Review: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage

When I look for a concealer, I primarily want something for under the eyes, I'd like it to be moisturizing, not seep into fine lines and apply easily. Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage is not the traditional concealer that I normally think of. The texture of this product is quite hard and waxy and if not applied correctly, it can be a nightmare and you will hate it. Lots of people have given this negative reviews because they didn't know how to use it correctly. If applied right, it can provide great coverage and be a wonderful concealer. The Sephora website describes this product as "A dual-tone concealer that completely camouflages dark circles, minor imperfections, and discolorations. This versatile concealer contains a unique two-shade system: one to match the skin's depth of color and one to match the skin's undertone, making it possible for every woman to custom-blend her own perfect shade. The high level of pigment requires very little product to achieve perfect coverage."

Review: MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder

I bought the new MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder on the morning that it launched on the MAC website, I was super excited about this product because I missed out on it when it first appeared in the Venomous Villains collection. Since I have dry skin, anything hydrating or cooling is high on my list. This product is a really neat concept, it's a loose powder, but when applied on the skin it has a "wet" or "cooling" sensation because of the high water content in the product. Other brands have some this before, including Presciptives, Revlon and Almay (which I will discuss below). I had some time to try this out this weekend and I can give an initial review here. Please note, to really "see" the sparkles in this product, please click on the images to enlarge the image.

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.

Monthly Faves: April 2011

May is here, Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone! And today I am doing my favourites from last month. As you probably know, April was my no-buy makeup ban month, I did find except for the MAC Ever Hip lipstick that I couldn't resist near the end of the month.

Review: L'oreal Sublime Mousse Hair Coloring

A little history into my hair dyeing.. The first time I ever had my hair dyed was when I was in my early teens and I told my mom that I wanted blond hair. She took me to a salon, but refused to use any peroxide in my hair. My hair is naturally light brown so the hair dye made it turn orange. My mother thought using peroxide on my hair would damage it and refused to do it. I was mortified with how it turned out, I then processed to spray Sun-In all over my head to lighten it to what I actually wanted. Fast forward into my twenties, I dyed my hair with Clairol Natural Instincts semi-permanent several times. The first time I ever dyed it with permanent dye was the Clairol Nice and Easy Foam, which I reviewed earlier. Since doing that, I have hated my hair, it turned out far too dark. I was hoping for a light brown (just to cover greys) and the Nice and Easy Foam turned it black basically. And since I am fair, I think lighter hair looks much better on me. I am still learning about at-home hair dye and am in no way an expert on this.

Review: Smashbox Photo Finish Adjust Primer

I've realized recently that the main reason why I wear foundation is to hide the redness in my face. My skin is actually pretty alright, but it can get red very easily. Washing my face makes it red, which I think is normal for most people, but it feels hot and bothersome afterwards. I've tried to use skincare items that are gentle for my dry skin and ones that do not irritate it, but it's definitely been hit and miss in that department. I also tend to blush very easily and flush if I am exercising. Foundations cover that up for the most part, but I find I have to focus a lot of product on my cheeks and use high-coverage foundations when I really shouldn't have to. If I could tone down the redness I would be much happier with my complexion.

In January, I decided to pick up Smashbox's Photo Finish primer in the Color Correcting version "adjust" which is meant to tone down redness in discoloration. It's similar to the original Photo Finish (which is very good) but with a green tone, I think it's more of an olive tone however. This product is described as a "silky blend of antioxidants, vitamins A & E, and soothing botanicals like soy, lemongrass, and orchid complex rejuvenates and refines." It's quite expensive, on the Sephora website it's listed as $38 US, more than any other primer that I've used, but I managed to get it for a bit cheaper, and unboxed at AllCosmeticsWholesale.

This product comes in a square airless 30ml bottle, online I've read that it's a glass bottle, but mine is most definitely plastic. It's very lightweight and smaller than I expected. The packaging is great, it comes with a nice pump, and I like that you can see how much product you have left in the bottle, as it moves up as you use it. This product is oil and paraben free as well.

And here is a bit of it on the back of my hand, as you can tell it's a green tint, but more of a olive or guacamole green I would say. Green is meant to cancel out redness.

Here it is partly blended in, you can tell there is a lot more yellow to the substance as you move it around. The texture is lightweight on your skin, you only need a small amount, that glob there would be enough for most of my face. As any primer it's meant to be worn under foundation to extend the wear of the foundation, help it apply easier, and even out your skin to prep it for foundation application. I do find the original Photo Finish primer to be a lot more greasy and has more slip to it.

To me this primer is quite nice, it gives my skin a slightly matte finish and makes it feel smoother. I notice it the most around my nose where there are minor pores, it fills them in nicely. I also have to use less foundation as it tends to absorb better with this primer underneath. It isn't hydrating though at all for my dry skin, and doesn't leave any kind of glow, more of a mattifying effect (mileage will vary for those with oily skin). In terms of application, if I did not give this sufficient time to sink into my skin, it did tend to ball up which was annoying. I would apply my regular moisturizer, let that sink in, then apply the primer wait again and then continue on with my routine. Some days I didn't have time and I passed on this product.

 

Now, let's be real, I bought the green version instead of the regular to get the redness correcting properties, and in that area this primer doesn't perform as well as I had hoped. In the picture above, on the left hand I have nothing and on the right I've applied the Adjust primer. It's hard to tell but the redness has been corrected in a minor way, I would say like 10%, my hand also appears more yellow.

Would I recommend this product? It's not a terrible product, but for the purpose that I bought it for, to correct redness it doesn't do as well as I hoped. My quest continues to find a product that can tone down my redness better. If you are interested in this primer, just get the normal kind, this won't be much for redness unfortunately. If you have any suggestions on redness reducing products, please let me know below and my red face will thank you!