Benefit Big Easy Liquid to Powder Foundation

I was excited when I heard about this product. It's called "Better than BB" and called a foundation, but it has the moisturizer and SPF of a BB cream. I bought this with the intention of using it as a BB cream.

                                       

                                       

This product is described on the Benefit website as "BIGGER than BB! Why? Two reasons. First, big easy balances moisture & controls oil. Second, the cushiony liquid-to- powder formula melts in like a cream, yet finishes lightweight & velvety like a powder." 

It claims to moisturize, control oil, self adjust on skin, have a liquid to powder finish, protect with SPF. I was drawn to this BB cream because of the claim to be oil controlling. I have the Revlon BB cream now and although I like it for days when my skin is nice and I don't want a heavy foundation, my skin gets super oily, really quickly with it. 

                          

I've worn this product twice now, including on a 12 hour night shift which is the true test of longevity. It blends out nicely and has a light coverage. The powder finish made me nervous, but it doesn't feel powdery or cakey on the skin, It just blends in. It really does keep my skin more matte than most foundations which I love. It evens out the skin while still allowing ur own skin to show through giving a natural appearance. I just use my concealer to spot conceal. 

                         

                              

                                  

I got the 01 fair shade with the idea I could add some bronzer if needed, but it might be a bit light for summer. The 02 shade just looked a bit too orange. 

Only downside is the price. It's C$46! That's more than my foundation! Is it just me or are products getting more and more expensive? Hense why I waited for the sale. 

So far I'm loving this product and I'll wear it a lot in the warmer months. 

What Did I Buy At Sephora Today?

I went to Sephora to pick up a new foundation and a nude pencil for the waterline. I knew I wanted to buy the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation because I've heard good things for oily skin types. I had been using the Rimmel Stay Matte but I think it might have been breaking me out. My skins been pretty bad lately so I've stopped using it. It was also a bit too dark for my winter skin. While I was in Sephora I saw the Sephora + Pantone Universe Paint Gloss Trio and thought I would get it to replace some of my lost lip glosses from my trip. I'll do a first impressions on everything below.

Sephora + Pantone Universe Radiant Paint Gloss Trio $32CA

I was attracted to this set because I liked all the colours, but it was the purple colour that really drew me in. The price was good because it works out to just over $10 a gloss when they normally retail for $20. I've never tried them but they swatched really nice. Very pigmented. So I gave them a go, and over all I really only like the purple colour. I wore the purple colour the day I got it and its really nice. Very pigmented, like a lipstick. I had been wearing a pink lipstick which might have changed the colour, but I found the colour to actually be quite wearable. Not too purple but more of a pinky purple. It's smooth with a bit of stickiness. It has that MAC gloss smell which I think is kind of like vanilla or cake. Because these are so pigmented, you do need a mirror to apply them which kind of defeats the point of a gloss in my option (I don't usually wear pigmented glosses). The light pink colour is too light for me (for anyone I would think) but I thought it would be nice as a gloss over darker shades. I haven't tried that yet but I put the purple shade over it and mixed them and that was really pretty. The light pink by itself looks kind of choppy and weird. Not very nice. And the beige colour is too brown for my liking. I tried putting the pink over it but I couldn't make it work. I'll try mixing it with some other lipsticks and see if I can do anything with it.

I picked up the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place foundation ($44CA) in 1W1. I've worn it once and that colour seems to match me quite well. I'm pale and I find a lot of foundations look orange on me so I went with a more yellow toned one. My first impression is mixed. This is not a light-weight, like you are wearing nothing at all foundation. I like full coverage foundations but this one leaves your skin feeling sticky. As in I applied it, set it with powder, and 30 mins later picked up my cat and had bits of fur stuck to my face. Not cool. I've worn another "16 hour" wear or so foundation that was also sticky and it did last a long time on my oily skin so I thought I would test it out before bashing it. I wore this to work on my 12 hour night shift and it actually lasted a long time. My face stayed matte for a lot longer than usual. Not the entire shift but a good 6 hours. The foundation did start to wear off in the T-zone and the chin (resting my chin in my hand frequently) when I got oily but not as bad as other foundations. And my cheeks still looked almost perfect. My contour and blush stayed in place all night. So given the fact that it's so long wearing, I can deal with the stickiness. And that didn't last the whole time, maybe just the first hour or so. It's too early to give an accurate review, but so far I'm loving it.

Sephora Collection Long Lasting Kohl Eyeliner $12CA

After watching spring tutorials, I wanted a skin coloured eyeliner for lining the lower waterline. The purpose of this is to brighten the area and get rid of any redness to really make the eyes pop. I was looking at the Nars larger than life eyeliners but couldn't justify spending $28 on skin coloured eyeliner. It's for the waterline so it's not going to stay perfect all day. Especially for Blinky McBlinkerson over here. It did stay on for 15 hours, but it migrated from the waterline to lash line. Not bad for 15 hours. This pencil transfers really nicely onto the waterline and didn't irritate my eyes at all. I didn't swatch it because you can't even see it and it's pretty straight forward. It serves it's purpose and it was affordable.

What did you buy recently that you're enjoying so far? 

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

I was using the L'Oreal True Match foundation for a few weeks and decided I hated it with my oily skin. I went to the drugstore looking for a new full coverage foundation for oily skin. I saw the Stay Matte and knew the powder was a favourite so I thought I'd try the foundation knowing nothing about it.

The formula is very and moussey, but feels different from any other mousse or whipped foundation I have tried. It feels really thick at first and thought it was for sure going to be horrible and cakey, but it actually blends out really nice. The bottle says "Feather-light, liquid mousse blends flawlessly for natural-looking, all day shine control. Silky smooth formula leaves a perfectly matte, baby-soft finish. Lightweight texture won't feel heavy or greasy." I totally agree. It blended out well and doesn't feel thick on the skin.It is probably the longest wearing foundation I have tried. I work 12 hour shifts and usually by noon my face is oily and foundation is breaking up. I wouldn't say this foundation looked perfect all shift (impossible with my oily skin), but I stayed matte much longer than usual. I have tried the Makeup Forever Matte Velvet+ but found the formula a bit too matte and looked terrible if my skin was slightly dry. The Matte Velvet+ also oxidizes on me and the Stay Matte does not. I feel like maybe the creaminess of the mousse makes this matte formula more forgiving on dry skin. That being said, all foundations highlight patchiness and dry skin.

Looks thick, but blends nicely. Full coverage.

Ingredients list

The only downside is the shade selection. I'm pale and bought the colour Ivory because the other lighter colour looked too pink. This colour is a shade too dark for me. I have used another Rimmel foundation and had the same problem. Maybe in the summer when I have a bit of colour it will be ok because the tone is good. It is also too thick to use around the eye area and can look a bit thick or cakey there. I usually avoid the eye area with my foundation and use under eye concealer, but I skip that step for work when I'm rushed in the morning.

I applied this foundation with my fingers and blended it out with the Sigma F80 flat top kabuki brush. I tried it without a primer and with Benefits Porefessional and it looked just as nice without the primer. Day to day for work I don't use a primer and it holds up really well.

I love this foundation and so far, it is the best foundation I have used. I just wish there was a wider shade selection.