L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base Review

L'Oreal Claims: 

Get the perfect skin texture, instantly. Wears all day. Smoothes lines Hides pores Banishes imperfections The silky, lightweight formula glides onto skin, leaving it velvety-smooth to the touch. The result-a unified matte finish that's flawless.

I never used a primer before I applied my make up and a friend told me that this would help my make up stay longer and help minimized the appearance of my huge pores. I decided to try it out since I really had nothing to lose. If I didn't like it I could just return it, there wasn't anything for me to lose.

When I first tried putting this on my skin felt like a babies bottom. Super smooth and perfect. The huge pores on my nose were down to almost nothing and my skin looked flawless even without wearing any type of foundation on top. I was truly shocked on how well it worked.

I decided to wear foundation and test it out. I can honestly say that this primer is amazing. I love the way it smells, the way it looks and how well it applies. The only down side of this product is that it doesn't really control oil the way other products do, especially M.A.C's Matte. M.A.C's also comes in a squeeze tube for easy application where this comes in a glass container. The glass container can harbor bacteria specially if you use your fingers to apply.

If I hadn't purchased M.A.C's Matte to help control my oil better, I would still be wearing this.

Pros:
Smooth Application
Minimizes Appearance of Pores
Minimizes Appearance of Fine lines
Can Be Worn Alone

Cons:
Container Can Harbor Bacteria
Poor Oil Control

Over All Rating:

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base can be purchased at drug stores for $12.99 (prices vary) US.

MAC Matchmaster Foundation Review

Mac Claims:

A virtually "invisible" foundation with coverage influenced by your own skin tone. A breakthrough patented formula technology with a spectrum of 14 light to deep dark shades. Discover shade intelligence!

When I first heard that M.A.C was going to release a new foundation that was suppose to blend into your skins undertone. I was totally hyped up and ready. I've had trouble with finding a dot on foundation that was just perfect for me. I have a weird undertone, for some products I am a NC for others an NW. For Studio Fix I am a C4, Face & Body C3, Pressed Powder NC35, Pro Longware Foundaton NW25. I can typically get away with either one, I just have to be careful with it.

When I saw news of a new M.A.C Foundation that was suppose to blend and adapt to your natural skin tone, I was super excited. Not only was this foundation suppose to be a true matched tone but also virtually invisible. 

I ran to the store when I heard this new foundation had just hit stores. I was matched to be a shade 4 and this shade was PERFECT. It not only blended into my skin, but you couldn't tell I was wearing foundation. I still had that polished look, but you couldn't tell I was wearing foundation. My skin tone just looked amazing and polished. I purchase the bottle and was super excited because I felt this foundation was going to be my holy grail.

I tried applying this foundation in many forms and I felt that using my Sonia Kashuk Highlighting Brush is the best way to apply this foundation. I am not a fan of regular foundation brushes, I feel they leave me streaky and I end up applying more foundation than what I actually need. The foundation does dry fast, so you need to work fast with it.

This foundation stayed on my skin since 8am till roughly 8pm. Although it's not labeled as a long wearing foundation like Pro Longware, this foundation stayed on. I did get oily, but to me that is normal since I have very oily skin. It didn't make me more oily than usual, but it also didn't make me less. It was just a normal oily for me. Nothing crazy. It has a demi matte finish to it, which to me looks super natural. For better oil control I set it with M.A.C's Translucent Powder.

The coverage this foundation gives is a low medium, that that is very buildable. I would say the coverage would be alittle less than Pro Longware, but without that "I'm wearing foundation look."Since I'm a guy, one layer of this works perfectly for me. If I wanted go to up on coverage a little but more, I could. Which is something else that I love about this foundation. 

With all this said, I would recommend this foundation to others. I actually have recommended this to both of my sisters. They love it.

Pros:

Natural

Stays On

Adapts to Skin tone

Buildable

Cons:

Dries Fast

Over All Rating:

M.A.C. Matchmaster Foundation can be purchased at M.A.C Stores, M.A.C Counters and MacCosmetics.com for $32.50 US.

Sonia Kashuk Matte Blotting Papers Review

Sonia Kashuk Claims: 

These sheets instantly absorb excess oil without disturbing makeup or leaving a powdery residue. Perfect for touch ups on the go! Includes pouch and 100 blotting papers...

After my failed attempt at Oil Blotting Sheets with E.L.F. Essential Shine Eraser Oil Blotting Sheets, and after much success with Sonia Kashuk's Highlighting Brush, I figured that these blotting sheets would be magnificent. I saw them at my local target and figured getting 100 sheets for $6.99 would be a steal. I use these for a couple of days and noticed that make up was being left behind on the blotting papers.  That was the end of our relationship.

After carrying these in my bag for a few months I realized that I would rather use some blotting powder to control my oil than have these sheets disturb my make up.

The one thing that I really did like about these sheets is the fact that they are pretty big and only need one to get all the oil. They do absorb oil pretty well, but half my make up ended up on the sheet as well. With that said, my search for the perfect oil blotting sheets continued.

Pros:
Inexpensive
100 per Pack
Big Sheets
Nice Case

Cons:
Don't Control Oil
Shift Make Up

Over All Rating:

Sonia Kashuk Matte Blotting Papers can be purchased at Target & Target.com for $6.99 US.

E.L.F. Essential Shine Eraser Oil Blotting Sheets Review

E.L.F. Claims: 

These amazing little sheets instantly absorb oil, minimize pores and mattify shiny skin. Woven texture eradicates shine and keeps skin matte for hours. Green Tea Extract helps re-texturize skin and masking facial imperfections. Travel pack fits neatly into your purse for on-the-go touch-ups.

When I first saw these at the cosmetics department at my local Target, I couldn't hold myself back. I knew that I had to try such an inexpensive item. What did I have to lose?

I tried these out and I absolutely loved them the first few times I used them. I noticed that they were taking the shine away from my oily nose, chin and forehead. I didn't notice much of the "oil controlling properties" that it claimed since my oil was instantly coming back.

In the process of constantly blotting my face I started to realize that these blotting sheets were shifting the make up around my nose.

Pros:
Absorb Oil
Inexpensive

Cons:
Don't Control Oil
Shift Make Up

Over All Rating:

E.L.F. Essential Shine Eraser Oil Blotting Sheets can be purchased at Target, Target.com & EyesLipsFace.com for $1.00 US.