{Review}: Buxom Show Some Skin Weightless Foundation

Buxom 

Show Some Skin Weightless Foundation

{Sephora, $34}

This foundation is the bomb.com {#isthatsayingoutyet? #istillsayitalot}!  I have been trying and trying to find a foundation that covers my discoloration/redness while still giving the appearance of bare skin or at least eliminating the caked-on look.  I received this foundation as a sample when I purchased a new Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil at Sephora about a month ago.  The sample alone was super fab – it came in a booklet style package that opened up and provided four different shades of samples.  The sample alone lasted me a whole work week {5 days}.  After the last day of use, I was almost going through withdrawals when I had to go back to my L’Oreal, {sorry, I still love you} due to my Sephora being out of stock of the shade I needed when I went to purchase.  

I ordered it from Sephora.com and it came fairly quickly.  The shade I chose is “Dim the Light”.  First of all, I was surprised I needed this shade when testing the samples.  It is the second to lightest shade they offer, and although it is the end of winter, AKA the time I get no sun, I am still usually fairly olive year round.  I don’t know if this reason is because my skin is changing with age, or if their shades are versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of skin tones; either way, if you’re very fair skinned, I would suggest trying to swatch it in store before purchasing just to be sure the color matches.  

I love this foundation because a little goes a long way, it provides light to medium coverage, it is buildable and it long lasting {at least eight hours of wear}.  I also struggle with oxidation issues with a lot of foundations, and I don’t find this one to oxidize.  I will say that the area around my nostrils is the reddest area of my face, and the redness in that area does peek through after a few hours of wear, but this is something I’m willing to live with considering the flawless all over look I get from the foundation.  This foundation also packs a whopping 30 SPF which I find to be quite high for a light coverage foundation.  I will definitely be purchasing a darker shade once the summer settles in and my tan develops, because I truly love this formula.

How I wear this foundation:

Cleanse with Cetaphil cleanser, tone with Aloette Senstitive Skin Toner, moisturize with Clinique Moisture Surger Skin Fortifying Hydrator, apply Benefit POREfessional, apply Benefit “That Gal” Brightening Face Primer, apply foundation with a damp Beauty Blender

I hope this review twisted your arm to go right now and grab yourself some Buxom, if so, I hope you love it, too!

{Review}: NYC City Proof Twistable Intense Lip Color

As much as I’d like to think up a million excuses for why I’ve been MIA on this blog, I’ll just be honest and say I’ve been EXTREMELY busy with my personal side business.  My apologies!!  However, I had to blog about two new products with which I’ve fallen IN LOVE!! 

NYC City Proof Twistable Intense Lip Color

It seems that NYC Cosmetics is really stepping up their game by quickly following suit behind Revlon with their twistable lip colors.  I find these to be most like the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm stains.  I have a few of the Revlon ones – I purchased three at once, applied the shade I favored most in the CVS parking lot immediately after purchasing, wore it for about thirty minutes, and wiped it off.  Ever since, they have sat in my lip product bin in my vanity.  I cannot pinpoint the exact reason why I disliked them, other than the fact that for many of the shades, the color in the tube looks different on the lips.  For instance shade 035 Charm looks like it would be a soft peachy color, even swatched on the hand it has a pretty tone and shine; however, on the lips it looks much more orange and chalky.  The shade 030 Smitten is the opposite.  It looks like it would be a very bold raspberry, but on the lips it is only a hint of color.  They do stain, but the texture wasn’t right for me.  I am actually surprised I decided to purchase one of the NYC colors, as I very much despised the payoff of the Revlon balms.  I had a CVS coupon and needed to spend a few more dollars with my purchase in order to use it, so I grabbed one on impulse.  Man, am I glad I did!  I love them!  My favorite everyday shade is Riverside Rose.  It is just a hint darker than my own lip color and adds shine.  They aren’t sticky, and they don’t stain.  I also think they have pretty good staying power for a balm-like lip color.   THESE ARE AMAZING and the best part is, they are $3.99!!!!

I purchased three colors and I am in love.  The colors I picked up are Riverside Rose, Roosevelt Island Red, and Gramercy Park Plum.  Check out the swatch below for the colors up close.  

I love that the colors are muted, but still the same shade I expect from the color in the tube.  Roosevelt Island Red is a perfect red for those gals {like me} who are a little afraid to go full-on red.  It’s muted, but still adds a pop.  Gramercy Park Plum is a perfect plum shade and I think it could still be worn in spring and summer as an evening shade.  If you haven’t tried these yet, and like lip colors but you’re not in love with lipstick, these balms are for you!

Have a pretty day!

{Review}: Special Edition Tarte 2013 Beauty Without Boundaries Set

With much regret, I must say that the Tarte 2013 Beauty Without Boundaries set was a very big let down.  There are a few products I enjoy, but most of it I really could have lived without. 

I ordered the medium shade because my skin tone is quite olive-ish. 

I was super excited about trying the BB tinted treatment primer most, and it was the most disappointing of all of the products in the set.  

Check out my initial post which includes photos and a link to purchase the 

Tarte set here: {Beauty and the Belle: Tarte 2013 Set }

Flops:

• BB Tinted Treatment Primer:  I moisturize A LOT and twice a day.  The reason for this is the fact that I have combination skin and I tend to get super dry in my T-zone in the am and then get super oily in that area throughout the day.  The BB primer went on SUPER dry and cakey.  I don’t even know how anyone could use it as a primer, because it seriously left my skin looking dry and gross.  I was really looking forward to trying it as a light coverage foundation, and I ended up having to wash my face and re apply my moisturizer before starting over with my everyday foundation {L’Oreal Magic Powder}.
• BB Tinted Undereye Corrector: This product isn’t terrible, but I didn’t really like it much either.  I’ll probably put it in my drawer of products I save for when I’ve run out of something for use.  It is just odd to me that it is a dark color.  I don’t necessarily have dark circles under my eyes, so it wasn’t a product I was overly excited about, but I definitely wasn’t wowed.
• LipSurgence Power Pigment in Awakening: This one isn’t necessarily a flop, but I put it on the flop list because I’m not crazy about the shade.  It looks like it would be a nice rosy pink color, but on, it looks more orange.  I’m not big on lip products, so I’ve only tried it two or three times, but I always end up putting something on top of it because the shade isn’t one I really like alone.

Fabs:

• Lights, Camera, Flashes! Mascara in Black: LOVE this… I will most likely repurchase it when I run out.  It makes my lashes super long.  It also dries pretty quickly.
• Lights, Camera, Flashes! Waterproof Inner Rim Liner in Black: I really like this liner because it glides on effortlessly…. like butter.  It also has great staying power.  The only thing I dislike about it is that it does smudge under my eyes after a few hours of wear.  I find myself constantly checking my mirror to see if I need to remedy that issue.  It doesn’t happen every time I wear it, and it is allergy season, which means itchy and watery eyes – I’m going to keep using it into the fall and see if that issue has just been caused because of the weather.  The pigment is great and it does stay super black for a long period of time.
• Complexion Brush and Undereye Brush: these are great brushes.  Even though I’m not using the BB Tinted Undereye Corrector, I have been using one side of the eye Undereye Brush to apply my banana powder to set my concealer.  The Complexion Brush is nice and fluffy and it can be used all over the face for powder or contouring.  I also like the chevron print on the brushes.
• Makeup Bag: great size and print – Its large, so I plan to use it for overnight toiletries when I go out of town.  It’s a little too big to use as a travel makeup bag for me because I try to condense my products when packing and it is so large that I feel I would be compelled to over pack.  It also doesn’t have any folds, pockets, or inserts to organize makeup and brushes, which I like to do in order to protect my brushes when traveling.

I hope this review helped you decide if the Tarte set is right for you.  As I mentioned in my first post about it, the brushes alone are worth more than the entire kit and I was happy with the mascara and liner as well.  All in all, I don't regret the purchase, I just hoped that the BB primer would wow me.

Have a pretty day!