Product Review: L'Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation and Full Wear Concealer

Welcome back everyone!

Today's post is going to be focused on the L'Oreal Fresh Wear foundation, and the Full Wear Concealer. These  two products have been very widely discussed throughout the makeup world, and they made their appearance locally in Trinidad a few months ago. I've been testing both of these items for the past few months, and I'm ready to give my opinions on them.

L'Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation

I picked this up in the shade 485 Golden Sun, and it is marketed as a breathable, buildable coverage foundation with 24hr fresh complexion. I purchased it back in June, and I've been using it since. I paid approximately TT$99, at Pennywise. This foundation is one of the most versatile drugstore foundations I own. Earlier this year, I reviewed the Maybelline Superstay 24hr foundation, and I can honestly say that I've been reaching for this foundation over the Superstay on a daily basis.

The Claims: (From L'Oreal's website)

•  Up to 24HR Fresh Wear Foundation provides medium-to-full buildable coverage that lasts all day.
• The formula contains three oil absorbers resist sweat, water, and transfer.
•  The ultra-thin liquid goes on smoothly to give a fresh, healthy-looking complexion that lasts.

My Experience 

After months of use, I can honestly say that this foundation will be an essential for me. It's lightweight formula, that has such a natural finish on the skin, I often forget that I'm wearing foundation. I definitely consider this foundation to be a buildable, medium coverage. While testing this foundation, Trinidad experience a heat wave, therefore, the humidity and heat really pushed the limits of this foundations claims of being sweat, water and transfer resistant. During the heatwave, I did sweat profusely (my air con died right before the heatwave also), and I got very oily in a few hours of wear, but the foundation never cracked or separated. I was able to blot the oil and sweat off without it lifting or shifting the product from my face.
Recently, I've been mixing the Fresh Wear foundation with my matte, full coverage foundations to reduce the intensity of the matte finish, and it has been phenomenal. Its thin consistency makes it the perfect mixing companion for thicker liquid foundations.

Wearing Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation in 485 Golden Sun  and Full Wear Concealer in 375 Latte

L'Oreal Infallible Full Wear Concealer - 375 Latte 

This concealer has thrown my L.A. Girl Pro Conceal out of rotation since I first used it. Super lightweight, and creamy formula. It's pigmented and very full coverage that a little goes a long way. I've been using it exclusively since purchase. I usually prefer lighter coverage concealers, however, allergies and fatigue issues have pushed me towards higher coverage. I purchased mine at Starlite for approximately TT$110.

Claims
L'Oreal website claims, "Our extra large applicator provides maximum coverage in one stroke to cover under-eye circles, acne scars, and discoloration. Our waterproof, non-greasy formula won't transfer, fade, or flake so your full coverage look is locked in all day."
In my experience, this concealer does not breakdown, nor does it transfer onto my glasses during the day (yes, I wear glasses). I've not experienced it getting cakey, nor have I experienced any cracking or shifting during hot and humid weather.

Final Thoughts

This foundation and concealer combination has become my immediate go-to since purchasing. I love the texture of the foundation, and it's beautiful finish on the skin, as well as the impeccable coverage of the concealer. I don't regret purchasing either of these products because they are outstanding, and I would highly recommend them for anyone looking to try something new. 

We've come to the end of this review, but I'll be back soon hopefully looking at some eyeshadow palettes.

Bye (^_^)/

Product Review: L.A. Girl Pro Matte Foundation

Hello everyone!
Today, I'm going to be doing a review of the L.A. Girl Pro Matte Foundation. This is the first foundation from this brand that I've tried, and I must say I'm very impressed.

The shade I purchased is Light Tan, and it is an amazing match for my warm, lightly golden skin. I got it at Wonderful World for TT$60. It claims to provide smooth and buildable coverage, that has a soft and suede-like finish. Recently, L.A. Girl expanded the shade range to 24 shades, with the addition of 10 shades along the medium to deep spectrum.

My Thoughts 
This foundation is honestly one of the best "drugstore" foundations I've tried. I would say this is a solid medium to full coverage foundation. This foundation is a thick liquid but it glides onto the skin effortlessly. It is very easy to blend out with both a brush or blending sponge. I use either the elf Ultimate Blending Brush, or the Sacha Cosmetics Blending Sponge for my application, and I get even coverage every time. This has a suede/matte finish, which makes it suitable for combination and oily skin, and even for a hot and humid climate like we have here in Trinidad. If you have a drier skin type, I believe this in combination with hydrating skin care and a hydrating primer can work for you. However, if you're not a fan of full coverage, suede/matte finish foundations, this definitely is not the product for you.

I have combination-oily skin, and this foundation manages to maintain its integrity through humidity and the oil slick that is my T-zone. It doesn't separate or breakdown, and there is little to no transfer once it is properly blended into the skin. This also happens to be one of the best shade matches I have in drugstore foundations. It's the warm yellow undertone that I need!

Wearing L.A. Girl Pro Matte Foundation in Light Tan

 I've really been enjoying this foundation, and I've been using it in combination with the L'Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation, and they make a gorgeous combination.

Conclusion 

I thoroughly enjoy using this foundation and given it's suede finish and longevity during heat and humidity, I would recommend it for persons looking for a "special occasion" foundation on a budget. A great inexpensive full coverage with a decent shade range. L.A. Girl released some Pro Color Foundation Mixing Pigments to work with the current shades in their range in order to cater to more skin tones, however, I hope in the future they will further expand their range.
This is the end of this post. I decided to make it short and sweet since I'm now getting back into the swing of things.
I will be doing a review on the L'Oreal Fresh Wear foundation and Full Wear concealer soon. I'm working on product shots for other posts including the second part of my Juvia's Place palette collection.
I hope you all have a fantastic week ahead, and I shall see you soon!
(^_^)/

Makeup Battle Royal: NYX Microbrow vs. Absolute New York Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil

It's time for another Makeup Battle Royal!
I've been stewing on this post for some time now but I'm finally ready to get my thoughts out.
Today's battle is all about super slim eyebrow pencils, and the NYX Microbrow has quite frankly been one of the most popular and hyped eyebrow pencils on the market.  I've had this brow pencil sitting in my collection for some time because I got hooked on the Absolute New York Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil.

Absolute New York (ABNY) Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil
I bought this pencil on a whim while Wonderful World TT was having one of their Semi-Annual sales since I was in the market for a new eyebrow pencil. At the time of the sale it cost around TT$55, which is definitely on the inexpensive side for slim eyebrow pencil. I've been using this pencil off and on for approximately six months. This pencil is extremely creamy, and has great pigmentation, so a little goes a long way. This pencil allows me to fake hair like strokes which is great for producing more "natural" looking eyebrows as opposed to the more full and structured eyebrows that are popular on social media. What I truly love about this pencil is the colour. This pencil is the perfect cool-toned ashen grey black which matches my natural hair perfectly. I have naturally black eyebrows, and most dark brown pencils tend to run far too warm on me, and it tends to make my eyebrows look unnatural.This never looks overly harsh, and blends easily into my hairs with the spoolie.

Wearing ABNY Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil

NYX MicroBrow Eyebrow Pencil

I purchased the Microbrow at Starlite for TT$75 in the shade Black, hoping it would perform similarly to the ABNY Super Slim. One the first use, I did not like this pencil at all. It was hard, and was barely getting the pigment to show up. I felt as though I had to continuously drag the pencil over the eyebrow just to get the pigment to build. The second time I used this I decided to run the pencil along the back of my hand first, in order to warm it up to see if that would aid the application, and it did. With the product warmed up, it applied easier, and blended into my brow hairs fairly well. Similar to the ABNY pencil, the size of the pencil as well as the colour make it easy for me to fake hair like strokes, to produce a more natural looking eyebrow. However, it should be noted that the MicroBrow is still a bit larger than the ABNY Super Slim.

NYX MicroBrow vs Natural Eyebrow

I think it's important to note that every person has their own preferences when it comes to brow pencils. Some prefer a harder pencil, while others prefer something softer. I personally love something that's soft, but not overly soft because that tends to lead to fading and smudging throughout the day, and I'm pretty sure no one wants their eyebrow to smudge off by midday, especially if you live in a hot and humid environment. ABNY Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil can fade or smudge if too much product is applied. However, if it's evenly applied, it can last for up to 8-10 hours. The NYX Microbrow has similar lasting power, however, it takes work for it to build on itself.

NYX MicroBrow and ABNY Super Slim

Final Thoughts

In Trinidad, the NYX Microbrow ranges from TT$75-$90, which is far too expensive for something meant to be a drugstore/inexpensive brand, and NYX can mainly be found at Starlite or at the NYX Kiosk at Trincity Mall. ABNY is mainly found in Wonderful World stores and can range from TT$55-TT$75 for this product. Honestly for me, the ABNY Super Slim does exactly what I need it to do,therefore, between the two pencils, the ABNY Super Slim is my preferred mainly due to the creamy texture of the pencil and its price.

Should I do an eyebrow routine video? Please let me know.

Thanks for stopping by!
Bye guys (^_^)/

What's Up #9: Just a Chill Post

Hello everyone, and welcome back.
Today's post is going to be a very relaxed post as I'm currently not feeling well, but I still wanted to do a post.

Today's has been a day of quiet reflection for me. Typically, I try to set aside at least 5-10 minutes per day to reflect on my feelings and thoughts, in an attempt to keep track of potential mood triggers. My mental health has become a priority following months of being ill, which allowed my mental health to deteriorate.

Today as I was reflecting, one word constantly came into my mind. That word was gratitude. As a clinician, teaching and understanding the power of gratitude is an essential part of my practice with clients, however, within my own personal life, I allow it to be overshadowed by other events in life. As 2019 opened, I made it my goal to look for small moments every week that I was grateful for. From seeing beautiful butterflies fluttering in my garden, to hearing rain during our hot dry season here in Trinidad. Thus far, the results of this practice have been astonishing. I've noticed that I'm purposely looking for the good in everyday, rather than focusing on one event that may have been negative and dwelling on that negativity which would in turn greatly affect my mood. Rather, I would look for the lesson in that negative event, I take that lesson to heart and let the event go to rest.
While this is an ongoing process, and while my anxiety isn't miraculously cured, I've gotten a better hold on my anxiety, and I've experienced much fewer events of panic. I've been able to ground myself better because I've been practicing and learning to shift the focus from the event/catalysis to what I can learn or gain from this event.

Despite my profession, this isn't a help guide post. This post is legitimately just me pouring out what's in my brain at the moment. I'm grateful that I have this platform to allow me to speak freely about what I love and what I care about. I'm passionate about mental health and opening the door to discussions on mental health, just as much as I'm passionate about sharing my love for makeup. I'm grateful for each person who reads any of my blog posts; for you to willingly take time out of your day to come visit my blog means the world to me, and makes me very happy.
I'm planning on doing more posts like this one, where I pour my heart and brain out onto a keyboard. It's a personal touch, and as aforementioned I'm passionate about mental health, so it's important to me to speak openly about my own struggles.

Thank you all for coming by today. I'll see you all next time.
Bye guys (^_^)/