A Drugstore Jewel

Hey there,

I'm so excited to share with you a great makeup item I found at a drugstore.

Spotlight on: Revlon's Age Defying Makeup & Concealor Compact with Botafirm, Oil Free and SF 20.

Wow, that is a mouthful of a product name, I know. I bought this at Rite Aid one day; it was on clearance and it cost me about $5. YES, that cheap! I really loved the presentation of the product and since I knew I would have to change foundations soon because of summer, I decided to pick this one up. I don't remember its exact price that you can buy it at without a clearance. So just hunt for a clearance (Rite Aid has tons of them) if you would like to just try it out. I did and I'm loving it every time I use it.

This compact has a mirror and a sponge inside, along with a concealor and a foundation. I've never used the sponge applicator because it takes too much product It comes in eight shades, which should fit most skintones, in my opinion. If you find that the color of the foundation does not perfectly match your own skin color, then just mix the foundation and the concealor for a lighter shade. I prefer to use a powder on top to set it and to add some color. If that doesn't work, just use bronzer and problem solved :) If you have yellow-undertones, you will most likely find an amazing match and will be satisfied. These are the available shades from what I know:

01 - Ivory Beige

02 - Nude Beige

03 - Sand Beige (my shade)

04 - Natural Beige

05 - Medium Beige

06 - Honey Beige

07 - Natural Tan

08 - Early Tan

Will finish up later....

Mineral Powder Review

Hey there,

So I am not much of a fan of mineral makeup in general. I really do not get its point. But I still try some.

Spotlight: L'Oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Powder

Dime sized hole since I hit pan, finally!

If you are used to (and tired of!) reading reviews of my favorite products, here goes an exception!!!

My thoughts, a bit harsh...

First of all, the price of this foundation powder is skyrocketting in comparison with its quality. I think I paid $12.99 for it, a long time ago. it comes in a 9.5 g/0.33 fl oz jar that has the typically huge lid and small product-filled bottom. I have it a try for a week and hated it, left it aside for over six months, and now went back to it because I am desperate to run out of it.

The company claims that this product will provide a "flawless finish." Well, it did absolutely nothing for me as a foundation. The color range is lacking and oftentimes mismatched. There are eight shades, only eight!! My mediterranean olive skin tone came up as third before last. That's absurd in my opinion as there are tons of shades darker than me - two other colors won't cover that darker range. In almost all of L'Oreal's foundations, I am in the Buff colors. Well, I got this in 418 Buff Beige and it's way too light for my skintone. Given that you don't have samplers/testers in drugstores, it would be much simpler if the company kept true to naming its shades. It won't even my skintone nor hide any imperfections like the majority of drugstore brand foundations. That is a bummer! :[

The crescent moon shaped brush it came with is completely useless; it is as rough as you can get with a pressed powder brush - the handle is awkward, it sheds without being used, and I would never consider putting it near my face. Because it is so harsh and fake, once you try to swipe it in the product, the pressed powder is scapped off into a pigment powder. I was not expecting that. If I wanted loose powder, I would not have gotten pressed powder. After a few applications, it seemed a bit chunky, which I despise in pressed powders.

Now that I hit pan on this powder, I noticed that it is not fine in texture; actually, it has layers of pressed powder instead of the common practice of loose powder in a jar and THEN it gets pressed. It is too rough to apply on the skin, even at a light hand. It's too heavy for a regular mineral powder. How did I hit pan, you ask? I have practically forced myself to use it to set my foundation (liquid). I swirl my nicest and softest brush in it for a better application throughout my face. I sweep it extremelt lightly or else this will end up looking cakey on me, which tends to happen with all mineral foundations. This also prevents it from making me look pale, since it's only a little bit of product on brush to my face. It also failed on me as a highlighter, which was my original thought to use it as when I realized it was too light of a foundation. Speaking of that, I am disappointed at it mineral foundation properties. I have another L'Oreal Mineral Powder that I am somewhat satisfied with, but this is purely useless.

I like that this powder has SPF 24, which helps certain people who are the laziest at wearing sunscreen (like me!). I also like the fact that this is unscented/fragrance free. If it smelled horribly, it would be the least of my problems with it. But I still appreciate that it's frangrance free which makes it bearable until I finish it. It also works for all skin types, a result I can attest to since I have used it as different times of my skin type cycle - from dry to normal to semi-oily. I tried this on my mother, who has sensitive skin, and her skin was not irritated afterwards. So I'd give it a plus for being friendly to sensitive skin women. As for its lasting powder, it leans more towards long-lasting, but still not enough for a whole day of work or school. It is also readily available. I don't remember not having seen this product at any drugstore around me.

If this was a high-end product, I would have returned it within a few days. I am someone who thinks it is worth it to try anything, but I would suggest you try some other L'Oreal mineral powder instead of this. Save your money, please.

~ TheBeautyBebe

Clinique Foundation Review

Hey there,
The first thing I need to say is that I am in love with foundation. Now let's move on to the purpose of this product review.

Spotlight on: Clinique's "Almost Makeup" Foundation

I got mine for $21 at a Macy's counter, where I was able to get a shade matched to my skintone. My color is in 03 - Medium. Unfortunately, this comes in only 6 shades: Neutral, Fair, Neutral Fair, Light, Medium, and Deep. It is technically a tinted moisturizer, hence the name "almost makeup." However, from what I have experienced with it, I see it as a liquid foundation since it works like any other regular foundation. I suggest buying this at some sort of sale the Clinique or the store has. I do not suggest buying it online because I believe you would be way off in finding the right color for you. And we all have had bad experiences with foundation colors! I am usually around the medium color range in most foundations from any brand; however, with this one, I was originally going to get Light, since Medium seemed too far on the other side of the spectrum. Obviously, I was wrong and I needed the MUA to show me so.

This foundation is generally matte and gives a really dewy look which I love. So not completely matte in my opinion. It has a sheer coverage, which is great for those lazy days when I just need a thin layer to cover a few imperfections. It also has SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 15, an ideal number for me (someone who never wears sunscreen, shame on me, I know!). It can last for many hours, such as a whole school day/work day. It is quite easy to take off. I stay away from makeup remover when taking off face makeup. Cleanser and water is enough for me. This does need to be set with a powder, whether translucent or with a shade.

I think this is great for dry skin, because it has moisturizer in it, yay. For normal skin, like mine, I'd say use fewer product because too much can make you look like you have oily skin. For those of you out there with oily skin, I have to tell you to stay away from it because it will worsen how your skin looks. As everything else from Clinique, it's fragrance free.

I have finished most of the bottle (1.5 fl oz/45 ml); I may be in the last 1/5 of it. It has lasted me for a long time, maybe 6 months. I do alternate between foundations. But this is my go-to because of its ease of application (gotta love using your hands for putting this on). The only down side about this, for me, is that it has a pink tint instead of a yellow one. Given my tan skin, it can make me look too hype and rosy. I have found a solution to that though - lightly applied powder foundation to top it (which also strengthens the coverage of this tinted moisturizer). I can honestly say it has never broken me out so far, so big thumbs up for that. Overall, I give this product an A because it is simply amazing.

For all of us lazy makeup addicts who sometimes wake up and have no time to do a full face makeup - this is perfect and I am in love with it. It has the miracles of SPF, moisturizer, natural looking finish, and sheer coverage. Go check it out and tell me how you feel about it. I highly recommend it.

PS. - I might not repurchase this once I am finished because I want to try so many other foundations.

~ TheBeautyBebe