Make Up Forever: Mist and Fix

Hi everyone! So, I've been trying the Make Up Forever: Make Up Fixer Mist for about two weeks now and I will be giving you all my thoughts on it today! I purchased this in the deluxe sample size which contains 25ml of product for $15CAD in Sephora.

Product Description (from makeupforever.com)
"This light and comfortable mist seals the makeup and keeps it in place by coating the skin with a weightless and invisible film. The mist provides a continuous protection for the makeup and skin against external attacks (pollution, temperature variations...by creating a colorless and imperceptible shield made from active hydrating ingredients"

I would say it definitely kept my makeup in place on all the occasions I applied this mist. Even after several hours of school and playing a bit of frisbee with my friends in the field with some minor sweating, my make up did not budge at all when I got home. It does feel weightless as if you didn't apply the mist at all but product is very effective! Very impressed!

It also claims to "increase hydration by 40% after 2 hours" - I can't say if it does but it for sure hydrates my face and gives me a dewy look throughout the day. Also very pleased with this because my face is extremely dry!

It is alcohol free - which is always a plus. :)

However, I would say it is pricey for the amount of product you get. I usually apply two to three sprays on my face to set my make up and that is quite a bit of product from the bottle. I don't apply this product everyday because I don't think its necessary unless it's going to be a long and hot day, the product will for sure run out in 1 to 2 months if I did. Another way to use the mist is to spray it on your brushes (Eyeshadow, foundation, powder...), it acts as a activator and gives better application of the product.

Overall, i really enjoyed using this product. I think I will try more different sprays first before deciding if I want to purchase this again. There are quite a few similar sprays out there, such as MAC's fix plus or Urban Decay mist or NYX spray which is only $8CAD...Will definitely do an update if I found better alternative.

L'Oreal True Match Mineral: Gentle Mineral Powder

What it claims

"Experience up to 16 hours of true-to-you colour with no oil break through. True Match® presents a new gentle mineral powder that provides a soft, matte complexion."

"Oil absorption increases over time, leaving skin mattified and shine-free throughout the day. Skin looks cleaner and healthier over time."

Price: $12.99 CAD (on sale)

Packaging: 4/5

There is 9 grams/ 0.31oz of product which is pretty standard for powders.

The powder comes in a sleek squared shape plastic compact with a sponge in the lower compartment. The lower compartment contains a large sized mirror - perfect for touch ups. The sponge is very good quality compared to all the other drugstore compact powders that come with sponges.  

The only downside is how the compact opens up. Inside of lifting the top, you need to lightly squeeze the sides to free the unlocking mechanisms. This could be a good thing if you keep this in your purse as this locking mechanism can prevent the lid from opening. 

Texture & Coverage: 4/5

The pigmentation you get is definitely lighter than what you see in the pan. I got mine in N3 (natural buff), it looked a little too dark in the pan to me but when I swatched it, it matched quite well. The powder is no way near full coverage, depending on the tool used you can probably build it up to a full medium coverage. If you cannot find your perfect shade, the powder can still work for you since the powder offers light-medium coverage. Make sure you know how to tell whether you have a warm, cool or neutral skin tone, this will make shade selection a lot easier.

The texture does not feel chalky or powdery at all. The powder is very finely milled and velvety but not pressed too firm so when a brush is used, be aware that there will be powder landing on the sides of the pan when swirling the brush to get the product.

Blendability: 4/5

The blendability of this powder is superior compared to other drugstore powders, I would have to say the blendability is comparable to the Revlon Nearly Naked Powder. If used with a brush, the powder is undetectable if blended thoroughly along with a moisturized base. 

Longevity: 3.5/5

As for the claims of being able to wear 16 hours with no oil breakthrough, I'd have to say that after a good 6 hour wear, oil did start seeping through but if a touch up is added throughout the day it can definitely last up to 12 hours. At the 6 hour mark, the powder still stayed in place, did not break down in a blotchy mess. 

** this powder does contain talc, so if you are allergic to talc beware.

Luminizers: Stila and Benefit REVIEW

As someone who has a dry and matt face all year round, I am always on the look for luminizers or highlighters that can give me a dewy look.You might know from my previous post that I've tried the Bare Minerals READY Luminizer Duo, which is a really really great product but today I will be sharing and comparing two really popular, not exactly new, liquid luminizers/highlighters - the stila all over shimmer liquid luminizer ($26CAD) and the benefit high beam luminescent complexion enhancer ($32CAD).

One thing I like about both products being in liquid form is that you can easily mix it with your foundation. If you mix it to your foundation you can get a dewy look all over your face and the foundation and the luminizer can blend really well with each other. 

Application

Both products are applied using a small brush that's kind of like a nail polish brush, some people don't like that very much and prefer a pump instead, but I guess it's just really personal preference. Personally, I don't mind the brush and it's easy to apply the luminizer in streaks to areas you want to highlight and then blend it out (like your nose bridge). This will give a regional dewy look on certain areas on your face you want to highlight.

Colour

The stila all over shimmer luminizer have 3 shades and I got mine in pink shimmer. The benefit high beam luminizer have only one shade. Both are really similar because I like it with a tint of pink rather than bronzy/brown tone. I would say the all over shimmer is more on the pearly white/pink side of the spectrum where as the high beam is more on the light coral/pink side. Nonetheless, both colors are very similar, so when you apply and blend it out the colors are pretty much the same. 

Shine

One of the differences between the two luminizer is that the stila all over shimmer luminizer have a more glittery shine, where as the high beam highlighter have a pearly shine. When applying the stila luminizer, using too much product can make you face look really glittery like a disco ball. 

Texture

The stila luminizer is more watery which I really like, it makes it a lot easier to blend and to work with, For the benefit high beam, it thicker and it leaves streak marks if you don't work fast and it would be really hard to blend the marks out afterwards. 

There is a 6 dollars price difference between the two luminizers/highlighters for the same amount of product (almost, stila one has 0.05oz more product than the benefit one). I like them both for different reasons but I think both do the job quite well, giving a dewy but not too shiny look. If you tried either one (or both) tell me it works for you!

Spring time florals

Hello everybody! Sorry it's been a while, been in a cave studying for my finals...but I'm back! Now that it's spring, rain is pouring but flowers are also blooming, so what's better than wearing some bright florals to brighten up the weather? I want to share with you some new pieces of spring clothing...and as you can probably guess, I'm in love with florals righht now! They are so spring and summer friendly and I just love the really clean and fresh look..

From SIRENS and FOREVER21

Another thing I'm loving are the rompers! They're so comfy and they look super cute and girly, you can rock it with flats, heels, flip flops..anything! You got your spring/summer wardrobe yet? 

Elf Haul

Elf is one of the cheapest online make up brands and I love it. People say you get what you pay for but I have to say some Elf products are amazing for it's price and comparable to higher end products. Some people are very against drugstore products but I think some of them are really good (and they're affordable!). Recently did a Elf haul and I will share the things I really like and things that I don't like...

things that I would buy again (yay):

One. Elf Nail Polish (new and improved formula) - $2.00CAD - Awesome, consistent, like it even more than Sally Hansen.

Two. Elf 32-Piece Geometric Eyeshadow Palette - I believe this one is $12.00CAD and I got it for half price. Don't expect too much from it but I still think it's really good if you just want to play around and experiment different things. Some colors can be really powdery and some not, but overall it's not bad for it's price.

Baked Eyeshadow Palette

32-Piece Geometric Eyeshadow Palette

Three. Baked Eyeshadow Palette - $10.00CAD Have really really pretty colours but you will probably need to use it with a wet brush to get some color on.

Four. Gel Liner - $3.00CAD, A lot of people say its indistinguishable from the MAC Fluidline $16.00CAD, personally haven't tried the MAC one, but I'm loving this one and it works for me (I even got 3 different colors and maybe more....)

Five. Cream Eyeshadow - $3.00CAD Definitely a must get. 

Six. Eyeliner and Shadow sticks - $3.00CAD

..And the things I wouldn't buy again (nay):

One. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen - $2.00CAD DO NOT get this. This is like a poor quality felt tip pen from a stationary store that runs out of ink after 5 seconds. 

Two. Studio Lip stain - $3.00CAD Wears off super easily.. and I don't like the packaging with the gloss and stain on separate sides. After a while your 'gloss' tube won't be 'glossy' anymore from using the brush right after you use the stain..

Three. Mascara Primer- $3.00CAD Useless primer, don't really see any difference if I use it or not.

I didn't include those I didn't particularly like or dislike because I'm not sure what I can say about them. If you wanna do some shopping now.. www.eyeslipsface.com

Bare Minerals

Got some new products from Bare Minerals! Bought the Bare Minerals READY Luminizer Duo with 2 shades - The Love Affair and The Shining Moment. Really want to try this but haven't got the chance to yet.. (there isn't any occasion to do so when its exam season). It's pricey but they also gave me 2 free sample products. First one is the Lash Domination Mascara in 15ml (sample size) which is perfect for travelling. It claims to be a lot of things (volumizing, lengthening, thickening, lifting, smudge free, clump free, flake free, all day wear) but I'll have to see about that. The second one is the Prime Time Foundation Primer in original, also in 15ml. I played around with this one and it takes some time for it to dry but it really smooths out any flaws or patches for better foundation application. Really happy with what they gave me and excited to try them out! :)