Revlon PhotoReady foundation review

 

I've been trying to wean myself off of powder mineral foundations, mainly because I think they don't really go well with my skin type.  They tend to fade too quickly, make my oily spots more oily and my dry spots to dry.  I do have some high expectations when it comes to what I want in a liquid foundation.  Staying power is top priority, can't oxidize, must feel light on the skin, medium coverage, and oil control.  Before I spend top dollar on department foundations I thought I would test the 'supposed' best of the drugstore.  Revlon's foundations are highly recommended by the beauty community, and since I'm a liquid foundation newbie I thought I'd try the lighter of the bunch.

What Revlon says:

Revlon PhotoReady Makeup - for poreless, airbrushed skin in any light. Photochromatic pigments bend and reflect light to erase every flaw. Complete, yet undetectable coverage. Soft, luminous finish. 

- Oil free

- Fragrance free

- SPF 20

What I think:

I was a little nervous, since this was my first time ever...EVER...using liquid foundation.  Even though I have watched countless Youtube tutorials on how to apply liquid foundation, sponge, brush, fingers.  I decided on using the foundation brush that came with the 24 piece brush set I bought off Ebay.  Its a nice size synthetic foundation brush.  

The foundation comes with a pump which makes it very easy to use.  I used one pump for my whole face.  It blended amazingly well and the one pump was probably more then enough for my entire face.  The color match was also very good.  I used the shade Shell which is the third lightest shade, usually I am the second lightest shade in foundations, for reference.  

I noticed that the foundation contains some sparkles or shimmer, which doesn't really bother me since I only noticed it on the back of my hand and not my face.  The coverage is a great deal better then my mineral foundations, which is something my mum noticed she said I looked like a porcelain doll, my skin was so perfect.  

The best part was how this foundation felt like nothing...like I wasn't wearing foundation...scores huge points with me:)  The wear was around 4 hours before I started noticing my oily spots showing through, but this honestly did not really bother me.  

The only real issue with this foundation...I found when I started taking pictures.  It makes me look like a ghost.  With or without flash I appear ridiculously pale in pictures with the Revlon PhotoReady foundation.

 

 Pictures taken right after application in natural light with flash

You can really see in the second picture the difference in color from my neck to my face, and let me assure you it blended quite evenly with my skin tone in natural light.

Pictures taken 4 hours after application

As you can see around the four hour mark, my oily spots started to shine through around my nose and cheeks.  But the foundation faded away pretty evenly as you can see there are no streaks:)

All in all... I think, despite how I look in pictures the pros outweigh the cons of this foundation.  I probably would repurchase PhotoReady again, just because I love how lightweight it feels, and the coverage.  If you have not tried this I recommend you pick it up for around $15-$20 CAD you really can't go wrong.  I'm excited to try Revlon Colorstay foundation since I've heard great things, get ready for a post on that:) XOXO Charis

My everday FOTD with the 88 warm palette

I know I said that I would be blogging everday, but unfortunately I lied....:( To make up for it I filmed a couple Youtube Videos...first ones ever.  I'll attach one at the bottom of this post, my clip on bangs and 88 palette rave.  I also point out the colors I used for todays look in the video.  The last few days have been quite busy, I made cupcakes for my daughters preschool Harvest Party and getting everyone ready for Halloween.  She's decided on being Princess Aurora from 'Sleeping Beauty' and my son is going as Yoda...super excited to take them out trick or treating, they are finally at an age where it will be more fun:)


I found a new HG product...seriously its amazing...drumroll...Rimmel stay matte powder in transparent.  This sets my makeup without looking cakey and keeps my face shine-free for pretty much the entire day.


Anyways since I'm kind of rambling I'll get to the point.  This is my everyday face, my new thing is using brown gel liner to define my eyes instead of black, I find it gives more of a natural look and compliments the green in my eyes.  For this look I used varying gold shadows and did a simple cat eye lining half of the lower lid.  If I'm emphasizing my eyes I like to keep the lips and cheeks minimal, so I just used chapstick and light handed blush.


This Fall the palette I am reaching for over and over again...is the 88 warm palette.  You can order them from Coastal Scents and BH cosmetics etc.  I usually just order them off of Ebay since you can find them for much cheaper, I only paid $10 for mine and that included shipping.  I love the wide variety of neutral shades, I'm big on the browns, coppers and golds.  So if you don't own it already I definitely recommend you pick one up.

Products Used:

FACE

L'oreal Bare Naturale Mineral foundation Light Ivory

Hard Candy Glamoflauge concealer Light

Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder Transparent

EYES

88 warm palette: 

dark gold all over lid

light matte brown in crease and on bottom lashline
shimmery medium brown on half of lid

matte cream for highlight

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips brown gel liner on upper and half of lower lid

BROWS

Billie clear mascara as brow gel
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips brown gel liner

88 warm palette:

light matte brown

CHEEKS

Nars Super Orgasm blush


LIPS


Burts Bee's chapstick

 

 

Orange Lipstick FOTD

Fall is in the air and my fascination with orange and orange red lipsticks is at an all time high.  Now that I've completely lost what little of a summer tan I got, I'm pale as a...well you can see...lol.


Feeling a little inspired today, I decided to stray from my regular smokey bronze eye and nude lip.  I tried a modern take on a retro style and did a neutral cat eye and bright orangey red lip....and the best part about it is I got this lipstick at the Dollar Store...for...drumroll... $1.25:)  This is the second lipstick I've bought from a dollar store, and I have to say I am quite pleased with this ones performance.  It is #15 from the brand Profusion.  The formula is creamy and matte and the pigmentation is quite good.  The lasting power is around the same as most lipsticks 2-4 hours with eating and drinking.


I'd been eyeing up Mac Morange, Vegas Volt, and Neon Orange, and was hoping I could find a dupe for one of them.  Judging by online swatches this one most resembles Neon Orange, but with much more of a red tone, which I think makes it a bit more wearable.  Let me know what you think XOXO Charis:)

Products Used:

FACE

L'oreal Bare Naturale Mineral foundation Light Ivory

Hard Candy Glamoflauge concealer Light

Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder Transparent

EYES

88 warm palette: 

dark gold all over lid

light matte brown in crease and on bottom lashline

matte cream for highlight

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips gel eyeliner Brown Eyes, the black liner

Revlon Colorstay liner black on upper and lower waterline

BROWS

Billie clear mascara as brow gel

88 warm palette:

light matte brown, and matte black mixed

CHEEKS

Nars Orgasm blush

Covergirl tanfastic bronzer Solstice, for contour

LIPS

Softlips chapstick, used lightly

Profusion #15 Lipstick

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These are a few of my favorite things...

I really wanted to do an ootd post, but unfortunately the weather was not working in my favor....this is what happens when you live in Canada.  So I thought I'd share with you some of my tried and true classics.

First off there is nothing like a classic dressy clutch.  This one is a Chanel replica, but it feels very high quality, the chain is heavier and hangs nicely and the bag is stitched very well.  And the best part about it is this was a thrift store find and I think I paid $20 for it.  I LOVE thrifting....there is nothing so satisfying as finding an amazing one of a kind piece and paying next to nothing for it.  Don't get me wrong I'm an avid online shopper, and I love Forever 21, H&M etc.  But there is something about the thrill of the hunt that I love....the idea that I may find something unique and exciting....lol.  Working on a thrift store haul/how to, post/video.  I've got a whole method to this madness which I will explain in a future post:)

Next up is my favorite pair of heels.  These ones are from Aldo and I paid $30 including shipping from Aldoshoes.com.  This was a while back and I don't think they have this exact style anymore.  I wear these instead of nude pumps, these are my go to shoes...I've worn them on countless photoshoots because they just seem to go with everything.  Unfortunately they are a half size too small so wearing them for anything other than a photoshoot causes my feet EXTREME pain.  I find that shoes from Aldo tend to run a half size to a size smaller, and shoes from Forever 21 tend to run bigger.  I love the enclosed platform and the almond toe of these.  I'm obsessed with almond toe styles, I like that they are right in between round toe and pointy toe...both of which I feel appear either too childish or too extreme on my feet...just my opinion:P

Photo Credit: Peter Classen Photography

Last, is my current favorite sunglasses.  These are the only wayfarer style sunglasses that look remotely decent on me, I'm kind of an aviators kinda girl.  But I do love to change it up, I love how thick and black they are, they really work well with gold chains and sweaters. Gives my look that perfect little bit of 80's style.  I got these ones for FREE (one of the best words in the English language:), from my sister.  In my family I'm usually the one who buys a bunch of things and gives half of it away...one of the downfalls of shopping online, you can't try it on before you buy it:(  

I've got a ton of ideas for future blogposts, I'm hoping to post at least once a day...if my schedule isn't too hectic...ah the joys of two children:P  XOXO Charis:)

24 piece brush set from Ebay

So I ordered this set a while back on Ebay from the seller Tomtop Auction. I've ordered a few other things from this seller, they are based out of China so shipping to Canada 'can' take a very long time.  As in my case, it took a month to get here but the seller kept in communication and tracked my package for me...turns out it had been stuck at customs for 12 days:P

Anyways....onto the review.  I paid a whopping $11.93 CAD with free shipping, for 24 makeup brushes you can't go wrong.  I'd pay that, just for the brush roll.  I was really looking forward to the face brushes, since the ones I currently own are either too soft or too scratchy....and yes there is such a thing as too soft.

First thing I noticed was the horrible chemical plastic smell coming from the brushes.  I have yet to wash them so I don't know whether that will go away or not.  The brushes are also very light which makes them feel strange in my hands, I dunno...maybe its just me but I like a little weight to my brushes. The brushes were listed as being goats hair and perhaps some of them are, but the little fan brush and most of the lip and eyeliner brushes are all the shiny synthetic type material.

Overall I was not a fan of how hard and scratchy ALL of the face brushes were...minus the foundation brush which is also synthetic.  I don't think I will be using them on my face at all.  The eye brushes on the other hand are pretty good, especially the angled brow and eyeliner brushes. I'm also loving the variety in sizes and shapes of eyeshadow brushes...I'm definitely going to have a lot of fun with that:)

The next brush set I will be trying will either be the Elf cosmetics studio line, or the Sigma Complete kit. 

PROS:

• The price...soooooo cheap, and I mean if the brushes are crap you still got the brush roll.
• The Eye brushes are pretty decent and they offer quite a variety.

CONS:

• The face brushes are just horrible.
• Most of the face brushes have fallout.
• The smell
• How long it took to ship....a month is a bit excessive.

CONCLUSION:

Onto the next and hopefully better set of makeup brushes:)  I won't be purchasing makeup brush sets off Ebay again.

Hello Blogger

So after months of makeup and clothing hauling and NOT blogging about it, I have decided to start my own blog....its about time.  I've always been obsessed with makeup and fashion and pretty much anything really girly.  Don't get me wrong, I mean I love Star Wars and video games as much as the next teenage boy, but I do have a little sweet spot in my heart for pearls and chiffon:) I had my little stint with Fashism.com, when I uploaded pretty much EVERY SINGLE DAY....and honestly I got pretty good at it.  But blogging is much more difficult and complicated, and I have to learn to take 'decent' pictures, I'm not so much good at this learning thing...pretty much set in my ways.  Really I just want a place where I can rant and rave about makeup and clothes and food and anything else that comes to mind, without sounding like a materialistic fool on my Facebook page:P..... Anyways, here's hoping that I can actually pull this off.  I'm hoping to upload my first 'real' blogpost tommorow:)