foundation

Brand: L’Oreal
Product: Studio Secrets Magic Souffle Foundation

I admit, the concept is gimmicky, but I’m a sucker for L’Oreal marketing. I’m also a sucker for souffle. What girl isn’t? Oh, those evil-genius L’Oreal marketers! They got me again, (not that that’s a bad thing).

This product is really fantastic. Light as air, it never feels heavy or mask-like. It covers beautifully, and worn over L’Oreal’s Studio Secrets primer, it lasts through even the most marathon-like days. It minimizes
pores and truly delivers that airbrushed effect everyone seems to be after. It’s luminous and natural and just amazing really.

It is not without its drawbacks, however. First, this can’t be worn if you have any dry patches as it will cling to flakes. You must exfoliate and moisturize well before use. Second, it comes in a jar, which is a deal breaker for many hygene freaks. I suggest using a foundation brush and stipling it on. Don’t use your fingers! Third, there doesn’t seem to be many color options for women with darker skin tones. Finally, the price is a bit steep. At $15.99 a jar, it is still a better deal than department store brands, sure. However, your $15.99 only buys .67 fluid ounces. Yikes! The good news is that a little does go a long way. I’ve only been using this product for a week, but I’ll update and let you all know how long a jar actually lasts.

Cut Costs Cuties!
Gemma

What better way to wrap up the past year than with our all-knowing, woman-with-her-nose-to-the-ground regarding all things beauty, home and loveliness? Our Cost Cutting Cutie will be here every day this week as we ring in 2011. Check for her insightful tips, particularly now that you’ve bought a little something special for everyone, isn’t it time for Y-O-U?

Brand: Maybelline
Product: Instant Age Rewind Foundation

I just turned thirty-five, and according to every skin care and cosmetics company out there I must not only start a ridiculous twelve-step skin care regime, I must also start investing in makeup for “mature skin”. All signs of age must be reversed, defied, rewound, erased, etc. etc. Who wants to age gracefully when you can wage outright war on your aging skin.

On impulse last week, I picked up a bottle of Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind foundation. Maybelline claims it’s Goji berry and caffeine improves skin’s condition and evens skin tone. I’m not sure that it made my skin any firmer, but it did even out my skin tone. It covered well, and lasted throughout the day. It glided over my pores and made them less visible. It did
not irritate my dry sensitive skin, nor did it emphasize the dry patches near my nose. The finish was not quite dewy and not quite matte, and it did not feel at all like a mask.

My main gripe is simply that the color I selected, Classic Ivory was a tad too dark. I think I could achieve the perfect shade by mixing that shade with the next lightest shade, but at almost $9 for a 1 ounce a bottle, I’m just not going to do that.

BTW, What Not to Wear tells me I need to stop wearing mini-skirts. I’m not
going to do that either.

Cut Costs Cuties!
Gemma

AXR002397

Brand: Cover Girl/Olay
Product: Simply Ageless Foundation SPF 22

4 lips The idea of a skin care company launching a cosmetic line isn’t new. In fact, Olay launched it’s own cosmetic line over a decade ago. I thought it was a great idea at the time. Who better to develop beneficial cosmetics than a skin care company. Too bad the line was so badly mismanaged. Lack of publicity led to the failure of what might have been a great line.

The idea of a cosmetic company teaming with a skin care line to produce cosmetics is not new either. It was Cover Girl that teamed with Noxema all those years ago to create their inexplicably popular Clean makeup. Can you tell that I was not a fan? Bad color selection, bad smell, bad all the way around. The product put me off the Cover Girl brand for years. They have only recently redeemed themselves with their phenomenal Lash Blast Mascara.

Cover Girl’s latest joint venture is with my favorite mass market skin care company, Olay. Together they have launched Simply Ageless, a line that is infused with Olay’s popular and effective Regenerist Serum. The companies have scored a marketing coup in hiring Ellen DeGeneres to hawk the product.

I don’t usually put much stock in celebrity endorsements. Let’s face it, most of them are publicity-whores. Jennifer Anniston and her Life Water, Jessica Simpson and her Pizza Hut, blah, blah, blah. But Ellen Degeneres as a Cover Girl? How utterly charming. Maybe its because she’s a lesbian and I LOVE lesbians. Maybe its because she IS actually over forty. Maybe its because she has the kind of every woman everyday beauty we can all aspire too. For whatever the reason, I love the choice of Ellen as a spokesmodel. Olay! Ellen! Sign me up!

As it turns out, Olay is the cheese to Cover Girl’s macaroni. Simply Ageless foundation is a cream based foundation. It can be applied with the provided sponge, or with a foundation brush. I don’t recommend applying with your fingers as it comes in a compact rather than a tube or jar. It has a very sufficient SPF of 22, but does not leave a ghostly cast. It spreads evenly and smoothly, and I was able to get a perfect match in Classic Ivory. There are 14 other shades to choose from.

Cover Girl claims that the makeup “suspends itself over lines and wrinkles”. Well, it certainly does not settle into those lines, I’ll tell you that. It left my face with an airbrushed glow. Yes, I said glow, not shine. To me this was the most impressive aspect of the product. As someone with dry skin, my complexion can tend to look dull. I was amazed to find that Simply Ageless made me look lit from within.

I’d give the product five stars, but I don’t love the fact that I can actually “feel” the makeup when I’m wearing it. It does not feel weightless. Also, $12.99 for .4 ounces is perhaps a bit steep for a drugstore brand. That being said, it really is an outstanding product and one that I hope will enjoy the same kind of longevity as that God-awful Clean makeup.

Cut Costs Cuties!
Gemma