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A New York City Health and Beauty Blog

Rediscovered: Lancôme Dual Finish Powder Foundation

May 31, 2011

Don’t we all love new and innovative beauty products? A lazy Saturday trip to Sephora can yield an unexpected shopping bag full of new to market goodies, many of which we gleefully dish about on this very blog.

But perhaps as gratifying is the discovery of an older standard that you’d forgotten or previously overlooked in beauty scouting expeditions. There’s something comforting about learning a tried and tested formulation suits all your needs, and a newly-found old standby is far less likely to be discontinued than some upstart potion that rocks hard but never takes off properly.

I’ve often overlooked their solid, established products in favor of trendier brands. And while I was pretty attached to my Bare Escentuals base, we haven’t been getting along all that well lately. I needed a new foundation, but have grown accustomed to the convenience and lack of shine a powder foundation offers.

I scouted Bobbi Brown, MAC, BE, Benefit and Laura Mercier hard before being drawn in by a GWP at the Lancôme counter. I’d honestly forgotten Lancôme’s Dual Finish Powder existed, and was surprised at how even and natural the coverage it provided was. A quick trip to adjacent “outdoor lighting” revealed a shockingly light but flawless blendability that even worked fabulously when used as a concealer.

It bears mentioning that I’m not a teen or twenty-something, and powder foundations aren’t just for super oily skin. Lancôme’s Dual Finish Powder is finely milled and goes on smoothly, even if you don’t have completely perfect skin. Redness, rosacea and even dark circles disappear under the powder, but it seems to be more cohesive and- dare I say?- natural than its mineral counterparts. It does require the odd touchup, especially in warm weather, but that’s pretty par for the foundation course.

Surprisingly, the included sponge is the best tool for applying the foundation, and there’s a lighter puff for touch-ups- portability is another huge plus with this formula. I personally don’t recommend applying it wet as some of the counter artists recommend- it interferes with the integrity of the makeup, increases the chance of spoilage and creates a streaky finish.

Overall, though, this is one product I foresee having a seriously long and happy relationship with. Touchups that allow for full coverage without interfering with blush or setting powder are my new favorite makeup feature.

Have you ever rediscovered an older product and fallen in love? What drew you in?

 

2 Comments
Filed Under: Makeup Tagged: Foundation, full coverage foundation, Lancome, lancome powder foundation, lancome reviews, medium coverage foundation, powder

One-Step Skin: Five Fantastic Cream to Powder Foundations

April 6, 2011

Multi-tasking products often do two things half as well as dedicated, single-task things. For instance, when was the last time you took a good picture with your camera phone? One notable exception is the cream to powder genre of foundation. Picking out a concealer, foundation and powder is fun, but carrying a super stocked makeup bag doesn’t always work with a cute clutch.

Luckily, these clever formulations, when you pick the right one, will cover redness like a concealer, smooth skin like a foundation, and set to a mostly-matte finish to circumvent the use of powder. Here are five excellent versions that provide flawless skin in a single step.

1.) Vincent Longo Water Canvas: A cult fave, Vincent Longo’s luxe version of this base comes in a vast array of tones. While certainly not a bargain pick, the formula covers blemishes and imperfections without settling into fine lines. Apply with a brush for lighter wear, or use the included sponge for more intense coverage.

2.) MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation: In a word, no nonsense. This full-coverage, blendable foundation gives a totally airbrushed, polished finish to skin. This is not a frou-frou, tinted foundation dewy look. Most MAC girls (and boys) get use this serious, long-wearing foundation for their flawless look at the counter.

3.) Too Faced Amazing Face SPF 15 Foundation Powder: Too Faced wins the compact contest here, with an unobtrusive yet adorably retro entry. The foundation formulation contained within is adjustable, and you can build it from light and sheer to full-coverage. Too Faced also cites oil-balancing and skin-renewing ingredients in this Oreo-like mirrored option.

4.) Urban Decay Surreal Skin Cream to Powder Foundation: Another standout in the packaging department, Urban Decay’s cream to powder foundation both comes in purple and has an adorable mini-brush. The formula glides on smoothly and cleanly, and blends well. And while there isn’t MAC-like choice of skin-tone options, Urban Decay offers a respectable eight hues from ‘Kismet’ to ‘Mirage.’

5.) Smashbox Camera Ready Full Coverage Foundation UVA/UVB SPF 15: Smashbox’s Camera Ready also comes with a brush, and a very nice one at that- softly bristled and somewhat like a fan/kabuki hybrid. The semi-matte formula has skin protecting SPF as well as Vitamin C, and works well for both initial application and touch-ups. (It also comes with a small sample of primer to try out.)

Are you a cream-to-powder devotee? Which formula do you find most appealing?

 

1 Comment
Filed Under: Makeup Tagged: cream to powder, cream to powder foundation reviews, Foundation, MAC, smashbox, Too Faced, Urban Decay, Vincent Longo

MAC Cosmetics Art Supplies review + swatches

April 6, 2010

I stopped by the MAC store to check out their latest line of limited edition cosmetics called Art Supplies. MAC has incorporated the look and feel of artists tools and translated it into makeup, and being that I was a Fine Arts major in college this really appealed to me. One of the first items that I looked at was the Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker, this lipstain has a felt tip just like a marker would. I liked that it’s long wearing as I can’t always refresh my lipstick after eating a quick bite. The formula dries to a matte finish so I also purchased a Lipglass Lip Gloss to add some shine to it. The color that I chose was Modern Mocha, which is a light brown shade, there are a total of 9 shades available in this collection. The Lipstain Marker retails for $16.00 and the Lipglass Lip Gloss retails for $14.00.

MAC Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker
MAC Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker

MAC Lipstain Marker Swatch
Modern Mocha Swatch

MAC Lipglass Lip Gloss
MAC Lipglass Lip Gloss

Another limited edition product from the Art Supplies Collection was the Greasepaint Stick. The pencil is thick and the colors are edgy, this collection of eyeliners can also be used as eye shadow. I couldn’t decide on just one color so I got two! The colors were so fun that I opted for something other than a basic black or brown liner. I picked up Zinc Zone, a dark metallic shade and Charred Mauve, a funky metallic purple shade. There are a total of eight shades available and each Greasepaint Stick retails for $17.50.

MAC Greasepaint Sticks
MAC Greasepaint Sticks
MAC Greasepaint Swatches
MAC Greasepaint Swatches - Charred Mauve (l), Zinc Zone (r)

The only item that I did not get was the Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner. The colors were pretty and had shimmer to them but I felt that I would be able to use the Greasepaint stick for eyeliner. There are six shades in this collection and each one retails for $14.50 and is also available for a limited time.

Of course while I was there I thought that I should pick up some foundation and powder, hey you can never have too much of a good thing right? Here’s a pic of my total purchases:

MAC Cosmetics Art Supples
MAC Cosmetics purchases

Visit your favorite MAC Cosmetics store to purchase these beauties or order here online.

1 Comment
Filed Under: Makeup Tagged: Art Supplies, Eye Shadow, Eyeliner, Foundation, Limited Edition, Lip Gloss, Lip Stain, MAC Cosmetics

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