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!

Why you should always read the instructions: Nanoblur Update

So just a quick update: I finally got around to using nanoblur by Indeed Laboratories (that I hauled in this post) as a primer and I hated it. Immensely. Don't get me wrong, it really does what it says in minimizing the look or pores and wrinkles almost instantly, that part I do like. But the texture does feel a bit heavy on the skin, and should have forseen this being an issue when applying foundation on top.

left to right with flash: nanoblur, Bourjois flower perfection, nanoblur blended, flower perfection blended, flower perfection on top of nanoblur 

same, just in sunlight

(Please excuse the phone quality pictures)

So in the photos, I included what a swipe nanoblur looks like blended and unblended, as well as my usual go-to foundation at the moment: Bourjois flower perfection in light beige (53). The last swatch is what it looks like when you apply your foundation on top of the nanoblur. Literally looks like something akin to latex paint on your face. It made my foundation so thick and just sit on top and not blend whatsoever, just smeared everything. I was so horrified, I washed everything off. But, of course, I had to make sure it wasn't just the way I applied everything, so I tried it again, but with a lot less foundation. And I still got the same effect, just not to the same extent of course, cause, less foundation. But hoo boy, this was not pleasing. 

I wanted this to work so badly, especially cause I love the effect that it gives on the skin, if only I could have coverage too... 

Now, here's where I should apologise to Indeed Laboratories because I did not read the instructions properly at all. I read correctly that this product is not make up, but I thought I saw that you should apply this product before your makeup, i.e. like I wanted as a primer. Just heard what I wanted to hear, hey?

So I guess this post was just to warn people to read the instructions not to use this as a primer like I did, but apply it after your makeup for a nice polishing. Which, for the record, I did do, after I reread the tube. And while it still gives the effect of smoothing out wrinkles and minimizing pores, it is not as much so as with bare skin. The texture also feels a bit sticky after applying over foundation too.

It should be noted, though, that I did try using this as a primer again, and merely put on some mineral powder foundation on top, and that seemed to work a treat. Minimized wrinkle, minimized pores and lovely coverage too? Well, I guess I found what I wanted. So little tip there to anyone that wanted to use nanoblur as a primer too, a finely milled powder foundation will give a nicer effect than liquid. 

In the end, this product does deliver, make sure to read how to use this, and enjoy a lovely smooth, wrinkle free, tiny-pored face!

If you love me, let me go, back to my boring Tokyo

I don't own many NARS products, but everything I have by them has always been so quality and never let me down. I only have one other eyeshadow duo by NARS in Portobello, a neutral duo, so when I was browsing strawberrynet I decided that the I couldn't go pass the quality of NARS eyeshadows and Tokyo was what my choice came down to.

The left side is a shimmering (I-guess-you-could-call-a) white-gold colour and looks wonderful on my NC25-30 skin. On the eyes, it swatches a bit more sheer, but it looks so lovely and with just the right amount of shimmer and subtlety, making it have more of a pearl finish rather than a frost. The right side is a lavender shimmer with a tad bit of blue to it. It has a nice lilac quality to it, which makes a bit more dressy but it applies like a satin finish on the eyes.

There were not a whole lot of reviews or swatches about this particular duo, I guess you could say it's because you could find these shades relatively easily... But there's something nice and special about these colours. Of course, these colours match very well together, but it doesn't offer quite enough pigment as I was hoping. Maybe applied over a taupe or purple coloured base these shades could get their full effect, but for a softer clear-eyes look, this duo is perfect. 

July Favourites 2013

Ah, the height of winter, and yet, strangely, this month I have been reaching for items that are a bit more summery.It's a tad unusual for me to be consistently grabbing for the same products as I like to rotate my usage, but there have been a few items that have stood out to me and I can't seem to part from. It could be that watching all these beauty vloggers from the UK and America have got me revving up on some hot weather colours, but these are my favourites for the month.

Bourjois Flower Perfection foundation in light beige (53)
The moment I got this product,I have not stopped using it. Almost everyday I will reach for this lovely base, I love the texture, love the coverage and the finish. I thought I used to love very liquid-y type foundations, but they sometimes give too matte of a finish. This one comes out of the pump in a little dollop and I suppose you could call it relatively thick, but it just spreads so evenly on the face, lasts a whole working day and offers a neat satin finish. I like this foundation even more than the Healthy Mix.

BYS Blusher Trio in Endless Summer
Well, now, doesn't the name of this blush speak volumes. I'm not generally a fan of BYS, simply because in my atrocious high-schools make up stage, BYS was the way to go, but when I popped into Gloss Accessories one day to pick up some face wipes, the gorgeous colours just caught my eye. A deep pink colour, a shimmery blood orange shade and a raspberry shade, these blushes seem to work for Summer as the name implies. But I have been loving these on my face this Winter month as they look like naturally flushed skin, akin to that of being in snowy weather. I'm quite pleased with the longevity of this trio too, I may dip back into some BYS products and it won't break the bank either.

3 Concept Eyes Highlighter
I got this highlighter quite a while ago but never really thought I had the opportunity to use it much. On the website, it looks so glorious in photos, but you can tell that it's quite pigmented. But my face needed a little perk with a highlighter and this is the one I reached for. A light hand is not even really necessary, just tap off the excess before applying and the light pink with a blue sheen makes you look quite lit incandescently. Gorgeous highlighter, but it should be noted that this is more friendly to the night out.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Coloured Brow Gel in Granite
I have, how-you-say thin eyebrows but thick hairs? What I mean is, while my eyebrows are thick hairs, relatively full and also naturally black, they look quite light. As well as being a bit out of place, the front half tends to stick up while the tail seems to comb downwards. So with all the vocality about this brand in general, I though this would be a good way to both tame and tint my brows. And this is exactly that, perfect. The gel is not too dark and it really lasts all day without your eyebrows feeling crunchy, even better, it helps any brow powder I use last longer too. Definitely a staple; I don't know what I would do without this now.

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Oil
This has so much love from me. It is the first facial oil I've ever purchased (besides bio-oil) and I love this. It just makes my skin look better overall, scars are less obvious and breakout seemed to have subsided a bit. I've been using this every night since I got it, but I feel like I've been a bit more reliant on this product especially for the winter months. I've even been using this in the morning to add extra moisture and I don't know if I can live without this product anymore.

TIGI BedHead Stick Wax
Due to bleaching and dying my hair so much and relatively frequently, my hair breaks off quite a bit... Even at the top of my head, breaks off about a sad inch from the top resulting in hairs sticking up like crazy. So I've been reaching for this wonderful stick wax more and more to stick those pesky hairs down and even make the parting in my hair cleaner. This doesn't feel too heavy once you brush it through, it, of course, works really well and is easy to apply. The only thing is that it has a sort of strong herbally smell to it, so this might not be for everyone, but I can't notice the scent once applied.

Schwarzkopf Normal Balance Express Repair Leave In Conditioner
My hair saver. When I first got this product I wasn't a super big fan, but my hair was a bit dry and not wanting to weigh it down with another serum or leave in conditioner cream, I went for this spray and it was such a good choice. It leaves my hair soft and shiny, tames flyaways, and just improves the health of my hair overall. Love it, definitely recommend for those that want lightweight conditioning and shiny, healthy hair.

Left to right: Flower Perfection, Blusher Trio, Highlighter

Coloured Brow Gel

Most likely, the majority of these products will continue being favourites, I think I discovered a couple staples this month, perhaps even HG products. I really love to shop my own stash and good lord, it really paid off this month. Hopefully these products will stay in my good graces and maybe eventually make an empties post.