By Jasmine Law
Everybody knows that creating a flawless base for your makeup is the first step to perfecting any look – that means perfecting your skin! Here’s a review of a few face makeup products that can help contribute to that glowing face of yours. Feel free to use it as gift-giving inspiration for the holidays!
1. The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder Foundation
Price: 25.00
I like using powder foundations on top of liquid ones because of my oily skin – I find that the combination works well in providing a covered and matte finish. For portability, I’d recommend using a compact, but I found that this loose powder did its job. It provides a light coverage, soaks up oil and a little goes a long way. I’ve tried carrying it around before in makeup bags and such, and it can be a bit of a mess when you’re trying to open it as powder goes flying everywhere. Also, if you’re someone that is looking for thicker coverage, loose powders aren’t really the way to go unless you plan on building it up like I do.
http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/makeup/face-powder/extra-virgin-minerals-powder.aspx <--- Check it out on their website. Normally $25.00 now on sale at $5.00, gogogo!
2. Sephora Kabuki Brush
I use this brush to apply the loose powder foundation. I got this one during the holiday season and so it came in fun Christmas gift-type packaging. As you can see- the brush came inside an ornament! Kabukis are great to buff in mineral powders. The handle of the brush is this great psychedelic mix of purple and green, which makes it an attractive addition to any brush collection. Whether or not this brush holds a significant advantage over other (and perhaps cheaper) brushes though, is undetermined. I also do find that this brush is harder to clean, but I’m sure that’s a small problem given so many of the brush-cleaning solutions out there.
Price range: $35.00 – $60.00
3. Smashbox Photo Finish Light Oil-Free Foundation Primer
This primer really does what it says it does! I found that my makeup did last longer with it and my skin wasn’t as oily as usual by the end of the day. A little bit of this product and my skin feels noticeably smoother after application. That being said, I found that it didn’t make much of a difference in other primer purposes such as concealing enlarged pores or fine lines. Also, if you’re one of those people who use their fingers to rub foundation in, (me!) you can actually feel yourself rubbing off some of the primer and onto your finger. Eek, so watch out for that.
Price: $19.00
4. Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Liquid Foundation
This is definitely a splurge, although I happened to snag this baby up at a sale because Lancôme was just about to switch its packaging for it. Strangely, I find myself liking it less and less. I used to really enjoy this product, but I think I’ve leaned towards using BB creams as my go-to coverage provider for my skin. It does provide great coverage and is also buildable, but feels a little heavier on the skin. It also comes with a little SPF, which is a plus.
Price: $50.00
5. Benefit Sugarlicious kit
The next three Benefit products I’m about to talk about were those that I received in the Benefit Sugarlicious Gift Set – If anyone is wondering why the sudden Benefit extravaganza. Gift sets are a great gift idea and maybe this one will be a good fit for you or a loved one!
Price: $34.00
Benefit Benetint To start off, the set includes the Benetint, a rose-tinted cheek and lip stain. I really enjoy the colour of this product, and to my own surprise, I really took to the idea of a liquid tint. It’s a great way to add a pop of colour to your cheeks. Be careful not to go overboard with it though, I found that two small strokes on each cheek was just the right amount of colour.
Benefit High Beam Highlighter
I didn’t love this highlighter. I think it’s mainly due to the fact that it gives off a very pearly shine and is a little too white in colour. It might also be because I find that I personally like powder highlighters better to enhance the face, and I don’t know how to feel about this liquid one. It still gets the job done, as you will clearly see once applied, but I also think my aversion to it is because I enjoy a matte face. The liquid highlighter adds more of a wet glow, which isn’t what I usually go for.
Benefit Sugarbomb Blush
The Sugarbomb blush is just not enough to produce any significant colour change to my skin tone. I have more of a tanned skin complexion, and Sugarbomb just didn’t show up on my skin. I’m sure it would provide a very natural and pretty pink flush to lighter-toned individuals, but for my tanned skin, it essentially did nothing.
So, there’s my round up of face make-up products I’ve tried out this season! I find that the hardest struggles with getting the right face makeup is finding what shade of blush or foundation suit your skin tone best, and then trying to find a long-lasting formula for it. Good luck and remember that the first step to great skin is also to moisturize, so watch out for the winter chills!