Monday, January 25, 2010

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation Review, Photos & Swatches!

revlon photoready foundation review

 Revlon Photoready Makeup

There has been a huge hype about the new Revlon Photo Ready Foundation lately. A lot of people have compared it to Make Up Forever HD Foundation because its good photographing capabilities. Revlon Photoready Foundation claims to look airbrushed in any lighting, with light reflecting pigments to erase all of your flaws. It's also said to provide complete coverage, yet with a natural finish.

Revlon Photoready Foundation is available in twelve (12) shades:  Ivory, Vanilla, Shell, Nude, Natural Beige, Medium Beige, Cool Beige, Golden Beige, Rich Ginger, Caramel, Cappuccino and Mocha. 

I was pretty torn between choosing #006 Medium Beige or #008 Golden Beige. Before going to the store, I had it in my head that I was going to purchase Golden Beige. But, when I actually looked at the bottles, Medium Beige looked darker and more yellow. Golden Beige looked more neutral and beige. So, I ended up choosing #006 Medium Beige. It's a good color match for my MAC NC40 skin tone. I'm sure it can match MAC NC35-37 coloring as well. 

revlon photoready foundation review
Revlon Photoready Makeup in Medium Beige 

(You can see the shimmer in the bottle)

The consistency is very light and creamy. It's a bit runny, so it spreads across the skin very well without a primer, and I rarely ever have to go back for additional product after buffing the foundation into my skin.

The coverage is a good medium that is buildable. It hides the majority of my flaws, evens out my complexion and makes my face glowy and airbrushed. It dries to a semi-matte that isn't at all dull.

revlon photoready foundation medium beige swatch
 Swatch of Revlon Photoready Makeup in Medium Beige

As for the "light reflecting pigments" AKA shimmer particles, the reviews for this aspect of the foundation are pretty mixed. I;m sure it depends a lot on your coloring and skin type whether or not it's going to show. Many people said its overly shimmery, and others said they didn't notice any shimmer whatsoever. When I swatched the color on my wrist and really blended it into my skin, I can visibly see lots of shimmer. More shimmer than I've ever seen in a foundation. Once applied to my face, I didn't any shimmer unless I'm looking at my face close-up in the sunlight, or hours later when my foundation starts to get a little shiny and fade, the shimmer appears. I don't think I mind it too much, but I think sometimes shimmer can work against you if you apply too much, and I think there is just too much in this foundation. I think if Revlon cut out half of the shimmer, It'd be a much better foundation.

The lasting power is good. It lasts me a full day with minor fading. I do get shiny after a few hours, but it's no oil slick, so I'll just make sure to dust my face with a little setting powder. One thing I've noticed is that after a few hours, the foundation looks darker on my face than when it was first applied. I'm not sure if this has happened to anyone else, but it continuously happens with me, so I think if I do re-purchase this foundation, I may re-purchase it in a lighter shade, for when I'm less tan.

It's pretty good for a drugstore foundation. Right now I'm going to give it a 4 out of 5. I will keep you updated with what I think about this! I'm going to wear it for a few more days. I purchased this foundation at ULTA for $13.99.


Here's me at work today wearing Revlon PhotoReady

Update: I love the way this foundation looks when it's first applied, but I don't love the way my face looks a few hours later. I find that the color oxidizes a little bit and in the daylight, my face looks orange. This foundation has great coverage and a pretty finish, but it's not HG material for me mostly due to the oxidation. I will probably finish up the bottle, but I'm unsure if I'd re-purchase it. I wouldn't say this is a must-have and I wouldn't say it's a bad foundation. If you find this foundation for a very good price.. try it out for yourself! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Covergirl Lash Blast Luxe Mascara Review!

Covergirl Lash Blast Luxe Mascara

So, you all know by now that my favorite mascara is Covergirl Lash Blast. I headed over to ULTA this weekend to pick up a couple of things including a tube of Lash Blast (original) and they were out of stock. But, I saw that there were a ton of Lash Blast "Luxe" in stock.

I've never heard of the Luxe formula, and I wasn't sure whether to get it or not for a few reasons.
1. I was unaware of exactly how shimmery this mascara is; I didn't want mascara with glitter in it.
2. I was unaware of how BLACK it is. I like my mascara to be the blackest black.
3. I wasn't sure if the formula was exactly the same as the original lash blast. I wanted the same formula (I didn't care for Lash Blast Length).

I decided to try it anyway, because I was desperate for a fresh tube and I didn't feel like running all over town for it.

Covergirl Lash Blast Luxe is available in four shades: Black Platinum, Black Cabernet, Black Royale & Black Emerald. I chose Black Platinum; the darkest shade.

Covergirl Lash Blast Luxe Mascara in Black Platinum

When I opened the tube, I wasn't too happy with how black it is. Its more of a dark charcoal grey black with teeny tiny bits of shimmer. It's not overly shimmery. It's definitely not glittery. Once applied, it was super black. I was very happy that It didn't look like I had charcoal colored lashes & I couldn't tell that it was shimmery - only if I pressed my nose against my compact mirror, I could spot a few specks of shimmer. I was also very pleased to see that the formula is indeed the same as the original Lash Blast. I would definitely re-purchase this mascara!

Covergirl Lash Blast Luxe Mascara

Here are my lashes with and without the mascara.

Have you tried this mascara? What are your thoughts? Did you notice any difference?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

My Face Today.

I've been post happy lately. lol It's all because of my new job. I have my own office & computer, so I'm pretty much here all day long working and making posts on my breaks.


My eyes are real red because I only had like 4 hours of sleep. *yawn*

FACE:
SkinMD Natural Moisturizer
NYX Concealer in a Pot Medium (trying out this stuff, it's okay.)
MAC Select Coverup NW25
NARS Sheer Glow Barcelona
MAC So Ceylon Mineralized Skinfinish
MAC Margin Powder Blush
MAC Blot Powder Medium-Dark

BROWS:
MAC Spiked Retractable Brow Crayon

EYES:
MAC Point Black Liquidlast Liner
NYX Dune Eyeshadow (smudged in lower lash line)
Korres Soft Black Eye Liner Pencil
Ardell 111 False Lashes (cut in half and applied to my outer eye lids)
Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara

LIPS:
MAC Oak Lip Liner Pencil
MAC Creme Cup Lipstick
NYX Smokey Look Lip Gloss

Ask me ANYTHING!

I thought this would be a fun post.

Since a lot of times, It's hard for me to respond to all of your questions.. I'm making this post where you can ask me anything and I will FOR SURE answer it! It can be anything! Anything you want to know! It can be questions about makeup, or whatever you'd like to know about me. I don't care if the questions are silly, that just makes it more fun! Whatever question you ask me in the comments, I will copy and paste it in the post and answer it.. like a Q: A:
So ask away! :)

Q: What kind of camera do you use for your blog/FOTD photos? A: I use the Canon PowerShotA720IS 8.0 megapixels with 6x optical zoom. For products, to get the best pictures, I use it on the TV setting along with the Macro setting (little flower) under fluorescent lighting. It is a pretty good camera.. but I've had it for a few years now and I'm looking for something new. I do recommend Canon Powershots though, awesome cameras.

Q: Have you ever had issues with girls "hating" on you during high school years or anything like that? I'm from Texas...so if you're pretty..girls automatically talk about you or give you dirty looks. A: Not too much. In high school some of the older girls would yell out Barbie every time I walked by and they would laugh.. it always made me really self conscious. I had really long straight hair and I always had my makeup done and pink lip gloss. For some reason everyone thought I was Hispanic and people were calling me the Puerto Rican barbie. lol kids are so stupid. My hair is really thick too, so I remember they would say I'm wearing a wig.. and NO! I didn't start wearing extensions till college! haha. Let's see.. in college I didn't make any girl friends which made me kinda sad. It seemed like everyone was making tons of new friends and going to parties while I still had the same few friends from high school. Girls ALWAYS gave me dirty looks in college. I mainly kept to myself for that reason.

Q: What has been your favorite vacation? A: Definitely California. Ahh, my second home. I seriously get SO homesick for California. I get knots in my stomach thinking about how bad I want to go again. I BELONG IN CALIFORNIA.

Q: What is your favorite physical feature? :) A: My smile. :D 2nd, my eyes. I wish they were the slightest bit lighter though. :)

1/22:
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? A: I see myself In 5 years pretty established. I will be a married woman, hopefully for a few years already. lol With at least one child. Me and George do want to settle down soon and start a family. He is turning 28 in less than a month and he wanted to have a child by 30.. so we'll see :) I will be working in his family business and hopefully having another profession I really enjoy doing. It's not clear yet..

Q: What are your favorite MAC eye shadows and Lip products? A: My main favorite colors are Carbon (Matte Deep Black), Tyopgraphic (Matte Soft Black), Nehru (Matte Deep Navy Black), Plumage (Deep turquoise green/blue), Deep Truth (Frosty Deep Blue), Freshwater (Frosty Bright Blue), Top Hat (Frosty Deep Purple), Parfait Amour (Frosty Medium Purple), Love Connection Mineralize e/s (Bronze and Shimmery Taupe), Inter-view Mineralize (Navy, Bronze & Brown), Espresso (Matte Brown), Gilt By Association (Shimmery Deep Golden Black). As for their Lip products, I really only like MAC Lipsticks.. I'm not a huge fan of their lip glosses. My favorite lipsticks though are Shygirl, Hue, Creme Cup, Freckletone, Myth & Creme d Nude.

Q: What is your favorite eyeliner for oily eyelids? A: I haven't experimented with a ton of different eye liners but my favorite is MAC Point Black Liquidlast Liner. I use it with a thin brush (not the one it comes with because I don't like the shape of the brush) and I smudge it into my lash line for a more natural look. I sometimes put MAC Carbon e/s over it to intensify it and set it in place. It never budges. I've used it on my waterline as well and it works really good. The eye liner pencils I've tried all smudge.. except for Revlon Colorstay retractable pencil, but it's not as black as I'd like.

1/24:
Q: How did you know that George wasn't like all the other guys? What was different about him? A: This could get extremely deep if I go into detail. But, we met when I was 17, and he was 23. I met him through a friend in high school (it was his older brother) Older guys interested me because I always wanted to get married young. He was very mature and brought me everywhere and showed me everything. He basically swept me off my feet from the start. I have never known any one in the world that is so similar to me. We share the same taste in EVERYTHING. He is my best friend. I am excited every time I see his name come up on my phone calling me. I get butterflies when he is outside waiting for me. I know its not good to say someone else completes you.. but he really does complete me. He is my other half.. and from the rocky times we've been through, I've come to the realization that he is my Soulmate lol So there is no point in looking out there for someone else that doesn't do those things.. because they will do something different than the previous that will piss you off. Know that I mean? I'm so blessed to have found TRUE LOVE rather than settling with someone I just plain love.

Q: Where are you from? What is your Ethnicity? A: I was born here in the suburbs of Illinois. I'm 50% Jordanian (Christian Orthodox) and my other half consists of a mixture of Swedish, Norwegian and English. At home, both of my parents speak English. I don't know any second languages fluently. I would like to learn fluent Arabic, I only know a little.

Q: Why haven't you started a youtube channel?? A: To be completely honest, I hate the way I sound on recordings. I don't even like recording my voice for my voicemail on my phone. I'm thinking about it though. I might start doing videos in a month or so. Don't quote me on this!! lol

Q: What is your job? A: Previously, my job was at a school as a pre-school teacher. It is a combined daycare so I worked with newborns to 4 year olds. My new job is at my boyfriends office as a secretary. I don't just sit here and answer phones all day. I've got lots of responsibilities.. :) This is why i mentioned in my previous post I am able to post on my breaks. It's my families business so the rules are lenient. lol

Q: What kind of extensions do you wear? A: Right now, I'm wearing Euronext extensions from Sally's Beauty Supply. They are $89.99 and the clips are already sewed in.

Q: What self tanner are you using on your face? Does it break you out? A: I'm using SUN labs spray on my face. It hasn't broke me out.

Q: What is your boyfriends ethnicity? A: He is 100% Greek. I'm almost becoming fluent in Greek :D

1/25:
Q: What got you into makeup? Does anyone in your family/friends share your interest? A: I loved makeup ever since I was a little girl. I think my mom influenced me a bit because she always wore lots of makeup her whole life. Foundation, bronzer, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick/gloss, etc. I would always watch her do her makeup and I would sneak her red lip stick and my dad would yell at me. lol I couldn't wait till I turned 13 so I could start wearing makeup. In 7th grade I started wearing all types of drugstore makeup. In high school, I was still experimenting with all types of drugstore makeup. People remember me in high school as the girl that was always applying lip gloss, brushing her hair in class and looking in the mirror 24/7 to make sure my makeup didn't get messed up. Then senior year I discovered MAC and I fell in love. That summer I got a job at a high end retail store that had Sephora next door and I started going there EVERY DAY. My love for high end makeup started to grow and I was buying everything. I discovered makeupalley.com and starting buying everything with good reviews. On myspace, I was a member of a bunch of makeup groups and I would spend so much time posting in these groups that It was the only reason I had a myspace.. I then slowly discovered the entire makeup community & have become even more addicted to beauty. I'm really the only one out of my friends that has this addiction.

Q: How is your healthy eating going? A: My life is a never ending struggle with my weight. *sigh* I was doing pretty good. I lost like 12 pounds before the holidays and in the month of December gained it back. It's pretty unfortunate but I'm busy again and I'm going to get back up and try again.

Q: How did you get so many subscribers?? A: Honestly, lol I have no idea. I think mostly because I have mentioned so many products in my blog and when people type a product in google, my blog will come up. And I have seen lots of sweet people have me linked on their blog! LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Q: Are you still using your Ben Nye things? A: Yes. I wear my final seal quite often.. usually on days where I don't want my makeup to budge at all. I wear the blush occasionally (because I have so many blushes I neglect a lot of them) I actually wore it yesterday though, I'm using both my Neutral Set and Banana Visage Powder on occasion (mostly because I've been using MAC Blot Powder every single day since I purchased it) and I do wear the Bronzing Body Tint on my neck on days where I want to look more tan. So yes, I'm still using everything and I'm planning on getting more :D I really want to try their cake liner and I'm probably going to order it this week.

Q: What do you think of Twilight? A: I have not gotten onto the Twilight bandwagon.. lol I never watched the movie & I have no idea what it is about. My friends talk about it but I'm never interested.

Q: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? A: On a normal day.. I'd say 30-45 mins. I can get ready in 20 mins If I'm running late. If I'm going somewhere nice and I'm doing my hair.. extensions and all I take almost 2 hours. My hair will take almost 45 mins to flat iron and then I'll curl the ends, curl my extensions and put them in.. that will take a alittle over an hour. My makeup doesn't take me long unless I'm doing my eyeshadow or have to pluck my brows. I'd say no more than 20 mins. I get dressed in a jiffy. :) I mainly take long because I take my sweet *bleep* time. lol

Q: How often do you visit makeup stores? A: I visit Sephora usually once a week.. sometimes twice, ULTA once a week, MAC only when I run out of something or if there is a new collection I'm interested in, my local drugstores to see if there is clearance makeup.. a couple times a week and I go to Sallys usually when I run out of Shampoo or styling products.. then I'll start browsing and buying a ton of things.

Q: Do you work out? A: At the moment no, I haven't worked out actually since I got my last job.. there was really no time. I love working out but I neglect my exercise routine in the winter because I mainly work out out doors. Me and my best friend always go running and jogging on the beach.. almost every day when it's nice out. I also love to bike ride and do kick boxing.

Q: Do you do any networking sites? A: Nope. I use to be a major myspace junkie but I had problems with people hacking into my account and stealing my pictures. Like, SERIOUS, SERIOUS problems. You know who you are, and I know you're probably reading this right now *waves* I think twitter is ridiculous (sorry.. lol). The people I want to be in contact with are the people in my phone. :)

Q: Are you subscribed to any magazines? A: Yes. Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar. I barely read any of it.. I just like looking at the pictures. HA!

Q: Any bad habits? A: My uncontrollable spending is a bad, bad habit, paying $100 on a credit card bill and spending $100 (blah, all the time), Not being able to control my sweet tooth is a bad habit, throwing my clothes on the floor once I changed (only at home.. I'm so organized everywhere I go but not at all when it comes to my room), my temper sometimes, swearing occasionally (I really, really don't like to swear.. I think its very unlady like and unattractive), I'm always running late, I get moody when I'm hungry, Im not very motivated.. that's all I can think of at the moment.

Q: Do you have nice handwriting? A: Yes, I think I have that preppy girl kind of writing. lol but I can be sloppy too. I usually start out very neat and then slowly I will get less neat. It's not very consistent. I find myself doing two different kinds of y's in the same sentence. One will be straight and one will be rounded. Sometimes I'll do different A's. Sometimes I'll put a line through my 7 and sometimes I won't. I can pretty much write whatever way I want. I don't think my writing ever looks the same. Odd.

Q: Does your lifestyle exceed your income? A: Absolutely. lol my income needs to be doubled to keep up with my spending.