Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact Foundation

I haven't really used many cream foundations, generally going for liquid or sometimes gel. But everytime, cream foundations work so well on my skin, and I use them completely up, it's a wonder I don't use them more (although I do admit I like to rotate my face bases). Browsing through the videos on youtube by Chanel featuring Lisa Eldridge, I couldn't help but continually thinking about the Vitalumiere Aqua Compact, so I when I was in the city the other day, I felt that is was due time based on the weather rotation for a new cream foundation. 

My first Chanel foundation ever, and it just happens to be Rae's (from Raeview) favourite foundation by Chanel too! The reason why I like cream foundations is they're so smooth, easy to apply and they're hydrating too. On the downside, if you don't take care of the compact, it can get dirty easily, but that can be fixed with using disposable sponges. As far as the Chanel compact packaging itself goes, it feels relatively sturdy, the mirror inside is pretty average. I've read around that the cover inside has a tendency to pop up which might make for issues of drying out the cream, and I can see where people are coming from. But when the compact is closed, the cover seems to be snug and is helped to be kept down with the sponge included. These are also refillable, at least in certain countries (I didn't find out for sure for Australia though, but I know the UK sells the refills). 

left to right, without flash: one swipe, two swipes, blended

With Flash

Sunlight

This foundation swipes on really creamily. Really creamily. But it doesn't feel too oily or slippy! I got the shade B30 (when I went to Myer, they had run out of my shade, and then the lady tried to sell me the darker shade 40, saying "you don't need a lot and just blend it completely out anyway". .. what is the point of foundation and different shades then?!), which matches pretty damn well. Probably one of the best matches that I've had and it really blends easily into the skin which is most likely what helps it looks like your skin is naturally luminous. The coverage is about medium, but you can easily go lighter and maybe add a bit more coverage. The thing with cream foundations is that it's harder to layer it, but this is in exchange for hydration. This doesn't cling to any dry patches on my skin at all and it does help to make my dull skin look fresh.

Beauty Base Zero

With Vitalumiere Aqua Compact

Finished Makeup

I love the feel of this on my skin and can really see why it's so popular. It feels incredibly light, but evens out my skintone quite well too. It won't cover any major blemishes or anything, but it does smooth out your face and makes a fantastic base. I really think one of the best features of this cream foundation is that it really does blend so easily into the skin, it's the type of foundation that makes it look like you have naturally good, smooth skin. I mean, considering the price though, you would hope it would be. But I've heard that Chanel foundations are heavily underrated, but you put in the pennies, you're going to get a decent product, right?

For a first-ever Chanel foundation, I am really pleased with my pick. My skin is around normal, maybe a tiny bit dry, maybe a tiny bit oily depending on the season, but it's pretty much settled into normal. So I don't get many blemishes, but I have a lot of old acne scars so a bit of a problem with texture and dullness too. So this really helps to make my skin look healthy. The spf15 in this doesn't cause a white cast either, but a low spf in a product is always good. Overall, I'm liking this foundation so far, one of the best cream foundations I have tried too.

I purchased this from David Jones for AU$100.

August Favourites 2013: The Convenience Month

Good lord, this year is going by so quick, how the hell is it already September? But I'm sort of glad for it, I just want to be done with uni for the year and then settle slowly into Christmas celebrations already. This month really has not been all that kind, what with my studies finally coming in full swing, losing a job, having to baby sit a very needy cat (and he's still here) and dance exams. So maybe it's good, we're finally shooting off into the final third of the year. 

I didn't have a huge range of favourites this month, everything seems so busy. So most of the products were really for convenience, a helping to look polished really easily. I only included one skin care product this month, and I used it when I could, just for an extra helping for my skin so it doesn't get too out of whack.

Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick in Natural Beige (220)
I mentioned this product in a previous post, and I'm not too sure that this can be counted as a favourite. I more used this just for convenience, but considering I basically used it every single day since I purchased it, I thought I could put it into my favourites. It's very easy to apply, just strategically place a couple war stripes on your face and blend with your fingers. Kind of true of all Maybelline foundations I've tried though, it seems to just not quite blend and more sit on top of your skin. The lasting power isn't too great either, but it provides enough coverage and you can carry it with you for a touch up during the day.

Shiro Cosmetics Fatality Finishing Powder
I am quite impressed with this setting powder. It is so finely milled, has a very faint but pleasant scent to it, and really does it's job. It sets your face without making it too matte, but will keep the oilies at bay and just makes your skin feel nice. No bad words about this one, Shiro the Indie cosmetics company did a great job formulating this bad boy and at such a great price too.

Maybelline Color Tattoo by Eyestudio 24hr eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe (35)
This was the first color tattoo I ever got, and it was purchased by my lovely brother for my birthday. I never really wore it much though, as it looked a bit dull on my eyes by itself, and not generally the shade of eyeshadow base I would reach for. But I saw posts online saying that Tough as Taupe worked brilliantly for filling in your brows, and I figured, hey, that makes sense, it is matte and quite ashy... So  I tried it out and good god why did it take me so long. I've never had brows better or more polished. The only thing is, is that it is a tad bit too grey for my colouring and my hair colour too. To combat this, I just top off my brows with Anastasia Beverly Hills Coloured Brow Gel in Graphite and there we have it. Perfect, sculpted brows all day.

Private affair palette first four shades

Lorac Private Affair Palette, shades 1, 2, 3, 4

This is what has really been helping me look quite altogether. Just a quick brush of any one of the extremely buttery shades helps perk up my eyes and make me a tad bit prettier. I usually just go for the third shade in the palette, but any of the first four can work well on my skin tone. I didn't really reach for the last two darker colours, just because they're a bit more "nighttime" than my everyday look, but any combination of the shades in the palette work well together. My favourite being shade 3 all over the lid, shade four in the inner corner and a tad bit of shade 5 in the outer v.

Maybelline Illegal Length  mascara in Blackest Black

Well, isn't Maybelline getting a lot of love this month? I've always been a tad bit curious about this mascara ever since they released it, as I do love fiber mascaras, and so I finally picked it up when Priceline had 50% off all Maybelline products. And really, this is a pretty decent mascara. Separates and the fibers really help to lengthen. It gives a really cute dolly look. There is not a whole heap of volume though and I've noticed that it can wear off a bit during the day, but I can always touch up and there isn't any flaking or that much smudging. 

Mario Badescu Whitening Mask

I'm quite the fan of Mario Badescu products, I think their Acne Facial Cleanser is what really helped turn my skin around. This face mask is said to "brighten up uneven or dull skin" and I really do think it helps, I can see changes straight after using it. It is smooth and creamy, smells really, really nice (almost like grape) and drys on your face like a clay mask. Keep it on for ten minutes and wash it off with warm water, there you have brighter, more even skintone.

So that's it! That's all I have for this month. Really, a month of mostly drugstore and convenience products that have just really help me to pull it all together in a timely manner. 

Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick: First Impression

Oh, hello again, Maybelline. I kept seeing this product in a number of videos from the US and while I have mentioned that I'm not a big fan of Maybelline products as the majority do not seem to work for me, I do very much enjoy the idea of a stick foundation. And so I ventured onto eBay to find the possible shade I wanted, as the Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick is not currently available in Australia. After skulking through a number of blogs with swatches of the stick foundation, I decided that the most suited one to my NC25-30 skintone would be Natural Beige (220): the lightest of the medium shades with a yellow-toned outer ring gel stick, and a pink-toned anti-shine core. 

This product has a powder core that will dissolve excess oil and says to provide a natural matte finish. When I first applied this product, it was a tad sticky, as you would except from, well, a foundation stick. But as I began to blend it with my fingers, it blended around and on the skin so amazingly smoothly, as you can feel from the effect of the powder core. However, I get the same effect in the end that I usually get from Maybelline foundations where the foundation will have a tendency to sit on top of the skin, rather than blend a bit more naturally into the skin. It does however give the natural matte finish as it promises, and it is very easy to apply. The coverage is only about light to medium, putting another layer of the foundation on doesn't really seem to add to the level of coverage.

Left to right, with flash: core swatch, outer gel, whole swatch of the stick

Same, but without flash

This shade seems to be the tiniest bit light, but because it does blend out so well, it's barely noticeable. Especially considering I have slightly oily skin, foundations (especially drugstore foundations) have a tendency to oxidise a bit on me, so it works out well in the end. This product does not feel heavy at all on the skin, it barely feels as if you're wearing base. And mainly due to the texture of this foundation, it might be a nifty idea to purchase this in a couple shades below and a couple shades above so you can contour with it too!

Considering the size of the product, you do not really get a whole lot for the price, I was actually quite surprised how compact the stick was when my package arrived. But I guess that adds to the feature that you can apply it on-the-go as it would fit nicely in your bag. I do like the design of the packaging though, I am quite a fan of the typology of this entire line, but it should be noted that the lid is a tad bit loose for my liking.

So far, I'm still a bit skeptical about this product, mainly because I thought the coverage would be a bit heavier, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of applying this product. I'll be curious to know the lasting wear of this product, but I can see that it will be easy to reapply during the day, due to the easy on-the-go fit-in-your-hand size!

Bourjois Affair

To say the least, I was not a fan of Bourjois. Granted, the reason being that my sole and first product that I owned by them broke me out (Blush Sculpting Duo Effect was the culprit), but this made me reluctant to try out anymore Bourjois products. However, with all the hype with their products and especially their foundations, I caved and introduced the Healthy Balance Unifying Powder into my growing collection when I decided I needed to have a new powder. (And they did have a lovely GWP that further convinced me that ended up including a damn good mascara and an eyeliner.) Unfortunately for me, I liked it. A whole lot. So I ended up purchasing the liquid sister Healthy Mix Foundation to use as an everyday foundation. Well, that would seem like an adequate amount, right? I couldn't help myself again, especially when I was lucky enough to find the Flower Perfection Youth Extension Foundation in my shade (one left!) at Target for almost half price.

Healthy Mix in Beige (54)

I'm quite pleased with this product, pretty much like everyone else that has bought it. I ended up not getting the serum version of this foundation as I have slightly oily skin, so I thought this would be more suited. It blends very nicely and gives a satin (more matte) finish and the coverage I would say is about medium. Very good for everyday wear, and smells good too!

Healthy Balance in Light Beige (53)

My first dip back into the Bourjois world after my terrible first encounter. I kept tossing up between shade 53 and 54 and in the end decided on 53, because, well, I would prefer a powder being too light rather than too dark. It would be easier to darken it to match with some bronzer. Really, really, really glad I got this product. When I first opened it, I, of course, took a whiff and I'm pleased to say it smells like fruity cake, but not too overpowering. The coverage on this powder is amazing and it lasts for ages. It looks so good on my skin and gives me that clean look without looking flat. Even better, it keeps the oilies at bay. Definitely a well worth it purchase.

Flower Perfection in Light Beige (53)

I'm pretty sure this is the highest coverage foundation with a matte finish that Bourjois offers. I will say it does dry out my skin the slightest bit, so it would definitely work better for summer, but nothing a bit of good moisturizing beforehand can't fix. This foundation feels incredibly smooth on the skin, and the packaging comes with a little sponge in the lid. I wouldn't recommend the sponge for application (germs and what not with not being able to chuck it), but I apply most foundations with my fingers anyway then blend a bit with either a brush or a sponge. The lasting power for this one, I feel, is even better than the Healthy Mix, given that the Healthy Mix can last a work day. This would be good for going out, especially where there are pictures due to the matte finish. If you were to purchase this foundation, probably go a shade up from your regular as I did, as this tends to run dark. 

left to right: Healthy Mix, Healthy Balance, Flower Perfection without flash

With Flash

Blended, without flash

Blended, with flash

It was very wise for me to give Bourjois another chance, but probably not so for my pocket. Bourjois is one of the more expensive 'drugstore' brands, if you count it as a drugstore brand (well, it's not high-end). As I mentioned in the intro, I've also tried their Clubbing Eyeliner and Volumizer Mascara and daaaang they are good. So I guess it can be better to give things a second chance. I've already got my eyes on some of their blushes.