Makeup Review!

Pay no attention to the two-yearlong gap in posts!

'Ello! A couple of things have contributed to my latent presence lately. The main being pure laziness and lack of creative juice-flowing. Another being time. The most unfortunate and most recently remedied, however, is the very fact that my computer was unusable for a long period of time. I adopted two little cutie pies in October of last year with my boyfriend and they had a taste for electronic cords. One phone cord and two laptop cords later, I caved and purchased another one on Amazon. I am just getting back into the groove of using my computer on a regular basis. I became so attached to my smart phone that my laptop seemed unnecessary. Sitting here typing this has proven me wrong. I love the sensation of my fingers moving rapidly enough over the keyboard to capture my thoughts as they manifest. I love the sound of my keyboard. I love the warmth of the fan on my legs. I love using a mouse instead of my thumb! It's been a long time my duct-tape-covered laptop, but I've missed you more than I even knew.

I digress...

I was originally thinking of posting these thoughts as a Facebook status, but when I realized how much I actually had to say on the matter, I thought I might as well put my blog to good use again!

I have never done a review of makeup before. I am really doing this so I can get advice from any of you lovelies on what you use for FOUNDATION!

I started off a long time ago using Maybelline's mousse foundation. It was the first one I ever bought and I bought it because I remember being impressed by the commercials. So young and naive... It didn't work all that well but at the time, I thought it was magical. It didn't blend very well and defined every imperfection instead of covering. You could see every dry skin flake and zit plain as day, but the uneven skin tone was gone! I liked that I wasn't various shades of red any longer but the dry skin and zits had to go.

Next I tried MAC. I can't remember the official names of any of these products and I remind you my laziness is still in tact. I can't be bothered to Google them either. So, just bear with me. Details don't matter right now anyway.

MAC was like WOW to me for a very long time. I used it exclusively for a couple years. I liked that it was a powder but felt more like a liquid foundation. It's coverage was quite nice, however I felt that in photographs it washed me out too much and made me look even paler than I already was. It did not let ANY natural color through and I may as well have been a Cullen or Patrick Swayze. It was also a PAIN IN THE PATOOTIE to wash off. I would use three makeup remover wipes and face wash and still feel like I had some in the crevices of my face. UGH. It felt very heavy while I was wearing it and my skin was not able to breathe at all. And Patrick Swayze. Oh, and it was also quite pricey for my liking. $25 a pop? No thanks.

NEXT, I tried a CoverGirl liquid. I had actually done some research on drugstore foundations that were good for combination skin. My skin had gone through many transformations since the flaky skin fiasco. I was quite oily and had acne when I was wearing Maybelline. With MAC I would start off with dry skin but by the evening I was a BP oil spill. More recently, I have been combination- dry cheeks, oily t-zone. I was surprised that a liquid foundation was recommended for my skin type but I gave it a try as it was quite inexpensive at Target. I bought the liquid and powder foundation and actually really loved it. I got compliments from people who didn't even know I was wearing makeup. It was very natural looking and not heavy at all. I loved the powder because if I got particularly oily during the day I would just brush a bit of powder on and the shine was gone. To be honest, this was and still is my favorite foundation but there's more to this story.

I recently heard about BB and CC cream on the interwebs. I heard it was a nice light coverage but provided vitamins and minerals and SPF as well. I did some researching again and decided to try two different brands from my new favorite makeup shop: CVS. I got a Revlon and a Maybelline BB creams. I have had to play with application types quite a bit to get it right but I think I have figured out a decent amount that provides good coverage but doesn't feel heavy. HOWEVER.... my BIGGEST issue with BB cream is that their shades are very limited. I bought the absolute lightest shades available and they are still a bit too dark. In certain lighting you can't see the difference but in daylight or harsh overhead lighting it is disgusting the color difference between my face and neck. I try to blend into my neck but it really doesn't make much of a difference. The BB cream is just too dark for me.

So, I am back to square one. I know I can just fall back on my reliable CoverGirl but I would like to try something that is better for my skin. It's not particularly BAD but it would be nice to have some SPF while still providing an even but light coverage.

Sidenote: CVS is a dangerous place to shop for makeup. They have a tremendous selection and they are often having sales. The last time I went I spent $75 on makeup but had a full bag of products. Perhaps I can do a CVS haul sometime!

Second Sidenote: I enjoyed typing this blog very much but I wanted to let y'all know that I am thinking about starting up my own YouTube channel! I want to vlog about shopping hauls, makeup, design inspiration from fashion to interior decorating, subjects I am passionate about... I had a twenty minute rant the other night about public bathrooms. That could be something I talk about! Excited? I will try to keep you all updated.

Thanks for reading! Please leave any makeup advice you have in the comments. Much appreciated! 

xoxo