9 posts tagged “roadtests”

Today I tested my samples from Elegant Minerals. I ordered only two foundation shades - Cornsilk and Sandstone. Based on the website descriptions, it was pretty easy to narrow down my choices to just two.

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I tried Sandstone first. To my eyes it looked yellow-peach. I think it had some peach undertones; I didn't bother doing a full face. I swatched both shades - applied wet - on the back of my hand. Sandstone looks peachier, while Cornsilk looks more yellow-olive.

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When I tried Cornsilk, it was a perfect match! I wore it the rest of the day. I love the powder - it has light to medium buildable coverage, great slip, and a velvety matte finish. The pores on my nose appeared smaller, and it evened out the surface of the skin, making my cheeks look really smooth. I have to get a full size of this!

The first item I decided to try from yesterday's Skinfood haul was the Rice Concealer.

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The SA convinced me to buy it when she said it was good for dark undereye circles, which is a problem I have. The doefoot applicator made it easy to apply, using it to dot tiny amounts under the eye and to cover two small dark spots on my chin.

The spots virtually disappeared. As for the undereye circles, at first I was concerned that it was too light, making me look like a reverse raccoon, but in a while it settled wonderfully and blended into my natural color. And the staying power is remarkable. I applied it in the morning, and when I came home at around 8:30pm, it was still in place. It didn't crease, cake, or melt. But because of that staying power, I had to remove it with an eye makeup remover instead of just simply washing it off.

I would recommend this for times when you'll be out the whole day and won't be back 'til late, because it doesn't budge and lasts so long.

When I opened my Fyrinnae package yesterday and saw my full pot of Ametrine, my first thought was that it was a bit pale for my medium tone.

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But I tested it today, using a light layer of application, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I didn't look sick or ghostly. And I love the formulation of the powder! It felt feather-light, it spread easily and didn't clump, and it did a great job with my pores. It wasn't a waste of money after all.

However, I have yet to try it with a heavy-handed application or additional layers. But as it is, as long as I keep the application light and thin, I can definitely wear this shade.

I might have to buy Sunstone, though. It's the next darker shade. Just for peace of mind. ;)

After browsing around Amazon, I discovered that Laura Mercier has a mineral line! I didn't know that. :) I just assumed that it carries only "traditional" makeup. So off I went to Rustans' Essenses to inquire if it was available locally, and I was pleasantly surprised when the SA said that the primer, foundation, and finishing powder were already here!

He looked at my color and recommended Rich Vanilla, then proceeded to apply a little on my face. It was a perfect match! I ended up buying the three: Primer, Foundation, and Finishing Powder.

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I roadtested them last night during a party, a few days after buying. The Primer has great slip and disappears into the skin (no white powdery clumps), the foundation had a creamy, polished, silky-looking finish, and the Finishing Powder did its job of minimizing oil.

Of course, during the 8 hours that I had the stuff on (6pm to 2am), some oil broke through, but it looked more dewy than oily, and there wasn't even much to begin with.

Am quite satisfied with them. :)

On my weekly trip to Beauty Bar, the SA suggested that I try Smashbox's bestseller, the O-Glow.

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According to Smashbox's website, it's an intuitive blush that reacts with your unique, personal skin chemistry and turns your cheeks into the color of your natural blush. It's a clear, non-sticky gel that transforms into your customized flush, so it's wearable by all skintones. Isn't that amazing?

What I liked about this is that the color was immediately visible after the inital application, unlike some gel blushes that take a couple of swipes before the color shows up. Also, the O-Glow pretty much stayed intact during the day and didn't disappear. A very good buy; I'm glad the SA talked me into getting this!

Received my M*A*D samples after only 12 days! I ordered Light Medium Olive and Medium Olive, described on the website as being suited for skin with yellow undertones. I thought of getting samples of Golden as well (described as having "golden peachy undertones"), but I lean more towards yellow than peach so I just got the Olive samples. The picture is a little dark because it's nearly night time, but here it is:

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I looked pale and wan wearing Light Medium Olive, so that one's definitely out. Medium Olive was perfect! Rich, beautiful color that blended right into my skin and evened it out nicely. Good oil control, too - it took several hours before I had to reach for blotting paper. It has medium coverage, so you only need one or two layers. I think I've found the foundation I can wear everyday - one that's not too heavy or too sheer, just right for class or work.

Browsing around Essenses led me to purchase ArtDeco's Camouflage Cream.

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Unlike most concealers, it comes in a range of color choices so you don't have to settle for something too light or too dark; you're assured of finding something that suits your skintone.

For ladies who tend to get oily around the eye area like I do, I wouldn't really recommend this product for covering up undereye circles because it didn't stay put on me and melted a little by the end of the day. On the upside, it's a great concealer for dark spots and blemishes and did a good job in that department. The cream form made it easy for the foundation to adhere to it, and its consistency allows heavy coverage and layerable control over the parts that need concealing. Definitely a welcome addition to anyone's makeup kit.

Out of the Blusche stuff I hauled in a few days ago from the Greenmeadows Bazaar, the first one I decided to try was the Concealer, in Medium...

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...which turned out to be the HG undereye concealer I've been looking for.

The mineral concealers I've seen so far were of the light yellow variety, which is excellent for neutralizing redness and uneven skintone, but didn't work on my dark undereye circles because it looked ashy applied over the area and made me look a reverse raccoon. I was in search of that concealer which was deep enough to match my skintone closely, and yet light enough to camouflage dark areas.

And this was it.

Using a taklon concealer brush, I applied the concealer in a few light layers until  the dark circles were hardly noticeable. I was so pleased with the results!

Around 9pm at the end of the day, I checked the mirror and saw that the concealer had faded and melted somewhat, but I'm sure that can be remedied by a primer or a base under it, because I tend to get oily around the eyes and I didn't put any primer or base that morning (so I could test the concealer alone without any extraneous variables).

Overall, I found it to be a great undereye concealer, and I'll be using this everyday.

Received my Taylor Made lipglosses and samples yesterday, after only 16 days. I ordered two pots of lipgloss (Bubbly and Aster), two foundation samples (Gertrude and Katherine) and a blush sample (Buff).

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