Clinique Line-Smoothing Concealer Review and Swatches - Moderately Fair

Many people think acne-prone teenagers or their grandma's makeup when they hear about Clinique. I have no idea why that is... they have some true gems in their line.

Clinique's line-smoothing concealer has been around for a while, and is pretty decently priced at $16.50.

The Shade:

The woman at the Clinique counter matched me to the shade Moderately Fair. I am extremely yellow and this concealer is pretty darn pink, but it doesn't seem to make a big difference after all the makeup is on. Here is a swatch. Forgive the phone-quality picture!

The Formula:

Color me impressed. I am really loving this concealer. I use it under the eyes, which it is made for, as the name implies, but also over my birthmark. It isn't as thick as Hard Candy's Glamoflauge, and blends effortlessly. I notice much less creasing with this concealer.

Let's take a look at a quick before and after with the concealer doing its job on my birthmark.

Zero makeup on here:

After with Clinique's Line-Smoothing concealer. (I did not do the circles under my eyes, just my birthmark).

As you can see, the coverage is very decent. A very natural finish.

Final Verdict:

This is one of Clinique's hits for me. The color selection is average, but the product itself is great. I will definitely repurchase this item... and most likely during their fantastic gift-with-purchase events!

9/10

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer Review and Swatches - Light

Concealers are an essential part of transforming your look. They can brighten, cover, and mask imperfections. I have a red birthmark the size of a nickel on my right cheek, so concealers are an important step of my everyday routine.

Glamoflauge has been compared to Kat Von D's pricier concealer and has been living up to its claims in the beauty community. It is sold exclusively at Wal-Mart for the time being. Stock was pretty low when I grabbed mine... word is spreading about this product! Let's take a look.

I chose the shade light. Here is a swatch:

The Shade:

I almost always go for a shade lighter than my regular foundation for that brightening effect, but Light may actually be a bit too light for my NC25 skin. Not by an insane amount, but I think if I were to repurchase, I'd go for the next shade up.

The Formula: 

This concealer is VERY thick. A tiny bit goes a long way. It can be very cakey and unnatural looking if you apply too much. It applies pretty well and doesn't dry too quickly. The finish is a bit thicker and dryer than what I'm used to, even when applying just a tad, so it took some getting used to. But man, this stuff does do its job in covering. Take a look at the before and after photos!

The birthmark on my cheek. I am not wearing any makeup at all here:

After using Hard Candy's Glamoflauge in Light:

Awesome! It looks even better with foundation and powder.

Final Verdict:

I'm very impressed with the amount of coverage this product provides. It is also very affordable, a mere $6 at Wal-Mart. A fraction of the cost of Kat Von D's concealer! It is a smidge too thick for my liking, but overall pretty awesome for the price. This tiny tube is also going to last me a very long time... a little product goes a long way. Great value!

8/10

NARS Sheer Glow Liquid Foundation Review and Swatches - Ceylan

NARS Sheer Glow has been getting a lot of attention from the beauty community. It boasts a glowy satin finish, buildable coverage, smoother skin, and improvement in brightness among other things. Let's have a looksie.

No pump? NO PUMP? At $44 a bottle, I was pretty disappointed this did not come with a pump. They are available for purchase separately online, but still. I've heard this was intentional as NARS prefers their customers to shake the bottle up and use their fingers for best results. Oh well.

The Shade: 

I chose Ceylan, which had a surprisingly small amount of swatches online. I'm about an NC20 - NC25 in MAC with incredibly yellow undertones. The shade is the closest match in any foundation I've ever found ever. I nearly pissed my pants, I was that excited.

Look at that gorgeous color. Many of NARS shades have yellow undertones. These can be hard to come by in fair-skinned foundations, so... pale yellow ladies, rejoice!

The Formula: 

This formula is one of the best foundations I've ever tried. I've always been a fan of matte, full-coverage foundations. I was not expecting to like this foundation, and was frankly pretty frightened at the prospect of my oily-T-zone-prone skin looking "dewy." But my skin looks AMAZING in this foundation. Almost airbrushed or something. I have received so many compliments using this, and am totally thrilled with my purchase. Here is a photo of me wearing the foundation:

Note: My skin is nowhere near this amazing without this foundation.

I would definitely describe this foundation as medium coverage, not sheer like the name would imply. It is buildable and does not dry too fast. I actually do enjoy applying this foundation with my fingers as opposed to any brush or sponge. The wear time is pretty average at about four to five hours.

Final Verdict:

I love this foundation. I recommend it to everyone. The ONLY drawback with this foundation is that it does not seem to have the staying power that many others these day seem to have (Kat Von D's Lock It, Revlon Colorstay, Tarte's Amazonian 12-hour to name a few...). It's a pretty small price to pay to achieve that glowing look, though. I may do a bit more experimentation with different setting powders and sprays in order to prolong the look. All in all, I'm a happy Chu-Chu with this one. Well worth the money.

9/10

Revlon Colorstay Pressed Powder Review and Swatches - Light/Medium

Revlon Colorstay's Liquid Foundation is basically a legend in the world of drugstore makeup. Will the powder measure up to its notorious counterpart?

The Shade:

I chose the shade Light/Medium for my NC25 skin tone. This was the closest match for me, and seemed to actually look a tad yellow in the packaging. Upon swatching it, I realized it definitely wasn't close to my NC25 skin. Here it is swatched right above my MAC NC25 Studio Fix Powder:

As you can see, it is significantly less yellow. It matches my wrist pretty well, but is way off on my face.

The Formula: 

The powder is rather chalky, not very silky. You can the pieces of powder on arm in the picture of the swatch. The powder does seem to last a while, and gives a pretty matte finish. Its biggest pro is that it is long-wearing compared to other drugstore powders.

Final Verdict:

While this powder is not as stellar as the liquid foundation, it is a decent buy for drugstore shoppers. I wouldn't say that this is world's above other drugstore powders, but it is a good choice for those who need a long-wearing formula. There is a very limited selection of shades, so you will have to sacrifice in that area.

6/10

MAC Studio Fix Powder Review and Swatches - NC25

In need of a powder with a broad range of shades with decent coverage? Meet MAC Studio Fix powder!

 

The Shade: 

MAC does a good job of matching my very yellow skin-tone. NC25 is a decent match for me during the summer months, when I'm a tad less pale. Swatch below:

The Formula:

Studio Fix is a nice finish matte powder. The wear time for me is about four hours before a bit of shine breaks through on my nose. The powder is very fine and smooth, not chalky. I love the amount of coverage I get, though it does look less smooth when approaching the four hour mark.

Side Note: 

This powder DOES break me out on my chin. It seems to be fine everywhere else on my face, but I do have sensitive skin and I always break out with horrible cystic acne on my chin after using this powder. It's rather unfortunate for me because it's not exactly easy finding shades in my color! Ladies with sensitive skin, be careful...

Final Verdict:

If you're looking for a powder with nice coverage in a variety of shades, MAC Studio Fix is a classic that will do you no wrong. If you happen to have sensitive skin, be careful before purchasing! I know my skin is sensitive, so I am not going to knock off points for the formula breaking me out. I did wish it lasted longer before having to touch up.

8/10

Revlon Colorstay Foundation Review and Swatches - Buff and Sand Beige

Today I'm doing a review on the very popular drugstore foundation- Revlon Colorstay. We've all heard the holy-grail claims about this foundation from thousands of beauty bloggers and gurus. I'm not usually one for drugstore foundations, but I just had to give this product a try.

The Shades:

My skin is extremely yellow, so it's very hard for me to find the right color match with most brands. I'm between a MAC NC20 and NC25. I picked up two shades in the Colorstay foundation... Buff and Sand Beige. Both have been recommended to me by the Colorstay color-matching guide. Here are the shade recommendations:

Ivory: NW15/NC15 (lightest shade of the ranges)

Buff: NC20 (best match for fair NCs)

Sand Beige: NC20-25 (with somewhat neutral undertones)

Nude: NC25 (with peachy undertones, definitely not for pinks or true goldens)

Natural Beige: NW20 (tends to run pink)

Medium Beige: NC27 (between Sand Beige & Golden Beige)

Fresh Beige: NW25 (with pinky undertones)

Golden Beige NC30 (with yellow/olive undertones)

Warm Golden: NW30/NC30 (with somewhat neutral undertones)

True Beige: NW30 (with pinky undertones - for Fresh Beige in Summer)

Natural Tan: NC40/NC42 (more neutral than Golden Caramel)

Early Tan: NW35 (with somewhat peach undertones)

Rich Tan: NW35 (with pinkish undertones)

Golden Caramel: NC40/NC42 (more golden than Natural Tan)

Toast: NW43/NC45 (with neutral undertones)

Rich Ginger: NW45 (very peachy-pink)

Caramel: NC45

Cappucino: NC50 (slightly more peach than Caramel)

Mahogany: NW50/NC55 (the darkest of NWs, but not extremely peachy)

Mocha: NW55 (seems to be very cool toned)

I chose the Combination/Oily formula for the lighter shade (Buff) and Normal/Dry for the darker shade (Sand Beige).

Unfortunately, neither shade matched my skin very well. Buff was close, but a little too light and just not yellow enough. My perfect match is NARS Sheer Glow in Ceylan. Here is a shot comparing the three colors:

The Formula:

Revlon Colorstay foundation has an amazing formula. It lasted my entire workday and is definitely full-coverage. It does dry a little fast, so you do have to apply quickly. I have tried applying it without a traditional foundation brush, the Real Techniques Expert Face brush, a sponge, and my fingers. I prefer using the Expert Face brush for this foundation. The product didn't leave my skin feeling cakey or greasy. I ended up preferring the Combination/Oily formula since I do tend to get a bit shiny in the T-zone by the end of the day.

Final Verdict:

I definitely recommend this foundation. It is pretty amazing for a drugstore product. I really wish they had my color shade... I would definitely purchase again if they made something for strong yellow undertones. The only con is that it is packaged without a pump, so I did find myself pouring out a tad too much and wasting product.

8/10