Review: L'oreal True Match Super-Blendable Makeup

NAME: L'oreal True Match Super-Blendable Makeup

DESCRIPTION: L'oreal claims this foundation "precisely matches your skin's tone and texture" and is formulated with Precise Match Technology for easier control of coverage. It contains no oils, fragances and does not clog pores. It has moisturizing agents like glycerin and vitamins B and E. Non-Acnegenic. 24 shades available in the US and Puerto Rico.
PRICE: USD $10-$11 at most drugstores and department stores like Walmart and Kmart.

SHADE I BOUGHT: N4 Buff Beige
SO?: This review was long overdue. This and the EL Double Wear Foundation review. o__O

Anyway...

First of all, I think this is the best color match I've had in a foundation. I used the little plastic chart they have at the L'oreal display (so you can find your "perfect" shade), placed it over my jaw and I saw N4--buff beige was my "match". I thought "Neutral?" But I wasn't surprised, I'm way lighter and more "pink" on the back side of my arms and my "private parts" =D . It was USD $6 at Walmart (quite a steal) so I decided to try it out.

As you may already know, once you've found your perfect shade, L'oreal has made it easier to identify what concealer, blush, powder, etc. you could use with their ID system. In my case, I would look for products marked for N4 shades.


N4 Buff Beige shade has more yellow than pink. But one thing I've learned is that the meaning of neutral differs between makeup companies.

**For reference, I have used MAC foundations in NC 35-40.

I was surprised at how much I love the color. And yes, this foundation is really blendable. You can work with it as it does not dries up quickly (compared to Revlon's ColorStay Makeup). I love the soft dewy finish it gives to my skin. Light to medium coverage. Too much and it could look cakey. I like to apply this with my hands and fingers first (to help it adhere better to my skin) then go over certain areas like my cheeks with a stippling brush to get more coverage. It has SPF of 17, which is pretty high for a foundation. It contains Titanium Dioxide and Iron Oxide, both physical sunscreens.

Also, I love that it does not have a fragrance and my face doesn't itch like crazy when I sweat.



BUT ---and here comes the part that makes me sad--- this foundation makes my T-zone go all wild and crazy. It doesn't help to control oil in this area and the result is that after 1-2 hrs the foundation is ready to be transferred everywhere. It doesn't matter if I set it with powder. I once sneezed, covered my mouth and nose and the makeup was out of my face and all over my fingers, ugh! =( I guess I'm accustomed to my Colorstay, it really stays in place. Maybe ladies with Dry/Very Dry skin would love True Match.

Oh, if I know I'm gonna be photographed when using this foundation, I do not use a loose powder that is "shimmery" or provide "glowy skin" because my face will be all white and ghostly in the pic.

So... this foundation has gone to my pile of "just use for a couple of hours" foundations --or was it the "going to pick up the kids" foundations...can't remember. LOL. It really looks nice on the skin.

(The foundation looks lighter in my hands,

which are darker than my face)

RATING: 3/5 (for color match, great selection of colors and wonderful texture but L'oreal need to make this transfer-resistant!)

**TIP: If I am going out at night, I use a foundation that is a shade darker (not much, but normally a color I wouldn't use during the day). I'm not that big on bronzers and with the darker foundation I cover all imperfections while knowing that my face is gonna look even-toned with my neck in all the photos. I have had great results by doing this.


HTH. Later wonderful people!



¡Vivan, amen y rían!

TotalBeauty.com: Top 21 Body Washes

So here I'm thinking of taking a shower...again...and it isn't midday yet, ugh! So hot in here. I saw this beauty bubble and got curious. Right now I use a moisturizing one, but my skin has shown me it needs more exfoliation, so I got the St. Ives one. Let's see how that goes.

Top 21 Body Washes

See which shower gel was tops

All body washes will get you clean, but TotalBeauty.com readers expect much more when they step into the shower. They want a product that leaves skin clean, soft and smelling great, and will even put them in a better mood. Sound impossible? It's not. In fact they found 21 washes that do just that. Check them out. See washes

YouTube: Some damn good smoky eyes tutorials!

You may already know I love smoky eyes. I have made some looks with different colors. Smoky eyes can be gorgeous and yet they can be quite simple to achieve. I love doing smoky looks with color, but I absolutely love the classic ones using black/brown shades.

One thing I do almost everyday is going through YouTube looking for great tutorials to keep learning more about them (and makeup in general), trying to get better each time you know! These are tutorials from some of my favorite YouTubers:

Also, check out these videos by TiffanyD: "Brown Smoky Eyes" and "Black/Gray Smokey Eyes" .

Well, this should keep you entertained for a few minutes, if you haven't watched them already, LOL. I love to see the techniques every single individual has to achieve this look.

Check out these and other fantastic YouTubers on their respective channels (don't forget about me!). These ladies (and guys too!) are your everyday people doing extraordinary work.



¡Vivan, amen y rían!

L'OREAL Colour Riche L/S: Swatches -- Part 2 of 2

Here is part 2 of the L'oreal lip swatches. Part 1 is HERE.

Again, my mini collection:

6. BRAZIL NUT -- Another one I love. This is a brown shade, without much red on it and less dark than Cinnamon Toast. Goes great with a neutral or natural look. Creamy finish.

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7. CASHMERE -- For me this is a neutral pink shade with gold specks. It looks kind of frosty but I say "kind of" because it doesn't make the cracks on my lips look terrible as others do. It is like a mixing a lippie of a creamy finish with a frost one. I really like the color this one gives to my lips.

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8. SPICE -- Whoa, this is a super deep-dark brown color with a touch of red maybe? It's perfect for the goth look. Reminds me of one of MAC's lipsticks from the Cult of Cherry collection (can't remember the name, lol). I usually taint my lips with this l/s, I'm aware this is way too dark for me. But I love it like that. This will look gorgeous on dark skinned ladies.

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9. DUNE -- This look very glittery and metallic under my bathroom light but in real life looks great. At first it looks similar to Cashmere but this one is more champagne-ish, has more beige on it. Perfect for a look that requires nude lips. I like that for being a nude shade, it gives good coverage to my lips, makes them looks moist with some sparkle.

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Well, that's it for my swatches. I like swatches. Most of the times they help me on making a decision about buying different products. Hope you find these helpful.


Later!


¡Vivan, amen y rían!

L'OREAL Colour Riche L/S: Swatches -- Part 1 of 2

I've been meaning for a while to make and post these swatches of one of my fave drugstore lipsitcks: L'oreal Colour Riche L/S. Oh I love them. The formula is really creamy and moisturizing and now L'oreal has added Argan Oil too, which provides even more moisturizing properties to the whole formula. All I know is that when the l/s is fading, my lips feel so good, not all dry.

Here are the lipsticks I have to this date:

Swatches on a white sheet:

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I made the next swatches in the same order (from left to right) as shown above.
***NOTE 1: I took pics under different lighting as to show the truest shade of the lipstick. Pics where taken under natural and artificial (fluorescent) lighting. Pictures will be identify as to avoid confusion.

***NOTE 2: I took all these pictures on different days since I was making swatches on my lips and at some point my lips get all red and a bit swollen for cleaning them to try another shade. So in order to provide the truest, true to color pictures I divided the work in two days. I just applied the lipstick without any base or lip liner, so some of the photos will look a bit messy maybe? lol.


MY LIPS (for reference):

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1. RED RHAPSODY--Love this dark red shade, super creamy covers very well my pigmented lips.

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Under natural lighting looks a bit more cool
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2. PEACH FUZZ -- As the name says, a frosted peachy shade with a small touch of pink, this tend to be more warm than cool. It covers quite good my lips, but if I use a good lip base I can get more of that girly color. Sadly, it does emphasizes are all the cracks in my mouth, I think it made my lips look older. =(

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3. MICA -- Mica is a strange color. I thought it would be a bit more plumish but actually looks more like frosted pink.

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4. SEA FLEUR--Ohhh, I love this one, a fuchsia so colorful and vibrant without overdoing it. It reminds me of Revlon's Super Lustrous L/S in Wild Orchid. I have used this in full color or just tainting my lips with it and gloss. Cool.

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5. CINNAMON TOAST-- One of my faves! It says cinnamon toast and I guess that is a great resemblance. I think this brown shade has more red/orange. I use this super creamy color for many earthy looks.

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It's late so I will be posting the second and final part tomorrow.

HTH!

Good night.


¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Lancome sale on HauteLook.com =)

Hi lovelies! Just a quick note to mention that HauteLook.com is having a sale on Lancome products (their first time). Savings of up to 30%. Sale starts on July 28th at 8am PST. That gives you some time to plan a haul! LOL.

Click on the image to the left to get there. Remember to share with me if you got some goodies.

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Be back in a couple of days!

Sorry for the lack of posts guys, it has been a really busy week with the kids, plus we are spending the weekend with my in-laws. I'll be back on Monday!

¡Vivan, amen y rían!