LAURA MERCIER SILK CREME MOISTURIZING PHOTO EDITION FOUNDATION & THE SEPHORA COLOR IQ

Who doesnt love Make Up shopping? I know I do. So when my trusty current favorite foundation - Make Up Forever Ultra HD Foundation ran out, I decided to bring in something new to my Foundation roster. I headed to the Sephora on Country Plaza ,as I heading downtown for an early dinner with the fam.

I didnt have an appointment, which I recommend having. My Make Up artist Karla and me got talking on what I was looking forward to in a new foundation. To start off with , my skin was super dry and I dont like flashback in my photos. Being a full time Lifestyle Blogger, I get photographed regularly, often at  events, with flash photography. So any foundation with SPF or Titanium Dioxide is a strict No No for me.

Laura Mercier Silk Creme, as its popularly known, has been a cult favorite for years. Youtube Beauty Gurus and Make Up enthusiasts have been raving about it over the years. But it has undergone some changes. earlier it was only available in a single formula. It was reformulated and brought out in two formulas, to  suit different skin types. Just like the Make Up Forever Ultra HD, this foundation in question, is quite true to its description - Photo Edition . It had been on my mind for a long time, along with Nars Sheer Glow another iconic foundation.

I had my Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation on that day. Karla recommended that we remove the existing make up and do a mini skin care routine, before we proceeded  to the Color Match with their Color IQ.

She used the Sunday Riley Blu Moon Tranquility Cleansing Balm, Sunday Riley Good Genes All in One Lactic Acid Treament and Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream. All products are listed at the end of the post.

If you are looking for Mini Makeovers, head to your local Sephora. Its a free service and you learn a lot.

Once the skin was prepped it was time to bring in the cameras. I kid you not. The COLOR IQ is a special device which takes photos of your skin , and matches you with probable matches of make up.
From foundation, to bronzers, to lipsticks, Color IQ has it covered. My Color IQ number is Y408. 

Of all the choices which popped up , we narrowed it down to three to try out : Nars Sheer Glow - Stromboli , Laura Mercier Silk Creme Photo Edition Moisturizing Foundation - Sand Beige  and Marc Jacobs Re(marc)able Full Coverage Foundation - Golden Medium 44. 

We tried out all three shades suggested by Color IQ near the jawline and just above the decolletage. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation seemed to be the best match of three.

Once we had decided on the match, it was time to do the full face. Karla removed the stripes of foundation from the face. Then she used a brightening Primer - Laura Mercier Radiance Primer. I dont use radiance primers on a daily basis so it was good start.

Then she applied the foundation with the Laura Mericer Sponge. A little product went a long way. I have a serious case of under eye circles, so we used Laura Mercier High Coverage Concealer for Under Eye . Added some setting powder under the eyes , and in the T zone - Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder and finished  off with some bronzer - Laura Mercier Bronzing Prssed Powder, to add some color.

FOUNDATION REVIEW : 
Now for the First Impressions of the Foundation - Laura Mercier Silk Creme Photo Edition Moisturizing Foundation. As I have dry skin, I opted for this formula, over their oil free formula. A small squeeze of the tube, dispenses enough product to cover the whole face. I dont have the patented Laura Mercier sponge, recommended to go with it. I apply it first with my Real Techniques Flat Foundation Brush and then use a damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge over it. Its a medium to full coverage foundation. It does not cling to my dry patches, as I have very dry skin. This foundation is a long wear one. I have worn it for over 10 hours and been outdoors , and it stays put. The foundation tube needs to be shaken before use, or else the oils can separate. As far as packaging goes, I quite like the black packaging , which makes it very luxe. As its a tube, and not a glass bottle, it makes it a great choice for travel. I have been using it for over a month now, and I am loving it. When used with a radiance primer, it gives off a very dewy finish. Its the dry winter months and I am loving my glowy make up base.

SHOP MY LOOK :

Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment
Sunday Riley Tidal brightening enzyme water cream
Sunday Riley bBue moon tranquility cleansing balm

     

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MAKEUP FOREVER ULTRA HD FOUNDATION & ANASTASIA BROW WIZ: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I was running super low on my current foundation in rotation and needed to stock up. So I thought, why not try something new. Its the Holidays and loads of events are coming up. Not to mention the zillion pictures of myself I shall be guilty of oversharing. And I also had a coupon from Sephora which was expiring soon.

I had two foundations on my mind: NARS SHEER GLOW and MAKE UP FOREVER ULTRA HD FOUNDATION . I always have a long list when it comes to my Foundation. To begin with I have super dry skin withe even drier patches all round. So i don't need a foundation which dries me out further and clings to those dry patches. Secondly, being a blogger I do have a lot of my pictures taken at all times, for many posts. And some of it do include flash photography, coz lets face it, all restaurants don't have the most flattering of lighting. My foundation needs to be one which does not have a flashback in photographs. So no SPFs and Titanium Dioxide in the product list.

I was helped in store by the lovely Make Up Artist Rachel. She was such a sweetheart. She listened through my long list of what I want in a foundation. She suggested that we skip NARS Sheer Glow and opt for MAKE UP FOREVER ULTRA HD FOUNDATION  as that would fit my bill more perfectly. Seemed fair enough.

Now was the time for a Color Match. I always tell everyone, how crucial this step is in make up. I have seen so many people, going around with an absolute wrong shade of foundation. I am used to Artists color matching along the jaw line. Rachel told me that an even more effective way is to match it on the neck . I have a very warm undertone, and sometimes brands suck in catering to our undertone. Rachel picked out three shades and applied the product in stripes along my neck. When she asked me to look in the mirror, I could only see two shades, as the third shade was the perfect match, so it was not even showing . Bingo. Did I mention, that I had chosen to wear turtle neck that day and my daughter wanted to apply some blue eye shadow on my cheeks, as Rachel tried to color match me. Thanks Rachel for being so patient with us. That's how Moms go for Make Up shopping with their daughters. She matched me to Shade Number 153(Y405 ) in Golden Honey. Make Up Forever had recently reformulated their foundation formula and created it for being photographed in 4K which is the next generation of HD. Hence the HD foundation is now called Ultra HD. They have also changed their shade numbers so its 153 according to the older shade guide and Y405 according to teh new shade guide, where Y stands for YELLOW or Warm undertone.  I checked later on that this foundation is one of the winners of the Allure Beauty Awards of 2015.

The foundation has a medium coverage and can be built up. It dries to a satin matte finish which I am not kidding looks like your skin. I  used a flat foundation brush to apply the product. It comes with a pump which makes it a lot easier to dispense. I would say it looks much darker in the bottle than it actually looks on skin. I  am used to using a damp Beauty Blender over the foundation on my face to give it a nice airbrushed finish. But for this foundation, I did not even need that. It just blends beautifully even with a flat foundation brush.

I picked up my new brand new foundation but needed to pick up something more to be able to redeem my coupon. Rather than opting for skin care like a sheet mask or something,  I decided to venture into a territory i have never ever walked. It might sound strange to all of you, as you'll know me as a Make up Junkie. But I have never used Brow Products in general.

I went looking for Rachel again to help me out. We started off with URBAN DECAY BROW BEATER MICROFINE BROW PENCIL AND BRUSH. We tried a couple of shades, but one was too warm and one was too cool. My daughter reached out for the KEVYN AUCOIN PRECISION BROW PENCIL Which Rachel added was another choice.

But I wanted to try out the ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS BROW WIZ. We tried a few colors and finally settled on the color Granite. I know everyone on the Internet raves about this cult product. For a bro newbie, this seemed to be the perfect choice. I liked that it did not make my brows look too made up like the gels have a tendency to do. And the spoolie at the end of the pen, helped in distributing the color. As it was my first time using a brow product, I had my inhibitions for sure. But Rachel showed how to use the product properly. She used short feathery strokes mimicking the direction of growth of the brow hair. Then she used the spoolie and combed the brow upwards and then sideways, to distribute the color properly.

As far as First Impressions go, I am quite satisfied with these new products. But I need to use them for some time more and see how they turn out to be.

POST UPDATED: 
I had used this foundation for the first time during an evening event and the pictures came out great. When I first used this product during the day, thats when I realised that the color was a mismatch, despite my initial thoughts. Its always necessary to test out a foundation in sunlight, to see if its an accurate match. The color was a lot darker than my skin tone, and my neck was standing out much lighter. I was almost looking orange like an Oompa Loompa. SO i went back to Sephora and told them the problem. There was a different lady helping me this time, and she matched me again. This time to Y365 (123)- Desert . From the initial so called match of Y450, jumping up high to Y365. As much as you should respect the opinion of the In STore Beauty Expert, never forget to cross check it yourself in sunshine or do the flash test with a camera.  I took some selfies with the next round of color matching with the same foundation. This is a better match as I have used it quite frequently and am happy with the results.

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CLINIQUE BEYOND PERFECTING FOUNDATION : REVIEW : BEAUTY

You know the feeling when you fall in love. You are on cloud nine. You can't take your hands off each other. And you just can't stop admiring each other. That walking in the clouds kinda feeling. well, I ma in love,for sure. Before you start jumping to conclusions, and get all judgemental, let me clarify. I am in LOVE with CLINIQUE BEYOND  PERFECTING FOUNDATION.

 I am very partial to my high end foundations. I always believe in the importance of getting color matched by a professional, who also match the product to your skin type, and not only color and undertones. MAC foundations have wooed me for years. I can't even remember when that of story started. I was running low on MAC Face and Body Foundation and had to stock up. But i decide dot venture  out of my comfort zone and try something new. Before I test out new make up products meant for a big event in my life, I will usually use them for a few smaller ones,and see how well or how badly they photograph. I walked up to my neighborhood ULTA and started person the aisles, looking for a foundation which did not have either SPF or Titanium Dioxide. And it was pretty difficult to find one. The choices were from TARTE( A Mineral Foundation), URBAN DECAY NAKED SKIN(which I already own) and lastly CLINIQUE BEYOND PERFECTING FOUNDATION. The mineral foundation was a no no as I have super dry skin. So I walked over to the Clinique Aisle.

I spoke with the representative from CLINIQUE and told him my concerns. He suggested this new foundation, which had been launched in February this year. Honestly, I had never even heard of it. But decided to give it a try as it did not have SPF or titanium dioxide. I was color matched to GOLDEN NEUTRAL, as I have warm undertones. It was a perfect match. Sometimes some brands will not have adequate color options,and you might have to mix in two colors togged a perfect match.  Its priced at 27 dollars, so its a pretty good deal.

The Foundation is a medium to full coverage foundation and is not super matte.  although its Demi-Matte , its not drying at all. I hate foundations which stick to dry patches on my face. This did not happen with this new love of mine . It did not feel like my pores were clogged.

It comes in a glass bottle, with a wand applicator and you're supposed to apply the product in dots across your face. Then use either a brush or a damp sponge to bend it out. I used dots of the foundation from the wand and then used a flat FOUNDATION BRUSH from REAL TECHNIQUES to blend the product. Then used a damp MIRACLE COMPLEXION SPONGE from REAL TECHNIQUES to blend it out further.

I used this foundation for quite a few days for quite a few different occasions. Shopping trips in the typical Midwestern Summer Sun, parties at home which went for crazy hours, but this foundation stayed put. Its long wearing for sure,and was humidity resistant. I had set it with MAC MINERALIZE SKIN FINISH NATURAL,but it didn't cake up. I was photographed at all the events and it photographed beautifully. There was no flashback at all, even used with a strong flash. I highly recommend this product.

The product name claimed that its a concealer and foundation blended into one. But I have severe dark circles under my eyes and so had to use my MAC PROLONGWEAR CONCEALER to counteract those and give my under eyes a lift.

MAC,CLINQUE and ESTEE LAUDER are all sister brands,so maybe my love story continues with the Mother Ship as they say.

If you are in the market for a new foundation which photographs well, go ahead and pick it up. Its pretty hydrating but does not met away in summer. Thumbs Up !!

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FOUNDATION AND CONCEALER BASICS: MAKE UP DIARIES

A very special friend of mine, Srijita, had been requesting me for the last few years, to share my tips on the perfect Foundation and Concealer. The Formulas, the brushes and the works. Make up has always had a prominent part in all our conversations, and she has always asked me to put it all down in a post. But I continued to ramble through random chats and the odd phone calls,whenever anyone needed any make -up related advice. So today, I thought of putting down the ramblings and am sure it would become a semi-decent post.

The key to Great Make-Up is a Great Base. If your Base is patchy or faulty, no matter how much you try to work on it, the results shall be nowhere good. So before you make plans for the latest red carpet Smoky Eye, work on your BASE. Its like Mathematics. You need to master Simple Arithmetic,to go ahead with Algebra. Am sure you get the drift.

What exactly am I rattling on about Base?? Base refers to Foundation, Concealer and Powder.  This Holy Trinity is what makes the difference. When you wear make-Up on your face, you don't want to look like you have just dunked your face in some whipped cream and decided to go about town. You want to highlight your features, camouflage your flaws,and make your skin look as flawless as possible.

Lets begin with FOUNDATION: 

It always makes sense to get your Foundation Matched by an expert. No use trying to guess what your color/shade could be. The best way is to pick out three shades,which you think are closest to you. Test them out near your jawline. The shade which blends and can't be seen,is the correct shade for you. never try to go dark or go light.

All of us have an Undertone to our Skin. Either Warm or Cool or Neutral. So its important to determine what undertone you are. A warm undergone will have Yellow notes to the Skin,while a Cool Undertone will be more Pink. And there are the blessed few who are Neutral. I have a warm Undertone.

Foundations should be different at different times of the year. If you are lucky then you can stretch the same formula throughout the year. But lets just face it, its not practical. In Summer, when we pick up a Tan, our  Foundation shade changes, and so does the formula. We settle for water Based Foundation Formulas like MAC Face and Body Foundation, which are also waterproof. the last thing you want is that your make up washing away in sweat. While in winter, we can settle in for the slightly heavier formulas like MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. A drug store alternative is REVLON COLOR STAY FOUNDATION. It comes in two formulas: One each for Normal to Dry Skin and the Other for Oily Skin.

While choosing a Foundation, the next thing which matters, is the Coverage we are looking for. If its a light to medium coverage is what appeals you, then opt for Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation or MAC Face and Body Foundation. Both of these Foundations can be built up to have a full Coverage. if you are looking for a Full Coverage Foundation, then opt for MAC Match Master Foundation or MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. 

Finally is there Flash Photography involved? Some foundations have SPF or Titanium dioxide in Them,which causes a White Cast in Flash Photography. Yes, I have been guilty of the ghost face in my younger days without a care in the world. Now I am more than extra careful. If I know I mainly outdoors, I know I can get away with foundations with SPF in it,and I would also need it,by all means. But if its an indoor event, I take no chances. All BB Creams ahem SPF in them,and therefore do not photograph that well. My favorite Foundation to be photographed in, would be MAC Face and Body Foundation.  A Drug store alternative is REVLON PHOTOREADY FOUNDATION. A problem child in this regard is the URBAN DECAY NAKED SKIN FOUNDATION. Nowhere do the ingredients speak of SPF or Titanium Dioxide,but it leaves a horrible white cast in photographs. I have tried it on various occasion,s and whenever threes flash photography involved, it has let me down. But its a wonderful formula to wear during the day,and has stayed put on the skin, even on long road trips.

Moisturize Moisturize very well, before you start your make up. This prevents the Foundation from clinging to dry patches on your Skin.

How do you Apply your Foundation? I opt for a Flat Foundation Brush to apply the foundation, then smooth it all out with a damp Beauty Blender Sponge. You could also use a Buffing Brush or a Stippling Brush for a closer to skin finish. and make sure you go beyond your jawline,and blend it well.

Now for CONCEALER:

We all have the odd spot on the face, the prominent zit which comes up before a big day or the super dark circles. Concealers come in to pack in the extra punch. The foundation cannot hide these specific  imperfections. So opt for a Concealer which matches your skin tone, to cover up any spots or zits.

For the under eye circles, opt for a Concealer which is two shades lighter than your skin tone, and of a different Undertone. That will help cancel out the redness and darkness under the eyes. This is one trick which will take away all traces of lack of sleep from your face. With a Concealer Brush, apply the concealer in the form of a triangle below the eyes. Use a damp Beauty Blender sponge to smooth it out.

You could also use the lighter concealer on the bridge of your nose and on the Cupid's Bow to highlight.

My favorite Concealer is MAC PROLONGWEAR CONCEALER,as a single pump dispenses enough product to cover both under eyes. A Drug Store alternative is MAYBELLINE FIT ME CONCEALER. Its not as thick as Prolongwear but does a decent job.

Last but not the least POWDER. You have worked hard on your Foundation and concealer, but you forget your Powder,and it all melts away to oblivion. You need to powder at least the TZone if you are not too fond of Powders. While some may sing all praises for Translucent Powders, I am not too fond of them. Some translucent powders will have Silica dust in them, and they have a similar white cast on your face in flash photography. The best option is to opt for a good quality colored powder. My choice is the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Natural. Its a fool proof option. I use a large fluffy brush to apply powder after I have done my Foundation and Concealer.

Phew,that was long. I seem to have rambled on and on. So go ahead and give it a try. Cheers to Make Up Mania !!!!

SHOP MY FAVORITES :

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