Archive for the ‘Foundation’ Category

Hey Glossies,

I finally tried NARS foundation and I purchased MAC’s Love Lace e/s.  More on the foundation later.

I do not own any color that is similar to Love Lace…the color reminds me of denim (a combination of navy blue and grey). I totally love the color and the texture.  Veluxe Pearl is my favorite MAC texture and can do no wrong. Initially, I applied Love Lace with no primer and I was pleased with color payoff.  (As long as I have used MAC, I have never sampled the e/s without a primer.)

On to the foundation. I went into a popular chain store to get matched to NARS.  The MA was pleasant.  She did not  the unthinkable, she did not remove the foundation to match my skin to the appropriate shading. I gasped and took the samples and left the store.  I thought, “Who the heck matches foundation without removing foundation? What if the customer/client is wearing the wrong shade to begin with?” Sidear: I am always telling my friends that they have to be active participants in the matching process because some MAs will not do the right thing.  I went to another chain store and tested and received samples of NARS Sheer Glow Foundation and I tried Macao, New Orleans and Benares.  The latter shades are too dark for most of my face, but New Orleans [Who Dat! ] and Benares work well on the lower part of my face. Macao works well on the rest of my face.

I like the fact that NARS really understands the intricate shading of WOC, even in the descriptions. Macao is listed as Medium-dark 4-Medium-dark with deep yellow undertone, New Orleans is Medium-dark 5-Medium-dark with yellow undertone and Benares is Dark 2 – Dark with golden undertone.

I am very pleased with NARS Sheer Glow foundation, which is neither sheer nor glowy.  The coverage is good, medium buildable. Definitely feels light against skin.  When I looked at my face, I forget that I was wearing foundation…it does look quite natural.  I love it!!

Face

• MAC Select Cover-up – NC50
• NARS Macao Sheer Glow Foundation
• Prescriptives Custom Blend Foundation (Base #5)
• Clinique Blended Face powder Transparency #5
• Prescriptives Custom Blend Powder (Base #5)

Eyes

• Cosmedicine Medi-Matte™ Oil Control Lotion SPF 20
• Stila Smudge Pot – Gray
• Purely Cosmetics CTP – Slate Blue
• MAC Love Lace e/s
• L’Oreal HiP Duo – Platinum (Side:Black with flecks of silver glitter)
• Smashbox Eyelights – (Peach side)
• Shu Uemura Paint Liner – Black
• Makeup For Ever Aqua Eyes mascara
• Barry M Kohl Pencil – Black

Lips

• MAC Tender Tone – Sweet Tooth
• Revlon Matte – Cocoa Craving

Mix Maven

Hey Glossies,

There has been a lot of discussion lately on P&G about foundation.  Finding the right foundation can be elusive at times, but there are some brands that have shades for the medium dark to deep dark WOC, so don’t be afraid to try brands that are not too popular..does not mean they are not good.

I am always trolling Sephora’s sale page and I have been noticing a bit of foundation for the deep dark beauties at discounted prices.

Napolean Perdis Foundation Stick Look 8 – This foundation is great.  I use Look 7 foundation stick very lightly on my roseacea areas as a cover-up and the coverage is AWESOME! The coverage is full, but the foundation feels light on the skin, which I love.

Napolean Perdis Foundation Look 8

Napolean Perdis China Doll Foundation Look 7 - The foundation is sheer. I have tried Look 6  and it works well on the non-rosecea part of my skin, which is from the apple of the cheeks to the forehead. It is light and not too matte, but not dewy at all…just right.

Napolean Perdis China Doll Foundation Look 7

Cargo Foundation Oil-Free Foundation – F 100 – I have not used this product, but fellow beauty homies like this product.  They said the coverage is sheer.  One of them raved about that she looked natural, but had a glow without looking dewy or greasy.

Cargo Oil-Free Foundation F 100

Some Sephora stores still have some CARGO items, so get there ASAP!  So go forth and test.

Mix Maven

Hey Glossies,

The saga continues….

I finally wore my updated Prescriptives Custom Blend (CB) foundation.  I have learned that Custom Blend is as good as the blender.  The second MA did a much better job than the initial MA.  The color shade is not suitable for my entire face, so I have decided to only use the CB Foundation on my Roseacea spots (parts of the cheek and jaw areas) and only using the powder there as well, unless I use MAC 162 brush for the apple area and above. I am resigned to the fact that one foundation shade can and will not satisfy my needs, which I already knew, but a lady can always dream, right?

Face

• MAC  Select Cover-up – NC50
• Prescriptives Custom Blend Foundation
• Prescriptives Custom Blend Powder
• MAC MSF Natural – Dark

Eyes

• Cosmedicine Oil-Free Lotion
• Indianwood Paint Pot
• Urban Decay Secret Service e/s
• Wild and Crazy You Rock e/s
• TheBalm Shady Lady – Caught in the Act Courtney e/s
• Urban Decay Blaze e/s
• LA Girl Mark My Eyes liquid e/l
• Urban Decay Zero e/l
• Makeup For Ever Aqua Eyes mascara

Lips

• NYX pinky l/l
• Revlon Icy Violet (very pretty) (75% off @ CVS)
• MAC Hello Kitty Mimmy l/g

The Eye Shadow –

I am really like the Arissa Baked Eye Shadows.  They are similar to the MAC’s mineralized eye shadows. The pigmentation is pretty good and as I stated in the Baked Holiday Goodies post, that the shadows work best with a sponge-tip applicator.  The baked shadows really pop when used with MAC Paint Pots, L’Oreal HiP Color Cream Crayons and/or Stila Smudge Pots.

Here are swatches of the Arissa Baked Eye Shadows:

Arissa Baked Eye Shadows: L-R - Black Hole, Twilight, Constellation, Galaxy (no base)

Mix Maven

Hello Glossies,

Learning from my foundation matching experience, I know always need to try a few different shades to be matched correctly. MAs always match me darker, as most WOC, I am working with multiple shades from forehead to my chest region, so matching can be a great challenge. So I match the part of my face that needs foundation and add powder to the remaining areas.

I finally got my Prescriptives Custom Blend foundation and powder. It took 2 counters on two different days to get it done, but I got the match that works well for my skin tone.   I used the initial blend  on Saturday and it wore well the entire day, but the color was a bit too dark for my complexion. So I decided to go to another counter for the color adjustment.   This time I took a friend, a faithful Prescriptives Custom Blend user, to be my extra eyes. Well, as I thought, the foundation needed a bit more red. (I am Yellow/Orange).

If you want to try Prescriptives Custom Blend, you still have time take advantage of the 30% off, but give enough to time, so the blend can be tweaked (if necessary) before the counters officially close on January 31, 2010. Make sure to get your recipe sheet because future orders can be placed online.

Mix Maven

I am always on the hunt for a good primer.  I have used quite a few..liked some and did not like others. So I was curious to try Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion.  The lotion has a light creamy texture and little goes a long way.

I tried this product over several days. Initially, I used the Shielding Lotion > Moisturizer > foundation. The product worked okay as in “I am not sure what this primer is doing, but it does not look like much difference from the ones that I do not like.”  But when I used Moisturizer > Shielding Lotion>Foundation, my foundation still looked fresh after 6 hours.  When I use certain corrective primers like Makeup For Ever, my skin tingles a bit.  When I used the Shielding Lotion before the corrective color primer, the tingling feeling diminished a lot. I was quite pleased with that. Overall, I think the Shielding Lotion is worth the purchase.

FOTD:

Face

• Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion
• Makeup For Ever HD Foundation – 177

Eye

• MAC Matte Gel
• MAC Moss Scape P/P
• L’Oreal Hip Cream Crayon – (Green)
• Dior Tropical Light Palette – Green and Taupe shades
• NARS Night Porter
• Shu Uemura Painting Liner – Black
• Urban Decay Zero e/l
• Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes Mascara – Black

I know many of us were sad about the shuttering of the Prescriptives brand in early 2010.  Many of us were wondering how we were going to live without custom blend foundation that we are fond of.  Well, I sure was excited when I got word that customers can get their custom blend foundations online in January 2010.  If you want to try the custom blend, I suggest going to a counter and getting your own recipe. I plan on doing that ASAP.  I know my homegirl, SH, is relieved because she didn’t know what to d because she has very sensitive skin.  So run to the Prescriptives to get the your recipe…soon!!

No, not the Swedish pop group who had hit songs like “The Sign” and “All That She Wants.” I am speaking of makeup artist extraordinaire, Toni Acey.

She is a sought-after celebrity make-up artist, based in Atlanta,  who did not imagine that she could even work as makeup artist.  Toni worked in corporate America for many years, as well as working as a model.  Toni found that the MAs either  were not qualified to do make-up for Women of Color (WOC), specifically African-American women.  So she took matters in her own hands and came to the shoots already made-up.   By doing so, industry professionals as well as close friends and family took notice and encouraged her she to get into the business.  Ms. Acey does not have formal training in make-up artistry, but she worked as a freelancer for MAC Cosmetics where she learned a lot through the MAC training programs.  She has continued to hone her craft and teaches airbrushing classes.  Ms. Acey is also well-known for  her signature “Wearable Art” body painting and “Celebrity “Knock-Off Makeovers.

Eight years ago, Toni was one of the first makeup artist to use airbrushing for glamour makeup.  Most artists in the entertainment industry used airbrushing, primarily, for special effects. Her go-to brands for airbrushing are Temptu and Air Makeup.  Toni enjoys the creativity of airbrushing because she can create one-of-a-kind foundations,  lipsticks,  and even blushes to fit her clients’ needs. She has many clients including  LisaRaye, Kenya Moore, Meagan Good, Karen Clarke-Sheard and Sheree from The Real Housewives of Atlanta.  They have all been very pleased with her work and seek her out time and time again.

We talked about beauty trends for the winter/holiday season.  Toni definitely loves to see all women wearing red lipstick, a throwback to old Hollywood glamour. She does recommend that golden tone women wear tomato reds, fair/light skinned women  can wear pretty much any shade of red, but they should stay from bordeaux, unless they are going for a goth look.  For darker skinned women, she loves loves bordeaux.  Red lip color, she believes, can work for  a daytime look, but it should be sheer.  Her must-have lip product is MAC Money Honey dazzleglass.

For the eyes, she loves Urban Decay eye liners and MAC pigments to create a bold, shimmery look for all the holiday parties we will be attending this season.  She loves Urban Decay eye liners because they can be easily smudged and set to wear as shadows.  For the cheeks, Toni raved about NARS blushes and as a fan myself, I definitely think they are must-haves for all beauty aficionados.

She had words of wisdom for all up-and-coming make-up artists ” Be the best that you can be. Be serious about your craft, treat it as a business, (continue) to learn about the craft by staying ahead of the trends.  Make sure to have  a website!”

I asked her about her future goals, she wants to do a follow-up to her book, Make-up FAQs,  to continue with her foundation, “Lipstick Theory” to assist  women’s charities, produce training DVDs and  create her own makeup and skincare line

She was a delight to interview and I will be looking out for all of her upcoming endeavors.  I do wish her all the success, she has a great spirit.

So check out her book and website, definitely will provide inspiration.

Mix Maven

While making my weekly Whole Foods run, I decided to pop into the Walgreens next door to check out the Revlon Colorstay foundations. One of my trusted homies suggested the Revlon Colorstay as an affordable substitute for her fave Bobbi Brown foundation.  She informed me that she can wear white in peace because none of the foundation stains her clothes. Woohoo

The Walgreens’ store where I went did not have any color beyond Caramel, which some say is similar to MAC’s NC45 foundation.  Instead, I picked up the Revlon Custom Creations SPF 15 Foundation in Deep (Retails for $13.99.) According to the Revlon website, the foundation “offers five shade settings, making it easy to fine-tune your foundation shade for the perfect match.”  How many of us have mixed foundation to a create shade that is suitable for our complexions?  I know I have!! I think the concept is a great idea, but does not go far enough.  There needs to be a darker custom creation.  Maybe a (070) Revlon?? I am not railing against Revlon because the company does  sell foundations for darker-skinned women.

The Deep (060) shade works for me.  I use the 4.5 on the dial. For some reason, I found it difficult to press the button to release the foundation … almost broke my nail.  But really, that is a minor inconvenience.

I like this foundation … lightweight and looked natural. I would not replace my Makeup For Ever foundations for this foundation,  but I will add to my stash, specifically for running errands.

Overall Rating: 3.75
Price [Value]: 3.5
Packaging Quality: 4
Would you buy this product again? Yes

“If You Let Me Stay” by Terence Trent D’arby aka Sananda Maitreya

I was introduced to the cosmetic brand,  FACE atelier via Specktra.net.  Some of the members loved the products, especially the foundations.  I was re-introduced to this brand at The Makeup Show in Los Angeles.  The Pro-Team was quite helpful. FYI: FACE atelier is the official makeup sponsor of Madonna’s Confessions Tour.

I was matched up to the Ultra Foundation PRO in Cocoa #10, which happens to be the darkest shade FA carries in the line.  FACE atelier needs to create darker shades because it is the right thing to do, BUT FA does offer products called Zero Plus and Zero Minus to foundation darker or lighter.  The foundation costs $30 for the size is a bit steep, but I love it.

I really like the coverage and the liquid does not burn or tingle my face like some other high-end brands. I love the fact the foundation is unscented. There is no SPF in the products, so users can always add the desirable number of SPF.

Sidebar: Use the Beauty Blender sponge for smooth application.  All beauty mavens  should be using the Beauty Blender and cleanser, which is the best EVER!!!

Face Atelier products can be found online as well as in salons and boutiques around the world. I wish that FACE Atelier was available in more stores.

FACE atelier PRO Foundation #10

Mix Maven

Since my return to the world of high-end foundation, I had been feeling let down by my the brand that I decided to use.  I felt like the time when I sat on the floor in my office mixing colors trying to get a new color for the color theory class. It was fun at first, but then I got frustrated.   I grew tired of the mixing, just wishing that one day my foundation could look more natural.

Makeup For Ever (MUFE) is a brand that I had not used much of in the past.  Prior to the Makeup Show in Los Angeles, I had one eye shadow, Iridescent Acid Green 171 . I had been hearing chatter about how good the foundations are.  Said chatter was coming from Women of Color (WOC), specifically from Felicia of This That Beauty,  Seymone of Reflections of Your Beauty and a few other WOC beauty mavens, who all praised Makeup For Ever for having a wide range of foundation colors for WOC as well having quality products.

Seymone matched me up perfectly to the Makeup For Ever HD foundation (which touts “no hard edges”) in 178 (Chestnut).  I finally tried it and I fell in love with instantly.  I am pleased to report there were indeed “no hard edges”.  Definitely no visible line of demarcation.

Even Mr. Maven told me that my skin looked like I was not wearing foundation. Woohoo finally, a natural look.  I also tried the Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation in 75 (Coffee). I fell in love hard. The foundation is not cakey.  And what I love the most, I forgot that I had on foundation. As of today my new favorite foundation brands are Makeup Forever and Face Atelier* (More about this brand in another post).

Kevin-James Bennett (L), Director, Pro Business Development & Artist Relations for Make Up For Ever

Mix Maven