All the Pretty Shimmers

I’ve had several people ask me what I thought about the Maybelline Mineral Power foundation, so I’m going to do a quick review on it. First of all, I would like to say that it shouldn’t be called a foundation, because it is very much a tinted moisturizer instead. The coverage and consistency remind me a lot of the Stila Tinted Moisturizer that I used to have which I hated

Ok so here we go:

These pictures are taken in natural lighting without flash. Some are kind of dark so I tried to adjust the brightness of it without compromising the color, I hope it worked.

Shade: Light Beige - has very strong yellow and olive tones. It is a bit dark on my face and it also casts a yellow shadow which doesn’t look very good. Maybe the next lighter shade would work better. I have never been matched with a MAC shade so I have no idea what NC or whatever I am lol, but generally I would describe my skintone to be light beige or light-medium.

Somewhat blended:

Consistency: Pretty creamy and moisturizing, again it is definitely considered a tinted moisturizer. I don’t believe this is oil-free so it might not be a good choice for people with oily skin. It gives a very dewy finish and is most definitely not a mattifying foundation. Feels very sticky when applied, probably due to the SPF, either way, feels kind of icky on my skin :/

Completely blended:

Coverage: as you can see, the coverage is very light, more like a tinted moisturizer. I found that it didn’t even out my skintone or cover up anything really, just made me look kind of yellow and dark. It also looks like it settles into fine lines on my hands, since I don’t have fine lines on my face I wouldn’t know if it does the same there. After I apply a layer on my face I dust some loose transparent powder over it and it takes away the dewiness and leaves my skin pretty smooth, but coverage is still very poor.

Application: I find that the coverage is a little better when applied with my fingers instead of a foundation brush, as it goes on really streaky with a brush.

Wear: It doesn’t seem to last very long on my face, and is pretty much gone by the end of the day. I think I much prefer my mineral foundation!!

Overall: If I would have to rate it out of 10 stars I would give it a 3 or 4. Not a very impressive product in my opinion, and I use this very very rarely, sometimes I just feel like giving it another chance but right after I apply it I regret it because it sucks. I am now on the hunt for a good liquid foundation, preferably high-end since I am kind of weary of drugstore foundations now. Anyone have suggestion?

OK moving on, also to fulfill a request, I’m going to post my skincare routine. I posted one a while back but that was kind of outdated, I’ve changed some stuff around now! I think my skincare routine is pretty simple and basic. Mornings I cleanse and moisturize, and sunscreen. Nights I remove makeup, cleanse, tone, and moisturize. Very standard, I don’t use any special serums or treatments or anything.

Here is what I use in the mornings:

1. Wash face with DHC Washing Powder. This stuff is DA BOMB. I got it on sale and it was only $5! And it’s lasted me…a whole year. That’s right, I still have about 1/4 of it left. It doesn’t foam, but when combined with water turns into a creamy lather, very gentle, doesn’t strip my skin of moisture but still leaves it feeling incredibly fresh and clean. I love this stuff.

2. Twice a week I substitute the Washing Powder for the Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser. The bottle is pretty big and it has lasted me more than a year lol especially since I only use it twice a week and you only need a little bit for the whole face. This one is more drying and cleans more thoroughly, it also has glycolic acid which is an AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) so it serves as my exfoliating cleanser and leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean afterwards. It has a light soap smell which I love. My skin is pretty sensitive and physical exfoliants are too harsh for me so I use this as an alternative. Those with sensitive skin should try it!

3. Apply Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control eye cream with SPF30. I’ve been using this for a few weeks now and it is an OK product. I use it because I think that it’s important to not neglect your under eye area when applying sunscreen because most of us tend to forget to apply sunscreen there, and since regular sunscreen is not suited for the sensitive area around the eyes this is a great product for that. However, I heard that this is not as good as the Shiseido one so I might exchange it for that one, I’m too lazy to look for the box and take it back to Sephora though. It sinks in very well and makes my eye area feel very moisturized. So far so good.

4. Moisturize face with Lancome Aqua Fusion oil-free moisturizer cream with SPF15. I got this after I read the review by blu3, and at first I loved the texture of this, it feels so light and refreshing, but I think that my skin is a little too dry for this, it doesn’t feel like I get enough moisture with this so after I finish it I’m going to have to look for another morning lotion. It is also heavily fragranced, while it smells good, I still don’t think it’s a good idea to be using such a heavily perfumed face cream because of my sensitive skin. I’m almost done with the jar though, it goes pretty fast.

5. Finally, if I’m not too lazy and if it’s a sunny day I apply Neutrogena Age Shield Face Sunblock SPF 70. i love Neutrogena sunscreens, they’re awesome. I’m a huuuge fan of the Dry Touch sunblocks so I was really excited to get the face version. I have to say the one for the body and the face are pretty much identical, same texture, same smell same everything. I like that it’s oil-free and non-comedogenic, and even though when first applied it feels kind of thick and sticky on my skin, but give it a few minutes and it leaves my skin completely matte, I find that it works great as a primer for foundation.

Night time routine:

1. Remove makeup with DHC Cleansing Oil. I cannot stress enough how big of an HG this is for me. I am running very low on my bottle so I dumped the rest in this little travel container to save space. I’m going to have to order a new one pronto, it took me so long because I was waiting for it to go on sale…but I guess it’s not going to happen anytime soon so I’m just going to have to get it. It’s such a great deal, the big bottle lasts me 5-6 months!! So I only need 2 for the whole year. Removes everything including waterproof mascara and eyeliner, and makes my skin feel uber soft. It’s the best.

2. Tone with Boots No.7 Soft and Soothed Gentle Toner for Normal/Dry Skin. It’s a good toner I guess, can’t really tell the difference between using this and not using this, but I like to swipe some toner on to remove the last trace of makeup, it just makes my face feels cleaner. I love that it doesn’t contain alcohol, alcohol = bad news!

3. Apply my sample of Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream. I’m just testing out this sample that I got with my last order. So far it’s pretty nice, the texture feels light and hydrating, but OMG it takes FOREVER to sink in. After 30 minutes my area is still looking like I just applied the damn thing. Kind of annoying. I’ve given up on any miracle eye creams that will take away my dark circles so I only use eye creams to moisturize. There are no miracle products guys, only surgery

4. Before I started testing out the MB eye cream, I used the Clinique Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream. Uhh yea it’s like for older people or something? Sounds like it’s trying to save you from wrinkles. My mom gave me this because she didn’t like it anymore after only trying it for a few weeks, and there was so much product left that I didn’t want to throw it away so I started using it. The texture is amazing!! It feels like butter! But other than that I don’t see anything special about it except that it’s a pretty standard eye cream. Pretty moisturizing though, and wayyy better than All About Eyes Rich, that stuff sucked.

5. Finally moisturize my face with Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre, aka 24-hour Miracle Cream. Holy shit this cream IS a miracle cream. What? I said that I don’t believe in miracle products? Well I do in this one!! I’ll make an exception for this one. I bought it when I had a really bad allergic reaction on my body including my face, but the doctor told me to use a prescription cortizone cream + Cetaphil lotion so I put off using this after I was all better. The texture of this cream is velvety smooth and feels very moisturizing without being oily or sticky at ALL. It also has a very light scent that smells like jasmine tea. It doesn’t contain fragrance so it must be the natural ingredients producing the scent. Every morning when I wake up after using this my skin is super soft and glowy, I love it. It feels like it would be too rich and break me out but it has never happened, if anything it has made the condition of my skin even better. The only thing I don’t like is the bottle, when it was first opened the cream kept on oozing out!! I couldn’t stop it, and if I tried to squeeze it back in more would come out, it was really annoying, but it’s better now.

Mask, treatments, etc.

1. Boots Botanics Ultimate Lift Eye Gel. I don’t use this all the time, only when I need to de-puff my eyes, like during that special time of the month when everything feels bloated and puffy, or when I’ve had a good cry the night before lol. The effect is subtle but I do believe that it actually works, my puffy circles are a lot less noticeable after I use this. It has a cooling effect so that could be it as well. You probably don’t need this stuff, and can just use some cucumber or green tea bags instead and it’ll work just as well, if not better.

2. Twice a week I use the Mario Badescu Strawberry Tonic Mask. This is a great mask and it is one of the more gentle clay masks. It doesn’t dry out my skin and definitely improves the texture of it. I only apply this on my T-zone and a very very thin layer on my cheeks. I can see this lasting me a long time, I hope it doesn’t go bad!

3. Then maybe once a week or if I can even remember, I’ll use the St. Ives Microdermabrasion. I like that it’s very gentle and it’s not harsh for my sensitive skin, but leaves my skin feeling baby soft afterwards. But I am SO not a fan of the strong fragrance, why do you need such a strong fragrance in a microdermabrasion thing?? It’s not even a good smell. I’ll continue to use it if it doesn’t irritate my skin, but otherwise I’m kind of on the fence about this product.

Acne treatments:

Finally for those pesky little zits and pimples that refuse to go away, I usually just use the Neutrogena On-the-Spot treatment. It has 2% Benzoyl Peroxide so the concentration is pretty low and it’s pretty gentle. It doesn’t always work though, so I recently got the Clearasil Vanishing Cream with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide, I think this is the ideal concentration for fighting pimples. My boyfriend uses ZapZit and I LOVE THAT STUFF!! But I couldn’t find it anywhere! I was so frustrated that I just picked up the Clearasil one. I dont’ really like it, I think it kind of irritates my skin. Damn I want some ZapZit, I always steal my boyfriend’s, I’m going to have him pick me up a tube. That stuff really does what it says, zaps those suckers away.

So that’s it for my skincare routine, not very complicated I think, and this regime is working out well for me so far, but as soon as I finish a product I’m going to try something new because that’s just the product whore that I am. Except for the DHC Cleansing oil though, I’m a loyal fan.