All About Brows

Hello,  I am lucky to have born with full brows.  But as time passes with over plucking and tweezing, I am left with some miniscule bald spots.  For the most part, I can live without filling in my brows.  But there are times when I want to achieve a more polished and youthful look, having fuller brows to frame the face is key. 

Image via Google

Image via Google

Image via Google

Image via Google

I mostly rely on brow pencils over the years.  Occasionally, I also like using brow powder or eyeshadow because it creates a natural look that is not as harsh looking as you would get from pencils.  Therefore with pencils, I prefer to use ones that have a powdery finish to achieve a softer look.  I have been using three different brow pencils lately and they are all great in their own little ways...

Same order in both pictures:

Top - Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 002 Hazel - Warmest brown out of the three pencils.  Great for brunettes with warm or golden highlights or redheads

Middle - Tom Ford Brow Sculptor in 02 Taupe - Cool grayish brown.  I blogged about it here last year.  The flat slanted tip is the best.  This sculptor is also the most water resistant

Bottom - MAC Veluxe Brow Liner in Brunette - Neutral brown that leans warm.  This is the softest and has the most powdery finish out of the three

From drugstore to high-end, I currently love all three.  They all come with a brush on one end for blending.  Have you tried these brow pencils?  What is your HG brow product?

Until next post......

Current Favorite Drugstore Foundations - Rimmel, Loreal

Hello, I like cheap thrills with quality.  I have amassed some drugstore foundations since the beginning of the year that I have been really enjoying.  I will discuss the products in the order when I purchased them, from oldest to newest.  I chose these foundations because of the price and positive reviews.

Swatches in the same order as the foundation line up above

Blended out

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation SPF 15 in 230 Warm Ivory



I have seen this foundation at the drugstores for a while.  One day I spotted it on sale for under $3 at one of my local Walgreens, I had to try it.  

It turned out to be a lovely foundation, I like it a lot for my dry skin.  It has light coverage buildable to medium coverage.  The finish is dewy.  My skin glows and looks fresh with this foundation on.  The color match is excellent,  it is yellow based and it is the best match out of the three foundations being discussed here.  It blends in with my own skin color very well.  I would compare this foundation to Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation, they are similar in coverage and finish.  It has a lotion scent.

One of the cons is that it is not a long lasting foundation.  The foundation disappears after about four hours on my dry skin, so it might disappear even faster on oilier skin.  The other con is that the glass bottle does not have a pump, but apparently it does come with a pump in Europe (shown in video) and maybe in other parts of the world.

Loreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup SPF 20 in C3


This foundation is the newest out of all three.  It was launched over a month ago here.  I was excited and intrigued by the description of this foundation.  Who doesn't want healthy and luminous skin, right?  According to the Loreal website, the ingredients in the foundation are supposed to be good for the skin and will improve your skin over time.  I have not tried it long enough to confirm the claims.  

I was surprised to find testers for this foundation at the drugstores, finally!  Despite trying out the shades under all three undertones W (warm), N (neutral), and C (cool), I realized I fall in between level 2 and 3 in any given undertone.  C3 was somehow the most decent match for me with W3 being too orange and N3 being too dark.  The 1-2 colors were all too light.

The coverage and finish are very similar to that of Rimmel Match Perfection, but this foundation is slightly more luminous or glowy than Rimmel.  I like that it looks very natural and there are no shimmers involved to create the glow.  It will not cover major blemishes, so concealer is necessary if you need to camouflage redness or acne.  Again, with foundations that are more glowy, it does not last on the skin.  Even with a setting powder, the makeup will stay put for only three to four hours.   

It is not a cheap drugstore foundation, it retails around $13.  So wait for the BOGO sale on this one.

Loreal Infallible Makeup SPF 20 in 605 Nude Beige

This last foundation has mixed reviews, but it is my favorite drugstore foundation.  I discovered it in July when it was on clearance for $7.99 at Walgreens.  They disappeared very quickly at every Walgreens.  It was also on sale at CVS around the same time, so I am not sure this is being discontinued.  For the time being, it is still being sold online.

It has medium coverage buildable to high coverage, yet it looks natural.  It is not necessary to use a concealer with this foundation because it will cover every blemish, big or small.  If you have tried Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, you will like this foundation.  It comes in a thin consistency and a little goes a long way.  In order to achieve a flawless look, you have to work quickly and blend, blend, blend.  It has a radiant finish, between matte and dewy.  Best of all, it lasts all day.  It can last up to 18 hours, of course with some fading towards the end.  For the most part, this one has Amazing staying power! 

The only con is if you are not careful and use too much product, it can look masky.  Grab this if you like high coverage makeup and like saving a few bucks. 

I leave you with Gwen Stefani's first Loreal photo shoot, I am such a huge fan of hers!  



Have a good weekend, everyone!  Until next post......

Random Sightings of Spring 2012 Makeup Displays

Hello, Here we are still in winter, but the Spring 2012 Makeup Collections have already made their way to the stores.  Whether it is soft pastel, neon, or earthy tones, the scene got me very excited about the arrival of Spring in the not too distant future.  I already picked up some goodies from Burberry, Dior, Estee Lauder, Loreal, and Rimmel London to name a few (the Rimmel collections are new in the US, but they were released in Europe in 2011).  I will review many of these products in due course.  In the meantime, here are some iPhone snap shots of a few of my favorite collections for Spring 2012.

Have you checked out any of the Spring 2012 Collections yet?  Until next post......

Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick Collection

Rimmel London Glam' Eyes HD Shadows

Estee Lauder Topaz New Pure Color Spring 2012

Burberry Spring/Summer 2012

Guerlain "The Pinks and the Blacks" Collection Spring 2012

MAC Naturally

Dior "Garden Party" Spring Collection