10 Best Natural Foundations

Product Sent for Review Affiliate Links I Bought It Myself


With the advances being made in makeup, it is getting easier and easier to get perfect, flawless and natural looking skin, no matter how what your skin issue. I've pulled together some of my favorite foundations, they range from super light to full coverage, they come at almost every price point, but they all blend out to look very natural.

1. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup (review): This foundation blends very easily, and you can layer it to go from a light/medium coverage up to full.

2. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer (review): This is the lightest coverage of the bunch, it is super light. This is just enough coverage to even out my skin in the summer time, many of my friends use it when they're tan.

3. L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Makeup: This foundation comes in a great variety of shades and it seems to work for almost everyone. It is a medium coverage but layers to increase the coverage easily.

4. Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation (review): This foundation is a light medium coverage, there's a bit of shimmer to make it more radiant.

5. Too Faced Cocoa Powder Foundation: I just started using this, and it is super easy to vary the amount of coverage with this foundation! Just use a smaller or bigger brush.

6. Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation (review): A medium to full coverage foundation, the coverage can be varied with wetting down the sponge you're applying with.

7. Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation (review): Similar to the Urban Decay, but I think a little lighter coverage.

8. Revlon Colorstay Foundation: This is every makeup artist's drugstore pick, at least from the interviews I conduct! It's definitely a great one to try out is you have combination or oily skin.

9. L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder (review): This is great in the summer, it is super lightweight and when you apply the liquid turns into a very light layer of powder.

10. CoverGirl TruBlend Liquid Makeup (review): This is my favorite drugstore foundation. It blends very easily for medium coverage.


Product Sent for Review Affiliate Links I Bought It Myself

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15 Great Shine Fighters: The Best Products to Help You Mattify

Product Sent for Review Affiliate Links I Bought It Myself


It's the middle of the summer, which means my face is a big shiny mess. Make is melting off by mid-day, and there's definitely a lot of oil. Unless I take measures to prevent the oily skin and mattify! There are a lot of great products out there to help, here are some of my favorites.

Primers

1. Korres Pomegranate Mattifying Primer
2. Milk of Magnesia
3. MAC Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone Treatment
4. Make Up For Ever All Mat
5. Cargo HD Picture Perfect Mattifier
6. NYX Shine Killer

Powders

7. Mattify Cosmetics Mattify ULTRA Powder (Pink Sith's Review)
8. Make Up For Ever Super Matte Loose Powder
9. Dior Airflash Matte Touch (spray on powder)
10. Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder

Sprays

11. Ben Nye Final Seal
12. Urban Decay De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray
13. NYX Matte Finish Makeup Setting Spray

Blotting Papers

14. Clean & Clear, Clear Touch Oil-Absorbing Sheets
15. Tatcha Aburatorigami Japanese Beauty Papers




If you're not sure how to use all of these products to make your face matte, go check out my post on eBay, Avoiding Shine: Tips and Tricks to Mattify Your Face!

Product Sent for Review Affiliate Links I Bought It Myself

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Top 10 Tuesday: My Favorite Cream Cosmetics

Product Sent for Review



A quick peek at some of my favorite cream products and my favorite post where I've reviewed or used them (though I think I haven't mentioned the Cover FX before).

1. Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil: Super pigmented, it's easy to just put a little right where you need it and blend with a finger. I usually wear FBI.

2. Stila Convertible Color in Lillium: I need to repurchase this since I'm almost out, but this has been my go-to blush this summer.

3. Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation: Cover GX does a great job with skin tones, and I swear that it looks so natural! (I wear N20)

4. NARS Multiple in Copacabana: The perfect highlighter

5. NARS Multiple in Orgasm: The cream version of my favorite splurge blush

6. Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Pink Plum: Another great cream blush that I turn to often. I apply with a brush.

7. IT Cosmetics Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Luminizer: My new favorite highlighter for my cheek bones, it catches just enough light.

8. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Mushroom: Super easy to use as a liner or a shadow, it lasts all day.

9. Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow in Matte Navy Blue: My fave dark smoky eye!

10. CoverGirl Flamed Out Shadow Pencil in Lime Green Flame: I'm looking for an excuse to use this one again.







Product Sent for Review

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The Favorite Products of Beauty Experts: Kassie Coleman

Nothing to Disclose

1. Phillips Milk of Magnesia combined with Monistat Chafing Gel - These two together creates the perfect primer especially for runway.

2. Benefit's She-Laq - this products helps to seal eyeshadows, lip colors, mascara, and even brows; It comes with a pouch of little brushes to help apply the liquid to any of the above areas for a sure stay.

3. Mahya Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Cashmere - This eyeshadow color is made of natural minerals and has lots of pop to it. It helps to create a most glamourous eye.

4. Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix Spray - This product can be used to help set a makeup look as well as help affix eyeshadow with a very small drop to your brush. Works perfect for brides.

5. Make Up For Ever Aqua Eye Pencils - Any of the colors from this collection goes on bold and holds. It's waterproof and definitely works.

6. MAC Eye Kohl pencils - These pencils are great for creating a smudged look or even an easy smokey eye. They simply glide on.

7. Urban Decay 24/7 Lip Pencil in Ozone - Simply amazing! This pencil helps to stop feathering of your bold lip colors. You simply line your lips with this clear pencil and it's like magic. No runny lip!

8. MAC Matte or Make Up For Ever Matte Gel - Either of these products works wonders for those with oily skin. They can even double up to create a matte lip from any sheen lipstick.

9. Mary Kay Burnished Bronze cheek color (not pictured, couldn't find a picture)- This color is perfect for bronzing on dark skin as well as contouring on someone with a lighter complexion. Gives major uses with this one product.


Kassie Coleman
Professional makeup artist, Kassie Coleman, began her journey over 10 years ago in the entertainment and beauty industry. Being founder of Kassie’s Kreations, the self-educated artist followed her heart & began to “play in makeup” while assisting the lead stylist of a small Dallas beauty salon. Since then, she’s developed a keen eye for creating beautiful artwork for the runway, weddings, and other various fashion events. With her outgoing personality and tremendous talent, Kassie is sought after for photo shoots, print campaigns, as well as celebrities for red carpet events. Her clientele list includes David & Tamela Mann, Fred Hammond, and Darrin Henson just to name a few.

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Makeup Wars: The War of the Greens

So, remember how Pantone declared Emerald Green the "It" color of 2013? And suddenly, the color was everywhere. You can now get green everything. In the correct Pantone shade. And naturally, this includes makeup.

Obviously you shouldn't simply apply green makeup everywhere. You'll end up looking like Elphaba, and while the Wizard of Oz is "in" right now, in that variation the Wicked Witch of the West is Theodora (Mila Kunis), and she's not green.

So, for this week's Makeup Wars we've decided to share how each of us are adding a little green in to our beauty closets to stay on trend. You might see nail polishes, shadows, or even a lippie. I've decided to share my favorite way to make green more wearable, by wearing it on my eye with a little brown/metallic mixed in to tone it down.

I decided to use eye shadow cream pencils to create this look. They're quick and easy, and it really does seem that each new version that comes out is even better than the last! They're becoming better pigmented, they last longer and they are usually faster to apply than typical powder shadows. If you do want to use a powder eye shadow, my favorite green is MAC Eye Shadow in Guacamole, and not just because I love guac. It's a little bit different than the deep green that most people reach for, and with some medium brown it really is very pretty!

For this look I grabbed a few different colors, as you can see above. In the pics, the Milani Brown and Mally Beauty end up looking similar, but I can tell you that in person they are very different. I wish I'd had time to take swatch pics of them, but the Mally is a little lighter, more coppery and has a lot of metallic shimmer. It is more highly pigmented, and when blended looks amazing. The Milani is more matte and when blended works really well as a crease shadow, but doesn't have enough depth to be all over the lid and balance out the green.

I started by prepping my lid with NYX primer. It's a near perfect match for my skin tone, so I love to use it all over to take away all of my visible blood vessels. The 10 seconds I spend doing that make it all look so much better later!

Next, I used the NYX Milk over the inner half of my lid. This is a very pigmented white, and by applying it under the green it will just pop. A little blending with a finger tip and that's it.

Here's that amazing Mally Beauty Saddle Shimmer I was talking about. You can see that it isn't flat at all and has a lot of dimension. I've found that the brown and green need to be kind of sandwiched together where they will be blended. I don't know why, but it looks better that way on me. So I do it. I also add a little in the crease.

Time for greeeeeen!!! Green, green, green. You can see that with the white under it the green looks very vibrant and just pops! I pat a little to make the colors blend, but not much yet.

Now I add a little of the Saddle Shimmer back over the green. That's the sandwiching I discussed. It works better this way for me, it might not for you.

Finally, the brown Milani goes in the crease to be smudged out. I didn't do it on this day, but I will sometimes run one of the colors under my eye as well (this was a quiet day at home), the Saddle Shimmer is really pretty there, but I'll use the green (without Milk under it) if I'm feeling sassy.

Next I complete the look! I used brown liner CoverGirl (Perfect Point Plus), though I switch to black if I've put shadow under my eye or I want a more intense look. As usual, I want major lashes, so I went for Cargo's Texas Lash. The volume and length are good, though I have to admit that the Texas in the name somewhat implies insane amounts of volume. It's not quite that, but it is good!

For my face I used L'Oreal Visible Lift cream foundation in 123 and 125 (I need mostly 123 but a little 125 in the middle of my face), Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer and CoverGirl TruBlend Pressed Powder. I have Cargo's Beach Blush in Cable, and finally L'Oreal's Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain in Eternally Nude (2 layers to intensify the color, I was afraid it wouldn't show up in the camera).

I end up with a green and brown look that has a bit of a gradient of color (most intense towards the lashes and the inner corner of my eye) and while you get the impression of green it doesn't scream "look at me! I have really green shadow on!" Which isn't a look that I am comfortable enough with to really rock.

Are you wearing green? How did you add it in to your look?

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Makeup Wars: My Favorite Beauty Items

It wasn't so long ago that I shared my list of favorite beauty items, though I admit I had a pretty hard time paring that list down to 10 items! Luckily today, my Makeup Wars group decided to share our favorite items that we repurchase over and over. Which means I'll share another 10 items!

These are items that I keep going back to, have on hand always and use in between testing out other products, and if I run out I will immediately add it to the shopping list. So, if you haven't already, check out my first favorite beauty items list, and consider this the Part Dos version.

1. Cetaphil Cream: This has been a go-to product for me for years. I was even taught to recommend it to parents of kiddos with eczema while in my pediatrics residency. It really helps to seal in moisture after a shower, especially if you apply it right away. I don't even hop out of the shower before I start slathering it on everywhere. Also, I love that it is much less greasy than another high moisture lotion, Aquaphor.

2. Skintimate Shaving Gel: I don't actually have a full review on this product, but it seems to be the shave gel I always grab at the store. I have used other shave gels (Pure Silk, etc), but this one seems to work a bit better for me and it doesn't leave rust stains in my shower. That's a big bonus.

3. Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash: Yup, a ton of moisture in this body wash. Yup. I do find other ones that I like as a soap, but even with extra lotion afterwards, I miss the moisture from this body wash.

4. Venus Razor: Lately I've been springing for the 5 blade version and it just makes me happy. That is all.

5. Kiehl's Lip Balm #1: This is the last product I use every night, I keep a lot of it around. Just, everywhere.

6. Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer: Love this concealer. It blends easily, covers up everything, and the tube lasts forever. I've been using this concealer almost daily for about 2 years and have only repurchased once. That's a lot of concealer.

7. NARS Orgasm Blush: Every girl needs a go-to blush that just works. This one works for going out, work, running errands with my toddler, a dark smoky eye or even just a light wash of tan. See? Perfect blush.

8. L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray: Yup, it's kind of a classic. I like that it holds, lets my hair move still and isn't sticky. A can lasts me forever.

9. CoverGirl TruBlend Foundation: This is the foundation I reach for about half the time. The #415 is a good match for me, I can apply with a sponge, brush or fingers and it will still look good. Oh, and the coverage is easy to build up.

10. Kiehl's Rare Earth Masque: I'm a long time devotee of mud masks, but this one is a bit more gentle on my face and still gets the job done.












At some point, I'm sure I've received some of these items from PR. But, I've repurchased all of them over, and over, and over...

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