Review: Chanel Perfection Lumiere

As most of you probably all know, Chanel is discontinuing Pro Lumiere and Mat Lumiere and has put out a new foundation recently called Perfection Lumiere. When I first heard Pro Lumiere was being discontinued, I was really disappointed, it is a foundation that I love, perfect for dry skin, great coverage, lovely dewy finish, full review here. Mat Lumiere I hadn't tried before, mostly because it's a matte finish and for my dry skin, I don't like a matte foundation. I had hoped that this new Perfection Lumiere would be somewhat of a hybrid of both foundations, the good of the dewy and matte factor, however as you will read in this review, that's not the case.

This foundation is not currently available in Canada, I couldn't get a definite answer from Chanel sales people regrading this, some said it's out spring 2012, some did not know, some looked at me like I had two heads when I spoke about it. I greatly dislike how we get products much later in Canada (and for more money too). I purchased this a few weeks ago off Amazon.com from the seller Avdo, it was $64.99 when I bought it (add shipping), had since gone up to $72.99. The seller is great, I didn't have to pay any customs (after speaking to the seller) and I highly recommend them. I purchased mine for free through gift cards from Swagbucks, I get a lot of my cosmetics this way.

Review: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

We all want different qualities in a foundation, if I had to describe my perfect foundation it would be 1)hydrating on my dry skin 2) perfect colour match 3) easy to apply (product has pump too) 4)gives a luminous, healthy looking finish 5)provides medium-full coverage. I think Bourjois Healthy Mix is pretty close to a perfect foundation for me. I have watched numerous videos from UK bloggers claiming this foundation is great, and have wanted to try it out for a while now. Bourjois is a French brand (division of Chanel) but it is accessible to Canadians through Shoppers Drug Mart (I think this was $30ish CAD, $27 for the serum version). I however purchased mine on Asos.com, a website that I stalk on a regular basis (they have Illamasqua too), they offer Free Shipping worldwide! And I got this foundation from them for a fraction of the price that I would pay in Canada. Asos' stock does vary day to day however, and the colour selection is limited.

Review: Chanel Vitalumiere Foundation

If I could wear only one makeup brand for the rest of my life and only one, it would be Chanel. I own like 4-5 items from them only, but everything I have bought is my favourite and I love wearing their products. It is a luxurious and expensive brand though so I have to limit myself. Recently I had some gifts cards from Apothica (they are a sponsor on this blog) and could pick out anything that I wanted to equal $65 on their website. Of course, I went straight to Chanel. For those in Canada keep in mind that Apothica does not ship Chanel products to Canada, they are Canada Restricted. I had relatives coming from Illinois so I was clever and shipped it to them instead and they gave the products to me when they arrived, it was like Christmas! I got Chanel Vitalumiere and a darker shade in Chanel Pro Lumiere.

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Swatches

Now that the summer is here, many of us need a summer foundation, that is darker than the one we wear in the colder months. I've personally never needed this because I don't really tan, I mean if I went on vacation somewhere warm for a week I would come back looking amazingly tan, but in everyday Canadian climate, not so much, so I normally just wore the same foundation or just a powder. Since starting to self-tan recently with spray tans at home I am very pleasantly to report that my colour has changed a lot. So I was faced with the problem of not having a foundation at all that suited me since all my foundations are super pale. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and I had a coupon so I opted for the Maybelline Fit Me. I reviewed this earlier this year when it first came out, click here to read the review.

Review: Boots No 7 Lifting and Firming Foundation

I found a foundation that I consider holy grail, this doesn't happen often, I try a lot of foundation. Some of my favourites include NARS Sheer Glow, Clinique Even Better, Chanel Pro Lumiere, Dior Skin Nude and now, Boots No 7 Lifting and Firming. But the love affair will be short lived because I cannot find this foundation anywhere in Canada anymore. If you remember from my earlier post, I actually got this foundation on clearance for $3 at Shoppers Drug Mart last month, and it was expired. I haven't heard back from head office but, I believe Shoppers has stopped selling Boots No 7 makeup and is now only focusing on their skincare line only, if you know anymore, please leave me a comment below! I tried looking it up on makeupalley and it's listed as discontinued, so perhaps it's totally unavailable now?

MAC Foundations Overview

When I first got into wearing liquid foundation years back, MAC was my favourite. I find their staff very useful in helping to find the right shade for you, it's definitely daunting at first to understand the NC and NW system, which is backwards from most makeup brands. I would suggest going to a MAC counter and being colour matched. I am quite pale and wear NC15 in most of their foundations, it's a great match for those who are more yellow toned, or want to offset the pinkish tones in their skin (like me). However, as I started experimenting with other brands of makeup, I began to ignore my MAC foundations, as they started to feel too cakey and thick for my liking. I do feel that MAC makes great foundations but definitely not a foundation for everyday use.

This a general overview of some of MAC's liquid foundations. For the purpose of this review, I will only focus on their liquid foundations. I won't go into much indepth detail here, but if you would like a more detailed review on specific ones please let me know. Foundation is definitely very personal and what may work for me, may not work for you, I tried to not get too personal here.

Review: Chanel Pro Lumiere Foundation

If you've ever used Chanel Pro Lumiere, you can probably attest to how great this foundation is. I usually go on and on before getting to the actual review of this product, but for this, when it's great it doesn't take much words to describe it. I love love love the Chanel Pro Lumiere foundation. This product is described as "A flawless complexion in any light. PRO LUMIÈRE stretches like a canvas that forms a curtain veil of light on the skin. The material reshapes the skin, the colour adapts and the density adjusts depending on the desired effect. Soft to the touch and perfectly adjustable when applied, the PRO LUMIÈRE formula is highly concentrated in with high-tech radiance-emitting active ingredients. Rich in reflecting pigments and emollient elements that leave the complexion looking flawless, it also recreates the smoothing performance effect of artificial light. Blended in completely, it offers a semi-matte and luminous translucent result. Less blended, it provides a smoothing effect with perfectly even skin and tighter pore." This foundation gets high raves from all over, the PixiWoo girls love it and I would be hard pressed to find anything bad said about it.

Review: Lancome Photogenic Lumessence Foundation

Today's review is Lancome' Photogenic Lumessence foundation. This product is described as a "light mastering and smoothing makeup 14H comfort with SPF 15". The back of the box reads "master the light for a smooth, moisturized long-lasting glow. Lancome's innovative Photonic Network is designed for a truly luminous complexion, the unique combination of coated pigments and Photo-luminescent mother of pearl catches and controls the light, boosting the skin's luminosity as through from within. The silky smooth formula glides onto the skin covering imperfections for a beautiful, radiant finish, while the exclusive Aqua-Catch Complex provides an instant feeling of comfort and locks in moisture to hydrate your skin for up to 24 hours."

This foundation sounds phenomenal for those with dry skin, and that's why I was interested in this product. I have tried Lancome's Teinte Idole Ultra and found that one to be great as well. Photogenic gives lighter coverage than Teint Idole Ultra, but looks lovely on the skin giving a dewy, luminous finish, which is very flattering on my skin type. If you have oily skin or are looking for a matte finish, this will be the total opposite. I received this product from StrawberryNet.com for review consideration, my opinions are my own.

Review: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

Not everyone likes the feel of foundation on their skin, and Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer is a nice substitute for days when you want more of a minimal makeup face look. This product is described on Sephora's website as "a sheer, lightweight formula with a hint of color you can use in place of foundation for a natural finish and a healthy glowing complexion. It contains a SPF 20 for the ultimate in anti-aging prevention." I had heard about this product for so long, everyone raves about it, it's earned several awards and so on. But I will say straight up, I am not sure if the $42US/$55 CAD (WHY is it so much more expensive in Canada, does our version have gold in it???) price tag is really a fair price to pay for this product.

You can turn any foundation into a tinted moisturizer, just add a pump of your moisturizer to it, and you've got an affordable product that you made yourself. That way it will make it lighter and have less coverage. That's why I am not sold on the price of this at all. I purchased my tube on StrawberryNet.com for a discounted rate because it goes "bad" in a couple of months, I wanted to try it and this was my way to spend less money. it's nice that it has SPF 20, but it still shouldn't substitute your regular moisturizer (and it says that right on the bottle). I always use a moisturizer under this product anyway, my skin is so dry though that it's an absolute must.

Review: Estee Lauder Double Wear Light

I'd like to declare myself the un-official foundation queen. If there is one beauty product that I hoard more than any other, it's foundation. I've tried most drugstore foundations and many higher end ones, except the very high end like YSL, Chanel, Girogio Armani, which I would love to try eventually. Today's review is the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light, which is a fabulous foundation.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light is the "lighter" sister to the Double Wear foundation and is described as "15 hour wear, light as air, lightweight, comfortable makeup stays vibrant and fresh, no matter how active your day becomes. Resists smudging and won't "melt" off through heat and humidity. Controls oil. Won't blog pores. Provides anti-oxidant protection, sheer to medium coverage. Natural finish. Oil-free. Fragrance free. Non-acnegenic. Dermatologist and ophthalmologist-tested." (back of foundation box). Both have SPF 10 as well. Everyone raves about the Double Wear, but I find the Double Wear Light to be more wearable and less thick.

Review: Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer

As the warmer weather approaches a good transition face product is a tinted moisturizer. I was pleased to see Clinique come out with one recently, the Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15. This product is described as "allergy tested, 100 fragrance-free, sheer, hydrating coverage, natural finish... smooth on an instant moisture boost with SPF protection and a hint of skin-perfecting colour. Lightweight formula provides a no-makeup look and feel, yet covers imperfections with a natural, hydrating touch. Long-wearing, oil-free, apply prior to sun exposure." 

Review: Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation

Rimmel's latest foundation is called "Clean Finish" and it is advertised as providing 100% poreless, natural and even complexion with a lightweight and clean finish. It's fragrance-free and dermatologist tested, and has vitamin A and E. What attracted me to this foundation was the spatula applicator, this is something new and ingenious in my opinion. This is also one of the cheapest foundations that I've ever purchased, it was around $6 in Canada and it's like $3.97 in the states which is crazy cheap!

Take a look at that spatula, isn't that the neatest thing? I complain all the time about how drugstore foundations do not have a pump. This handy little spatula, like a mini paddle, helps you scoop out as much product as you need and eliminates wastage. I hope other companies start making applicators like this, although pumps are still better, this is cool too. I apply the foundation by scooping it with the spatula and applying pieces of it directly to my face and then blending it in with my hands (prefer for this foundation) or a brush. I only use it on myself so I am not concerned about hygienic issues. The spatula has tiny holes in it too, I guess to eliminate the product from sticking to it too much, but it won't drip cause this product is so thick, you can shake the bottle upside down and it won't go anywhere!

The spatula works especially well with this foundation because the foundation is super thick. It has a thick, moussy consistency. However for as thick as it, when you apply it, it smooths out and blends into a thinner consistency. I also expected this to give full coverage since it's so thick, but no, the coverage is more light-medium.

This is probably the first Rimmel foundation that has carried a shade light enough for me, I am NC15 and I purchased the lightest shade in 120 Ivory, which is neutral toned and is a pretty good match. So kudos for Rimmel for finally getting it right, as you can tell in the second swatch, the two on the left, the Stay Matte and Lasting Finish were far too dark for me, Clean Finish is much better. Their new Match Perfection was far too dark for me again, so I won't be buying that one.

It does darken a bit on the skin (a bit more pink), but not too bad (I blended it in a bit here). I find it dries quickly so you have to work fast, I prefer to use my hands with this product, melts in it nicely and gives that "clean" finish that it's supposed to, like you aren't wearing too much on your face. I wore this over Hard Candy's Illuminating Primer underneath today (that's why there are sparkles on my hand, this foundation doesn't have any!) and it applies very well. On my dry skin, it felt totally fine and did not cling to dry areas at all.

Would I recommend this product? Yes, this is one of the best drugstore foundations that I've used. I love the spatula applicator and the finish and coverage that it provides, plus it's super cheap.

Have you tried Rimmel's Clean Finish?

Review: Laura Mercier Moisturizing Foundation

I am always on the hunt for foundations that will work for my dry skin. I came across Laura Mercier's Moisturizing foundation recently. The word "moisturizing" in the name had me sold, a moisturizing foundation? Yes, please! This foundation is formulated for drier and mature skin, hydrates the skin with added moisture and has Vitamins A, C and E that act as antioxidants to protect the skin from harmful effects in the environment. This retails for about $42US at Sephora or the Laura Mercier website, I bought it for $30 on Allcosmeticswhole.com. Laura Mercier's products are quite pricey so I am easing into them slowly.

Review: Clinique Redness Solutions Foundation

When Clininque's Redness Solutions foundation came out, I was all over it. I get redness in my face, I flush easily and sometimes it can feel so hot that it's bothersome. I don't like it, and it's a major reason why I opt for foundations that provide high coverage. I try to cover it with concealer, but I prefer to have an all over colour to even it all out. I haven't been diagnosed with rosacea however. When I went to a counter to try this out, the sales girl took all my makeup off to see how red my skin got, also to see how my skin reacted to this. There is also a complete Redness Solutions line with cleansers, moisturizers and other items to help with redness, including a yellow powder (not a fan of that though). Clinique's Redness Solution foundation is supposed to "visible reduce redness on contact  for an overall even tone. Probiotic technology helps replenish skin's moisture barrier." This formulation is oil-free and should instantly colour-correct flushing and blushing, with calming ingredients to help minimize flare-ups. For more information, check out Clinique's website.

Review: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation

Make Up For Ever's HD foundation is quite possibly the most hyped up foundation ever, people love this foundation. It came out ages ago, just in time when the whole High Definition TV stuff was getting really popular. And it makes perfect sense that people would love this, it is supposed to act as an "invisible cover" foundation, designed for television stars (no SPF in this) to blur their imperfections and make their complexion look flawless. Sephora describes it as "An oil-free medium-to-full-coverage liquid foundation that covers skin imperfections flawlessly while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life. This foundation creates a soft-focus effect, which is designed to meet the coverage concerns of those in the spotlight. It leaves your complexion with such a flawless finish, it can withstand bright or harsh lighting." Sounds like the perfect foundation, so did I love it? Keep reading to find out.

Foundations That I Dislike

At least half the battle in finding the right foundation for me is finding one that is light enough (the other half is one that doesn't irritate my dry skin). I wear about NC15 in MAC, I don't think of myself as pastey white, I have friends that are whiter than me, and know there are people out there lighter than me. As you can tell all the foundations that I am going to talk about today are from the drugstore, these are all far too dark for me. I find that drugstores really do not know what an "ivory" shade looks like, when I think "ivory" I think white, porcelain I think very pale too, not pink. The trouble with drugstore is their foundations are pretty cheap, so I justify buying it, if it doesn't work out it's okay, I haven't wasted that much money I say to myself. And there are rarely testers, so you just guess at your colour, it's the lightest they make, it must work for me, but in many cases it doesn't. I think companies really have to get it right, they often do not cater to light toned girls.

Offender #1 - Maybelline Superstay Porcelain Ivory
One of the worst colourmatches ever, their lightest shade, "Porcelain Ivory" is anything but, it's quite pink, and if not blended in right it has an almost red stain to it. This foundation is not forgiving either since it does go quite matte very fast and sticks to your skin (since it claims to be 24 hour wear). I can't wear this foundation at all.

Offender #2 - Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Classic Ivory
I used to buy Classic Ivory shades a lot because the lightest colour was often too pink for me, and this is the case with Dream Liquid Mousse, love the foundation, but the colour, terrible. This is the actually one of the darkest foundations that I own.

Offender #3 - Rimmel Stay Matte 100 Ivory
I like this foundation as well, but the lightest colour is too dark. In this case, I wrote to the company after buying this, told them how NONE of their foundations match me, and they offered to send me a free product, which turned out to be the Stay Matte powder, that was nice of them, but they keep putting out foundations that are too dark. I recently tried their Match Perfection foundation, and the lightest shade was very dark for me, can't wear it.

Offender #4 - Rimmel Lasting Finish 100 Ivory
Another Rimmel foundation, I like how liquidly and runny this one is, but again, the colour match isn't right. This one actually isn't terrible, but I included it here anyway.

Offender #5 - Revlon Age Defying 002 Fair/Light
What irritates me about this foundation is they do carry a lighter shade, I think it's 001 Fair, but we don't get it in Canada, so I am SOL on this one too.

There are others, but these are the ones that stand out to me the most. After trying so many foundations and being disappointed, I find that higher-end ones have a much better shade selection and I end up wasting less money that way, plus if I don't like it, I can always return it. I think finding the right foundation is a lifelong battle, since your skintone changes, your needs and your skin gets lighter and darker depending on the season. If you are fair-light, please tell me your best suited colour match below!

What is your most disliked foundation?

Review: Clinique Even Better Foundation

Today's review is going to be the opposite of yesterday, let's see if you can tell why. Clinique's foundations are tricky for me, I never seem to get the right colour match the first time. But what I love about Clinique is their frequent gift with purchase offers, I only buy from them when they have these, but I would if they didn't, cause their products are that good. Clinique's Even Better foundation is the second I've ever used, the first was their Redness Solutions foundation. I must say, I prefer this one much more.

Review: ELF Flawless Finish Foundation

I purchased ELF's Studio Flawless Finish Foundation when it was first released in December, but it quickly made it into the "forgotten products" pile since I buy new foundations all the time and was more excited about those. This foundation retails for $6 on ELF's website, which is a great price, low how ELF keeps their prices low (even though this is one of their priciest products), and with a coupon code you can get this for half price. I was so excited when this came out, it makes you think of HD (because of the name) and the pump is great, packaging is nice, but how does it perform really? I will tell you today.

ELF's Flawless Finish foundation is described as "Achieve a flawless complexion with the silky smooth e.l.f. Foundation. The lightweight and oil-free formula blends in naturally for a beautiful semi-matte finish. Applies easily and lasts all day for radiant looking skin. Provides SPF-15 to protect your skin against sun damage." You will notice that this foundation contains SPF 15 and is oil-free, however you've probably read other reviews or seen youtube videos that prove that this actually is NOT oil-free, check out the ingredients list...

"Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, isododecane, Paraffin Liquid (Mineral Oil), Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Sorbitan Sesquilsostearate, Butylene Glycol, Talc, Dimethicone, Diseardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Beeswax, Potassium Sorbate, Propylene Carbonate, Boron Nitride, Barium Sulfate, Caorylyl Glycol. MAY CONTAIN: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)"

Does Mineral Oil not count as oil? I am no expert here, but I found that a bit strange, a product that is marketed as being oil-free with oil clearly in the ingredients. Perhaps an ELF rep can get back to me on this.

The packaging is what impressed everyone with this product, it comes in a heavy glass bottle, with a pump and a nice cap, it looks like it's worth more than $6 I think. However, the pump nozzle has failed me already, it often gets stuck and does not dispense product, which means I have to open it up and pour foundation out the old-fashioned way. Another thing to note is this product provides you with 0.8oz, and not the standard 1oz/30ml that you get with most foundation.

I purchased this foundation in the lightest colour, "Porcelain", it is quite yellow and I would say it would suit those in and around NC15 in MAC. The colour match is pretty spot on for me. This foundation comes in 6 shades, and since the price is cheap, I have seen many reviewers purchase multiple bottles to ensure they have the right colour match. The consistency is thick.

The thing that bothers me most about this product and prevents me from using it is THE SMELL. It smells like men's cologne and soap! And it lingers throughout the day, this does not go away. Also, one pump is more than enough to do your entire face and it's hard to pump out the right amount.

The coverage is pretty good, medium-full, I love the coverage of this. But I do get that mask effect and very dry effect (on my dry skin) if I apply too much. And this does feel heavy on my skin, which I am not a fan of. I love foundation that provide good coverage, but will not walk around with a thick feeling foundation in order to get that.

I would not recommend this for those with dry skin, it does give a somewhat dewy finish, but is very thick and  definitely sticks to dry patches and makes lines look more pronounced. In the picture above you actually see the remnants of the foundation on my hand after I've applied most of it to my face (picture purpose is to show the sheen it gives). This stuff dries quickly too, which isn't good for dry skin (I can't finish blending in time).

So in conclusion, this smells terrible, the pump is defective and it's most certainty not for those with dry skin. It's a good price and a pretty bottle.

Have you tried the ELF Flawless Finish Foundation?

Review: Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet +

Over Christmas, I went a bit crazy and bought all three of the Make Up For Ever liquid foundations. I heard great things about them and because I am greedy and foundation obsessed, I bought all three (not at the same time mind you). I have reviewed the MUFE Face and Body previously and loved it, and today I will review the Mat Velvet + foundation. This foundation is liked by many people, however more for those with oily skin. I have dry skin and kept hearing warnings not to get this, but I am curious person and I had to try it out for myself. The girls at Sephora were not recommending this on my skin either. If you have dry skin you should opt for foundations that offer a dewy finish, have light-reflecting properties and are gentle and light on the skin. So are the claims true that this is not really for those with dry skin?

Review: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Makeup

Estee Lauder's Double Wear is a foundation that possibly everyone has heard of at one time or another. I've heard it's very long wearing and provides excellent coverage. So I had to give it a try. I put it to the test for a couple of weeks and here we go with the review. Coverage is phenomenal on this, although it is quite drying on my dry skin and not a foundation that I would recommend wearing everyday. It's stubborn to take off too as it clings to your skin. I ran out of makeup wipes (first step in my makeup removal routine) and I was using face wash and could still feel this stuff on, I then opted for my eye makeup remover (and cotton pads) and wasted a ton trying to get this off, shows you how long-wearing it is! I think a cleansing oil would be beneficial to use to remove this, if you guys have any other suggestions please let me know. I hate having foundation residue on my face after I cleanse it.