Mini Reviews Archives

Hi Everyone!

I thought I would do a mid-year makeup inventory on some of my makeup. Today, I will be doing an inventory on Primers & Foundations. Check out my other posts:

Bronzers | Blushes | Mascaras | Highlighters

I’ve decided not to do eyeliners because they’re all more or less the same shades (nude, black, brown). I’m not going to be doing eyeshadows either. Right now, my eyeshadow collection is a bunch of singles and a few palettes. With the exception of my Bobbi Brown palette, the palettes I have in my makeup inventory were not selected by me (I won two in giveaways and received one in a monthly Topbox). I sort of just use them as practise because I’m not adventurous enough to wear some of the shades in the palettes. I’m also not going to inventory my lip products because I have bought a fair amount of lip products from MAC Warehouse sales, so a lot are no longer available and there’s no use providing mini reviews for products that can no longer be bought.

Now, let’s get onto the topic of this post: Primers & Foundations! I may not have as many foundations and primers as some people, but I still think it’s more than enough for just one girl. I am not buying any more foundations or primers until I finish 5 foundations and 2 primers. I did just order the Dior BACKSTAGE Face and Body Foundation from Sephora because the samples were good and Ebates.ca was at 8%! I chose a deluxe sample of the Fenty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation.

After I finish these drugstore brand foundations, I’m only going to buy high end foundations from now on. I already buy high end primers because I haven’t found a drugstore one that I love and it’s easier to sample higher end ones. Buying from the drugstore, you just have to hope that it will do what you want since you can’t return them. Although drugstore brands have some amazing products, it’s much harder to find my foundation shade since a lot of drugstores don’t have foundation testers.

I hope to find 3-5 foundations/tinted moisturizers/cc cream that I can keep in rotation. I want to find foundations with different finishes, coverage and different types (liquid, powder, stick). Instead of having 20 different foundations that could go bad before I finish them, I want to have a few holy grail ones that I absolutely love. You may remember that I loved the Lancome Miracle Cushion Liquid Cushion Compact Foundation in 025 Beige Naturel, I may buy that one again when my collection goes down. Lately, I’ve been more into finding a sheer coverage, radiant/natural finish foundation that looks natural (instead of a medium/full coverage). On good days, my skin is fairly clear, and I just need to cover up spots here and there, so I don’t need full coverage on my whole face. I’d rather get a good concealer to cover up blemishes and use a lightweight foundation that shows my skin. I want the Markle Sparkle (aptly named natural, radiant makeup look of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex).

Current primer and foundation inventory:

7 primers (1 isn’t pictured)
12 including 3 powder, 5 liquid, 2 sticks, 2 tinted moisturizer/bb cream
- going to declutter the Wet N Wild foundation
- 2 other foundations are more than half way finished (Make Up For Ever and Milani)

I’ve written reviews on several of the foundations and primers, click the links below:

Burt’s Bees Makeup

This or That | Stick Foundations

The Ordinary Serum Foundation

The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream

Comparing Maybelline Fit Me Foundations

Lancome Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation SPF23

Shiseido Sheer Mattifying Compact Foundation (discontinued)

This or That | Colour Correcting Primers

Nude by Nature Perfecting Primer

I have a page on the blog of my foundation/concealer shade matches. Not all are an exact match to me, but they are the shades I’ve bought or tested over the years. Click here!

Maybelline Fit Me Hydrate + Smooth Foundation in 130 Buff Beige, NARS Sheer Glow in Deauville, The Ordinary Serum Foundation in 2.0N, Revlon Nearly Naked Presssed Powder in 030 Medium

Only two of the foundations above were more than $30- the NARS Sheer Glow and the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation. The Smashbox Photo Filter Powder Foundation and the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick were both purchased at the MAC Warehouse Sale for $20-25. I don’t think I would repurchase any of the foundations I’ve finished so far. Like I said, I only want to buy high end foundations from now on, and I didn’t love the NARS Sheer Glow. It was nice, but it didn’t have a pump and I don’t want to pay extra for one. Also, since the coverage is sheer, I’d rather use a tinted moisturizer/BB cream or repurchase the Lancome Miracle Cushion foundation.

Since February, I’ve obtained 3 more foundations- Lancôme Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation and the two Burt’s Bees foundations (liquid and powder) from Topbox Circle.

Stellar Brilliant Primer

I’ve tried the Stellar primer a few times and it’s really nice. I haven’t put it to the test, but from what I’ve tried, it seems like MAC’s strobe cream, but it feels smoother since it blurs pores.

Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer (Hydrating, Redness Correcting & Smoothing)

The Make Up For Ever Primers are favourites of mine because they smell so good. The smoothing one is my fave of the three.

Smashbox Photo Finish Reduce Redness Primer

The Smashbox colour correcting primer is not a fave, I bought it at the MAC sale, but it pills and it doesn’t correct redness very well.

Nude by Nature Perfecting Primer

The Nude by Nature primer is nice for hydrating, but I wouldn’t buy a full-size because the scent is too sweet.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil (not pictured)

I like to use the primer oil on my nose because it’s so dry. I’ve only used it on my nose so far. I plan to write a review after I test it out with different foundations formulas. So far, I’ve tried it with powder and liquid foundations and it looks really good.

TIP: it’s cheaper to buy Make Up For Ever and Smashbox primers in the mini size. It’s $20 for a 15mL tube, but $45 (MUFE) and $50 (Smashbox) for a 30mL tube.

Smashbox Photo Filter Powder Foundation in Shade 1

Thank goodness I didn’t pay full price for this, it’s way too light for me. I bought it at the MAC warehouse sale. I’ll use it to highlight.

Shiseido Sheer Mattifying Compact Foundation in B60 Natural Deep Beige

This makes my skin look amazing! Of course, it has to be when my skin is clear, otherwise you’ll get the powdery bump if you try to cover acne. But, the longevity of this is amazing (I only had to blot once in a 10 hour period). I need to get the updated version of this powder since this is discontinued. Also, maybe I should go a shade or two lighter because it’s a bit dark, but I got it at Winners for $9 and just wanted to see how it looked.

Burt’s Bees Natural Mattifying Powder Foundation in 1115 Sand

This is also too light, but I did get it for free from Topbox Circle and from what I’ve seen (Instagram posts), they gave everyone the same shades. I will also use this for highlighting.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick in Ivory 0.75 (read my review)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is beautiful, but I need the right shade.

Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation in 01 Creamy Vanilla

This shade is quite yellow (even for me). I wish Rexall had more shades- they have a lot more on the Milani website, but I’m still not sure any would match me. This foundation is a bit too thick for me. I prefer to use as a concealer or mix with a sheer foundation or moisturizer to thin it out.

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in Y245 Soft Sand

I like this foundation, but I don’t know if I love it enough to repurchase. It’s buildable, doesn’t look cakey and gives a beautiful, natural finish. The undertones are Yellow or Red, but I think I’m more neutral than I am yellow. The yellow undertones are just too yellow for me.

Burt’s Bees Goodness Glows Liquid Foundation in 1025 Natural Beige

This washes off so easily (with just water) and I love that. I’ve learned that the best way to apply it is with a damp beauty sponge because it sets so quickly. When I was testing it with a brush, it dried in one spot and wouldn’t blend out. The smell is quite strong, but once it’s on your face, you can’t smell it anymore.

Lancôme Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation in 01N Nude Vanilla (read my review)

This smells so nice for a foundation and I love it for natural, no makeup makeup.

The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream in 01 Lighter Skin Tones

I also like this for a natural makeup day. It adapts to your skin tone, but sometimes it can look a bit darker than my face. I always have to set the t-zone because, like other BB Creams, it looks quite shiny if you don’t set it.

Shiseido Sheer & Perfect Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF18 in B60 Natural Deep Beige

Similar to the Shiseido powder, I got this at Winners and it’s a lot darker than my face. I need to thin it out, but since it’s sheer coverage, it does lighten up as you blend. I’ve mixed it with moisturizer, and it looks nice. I’m not a huge fan of the smell, so I don’t think I will be getting a liquid foundation from Shiseido in the future.

Wet N Wild Photofocus Foundation in Buff Bisque

I don’t like that this foundation has a spatula, I feel like bacteria can get in so much faster than if it had a pump. This shade matches my skin if I just do a swatch on my face, but when I blend it out all over, it’s way too orange. I should’ve tried a shade or two lighter. I don’t love the smell, it kind of smells like chemicals and sort of makes me worried that it’s clogging up my pores.

Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free + Balance Stick Foundation in 130 Buff Beige

This is really nice for a lighter makeup day, it doesn’t build up as much coverage as the Bobbi Brown stick. I remember when I first heard about sticks and I was worried it would make my dry skin look worse, but this one and the Bobbi Brown are both not too drying and look really nice.

I’ve tried the Stellar Limitless Foundation a few times, and I don’t know why there aren’t more reviews on it. It has a radiant finish and medium-full coverage. I didn’t try building it up, but I would say medium is right.

What are your fave foundations?

Love,

Hi Everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful long weekend! Sorry I’ve been MIA for a while, I’ve been painting and reorganizing my room…I will share pics of my beauty corner as soon as I can! I went shopping last week and I went to Rexall and they had a sale for cosmetics, Buy 1 Get 1 50% off, but what caught my eye was the Buy 2 Get 1 Free for Milani Cosmetics! I just had to buy some of their products because they are such a good price and they come in beautiful gold packaging. Unfortunately, they didn’t have testers for the items I bought, so I went by swatches online. Here’s what I got:

Eye Tech Perfection Liquid Liner – The shape of this is really interesting, I don’t think I’ve ever used a regular liquid liner pen, I prefer kohl liners (I usually wear eyeliner on my lower waterline or tightline my upper waterline). I’m not very good at doing a winged liner look, but this pen was really good and I got a very sharp wing. I compared this to the Maybelline Master Precise Curvy Liquid Liner (read my review).

RATING: 5/5

Color Statement Lipstick in 26 Nude Crème – This is a beautiful shade that almost matches my lip colour. It’s good for days where I don’t want to just wear lip balm, but want something natural looking. It’s super smooth and smells like a Watermelon Jolly Rancher.

RATING: 5/5

Keep It Sweet Sugar Lip Scrub – This smells like candy. The directions on the back say “Apply a small amount with finger and gently scrub lips to buff away dry flakes. Tissue off.” Just using a tissue didn’t really work, I still had some sugar granules on my lips, so I just used some luke warm water. My lips feel super smooth and hopefully this will be an awesome product for the winter time…my lips already get a bit chapped now, so I really need to keep a lip balm handy. I’m not sure if I would use it 2-3 times a week as recommended, that seems like it would be bad for your lips, but I will definitely be using it once a week.

RATING: 5/5

Retouch + Erase Light-Lifting Concealer in 02 Light – At first, I thought this was a really small tube for $10 when I could get another concealer by Maybelline or Rimmel, but I compared it with my fave Wake Me Up Concealer by Rimmel and they’re both 7mL. The Milani concealer is a lot thicker than I expected, I wasn’t sure if I would like it because I thought it might cause creasing under my eyes, but I wore it for over 8 hours and it didn’t crease (I set it with The Everything Powder by Cake Beauty).

Tip: it comes with a sponge tip, but those are filled with bacteria if you don’t clean them regularly, so I pulled mine off and I squeeze a dab onto my finger and apply to my under eyes. It’s also better because the warmth of your finger makes the thick concealer blend nicely.

RATING: 5/5

Bronzer XL in 01 Bronze Glow – I loved how this was less than $12 and it’s so big! This has a very light fragrance, but I don’t know how to describe it. With the exception of the lipstick, this is the only thing that’s scented. This is a bit too orange for me, you have to go in with a very light hand and blend well so you don’t look like an oompa loompa.

UPDATE (July 30): I think the fragrance in this was causing me to breakout on my cheeks.

RATING: 2.5/5

Baked Blush in 01 Dolce Pink– I was originally planning to put this in a giveaway, but I kept it so long that I thought I should try it myself and then purchase a new one. It’s a really pretty shimmery pink.