radiant Archives

Foundations | My Hits & Misses

March 17, 2020
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’Oréal | Maybelline | 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 2^nd 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.
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.
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.
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2018 Mid-Year Makeup Inventory | Highlighters

July 11, 2018
Hi Everyone!

Continuing my makeup inventory, today’s post is on highlighters! Check out my other mid-year makeup roundup!

Primers & Foundations | Bronzers | Blushes | Mascaras | Highlighters

Current inventory:
- 12 powder highlighters
- 1 liquid strobe highlighter from Milk Makeup
You can never have too many highlighters, especially when you can get different shades and you can use highlighter as eyeshadow too. I won’t be putting a makeup buying ban on highlighters.
Physician’s Formula Butter Highlighter in Pink

I love this, it’s creamy and gorgeous. I will definitely be picking up other shades of this highlighter.

Maybelline Facestudio Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter in 100 Molten Gold

This is a fave of mine. I would definitely pick up another shade since this is a bit too dark for my skintone.

Wet N Wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder in Precious Petals

This is beautiful. I wish I could get other shades of this highlighter, but that’s all that was left in stock at Rexall.

Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighter in Sin

I got this as a rewards bonus from Sephora. It’s really pretty and the nicest out of the higher end ones that I have. I don’t think I would pick up the full-size because there are so many pretty drugstore highlighters.

Clionadh Cosmetics Marble Highlighter in Mother of Pearl (read my review)

I picked this up at Indie Expo Canada. It’s a gorgeous marble highlighter. It’s more of a fun highlighter since it has different colours- it looks purple, but when you move it in the light, it changes.
Stila All Over Shimmer Powder

I picked this up at Winners. I don’t think I’d pay full price for it. The darker shade in the duo is beautiful, but the lighter one is a bit powdery. When mixed together though, they make a beautiful rosy gold shade.

Essence Light Up Your Face Luminizer Palette (read my review)

I really want to try the Pure Nude Highlighter by Essence which I plan to pick up at some point. One of the shades in this palette is kind of chunky which I don’t love.

MAC X Star Trek Trip the Light Fantastic Powder in Luna Luster

When I first swatched this, I was surprised that it wasn’t buttery. It’s actually better to use a fan brush with this one so that it can disperse the shimmer nicely. If you used your finger, you’d get a splotch of shimmer in one spot of your face. This highlighter looks better when wet.

H&M Spotlight Glow Powder in Sumptuous Peach (read my review)

The pan of this is huge and it’s a beautiful highlighter for a brand that’s known for clothing.
Inglot x Jennifer Lopez Livin’ the Highlight Illuminator in J201 Radiant (read my review)

I prefer to use this as a body highlighter since it’s a loose highlight.

Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Halo

This is kind of chunky which was surprising since it’s Bobbi Brown. After using the blush, bronzer and highlighter, I don’t think I would pick up a Bobbi Brown product from any of those categories. If I were to get a Bobbi Brown product, it’d be an eyeshadow palette or skincare-related products like primer and foundation.

Smashbox Blush Soft Lights Duo in Passion/Shimmer

This highlighter is pretty, but it’s a bit powdery, if you wet your brush, it looks better. The duo would be great for travel since it has a blush and a highlighter.
Physician’s Formula Pink, Smashbox Shimmer, Stila Shimmer (light shade, dark shade, both shades mixed), Essence Light Up Your Face Palette (3 shades), Wet N Wild Precious Petals
Bobbi Brown Halo, H&M Sumptuous Peach, Clionadh Mother of Pearl, Urban Decay Sin, Mac X Star Trek Luna Luster, Maybelline Molten Gold, Inglot x J Lo Radiant
The prettiest highlighters were actually the drugstore ones (in my opinion). I prefer the wet look instead of chunky, shimmery highlighters. My favourites are the Maybelline Master Chrome, Wet N Wild MegaGlo and Physician’s Formula Butter Highlighter.

I realized that I forgot to include the Milk Makeup Liquid Strobe Highlighter in the swatches. If you want to see the swatch, you can read my review on it.

Love,
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2018 Mid-Year Makeup Inventory | Bronzers

July 5, 2018
Hi Everyone!

Check out my other makeup inventory posts:

Primers & Foundations | Bronzers | Blushes | Mascaras | Highlighters

I have a handful of bronzers that are all fairly popular, so I thought I would swatch them all side-by-side to compare them and give a mini review about what I think about them. However, some are matte and some radiant and several are a bit darker than what I should be using on my skin tone, but it’s nothing a good blending can’t fix. The Bobbi Brown one is from an eyes and cheek palette, the Too Faced one was part of a rewards kit from Sephora and the Physicians Formula one was what was left at my Shoppers when it was on sale and I really wanted to try it.

Current bronzer inventory: 6
- 2 Matte- Bobbi Brown, Too Faced
- 1 Natural- Jennifer Lopez Inglot (in the description, it doesn’t say whether this is matte or not, but I would describe this as natural because it’s between matte and radiant)
- 3 Radiant- Milani, Physicians Formula, Tarte (Park Ave Princess is also available in matte)
Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Medium

Golden Light would probably be better suited to my skin tone, but it’s what comes in this palette.

A lightweight powder bronzer with a soft, matte finish—your secret to achieving a sun-kissed look year-round (or just when you want to warm up sallow skin).

Formulated with the perfect balance of red and brown tones (the colors that exist in a true tan), this lightweight, mica-free formula creates the most natural look.

Inglot x Jennifer Lopez Boogie Down Bronze Bronzing Powder in J217 Safari (read my review)

This is kind of light, I could probably go up a shade.

Feel fabulous with a natural-looking tan and a sun-kissed glow with Boogie Down Bronze. This sheer, pressed powder leaves your complexion feeling instantly warmer and radiant. The formula allows seamless blending with a powdery, velvet finish that doesn’t smudge. Define your cheekbones by brushing across them lightly to enjoy all-over warmth day and night.

Milani Bronzer XL in 01 Bronze Glow

At first, I thought this was too orange, but it blends out nicely with a fluffy brush. Go in with a very light hand and build it up.

UPDATE (July 29): I’ve mostly been using this bronzer because it’s my least fave of my collection. I think the fragrance in this has caused my cheeks to break out a bit. So, I decided to declutter it.

Bronzer XL is an instant, healthy looking kiss of summer color in one no-fuss powder compact. The matte half acts as a base and contour for the face, neck and body, and the shimmery highlighter side will take you anywhere you want to glow. With a silky finish and oil-free formula, this bronzer stays where you want it to and lasts as long as you do.

Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Butter Bronzer in Deep Bronzer

I chose Deep Bronzer because it was on sale at the time and it was the only one in stock. I don’t think it’s too dark for me, but I could probably get the Bronzer shade next time.

Ultra-luxurious bronzer, infused with Murumuru Butter, delivers a radiant Brazilian goddess glow! Incredibly creamy and soft texture combines the best features of a powder and cream bronzer, to deliver a lit-from-within tropical glow unlike any other.

Packed with essential fatty acids and pro-vitamins that soften, condition and moisturize skin, leaving it silky soft. Ultra-rich bronzer formula instantly melts into skin, sealing-in moisture to deliver instant and lasting hydration. Features ultra-refined pearl and soft-focus pigments that smooth skin texture, brighten skin tone and deliver a gorgeous bronze finish.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer in Park Ave Princess

If I were to pick this up in the store again, I would choose the matte one.

An ultralight, mineral-based bronzing powder.

Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer is an oil-free bronzer that fuses earthly minerals with naturally-derived ingredients for a natural-looking finish. It contains Skinvigorating™ ingredients like vitamins A and E, which act as antioxidants to fight free radical damage, and it’s infused with mineral pigments that are known for their soothing and softening properties.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer in Chocolate Soleil

If I were to get this, I would need Milk Chocolate, but it was in a Rewards Bonus Kit. I just have to be light-handed with this bronzer and maybe use it as an eyeshadow to help use it up.

A long-wearing, rich, matte bronzer infused with 100 percent real cocoa powder.

Bronzing has never been so delicious. Create all-over warmth and dimension while achieving a rich, matte, buildable tan. The formula is infused with 100 percent real cocoa powder for skin-loving benefits and a long-wear bronze that smells as good as it looks.
For the Milani bronzer, I swirled my finger into both the bronzer and highlight to get the swatch above.

Inglot, Tarte and Bobbi Brown’s bronzers aren’t scented, while the Physicians Formula, Milani and Too Faced are scented. Physicians Formula smells like coconut, Too Faced smells like chocolate (because of the cocoa powder) and Milani smells like perfume.

Even though the Bobbi Brown one is the most expensive, I had the most trouble swatching it. It was going on patchy while most of the others went on smoothly.

As you can see from the swatches, the Bobbi Brown and Too Faced ones are the darkest because both of those are for medium skin tones. I would consider purchasing Too Faced in the correct shade, but i don’t think i will be picking up a Bobbi Brown Bronzer. The Milani Bronzer is the most orange of all of them. A little goes a long way, but once you blend it out, it looks really nice. I wanted to try it because it was such a good deal for such a big pan.

I think my favourite has to be the Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Butter Bronzer. It’s buttery, blends easily and I love the price. Normally I don’t like scented things, especially if it’s very strong, but I’m okay with the coconut scent from this bronzer. I’m also still figuring out how to apply bronzer properly and spending more than $25 for a bronzer seems like a bit much since I’m still learning. I’d rather spend the money on a good primer or foundation.

What are your favourite bronzers?

Love,
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First Impressions with Inglot X Jennifer Lopez

May 14, 2018

Hi Everyone!

For the past few months, I was anxiously awaiting the launch of Jennifer Lopez’s collaboration with Inglot. On April 26th, her collection launched and I quickly ordered a few products. I had to hold myself back from ordering too much, so I decided on the safest products that I could order without swatching: a bronzer, highlighter and lip gloss. I watched a video of a beauty editor swatching different products, but she had different colouring than I did (she was white). I would need to swatch the pressed eyeshadows, pigment eyeshadows, nail polishes and lipsticks to see which shades I’d want.
Lipglossy Lip Gloss in J225 Pinky

This lip gloss is beautiful. It has a subtle pink sheen on the lips. When I swatched it, it looks like a peachy pink shade, but when I put it on the lips, it looks more pink. Since it’s a gloss, it is a bit sticky, but it’s not as bad as some I’ve tried where you get that gross trail of lip gloss at the corner of your mouth when you talk.

Enhance your lips and ensure your kisses are unforgettable with the ultra-shiny LipGlossy. The protective, multi-benefit formula is long-lasting and moisturizing leaving your lips soft and optically smooth. The gloss provides the feeling of regeneration and visually improves firmness, flexibility and tension of your lips. Use alone, or on top of your lipstick for everyday glamour. The final effect depends on the application: touch delicately for a subtle shine or more generously to achieve a magnetic effect of optically enlarged lips.

RATING: 5/5
Boogie Down Bronze Freedom System Bronzing Powder in J217 Safari

This is a beautiful bronzer and it blends nicely. It does hurt a bit that you have to pay $40 CAD for the bronzer and the compact. At least the compact is reusable. I decided to get the non-limited edition compact to save $4 since I already have the highlighter that says Jennifer Lopez on it. The regular compact still has a mirror, but the top is a glossy finish whereas the Jennifer Lopez one is matte with gold lettering.

Feel fabulous with a natural-looking tan and a sun-kissed glow with Boogie Down Bronze. This sheer, pressed powder leaves your complexion feeling instantly warmer and radiant. The formula allows seamless blending with a powdery, velvet finish that doesn’t smudge. Define your cheekbones by brushing across them lightly to enjoy all-over warmth day and night.

You have to buy the compact separately from the bronzer, so the first time you buy it, it’s more than $30 to purchase. I didn’t love that you had to do this, but it’s a beautiful bronzer.

RATING: 4/5
Livin’ the Highlight Illuminator Face Eyes Body in J201 Radiant

For highlight, I prefer that wet look that doesn’t have any glitter. This highlight is absolutely beautiful for your IG pics or like the description says “on the stage,” but close-up, I don’t think it looks that good. Since this is a loose powder, it’s a bit more glittery than I like for a highlighter. It’s gorgeous for an eyeshadow or the body. You can mix it with some moisturizer and get a more subtle highlight for your face. Same goes for mixing it with a body lotion to highlight your collarbone or shoulders. I don’t love the container this comes in. It’s geared best for using it as a body highlighter, since it has the puff and you put the container upside down so you can release some product. For eyes, you have to pour some onto the top of the lid so your brush or finger can pick it up. Then the puff gets product on both sides of it which I think is a waste of the product.

Turn heads with Livin’ the Highlight Illuminator to create a luminous look. Available in two magnetic shades, this loose powder enhances your natural radiance and highlights strategic parts of your face and body for the ultimate glow. The iridescent formula can be effortlessly applied and its stunning effect is perfect for when you’re on the stage or out and about with friends.

RATING: 3.5/5

Top to bottom: Lip gloss, bronzer, highlight

I went to the store to pick up the compact for the bronzer and swatched some of the other products in the collection. I’m glad I didn’t end up getting a lipstick because when I swatched them on my hand, they all seemed a little too peachy for me (although it might be a different story on the lips). The lipsticks and the glosses both smell fruity. The red lipstick (Besame) was absolutely beautiful, but I don’t really wear red lipstick that often and I don’t see myself paying more than $15 for a red. I’ve found a few pretty reds at the drugstore. The loose pigment shadows looked nice, but it was also quite chunky. The mascara wand looked really nice and it’d be good for both top and bottom lashes since it’s skinny.

I think I chose the right products to get and I think if I picked up new products from the line, I would try the mascara, lip gloss in J223 Goldilips and maybe one of the blushes.

What did you pick up from the collaboration?

Love,

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February 2018 Faves

February 23, 2018

Hi Everyone!

Here are this month’s favourites:

Get a gorgeous, healthy glow using the MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklite! I bought mine at the MAC sale. They have other shades now: goldlite, peachlight, silverlite and redlite. I love how you can wear it on its own, or wear it under or over foundation to give a beautiul, dewy look. I don’t use it all over my face, I just put it on the places I would put highlighter.

Every Pixi product I’ve tried, I absolutely love. The Pixi Glow Tonic is no exception. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now. After I get out of the shower, I use it before applying my serums and moisturizers. I bought the Glow Tonic as part of the $25 Peel & Reveal kit from Shoppers Drug Mart. It came with the Rose Flash Balm and the Peel & Polish. I wanted to see if I liked them before purchasing full-sized versions. The Glow Tonic has a nice scent to it (not too strong). It has definitely made my skin feel smoother because it gently exfoliates. I am definitely going to purchase the full-sized bottle once I finish the little one I have. After using it for a longer period of time, I noticed that the redness under my nose was worse when I used it. I stopped using it and it got better. I think I am allergic to witch hazel (read about it here).

I love the Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder with Jeju natural mineral and natural originated mint. I bought it from Chuusi.ca (see my haul) for $9 CAD, and I have been using it to set my makeup. It comes in a small plastic container with a twist-off top and a puff. The puff is incredibly soft and squishy and super useful if you like to carry your powder around (or you can purchase the compact which is $16 CAD). The powder is very finely milled and translucent so you don’t have to worry about matching your skin tone. It leaves my under eye area silky smooth and my concealer has never creased. The mint smell is a bit strong and smells like Chinese herbal medicine.

What were your faves this month?

Love,

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Review | The Body Shop Colour Adapting BB Cream

January 27, 2018
Hi Everyone!

In my search for BB and CC Creams, I came across the Erborian CC Creme High Definition Radiance Face Cream. I thought it was so cool because then you don’t have to get a horrible colour match from a store (where you always get one that’s too light because you’re under all these bright lights instead of natural sunlight). Of course, it’s popular and it’s hard to get in Canada. They have the Erborian Pink Perfect Creme at Sephora for $51. It has a floral scent which I’m not a fan of and I’m sure the CC Creme also has a similar scent. So I looked to see if any other brands had a colour-adapting CC Cream and I found The Body Shop’s All-In-One BB Cream- Colour Adapting Tinted Cream. It comes in 5 shades and it’s half the price of the Erborian one. I chose the shade 01 Lighter Skin Tones. It has the typical BB/CC Cream scent. When I got it, it was $23 CAD. Right now they’re having a sitewide 40% deal, so it’s $13.80 at the moment.

When you’ve got no time to spare, our award-winning All-in-One BB Cream is a must-have beauty product for super-speedy results. Enriched with 24hr hydration, our hardworking, multi-tasking BB cream does it all, leaving your skin gloriously glowing and (almost) picture perfect. Pigment-filled capsules burst when applied to the skin, releasing the colour inside. Just blend for a perfect match and an even, undetectable finish.
- Non-clogging
- Offers light to medium coverage
- Illuminates and evens appearance of skin tone
- Enriched with Community Trade organic aloe vera
As you can see in the pic on the right, the bb cream is white with little specks (the pigment-capsules that burst when you apply it).

I don’t know about the 24 hour hydration because no one would be wearing it that long. It’s definitely light-medium coverage, but it gives your skin a nice, dewy finish. I add a bit of powder on my t-zone so that I don’t look shiny (keep in mind that I have normal/dry skin). I don’t know how well this would perform on oily skin.

RATING: 5/5

I really like it for days where I don’t want to put on a full face of makeup, but I want to even out my skin. I love how it has a natural finish and it doesn’t FEEL overly oily, but it can make you LOOK shiny if you don’t powder.

What are your fave BB/CC Creams?

Love,
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Hits

Likes

Misses

To Try