Too Faced Born This Way Powder Foundation Butterscotch
L’Oreal Age Perfect Creamy Powder Foundation 340 Caramel Beige
These two powders are great powder foundation options for dry skin (in my experience), they just didn’t work out because I also have sensitive skin. If not for the reactions I had, I would have continued to use these products so I wanted to give them a mention.
Too Faced has a 25% off friends and family sale going on now through September 30, 2021 at 11:59 PST (promo code is TFBESTIE). So if you have your eye on this or any other Too Faced items, now is a good time to get them.
I do want to make it clear that these are not dupes or alternatives to one another. I do think they perform differently. I am only grouping them together because they both caused skin irritation and didn’t work out for me.
MAC is running a promotion for $10 off of foundations and it ends at 3:00am EST on 9/28/2021. No promo code is required, the prices are already marked down on the website. So if you need to restock or have been wanting to try any of the MAC foundations, this is a good sale. They also offer free shipping over $25. So any foundation, with the exception of the stick foundation (because it is on clearance), will qualify for free shipping.
UPDATE JUNE 12, 2024: This information is based on a discontinued formula. MAC released a reformulated version of Studio Fix Fluid in 2024. If you are looking for reviews, you can spot the difference because the new formula now comes with a pump built into the packaging.
At this point in history, I’m sure a lot of people don’t need a review of this foundation. But there are always new people just getting into makeup, or even just discovering MAC. So maybe this can still be helpful for someone out there.
On to the review, the swatches, and how the shades C8 and NC45 look on me.
Chanel claims this lipstick is hydrating, full coverage, and lightweight. In my opinion, they hit the mark on two of those three claims.
I have tried 3 shades in this range over the years and none of them have been full coverage. I do however think they are light weight and lightly hydrating. I think these have a medium coverage, but the shade 436 Maggy is more sheer on initial application than the others I have tried. I don’t consider this to be a bad thing, but it does mean that your natural lip color does play a bigger role in how these shades will appear more than an opaque formula. The formula is comfortable and it doesn’t feather into fine lines around the mouth. As with all Chanel lipsticks, this formula does have a scent. It has the traditional rose scent, that I’m pretty sure Chanel typically uses. I have read that the Rouge Coco line also has a hint of violet to the scent, but I can’t personally pick up on it. The scent is strong enough to smell, but I don’t find it to linger and it doesn’t bother me.
If you aren’t familiar with All Tingz Kay on YouTube, I’m happy to introduce you to her channel. I had seen a few people using the Huda Beauty Power Bullet Cream Glow Lipsticks, but it wasn’t until I saw Kay feature the shade habibi that I decided to check them out for myself.
I went to Sephora expecting to just get the shade habibi, but after seeing it in person, it was slightly too cool in tone for my preference. The shade money maker is just a little warmer than habibi, so it works better for me. I did really like the range of shades and I may purchase sweet cheeks at some point as well.
I think the shade range has a lot of nuance that will help a lot of skin tones find a shade that works. On the downside, I do think that it is easier to make sense of those nuances in person. If you are interested in this line of lipstick and you can safely visit a Sephora, I’d recommend doing that. The Sephora I went to is allowing testing with some restrictions. You can swatch things on your hand, but you have to use a disposable applicator to take the product from the tube.
If you can’t get to a Sephora or don’t feel safe doing so, the brand has taken some of the guesswork out of making a choice. They have them broken into two color categories: sweet nudes and bossy browns. Then within those categories, the colors are labeled as being light, medium, or rich. The shade I picked, money maker, is medium and falls in the bossy browns.
Update March 27, 2022: I recently purchased a new shade, sweet cheeks, and have added some new information below. Sweet cheeks is a medium shade and is part of the sweet nudes.
I just have some swatches for you today. I didn’t have the best experience with the NARS Quad Eyeshadow in Taj Mahal, but 4 of the 6 eyeshadows in this palette remind me of the NARS single eyeshadows. So I’m hopeful this will work out just fine.
I knew when I purchased this palette that I was making a compromise with the two topper shades (top left and top middle shades). I don’t really enjoy them, but jordan (top middle shade) does have some base pigment. So I’m crossing my fingers that it will work decently for me. Unfortunately, it is rare for me to like an entire palette, but I do enjoy them since they typically take the guesswork out of coordinating colors.
Matchmymakeup.com is a website that uses science, technology, and engineering math to determine foundation shade matches. But does it work? Let’s talk about it.
UPDATE, March 16, 2022: The matchmymakeup website seems to have updated its match terminology. When I used the website today, the only options it listed were ideal and best possible matches. I have a tiny website, but I couldn’t help but wonder if they read my review 🤔. Maybe not, but that would be cool 😄.
UPDATE, October 1, 2022: I no longer know how to feel about this website. Every time I’ve visited over the last several months my matches have been different. It seems that they may be having trouble ironing out the scientific method they are using.
UPDATE, December 28, 2023: Someone from The matchmymakeup website did reach out to me and thanked me for the feedback on their website and asked me for some more information about the trouble I had with my matches. I was pleased that they were so open to my comments and were interested in more feedback to try to improve on what they have in place. I revisit the site often and it looks like they have done more updates to their system and that may have a lot to do with the fact that they have added more products to the database. it does seem to me that they are doing what they can to provide accurate matches. I think the biggest roadblock is that each person’s skin tone is going to alter how a shade looks, so it will still be a matter of trial and error for anyone using the website.
If you were around to read my Lancome Makeup Round-Up back in February, you may be surprised that I’m posting about this brand. At the time, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be purchasing any more Lancome products, but nevertheless, here we are.
Now let’s get into my thoughts on the newly reformulated Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation Stick.
UPDATE October 13, 2021: I decided to purchase a lighter shade with a warm undertone in hopes that it will match me better. I figured it would be helpful to show you swatches of the new shade (410 Bisque W) and how it compares to 450 Suede N for those that may be in that range of shades. Click continue reading below to see all the swatches.
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer in 5W
I had pretty high expectations for this concealer. I typically have good experiences with Laura Mercier complexion products, so I was hoping this would work out well. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully test it out because I had an allergic reaction to something in the formula. I do have a few thoughts that I can share based on the two times I was able to wear it.
When I was doing my own research into making this purchase, I couldn’t find anyone with the shade 5W. So, I figured I could at least share a swatch of the shade and compare it to MAC NC45 (pro longwear concealer) for anyone in my shade range that may be curious.
Nikki From HR 