Lighter than Light (reviewed here), Maybelline Dream Pure BB in Light (reviewed here), Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Gobi, and Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer in Buttercream (reviewed here).

Benefit Porefessional

Um it's a primer? I think I'd tried a sample of it before, but I didn't remember how well it worked. I guess that's probably because for me it's neither better nor worse than most other primers I've tried.

October (box pictured above)

Laura Mercier powder foundation in 1-Shell

I've been looking for a powder foundation to replace my mini Pür 4-in-1 powder when it runs out, because, although I like the finish, it doesn't last very long on my oily-combination skin. I'd heard that the Laura Mercier was a good option. I wasn't very impressed. It's pretty crumbly and doesn't provide much coverage at all (and this shade also happens to be too yellow for me--I probably should have chosen 4).

Dior Addict Lip Glow

This is one of the products that I chose with extreme skepticism, because I hate these "your perfect shade" color-adjusting lip products, in principle. (Here's how they actually work.) It did nothing at all on my lips. Looked completely clear. There was a light pink tint on the end of the finger that I used to apply it, but that's it. I actually took a photo, but since it shows nothing, I won't bother including it. Again, I don't know if melting it down and repotting it affected it, or if it just "intuited" that my perfect lip color is nothing at all. Also, it was drying, but my lips are pretty picky.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light

I'm working on completing the set, since I've tried three others. Ethereal Light does have something of a blurring/light reflecting effect, but it's also very white. It makes me look paler, so I can imagine that it could show up as chalky on certain skin tones. I was wearing it in the photo above of Nars Liv, if that shows you anything.

Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Burnished Copper

Neither burnished nor copper! Maybe they were thinking of tarnished/patinated bronze? These eye shadows are interesting, because they're very slick and they don't dry down. They're tricky to apply. They go on a bit patchy with a finger, but if you stick a small brush in the pot, it slides out without any product on it! You have to sort of scoop it. Despite the slickness, it didn't crease excessively over primer, and the color is stunning.

Here's a thick swatch, though it sheers out somewhat when blended. Gorgeous color.

Left to right: Tom Ford Burnished Copper and L'Oreal Infallible Gilded Envy (reviewed here).

Note the packaging for this on in the photo at the top of the page. A big improvement from how the Nars cream eyeshadow was sent during the summer (discussed here), which dried up immediately! This little pot is actually air tight. Well done, So Choix. I appreciate that they regularly reevaluate how they package their samples.

I also want to take this opportunity to show you another of the Tom Ford Cream Colors for Eyes in Sphinx, a sample of which Sarah very generously sent me. Thank you! I posted a shitty video of the shiftiness on Instagram, in which you can't really see all the pink and green. It's also a tricky product, because it's a sheer but very complex multichrome. I am determined to make it work. The best luck I have had so far is in patting it on over a grey powder eyeshadow like so:

Please ignore my rushed eyebrow and bloodshot eye.

That's the same product over the entire lid. And this is about the level of creasing you can expect from these creams.

Benefit Shy Beam highlighter

Yet another sample I ordered because I didn't understand what it was. I still don't get it. It looks like a sheer, matte, pink concealer, or something. It's supposed to be a matte highlighter, but it just added a little pink to my skin. It works ok as a color corrector for under the eyes if you're fair, but highlighter? Maybe if you have cool-toned skin just a couple of shades darker than this, it would work, but otherwise, I assume not. And why not just buy a concealer or foundation a couple of shades too light for the intended effect? Bah. Humbug.

Top to bottom: Benefit Shy Beam, Benefit High Beam (reviewed here), Sephora Gel Serum Concealer in Buttercream (reviewed here).

November

Kevyn Aucoin The Exotique Eye Gloss in Moonlight

Another WTF sample. There weren't many reviews out there when I requested this and, still, the ones that exist are pretty vague. I was curious if this brand had somehow come up with a miraculous gloss that can be worn in some realistic way on the eyelids of normal people. But no, editorial only. There's no real difference between smearing this on your eyelids and use a clear, glittery lip gloss. They say you can/should apply it over eyeshadow, but that just makes a mess of the eyeshadow. The sparkle is sparse, so even if you want drama, there's not much to recommend it.

Notice that they took one of those airtight tubs like the Tom Ford came in, cut off the lid, and stuck in inside a screw-cap jar. But why???

Laura Mercier matte eyeshadow in Plum Smoke

Love, love, love, love, love! Remember when I was looking for a powder alternative to the abysmal Maybelline Color Tattoo in Vintage Plum? I'd ruled Plum Smoke out because it looked too warm in swatches and tried Makeup Geek in Fairytale instead, which was a bit of a fail. Well, THIS IS IT. I love it. It's works as an interesting neutral on me. Now I'm considering getting the Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist's Palette, which includes Plum Smoke and a bunch of other gorgeous shades. The palette is $55 and the Plum Smoke single is $25, so it seems like maybe a better choice. Maybe.

It looks pretty brown next to Fairytale (right), especially in this photo, but it really is purple.

Benefit Fake-up concealer in 01

This concealer claims to be non-creasing, which I think is always, always a lie. At least for me. But this one is actually worse than most. It comes as a stick with a translucent outer ring and a pigmented core, but the sample I got is the two components mixed together. I think probably the two-colored stick is just a gimmick, but it's possible that mixing them in the pan affected the performance in some way. As it was, this was very slick, almost greasy, with sheer coverage. Probably best for someone with dry skin and not too much to hide.

Nars Blush in Dolce Vita

A pretty rosy-plum blush that somehow isn't very flattering on me. It's also extremely pigmented, and since I'm pale I find hard to apply it lightly enough that it will blend smoothly. It tends to end up a little blotchy, and that combined with the wrongness of the color kind of makes me look feverish. But on the plus side it does not fade at all during the day. Well, the plus side for someone else--if you want a very pigmented, long-lasting blush, this would be a good one to try.

Smashbox matte liquid lipstick in Stepping Out

I have no idea how I came to choose this shade, since browny-nudes never look good on me, and this is no exception. I swatched it next to Maybelline Touch of Spice (right) just to make the color obvious.

I'd heard that Smashbox's formula for liquid lipsticks was better than most others, but it seems about the same to me. It's on the thicker side, more like Stila than Colourpop, but it's no more comfortable, less drying, or more attractive than any other brand I've tried. I'm just not really a liquid lipstick person (with the exception of Stila Fiery, which you can see here and here).

So those are my fall So Choix samples. Out of everything, while several things have been fun to play with, there's only one product I would want to buy: Laura Mercier Plum Smoke. I guess Nars Tarvos is tempting. Ok, and Estée Lauder Shameless Violet. But really, this is what I like best about the subscription--it eliminates products that I might be tempted to buy based on hype alone or that I might pick up on a whim. And it provides variety in my life at minimal expense. That said, I'm kind of running out of things I really want to try. Maybe I should just get five more pans if Hourglass Dim Light.

Right now you can get an annual subscription for $120 ($10 a month, obviously), which is what I paid. Use the code SAVINGS at checkout. (Ordinarily it's $16/month.) You can cancel at any time during the year and get a pro-rated refund of what's remaining.

Do you have any of the products I tested here? What do you think?

Two Tinted Moisturizers: TheBalm Balm Shelter in Lighter than Light and Maybelline Dream Pure BB in Light

Disclosure: Affiliate links.

Base products aren't one of my favorite things to review, because they aren't one of my favorite things to use. In fact, I never used to wear foundation at all, because I found it too much trouble to bother with. I had a bottle of L'Oreal True Match foundation that must have sat in a drawer for at least 5 years before I threw it out in about 2007. I was holding on to it in case I needed it for a special occasion, but even on special occasions I didn't use it.

Once I started to look for a base that I actually liked a few years ago, however, I got hooked on the hunt. But I still tend to put off reviewing them, partly because I am fully aware that my expectations are unreasonable. I want something that looks exactly like my real skin so that it's undetectable, and yet makes my skin look flawless, and also doesn't fade until I take it off. That's not a thing. I will settle for a product that is a good color match, makes my skin look better than it does with nothing on it, isn't too fussy to apply, doesn't wear off or break down immediately, and doesn't create an ugly mess when it does break down. That's still a tall order, apparently.

The other reason that I don't love reviewing foundations and such is that I find them hard to photograph in a helpful way. In a close-up, all base products look either too cakey or too sheer or both. Flakes and pores are visible in a way they aren't in person. In a full shot of my entire face, on the other hand, just about anything looks decent. For instance, in this photo I'm wearing Revlon Colorstay, which on me looked really thick and cakey and unnatural . . . and it looks pretty ok here. So it's hard to illustrate what I actually experience.

Some people can make full coverage foundations look amazing. I am not one of those people. They always end up looking mask-like and heavy on me. I'm just not a fan. So I tend to go for sheer to medium coverage in a base. Among other things, if the oil in my skin breaks down the product, it won't look as patchy and uneven as it would if it were very opaque, and so I don't have to keep checking it to see if it needs touching up. But the downside of sheerer bases is that they rarely wear very well, especially if you have oily-combination skin like mine.

I've had TheBalm's Balm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer for a little over a year. For most of that time I haven't liked it much. I'd try it, get frustrated and put it aside, and then try it again a couple of weeks or months later. When I got it out to test it again a few times before writing this review, I found that I actually liked it a lot more. I think that what happened is that my skin has been much better lately--which I attribute to lowered stress, at least up until the election, and increasing niacinamide in my skincare routine. (I've been using the Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster, but CeraVe's PM Lotion is another good source at 4% niacinimade, since the PC booster is something you mix/dilute with other products). 

The main problem I'd had with TheBalm's tinted moisturizer was that it sat weirdly on any flaky patches on my face, which in my case were usually chin zits. I actually think that calling this a tinted moisturizer isn't entirely accurate, because in my experience it's not very moisturizing at all. In addition, it has a rather matte finish, not a dewy one like I would expect from most tinted moisturizers. The combination of sheer and matte can be tricky for problem areas on my face. You can see in the photo below that the dry skin near my mouth is highlighted by this stuff, and that it doesn't cover the redness on my nose. Additional concealer is definitely needed. If, however, you're in a good skin place, it does provide light, natural-looking coverage that will even things out without drawing attention to itself. 

TheBalm Balm Shelter in Lighter than Light over bare skin, no other makeup.

Below is my face at the end of the day, about 7 hours later (in artificial lighting), and the tint is pretty much completely gone. But at least this comparison demonstrates that it did tone down redness and unevenness and mattify my skin in the first place.

I don't know where the glitter came from. I suspect Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy.

Conversely, when I started using the Maybelline Dream Pure BB this past spring, I liked it a lot, but lately I've been less impressed by it. The best part about this stuff is how easy it is to apply. You can pretty much just smear it on like you would a regular lotion and it looks absolutely fine. With most base products I prefer to apply them with my fingers using a patting motion, similar to how you're supposed to use a Beauty Blender (but using my fingers means that there's no sponge soaking up product). Then I blend the base some more using the same motion with a dry sponge. There's no need for any special technique with the Dream Pure BB, though. It also has a very natural, skin-like finish.

This stuff seems to skim over the pores a bit, though, as I said, the effect is much less apparent in person.

The Dream Pure BB is a bit sheerer than the Balm Shelter, however, and it really doesn't last. Thirty seconds of sweating and it's gone. I didn't notice that so much in the summer, oddly enough, probably because I was working from home and as a result not paying that much attention to how long my makeup lasted (because I didn't really care). But these days it's more obvious to me, because I'll check out my face in the bathroom mirror before I go into the classroom or a meeting. Even though the "Pure" version of the Maybelline BB is meant for oilier skin (as opposed to the "Fresh" version for drier skin), I think this would work better for someone with dry-to-normal skin. I don't hate it on myself, but it's a bit disappointing. 

The Pure BB has exchanged the SPF from the Fresh BB for salicylic acid. I could do without that, personally. I already have skincare products with BHA in them, and I don't like having to think about whether or not the ingredients in my makeup will interact in a bad way with my skincare. Plus, I really doubt that it has much effect in this format, though who knows. 
I could do without sunscreen in my base products too, actually. TheBalm's tinted moisturizer is SPF 18, but probably lower in practice due to the small amount of product you're likely to apply. And layering a lower SPF over a higher SPF can supposedly lower the SPF of the stronger product, which is annoying. I guess for people who aren't going to wear sunscreen, some is better than nothing, but for me, it's unnecessary.

Here's a comparison of the two products next to Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, because I figured that might be a recognizable point of reference for some of you.

Swatches of TheBalm Balm Shelter in Lighter than Light, Maybelline Dream Pure BB in Light, and Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly.

They both look a little too peachy in the heavy swatches, but when they're sheered out, they're a good match for me. The Maybelline BB is a closer match, though, being more neutral, which counteracts redness better as well. I was a bit surprised to find a good match in a product with only five shades. Both of these products cover a relatively decent shade range (i.e. not just light-medium to medium), even though they don't provide a huge number of options.

I'm happy with the Balm Shelter for now, while my skin is cooperating. It's actually a decent value, too, if you think you can finish the whole tube. It's regularly $25 for 2.15 oz., making it about $12 per ounce. You can get it a bit cheaper on Amazon, which is where I got mine, and Overstock has a few tubes for about $12 each right now. The Maybelline BB is normally about $7-9 for 1 ounce, but also a little cheaper on Amazon. 

I'm trying not to get obsessive about finding something magically perfect that doesn't exist in real life, buuuuuuut if you have any suggestions for low maintenance base products on the sheerer side, I would love to hear them. Also, how many other people are like me and prefer to not wear foundation or another base all over their faces? I definitely don't use these things on a daily basis.

Celebrity skin

I found this website, Celebrity Close-Up, via Tumblr today, which is just a series of photos of celebrity faces zoomed in close enough that you can see all the detail and texture of their makeup and skin. I'm not in it to make fun of anyone, but it's reassuring to be reminded that everyone, even Beyonce (gasp!), has pores and spots and/or visible foundation. And that our quest for invisible but flawless base makeup is bound to fail if even these people don't have access to such a thing.

Plus, there are some excellent sources of makeup inspiration here, and you can see how the products were applied in detail.

Be warned: there is a Trump close-up on the first page!

My Desert Island Makeup

Disclosure: Affiliate links.

A tropical backdrop would be more appropriate, but slow unpackers can't be choosers.

I moved to a new apartment last week, and I still haven't found unpacked most of my makeup. I also haven't unpacked my camera, so please accept this shitty photo that I took with my phone.

In the meantime, I've been subsisting on a makeup diet limited mainly to the few things I shoved in my dufflebag to get me through the first few days. Those days have extended to over a week, and here we still are. So I guess these are my desert island makeup essentials: not the most exciting things I own, but the things I can use day after day and be totally satisfied.

I'll go through the items in the photo clockwise starting at the upper left corner. Swatches and more detail are available at the previous posts I've linked below if you're curious. I've reviewed most of them--they made it to the island for a reason!

Wet N Wild ColorIcon Blush in Pearlescent Pink (reviewed briefly here, compared to Nars Orgasm here). I have the old version of this blush, which I've heard has been reformulated in the new line and is no longer as perfect. Can anyone confirm? (This old one is still available on Amazon for under $5, but apparently only 2 left!) I can use this everyday and it's always flattering on me. Just pigmented enough that it's easy to apply without layering, but not so pigmented that I risk clown-face. The only flaw is that in direct sunlight it's a little sparklier than I'd like, but it's not too obnoxious.

Paula's Choice Endless Lash Mascara. This is a decent mascara, but overpriced. It's what I'm using now, but if I were actually headed to a desert island I'd prefer to have a tube of Covergirl LashBlast Volume with me (reviewed here).

Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer in Fondant (reviewed here). Still the best undereye concealer I've used. I recently bought a new tube in the shade Butter Cream to see if it's a better match. I'll open that when I'm getting closer to finishing this one. The yellow undertones in Fondant do a good job of canceling out the purple under my eyes, but it's not ideal elsewhere on my face.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze (reviewed here). It's quick to smear on eyelids with my finger in the morning and it always looks pretty. I just recently hit pan on this jar that I've had for a couple of years, but I think I have at least a year to go. Amazon has it on sale for less than $4 (with coupon) right now.

TheBalm Stainiac. This is one thing that I've loved for years and never reviewed, because it photographs terribly. In a closeup shot of my lips it just looks patchy. In real life, it adds a nice pink flush--probably the slight unevenness helps it look more natural. (I can see how it might not look great on lips that are lighter than mine, though.) It's comfortable and longlasting. I can apply lip balm right over top without affecting the stain. I don't use it on my cheeks, because I find it hard to blend smoothly.

Shiseido Natural Eyebrow Pencil in Ash Blond (swatched here). I am using this sample I got from Choix, because I finished up my last Avon Ultra Luxury pencil (reviewed here). I have another one somewhere, but I haven't dug it out. I prefer the Avon pencil slightly, but in general I find pencils to be the easiest and quickest eyebrow product to use, provided they are hard enough that they don't deposit a ton of product and make a mess.

PUR Cosmetics 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation. I haven't completely made up my mind about this stuff. I like how it applies and how it looks on my face, but it picks up sunscreen from my brush and forms a hard film on the surface. That might be a problem worth dealing with. I really like combining base and powder into one step. Any recommendations for other pressed powder foundations? I don't really like messing around with BareMinerals loose powder, and I find it looks heavier than I like, anyway.

Black Radiance Eyeshadow Primer (reviewed here). Without this stuff, my eyeshadow would melt right off in 15 minutes in this heat. I've also found that eyeshadow primer works well to keep concealer attached to ugly chin zits, fyi.

So that's been my #FOTD for a lot of days now. Soon I will pull out all of my other shit and be more creative, but this works in a pinch.

What makeup would you want to have with you on a desert island? Basics like this or something more exciting? (Let's all pretend that we would actually wear makeup on a desert island for some reason instead of just eating leaves and crying.)

Choix Subscription Box #3 (with mini reviews of Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, Chanel Le Vernis in Vamp, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow, Tom Ford Matte Lip Color in Pussy Cat, and Laura Mercier Baked Eyeshadow in Black Karat)

Disclosure: Affiliate links.
For more information about this subscription, take a look at the detailed review of my first two boxes. For now, I'm going to jump right in to the products I sampled in June (I'm already way behind, since I got my July box over a week ago already). This subscription is a fun way for me to test and review some higher end products that I normally wouldn't pick up.

My third box was full of surprises--things I liked more that I expected, and things that made for disappointing swatches but worked much better in actual use. Here are the samples I picked this time:

Chanel Le Vernis in Vamp and Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx01.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow, Tom Ford Matte Lip Color in Pussy Cat, and Laura Mercier Baked Eyeshadow in Black Karat. They actually managed to preserve the "bacon" marbling in the Hourglass blush when repressing it! Impressive.

I also got these applicators, which as usual I could pretty much do without. I actually have no idea what the third thing is. This is the second time they've sent one of those. Any ideas?

Many, many photos below!

Review: Josie Maran Vibrancy Argan Oil Foundation Fluid in Dynamic

Disclosure: Affiliate links.

NOTE: I've added a few things to my blog sale and lowered some of the prices.

I'm going to keep this review relatively short, because this foundation clearly isn't meant for my skin type. It might work for someone else, though, so I'm going to try to describe it rather evaluate whether it's good or bad. It's true that I don't like it, but that's mostly because it's just not right for me. I hope my review will give you a sense of whether or not you want to try it.

I got this deluxe sample of Josie Maran Vibrancy Foundation in the shade Dynamic, which Sephora says is "for fair skintones with neutral undertones," as a gift-with-purchase on a recent order. Though the shade description sounds right for me, it's too light. The product description doesn't emphasize that this foundation is meant for dry skin, but most Josie Maran products seem to be, so I should have guessed that it wouldn't be ideal for me. Now that summer is on its way, my combination skin, which in winter is mostly normal with some oily and dry parts, is mostly oily with some normal and dry parts. I think you would have to have very dry skin for this foundation to work.

Though it's described as "lightweight," to me it felt very heavy and it never quite set. My skin felt greasy. I suppose it's moisturizing, though it wouldn't absorb into my skin. (The texture seemed very similar to the Paula's Choice Resist Instant Smoothing Anti-Aging Foundation, reviewed here, in case you've ever tried that.) You can see in the photo below that it sits on top of my skin in a pretty obvious way, (though it looks a bit better in the photo than it did in person, even from a normal distance). It's especially visible right above my lip and in some of the pores on my cheek.

It also highlights flakiness (see my nose), which makes me wonder how great it would be for dry skin. I do wonder if these problems would be less obvious if the color match were better. Still, I have tried foundations that didn't quite match but that nonetheless looked natural, like L'Oreal's True Match Lumi (reviewed here). The Josie Maran foundations seems quite pigmented when you apply it. You can see in the photo, however, that it doesn't completely cover redness and spots, though it's described as "medium to full coverage" and buildable. I couldn't build it up, because it was already thick and greasy feeling, and it creased constantly next to my nose and mouth. If I had added more to cover the redness in the center of my face, it would have been a mess. It has a very dewey finish, as promised--it almost looked as though I had added highlighter to my nose.

One of my least favorite things about this stuff is the strong fragrance that lingers as you wear it. It seems like a combination of lavender and maybe some kind of citrus. I don't like it.

I don't know about longevity, because I disliked the feeling and smell of this foundation so much that I wiped it all off after half an hour. And the next day I broke out really badly, which I also should have expected, because when I tried a Josie Maran argan facial oil a couple of years ago, the same thing happened. Unfortunately, I'd completely forgotten about that, and now I'm having to deal with a huge, painful mess on my face that's lasted for days. To be clear, I'm not saying that this foundation will make you break out. That's probably only a concern if your skin doesn't like argan oil, like mine.

Here are some comparison swatches:

Left to right: Josie Maran Vibrancy Foundation in Dynamic; Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in Sheer Light (I really like this--review coming soon!); TheBalm Time Balm Tinted Moisturizer in Light than Light; and Maybelline Better Skin foundation in Porcelain.

As you can imagine, I was tempted to just give this stuff a negative review (and I guess I have), but since I don't have dry skin, I really have no idea what is desirable in a foundation for dry skin. Maybe this stuff would work great. Have any of you dry-skinned people out there tried it? What did you think?

Foundation dealbreakers: Review of L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup in W1-2 (Porcelain Ivory)

Disclosure: Affiliate links.

I know that the idea of a perfect foundation, one that blends invisibly and makes you look like you have naturally perfect skin with no makeup on it, is a fantasy. I get it. If you want full coverage or matte foundation, it's probably going to look you're wearing makeup. If you want a more natural finish, it's not going to cover everything 100%. And so forth. But I used to think that I could forgive almost anything for a natural-looking texture, and it turns out that that's not true. L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup does have a texture that pretty much disappears on the skin, at least when it's first applied, but there were a number of other issues for me that ended up being dealbreakers.

Swatches above are: (1) L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup in W1-2 (Porcelain Ivory); (2) TheBalm BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer in Lighter than Light; (3) Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation in Porcelain (reviewed here); and (4) Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer in Fondant (reviewed here).

The first problem was completely my fault. I bought the wrong shade. I swatched this foundation at a Shopper's Drug Mart in Canada almost a year ago, and W1-2 (Porcelain Ivory) looked like a perfect match, even though I am more neutral than warm (W="warm"). How, I'm not sure, since it certainly doesn't look very close in the photo above. I sent an email to myself telling me to buy this shade! There is, in fact N1-2 (Soft Ivory/Classic Ivory) in the line, but in the store it looked too dark, so I went with W1-2. W1-2 is peachy color--too peachy for me, as it turns out, though it's not a terrible match. Here is an awkward photo I took of the edge of my face to try to see how far off it was. You can use this to get a sense of the coverage and texture as well.

If you look at my jawline where I've tried to blend it on to my neck, you can probably see that it's not quite right. The best thing about this foundation is that it's very natural looking, which I think helps disguise the color mismatch to a certain extent. You can hardly see that there is anything on my skin, with one exception: it settles into fine lines, like the ones on either side of my nose and mouth, immediately after application. It doesn't settle into pores, fortunately, and the problem with the lines can be helped to some degree with powder.

The coverage is light-medium, though it can be built up a bit. You may be able to tell from the above photo that my moles and freckles are still visible but redness is evened out.

This foundation feels light on the skin, not like you're coated in something heavy, but to the touch it's like a moisturizer that hasn't absorbed completely. And won't absorb, ever. I'm not sure if that type of formula would be appealing even to people with very dry skin, though I certainly wouldn't recommend it for anyone else. My hair stuck to the sides of my face, even after powdering. It was very unpleasant. Even though it feels sticky, it doesn't transfer much, at least.

Already I wasn't very happy with the sticky sensation, but then the oil in my skin broke the foundation down very quickly. In a couple of hours of wearing this stuff, I'm shinier than I would be if I wore no makeup at all (again, even when I set it with powder). In 4-5 hours, it starts seriously fading in some areas (nose, cheeks) and getting cakey in other areas (chin, forehead). It even interferes with the wear time of my concealer somehow, so that my favorite Sephora concealer gets cakey, which usually doesn't happen. Dealbreaker.

I understand that "dewy" and "luminous" foundations are usually targeted toward dry skin, and matte ones are usually meant for oilier skin. I get that it has to do with how the formulas function. But I still don't like it. I prefer a more luminous, or at least satiny, look, and I have oily-combination skin. It's tricky--and the fact that I don't wear foundation every day only make me pickier, I think, because if I'm going to go to all the trouble of applying it, I want to really like it.

I returned this stuff and bought myself a new bottle of an old favorite foundation: Boots No7 Lift & Luminate Foundation in Cool Vanilla. It's not a perfect fantasy foundation either, because the lightest shade is too dark for me (swatched here). But I can easily fix that with a little white mixer (I use the one from Lord & Berry), and it fulfills all my other requirements about natural finish, neutral tone (not cool, despite the name), and decent wear time. I'll write a full review of it some time in the near future.

How about you? What are your foundation demands and dealbreakers? I'm also curious if you've tried this particular foundation and if it works significantly better for skin types different from mine.

Do you like skincare in your makeup? Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation in Porcelain: Review and Swatches

Disclosure: Affiliate links.
I really didn't have high hopes for a random new drugstore foundation sent to me for free from Influenster. I'm at somewhere around a 10% success rate for foundation even when I pick it out myself after doing research. Plus I have that apparently elusive neutral and very pale skin tone that means most "Porcelain" or "Ivory" shades are too cool or too warm. Shockingly, I ended up really liking the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation that showed up on my doorstep recently - in Porcelain, of course, which seems to be the lightest option.

(Note: Anyone can sign up for Influenster and get free stuff to test. It's not a blogger thing, though I think the more followers you have on social media, the better. I usually get one or two things from them a year.)

This foundation's schtick is that it contains vitamin C, so it's supposed improve your skin over time. It claims to "reduce the appearance of spots, dullness, and unevenness." Yes, any foundation should do that. That's the point. Note that they don't say it will make your skin look that way without the makeup on top of it. Oh, the joys of marketing copy. So tricky.

There are different forms of Vitamin C used in skincare, which have different properties, and some are more effective than others. The Better Skin foundation contains Actyl-C, which is a type of vitamin C patented by L'Oreal. It's 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, if that means anything to you. According to The Beauty Brains, not much has been published on it, but it can lighten dark spots.

Maybelline challenged people to use this for 3 weeks and report back. I used it for 3 weeks at the frequency that I normally wear foundation, i.e. once or twice a week. I didn't notice any improvement in my skin during that time. Would I have noticed results if I had worn it more often? That seems unlikely, since, as Beautypedia points out in their review, vitamin C has to be kept away from light to remain stable, and this is packaged in a clear bottle. It does contain SPF 15 in the form of titanium dioxide, so if you normally don't wear sunscreen at all (the horror!), then you might notice some "brightening" after using this foundation regularly as it protects your skin from tanning. I always use a separate sunscreen, so SPF in my foundation is just whatever. It can't hurt to have skincare ingredients in makeup, for the most part, but if you really want to treat issues you're having, you're better off using dedicated skincare products to do it, rather than expecting miracles from your makeup.

I don't really buy foundation hoping that it magically transforms my skin over time. I just want it to do its job. And this foundation does its job.

Porcelain is a pretty good match for me. It is just on the cool side of neutral, but close enough that when I blend it out, it looks right on me. It's very pale, and so it will probably suit me better in the winter. Despite my best efforts to wear sunscreen constantly, my face does darken slightly in the summer. You can see Better Skin compared to Maybelline Fit Me foundation stick, also in Porcelain, in the swatches below. The paleness of the two is comparable, but next to the Fit Me stick, the Better Skin foundation looks positively yellow. If I had a warmer foundation to swatch next to it, like Tarte Amazonian Clay in Fair Sand, I bet it would look relatively pink. Just guessing. You can compare the Fit Me stick to some other foundation in this previous post of mine, and maybe get a sense of how this one relates that way. As I've said before, the Fit Me stick looks almost perfect on the inside of my arm, but compared to my face and neck, it's way too cool. Swatching foundation on my arms is clearly not the best way to find my match.

Swatches of Maybelline Fit Me stick foundation in Porcelain and Maybelline Superstay Better Skin foundation in Porcelain

The first time I tested this foundation, I applied it with my fingers. I didn't like the results much at all. It looked too heavy and mask-like, not like natural skin. It has a matte finish that looks velvety when applied in a substantial layer. If full-coverage, matte foundation, you can certainly get those results easily with this Better Skin stuff by applying it with your fingers or a brush. You probably won't need to add concealer. It does feel a bit heavy on your skin this way, I found. I was paranoid that it would smear or transfer - I could just always feel it. But even applied at full strength, it doesn't settle into pores or emphasize lines, which is important to me.

I really prefer medium coverage and a more satin finish. In the past, I've tried using a damp Beauty Blender to sheer out full coverage foundations, like Revlon Colorstay, without much luck. A damp sponge works impressively well with Better Skin, though. I ended up with a medium coverage, semi-matte effect, which is just what I wanted. It does require some concealer in places, or you can build up layers where you need extra coverage. But it doesn't hide my freckles, for example, which I think makes it look much more natural. Sheered out, the foundation felt comfortable and light, and, again, didn't emphasize pores or lines. It can highlight flakiness a bit, so it's a good idea to moisturize well before using it. It worked well with or without primer. I posted a photo of my face with this foundation on it on Instagram, but it's not great quality, so I won't reproduce it here. But it's there for you if you want it.

Applied with my Beauty Blender, the Better Skin foundation set well and didn't necessarily require powder, though I prefer to add some finishing powder. As for the "SuperStay" part of the name: I wouldn't classify this as a long-wearing foundation. It's average. Personally, I'm okay with that, because I would much rather have something that begins to fade after 5-6 hours, but also doesn't turn into a mess when it wears off, than something that lasts 8 hours and looks like shit by the end. This foundation just sort of disappears slowly and evenly. It doesn't get all crusty or goopy or blotchy like a lot of others I've used. Obviously you can extend the wear with the usual tricks, like primer and setting with powder, etc., if that's your style.

I think this would be best for normal to oily skin, since it is very matte and feels a little drying during the first hour or so after applying it (another good reason to moisturize beforehand). If you have dry skin, it might be uncomfortable, and as I said, it may highlight flakiness (though I have used foundations that were much, much worse in that respect; it's not a serious issue here).

Overall, this is a pretty impressive foundation. I am picky, and I've been trying to find a decent foundation for a while now. I feel satisfied with this stuff that I didn't even pick out myself. That's kind of amazing. So even though it actually doesn't really succeed in the two things you would expect from its name (long-wearing and skincare), I'd actually recommend SuperStay Better Skin foundation, anyway, if you're looking for the same things in a foundation that I am.

Have you discovered any decent foundations lately?

Warming up foundation (my first indie beauty purchase from Life's Entropy)

I've documented my troubles finding a good, pale, neutral foundation before. Since I don't like to waste things, I thought I would experiment with making my almost full bottle of Revlon ColorStay Makeup (Oily/Combination) in Ivory, which is too cool, work for me. One option would be to buy a bottle of a warmer foundation and mix it. The obvious risk there is that it wouldn't work, and then I'd be stuck with a whole second bottle of useless foundation.

I was excited, then, when I saw that Life's Entropy, an indie makeup brand, was selling a yellow mixer, called a Foundation Elixir, designed specifically for warming up too-cool foundations. Unfortunately, when I made this discovery, it was out of stock. Months later, I checked back, and - hooray - it was available, so I ordered a sample size for just $1.50 (I also ordered two Lip Theory samples, which I will write about in an upcoming post on coral lip products). Shipping was $3 (flat rate). It is still in stock as of today.

There was a considerable wait between ordering the stuff and finally having it in my hands, as I understand is often the case when ordering indies. Obviously it's not a huge operation, with a large staff, that you're dealing with. I placed the order on April 8, got a shipping notification April 26, and it was delivered May 4, so almost a month from start to finish. I think in this case the wait was worth it.

Here is the little paint pot sample I got:

Sample size Life's Entropy Foundation Elixir in Yellow and Revlon ColorStay Makeup for Oily/Combination in Ivory

You can see the color better in the swatch below. The yellow Foundation Elixir is a very pigmented, dark, mustard yellow color. The consistency is about the same as the Revlon foundation: a thick liquid.

I decided to mix the yellow directly into the bottle, since I wasn't particularly attached to the Revlon foundation - if I'd ruined it completely, I could live with that. Proceed that way with caution, though.

First I swatched the original Revlon foundation on my arm (see below). I started by adding about 4-5 drops of yellow to the bottle. I'm not sure about the exact measurement, because I just used a brush to scoop some out of the pot. Then I shook the bottle. It takes a lot of shaking to mix it this way. There's a reason paint stores have mechanical mixers. Once I got tired of shaking, I swatched it on my arm again. If I were being very rigorous, at that stage I would have tested it out on my face. But I am an impatient experimenter. Instead, since I didn't see as much change as I wanted in the swatch, I decided to just go ahead and add another 4-5 drops. In total, in the final swatch, you are looking at somewhere between 8-10 drops of yellow elixir in an almost full 1 fl. oz. bottle of foundation.

SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE. My arm almost fucking fell off. I swatched again. This time the results looked good, so I stopped there. The color is just slightly on the warm side of neutral. On my arm, it looks a touch warmer than my skin, but I know from experience that I need makeup to be warmer to match my face than to match the inside of my forearm.

Here are the final swatches:

Swatches (left to right): Life's Entropy Foundation Elixir in Yellow, Revlon ColorStay Makeup for Oily/Combination in Ivory, 4-5 drop of Yellow added to Revlon bottle, 8-10 drops of Yellow added to Revlon bottle

This was a very successful experiment. I have used the now-warmer Revlon foundation on my whole face since I mixed it, and it's a much better match for me. Unfortunately, I don't love the Revlon ColorStay formula. It's heavier, more opaque, and more matte than I like. I'll keep playing with it and try mixing it with primer or moisturizer or highlighter to see if I can get something I like better. But in terms of creating a shade match, the foundation elixir was definitely the ticket, and it only cost me $1.50 (plus shipping).

I'd recommend this stuff if you have a foundation that you like, but that is a little too cool for you. You only need to use a small amount, so you might find that a sample size is enough. I used about half of the sample to adjust my bottle of foundation. If you're going to be using it repeatedly, a $12 bottle might be worth it. You can use it to change the color of other cream or liquid products, as well, and besides yellow, it also comes in white and brown, to lighten and darken your makeup. Keep in mind that because it is very pigmented, it's possible that even the yellow elixir will darken your foundation if you use too much, so start out slowly.

This is the only product of its kind that I am aware of, at least outside of professional makeup supplies. Anyone else successfully warmed up a foundation using another method?