Current Foundation Favourites

Since moving to the East Coast, my skin has been through hell and back (or at least it feels like it). Due to the extremely cold weather, wind and hard water my skin has suffered greatly. Initially it was so dry that the whole face seemed to be tight and flaky. Now that it is getting warmer, the humidity is adding to the assault by making my skin quite oily.

I do love my base products and have accumulated a number of foundations over the last 6 months. Currently here are 2 of my go-to foundations.

Covergirl Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation (Medium Beige) - $12 CAD

This is a very good drugstore foundation that gives med-full coverage. It is promoted as a base with primer, concealer and foundation all in one and is a drugstore dupe for Kat Von D's Lock It foundation.

I really like that this foundation has a pump applicator with the SPF of 20. On my combination skin, it lasts up to 8 - 10 hours of wear. Even though the foundation has a high SPF, it does not create a white cast. This foundation, like other CG foundations, do oxidize a bit. It is advisable that you pick up a shade lighter than intended. 

Pros - affordable, high coverage, wide selection of shades, lasts a long time (8+ hours) on the skin

Cons - bit thick and needs a bit of time to blend

I use my Beautyblender to blend this foundation and can easily skip using concealer for daily use. 

Make Up Forever Duo Mat Powder foundation - $40 CAD
I don't remember the last time I used a powder foundation. The last one I used was Studiofix, probably more than 10 years ago. When I traveled to Chicago last month, I wanted to bring a quick and easy but still quality foundation and picked up the Make Up Forever Duo Mat during the Sephora sale. As suggested on its box, the powder is best applied with the sponge it comes with. I have tried to wear the foundation with a brush but the coverage is too light for my liking.

I love how quick it is to do the whole face with this powder. I tend to use it over a tinted moisturizer (current favourite is Laura Mercier) or a BB cream.
When I use concealer, I use it before this foundation. The coverage is medium but can be layered to full. It's best not to do more than a couple of layers or can get cakey.
The oil breaks through about 4 hours in on my nose and need blotting but overall it lasts about 6 -7 hours.
What I really like about this is the colour match - the yellow undertone makes this powder match my face perfectly (my shade is 203). 

Brand spotlight: Maybelline

This blog entry is a start of a series on different brands of makeup I have tried. Many of the brands will be from the drugstore and a few will be high end.

Maybelline is owned by L'oreal like many other brands but does not share much similarity with the sister drgustore brand L'oreal Paris. 

"Maybe it's Maybelline~"

Mascara: 

I think the most outstanding product for Maybelline is their mascaras. Surely all have heard of Great Lash (the pink and green tube), which unfortunately does not work for me. All of the mascaras I use are waterproof as non waterproof make the curled lashes droop. 

Volume Express Line includes Falsies, Rocket volume, Colossal, Mega Plush and One by One. They are all great at adding volume to my thin lashes.
Colossal volume express is similar to Covergirl Lash Blast. But the brushes have longer bristles which is better at separating the lashes.

Falsies is my absolute favorite Drugstore mascara because it adds volume and length. I have no complaint at all about this mascara. Currently there are a couple of back up tubes in my drawer, as would any make up junkie. 

Rocket Volume is the newest mascara in this line. Gives decent volume and length. 

Mega Plush has a very interesting brush head, that bends and is quite dense with plastic bristles. This mascara did not work for me as it gave me more of a natural look. 

One by one is great at adding length but not so with volume. 

Other mascaras

Lash stiletto - very similar to L'oreal Voluminous false lashes mascara. Adds quite a bit of length and a bit of volume. The con is that it can get clumpy quite quickly.

Full & soft - akin to L'oreal Voluminous original. Many people love this formula because the lashes do not become hard or brittle. 

Lash discovery - it has a very tiny brush that is perfect for smaller eyes and the bottom lashes. Sadly this is discontinued. 

Eye shadow:

For drugstore eye shadows, I like the Maybelline quads. Relatively inexpensive but the color range is great. The shadows are all very wearable and the quality is pretty good. 

Expert Wear Shadow Quads

There are 14 quads available; all are pretty neutral and easy to wear alone or together. 

The quad is divided into base, crease, accent and highlight color. 

Currently loving Emerald Smokes:

Color Tatoo eyeshadow

I have yet to try this long wearing cream eye shadow. I own a couple of L'oreal infalliable shadows and MAC paint pot which are similar to the Color Tatoo. Having tried it out at the drugstore, Color Tatoo feel a little drier and harder to work with than L'oreal or MAC.

Eyebrow pencil, eyeliners:

Define a brow eyebrow pencil is very slim. The consistency of the pencil allows for drawing on realistic looking brow hairs. The other end of the pencil has a plastic comb that would be handy to comb longer brow hairs. 

Eye studio master drama 

This automatic pencil is soft and easy to use. But because it is not waterproof, it tends to smudge on my lids. What I like is how dark the black is - truly giving a dramatic look. 

Eye studio gel liner

For a drugstore gel liner, this one is one of the better ones. What I love is the little brush it comes with. The gel itself does dry out faster than some but the color is very nice. It is a bit sheer with only one stroke. Currently using the Plum color which has a fleck of sparkle (but not obnoxious). 

Foundation:

I have tried a couple of their liquid foundation which I was not that thrilled with and not worth mentioning here.

The one I like the most is not a liquid but a creme foundation called Dream Smooth Mousse. 

This is different from Dream Matte Mousse in that it is a bit more solid. Quick to apply with the sponge provided and the best part is that it goes on smooth like the name suggests. 

I have tried applying this with a foundation brush but the sponge is a much better applicator. 

Note: I have tried the Dream Matte and Dream Liquid foundation but found them too heavy for my oily combination skin. 

Do you like Maybelline? Any other brands you want me to feature?

Sana Tonyu skin care

Before my trip to Japan I. December I did some research on affordable skincare. Came across the Sana Tonyu (soy) line and have been pleasantly surprised. The line I bought is the original one - a soy toner and a cream (a decent sample of cleanser came with it). Both the toner and the cream were about 1000 yen each, approximately $12 CAD.

This line doesn't seem to contain any fragrance which I really enjoy. The cleanser produces thick foam that cleanses the face without drying it. The toner is light milk color and leaves the skin feeling hydrated. The cream is what I enjoy the most. It is more like a thick gel-cream hybrid that blends into skin rather quickly. I can feel that my skin is moisturized and feels plump in the morning. I have not had any issues with this line at all such as break outs or rashes.

This line is called Nameraka Honpo on Sasa.com and the whole range is available.

PS. Sasa is a large cosmetic retailer in Hong Kong that sells many Asian lines, especially Japanese brands at affordable prices. They ship all over the world and offer free shipping with certain purchase amount.