Nyx Stay Matte but not Flat Powder Foundation.

 

 Retails for $9.99 but can be found on sale at Ulta etc.

 My shade is Ivory 01

Comes in a nice mirror compact. (lol look that I'm lurking in the reflection lol).

It comes with a sponge that applies it pretty well but I usually prefer to use a separate brush.  As you can see I did try the sponge and it works pretty well for on the go application.

Since I use this to finish my make-up there are no before after comparission type pictures.  This is on top of my Cover Girl Nature Luxe foundation in Alabaster (See it here).  I like that this powder provides more coverage than a sheer powder but still isn't as cakey as some powders available. 

 

 The photo above was taken early this morning.  The photo above is taken much later in the afternoon (about 7 hours later).  My make-up still hasn't moved at all.  I'm very impressed with how well this powder seals my foundation.  I also forgot to mention that I forgot my primmer this morning so I'm even more impressed by how well it did.

Bottom Line:

This powder is awesome.  I can only imagine how well it would do if I had remembered to use primmer.  You should give it a try :).  Don't forget to watch your sale papers for a better deal.  I got mine for just over $5.00.

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback. If you're reading this and you have a blog I'd love to read it. Send me the link in a comment :).





NYC High Definition Mascara

NYC High Definition volumizing mascara. It calms to produce up to 70% lash lift and 10x more volume.

I love the brush the small "spikes" are great for separating and lengthening lashes.

After Vs. Before

As you can see from the picture on the right my lashes aren't very long or extremely full.  I'm impressed with how long they look with this mascara.  

This is with the first coat applied (above is with a second coat).  A bit clumpy and need to be separated, in the picture above I separated my lashes with the brush, the little "spikes" are very helpful. The small brush also make its easier to reach corner lashes.  

Bottom Line:

I would recommend this mascara as it does live up to its promise of providing increased lash lift and volume. An added plus NYC mascara is very affordable. I got all 5 NYC Mascara (I'll review the other 4 later) for about $14 with tax (Riteaid had it 40% off).

Thanks for reading,

Em :)   

NYC City Curls

NYC City Curls boasts up to 60% of lift with dramatic curls.

The brush is good for separating but I found it a bit hard to use on my corner lashes.  

Before vs After

Please ignore how sad my eyebrows look. I need to get them waxed.  My lashes aren't very long or full but I don't see much lift.  It does separate and lengthen pretty well though.

I didn't get much volume from it but length is pretty good. Paired with a volumizing mascara I think my lashes would look better.

An additional coat from the picture above.  I was about to use the brush to separate out my lashes a bit more and add a bit more length.

Bottom Line:

It's not my favorite mascara but its not bad for the price.  I didn't see much curl or lift on my lashes but I don't have much to work with lash wise.  I do like that the mascara does not clump and provides decent length.

~Em

NYC Big Bold

NYC Big Bold boasts up to 15x more volume.

The brush is a bit larger than I'm used to (I usually prefer smaller brushes since they are easier for me to use) but I really like the "spikes" on it.  Surprisingly I can use it pretty well on my corner lashes by  turning it up and down.

Before vs. After 

(sorry picture isn't good comparison in camera placement on my eye)

This mascara adds nice volume while lengthening lashes.

This is with one coat (above comparison is with two) so my lashes are still a bit clumpy but I wanted to show how long my bottom lashes are from using it.

Bottom Line

I had low expectations for the mascara after seeing the brush (I knew it would be larger with it being volumizing but I wasn't expecting one this large) but I was pleasantly surprised.  I would recommend it if you're looking for a mascara that lengthens and volumizes.  Its been a while since I've seen one make my bottom lashes look so nice.

~Em

NYC Sky Rise Mascara

NYC Sky Rise Mascara boasts up to 60% longer lashes.

I love this brush, its super easy to work with.  Very good for lengthening and separating.

Before Vs. After

I'm very impressed at the length.  As you can see in the before picture my lashes are not very long so it had its work cut out for it.  I can only imagine with this would look like on those of you that have super long lashes.

In addition to lengthening the wand separates lashes very well. I really can't say enough good things about this mascara.


Bottom line:

I would recommend this mascara it provides a lot of bang for the buck.  Its only $1.99 regular price but drug stores regularly run sales.  I actually got it for $1.20, IMO is very cheap for a mascara.

NYC Showtime Water Proof Volumizing Mascara

NYC Showtime mascara boasts all day water proof experience.

First impression of mascara was the brush is very basic.


Before vs After

This mascara doesn't lengthen as much as others but I am impressed by the volume it provides.  I did test out the all day wear and it did stay in place well.

This picture makes my lashes look not as full (they really are, its the angle or something) but I like that it show how well the brush separates them.


Bottom Line

This mascara last well through the day and provides nice volume.  If you haven't tried NYC mascara before I suggest you give it a try.  They are very reasonably priced.  All 5 tubes that I've reviewed in the previous posts were bought for less than $14 with tax.

Almay Smart Shade

I've always wondered what the deal with foundations that are supposed to adjust to your skin shade, but have always decided against trying them.  It was on sale last week at Riteaid for $7.99 plus I had $4 in up rewards so I thought I'd give it a try while I could get a good deal on it.  I have to say I'm glad I gave I did. The adjusting really does work and its a very nice match for my skin.

                                                           Light Pale 100

Before

Pretty bad break out.  Thankfully its pretty much cleared up now (This was last week, I'm a bit behind doing this post).

Without Vs. With 

                     

                                           Without                           With

I'm having a pretty bad skin day here but as you can see in the right picture it still do a good job evening out my skin tone and concealing the redness from my acne.

                                           With                                 Without

With Make-Up

Goofy picture but shows coverage well.

*I'm not wearing any concealer or powder etc, just the foundation.



Bottom Line

I would recommend this foundation, it has great coverage and the smart shade match actually works.  I definitely want to try it again when my skin is doing better, even though I think it did well given its canvas.


Let me know if you have any questions :)

~Emily

Foundation Recap

I have very fair, oily skin, that randomly breaks out so my focus is on covering up the acne, matching my skin, and finding the right formula for my oily skin type. I have a cool skin tone which means I have pink undertones.   I've tried quiet a few drug store and high end foundations. I have figured out that Alabaster is the best match for me.  I can also wear Ivory but it depends on the brand, I've found their isn't much consistency between the various brands.  The Ivorys that tend to match are made for pink undertones such as Tarte's Amazionian Clay in Ivory.  

Drug Store Favorites

Loreal True Match - C1 Alabaster

CoverGirl Nature Luxe - Alabaster

Revlon PhotoReady- Ivory 001

Almay Clear Complexion - Ivory 100

High End Favorites

bareMinerals - Fair Matte

Tarte Amazionian Clay - Ivory with pink undertones

MAC Studio Fix Fluid - NC15

For drug store make-up I like TM and NL the best because they come in Alabaster shade.  I've found alabaster is the best match for my skin.  I also like PR and CC because their ivory shades are a good match for me.

For high end make-up I've been lucky to like the three that I've tried to far.  All three have an excellent coverage without being too heavy.  Also the match is spot on for all of them.

Thanks for reading and please let me know if you have any questions.

~Emily 

Mac Studio Fix Fluid

I LOVE this foundation. I went to the Mac counter a couple of months back and decided to see what the MAC hype is about.  I totally understand now!   It is an excellent full coverage foundation that works very well with my skin and skin type.  I'm not that familiar with MAC foundations since this is my first one but I was told the Studio Fix Fluid is the best for oily skin.

                                                             NC15

With vs. Without 

                                             With                                 Without

This foundation does very well to cover my acne and overall redness from it.  Notice on the right that I'm having pretty bad breakouts and on the left that they are barely noticeable. 

                                             With                               Without

This side is not as broken out so this is probably more of what most users would experience.  It gives a nice even finish to my skin.

With Make-Up (Only foundation, no concealers, powder etc)

Pictures are from different days since I wear this foundation often.  None of them have anything but foundation on though.

Bottom Line

I definitely recommend this foundation, it has great coverage and wears very well.  Also for a higher end foundation it retails ($27) for much less than others that are available. 

Almay Clear Complexion

This foundation has a nice full coverage look without feeling too heavy.   It says it heals blemishes but I'm not sure if that's true just yet.  I got it just to try another type of foundation, but if it helps my blemishes that's a huge plus. Ivory 100 is a good match for me.  I'm really starting to think there isn't much consistency between Ivorys in the various brands though.

                                                                Ivory 100

Without vs. With 

                                             Without                          With

Notice that I have a good bit of redness in the left picture that was evened out in the right picture. Also it does a good job of taking the redness out of my acne.  Even without concealer it doesn't look too bad now.

                                            Without                            With

With Make-Up

Outside picture to show the match.  I really like the match, I think it gives a nice "healthy look" to my skin.

Taken the next day in my office, just to provide a picture with different lighting.  It is not too light that's just from the fluorescent lighting.


Bottom Line

I would recommend this foundation.  I am very impressed by the coverage, and I like the overall "feel" of the foundation.  I also got the concealer for blemishes (I'll post about it later).  Guess we will have to wait and see if it helps my blemishes or not.


Thanks for reading :)


~Em

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation

I know my last few posts sound like I don't like Revlon Products, that isn't the case at all. I like everything I've tired in the PhotoReady line (Primer and Concealer, I'll post about those later) so far .  The color range seems to be better in the PhotoReady line. I got 001 Ivory and it matches me very well.  Goes onvery easily and wears very well over the Revlon PhotoReady Primer.

Without Make-Up

Without vs With

                                              Without                          With
Sorry about the lighting difference between the two pics.  Coverage is really good with this foundation, I would say its med. to full.  Match is also very good for my pale skin.

                                             Without                           With

Full Make-Up

I really need to work on not looking so men in my pictures lol.  I promise I do smile :).  Lighting isn't the greatest but the match is very good with this foundation.

Sorry my full face pictures aren't that clear/good.  I have a few other Revlon products I love. I'll review those soon and try to redo these pictures.

Bottom Line

The color match for the foundation is much better for me than other Revlon products.  It seems the color range is a bit different on the PhotoReady line.  I would recommend my fellow fair skined ladies try this line.  I would definitely recommend this foundation.  Also just an FYI keep a check on the Riteaid (if you have one) circular papers, they often run 40% off Revlon sales.


Thanks for viewing :)

~Em