Review: L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur

This is one of those products that I can say YouTube made me buy.  After seeing some of my favorite beauty gurus rave about this I decided to try it out. I'm always on the lookout for a good primer. Initially I was deterred by the price.  At $19.99 for 1.18 fl oz of product, this is more than I would normally spend on a drugstore product.  I finally bit the bullet and bought it when I had a $3.50 coupon from Ulta. 

The L'Oreal Revitalift claims to erase the look of pores and wrinkles.  The directions say that it can be worn alone or under makeup.  I wear mine under my makeup because I have some uneven texture on my skin due to my occasional acne flare ups. The product itself is a clear balm like texture.  When smoothed over skin it leaves behind a very smooth silicone feeling.  It provides a nice base that foundation sits nicely on top of. For that reason I do like it but I just don't think it is anything special.  I definitely don't think it lives up to its $20 price tag.  There are comparable products out there that work just as well and are more than half the price.  I have tried the Hard Candy Sheer Envy primer and I think that these two products are pretty much identical.  The biggest difference is the Hard Candy primer is only $8 for 1.3 oz of product.  If I am going to go for a drugstore primer I would choose the Hard Candy version over the L'Oreal Revitalift.  If I want to spend $20 on a primer I will spend a few more dollars and get a high end primer that works really well (i.e. Smashbox, Porefessional).

Claims: "Erases the look of lines, wrinkles and pores"
Finish/Texture: Balm like texture that leaves behind a smooth texture on the skin
Scent: None
Long Wearing: I did not think that this helped my makeup stay put any longer than any other primer or similar product
Price: $19.99
Availability: Target, Walmart and drugstores

Pros:

• Leaves a nice smooth surface on the skin 

Cons:

• Cost

Overall: While I don't think that this is a terrible product I also don't think that is anything spectacular.  I think that there are other drugstore alternatives that are less expensive.  With a price tag close to a high end primer this does not live up to being high end quality. 

My Current Foundation Routine

As a follow up to my recent post about my current favorite foundation I thought it would be a good time to write about my current foundation routine.  This tends to change because I am always trying new powders, foundations and concealers but for the most part these are the products that I have been using for the past few months.

Before I get into the products that I use let me first tell you a little about my skin.  I was not blessed with a naturally flawless complexion. I have very sensitive, temperamental skin that ranges from normal to oily.  I tend to breakout along my jaw and when I break out it gets extremely red and inflamed.  More often than not the skin around the pimples gets very dry and flaky which can be challenging to conceal.  I also deal with hyperpigmentation from breaking out.  It seems that almost every pimple eventually turns into a little dark mark aka one more thing to try to cover up.  Now that you know a little more about my skin and its challenges on to the products :)

I always begin by priming my skin.  I find that a good primer helps to create a smooth surface for my foundation especially around those dry flaky acne spots.  They also help my foundation last longer through the day.  Right now I am trying out the L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur in the oil free version.  It has a nice texture and I find that it smooths out my skin but this product really is a miss for me mostly because of the price point.  I will be posting a full review on this product shortly.

I like to let my primer sink into my skin for a few minutes before I start applying foundation.  The foundation that I have been loving lately is the Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1.  Right now I am the color golden tan but this will change in a few months as my summer tan really starts to fade. One thing I really like about this foundation is that it comes in a bottle with a pump.  I typically use two pumps of foundation.  I pump it out on to the back of my hand and then use my ring finger to evenly dot it all over my face. I really love using my Beauty Blender with this foundation.  I use the round end of the Beauty Blender to take all of that foundation and "pounce" it into my skin until it is all blended out.

While the Cover Girl foundation covers up most of my skins imperfections I still need a separate concealer to help cover up some of the darker marks.  The concealer that I have fallen in love with is the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer.  I just discovered this over the summer and boy oh boy is this stuff amazing. I find that some concealers cling to dry skin but this one does not at all.  It really is creamy and covers up blemishes beautifully. Creamy is the perfect word to describe it.  I will just dot this on top of whatever needs to be covered up and then use my Beauty Blender to blend it out to a flawless finish.

I admit I have gotten caught up in the Kim Kardashian inspired bright under eye look.  I use a few different products to help try to achieve this.  I start with the MAC Prep + Prime highlighter in the color Radiant. Taking the highlighter pen I create a "V" underneath both of my eyes that starts right under my eyes and goes down to about the tip of my nose - the top of the "V" starts at about my tear duct and extends out to where my eye ends.  Once I have that area all filled in with the highlighter I use the other end of my Beauty Blender to lightly blend all of that out.  I don't over blend because I still want it to show up pretty light.  After all of that is blended out I take my MAC Studio Fix concealer in a shade that is about 2-3 shades too light for me (NW-20) and dot a little bit on top of where I just blended out the highlighter.  I find that this just adds to the lightening of that area.  I also blend that out with my Beauty Blender.  To set all of that concealer I use the Ben Nye Banana Powder again on my handy Beauty Blender.  I just tap some into the lid of the container and then using then pick it up using the pointy end of the BB and lightly tap it all over the concealer/highlighter underneath my eyes.

To set the rest of my face I like to use my MAC Studio fix powder.  I use a big fluffy brush and pat the Studio fix into my face.  I have to be careful with this product as it can look very cakey if applied too heavily.  To help combat against the cake face look I spray a little bit of MAC's Fix + on my face after I''m finished. I realize that this sounds like a lot of product but this is what I have found works to help me achieve a nearly flawless face that lasts throughout the day.

What do you use in your foundation routine?

Review: L'Oreal laLaque / leMatte

There has been a lot of buzz in the beauty community about L'Oreal's newest addition to the Colour Riche line; the laLaque and leMatte lipcolours.  I had seen some rave reviews on these lipsticks and decided to try them out for myself.  I didn't have too much trouble finding them - I was able to find the four colors that I wanted between Target and Harmon's.

There are eight shades in the line; four matte colors and four lacquer colors.  They are long pencil like lipsticks that twist up out of their packaging. I ended up buying two of each finish:

- laLaque Lacque-onic: a true red perfect for that classic red lip look
- laLaque Never Lacque-ing: a very pretty nude mauve
- leMatte Matte-R of Fact: a deep brown red
- leMatte Matte for Me: a bright orange red

Unfortunately, I am not as in love with these as the rest of the beauty community seems to be.  While they are extremely full color lipsticks and provide vibrant color I don't think they are anything special.  I do prefer the laLaque shades over the leMatte as I found the leMatte shades to be very drying.  The laLaque colors glide on smoothly and have a slightly glossy finish. They are by no means a long wearing lip color.  They transfer easily to glasses, mugs and wear off when eating.  The leMatte shades were just painful to wear.  They also apply pretty smoothly but quickly start to dry to their promised matte finish.  I found the matte finish to be very drying and wear unevenly.  The dark shade (Matte-R of Fact) was blotchy and never looked to be evenly applied.

Claims: "Shiny/velvety full coverage lipcolour"
Finish/Texture:  The laLaque colors have a slightly glossy finish / the leMatte colors have a very dry matte finish
Scent:  A pretty strong perfume scent that I don't find pleasant at all
Long Wearing:  Not at all
Packaging:  Long, slim pencil type that twist up
Price:  $5.99
Availability:  Limited availability - I found displays at Target and Harmon's but have not seen them at drugstores yet
Limited Edition:  Unsure

Pros:

• Beautiful, full, rich color

Cons:

• Unpleasant strong scent
•  Matte shades drying
• Not very long wearing
• Transfers easily

Overall: This is a miss for me.  If these lip colors become part of L'Oreal's permanent line I doubt that I would repurchase. The only one that I might consider repurchasing is the nude mauve color. 

NOTD: L'Oreal Creme Puff

Today's nail of the day was Spring inspired.  It just started snowing (again) where I live and I'm ready for Spring!  I picked this polish up from Target - it's part of L'Oreal's new Spring line of colors.  There are some really gorgeous pastel colors that are available in nail polish and their lip balms.  This is my first time ever using a L'Oreal polish and I am impressed.  It went on smoothly and the color is gorgeous. 

*UPDATE* Unfortunately, not long after I wrote this post the polish started chipping.  It started chipping in large pieces no more than a day of wear.  I'm hoping that this was just a fluke and that this won't happen when I wear this polish again because I am absolutely in love with the color.  

What's in my Makeup Bag?

Hey Dolls!  So I thought I'd give you a quick glance into my makeup bag.  This does change from time to time but these are the staple I have had in my bag lately:

- Makeup bag is a Sonia Kashuk bag from Target
- Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighting Concealer in Radiant
- NARS Lip Gloss in Belize
- MAC Lipstick in Blankety
- E.L.F. Contouring Blush & Bronzer
- MAC Eyeshadow in Phloof
- Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets
- Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss
- NARS Blush in Orgasm
- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium Plus
- Benefit They're Real Mascara (trial size)
- Travalo Perfume Atomizer (filled with Miss Dior)
- Maybelline Infalliable Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe
- Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in Sweet as Candy
- NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls
- Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
- Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Medium
- MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC-25
- MAC Pro Longwear Eyeliner in Black Ice
- Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eyeliner in Nude
- MAC Lip Liner in Boldly Bare
- MAC Painterly Paint Pot
- Sephora Retractable Lip Brush

I know it doesn't look l like all of this will fit in that makeup bag but trust me it does ;-)

New Product: L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain

How excited was I when i saw the full display of these at my Target? REALLY excited. I had heard that these were a dupe for YSL's glossy stains and they really are! So let's get into the good and then I'll tell you what I wasn't so crazy about.

The good: the applicator is awesome - I really love the slightly pointed doe foot applicator. Just like the YSL glossy stains you apply this in 3 applications - first application, let it set, second application, let it set and then the third and final application. They go on wet and as they set they get slightly tacky - not sticky but tacky if that makes sense. The nice part is that the color panel on the packaging is the actual formula so they come out the color they look. I only bought two neutral colors (go figure) in Pink Perseverance and Eternally Nude but really enjoyed both of them.

Now for the bad - I can't for the life of me understand why L'Oreal doesn't seal their lip products. The idea of someone swatching or using the product before I buy it really skeeves me out. Given that it is a gloss you can't even tell if someone has been all up in it :-/ That is probably the biggest issue for me...

Liquid Eyeliner Woes

 Am I the only person in the world that has issues with liquid eyeliner? No matter what the brand they all seem to fail me. Let me first start by saying I have small eyelids so lining my lids is a challenge to begin with. I can never seem to get the perfect line that I hope to. Perhaps my hand is too unsteady? I currently have in my collection:

- Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Liner
- L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liner
- Maybelline Master Duo Liner
- Urban Deacy 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

I can't say I am in love with any of them. I try to love liquid liner but it always falls short no matter what the brand. I also tend to think that black liquid liner is intense of a look for everyday wear (on me - on others it looks great).


Any suggestions for a good liquid liner? Technique? Colors?