Five Things | Go To Drugstore Foundations

Foundation is one of those very individual things, and I know everyone has a different preference - dewy, natural, matte, light/full coverage etc - and everyone also has different skin types, which makes it difficult to wear certain types of foundation. I tried to choose a variety for this post so that there is something for pretty well everyone. As I've said in many a post before, my skin is combination. All these foundations work well for me, it just depends on what finish or coverage level I'm looking for on any given day. 

The first two I grabbed are both similar in that they leave a more dewy finish to the skin - not in the 'I just left the gym' kind of way though. Maybelline Fit Me is a wonderful one for a nice medium coverage, and leaves the skin looking dewy, but not oily. It does have an spf built in which is great for protection your skin, but should be avoided if you're planning on getting your picture taken - white cast is bad news! Rimmel Wake Me Up is my other favorite drugstore foundation in the glowy catagory. This has a very, very fine shimmer to it which reflects the light giving you a lovely 'lit from within' look. It's medium coverage, and I especially love this foundation for this time of year because of the glow, and the fact that it gives any dry areas on my face a little extra moisture. 

If you're not so much into the dewy look, these next three will be more your style. If you're after the most matte face possible, Rimmel Stay Matte is right up your alley. This is probably the most mattifying foundation I've ever tried - if your curious about the finer details, you can read my full review of it here. Loreal True Match foundation is much more a middle of the road type of foundation. I would call it medium to full coverage, and because it is oil free I feel it does a good job of keeping oily areas at bay, but does not have the extreme matte effect of the Rimmel Stay Matte.

My last pick, and my most favorite as of lately goes out to Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous. I've raved about this for about two straight months now - I've done a full review that you can read here - but to sum it up, it's a long wearing foundation with medium to full coverage that keeps your skin looking matte and flawless all day. The price point of this (about 6-8$CAD) for the quality is simply astounding. I think it's safe to say I'll continue to be raving about this for many months to come.

Throw a comment below on some of your favorite drugstore foundations! 

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation | Review

Hello all! I know it's been quite a long while since I've done any sort of foundation review/demo on the blog and since I mentioned this foundation was a November favorite of mine I decided a full review was in order. 

I bought this after seeing Makeup by TiffanyD talk about it in this video and rave about how much she was enjoying it. Lets be serious, if it's good enough for Tiffany, I'm certain it's good enough for me! 

The Claim

The product is described as a 'fresh complexion oil free foundation'. 

"One simple step for a flawless, natural look that lasts all day. The formula blends easily to even skin tone and reduces shine all day."

Bare face 

I actually decided doing this post now would be beneficial as well as I've been experiencing a lot more redness than normal around my nose and cheeks, and I've also been quite sleep deprived lately, so my dark circles are quite pronounced. I thought this would be the perfect way to display how well the foundation covers on its own.

After foundation

It does an amazing job of covering up imperfections, reducing redness, and disguising discoloration. I only used about a pea size amount, maybe a touch more to cover my entire face. To blend this product out I've tried several different foundation brushes as well as my finger tips. I've found there is really no wrong way to apply this, no matter what way I choose to go about it, it always ends up looking amazing. Today I just used my Real Techniques buffing brush. 

The product is super easy to blend out and almost melts into the skin for a super natural true skin looking finish. It is extremely light weight, but at the same time provides a good medium coverage. 

Full makeup

I find this product has extremely amazing lasting power (for my skin I would say between 8-10 hours), and I find this is the only foundation I own that I don't need to set with a powder for the long wearing result if I so choose.

What else I wore on my face

All in all I give this product two really big thumbs up! If you've yet to try it I highly recommend running out and picking one up. They have a great shade range, and the price point of 6-8$CAD is just one more reason you need to give this a shot.


Tried this for yourself yet? Let me know what you think of it, I love hearing other peoples opinions on products! 

Beauty Tip Thursday - How I Wash My Makeup Brushes!

While looking back at my many posts I came to the realization I have somehow never blogged about how I go about washing my makeup brushes. This is a pretty important chore any makeup lover should have in their weekly regime so today is the day I tell you all how I get my brushes fresh and clean!

I try to do this process about once a week/week and a half (depending on how much I used my brushes), usually on the weekend I find the time to do this. 

Here you have the dreaded before shot, pretty gross. These are the brushes I use all the time which I keep in my bathroom where I do my makeup. They're a mix of Real Techniques, Urban Decay, Elf, Ecotools, Coastal Scents and Quo. 

I use olive oil and baby shampoo for my two step cleaning process. The only other thing you need is a small bowl to put the oil in and some luke warm water from your tap! 

I begin by dipping my brushes lightly into the oil and swishing them around slightly - you'll instantly see the color beginning to come out of the dirty brush. I then give it a light rinse under some running water, and gently squeeze the bristles to get the majority of the oil out. The oil is amazing in particular for brushes with white tips, and eyeliner brushes, especially those you use with a gel liner. 

Next, I take the baby shampoo (you can use any brand you like, this is just what I use on my daughters), place some in the palm of my hand and swish the brush around to remove any oil residue and left over makeup. If it's an especially dirt brush or I feel it still has oil remaining in it I will do a second round of shampoo before squeezing out the excess water. 

Finally I take the freshly washed brushes and place them on a folded hand towel, allowing the bristles to hang off the end so they can properly air dry. 

And there you have it, fresh and clean makeup brushes!

I hope this post was helpful to some of you!

March Favorites

Hello and Happy April!

Throughout the month of March I surprisingly didn't do that much shopping at all, it was more a month of shopping my stash of makeup and using old favorites or things I just hadn't given much of a chance in the past. 

First off, and probably least exciting, lip balm. This is actually one of my few small purchases of the month - EOS lip balm in summer fruit. Hello delish smell/taste! It mainly smells like peach to me so that is right up my ally, I'm obsessed! 

Next off, concealer, and as you can see this is going to be an April (re)purchase - MAC Pro Long Wear Concealer in NW20. I think I may have a couple more makeup days in this before it completely refuses to produce product but holy moly I've been so glad I pulled this out of my drawers after many months of it being pushed aside. I now remember why I loved it so much!

This past month I gravitated toward much more pastel shades on my nails as spring (not so willingly) begins to appear here in my area of Canada. The two I used most through March were Mint Candy Apple and Spaghetti Strap. MCA is still currently on my toes and looks so fresh and lovely. Spaghetti Strap has been my go to "nude" nail lately as its sheer and natural looking but with a little more pink in it.

I feel I hardly have to mention this as its always a resounding favorite, but my MAC Melba blush rarely steers me wrong - pink, matte, effortless, and works with all eye looks.

Josie Maran Argan Oil has quickly become a staple in the face moisturizing routine. I got this sample size forever ago and finally decided it was time I tried it out after hearing so many good things about it. I have officially been converted! I never thought oil of any kind on my combo/oily skin would ever work well but it has transformed my skin! I combine a few drops of it with my usual Neutrogena moisturizer and apply morning and night. I will certainly be buying the full size once this runs out!

My favorite way to apply/buff my foundation this month has been with my Real Techniques buffing brush, it gives an amazing and flawless finish, and I love my foundation so much more when I use it. I plan to do a full review post very soon on RT brushes as they have become my new favorite brushes.

Last, but certainly not least, my Maybelline Illegal Length mascara. I have rarely used this on its own as it gives a little too much of a natural/minimal look, which is not what I typically strive for when doing my lashes. My love for this comes from layering it with other mascaras that are more voluminous so you achieve the best of both worlds - length AND volume! 

Let me know if you would like a more in depth review on any of the products mentioned! 

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Review - Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

When I first heard rumors of this foundation prior to its release I just knew it would be one I'd have to try. I love a matte face, and I love a good drugstore foundation, and if it also claims to have a lightweight formula... well sign me up! I've given this a try over the past two or so weeks so I have now been able to form a solid opinion and have found my favorite way to apply it, so let's get into it! 

The claim:

"lightweight shine control"

"feather light, liquid mousse blends flawlessly for natural-looking all day shine control. silky smooth formula leaves a perfectly matte, baby-soft finish. lightweight texture won't feel heavy or greasy." 

I chose the shade 100 Ivory, which I'm very pleased with. It is maybe a hair too dark for my pale winter complexion but is certainly nothing I could get too worked up about as it is as close as I could get. 

I purchased mine from Walmart for around $7.99CAD. At the time I purchased it I can honestly say I only saw maybe 5 or 6 shades, although I've seen advertisements that show 8 shades. 

For the purposes of this post I began bare faced (only products on my face are my Josie Maran pure argan oil mixed with my Neutrogena moisturizer) 

As I've been using this over the past few weeks I've found my favorite way to apply this foundation is to first dot on the product with my finger tips, and then go in with my Real Techniques buffing brush to blend/buff it into my skin. 

I must say I was shocked the first time I applied it, mainly because the formulation seemed much thicker than I anticipated, however once you begin to blend the product into the skin it does not seem stiff or difficult to work with at all. 

(after foundation application - no other products used) 

The only negative aspect I've found of this foundation is that I doubt anyone with dry skin would enjoy this. It has, on occasion, drawn attention to some of my small dry areas and I really don't have all that dry a skin type. 

(once I applied the rest of my makeup) 

Overall, I would have to say I really love this foundation, Rimmel has really out done themselves on this one. It's lovely and lightweight for being medium coverage. For me it's become a great alternative to my Revlon Whipped Cream 24hr as that can feel pretty heavy, especially for every day when you don't need 100% full coverage. 

Also I must add the wear time on this is great - 6-8 hours on my combination/oily skin is great, especially when the product doesn't even claim to be 'long wearing'. 

Let me know if you've tried, or plan on trying this!