Won: SkinMD Giveaway!

This is a thank you post dedicated to Shobe [Camille] of Your Little Beauty Bag. 

Cheers for giving a bottle of SkinMD (got the one with SPF) to me! So lucky to win!

Cheers,

Trace

Review: Paul and Joe Protective Fluid Foundation

Paul and Joe Protective Fluid Foundation

Clear (30) - 30 ml
$38 / PhP 2, 350

Put your best face forward with Paul and Joe's Protective Fluid Foundation. This new and improved liquid foundation combines precise quantities of water repellant powder, oil absorbing peppermint and oil to create an ideal matte finish that stays fresh all day long. Paul and Joe's Secret D'or produces a sensuous glow while a specially developed poreless powder conceals all. With SPF25 PA++, this foundation protects skin from harmful ultraviolet light allowing you to make the most of your day - inside and out!

Lush and sensual matte skin.

Who said you can't make a good thing better...

PAUL and JOE want you to get ready for your close-up!

- Lush and light texture makes your skin feel light and airy.

- Keeps refreshing, sensuous skin free from makeup deterioration all day.

- Creates a super sheer finish and conceals pores for a alabaster look.

- Protects skin from harsh ultraviolet light in spring and summer.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cyclopentisiloxane, Alcohol, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Talc, C14-15 Dialkyl Carbonate, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprate, Butylene Glycol, Lauryl Polyglyceryl-3, Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Ruscus Aculeatus Root Extract, Tocopherol, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Aluminum Hydroxide, BHT, Cellulose, Dextrin

Directions: As this foundation is double-layered, shake well before use. Take desired amount on your palm and spread evenly across the entire face.


Cute design on the cap!

Online swatch of 30 Clair/Clear via Beautyhabit

On paper

On skin

Blended well

My take: I bought this baby from Hedley because of the glowing reviews - matte (or semi-matte?) finish, staying power, fluidity and blendability. The shade I got is the light-medium shade (03). This is also Paul and Joe's choice for oily skin, and it has sun-protection too (at SPF 25, the highest I've ever tried when it comes to foundations)!

This is so sheer I think it functions best as a tinted moisturizer - which means that I can actually use shades from 10-30 without any problem since it blends well with skintones from NC20-30. You can amp up the coverage a tiny bit by allowing the foundation to dry up a bit on your palm before patting it on your face.

Some people say it's even the best foundation they've ever used... I guess that's believable, if these people have nice skin to begin with! It doesn't cover spots particularly well, but the pores are semi-covered (you still have to put primer underneath).

What I do like about this foundation is the finish. It has a very slight sheen to it (not oily) that makes your face glow upon application and even after setting it with loose powder. If you use Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic, then this is the foundation version (at least for me) when you want a very similar candle-lit finish on your face in one step.

Since the coverage is pretty light and this poses the possibility of fading mid-day, what I do is that I stipple this foundation a bit on cheeks, bridge of the nose, and the chin after my usual MAC studio fix. This gives a barely there glow that's not as garish when you use Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick or similar products.

Bottomline, Paul and Joe Protective Fluid Foundation is worth checking out if you have nice skin that you want to elevate it a notch closer to perfection! If this isn't the case, you're better off with other long-wearing foundations.

More reviews: 

Makeupalley

Simply Susie

Fuzkittie

Cheers,

Trace

Glammed Up with Eyeliner!

Dawn writes: One lazy night after class, I decided to play around with colors. I grabbed my eyeliners and experimented. Here's the finished look:

Makeup Used:
The Body Shop Metallic Eye Liner Shade 01: Bronze Brown

The Body Shop Metallic Eye Liner Shade 02: Gold Dust

Bourjois Liner Clubbing in Electro Blue

In2it Liquid Eye Liner in Purple

4U2 Dream Girl: Up Town Girl Liquid Eyeliner


Can you believe I didn't use any eyeshadow at all? =)


Cheers,
Dawn

BB Cream as Primer: Yay or Nay? Missha, Innisfree, SkinFood, Dr. Jart

Trace writes: After two years of reading about BB creams that promise all the good in the world, I've decided to join the craze. I actually prefer to use these supposedly magical potions as moisturizer/primer instead of an all-around face base, because:

• I've read that most of them are gray, so I don't expect a color match. Why are they gray anyway?! Koreans are not gray. And I have never seen a gray-skinned person in my life. Besides, light-medium coverage is not good enough for me. I only put on a dime-sized thin layer (or less if the BB cream is thick) before slapping on my usual foundation. 
• The sunblock properties up to SPF 42 sound awesome! For the longest time, I've relied on SPF 15 since I don't go out too much anyway and I am always scared of that "white cast". But after reading more and more, I now know that I have to amp up sun protection if I want good skin now and in the future.
• They claim to have super skincare powers that can prevent aging, fade acne scars, and keep the skin taut and fine. I fancy thinking that BB creams can lock in all the goodness after my usual face wash/toner skin care routine.
• They cover pores like any other silicone/non-silicone based primer, which makes them perfect pre-foundation.

Since I have very oily, acne-prone skin, I've trimmed down my prime choices to four brands - the more yellow-toned ones and the variants that target oily skinned girls. FYI, the swatches below look TOO yellow and seem like they match my skintone, but they are actually more neutral and are lighter in real life. I apologize for the innacuracy of the pictures.

After almost a month of trying these out - one BB cream a week - here's my take:

Missha Perfect Cover No. 23

SPF 42 PA+++

MISSHA M Perfect Cover B.B. Cream offers a novel skincare concept with B.B. cream, which lightens skin tone by healing visible wrinkles and blemishes, with excellent skin-cover ability, and prevents skin aging through effective whitening and anti-wrinkle properties.

Missha Perfect Cover No. 21

# 23 is my EXACT skin color, and it is kinda freaky (I am a less yellow NC25 in MAC) to find a match from a BB cream! Totally unexpected. You see, my face doesn't match the rest of my body: I have had my share of slathering derma creams for years now and they have made my facial skin mild yellow/neutral-toned and prone to redness, instead of my former warm medium-yellow skin. I guess for skin similar to mine, you'd like this one. #21, obviously, is too light.

As primer, Missha Perfect Cover spreads easily for a thick BB cream, even without moisturizer on. It settles on me with a satiny finish and covers pores extremely well. It makes my skin oily after an hour, which I don't like - probably because of the gooeyness of the product. Still, I will probably keep my tube because of the color match.

Other reviews: 

Makeupalley

ThePinkHeartedPrincess

WonderfulWortelWorld

Beautyholics Anonymous

Innisfree Trouble Care BB Cream

SPF 27

Innisfree extracts botanical nutrients and essence from organic plants to correct varies problematic types. By pure, natural, professional and effective therapy, Innisfree creates healthy and energetic skin and pleasant mood. All products are dermatologically-tested. Skin looks smooth and clear. Herbal essences hydrate skin, Tea Tree extracts disinfect and smooth skin, American mint helps soothe pressured skin, It also calms skin and skin feels cool and comfortable, Vitamin A and Moneywort protect skin from external aggressions.

This BB cream comes out of the tube as gray-as-can-be so I don't really fancy it, and it makes my skin ghastly lighter my real skintone. You have to wait a bit for it to blend well. It's hard to spread as well and it dries to a matte finish which makes foundation look dry when applied after. Don't be fooled - even if it's very flat at first, it makes me oily after less than two hours. Smells lightly herby and this may annoy some people. 

Other reviews:

Musings of a Muse

The Shades of U

Kimoko

SkinFood Peach Sake Cream No. 1

SPF 20

A lightweight BB cream specifically formulated for oily, acne-prone skin. Peach extract soothes oily and troubled skin, while sake effectively controls sebum production. Peach Sake Pore BB Cream conceals uneven pigmentation and blemishes, creating a flawless canvass for foundation or powder. Regular use minimizes oil slicks and refines pores, giving skin a smoother feel with a porcelain-like finish. Contains Peach extract that soothes oily, troubled skin Sake controls excessive sebum secretion Light-textured blemish cream effectively conceals skin impurities and gives a natural coverage for a flawless complexion.

I love the peachy, fruity smell of this BB cream! It has a peachy-yellow tone so I think this one fits me in correcting my too-neutral skintone. Less harder to blend than Innisfree, BUT... my makeup melts faster when I use this as a base and it makes my foundation crease. My pores look huge when I use this one!! Yeah, yeah I know a lot of people (especially Pinays) adore this BB cream but I have no love for this at all.
Other reviews:
Makeupalley (Shade 2)
Kikay Trekkie
BB Cream Queen

Dr. Jart BB Cream Silver SPF35

Rejuvenating Blemish Base, whitening SPF35/PA++

This unique professional formula containing innovative active ingredients, concealing blemishes and activating skin rejuvenation. It soothes red, irritated skin while providing moisture to the skin. It can also be used as a make up base. 

Out of all the four BB creams, this provides decent oil control (think 3 hours) and does not make my makeup fade. Good thing it has SPF 35 as well! It fills in the pores and the coverage is also good enough to serve as a foundation, but it is a tad light on me. I like Dr. Jart Silver the best, obviously.

Other reviews:

Makeupalley

The Purple Snowflake

Shopcoholic

SkinFood Peach Sake

Innisfree Trouble Care

Dr. Jart Silver

Missha #23

Missha #21

So... what don't I like about BB creams?

In general, they make my skin oily and my makeup disappears/melts when I use them. Bottomline, I'm happy to let go of BB creams since I am not entirely satisfied with them as primers. I know other people like them (hello LIZZ!) but they are not for me.

The worst thing? I have been getting breakouts! =( I guess my skin does not like being experimented on - I am actually not sure if this sad case was triggered by the different BB Creams, or Celeteque Moisturizer, or L'Oreal UV Perfect. All these products have promised great things for my skin; unfortunately, they've done me BAAAAAD. 

Anyway, I've gone back to my usual routine (Cyleina Black Pearl soap / Kojic Soap + Witch Hazel Toner + Myra-E VitaWhite Moisturizer SPF 15) and I am currrently wishing my skin sins will fade away. =( Let's cross our fingers!

Cheers,

Tracy