Tag: foundation review

The Complexion Products I Keep Reaching For

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on The Complexion Products I Keep Reaching For

I was going to do a post about the products I’ve really been using day to day, and once I looked at the list, it was basically all complexion products. These are the ones I kept reaching for because they either work really well with my skin or help balance out products I already have that don’t quite work with my olive undertones. In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

Milk Hydro Grip 12H Hydrating Gel Stick Concealer in 2 – I bought this hoping it would work for my under eyes, and it absolutely does not. On me, it really does not sit well there at all and emphasizes all my texture and lines. But as a spot concealer, I’ve actually been using this a lot more than I expected. It’s close enough to my skin tone (it’s almost a perfect match on my face), it blends in really easily, and it gives me that effect where I can tap a little on something and it just disappears. This was not what I wanted it to be, but it still ended up becoming a product I use all the time. It’s what I always wanted in the Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer but in a good shade for me and works on my dry skin.

Milk Hydro Grip 12H Hydrating Gel Stick Concealer in 2 and Lisa Eldridge Pinpoint Concealer Micro Correcting Pencil in 5.5

Lisa Eldridge Pinpoint Concealer Micro Correcting Pencil in 5.5 – This fills a really similar role for me to the Milk concealer, but in a more precise format. I’ve especially been using it around the outside of my lips after seeing Lisa Eldridge show that trick as a way to naturally created a “lifted lip look”, and now I do it constantly. It just cleans everything up and makes my lips stand out more. I also reach for this if I have one tiny spot or one tiny area I want to perfect. I really like both of these concealers, but this is the one I want when I need more control. I love that Lisa has so many great shades for olive undertones (can confirm this matches my face even though my arm isn’t the same color).

Tfit Translucent Set Finishing Powder in Green – I’ve mostly been avoiding powder because my skin has been so dry and textured lately, but I keep using this anyway. It’s been my go to finishing step when my makeup looks a little off. If my complexion is looking too pink, too red, or just not quite right compared to my neck, this helps pull everything together. If something is clearly too orange, I use blue (more on that next), but if it just looks wrong and I can’t fully tell why, I use this green powder. Especially for the price, I’ve been really impressed with the texture and finish too. I tried to swatch it but it blends in so well with my skin, you can’t see anything.

Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Corrector in Blue – I still use green color corrector for redness, but blue has been the thing that helped me most with foundations and concealers that turn orange on me. I just add a tiny bit to anything that runs too warm, and it pulls it back to something that works a lot better on my skin. I also use this at the end of my complexion steps if my face is still looking too orange compared to my neck. This is one of the most useful products I added this year, and I use it almost every day.

Also, I’m working on a longer post about this, but I want to throw out there that your makeup does not have to match perfectly. It’s okay if it’s a little off, and you don’t have to spend all your time color correcting everything. But if you already have a lot of products that don’t quite work, I really like having one blue corrector I can use instead of buying even more foundations and concealers.

Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin Liquid Foundation in 3W before and after adding Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Corrector in Blue

Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin Liquid Foundation in 3W – This is too orange on me straight from the bottle, but the depth is right, and once I add a little blue corrector, it becomes a much better match. The formula is the reason I keep reaching for it. It sits so nicely on my skin, blends easily, and wears well all day. When I’m not actively testing something else and I just want my makeup to look good without much effort, this is the foundation I grab. I especially like it with the Tower 28 Swipe Serum Concealer in BW from my last post.

What other products would you like me to review? Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog and some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

The Best New to me Products I Tried From the Sephora Sale

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on The Best New to me Products I Tried From the Sephora Sale

I’m taking a small hiatus from the setting spray tournament now that we’ve finished round 1 (but round 2 and 3 coming soon!). Sephora is doing another 20% off sale starting today, so I wanted to share my favorite 5 things I picked up in the last one that were new to me and absolutely worth getting. I forced myself to only pick 5, but let me know if there was anything you wanted to hear about! In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin® Natural Finish Foundation in 3W – One of the first things that immediately impressed me about this foundation is how well it matches my skin tone. I don’t need any green color corrector with it, which feels like a small miracle because I’ve relied on one with so many products. It goes on incredibly lightweight while still evening out my skin in a really seamless way. It never looks like I’ve put on too much makeup. It blends out super easily, takes almost no time to apply, and the finish is very “my skin but better.” I also love that it doesn’t require any extra steps like heavy moisturizers or special primers to look good like some other foundations do with my dry skin. It almost sets on its own right away and has a velvety texture that isn’t sticky at all. I can touch my face before setting without a ton of transfer. This has quickly become my go to when I want something with more coverage than a skin tint without going as heavy as some other foundations.

Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin® Natural Finish Foundation in 3W

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Under Eye Setting Powder in Soft Pink – I’ve been testing so many powders lately. I think I have about 20 to review, about half of which are pink powders. If you want a full deep dive sooner rather than later, let me know in the comments! In my quest to find the best brightening pink powder that works for dull and/or tired-looking skin, I’ve really been enjoying this one. I was never a big fan of the original Laura Mercier loose powder (though to be fair, the last time I tried it was five years ago), but this version is honestly so good. It’s smoothing, lightweight, and noticeably brightening under the eyes without looking dry or powdery. It mattifies just enough while still giving a skin-like finish, and even though it’s marketed as an under-eye powder, I can use it all over my face with no issues. Even with all the other pink powders I’m testing, this is the one I keep reaching for, even more than the original Givenchy powder I loved so much.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush Serum in Dragonfruit

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush Serum in Dragonfruit – I’ve talked about this product a few times before, and I really love the other shades I own, but Dragon Fruit has become my new favorite. It looks like a hot, neon pink in the bottle, but on my skin it sheers out into the prettiest light pink flush. I’ve been using it as a blush base under other products to bring some life back into my face (my almost one year has decided sleep is not for him), but it also works beautifully on its own for that easy no makeup makeup, “I definitely hydrated today” kind of look. It blends out into this natural color that works surprisingly well with my undertones. One of the things I appreciate most about this blue is that my skin doesn’t immediately eat it, which is rare for serum blush formulas on me. It lasts well without getting overly dewy, and it just makes my skin look healthy rather than shiny. I get the smoothest application when I put a little on the back of my hand and load up a brush before stippling, but you can absolutely dot it straight onto your cheeks too.

Eadem Lip Balms in Fig Sauce, Pain au Chocolat, Croissant au Beurre, Boba Bounce, Bissap Glaze, Guava Fresca, and Butter Mochi

Eadem Le Chouchou Exfoliating + Softening Peptide Lip Balm in Fig Sauce – I’ve talked about these balms so many times because they’re genuinely some of my favorite lip products ever. What I wanted to share is that Fig Sauce is such a good color. It’s a super pretty milky rosy brown that ends up being the perfect everyday shade. I usually go for deeper and more brown colors because of my high-contrast olive complexion, but this one still works so well. It’s flattering, easy, and very much a “throw it on without a mirror” situation. The formula is incredible, the scent is amazing, and I haven’t met a shade I didn’t like. I’m so happy to have another one in my collection, and I highly recommend them if you’ve been curious. I still love the shimmery ones (Pain au Chocolat and Coissant au Beurre), Boba Bounce, Bissap Glaze, Guava Fresca, and Butter Mochi, but Fig Sauce has definitely become one of my favorite day-to-day colors.

JVN Complete Hydrating Air Dry Hair Styling Cream – I don’t talk about hair care very often because it’s such a personal category and not one I consider myself an expert in, but sometimes something impresses me so much that I have to share. The JVN Complete Air Dry Cream is absolutely one of those products. I’ve never had something that I can apply to towel-dried hair and have it dry into something voluminous, defined, and genuinely good looking with zero effort. My waves stay intact, my hair keeps its shape for days, and it never feels heavy, crunchy, or weighed down. Plus, it smells great. The brand says it provides “touchable hold that lets your natural texture shine,” and that’s actually true. Most air-dry or leave-in products just don’t work for me, but this one has been such a standout that I had to include it.

What other products would you like me to review? Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.