Facial Primers; Matte, Smoothing, Pore-Filling, Extend Makeup Longevity

Today I'm going to be talking about 3 facial primers. (I end up talking about a lot more than 3.) All of these you apply to the skin after you moisturize but prior to any makeup. These do vary in price point and texture. These are each very different products. All three of these primers can be used all over the face to help your foundation apply more nicely. Also all of the primers can be worn on their own for either or more smooth/more matte face.

The First one I want to talk about is the Rimmel Stay Matte Primer. This primer is around the $6-$7 price range for 1 oz. Now let me just say that when this says matte it means MATTE. This product has a cream consistency but at the same time has a slightly dry powdery feel to it. I'm not really sure if that's even possible to be both creamy and powdery but I'm not sure how else I would describe it. This primer isn't the type of primer that is going to smooth out lines and fill in pores. This product is going to help your foundation wear longer and keep your face matte. If you have dry skin at all I do not recommend this product. It will cling to any dry patches and exaggerate your dry skin. It would just would feel very uncomfortable. I couldn't see anybody with normal skin enjoying this either (unless using it for foundation that are too dewy, I expound down below.) That being said this primer would be great for being who really struggle with oily skin. It will help you stay matte and oily free throughout the day. Especially when paired with Rimmel's matte foundation, and setting with powder; I think even the oiliest of girls will be able to stay matte all day. I have discover a super helpful way to use this product is when you have a foundation with a super dewy finish and you get super oily with this foundation. The foundation is too shiny. If you find that you get so oily with this dewy foundation that its starts to break down, I would recommend using this primer to counteract the dewiness in the foundation. I find that if you are pairing this super mattfying primer with a super dewy foundation it can leave you will a very natural finish to this skin. It also helps both of the product to be more wearable. All in all I think if you have a skin type that this product sounds appealing to you, I think it is a well priced item. Rimmel also makes primers that are not matte and they have been some of my favorite primers for a long time. Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer is $7 for 1 oz. and is super super creamy and smooth. Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer is the same price point and has a similar feel as the Fix & Perfect primer. They are definitely a primer that extends wear time and helps foundation go on smooth. I would recommend both of these primers for all skin types. I really do love these primers.

The next Primer I want to talk about is also a drugstore item it is the L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Priming Base. This item, as with a lot of L'Oreal items is a little up there in price. This primer is $12 and comes with .5 oz. This is a very pricey item if you are dividing out the money per oz. Of the primers I am talking about today visually this one wins in packaging; it comes in a nice little glass jar. The product itself has a pinky hue to it that goes away once applied. I'm just a sucker for anything in that color family. But when it comes down to practicality and hygiene a jar looses in packaging. This product has very thick consistency so I understand a squeeze tube would not work  for this product. But having to dig for the product is both a bother and unhygienic. And when it comes to my acne prone skin I try to avoid things that I feel could affect it. So I'm always sure to use a scrapper to get this this product out. Also glass is not ideal for traveling but I looks nice on a vanity. Okay, we get it I don't love the packing for functionally reasons, let's move on! As I said this product has a very thick texture, for reference it is a lot thicker than benefits professional. I do find that this primer does have some smoothing properties to it. And it feel very nice on the skin. This product is matte but not as matte as the Rimmel primer but still leaves the skin quite matte. Again if you have dry skin I would not recommend this product. But oily and combination skin I could see enjoying this product.

The Mary Kay Foundation Primer costs $18. This tube comes with 1 fl. oz. So if you divide out the money by oz. it is cheaper than the L'Oreal one. This is a silicone based primer. So this has almost a gel consistency and is very smoothing. Also I would say all skin types can use this product. I feel like this product kinda lengthens foundation wear time but not anything super noticeable or impressive. And I know I said this is more of smoothing primer but I don't find this overly pore filling if that what you are looking for. But if you just want a general smooth base to work with this will do it. I just don't find this product overly impressive for the price point. I think Baby Skin from Maybelline is a very similar product and would be a dupe.

 If you are interested in a pore filling primer I wouldn't recommend either of those primers for that. For drugstore I would recommend the Garnier 5 second blur. This is more expensive primer as far as drugstore, $15 dolllar price range for 1 oz. This really does fill in pores and smooth the face. I love this primer. As far as highend primers for the pores I have used Benefits porefessional and Smashbox pore minimizing. Both of these primers really fill in pores and smooth the face. These are primers I would only put on problem areas and not the full face. I would also only buy the travel size of both of these because it will last a really long time if you are only using it pore area. If I had to pick a favorite between Benefit and Smashbox, I would pick the Smashbox. I found that Benefits porefessional really clogged my pores, and made my face breakout. I haven't had this problem with any other primer I have ever used. All in all my top 2 porefilling primers are Smashbox Pore Minimizing and Garnier 5 Second Blur

I talked about matte primers and smoothing/pore filling primes, the last category that is important to me is a primer that really extends makeup longevity. I do really like the Rimmel primers for this use but my number one pick would have to be the Nivea post shave balm. It might sound crazy but I have a full blog post about it here: Link to Nivea Post Shave Balm Review. (Side note I really like how those photos turned out, I think the review is worth reading just to see the photos.)

You can always layer up primers. For example only put the matte primer where you are oily and smoothing on the pores ect.

This is all I can think about as far as primers go as of right now but I wouldn't be surprised if I think of more to come in the future. If you have any questions regarding primers or really any makeup related question leave a comment with your question and I will answer it to the best of my ability.
-C

3 Makeup Techiques to Make Your Eyes, Lips, and Cheeks POP!

Darker Blush- Essence 'Autumn Peach'
Matte Blush- Smashbox 'Idolize Me'
Bright Blush- Milani 'Luminoso'

Bright Eyeshadow- Lorac 'Lt. Bronze'
Darker Shades- Lorac Pro Palette
Eyeshadow Stick- Jouer 'Rococo'

Lipgloss- Jouer 'Glisten'

Thanks for watching! I hope you like the video! I have been thinking about how I would like to share some techniques that I use that make my face 'pop!' 

-C

Maybelline The Nudes Pallete Review; Original & Blushed

I really like the idea of affordable eye shadow palette. These are two palettes from Maybelline. The original The Nudes palette is $10. The Blushed Nudes palette is also $10 dollars. Maybelline also came out with The Rock Nudes palette, The Brights palettes, and The Smokes palette which are all also $10. I have not bought any of these palettes simply because I wasn't personally interested in the color selection in any of those palettes. The colors in both of these are super beautiful and versatile.  Also I really like the layout of these palettes. They are very beginner friendly it shows you how to break it down into duos, trios, and quads for easy application. 

Let's get down to whats most important, how the quality? Well as you can see in the swatches these aren't amazing or overly impressive. Some colors stand out more than others. The colors also can be built up and can be used over a primer for more impact. The shadows don't wear overly long either.

I think the pigment and overally quality is better in the palette. I prefer this palette over the original. I really like shadows with this pinky hue. The Urban Decay Naked 3, the pink one is my favorite naked palette. I really enjoy these shades.  I also think that palette wears better than the original.

Basically this is how I look at if if you are interested in the Naked 1 or 2, you want a neutral eye shadow palette or a pinky eye shadow palette. These aren't terrible, you can create looks that give you these looks. Would I reach for these over a naked palette or lorac pro palette? No! The difference in quality transfers to how well it looks on the eyes. But if you just want a simple wash of color in a certain color family, I think they are worth ten dollars. I would also like to add that I think there are also a lot of other drugstore eye shadow options that are better than this. That is just my opinion and review of these palettes! Everyone has their own preferences, I personally enjoy more pigment in my eyeshadow. Others might actually enjoy less for a more suble look. I hope you enjoyed!
-C

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks Review

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks

The three lip colors I will be talking about today are: Requiem, Lolita, and Exorcism. All three are matte liquid lipsticks from Kat Von D. Kat Von D's lipsticks are all long lasting and glide on evenly Requiem is the first and lightest shade. It is a really cool toned purple. It looks the same on the lip as it does on the swatch. I personally love this color because its a little more of a fun and different color without being too bold. So if you are wanting to start experimenting with fun lip colors, but are a little nervous this is a good color to try. Requiem is the one color I found to not last as long and that I had to reapply. This could truly be due to having dryer lips plus the fact that it is a lighter color. The next color is Lolita, and I absolutely love this color. I usually apply more than one layer to make it a darker shade than what the swatch shows. On my lips it is a very warm peachy brown that ranges in shade depending on how many layers I apply. This is probably my favorite as well because it lasted ALL DAY, even at working talking to customers or after I ate or drank. I like this as an everyday color. There is definitely a reason this is her most popular shade. Exorcism is the third and darkest color. It is a very rich and dark purple with red undertones. This is a color I personally would only wear on rare occasions because it does give a dramatic look. It is also an awesome winter shade! Like Requiem, it is a fun color to experiment with when trying more bold lip colors. It is extremely long lasting. I would suggest making sure your lips are completely hydrated when wearing this dark of a color or it can appear patchy on the lips. I have found this to be true with a lot of darker liquid lipsticks, not just this particular line or color. Overall I love the lip colors, the formula, and how they wear on the lips. Kat Von D products are definitely quality and especially these liquid lipsticks. I hope to soon have a finished collection of all the lip colors. I would suggest these to anyone wanting to try liquid lipsticks as they are the new big thing that everyone loves. Definitely check these liquid lipsticks out and often because they are constantly selling out!
-C