Product Review -- L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation

These days, with my skin getting drier each year, I love a good dewy or radiant foundation.

If that foundation also happens to be hydrating, well, then, even better.

Particularly now that we're headed into winter and colder weather, and my skin is starting to get its driest. 

That's why I couldn't picking up the L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation when I was at Walgreen's recently.

Product Review -- L'Oreal Colour Riche Mono Eyeshadows

I don't think of L'Oreal as making particularly noteworthy eyeshadows.

Don't get me wrong -- I have a bunch of the Infallible shadows and few quads that I've picked up over the years that I do really enjoy, but on the whole, I'd probably rate their shadow offerings as pretty meh.

Still, I was intrigued when they came out with their Colour Riche Mono Eyeshadows a while back.

That probably has a little something to do with the fact that they're single eyeshadows, and I feel like I hardly every buy singles anymore.

So I picked up a few at CVS a while back when L'Oreal was on a sale, and I've got to say, I really like these shadows.

Product Review -- L'Oreal Colour Riche La Palette Nude 2

As a makeup junkie, I've been really excited about the the fact that more and more drugstore brands seem to be introducing eye shadow palettes into their lines.

It doesn't matter that I haven't really found one that excites me -- I recognize that it might take a few tries for brands like Maybelline and L'Oreal to get the palette thing right. Just the idea that there are more budget-friendly options available out there makes me happy.

So I was pretty excited to try the L'Oreal Colour Riche La Palette Nude(s) when they came out several months back -- mainly because I'm a sucker for nude or natural shadows and this palette just seemed much more substantial than Maybelline's The Nudes Palette.

The Colour Riche La Palette Nude comes in two shades: 1, which seems to include more brown-toned shades, and 2, which contains more rosy, mauve-y nude tones.

I went with 2, because I'm kind of obsessed with rosy brown shades at the moment (and I have plenty of brown nude palettes in my collection already).

Product Review -- L'Oreal Visible Lift Blur Foundation and Blush

Even though I know better, I can be a sucker for marketing hype.

Tell me that a product is going to blur my imperfections and make my skin look flawless, and even though I know that it's not true, I'm dying to try it.

That's what happened with the L'Oreal Visible Lift Blur Foundation.  

I didn't believe it could work miracles like blurring fine lines, wrinkles, uneven texture as the product label claimed, but I was curious about what it could do so I picked it up. 

And because L'Oreal was BOGO-half off at Ulta, I decided to try the Visible Lift Blur Blush as well.

Review -- L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer

I have an entire drawer full of concealers.

Which is certainly more than any one person needs -- I won't argue that.

But I do like having a few different formulas in my arsenal, depending on what my needs might be on a particular day.

For example, I have an everyday under eye concealer that does a pretty good job hiding my usually mild dark circles. However, when I haven't gotten much sleep or my allergies are acting up, my circles can get much, much darker and I need a heavier formula to cover them up.

Most days, I can use one concealer to hide the discolorations on the rest of my face because it's just a little redness that needs covering up.  When I'm nursing a particularly nasty breakout, though, I want a full coverage formula that's not going to move around all day.

And some days when I'm in a rush, I want to skip foundation all together and just use a concealer on the spots that need it so I want a formula that's ideal for that.

Review -- L'Oreal Colour Riche Dual Effects Eyeshadow

Recently, when I was trying to organize my oversized makeup collection, I realized that I really don't have too many drugstore eye shadows.

There's no real reason for that. I'm a big fan of drugstore makeup -- I actually feel like some of my favorite new foundations in the past year or so have been from drugstore brands and God knows I love me plenty of drugstore lipsticks.

But with the exception of a bunch of e.l.f. shadows and a few other random brands, eye shadows from the drugstore haven't really made their way into my makeup bag.

So a few months back when I saw that L'Oreal had come out with a new line of shadow quads, I decided to give them a try. The Colour Riche Dual Effects Eyeshadows each feature four shades, which are meant to deliver rich color and smooth, velvet-y texture.

Recent Favorites

It has ages since I last did a favorites post.

I get so caught up in reviewing new products that I sometimes forget that sharing what "older" products I'm loving can be just as helpful.

(I'm going to try not to go so long between favorites posts in the future -- and maybe mix in a few other non-review posts here and there to keep things interesting.)

But since it's been so long since my last Favorites, I'm going to share some things that I've been loving for the past few months or so.  To keep it simple and quick, I'll break them down by category so if you're not interested in a particular type of product, you can just skip over it.

Review -- L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder

 Last week, I posted a review on the Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation, and I mentioned that I'd seen some discussion about the new L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder being a possible dupe for it.

Since I've really come to like the Giorgio Armani Maestro but don't much like the $62 price tag, I was intrigued by the possibility and decided to pick up the Magic Nude Liquid Powder and see how it compared.

After using it for almost a full week, I have to say that I don't really think it's a dupe.

The concept is certainly the same, and the Magic Nude Liquid Powder definitely isn't a bad foundation but if you've tried the Maestro, I think you may be a little bit disappointed with it.

If you don't have the Masetro to compare it to, though, and don't have extremely oily or extremely dry skin, I think the Magic Nude Liquid Powder could be a really nice summer foundation for you.

Review -- L'Oreal Paris Magic Lumi Highlighter

The L'Oreal Paris Magic Lumi Highlighter is one of those face products that always call out to me.

Anything that promises to brighten, illuminate or make my skin glow is right up my alley.

L'Oreal claims that the unique liquid formula "highlights your complexion and boosts radiance for a subtle glow." They suggest dabbing it on dark areas for instant illumination or along your cheekbones and brow bone to make yourself look wide awake.

It's easy to believe that this product could work like that -- it certainly has a brightening effect on my complexion.  And it doesn't have any shimmer or glitter to make it look unnatural.

The liquid formula is nice and lightweight, so it blends easily into the skin and doesn't look cakey.

Unfortunately, the Magic Lumi Highlighter doesn't really work as a highlighter for my skin.

Shopping Bag -- Tons of Drugstore Lip Products and a Couple of Eye Products

I've been accumulating lip products at a somewhat alarming rate over the past couple of months.

Fortunately, most have been from the drugstore where I'm lured into purchases by the oh-so tempting BOGO-1/2 off offer, so I haven't spent a ton of money. 

Still, I have more lip products that any rational person needs but I've come to terms with that. 

This Shopping Bag also includes a couple of eye products for good measure. 

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup

Just a little reminder that I have a giveaway going on right now for the Balm's Nude'Tude Palette - if you're interested in entering, all of the details are here.

When it comes to foundation, I have a serious weakness for any product that promises luminous, glowy or dewy skin.

My skin isn't really that dull on its own, but I'll take any help I can get and I just love the healthy look of a glowing complexion.

So I was really excited when I read about L'Oreal latest foundation offering, True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup. Not only does it claim to have skin brightening ingredients like antioxidants and Vitamins C&E, but the foundation supposedly contains 'Liquid Light Technology' that provides an instant luminous glow.

Favorite Eye Liners

My Favorite Eye Liners

Of all the makeup products that I own, the item that I tend to vary least on a day to day basis is eye liner.  While I have quite a few to choose from, I always find myself reaching for the same five or six depending on what the rest of my eye makeup looks like.

I figure that if I keep reaching for the same several liners, they must be my favorites, right?

You'll notice two things about my list: 1) They're all pencils.  After nearly 15 years of wearing makeup on a daily basis, I'm still spastic when it comes to putting liner on.  I can't do liquid liner to save my life and gel/cream products are tricky as well.  Pencils just seem to work the best for me.  2) There's no black among them.  While there are a few black liners that I'd recommend, I'm not a fan of the way it looks with my fair skin.  I'll wear for some nights out, but I don't often use black liner during the day.