My Fresh-Faced Routine

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I have a love/hate relationship with foundation. I love how it can look when it looks good but I hate how it feels. So when BB cream hit the shelves I knew that I would be in love with it. So said, so done - you can read my review here.

But BB cream is not foundation so it doesn't have its staying power or the ability to transform into a powder to give a matte appearance. To top it off, the tropical weather encourages makeup to melt off your face or get shinier than you'd like. The simple solution would be to apply face powder and then touch up at lunch time and the end of the day BUT I am way too low maintenance (ahem - lazy) for that. So I figured out a trick that I will share with you.

May I introduce to you my new dream team:

L- Crown Brush Kabuki Face Brush  Centre - Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream  R- MAC MSF Natural in Dark

Step One:
- Apply your normal day time moisturizer on clean dry skin and let it sink in properly. This is very important because if your face is slippery the bb cream will not stay put.

Step Two:
-Shake the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream well and pat on drops to your forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. If you've got a larger face like mine you can apply a little more to the bare areas.

Step Three:
- Blend in the BB Cream lightly with the Crown Brush Kabuki Face Brush using circular motions until it is spread out all over your face and blended in. Repeat this using a firmer hand to make sure everything is blended in seamlessly especially along your hairline, ears, jawline and around your nose.

Step Four:
- Use a powder brush and swirl in the MAC MSF Natural and dust lightly over your face blending in. 


And you're done! This combination gives me a smooth, even skin tone without caking up literally all day. No joke, I have driven to the other side of the island, appeared in court and driven back and it stayed put. The products are sheer enough to let your skin breathe so your pores don't clog but still gives you the even skin tone you're looking for with the added spf protection. 

The MSF mimics the texture of real skin so well it's almost scary but I think it needs a review of its own so watch this space for one coming soon. The two put together is exactly what I've been looking for. I will be trying this with other BB creams once I've finished the Maybelline one but this combination so far is quick and easy and gives me great results.

Have you tried this combination? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think

Till later,
**Jane

Read More

Review: Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

BB creams - supposedly the perfect compromise between skin care and makeup, there has been a big buzz about them this summer. They promise fresh faced makeup that provides moisture and sun protection while visibly blurring imperfections.   

Now, I am very skeptical about anything that promises to be a multi-tasker, and even more skeptical about any product that promises not to be cakey in this Caribbean heat BUT after seeing all the raves in the Youtube community I decided to do some of my own research. A few of the complaints were that the cream didn't provide full coverage and that they didn't have lasting power and I must admit that this seems to be true - at least for the more affordable ones. So if you are looking for something that works as well as your foundation, a BB cream is not your answer. That said if you want something that feels like you're wearing nothing but still evens out your skin tone and moisturizes, then a BB cream should be in your collection. 

Let's get into the review shall we?

Packaging:

 

 The packaging borders on very simple. It comes in a flatter squeeze tube that's more ergonomic to getting all the product out. It's 1.0 Fl oz which is plenty for at least six weeks worth. The packaging is pretty sturdy, I've hunked it around in my bag, left it my car and dropped it dozens of time and it hasn't exploded on me or curdled up on the inside. In Jamaican heat I consider that to be an excellent feat. It's not super pretty but the light coloured packaging makes it easy to spot in your makeup bag. I got it in 'Deep'.

Pricing:
I picked this up for around $800 at Discount Pharmacy in Manor Park but I have also seen this for as high as $1300. As a replacement for a foundation though I would consider this pretty affordable. Thanks to the bff for spotting this and letting me know.

Application:
Again, this is not full coverage, the package even describes it as a 'sheer tint'. When applying you need to shake the product up (with the lid on) really well and then squeeze a pearl sized amount onto clean fingers and apply as you would your moisturizer. Be sure to blend with your fingers along your hairline and jaw line because once it sets it stays pretty well put. The product is the perfect middle line between runny and goopy and blends pretty much like a dream (ha-ha dream fresh!) . Though it is sheer it is pretty buildable too so that if you want more coverage in one area you can always reapply another layer without worrying that it looks too cake-y.

Durability:
This can last all day for sure if you spend most of your time indoors. If you are out in the sun I would say max 6 hours before it starts to fade. If you want it to last longer use gel moisturizer instead of cream or skip it completely. It can get a little glow-y throughout the day but I don't mind a glow-y look. If you're on the oilier side or if you like the matte look then dusting some powder over it will solve the problem. I've noticed that if I use my MAC MSF natural over this I can make this last for almost ten hours.

Results
This thankfully did not break me out and I really liked that I didn't have to do that extra step of applying sunscreen. It evened out my complexion pretty well and the colour wasn't too red or orange. It doesn't have any distinct smell that pissed me off throughout the day and it literally felt like I wasn't wearing anything on my face. All in all, I loved it and I will be repurchasing this as soon as it runs out. 

Have you tried this yet? What did you think of it?

Comments give me a happy!

Till later,
**Jane

Read More