Review: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation +Powder, Eshiko Face Powder, & Smashbox BB Cream

I've been trying to find something for full coverage and people keep talking about Make Up For Ever's HD Foundation. Today, I spent a good hour in Sephora trying to match foundation colors (and testing other brands as well). I finally settled on #117.

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation

COLOR: The color looks to be ever so slightly too light and yellow at first (I am NW15-20). However, after giving it time to settle, the color darkens (good for NC20). Initially I thought the color being off wasn't too bad, especially for photos, but irl it looks terrible because the tone is not right.

COVERAGE: Medium. It didn't cover everything, but for a photo it will work.

TEXTURE: Blends nicely and leaves you with a matte finish.

PROS: I love how it smoothed out my pores. It's as if someone took the blur tool to my face.

CONS: Drying to my dry skin. As time passed, the makeup started showing the flakes.

I will have to return this because at $42 it cannot just sit around here. It does have my desired coverage effect, so I wish MUFE would come out with one for dry skin.

Make Up For Ever HD Powder


I have heard so much about this powder, and today I finally got the travel sized 5g to try out. It was $16 I believe, which is a lot more reasonable to try out products. I am really loving the travel sized products Sephora is offering. Some things you just want to try, and some you don't use as much of and buying the full sized is burdensome. I want to snag Benefit's High Beam travel set next ($12).

I packed the product on, and found that I did notice it smoothing out the makeup. The dry flakes of skin that were starting to show due to the HD foundation appeared a bit more blurred. This powder does lighten skin a bit. I can see how those flash photo mishaps would be glaring on those with darker skin tones. With this product you must take care to really blend the product well. I missed a couple spots in my photo.

This is a product that drys out skin and produces a matte effect, so those of us with dry skin might have to moisturize heavily. I'm not sure I want to continue using this powder because of my dry skin, but I'll hold onto it for a bit longer.

Eshiko Face Powder


I reviewed Eshiko before, but now I get to compare it against MUFE's HD powder. Again, I packed the powder on. There was not much improvement in the appearance of my makeup. In fact, I think this powder made things worse with this foundation. Areas started clumping together and it was quite unsightly. Perhaps it would fare better with a powder foundation. It did feel a little less drying than the MUFE HD powder- I'm assuming it's because it is more finely milled.

Applied on left side of face means that it is on the left side when you look at it (Left side of pic). It looked a bit too dark, so I tried using Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in No.13 as a highlight.

BEFORE:

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream-Light

I'm really glad the sales associate took note of my skin shade while giving me the sample. However, it's still too dark for me. When he gave me the sample he said, "And the BB, you just pat *gestures* around your eyes, use as a primer or your foundation". 

COLOR: Too dark for me, maybe good for a NC20-25?

COVERAGE: Medium

TEXTURE: Easy to Blend, but drying on top. It has a certain sticking quality that is good as a primer.

Imo, it's already pretty heavy coverage-wise. Putting foundation on top of this is a bit strange to me. You'll likely end up breaking out more.

Fresh Sugar Lip Tint Treatment- Passion

You already know how much I love this from my review of the Rose one. Well, the Rose kind of melted and fell apart (don't leave in your car). So I went to Sephora and picked me up the full sized Passion. It has a good amount of color without going overboard. I can apply this in the church bathroom without fear of the old ladies judging me.

Recap of Before and After:

As a side note, I took a color vision test. Turns out I can perfectly distinguish hues (that's no mistakes!). It's kind of fun, try it. http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?pageid=77&lang=en

I also tried the L'oreal Age Perfect Advanced Skin Repair Serum that came in the Allure magazine (yes, they still send me these). It has that translucent color every serum has, and smells a bit like sweet potatoes o_O. My dry skin is left feeling non-dry and a little more touchable. Hmm, not bad. No idea if the age repair part actually works or not.

Gmarket Lip Haul Pics/ Review!!!

You'll all be so proud of me, first I found those earrings that I lost. Turns out I just put them in my other organizer case. Those things are so handy. I got one with a handle and many compartments from Michael's for only $6. I have a 50% off coupon so maybe I should drop by and grab another. Second, I finally just up and got the gumption to assemble all the pictures for the lip products I hauled from Gmarket! yayyy!!! Here they are: Lots of chances for you to take items from here that seem interesting to you as well! ENLARGE ALL PICTURES BY CLICKING ON THEM TO GET A BETTER LOOK!

Well before that let me start off with a freebie that I got. This is a yogurt cleansing foam from Etude House. It's supposed to be a peel because of the AHA in it, so I was a bit hesitant to try it in case I ended up in rashes or something. Actually I really like it!! It has a clean fresh scent. Not like lemony or anything, but like when you buy body wash in asia or something, that kind of scent. I don't really see any of the peeling effects. It's a gentle cleanser, and yet it does make my face feel well cleansed after! I might consider buying it, maybe. I have two other shiseido cleansers in use currently and a clean and clear somewhere that needs to be finished off, so maybe after a while. Besides these 1 oz samples are huge and last forever, I really like that. This way you can really test out if you like the product.

Now onto Etude House Lip products~ I apologize in advance for my messy lips >.<

I would say these Sweet Shower Lips lip products have the strongest scent out of the whole Miss Tangerine line (still very faint though). The packaging is sturdy plastic which surprised me, I expected it to be cheaper plastic. These are kind of like lip gloss solidified in a tube ^^. They have microglitter in them too. The sheer color really makes these colors wearable and I highly recommend. My favorite of the two is #1 though. You turn the bottoms and they click while pushing the product upwards. WARNING: do not advance it more than you plan to use because you can't make it go back down. This is a con.

Next in line is the Miss Tangerine LUCIDarling Fantastic Rouge in #12.

If you remember from before, I raved about the formula for this line and how it really is able to cover lip color. You can see that from my swatch below as well. The top swatch is the same color as it is in the tube. The lighter center for the lipstick on the leftmost picture is non existent- due to flash. Very faint tangerine smell that gets a bit stronger as you apply. Still, it's barely noticeable. #12 is the pinker of the two tangerine line shades.

While I still love this line, I find the color a bit too similar to a color I already have. If interested, EMAIL ME: juicedmang0s@gmail.com. $9 shipped- sorry, the USD is depreciating -___-;;

Continuing on with Etude House lipstick theme, I have the VIP Girl Dear Darling Lips lippies.

PK007 is from their main line and OR205 is from the Miss Tangerine line. 

I wasn't sure whether or not to get pk006 or pk007 at first, and even all the swatches from blogs couldn't help me. I decided to go with pk007 because it got a rave review and I'd rather be safe than sorry. Turns out it's a nice nude pink shade. I might have regretted the pk006 because I think it would've ended up too light. The disappointing thing is that I love the color, I love how it looks when it's applied, but I'm not liking the overall effect of it on my face. =(. I don't know whether it's because my lips are too thick or something, but it seems like this color is looking a little too light. I look like a clown of sorts. Or perhaps I need something with a more opaque formula, if only they made a similar shade in the LUCIDarling line! Maybe I will take another look in the morning with different lighting. Pk007 has a very very faint scent that I can't put my finger on. 

OR205 actually has a bit stronger of a tangerine scent than the other tangerine line products. Perhaps I was wrong about the Sweet Shower Lips having the strongest scent. It's a yummy scent =D. The color is wearable and slightly opaque. A lovely color. The more I stare at it, the more I think I should keep it. But my common sense kicks in and tells me that I wouldn't wear this shade that often. My clothes are all intensely colored so.. I don't know things just seem to not fit well together color scheme wise. I tends more towards the neutral/ cool shades of makeup, so why in the world I picked up so many tangerine things is a mystery to me @.@. Again, OR205 is the pinker of the two released for the Miss Tangerine line. The other is OR207. Make no mistake though, when you put this on, people will know it is orange!

The VIP Girl lipsticks are both medium creamy, as in creamy, but not so creamy that the product is sliding all over the place. I find the it has a good amount of coverage as well. My pigmented lips were concealed. The only thing is you will need to exfoliate before applying or it can look tacky.

Save me from myself and take OR205 and/ or PK007 (I'm still debating whether or not to keep this one, but in the meantime... up for grabs) for $7 shipped by EMAILING ME at juicedmang0s@gmail.com

Rollin' Rollin' on...to the Dear Darling Roll Roll gloss. This one is pretty fun, the tip rolls to help you apply the product. It has multicolored microglitters in it, very cool. I got #4 which I think is supposed to be guava but it smells more like strawberry?? cherry? maybe cherry. (sorry I'm not good at describing these things). I was hoping there'd be more of a color impact but it's a subtle gloss instead. Kind of thick, and slight stickiness.

As you all know I have a buttload of glosses already (see previous gmarket hauls) including the LUCIDarlings and Peach Waters from Etude. So I must ask one of you to step up and be this one's new owner. I haven't even made a dent in those yet. Secondhand gloss is pretty iffy, but I tried to keep things sanitary by washing hands before depositing product on finger--> lips. $6 shipped, EMAIL juicedmang0s@gmail.com if interested.

And another gloss! This one is the Moon Crystal Power gloss with enough glitter to blind someone. The color is actually opaque enough to cover up some of the lip pigment as shown in the non flash picture. Flash just makes the camera see right through the glittery illusion. It's a thicker product, slightly sticky. The color is absolutely gorgeous. The applicator is an actual brush, like with bristles and all. The only slight downside to this product is that it has a faint chemical-ish smell. It fades away after application, but it is something to be noted.

I imagine this as a lipcolor for glitzy night parties. Buttt... as I don't party, it seems like such a shame (Really really really gorgeous). Perhaps someone can do it justice for $7 shipped EMAIL me at juicedmang0s@gmail.com

Again, as I said for the previous gloss, I tried to keep things hygienic. 

The last of the Etude Lippies is the Miss Tangerine Follow Me Tint. They have another one for the Peripera line that changes shades from blue to pink. I was scared because people said that one had a bad smell. This one, I'm happy to say, only has the faintest tangerine scent. It doesn't change that much, the color is a very faint pink. After you wipe the color away it's gone. Your lips don't actually get tinted. Again, very pleased with the sturdy plastic packaging, and the barrel is metal. This is SPF 13 product. I wouldn't say it's horribly special, just a product that can give you a pop of color and a little sun protection. This would be good for those who don't want a dramatic effect but want their lips a step up from the bare natural look.

Out with the Etude, in with... Holika Holika?!

This is a very cute concept brand, all the google images you see of their stores makes you really want to visit. The particular product I have here is the Aqua Petit Jelly Tint Bar. It is essentially like a tinted gloss solidified. Kind of like the Follow Me Tint above except without spf and changing colors, but with more color impact. The color is a bit stronger irl than in the photo, and I think you can build it up as well. It's transparent and has a sprinkling of glitter. I got 01 which is cherry scented. I have so many things like this already, including the Follow Me Tint, I also have the Clio lip pencil from last time- they're just all different scents. If you don't have something like this already, I suggest trying it out. This is a great way to spruce up your day with a hint of color on your lips. Take this away from me for a mere $8 shipped by EMAILING juicedmang0s@gmail.com

Last but not least, I have the Tony Moly Tony Tint in 01 Cherry. I've had my eye on this for quite a while now. It's in a cute round bottle and .. so red. I finally got two freebie samples with my (accidental) Tony Moly  order. Each of these sample ones has the diameter of about a quarter (super tiny!), and it's only filled half way. The product applies extremely bloody red. I love it. Applies like water. Once it dries it totally does not smudge off. BUT if you wet it, it comes off right away with little actual lip tinting. (see pictures below of just applied and wiped off with water). 

I think you can probably just dab a bit on and move your lips around to get a lighter application as well. I think this was the lip tint used in some drama as well, and her lips were only faintly pink. Con of this product, it has a faintly unpleasant smell. Still bearable though, as it fades after application. The smell is like that of Revlon Just Bitten lip tint- except I don't seem to have any allergic reactions to this product, no itchiness as with the Revlon.

If you want to try this out, I can mail you my extra for $4 shipped if you EMAIL me at juicedmang0s@gmail.com 

It's a highly popular product so take advantage!!

The end!

Insight into the Workings of the Tony Moly Lip Tint

So if you'll remember, back when I was reviewing the Tony Moly Lip Tints I was wondering how they work. Obviously it doesn't have to do with the temperature changes. And I tried acid/ base to no avail.

Well...here we are several months later. Today I opened my lip tint to use it because I am quite fond of this product. I hadn't used it over the summer since I couldn't find it. When I opened it just now... I got a really big surprise.

My lip tint is dotted with pink spots! That's really unusual because why are  they all spread out? I only dug from one place. Then as I was examining them, I realized they look unusually similar to little colonies of bacteria or something. on top of the pink dots are these little raised bumps. 

So now I think I know how the lip tint works,  using an indicator that will turn pink when the bacteria or whatever is present. Most likely I accidentally sneezed or coughed on it and they grew over time. 

That's actually kind of funny cuz then I guess it'd just turn colors based on how much bacteria or whatever is on your lips, lol.

Will I continue to use this? Yea probably, there's plenty of bacteria in our other makeup, but we just don't see it even though we still continue to use it. I'll probably take care to avoid the little spots though. High concentrations of anything aren't good for you.

Just note though, these are just my suspicions, it may not be a biological indicator. It just looks that way to me. I didn't actually do any testing on it or anything.