Professional Makeup Artists and their Best Foundation Matching Tips

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Recently I shared my fall/winter foundation matching adventures. And, I shouldn't be the only one doing this! I highly, highly recommend updating your foundation, BB Cream or Tinted Moisturizer match each season. Your skin definitely changes color throughout the year, and this is the best way to avoid the dreaded jaw line!

I asked makeup artists for their favorite foundation matching tips. They had a lot to say! Notice that some of this advice is contradictory (especially when it comes to matching to your face, neck or chest if they are different colors).


"If someone's face is quite a bit different from their neck, do a foundation shade match more towards their cheek. Do three tiger stripes of shades and blend to match. Matching towards the center of the face instead of the side of the jawline is more effective in this circumstance."
- Katie Dahlstrom


"Always match to your neck (it tends to naturally be lighter), and add bronzer to bring the color on your face to normal."
- Haley Kulow


"An amazing tool to use is Temptalia's Foundation Matrix. You can input your current foundation to find a match in another line or you can find an entirely new foundation shade by answering a few simple questions."
- Meghana Prasad


"Test out the shade you believe to look the best, apply next to it one shade lighter and one shade darker. Let it settle into your skin for 5 or so minutes and then walk to the front of the store, where (there is) natural light from the windows, and take a selfie. Pick the color that best matches your skin tone."
- Haley Kulow


"Choose 2 to 3 shades and test on your jaw line, if possible test colors in natural light. The one that disappears into the skin and matches the neck most closely is the one for you. Mix foundation with moisturizer and smooth over neck. Another option is to skip liquid foundation and apply a Dual Powder Foundation, Gabriel’s DPF is buildable for more coverage where needed and can be applied to neck and décolleté."
- Gabriel DeSantino is the founder of Gabriel Cosmetics


"One important tidbit I'd like to share is that most women need to buy more than one foundation shade. It's a common practice amongst makeup artists to custom blend foundations, and that is something that will make the everyday person's life so much easier."
- Sheila, blogs at The Painted Ladies, and she is available as a makeup artist


"Look for color that will mimic the skin-tone such as Advanced Mineral Makeup choose a shade 1 to 2 shades darker than your face if body is spay tanned to have a even flow the trick is getting the right undertone of foundation Advanced Minerals makes it easy."
- Ann Mayo


"If you desire a more 'bronzed' look or a more 'porcelain' look, THAT is when our powders and bronzers come in -- NOT the foundation color!"
- Amanda Gabbard is a makeup artist at the Guerlain Spa in the Towers of the Waldorf Astoria


"You can't tell a foundation color by looking at the bottle."
- Haley Kulow


"If the coloring in your face is vastly different from the color in your neck, you really are going to need two different colors and possibly even different formulas. The skin on the neck is different from that on the face and you're most likely dealing with dryness, rosacea related issues and/or sun-related damage if texture is also very different. Start with Moisturizing the face and neck, apply a smoothing primer to both areas and then use a correcting foundation. I love Lancome Visonnaire 1-Minute Blur and follow with Teint Visionnaire. Their darker ranges are gorgeous!"
- Regina Ventimiglia


"You can approach it two ways. The first, you can match the foundation to your chest if you will be showing your chest. You would have to apply to the face and neck and blend downward into the chest. Or you get a shade that matches your face and neck and then use a light, matte bronzer to blend the face and neck into the color of the chest."
- Liz Fuller


"Foundation should be applied to the chin (so you can see what will match the neck) and on the nose (where most of us have a bit of redness). The color should literally blend into the skin seamlessly. It shouldn't look too 'light' or too 'dark.'"
- Amanda Gabbard is a makeup artist at the Guerlain Spa in the Towers of the Waldorf Astoria


"In general, I recommend matching your foundation to the shade of the décolletage. It's worth spending a little more money and visiting a makeup counter where you can sit down with a sales associate/makeup artist and get your perfect match. It's best to test foundation in natural light, away from the artificial store lights. Don't be afraid to ask for samples so you can get a good feel for the wear of the foundation in your every day life."
- Sheila, blogs at The Painted Ladies, and she is available as a makeup artist


"Your foundation should match your neck. If the neck is darker than the face you can compensate with a bronzer."
- Karen Dupiche


"It is important to match the undertone of the foundation to the undertone of the skin so that the skin looks most natural. Place a yellow based foundation and a pinky based foundation along the jaw line, the one that disappears into the skin is the one that matches. When the neck and face are different colors, either match the foundation to the neck and chest or bring the foundation down to the neck and chest. I personally tend to match the perimeter of the face to the exposed skin (chest and arms) and bring it down and keep the center of the face lighter."
- Margina Dennis


"Most people's necks and faces are not the same color. I recommend thinking about your finishing results before choosing a foundation. Makeup foundation will oxidize on your skin and the color will slightly alter after about 15 minutes, especially with an oiler skin. If you are someone who is a bit heavy handed with bronzer, this is something I would take into consideration before choosing a foundation. If you are going to be applying a lot bronzer, do not choose a color that is too dark, because the layering of color will make it too dark."
- Elise Brill


"Normally foundations, nowadays, have a more yellow base than a pink tone to them. That is because most of us have a yellow base undertone. Some have a peach or a warm tone along with the yellow but this does not mean you should wear a pink foundation. First analyze your skin tone. See if you have more yellow than pink or peach. Then you can start looking for the appropriate color. Osmosis makes it easy to find the right shade. First find out if you are a light, medium or dark. This will help you to find the right intensity. For those with yellow and some Olive tones in their skin, you can choose the Golden shades. For those with Yellow and some Peach you can choose the Natural shades. Apply foundation to the neckline if your face color is different than your neckline. You can also use a small amount of the Osmosis South Beach Bronzer to warm up the neckline if it is much lighter than your face color."
- Alejandro Falcon is the artistic director at Osmosis Skincare


"Always match foundation on your jawline where your complexion is most even. You want to match both the surface tone and under tone of your skin. It's more important to match the color in your chest than your neck which is normally always slightly lighter than your face. A matte bronzer applied in the hollows of the cheeks and at the hair line will warm your complexion and create dimension in your face. My favorite is Bobbi Brown."
- Karol Young Moses, blogs at Add Lip Gloss and Stir


"The best thing I can say is learn how to blend like a champ - use a top notch blender (BeautyBlender or The Sephora Collection: The Perfector) and choose the two best shades to blend from face to neck. Make sure to cover all areas and leave no hard lines, especially on the jaw."
- Meg Raiano


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1

Adventures In Foundation Matching

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I've been having a few added problems with getting ready in the morning recently. It happened rather suddenly. Or maybe the issue has been there for a bit longer and I just didn't notice it until recently. Though, I think that I'm pretty perceptive when it comes to this sort of problem.

What happened? Suddenly, foundations and BB Creams that were great color matches for me for the last 6 months or so just haven't been working. At all. At first I was able to mix in a little bit of concealer that was too light for me, but after a few days I found myself only applying to the center of my face, blending like crazy and wiping off any foundation/BB cream that was on my jawline. I lived in fear of a line of dark foundation on my face.

So, it was time for a serious redo. I'm usually the one saying that you should re-evaluate your foundation and concealer matches every season, and usually this is something I do in late October/early November. That's about the time I notice that my skin is a little lighter after the summer, but this was more pronounced than usual (and really, I'm due with baby #2 in a few weeks, so it isn't like I had much time), and I needed to remedy the situation ASAP!

What I Matched Before:
• Pond's Luminous Finish BB+ Cream: I'm ready to cry that I no longer match my favorite BB cream! But, I was already using light and since this BB Cream has so much coverage I can't really bluff it any more.
• Kiehl's BB Cream: I really like this BB Cream as well, and there is 1 shade lighter than what I usually match. However, it isn't pregnancy friendly and I haven't been able to check out the lighter shade (the nearest store with Kiehl's is about 45 minutes away from my house). If I'm there soon I might check it out for after I deliver.
• Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclate Illuminating Foundation (my YSL Le Teint Touche Eclate Foundation review): This foundation is lighter coverage than the Pond's BB Cream so I was able to use (with a lot of extra blending) it until I had time to go find a new color match.

My New Matches:
I found it annoying to have to add in the steps of moisturizer and then foundation, when I've been used to using a BB cream with great results every morning. Since I already was on the lightest of the Pond's BB, and I know that the lightest of the Maybelline and CoverGirl BB Creams are a tad too dark (they were hanging out in my vanity drawer), I hightailed it to Sephora to look at Tinted Moisturizers/BB Creams. After the new baby is here in a few weeks I definitely don't want to be using a foundation!
• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer: It's a classic, I had to try it!
• NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (my NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Review): Strangely enough, I previously had used this in Alaska when I reviewed it, though most of the time Alaska was too light. I tried it out when everything else was too dark... and so was Alaska. I've had to go lighter 1 shade to Norway.
• Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme

To get my new matches, I headed to my nearest Sephora. I wanted to rematch myself to the NARS, I keep hearing about that Dior, and yes, the LM was one I had to try again (I don't think I've used it in over 5 years or so). I have a lot of problems matching myself, my neck is a good 5 shades or so lighter than my face, my chest is no where near my chest, and really.... is Sephora ever going to fix the lighting in their stores? It's all over the place!

I started out on my own, looking for shades that looked like they'd be a decent match. I never rely on what things look like in the bottle, instead I put a little on the back of my hand. Then I applied the best options to my jawline up into my cheek, blending and looking for which shades seemed to disappear into my skin the best. After matching myself to the Dior, one of the Sephora sales associates came over to help, and I wished I had her help the whole time! (I made her double check that Dior match later, she agreed with me.) She said since the lighting in the store was so variable, they had scoped out the best places to match foundation. She told me that none of the girls that work there would match their own, they all seek out a lot of opinions, and they all come and stand in that same spot in the store to do it. After trying out our choices at home, I have to say that I think she was spot on in her recommendations. The 3 I purchased have all looked great at home when applying at my vanity and later on in more natural light.

While I was at Sephora I also repurchased my favorite concealer, Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer. I usually wear light golden, it is very, very slightly too dark. I bought the travel size of fair golden to try at home, and it is perfect! I'm picking up a full size the next time I'm near a Sephora.

Am I the only one with this problem right now? Have you changed up your color match for the fall/winter yet?

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3

10 Best Natural Foundations

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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.


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2

L'Oreal Visible Lift Blur Foundation and Concealer Review and Swatches

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You've probably seen the displays popping up at drugstores and big box stores near you. For Fall 2014, L'Oreal is launching a new foundation and concealer duo, Visible Lift Blur. The products contain "blurring" technology, very similar to what you'll find in the currently popular blurring products like L'Oreals Miracle Blur. Here, some of that same technology has been incorporated into the foundation, saving you a step!


The foundation comes in 12 shades, unfortunately the darkest shade is Classic Tan, which is somewhere in the mid-tone range when you compare this foundation to the L'Oreal True Match Foundation range of 33 shades. I was sent 4 shades (3 from L'Oreal and 1 from CVS), and the Honey Beige on the far right is the 2nd darkest shade. I'm hopeful that if this formulation is around for a while that L'Oreal will add darker shades.

Classic Ivory is usually the best match for me in L'Oreal foundations, but this shade seems a bit pinker than my other Classic Ivory foundations. Luckily with blending it does blend in to my skin, but I would prefer a closer match.

The foundation is pretty sheer in coverage, the formula is a bit more liquidy than other foundations, and while some online have described it as oily, I didn't really think it was oily. It just seemed more watery than I had expected, and when I applied it, the formula sat a little more on the top of my skin. After a minute or so I was able to blend it in to my skin, I think this was all due to the blurring effect.

The coverage from this foundation is pretty sheer, and due to the consistency of the foundation, I think that it isn't really able to be layered for more coverage. I have combination skin, and I do think that this foundation would be better suited for drier skin, which is usually what more mature women have. I noticed that it did help cover up some skin imperfections more than I thought it would. Meaning, my pores were less noticeable than they should have been with such sheer coverage. The foundation did last most of the day, and I think on someone with drier skin it likely would have lasted longer.

If you have drier skin, want sheer to light coverage and have a few skin imperfections that you'd like to cover up, this foundation is a good pick for you. Personally, it didn't last quite as long as I had hoped due to my combination skin, and I think a different shade than my normal Classic Ivory (maybe Nude Beige, #203?) would have been a better match for my skin. The tubes are clear, so you're seeing the foundation through the packaging. It is probably worth picking up the 2 shades you think will be best, rather than just one!


I tend to use very, very pigmented concealers, in large part because I have a visible blood vessel under one eye to cover up, and I like to mix concealer into other products (foundation, BB Cream) to increase their coverage. However, super pigmented concealers can be a big mistake if you have any problem areas around your eyes, they tend to be drier and settle very easily into fine lines, pores and other imperfections.

The Blur Concealer is mid-range in terms of coverage. It definitely has more coverage than a few other drugstore concealers that I've tried, but it is less pigmented than my usual Amazing Cosmetics Concealer. I did find that the concealer is able to be built up for more coverage, which is great for that blood vessel I already mentioned.

This concealer did seem to be a bit more liquid than concealers that I'm used to, but this was probably because I've been using mostly those highly pigmented concealers that I mentioned. It blended in really easily with just pats of my fingertip, and yes, it did seem to do a little bit of that blurring as well.

I think that this is a great mid-range pigmentation concealer that is better suited for those with anything for more pigmented concealers to highlight. So, if you have anything in the undereye area for concealer to settle into (**cough, cough** like a few little lines?) then this is a much better option for you than the more pigmented concealers that I've been using.

The only bad thing about this concealer is that it only comes in three shades, fair, light and medium. Hopefully L'Oreal will come out with more shades when this concealer starts selling out!


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2

Orlane Poudre Libre, Because Every Girl Needs A Splurge Worthy Transparent Loose Powder

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I admit that I'm usually a drugstore beauty girl. But on occasion I'll splurge (like my recent YSL foundation and pressed powder purchase), and having high end beauty products can be a bit addicting. There's something about having the last step of your makeup be a high end product that somehow makes me feel super pampered.

That's where Orlane's Transparent Loose Powder comes in. This powder comes from a brand usually known for their high end skin care. The loose powder comes only in one shade, and it's great for my skin tone. I'm not certain if it would work for darker complexions, what it looks like in the canister is really close to my skin. It comes with a large velvet puff that sits inside of the container. A little shake and just the right amount of powder is on the puff.

The powder is very, very finely ground. I typically pat it gently onto my face, occasionally I'll grab a kabuki brush to blend it in (who wants to pull an Angelina Jolie?), but that really is only needed when I put too much in one spot. The powder is invisible on my skin. It gives me a semi-matte finish and keeps my combination skin shine free all day.

My only complaint about this powder is that on the Orlane website it is under Pressed Powders, but it isn't pressed. Keep that in mind if you're trying to order it!

Orlane
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2

Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation Review

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I blame today's review post on Cara from Maskcara. I fully admit that I had been eyeing this foundation for a while over at Sephora, but when she posted it in her Birthday Makeup post I finally pulled the trigger.

That's right, I handed over $57 to Sephora for Yves Saint Laurent's Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation. And then I decided that such expensive foundation deserves to have a powder that goes with it perfectly, so I added the $47 Matt & Radiant Pressed Powder. That was a lot of money, and I have say, I'm kind of happy I did it. Ok, not just kind of, definitely happy. This foundation is all kinds of amazing.

First, you should know that finding your perfect match is tricky. There are a lot of shades, and while you'd think Beige 30 is lighter than Beige 40, there are some Rose and Dore options thrown in there so it isn't exactly true (Rose and Dore are minor variations with a very slight difference in undertone). So, I haven't even bothered to swatch it for you here. You too need to spend 15 minutes swatching the many shades on your face in Sephora. But, unlike me, I think you should take your top 2 picks and get a sample from the nice ladies that work at Sephora (they'll put it in little plastic cups for you, did you know that? You can take it home!) and you should definitely take it home and check it out in natural lighting situations. (Here is where I ask why Sephora is lit like a nightclub. Why is it so dark in there?)

Why all of the color testing? When I put this on, I swear that I can watch the color oxide and get darker on my skin almost immediately. What I pump onto the back of my hand is definitely different from what I'm blending in a few minutes later. Luckily it does have pretty light coverage and blends really easily. I'm ok with my match, but I think getting a good match is hard with the oxidation.

Currently I use just a little of the foundation in the center of my face and it does blend out onto my skin very well. It hides imperfections, but it doesn't seem to look like I have any foundation on my face. It just makes my skin look better. Similar to Touché Eclat, it has illuminating ingredients to help bounce light around, and I do think that the foundation makes me look more glowy, but I can't really comment on it any further. I don't shimmer or look like I have highlighter all over my face, which is great!

I've mostly been using the YSL powder with the foundation, and I am sooooo happy I found this powder! It definitely keeps my skin looking powder free (I love using a powder and not looking like I have any one), but it also keeps my combination skin shine free until around dinner time, when I finally start to look a little less than matte. That's pretty much unheard of for me, especially without reapplying. I've been keeping the compact on my vanity counter, but I think I'm going to buy a second one to carry in my purse this summer.

What makeup have you splurged on lately? Are you as happy with your purchase as I am?

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Maskcara IIID Foundation Review: Do You Need a Contouring Foundation Duo?

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UPDATE: This is a review of the original Maskcara foundation. You can find my review of the updated Maskcara IIID foundation here.


If you've ever been on Pinterest, chances are you know who Cara from Maskcara is. She's all over the site, and she also won the Allure Beauty Blogger of the Year. (Disclosure: I'm a big fan of Cara, and I did vote for her repeatedly to win the Allure BBoY. And for those of you that have asked, I'm not eligible for that contest as I've run ads and have formal relationships with brands.)

Anyways, so like all of Cara's fans, I was very excited when she announced the release of her products. I had read the Makeover Monday posts, she was using this foundation to create an amazing look, natural but fresh and so much more finished looking. I was really curious how the products would work for me, a non-makeup artist who isn't contouring her face every morning like Cara. So, when the products went up for sale on Black Friday, I immediately ordered the entire set.




Here you can see all of the products available. The main attraction is the contouring foundation duo, which comes in 3 shades. Cara's used the product on woman of all skin tones, and says that these 3 work on almost everyone, though she's working on a 4th (darker) shade. The cream blush is available in 3 shades and there's a cream luminizer/highlighter as well. I opted to try the foundation in light (most people will be medium according to Cara) and the blush in Shortcake.



Here's a peek at each of the shades. You can see that the light foundation is pretty light, though if you're really pale it pretty possible that it won't be fair enough for you. I'm usually not quite the lightest foundation shade, instead I'm about 1/2 shade darker. The light foundation is a perfect match for me, and the contour is surprisingly very subtle. I admit I was a bit worried it would be too much and there would be people walking around out there with bad 1980's stripes under their cheek bones. Not so much, instead



The Foundation

You don't use this foundation like other products. You apply the lighter shade all over the center of your face, adding shading in to certain areas with the darker tone. I'm not going to go into specifics, Cara has an amazing series of posts about how to use the foundation and even how she recommends changing up your shading depending upon your face shape.

You can see that the coverage is light to medium, I don't think it really builds. I'm wearing only the foundation in this picture, no powder or concealer. I'm one of those girls that definitely needs more coverage with my undereye concealer.

I have to admit that I've used this foundation quite a bit in the last 5 weeks or so, since it arrived on my doorstep. I've alternated between loving it, hating it, wondering why I bought it. I've come to the conclusion that it isn't quite right for me, but could work pretty well for other people.

My main issue is the finish. I started out by using the same dual ended IT Cosmetics foundation/concealer brush that Cara recommended (it was already sitting on my vanity, like her I'm a big fan of the IT Cosmetics brushes). I watched her how-to videos, read her posts, and experimented quite a bit with application. I've applied the foundation over many other products, different lotions, and different primers. I've used the brush, other foundation brushes, I've applied with my Beauty Blender, I've just blended with the blender, I've tried blotting with a tissue... I'm sure there were other makeup tricks, but I'm forgetting them now.

When applying the foundation, my foundation had a lot of problems with blending into a flawless finish. You could easily see it sitting on the top of my skin, like it had just been smeared on to my skin. After experimenting with products and application techniques, I've decided that it is best to be simple. I use a lightweight lotion and I give it quite a bit of extra time to sink in, a good 10-15 minutes, before applying the foundation. I stipple it on using the IT Cosmetics brush (it's my fave foundation brush), and let it set for a minute or two before pouncing a dry (not damp) Beauty Blender over areas that need blending. Then I can go back in and apply concealer, apply the contouring foundation and set with a small amount of powder in my t-zone.

When I was initially using the foundation, staying power was also an issue. I could apply at 7 am, but by noon most of my foundation was gone. With the above technique, I can get the foundation to still look good at 6 or 7 pm, but I need a pretty good touchup if I want it to look good beyond that time.

I admit that I tested the foundation for so long because I'm a huge fan of Cara and I wanted (really wanted) to love the foundation. I think it's fine, and will occasionally grab it from my vanity, but not super often. I need more coverage and since the light tone of the foundation is a perfect match for my skin, it isn't really highlighting. Instead it's a matching foundation and a contouring product. If there was a slightly lighter shade, it would probably work a bit better for me.


The Blush

This is a cream blush, though it has the consistency of a non-sticky lipgloss. It is much easier to use by just dotting onto the apples of your cheeks and then gently blending with a fingertip. It does work with a brush, I'd apply it to the back of a hand first, but I do think I get better results with dotting and fingers.

The blush has a super pretty flush, it's just very pretty and glowy. I've found that without a setting powder, it disappears after about 3 or 4 hours. A little powder and maybe a very light 2nd layer of blush and it lasts all day. The blush is a definite winner.


The Illuminator

I haven't even mentioned the Illuminator yet, and the truth is that this is probably the best product. There's only 1 shade, and in the swatch I haven't really blended it out at all. Why? When blended you don't see it on the skin, instead it just perfectly highlights and barely catches the light. Super easy to use, it is highlighting without being shimmery glitter, it's perfection.






Maskcara
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15

My Current Skin Perfecting Makeup Routine

Back in April I sharedhow I apply liquid foundation, which works great for me, but was a bit too heavy for the summer. I lightened up my routine some over the summer, reviewed a few products, and mentioned some product mixing here and there...

I'm now using the same routine almost every day with great results and it is so different from what I was doing with my foundation that I think it is definitely time to share the update! You can find the products in this tutorial in my How to Fake That Glowcollection.

1. The Pond's Luminous Finish BB Cream is the main reason that I'm not updating my routine for the fall/winter. I seriously love this stuff. This is a lightweight moisturizer, but with a little bit of light deflection, which is great for looking glowy and more awake. It has light coverage, almost up to a medium coverage. I apply roughly a centimeter line of the BB cream to my entire face right after I get out of the shower, just smearing it all over the place. I then go deal with my hair, which takes about 10 minutes or so. When I finish my hair, I won't need to do anything more with the BB Cream.

2. The next step is concealer! I am currently mixing 3 products on the back of my hand. My ideal mix is usually about 2 parts concealer (this Amazing Cosmetics Concealer is one of my favorites), 1 part brightener (Smashbox Photo Op) and 1 part primer to smooth things out (Freeze 24/7 Freeze and Go). The Smashbox offers just enough light reflection to brighten up my eye area and make me look more awake without being glittery.

I mix everything up on the back of my hand, and my body heat helps to melt it all together. I pat this onto my under eye area. I apply in a triangle with the points being my inner and outer eye corners and my nose. So, it does extend out beyond the circle under my eye. Blending out like this seems to help make me look a lot more awake! Be sure to get the inner corner of your eye as well. I gently pat and product into this area without tugging or rubbing.

3. Now everything needs to be really blended. I am more than a bit obsessed with my Beauty Blender sponge! I use my sponge dry, though I know most people will get their sponge a bit damp before they use it. I dab the sponge over my concealer to blend it, concentrating on the outer edges to blend it in to my skin. I also pat the sponge on any areas that need a little more blending from the BB Cream, usually this is just the end of my nose.

4. Once I've blended everything, I apply my first layer of blush. Why? Because I'm a super pale girl and without blush all day long I get asked if I feel ok. I get the best results with the Stila Convertible Color, this is my favorite Lillium. I apply it just to the apples of my cheeks with a brush.

5. Now I use the biggest end of my Beauty Blender in my powder, the Cargo Cosmetics HD Picture Perfect Translucent Powder. The container has a mesh, I just pat the sponge on to the mesh and I pick up the perfect amount of powder. Now I just pat the powder onto my t-zone, over the concealer and blush to set everything. The powder is very fine and with the Beauty Blender you can't even see that it is on my skin. Love that!

4 (again). Time for more blush! The powder brings down the intensity of the Lillium quite a bit, so applying a very small amount with my brush will punch up the color a bit. I've found that layering my blush like this makes it last all day, avoiding the awkward questions about my health.

6. Finally, if I'm feeling up for it I'll apply a little bronzer! I've been using the Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Light/Medium Matte Bronzer. It's great for pale girls like me, it's light enough to work for my skin without any shimmer or orange tint. I usually apply just a little under my cheeks for contouring and then under my jawline for a little added definition.


Have you been mixing products together to get the results you want, or am I the only one? What about any great new face products you've found recently?

Check out all of my collections on eBay and be sure to follow me! You'll be able to see all of the products that I'm loving. Be sure to share my collections (use those buttons in the upper right), every time you do you'll be entered for a chance to win $25,000! Official rules: ebay.com/shareitwinitsweepstakes

My eBay Collections were curated as part of my collaboration with eBay #followitfindit and Style Coalition.

5

L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Review: Super Lightweight Coverage to Love!

Product Sent for Review (and I bought it!)


I had been eyeing this new L'Oreal foundation for a while on store shelves when their PR agency sent me one to try out. It was way too dark, but after playing with the formula a bit I wanted to really try it, so I picked up a fresh shade on my next Target run.

There's been a lot of talk about how L'Oreal has "duped" (or not duped at all, depending on who you ask and how reluctant they are to use a drugstore product) the Armani Maestro Foundation (note, Armani's beauty division is part of L'Oreal) and Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation (which I own and haven't reviewed yet). I'm reviewing this as its own separate, stand alone product. I haven't tried the Armani so I can't compare them, and I'm very confused by how this could be a dupe of the Hourglass, which seems like a normal foundation to me. The Magic Nude is very different in formulation.


The first thing you'll notice about this formula is the bottle. It comes in a glass bottle, and unfortunately it isn't sealed at all. This does make it easy to glance at the color while you're in the store, but it also made it easy for others to do that as well in the store. I'm not really a fan of that idea. Notice that in the bottle it definitely looks a bit pinker than it comes out on the skin. I recommend either just going with your "usual" shade in a L'Oreal foundation (which is what I did) or look for the correct depth of tone, ignore that pink!


I've been wearing Classic Ivory #312, and it seems to be just like other Classic Ivory L'Oreal shades to me, so I think it runs pretty true to shade. The product is very liquidy, it feels like water. I shake the bottle very well before use, and to apply they recommend using your fingers. I put my fingers over the bottle, shake a little to get my fingers wet and just start dotting the product onto my face. The liquid will evaporate off fairly quickly so I spread it around right away, but don't worry about trying to get a perfect finish at this point. With the liquid you just want to get the product evenly distributed over your coverage area.

After a minute or two the liquid will all be evaporated leaving behind a very uniform and light coverage of product. If you need to do any blending this is the time to do it, I've just dabbed my Beauty Blended sponge on to my face or blended with my fingers. For some reason using a traditional foundation brush has not worked well for me at this point, though some people have said it works well for them with this product. If you need more coverage you can dab a little more on at this point, though I don't think I have ever needed more than 2 light layers.

The coverage is light to medium and I think it gives a pretty flawless finish. I applied this over a light moisturizer, without primer. I had no issues with it settling into pores or dry areas, and I did use this quite a bit during my recent issues with dry skin. I have combination skin, and I did notice that in the later afternoon I looked a tad shiny on my nose, but the coverage was still present. Note that I do apply concealer over the Liquid Powder, but no powder except to set my blush. It seems silly to apply more powder, right?

Overall, the best part of this product is definitely the super lightweight feel. Once it has dried you really can not feel anything on your skin, which I love! The finish makes my skin look fantastic, which is another great bonus. I'll keep using this throughout the fall for sure. I just would love it if L'Oreal sealed these bottles for the store!

L'Oreal Paris
Product Sent for Review (and I bought it!)

7

Currently Loving: Cargo Cosmetics HD Picture Perfect CC Cream and Translucent Powder

Product Sent for Review


Recently, Cargo sent me a few of their HD products. I honestly have not even had a chance to take pictures of most of it, which I usually try to do before I allow myself to start using a product. But, I admit that I pretty much tore open two of the boxes and started using the products immediately and have been using them about every other day since then. (Ok, the powder every day, the CC cream every other, I'll share my alternating day choice with you tomorrow!)


The CC Cream (shown here in medium) is one of those lotions that comes out looking like a vanilla bean ice cream. It's white with little specs in it, which I have to say never really inspires much confidence. Especially when you have pretty fair skin and your tube says "medium".... Somehow the technology really does work, and when you start smearing it around the cream really does adjust to your skin tone. That medium vanilla bean ice cream lotion becomes my perfect color. It's pretty amazing!

The CC cream is a lightweight lotion, and when I smear it around it seems to sink in pretty quickly to my skin, leaving behind a light to medium coverage that looks very natural and does a good job of correcting any redness I might have that day (I have mild rosacea and am out of my meds... oops! So yes, I'm a little red. And need to get a refill.) It can be very slightly built up for more coverage, though more than 2 layers of the CC Cream doesn't really do much. I tend to apply right after washing my face, just smearing it around. A minute or two later I'll hit it with my Beauty Blender sponge a few times to blend it a little, and I might add a little bit more in the center of my face on to problem areas. After that I'll use concealer on any additional spots.

The Picture Perfect Translucent Powder is a good companion product for the CC cream. The top has a netting over the powder, which keeps most of it contained while it is easily accessible using just a brush. The inside of the lid does project down to cover the netting, so when you close the powder it won't spill all over the place. The powder itself is very fine and does a good job of soaking up any shine in my t-zone, which I love. I've been using it every day and love it! You can't see it on my face at all, which eliminates one of my pet peeves (who likes to look powdery? I don't!)


Tomorrow I'll share the other "foundation" products that I've been loving. And yes, you can pick it up at your local grocery store!

Cargo Cosmetics
Product Sent for Review

3

How I Apply Liquid Foundation for a Flawless (and Natural) Finish!

Products sent for review

Now that I'm a "little" older (not really that old, I'm 35), it is definitely harder to get a great finish with my foundation. I don't have wrinkles, but I swear it's like a foundation can settle into every little dry spot or imperfection. Just by applying via my "old" way (aka- my young self just slathering on with fingers and maybe blending a little by the nose with a sponge) can result in disaster. Truly. And it isn't even the fault of the foundation, it's me!

After reading some online about foundation application, watching a ton of YouTube videos and breaking out my old Kevin Aucoin makeup books (the man was a master), I've tried out a ton of different foundation techniques. This is what I've settled on as the quickest and best method for a flawless foundation application. And really, it isn't that quick. Sigh.

I prep my skin with a lightweight moisturizer (or BB cream that doesn't have much coverage, I like the Stila 10 in 1) and an eye cream. I wait a few minutes for it to sink in and then start on foundation. I apply a little to the back of my hand, if I need to mix other shades in then I do it there.

I use a dense brush. This is the IT Cosmetics foundation brush from this set at QVC, but I also really like the Urban Decay Optical Blur Brush. I know there's great love for the MAC skunk brush here, but I'm just not really a fan for some reason.

I dab a little onto the brush and then put that onto the areas I'll want to cover with dotting. I put it on my nose, the middle of my forehead, chin and cheeks, though really very close to my nose. I apply most of my foundation to the center of my face and use less as I get to the edges, so I have almost none really on my actual cheeks and on my forehead.

Once I have my foundation roughly where I want it, I stipple the area to spread out the foundation into an even application. I let that sit for a minute or two, and I wipe off any excess foundation from my brush onto a kleenex. Then I go back with the same brush and go over the areas with small round circles. If I'm applying concealer, this is when I do it (I apply in a less exaggerated triangle that is suddenly all the rage. More details in my how to use concealer post.)

Next I grab my Beauty Blender sponge. And yeah, it kind of does need to be the Beauty Blender. None of the "dupes" have quite the right consistency, so they don't have the same results. I bounce the sponge all over the place, using the smaller end around my eyes and nose and the wide end on my forehead and cheeks.

Then I wait a few minutes. If I haven't done my eyes, this is a good time to do it. But if my eye makeup is a bit more intense, I usually start with my eyes (so I can wipe off any fallout without messing up my foundation) and then do my face. So, I'll go and do my hair now.

I think the real secret to why this look works is the kleenex. I learned this about 5 years ago from Elke Von Freudenberg, and I had stopped for a few years, but now I'm obsessed again! Take a kleenex and gently blot your face. Be gentle, you don't want to remove the pigment, but instead you'll take out some of the oil and "liquid" of the foundation. I usually don't blot my nose much, somehow that seems to mess up my nose. But this is a must for my chin, cheeks and forehead.

Finally, I apply a very lightweight powder to set everything. I put it under my eyes and in my t-zone only. Lately I've really been loving this Aqualillies for tarte Amazonian clay finishing powder. It's lightweight like the MUFE HD, but more mattifying. It's apparently limited edition, but I hope Tarte sees the light and keeps it around!





Products sent for review

25

Too Faced Air Buffed BB Cream Review: Lightweight and Natural Looking?

Product Sent for Review

I have a confession to make. Lately, I've been wearing too much foundation. Really, I think the issue is that I'm wearing my regular "fuller" coverage foundation, some powder and blush, but since it is finally getting a tad warmer (or I'm wishfully thinking it is, since it is now April), that same coverage feels much too heavy. So, I've been on the look out for ways to keep the flawless look of fuller coverage, but with a lighter look/feel.

I had super high hopes for this BB Cream. Somehow the fact that it was a solid BB cream, instead of a lotion, made it reach epic proportions in my mind. Did it fulfill those epic expectations? No, but I was ready to have the BB Cream erasing any and all signs of under eye circles, rosacea and creating the perfect smoky eye all in 1 step.

What it does do is create a natural appearing finish that can easily range from light to medium coverage (even up to full if you layer it on) that does a good job of evening out my skin tone without looking heavy. The compact comes with a nice little brush for applying the foundation. I used this brush at first, but quickly swapped over to using a larger brush (my Urban Decay Optical Blur) since I had an easier time making my coverage uniform with the larger brush (the little one is great for travel though, I'm going to stick it in my makeup bag for my purse). I rub the brush around in the compact and then buff onto my face. For areas that I need more coverage, I go over them twice or I'll use a finger and pat on a little product and then buff with the brush. Resist the urge to just apply this BB Cream with your fingers, the results are definitely splotchy and obvious, using a brush is key!

I did find that staying power can be a bit of an issue with this cream. It looks decent at the end of the work day, but a few hours later (around the 10-11 hour mark) things start to get patchy and disappear. So, for a longer day you'll need to touch up.

What have you swapped to for spring? Let me know if you've found anything good!

Too Faced
Product Sent for Review

5

How to Get A Natural Makeup Look for Prom

Nothing to Disclose

For Prom Girls that don't want or like all the glitter and glimmer thats just fine because the natural look is a perfect alternative.

For the natural look Christy Ann recommends Urban Decay Naked Foundation with a little bronzer. Nars Multiple cream stick in Orgasm (can be used on cheek and eyes); Trish McEvoys High Volume Mascara; and a little rosebud salve for the lips, or the good old fashioned lip smackers (the Starburst Fave reds Trio) is amazing! They are sparkly, taste great, give a hint of color and smell fantastic.


Christy Ann is an accomplished and creative make up artist with experience in bridal, fashion, print and beauty consulting. Christy Ann has worked with prestigious lines such as Trish McEvoy, Stila and Laura Mercier before establishing her own company Christy Ann Cosmetics. Christy Ann has always had a creative flair and passion for the artistry of make up. With over 18 years experience, she has recently created her own unique cosmetic line to complement any style. Christy's work is described as crisp, clean, precise, and distinctive.

Christy Ann Cosmetics
Nothing to disclose

1

Products to Make Your Makeup Last

Affiliate Links

Longevity is important for events like prom and weddings, so don't forget to prime and set! A little spritz of a makeup setting spray afterwards can make a really big difference in how long your makeup look lasts. I shared a lot of tips on helping your makeup last all day over on Mom.me, and here Christy Ann shares her favorite products for making that look last! These same tips work great for the summer, when you don't want your makeup melting off of your face.

Primers
• Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer
• Bare Escentuals Prime Time Brightening Foundation Primer
• Tarte Clean Slate Primer
• Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer

Powders
• Cover FX Translucent Setting Powder
• Ben Nye Banana Powder
• Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder
• MAC Translucent Setting Powder

Setting Sprays
• MAC Fix+ Setting Spray
• Urban Decay De Slick Oil Control Setting Spray (Urban Decay Makeup Setting Sprays Review)
• Model In A Bottle Setting Spray


Christy Ann is an accomplished and creative make up artist with experience in bridal, fashion, print and beauty consulting. Christy Ann has worked with prestigious lines such as Trish McEvoy, Stila and Laura Mercier before establishing her own company Christy Ann Cosmetics. Christy Ann has always had a creative flair and passion for the artistry of make up. With over 18 years experience, she has recently created her own unique cosmetic line to complement any style. Christy's work is described as crisp, clean, precise, and distinctive.

Christy Ann Cosmetics
Affiliate Links

0

8 Products for a Perfect and Weightless Complexion

Today, Christy Ann is sharing her favorite products to create an even weightless complexion! The key is a lightweight product, bronzer with a light shimmer (on areas that the sun hits, here is how to apply bronzer), and then a pretty blush your cheeks.

Christy's favorite lightweight coverage products:
• Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream
• Urban Decay Naked Skin BB Cream
• L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic BB Cream
• Urban Decay Naked Foundation for a little added coverage

Be sure to use the Beauty Blender sponge to apply all liquid foundations, BB Creams and/or tinted moisturizers.

Shimmery Bronzers:
• Laura Mercier Golden Mosaic Shimmer Bloc
• Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Shimmer Bronzer

Shimmery Blush:
• Nars Multiple cream sticks: Christy loves these as they can be used for a glowing look on eyes, lips and face.


Christy Ann is an accomplished and creative make up artist with experience in bridal, fashion, print and beauty consulting. Christy Ann has worked with prestigious lines such as Trish McEvoy, Stila and Laura Mercier before establishing her own company Christy Ann Cosmetics. Christy Ann has always had a creative flair and passion for the artistry of make up. With over 18 years experience, she has recently created her own unique cosmetic line to complement any style. Christy's work is described as crisp, clean, precise, and distinctive.

Christy Ann Cosmetics
Nothing to disclose

1

Prescriptives On-Line Foundation Custom Blending: I can't wait to share!

Remember "back in the day" of a few years ago, when Prescriptives counters were all over the country and the indulgence of custom blended foundation was super easy? It was something I always meant to do, but never had time. I've been told by makeup artists (Jake Bailey in particular) that I'm very difficult to match in the foundation department. Jake told me I'm worse than Nicole (Kidman) and Julianne (Moore). I'm not quite super pale, but I'm not very pigmented either. And my undertones seem a bit cool, but kind of aren't.

All this confusion probably explains why I always have so much trouble picking out foundation for myself, even when faced with a wall of samplers at Sephora. My current best matches are CoverGirl TruBlend 415 and CoverFX N20.

Well, it turns out that you can still custom blend, you just do so on-line!

I had an appointment for my consultation a few days ago, and I'm too excited about it to wait to share until I have my perfect blend.

It's pretty easy. Make an appointment on-line, and have a picture of yourself (in natural light with minimal face makeup) ready to upload. You should also have a mirror and a foundation that is a somewhat decent match for you available.

My appointment was with Erica, who has 12 years experience with custom blending at the counters, but now works on-line. Our entire appointment lasted less than 15 minutes, and I was able to give her my preferences about coverage, finish (I'm going to get a little glow!), moisturizing or oil fighting and finally even chose the level on added anti-aging ingredients. I uploaded the picture I had available, and we talked about my coloring for a few minutes. Erica said that looking mostly at my neck, she thought I was likely so hard to match because while I have warm undertones (not surprising given the coloring of all my family members. They like to be warm toned with red or auburn hair, like my mom and sister), I have quite a bit of cool/pink over that. So, depending on what is predominate on a given day I could look mostly cool toned (I've always thought I was cool toned), but I have enough warm tone in there to throw things off.

Now that I've had my initial consultation in about 24-48 hours Erica will send me my recipe and a link to go online and order my foundation. From there, the foundation will be sent to me, but it will have a free return label, so if things aren't quite right I can email with Erica, she can tweak my recipe as needed and I ship it back. Back and forth until things are perfect!

I'll update when I receive my foundation.


Prescriptives

6

Urban Decay's Pore Perfecting Primer: Yes, This is a MUST HAVE

While I always wear primer under my eye shadow, foundation primers is something I have a love/hate relationship with. Sometimes I can't get enough of it, particularly in the mid-summer when I need to use a little milk of magnesia to help with my shinies. So, the new(ish) primer from Urban Decay sounded amazing, and was enough to get me to try foundation primer again.

Yes, this really is pore perfecting. Truly, it doesn't feel gloppy at all. It is a light taupe/skin color, a bit opaque and it feels silky. It has a dry gel consistency, and you only need a very small amount. I used about the size of a small pea for my entire face, and this was more than enough. It doesn't pill up at all (Smashbox, I'm looking at you), and just seems to sink in to my skin immediately.

Pretty much any foundation applied over this primer looks much smoother and my pores definitely look smaller. Strangely enough, the only foundation that it doesn't seem to make a difference for is the Urban Decay Naked Foundation. I think that foundation simply doesn't need the primer. I've been using it with everything else from CoverGirl to Make Up For Ever and it makes a big difference!

Are you using a foundation primer? What do you look for in a primer, pore perfection or mattifying?


Urban Decay

4

Stila Stay All Day Foundation Review

I admit that I'm a bit of a sucker for new foundations. This one sounded right up my alley, "Stay All Day"? Yes! And from Stila? Please!

This foundation is pretty great. Yes, $44 does sound like a lot for a foundation when you can get many great ones for less. But! This one also comes with a matching concealer in the cap (love that) and it also includes a foundation brush. I think that's a pretty good deal.

The foundation is a bit thick for a liquid foundation, it really is more like the consistency of Cool Whip than a foundation. It comes out of the bottle with a big spatula, and it feels very silky. It spreads easily with your fingers, and I admit that I don't really use the brush that Stila so generously included with the foundation (I'm a finger/sponge girl for foundation). With a few swipes of my beauty blender (near my nose mostly) the makeup does look pretty flawless. Well, you can tell I have on foundation (the coverage is too much for it to be invisible), but it really looks good.

The concealer is a cake concealer and is pretty full coverage as well. I did think it was a bit too dry for some areas (I had problems with it on blemishes), but it worked really great under my eyes and around my nose.

I feel like we've been spoiled lately with so many amazing foundation launches. No more excuse for patchy coverage or incorrectly matched shades!

Stila

2

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation and Optical Blur brush

UD's Naked Skin Foundation has been everywhere since its release. With good reason. It really is a great foundation. I waited a bit before purchasing (I posted a picture on Facebook when I did), mostly because I wanted to see what everyone else thought of the foundation first.

When I finally purchased it, I was at ULTA with my toddler (note to self: do not buy foundation with a toddler in tow). Obviously things were a tad rushed, so rather than actually applying the foundation to my jawline as I should have, I held up the transparent plastic thing that UD claims will give you your shade number. I bought 1.0, which I expected because my friend Phyrra was 0.5, and generally I'm just a tad darker than her. Luckily the ULTA SA put in a little sample shade pack from UD. Because that 1.0? Waaaay off. I was a lot closer to the 2.5 in the shade pack. I returned it a little later when it was obviously much too light. Later, Urban Decay sent me the foundation (and the brush here), and it turns out that 3.0 is the best match for me.

Naked Skin is definitely more liquidy than most foundations. You can see it is just barely not watery, and the 2.0 and 3.0 shades are actually very close. The coverage is in the light-medium range, and very easily builds for more coverage. It doesn't need much blending, I can get nearly flawless coverage with just my fingers. I didn't have any issues with the foundation changing colors later (that oxidation is one of my biggest pet peeves) and everything still looked perfect at the end of the day.

Any foundation that gives me such great looking skin (you can't even see that foundation) and lasts for well over 12 hours is definitely one I can recommend.

Urban Decay also recommends their Optical Blurring brush for use with the foundation. I'm not usually a foundation brush girl (I prefer to apply with fingers and then complete my blending with my Beauty Blender sponge).

While this is a pretty big brush, it's still smaller than my big kabuki brushes. It's slightly domed and the bristles are a bit stiff, but do bend easily and are fairly soft.

I've been using the Optical Blending Brush to slightly stipple and blend my foundation, and the results have been much better than my Beauty Blender. I have noticed that there are some foundations that the brush is better for, and some that the Beauty Blender is better for. In general, the brush works better with more liquid foundations, the thicker the foundation (such as the new Stila Stay All Day foundation, which I'm reviewing tomorrow) are better off with the Beauty Blender.

Do you use a brush or a sponge with your foundation? Do you have a great blending trick that you can share?


Urban Decay

3

Revision Skin Care Intellishade SPF-45 Review

Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed suddenly with the huge number of tinted moisturizers and BB Creams that are on the market? I fully admit that it is getting really hard to tell them all apart. However, this one was recommended by Dr. Tanya Kormeili, a dermatologist at UCLA when she shared her favorite beauty products with me recently. Ummm... a dermatologist loves it? I need to check it out!

Like other BB Cream/tinted moisturizers that are out right now, this product packs a lot into 1 little tube. First, it has great UV coverage with SPF 45. It has a lot of my favorite anti-aging ingredients in it (just check out that checklist below, that's really great for 1 product). Not included in that check list are the skin brighteners and the highly stable Vitamin C that is in the formula. While it only comes in 1 shade it does claim to be "intelligent" and work with every skin tone.

First, it wasn't a perfect match for me, but I am very pale and it was starting out about 2-3 shades too dark for me. Considering that, I felt it was a much better match than I thought it would be when I first checked it out. I was able to wear it out and about for the day without an issue. It has light to medium coverage and I only needed to add a little extra concealer right under my eyes. It definitely minimized my pores and it has a bit of a mattifying effect as well. The coverage lasted most of the day, still looking pretty perfect at about 12 hours.

As far as I can tell the only draw back is that it is available primarily through physicians and spas.










IntelliShade

3