• hera black cushion foundation

    Foundations | My Hits & Misses

    Hi Everyone!

    I’m sharing my hits and misses for all foundations that I’ve tried (that I can remember).

    Check out my other Hits & Misses posts!

    MAKEUP || Primers | Foundations | Powders | Concealers | Brows | Mascara

    SKINCARE || Eye Creams

    BRANDS || Bobbi Brown | Burt’s Bees | L’OréalMaybelline | Nude by Nature | NYX | TULA | Volition Beauty

    Before you read this post, please remember that we all have difference preferences and skin types. These are MY hits, misses and likes. You might love something I don’t like or dislike something I love.


    Just a heads up that there are quite a few cult fave foundations that I don’t love as much as everyone else. There are more foundations that I’ve tried samples of, but 1) this post would be way too long and 2) I don’t have a full opinion on them since I only used them a handful of times. This post will only include liquids/creams/cushions/sticks. I will include powder foundations in my Powder Hits & Misses post since I haven’t tried as many. It will also only include foundations that are still available. I’m going to keep my little reviews as short as I can especially if I have a full review of the foundation. I will link them so you can read them if you’d like.

    In no particular order, here are my Hits, Likes and Misses:

    Hits

    Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick (read my review) – This might be my favourite stick foundation I’ve tried to date. I even had the wrong shade. It was perfect for a girls trip. I packed this to use as foundation/concealer. This is one of my favourite Bobbi Brown items (Bobbi Brown Hits & Misses). I  bought it at the MAC Warehouse Sale and would definitely pay full price for it.

    Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation Stick SPF21 – This would be my 2nd favourite stick foundation.

    Lancôme Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation (read my review) – Love this. Even though it’s labelled as a foundation, it’s more like a tinted moisturizer. If only they had more shades available (I’m in between shades).

    Lancôme Miracle Cushion Foundation – I need to find the right shade because the one I was using is too pink for me.

    Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer – I feel like this has a little more coverage than what I’d consider a tinted moisturizer. It’s a great product though.

    dior backstage face & body foundation

    Likes

    Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Luminizing Foundation – Beautiful foundation and one of the closest matches I’ve ever had. It does have fragrance in it and oddly enough, it doesn’t smell that great. I would rather try the self-refreshing one that doesn’t have any fragrance in it.

    Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation (read my review) – While this was a beautiful foundation, it just didn’t last long on me. I don’t know if the primers I tried were just too slippy or something. It looked beautiful on the skin, but I just couldn’t find the right shade match. It was either too pink or too orange.

    Laneige BB Cushion Hydra Radiance SPF50* (read my review) – Nice cushion foundation, but I’m between shades.

    Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation – Can’t find a good shade match, but this is a nice foundation.

    Maybelline Fit Me Hydrate + Smooth Foundation (read my review) – I wish this had a pump. I’m also not crazy about the scent of this. Not my fave foundation.

    Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick (read my review) – I liked it, but didn’t love this enough. It was just too full coverage for me (even when I used a very thin layer).

    Hera Black Cushion Foundation – My sister got this for me in Korea. I just picked a shade that I thought would be okay based on pictures. Even though I’m quite light, the shade is too light for me. Plus, this is very fragranced (like a lot of K-Beauty products). The foundation itself is nice, but the fragrance is just too much for me. Plus, it’s hard for me to get in Canada. If it is available, it’s more than I’m willing to spend. So, I’d rather spend the money on something else.

    The Ordinary Serum Foundation (read my review) – not my fave, but not my least fave.

    The Body Shop All-in-One BB Cream (read my review) – At the time I wrote the review for this, I really enjoyed it. Since then, I’ve tried other products I prefer more.

    Perricone MD No Foundation Serum Broad Spectrum SPF30 (read my review) – Nice foundation that looks natural and provides sheer coverage.

    shiseido synchro skin luminizing glow foundation

    Misses

    For the foundation misses, there are ones that either just didn’t impress me much, didn’t provide enough coverage or had too much coverage.

    Almay Clear Complexion Make Myself Clear Makeup* – I don’t really want makeup that has salicylic acid.

    NYX Bare With Me Tinted Skin Veil* (read my review) – not my shade and coverage was too light for me.

    Bali Body BB Cream (read my review) – This provided no coverage whatsoever.

    NYX HD Studio Photogenic Foundation – Broke me out and smelled like plastic.

    Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation and Concealer – Was way too thick for me and shade range wasn’t great.

    Garnier BB Cream – Shade range is terrible and it made my eyes water. Too much alcohol in it??

    Nars Velvet Matte Foundation Stick –  I bought this at the Shiseido Warehouse Sale and it just didn’t wow me. It sounds kind of mean, but there’s a reason that this is rarely on lists of Fave Stick Foundations.

    Burt’s Bees Goodness Glows Liquid Foundation – Washed off easily with water and looked patchy on dry spots. What would happen if I wore this when it’s raining or went on a Maid of the Mist boat tour??

    Nude by Nature Luminous Sheer Liquid Foundation* (read my review) – Not enough coverage.

    Nude by Nature BB Cream* (read my review) – Not enough coverage.

    Wet N Wild Photofocus Foundation – Shade was wrong, too matte for me. I know they came out with a dewy version, but I also didn’t like the smell or the fact that it used a spatula instead of a pump.

    The following foundations are ones I can’t give a definitive opinion on:

    Becca Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation – I think I had the wrong shade and also knew nothing about applying it. I ended up throwing this out despite not using it very often.

    Holika Holika Gudetama Photo Ready Cushion Foundation – wrong shade. Wasn’t my fave cushion though.

    Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation – This was one of the first liquid foundations from the drugstore that I bought. It smells like chemicals, but I remember it being nice (I had the wrong shade though).

    Nars Sheer Glow Foundation – I can’t say if I like or hate this because I bought the wrong shade. I bought this before I knew what I wanted in a foundation. I never fully tested it out. I would prefer a foundation that has a pump (instead of buying one separately and NARS has nice foundations that come with a pump).


    To Try

    • Bite Changemaker Micellar Foundation
    • L’Oréal Infallible 24Hr Freshwear Foundation
    • Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer
    • Make Up For Ever Matte Velvet Skin Full Coverage Foundation
    • Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Foundation

    What are your fave foundations?

    Love,

    Products marked with (*) were sent to me for review.

  • gummiband hair cords

    Revisiting My 2017 Favourites | Part 2

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m revisiting my favourites from 2017. I’ve posted Part 1 of revisiting my Best of 2017 post (read here). There’s some overlap in my monthly favourites and Best of 2017 post, so if they aren’t listed below, they’re in that post.

    SEPTEMBER

    Maybelline Fit Me Concealer – When I used this, I never tried it as an under eye concealer. I need to buy it again and compare it to the Age Rewind Concealer.

    Repurchase? Yes.

    Milani Color Statement Lipstick in 26 Nude Crème – I love the shade, but I don’t really like that it smells like a watermelon jolly rancher.

    Repurchase? Maybe.

    Milani Keep It Sweet Sugar Lip Scrub – Initially, I liked this, but I didn’t really like it after a while. It would just make the dead skin move back and forth and not slough it off.

    Repurchase? No.

    Milani Eye Tech Perfection Liquid Liner – This was a great liner, but I just don’t use liquid liner that much.

    Repurchase? No.

    Milani Retouch + Erase Light Lifting Concealer – I liked this concealer; it was thick, but it blended nicely.

    Repurchase? Maybe.

    Estee Lauder Pink Perfection Breast Cancer Awareness Kit – If you’ve read my post on Products I Regret Buying, this kit is on it. The eyeshadows were nice, but the shades they chose weren’t useful for me. I need a transition shade that’s matte and this didn’t have one. I did enjoy the lipstick, but not in the shade that came with it.

    Repurchase? Unavailable because it was limited edition. But I wouldn’t if it were still available.

    MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Kittenish – I really like this lip pencil. It’s a hybrid of a balm and a lipstick.

    Repurchase? Yes.

    OCTOBER

    Garnier All-in-1 Cleansing Micellar Water – Love this!!

    Repurchase? Absolutely! I do want to try other ones first to see how they compare.

    NOVEMBER

    Clean and Clear Morning Burst Fruit Infusions Purifying Cleanser – I really liked this cleanser. It woke me up in the morning with the citrus scent.

    Repurchase? I don’t think you can buy this anymore.

    Dove Nutritive Solutions Coconut and Hydration Shampoo – So, a few years ago, I got eczema on my hands and legs and I stopped using a bunch of products to rule them out as a cause of the eczema. I stopped using Dove products and haven’t started using them again. I used to use Dove products all the time and had no problems, so I don’t think it was the cause, but I just haven’t purchased anything since I finished this shampoo.

    Repurchase? Maybe.

    Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler – I love this!! I wish I had bought this when I first started using lash curlers.

    Repurchase? YES!!!

    DECEMBER

    Tory Burch Perfume (Original) – I love this. It makes me feel grown up, but it’s not old lady-ish.

    Repurchase? Yes!

    GummiBand Hair Cords – I love these. I use them every day!

    Repurchase? Yes!

    Did you spot any of your favourites?

    Love,

  • mac lip pencil

    September/October 2017 Faves

    Hi Everyone!

    I’m starting a new blog series for my monthly beauty favourites. Check out September and October’s faves!

    media-20171103.jpgMaybelline Fit Me Concealer

    This is a great concealer! I just wish they had more shade selections (I have 10 Light and 25 Medium). One of my faves from the drugstore!

    23.jpgMilani products- see my haul and swatches. I’m in love with all of these products. I especially love the lipstick. I have the shade 26 Nude Crème for the lipstick and 02 Light for the concealer.

    media-201711033 Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatment

    This has become a fave acne treatment. It’s great for drying out those big, pesky pimples that hurt. Sometimes it takes a few applications over a few days to get them to shrink down. You don’t want to use it too much in the same place since it’s so strong and very drying on your skin. I still have yet to try the similar Mario Badescu drying lotion which I’ve heard works really well too. I also bought one from The Face Shop, and plan to do a dupe it out since it’s a lot cheaper than the eradiKate.

    20170911_025516Pink Perfection kit from Estee Lauder (no longer sold in stores)

    I’m loving this kit. The eyeshadows are velvety smooth and pigmented and the Pure Color Envy lipstick is so creamy and comfortable.

    20170911_031542MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Kittenish

    Sometimes I don’t want a super pigmented lip product like lipstick and a balm doesn’t always have colour. The patentpolish is like a hybrid of a balm and a lipstick. Kittenish is a mauvey pink shade…wish I bought more of these at the Mac Warehouse sale (I’ll have to get more next time).

    lancome

    Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation in 025 Beige Naturel

    If it’s not obvious from my #motd posts, I love this cushion foundation. It gives you a natural finish and unlike some liquid foundations, it doesn’t look cakey or make my nose look dry. My nose area tends to be dry and foundation can make it look patchy but this cushion foundation doesn’t do that. Originally, my mom bought it for herself but she didn’t like the feel of liquid foundations even though this is a very sheer formula. She gave this to me since we’re the same shade and she opted for the Sephora MicroSmooth Baked Foundation Face Powder (25 Beige).

    media-20171103343434Lush Cup O’Coffee Face and Body Mask

    I am loving this mask. It deeply cleanses pores and buffs dryness to reinvigorate your skin. It’s vegan so it does expire a little faster than a non-vegan one. My face feels super smooth after using this and the coffee grounds aren’t abrasive. Although I don’t drink coffee, I love the smell of it and it makes me feel refreshed and awake after using it. I haven’t used it on my body yet, but I imagine it would have the same effect.

    media-201711034343Buxom Lash Mascara

    This is a deluxe sample (the full-sized one has a silver top). I don’t usually love silicone wands but this keeps my lashes clump-free and my lashes still feel soft after using this. If only the price tag weren’t so high (I usually stick to drug store mascaras since their shelf life isn’t very long). I definitely need to find a dupe for this mascara.

    media-2017110352Garnier’s All-in-1 Cleansing Micellar Water

    This removes waterproof makeup and doesn’t leave my eyes feeling sticky like some eye makeup removers I’ve used. Even though it says you don’t need to rinse, I like to wash my face after using it because it has a slightly greasy feeling (even though there’s no oil in it) after using it. I’ve tried the pink one (not for waterproof makeup) and you don’t have to shake it before using.

    media-23.jpgStep 1 Skin Equalizer Primers from Make Up For Ever

    These are some of my faves. I love these three: Smoothing, Redness Correcting and Hydrating. Sometimes I use them for different parts of my face. When I have some redness around my nose and chin, then the smoothing primer on areas where my pores are more visible and then hydrating everywhere else. I’m not usually one to like scented skincare products, but I love the light scent of these.

    UPDATE: I have recently added the Nourishing primer to my collection and it’s better than the hydrating one.

    What were your faves from September and October?

    Love,

    jen