Review: L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base

I like primers because they are a quick and easy step in between moisturizer and foundation application. Since I have dry skin, what primers do for me is allow my makeup to apply more smoothly and evenly, providing a nice base. I was curious when L'oreal recently came out with their Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base. At first I was skeptical of this product, the packing is weird and it seems very different to what I am used to in a face primer. I saw Linda Evangelista's face on the advertisements (above pic is a little sample card I got in a magazine) and thought, she has a ton of makeup on, that is totally not her just wearing the base alone. Then I read glowing reviews on many blogs and decided to try it out anyway. This retails in Canada for about $13-$17 CAD, depending on where you get it. I got it for $8 with a $5 off coupon. What happened was the coupon suckered me into buying this.

L'oreal's Studio Secrets Professional Perfecting Base (which is really long name, I am going to refer to it as "base" in this review) is described on the L'oreal website as "instant smoothing results. Get the perfect skin texture, instantly and all day. The silky, lightweight formula glides onto skin and minimizes the look of pores and fine lines. Skin looks and feels smoothed and resurfaced. The result, a unifed matte finish that's flawless. Suitable for all skin types, dermatologist tested, non-comedogenic." Notice how it does not say that this base will help your makeup to stay on longer? I find almost every review of this product mentions how the user's makeup stayed on longer. I generally do not find that any primer actually helps my makeup to stay on longer, however, since my dry is dry I don't have the issue of my makeup disappearing or sliding off.

This product comes in a cute, small glass container, it's 0.5oz of pale pink whipped mousse consistency. The texture reminds me of cake icing. It doesn't feel like the primers that I am used to like Smashbox Photofinish, Gosh Velvet Primer, ELF Minreal Primer, Monistat Anti-chafing or Revlon Smoothing Primer, and also not like MAC's Prep and Prime lotion consistency. Here starts my first issue with this product, the texture of it and the size. Since this base is a thick mousse consistency it is harder to apply than a liquidy clear primer, at least for me. I have to work more at getting this even and blended, which bugs me. The packaging, despite being cute is not practical at all, I have to dig your fingers in to apply this, I would much rather a pump. I have short nails and even despite that, this stuff gets in my fingernails.

Second, the size, many reviewers have stated that this is affordable, cheaper than other primers on the market, I tend to disagree. The MAC Prep and Prime (non-spf version) is $30 CAD for 1 oz (on left), and this is $15 CAD for 0.5oz, so you're actually paying the same. I know it's deceiving. I feel like I am using more of this product than I should because I am digging my fingers in, and if I apply it with a brush, some of it gets eaten away. Whereas with MAC Prep and Prime I would do one pump (or two at most on extra dry days) and done, I know exactly how much I've used and need.

For dry skin, this just doesn't work for me, if I don't blend it in perfectly I notice that I get a film of it in areas of my face. As I said at the beginning of this review, primer should not have to take a long time to apply, and that's what bothers me about this product, it is tedious. Most of the reviews that I have read on this are from those with normal or oily skin, I would interested to see how other dry-skinned girls thought of this. In terms of performance like minimizing pores and fine lines, I think it did okay. Leaving my skin smoothed and resurfaced? It did feel nice on my skin, as far as resurfacing, I don't know how it could possibly resurface your skin. I would not re-buy this, it looks pretty in my bathroom amongst all the other products that I do not use. Nothing "magic" about this for me.

Have you tried L'oreal's Studio Secret Magic Perfecting Base? What did you think?

Review: Hard Candy Sheer Envy Tinted Moisturizer

When I think of a tinted moisturizer I think of something that will add some hydration to my face with a tint of colour. Having dry skin, the idea of a tinted moisturizer in place of a liquid foundation is a great idea. I know tinted moisturizers are more popular in the summer (for sheer coverage on hot days), but I actually like them in the winter too for added hydration in the cold, dry weather. Recently, I tried Hard Candy's new Sheer Envy Tinted Moisturizer and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of coverage I could get with this product. This retails for about $8 CAD, and can be found at Walmart.

Mascara Monday: Clinique High Impact Mascara

I've been neglecting my Mascara Monday posts, so we are back into it this month. Today's mascara of choice to review is Clinique's High Impact Mascara. I got this as part of a gift with purchase some time ago. I haven't used it until recently, because I have a mountain of mascaras. The Clinique.ca website describes this mascara as "Kicks up the volume and length of each and every lash for a look that's lusher, plusher, bolder. Pure, deep colour only adds to the impact. Wear it once and you'll feel naked without it." This mascara retails for $18 CAD.

Friday Faves: What's Your Favorite Foundation Ever?

I have an idea for a weekly Friday post, "Friday Faves", I will ask you girls what your favourite product is from a certain category as well as showing a peek into my makeup vault. You'll see me going back and forth between the US and Canadian spelling of "favourite" as I am Canadian, but I want my titles to be in the American spelling. This probably isn't a new idea, but I just thought of it today and I thought it would be cool. First up is foundation. I have lots of foundations, I don't know if I have more than the regular girl, tell me what you think. The picture doesn't have all of them, there are a few missing, I just grab these quickly.

Foundations is one of those items that I justify buying over and over again (even though I don't need more) because I want to find the perfect one of me and love trying out new ones. I really want to try the Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse but can you believe we STILL don't have it Canada?, it's ridiculous! I even see it in Canadian magazine ads and still nothing on the shelves! Some new purchases in my collection include Lancome Teinte Idole and Guerlain Lingerie De Peau which I picked up for free last weekend when I redeemed my Shoppers Drug Mart points. I will review those soon.

Anyways, what's my favourite foundation of all the ones I've tried? Nars Sheer Glow (which is nestled in the middle of my stash). I feel happiest with the result this one gives, it's not drying, feels light on the skin and gives good coverage. Since using other high-end foundations, Nars Sheer Glow comes to mind as being similar every time. I like how you don't have to pack a ton on to get the coverage that you want.

PS - The ELF Flawless Foundation is now available to buy on their website. I think I am going to wait to try this one out, but I definitely want to!

What's your favorite all time foundation?

Clinique Redness Solutions Foundation and Gift With Purchase Haul

Earlier this week I picked up Clinique's new Redness Solutions foundation. I previously posted about how I had a difficult time during my last trip to a Clinique counter. This time around I tried one in another city and did very well. The Clinique rep at this counter talked to me about my skin, tried the foundation on my face, applies two different shades to find my best match, and tried on several other products on me too. I was pretty certain I was getting this one because so many of you recommended it to me and it sounded great. My first impressions of the Redness Solutions foundation is it's an amazing foundation! It does tone down the redness, has medium coverage (leaning more on the heavy medium side) and feels like nothing on your skin. I got it in the lightest colour, "Claming Ivory". I think if you are lighter than me (NC15) I would be weary of trying this because the lightest is not that light at all. The good thing, I do not find this foundation (in this colour) pink at all, it's quite yellow-ish, which I like. I've read over and over that Clinique's foundations are too pink.


I got a bit carried away when the Clinique girl was applying all the products to my face and wanted to buy everything. I ended up going home with this foundation, the GWP and a Redness Solutions Cleanser too. I came home and had buyer's remorse right away, and took the cleanser back today, it was $26.50 and I really didn't need it. However, I am interested in the Redness Relief Mineral powder that she used on me as a setting powder (yellow powder) if any of you have tried that, please let me know! It looks very similar to Everyday Minerals Sunlight Corrector, which I still have samples of, but for much more money. I am curious if it actually calms or relieves your skin. The moisturizer that she used on me, the Redness Solutions Relief Cream, that was really nice too, but $53 for a tub of that. I think the way to go would be to get the trial set, that was like $58 with three products: the cream, protective base and cleanser, maybe I will ask for that for Christmas.

I picked this up now because Sears (in Canada) currently has a gift with purchase until November 10, 2010 when you spend $26.50 (this foundation was $30). I love gift with purchases! However I do wish they came with the Dramatically Different Moisturizing GEL instead of the lotion (they always put the lotion) because I have the lotion already (several of them). I posted about this on Canadian Daily Deals, my other website, definitely check it out if you haven't yet!

The gift with purchase comes with 7 items: Rinse Off Eye Makeup Solvent (good size), Rinse-off Foaming Cleanser, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (boo), Lipstick/Gloss Duo in Different Raspberry Glace & Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Fireberry, High Lengths Mascara, Pop up mirror with brush and a Cosmetics bag of course. I am most excited about the solvent and cleanser.

Have you tried any of the  Clinique Redness Solutions line?

MAC My Highland Honey Review

The past few MAC collections (Fabulous Felines, Venomous Villains and A Tartan Tale) have really underwhelmed and overwhelmed me, they've been huge and nothing has really impressed me about them. I feel that about MAC often, it's underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time, if that makes sense. I look at it and want a dozen items, then I read about the items, see swatches, even look at it at counters and think..meh. Once you have a certain amount of MAC items, it all starts looking the same to you. But one thing that I cannot resist is...peach blushes! I went to the Clinique counter yesterday and the girl tried foundations on me and did my entire face and told me that I would look good in peach blushes and I said YES! I love peach blushes, it was pretty funny that she had me spot on!

Anyways, from "A Tartan Tale", MAC's new holiday collection all I picked up was the "My Highland Honey" blush. Also next to it in the top picture is a sample size of MAC's Eye Makeup Remover (6ml), with any purchase now on the MAC Canada site you can get this for free, enter the code "MACSAMPLE" until Nov 14, 2010. I was back and forth about this blush, and frankly I am happy to have it, but it's totally not "necessary". It's possibly the most true peach that MAC has ever released, lots of the peach blushes that I have can be slightly darker or have pink or coral undertones, this one is just peach. It's a satin finish, I find it a bit chalky and you have definitely have to pack it to get the right colour payoff. It's very light, and even on me, I am quite fair this takes some work.

Here are some of my peach blushes, but as you can tell Peaches and My Highland Honey look very close right? Style is considerably more orange, Cantaloupe is darker.

Okay, side by side, Peaches and My Highland Honey. I tried to take the most accurate picture here, peaches looks darker and less orange right? You definitely do not need both, but if you are obsessed with peaches like me, what can you do? You gotta feed this obsession! I asked my boyfriend and he says they look the same, clearly they are slightly different.

And next to Utterly Game here, they look a bit different I think. In the swatch you can see that My Highland Honey is more bright, orange/yellow compared to the other two. Up close, Utterly Game has a light sheen to it that the other two do not, plus it's a mineralized finish.

All in all, it's a nice blush to have, but to have Peaches, Utterly Game AND My Highland Honey is not necessary and suspect that applied on the cheeks no one (but you) can tell the difference.

Did you pick up My Highland Honey or other items from the new MAC collection?