L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Makeup

I have so many looks and products photographed and ready to go right now, I couldn't decide what to post today! I am falling behind on posting photographs, but I've been taking pictures as regularly as ever... Bad combination! I've also decided from here on out to make my closing thoughts more of a summary of the post, since I tend to write rather lengthy posts. If you just want a run-down of the important points, head to the bottom and read that paragraph!

Anyway, I finally decided to show you L'Oreal's Infallible foundation; I've been using it for quite awhile now, on and off. You'll be able to see in the photos that I'm nearly through my bottle of foundation; seeing as how I've been using it for awhile, I figured I had better let you guys know what I think of it before I run out and have nothing left to photograph! So, let's start off with the basics; according to L'Oreal's website, their Infallible Never Fail Makeup is supposed to last 18 hours and look flawless, without needing any sort of touch-ups. They claim it has a "vitamin and mineral complex [that] combats the signs of fatigue"; smoothing pigments are meant to resist rubbing off and fading, continuous concealing will hide imperfections. It contains SPF 20 to protect skin from sun, and is also supposed to resist humidity while containing oil-absorbing mattifiers to fight shine. The suggested price is $14.29, and it comes with 1 ounce of product. A little bit on the pricey side for a drugstore foundation, but still half as much as I was spending on my MUFE Face and Body Makeup (which I guess I've never posted about...? I should, seeing as how I've been using it pretty consistently since I was 17). I was going to Florida and wanted to see if I could find a less expensive foundation that would hold up to extreme heat, humidity, and persperation. I'd heard good things about long-wearing foundations, and after reading various reviews, L'Oreal's Infallible Never Fail Makeup and Rimmel's 25 Hour Foundation (which I used as a base in this look) decided like good products to try. I bought both, and have gone back and forth between preferring one over the other. The Rimmel foundation is about half the price of the L'Oreal, but it doesn't have a pump (which can get messy and annoying), the lightest shade is a little too dark for me, and I feel like it gets oilier faster. However, the L'Oreal formula is thinner and less creamy, which makes dry skin show up more under it, so I have to be sure that I've moisturized the heck out of my face and exfoliated any dry patches, especially during winter. Neither one holds up to its 18 or 25 hour claims. The L'Oreal makeup also provides slightly less coverage, but with a more natural texture; I'd describe this as a medium coverage foundation. As far as I know, it is not buildable; if you try to add a second layer, you run the risk of the product pilling. The texture of this is thin and almost watery; it's actually a kind of weird texture. However, this doesn't adversely affect application. I always apply with clean hands and fingers; I have much better luck getting a natural texture that way.

So, what do I think of the L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Makeup? It's a really decent formula for a really decent price, but it's certainly not my favorite foundation. It's not what I reach for when I know I'm going to be photographed a lot, or want to look fresh all day long, or for special occasions. When I bought this, I realized I probably should have gotten the next-darker shade, but now that it's winter and I'm paler, Soft Ivory (602) works just fine. Unfortunately, this does not hold up all day. If I wear my glasses, as soon as I take them off, I have patches of bare skin from where the nose-rests were sitting. This rarely happened with my beloved MUFE Face and Body Makeup, and when it did (as a result of extreme heat, humidity, etc...) it was not nearly as noticeable; I could pat on some powder and it would look just fine.

I started wearing this with primer, and it holds up much better that way. It is a perfectly acceptable foundation when I add primer to my routine.  However, I feel like if I have to purchase two products to use together to make this work, I might as well spend that money on the more expensive, nicer product I can use alone. When I do use primer under my MUFE makeup, I use much less of the MUFE foundation, since it seems to spread out more easily and in a thinner layer without compromising coverage; with the L'Oreal foundation, I use just as much over primer as without primer, so it does not help to conserve product by using primer. My other problem with this foundation (and with a lot of foundations, actually...) is I feel like the texture gets wonky wherever I try to add concealer, especially on my nose. I tried to take some pictures of this, but I don't think they show what I'm talking about. Anyway, I have a bear of a time trying to find foundations that I'm 100% satisfied with, especially when I am trying to find less expensive drugstore alternatives, and can't try the product on before purchasing it. Maybe I'm just super picky, and I'm sure that these texture issues aren't something noticeable until you get about a foot away from my nose, but it's something that bothers me.

Would I re-purchase this? I'm still trying to decide if I would. I think it's just fine for every day when I want to wear makeup to school or out to run errands, and don't want to use anything expensive, but I'm still a little bit frustrated every time I take off my sunglasses and see red patches where the nose-rests were, or after I've finished my makeup I take a look at the weird patchy texture on my nose from where concealer and powder have affected the original foundation. I might try Revlon's long-wearing formula; I might try L'Oreal's True Match. If anyone has any suggestions for an inexpensive foundation that wears well and provides a natural looking texture, please let me know!

So, here I am after moisturizing, but without a stitch of makeup:

I have sensitive skin that tends to be dry. Because of this my main concerns are products that might emphasize any dry areas I have (thankfully I have a routine that keeps my skin fairly well moisturized), and redness. I always have redness on my cheeks down to my jaw, and on my nose. I also want something with enough coverage to help neutralize darkness under my eyes. Every once in awhile, I get the occasional blemish; you can see one on the second picture above, on my cheekbone. I don't need a full-coverage foundation; my goals are to get an even canvas to apply makeup onto, and to keep a natural-looking texture.

Here's the foundation; my bottle is so messy after 9 months of having it. If you like foundation that stays nice looking, this isn't for you; I've never had a bottle get this nasty looking!

And here it is, blobbed on the bottom, blended slightly on the top so you can see a bit of the texture. See how thin it is on top? There are no thicker areas like a creamier texture would show after minimal blending, and it doesn't smooth over the fine lines on my hand; it's thin enough that it doesn't cushion over those areas. I don't find this to be a problem on my skin, but if fine lines and wrinkles are a concern, this may emphasize them. I can't say for sure if this would be the case, though.

L'Oreal Infallible Foundation

And here I am wearing the foundation over Almay Smart Shade Primer; I'll review the primer separately, but despite it's claims to help color- correct, I think it actually made my skin redder on the day I took these pictures. I was having an extra sensitive skin day. However, it calmed down by the time I got my foundation on, so that's not a concern in these pictures; I'm just letting you know that the primer hasn't affected the way my skin looks between the pictures of my clean face, and the pictures below where I'm wearing foundation, it's just there to help the foundation wear longer. Notice the difference in redness around my jawline, on my nose, and also where that blemish is on my cheekbone.  It covers everything enough for my liking; I usually add a touch of concealer after this step under my eyes and on my nose, but you can see that this adds significant coverage on its own.

Wearing L'Oreal Infallible Makeup

Wearing L'Oreal Infallible Makeup

With L'Oreal Infallible Makeup

Summary: 

Who would I recommend this makeup to? To people who only need to wear foundation for a few hours (or who are willing to wear a primer under this foundation to make it last a full 8-10 hour day), and who want a really decent, affordable foundation. If you don't wear concealer on top of your foundation, you might have fewer texture issues than I do; on areas of my face where I don't use concealer, the texture of this looks much more natural than many other foundation options. However, it doesn't play well with concealers or a second layer of foundation, so be warned! You may encounter pilling, and you may have to fiddle around to get a combination you like. I don't dislike this product, but it doesn't live up to its claims, and it's not my favorite foundation when I am comparing it to brands that are twice its price. In the drugstore arena, it's a top contender among the 6 or so readily available drugstore formulas I've tried.

Poppy King for No. 7

Hello, all!

Sorry for the brief hiatus, school started two weeks ago, and I finally had to get my butt in gear and go down to campus and get enrolled in my "classes" for this coming semester. I say "classes" as opposed to classes since I am technically just focusing on researching and writing my thesis this semester (it's on Richard II, for curious parties...), and it is a very strange feeling to not have a syllabus and assigned reading, class meetings, etc...

Anyway, I was at Target last night and saw that the Poppy King collection for No. 7 was on clearance. Seeing as how I had already photographed my purchases from that collection, I figured I had better get the photos up before it was too late!

If you aren't familiar with the collection, Poppy King (of Lipstick Queen fame) has designed a small release with Boots No. 7, which are available at Target stores in the US. It features 8 shades available either as lipstick or lipgloss. I originally picked up a couple of the lipsticks and three glosses, which are what I photographed here. Of course, when I saw they were on clearance for $5.50 (they were originally $10), I snagged a couple of the shades I hadn't gotten originally! I may post those separately later. I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised by these; the packaging is chic and cute, much nicer than what I expected from a product readily available at Target. The lipstick cases are very small brushed lavender metal, and the glosses have brushed lavender tops with tiny polka dots on it. The lipsticks and glosses are both really great formulas. I'm not sure if this is the standard No. 7 formula or not, since I don't own any other lipsticks or glosses by them, but the glosses are moisturizing and cushiony without being sticky at all, and have a nice amount of pigment; they tint my lips, but aren't opaque. They also feature doe-foot applicators, which are my favorite lipgloss delivery device!  The lipsticks are moisturizing and offer sheer to medium buildable coverage (at least the ones I got!). The lipstick shades are Power (a bright yellow pink) and Seduction ( brown-burgundy). Power is a bit more opaque than Seduction, and offers the faintest hint of shimmer, whereas Seduction is a glossy sheer cream. The gloss shades are Seduction (brown-burgundy), Power (bright yellow leaning pink) and History (a read that reads a touch pink).  Lipsticks offer .12 ounces of product, glosses a full .2 ounces.

So. Lots of pictures. Be warned!

The boxes. Cute!

And here are the products out of the boxes: 

Poppy King No. 7 lipstick case

Poppy's signature is on the twisty part of each lipstick! 

 These are fairly small lipstick cases, even though there is a normal amount of product in each one. I took a picture next to a NARS lipstick for comparison purposes:

Poppy King for No. 7 (right) next to a NARS lipstick (left) 

 Lipstick Swatches:

Seduction on the left, Power on the right

 Lipgloss swatches! You can see that while these aren't opaque glosses, they're very pigmented and almost a little bit milky. They look really nice and cushiony on the lips.

Left to Right: Seduction, Power, History

Wearing Seduction Lipstick

Seduction Lipstick

Wearing Power Lipstick

Power Lipstick

Wearing Power Lipgloss

Power Lipgloss

Wearing History Lipgloss

History Lipgloss

Wearing Seduction Lipgloss

Seduction Lipgloss

See any you like? If so, run out and grab them while you still can! I couldn't find these on Target's website, but they definitely still had a ton at my local store on a clearance-designated end cap in the beauty section. I thought these were great quality for the price at full price, so for half off, you can't afford to miss out on these if they sound like something you want!

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Beg

Hi Everyone,

Ok, back to our regular programming after the last (fairly heavy) post. I want to thank everyone who took the time to read and respond to it; as I said in the comments there, I really appreciate getting some different opinions to consider, since these are all issues I'm actively mulling over.

In the meantime, I'd like to show you Beg, one of my absolute favorite blushes. You may have noticed me mention it in a couple of recent looks, like my Bette Davis inspired LOTD, and my party look. I think it's such a flattering shade; on Sephora's website, it's described as "muted warm rose", which, after their description of Growl as eggplant, leads me to believe that whoever is doing the color descriptions for Illamasqua on Sephora's site is partially color-blind. That being said, they're not *totally* off; I'd describe Beg as terracotta,  leaning strongly towards orange, but it's got enough red/rosey pink in it to not look completely out of place with cooler red lipsticks or cooler brown eyeshadows. It's a really versatile peach/orange shade, which is surprising, since it looks rather bold in the pan. Like all of the Illamasqua blushes I've had the pleasure to work with, it is very pigmented but easily worn sheer if used with a light hand. It blends beautifully, and stays put as long as any other powder blush does on me; I tend to wear powder blushes over cream blushes if I want a longer-lasting flush. This shade also works really well as a subtle contour, which is kind of how I wore it in the looks I linked to above; I had a lighter shade over the entire cheek, with Beg used on the lower part of the cheekbone to intensify the color without looking like a clown. The shade is matte, but definitely not chalky; the finish is really versatile, and customizable. I can add a pop of shimmer with a highlighter if I want, or leave my cheeks matte for a natural glow. These will set you back $24 USD, and contain .14 ounces of product. I can't imagine going through one of these blushes very quickly, considering how little is really required to get a noticeable flush.

Here's the compact; black plastic with a clear window, no mirror. The color looks pinker in this picture than in real life.

Forgive the black smudge of the Illamasqua symbol, I could not get it off... 

The bottom of the compact; I hate that the shade names rub off of all their products! 

This is a much truer representation of the color:

Illamasqua Blush in "Beg" 

Swatches: Darker on top, blended out on the bottom:

Swatch of Illamasqua Blush in Beg

And here I am wearing it, heavier on the bottom of the cheek, blended out more on the top:

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Beg

So there you have it! This is one of my favorite blushes; it's easy to wear, and always makes my makeup look more polished and pulled together; perfect for days when I'm in a hurry or not really feeling whatever it is I've done with my eye makeup. Have you guys tried Illamasqua blushes? They're definitely a favorite of mine... A few more in my collection, and (dare I say it?)  they might pass NARS as my favorite blush formula!

Makeup and Ethics

Hi Everyone! As you may have guessed from the titles, this is a brainier post than usual; no swatches today.

Robyn of Stay Beautiful recently blogged about the Lime Crime controversy, and raised what I consider to be a few important questions about our role as bloggers and consumers. I wrote such a long comment on her blog, it got my Theory Student juices flowing, and I felt a bit of a moral imperative to continue the conversation over here. I urge you to go check out her post, and see what other readers have been saying in the comments, if you feel like you need to get caught up on the dialogue. I'm not going to talk about Lime Crime specifically here; I have no experience with the company whatsoever, negative or positive, and the hour of research I did on the situation a month ago made me feel even more confused about what has actually happened. All I know is that many people in the beauty blogging community feel very strongly about the company, and most of what I've read seems to be negative feedback.

Before going any further with this post, I want to make some things clear. I really want to hear what you guys think about these issues. Please disagree with me or question my logic if you hold a different opinion. I firmly believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I would never want to make anyone feel like I'm trying to deprive them of their perspective. My goal is to provide a safe community to express opinions in, where we can expect and deserve respectful, thoughtful responses. I would never want to make anyone feel bad for what they think, and I ask my readers and those choosing to comment to do the same. I have misgivings about using my power to publish or not publish comments as censorship, but I will file especially offensive comments as spam. Luckily, I've never had to do this in the past, and I honestly don't expect to have to do this now.

 Just because we're blogging about largely frivolous things doesn't mean that there aren't deeper issues related to what we do. I know many of my readers are not blogging about beauty, but these issues are relevant to you guys, as well. As bloggers, we act as representatives of a larger makeup consuming community. We are choosing to put out thoughts and opinions that, whether we like it or not, influence other people's opinions. How many times have you felt your heart drop while reading the third or fourth negative review of a product you were initially excited about and planning to buy? And how many times do you choose to spend your money on something else instead, based on what you've read on blogs? Even if we don't individually influence the market enough to make a dent in a company's sales, as a collective force, we have a lot of power, and as individuals, we still bear a lot of responsibility-- responsibility for what we buy as well as what we choose not to buy, for what we blog about, and for what we don't blog about.

I'm not suggesting that before each blog post we sit and do some soul-searching, but I think it's important to just be aware of these things, and keep an open dialogue about these issues.  If you're a long-time reader of this blog, you'll notice that I review products across a range or prices, and that I do not purchase exclusively natural, sustainable, organic products. Nor do I boycott companies that practice animal testing. And believe me, it's not because I don't think about these issues. If there's a product that I need, and I could choose between a natural or synthetic version and they perform identically, I'll choose the natural version. Likewise, if I'm in the same situation choosing between a product that has potentially been tested on animals and one that has not, I'll choose the one that hasn't. However, we cannot know the history of every product that we use, and the simple truth is that companies lie. Many "organic", "natural" products are neither.  Lauren of Green Beauty Blog strives to use natural and green products, and gives a really great explanation of what it really means when a product claims to be organic or natural here.  Similarly, many cruelty-free brands are owned by companies that are not cruelty free, have been owned by these companies in the past, or have been acquired by these companies after developing their cruelty-free products. A lot of technologies employed by cruelty-free companies were developed using techniques that are not cruelty free, and are now being widely employed across the beauty industry. I am not a vegetarian; I am not living a vegan lifestyle. I will take prescription drugs when they are prescribed to me, and I know most of these drugs are developed using animal testing. I'm not saying that there's not a difference between testing a beauty product on an animal and testing a life-saving drug on an animal. There is a huge difference, and it's significant. What I am saying is that it's very difficult to know where to draw the line, and to know just how cruelty free any given product is. I would feel like a hypocrite if I urged you all to stop using brands that are not cruelty free when I go to In-n-Out and have a burger later in the day. What's more, I don't know how these products are manufactured; I don't know beyond a doubt that all the products I buy are being made by adults who are being paid a living wage in healthy working conditions. Who are the major stockholders of the companies that are publicly traded? Who are the individuals benefiting from these companies' success, and do we agree with their actions?

I know it sounds like a cop-out to say that it is too confusing to know when a product is ethical and when it is not, so I'm not going to bother. And that's not exactly what I'm getting at; my point is that these things are very complicated, and it is a very personal decision as to where to draw the line and decide that a company is ethical or unethical, and what that means to how you do business with them. Honestly, I don't think there is a way to declare a company to be ethical or unethical. I think most people think about these issues, even if we don't all go out and do the extensive research to know beyond a doubt if a product meets certain standards or not.

Another issue that isn't raised very often on blogs is how ethical it is to spend money on unnecessary cosmetics when some people cannot afford the basics of life. I think I've told you about the conversation I had with a customer who complimented me on my nail polish; it was a combination of two relatively inexpensive products that I was trying to get to look like a Chanel polish. She felt very strongly that it was unethical to spend the money on a Chanel nail polish and pay for the name. I don't; I just didn't have the money to do that. If someone does, who am I to tell them not to spend it the way they want? Sometimes I feel guilty about my more expensive beauty purchases, but I value quality, whether the product is inexpensive or extravagant. Makeup, for me, is a hobby that I take part in almost every day, and when I treat myself, it's not with expensive shoes or a night out on the town; it's with a lipstick I've been wanting, or a new eyeshadow. How and if we spend our money is a very personal choice.

What do you guys think? Are any of these issues things you've put any thought into? I'm not about to claim that I've reached some sort of decision about how I spend my beauty budget and what types of products I buy, but it's something I am trying to develop a stronger opinion on. I value ethics in beauty companies, but I also value quality, which is an aspect of ethics; I think that, in a way, it's unethical for a company to put out a really clearly, across the board, sub-par product that does not live up to clearly stated claims, and charge money for it. Do you guys even think that any of this is relevant to our interactions with the beauty and cosmetics industries? Or am I over thinking it? (I'm probably over thinking it.)

Living ethically can be defined in a ton of different ways. I don't claim to know which field of thought is best. At the end of the day, I think we can agree that a good ethical foundation involves knowing yourself, being good to yourself, and being kind to others. It's deciding what that means and how to do it that is the challenge. How do we involve our role as consumers and public bloggers in this? I think a good start is to just keep this conversation open and be aware of these issues, even if we haven't quite decided what to do about it. I'm looking forward to hearing some of your opinions!

Illamasqua Lipstick in Growl

I just saw Vulcan Butterfly's review of an Illamasqua lipstick in Pristine, and I thought for sure that I'd taken pictures of Growl... Turns out I had, I just never wrote the post! So here it is, pictures courtesy of last July. I see now why these didn't get posted right away; I didn't get a ton of great shots, but it's a beautiful color and a great product, so I'd hate to see these languish in a folder on my computer.

A word about Illamasqua lipsticks in general; the formula is intensely opaque, not moisturizing, but not drying, either. It hugs lips, meaning it almost has a tight feeling once it's on, although I don't find these uncomfortable to wear. They last a little longer than usual on me, and they do not smear or smudge the way some creamier formulas can; the lipstick stays where you put it. These lipsticks are available through Sephora, and are $22; they contain .14 ounces of product.

Growl is a deep wine-red shade; vampy and dramatic, in the best possible way! On the Sephora website, it's described as matte eggplant; I think it's a bit redder than what I picture when I hear "eggplant", and it might be more of a semi-matte straight out of the tube, though if blotted it gets closer to resembling a true matte.

Illamasqua Lipstick case

Growl

Illamasqua Growl

Swatch of Illamasqua's Growl

Illamasqua Lipstick in Growl

Illamasqua Growl

These are great, high quality lipsticks with an expansive shade range; they pair very nicely when layered with gloss if you prefer a shinier finish, but they wear well on their own as well. I know that some people have had mixed results with some of the shades in the range, leading me to believe that the quality may vary, and they certainly aren't cushiony and moisturizing, if that's the type of lip color texture you prefer. That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. This is one of three shades I own, and I have had great luck with all three.