First-Thoughts: Revlon Photoready Foundation

Recently I decided to give the Revlon Photoready a try and I must say that I absolutely love it (without my primer of course)! Although I feel the shade is slightly too light for me, I believe it works pretty well and blends in perfectly. Plus, my face (actually just my nose) didn't start to get oily until 5-6 hours after wearing it. So is the photoready good for oily skin? We must wait and see. Check back soon for my official review on this foundation.

Whats on my face? Eyes: Wet 'n Wild Vanity Palette, Wet 'n Wild Don't Steal My Thunder (crease color), Loreal Voluminous Naturale, Wet 'n Wild Coloricon in Dark Brown; Eyebrows: Wet 'n Wild Coloricon in Dark Brown, E.L.F. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara;  Lips: Revlon Shiny Sheers in Sheer Coffee Glaze

Review: No. 7 No Shine Primer

Claims: Shine Free All day matte...
Keep shiny skin under control all day long, with this mattifying oil-free base. Light-reflecting particles helps disguise fine lines and flaws, oil absorbing Biopol helps minimise blemishes and blot away shine without blocking pores. Contains watermelon and cucumber extracts to help soothe and cool your skin. Formulated to be non pore blocking. Hypo-allergenic.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Hydrated silica, Butylene glycol, Stearic acid, Palmitic acid, Ethylhexyl palmitate, Dimethicone, Alchol denat., Montmorillonite, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl alchol, Triethanolamine, Sodium C8-16 isoalkylsuccinyl lactogloblin sulfonate, Cyclohexasiloxane, PPG-5-ceteth-20, Mica, Methylparaben, Alpha-glucan, oligosaccharide, Propylene glycol, Propylparaben, Allantoin, Triclosan, BHT, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Fructose, Glucose, Hamamelis virginiana (Witch hazel) distillate, Cucmis sativus (Cucumber) fruit extract, Citrullus vulgaris (Watermelon) fruit extract, Salvia officinalis (Sage) leaf extract, Sorbitol.

As I sit here typing the ingredients for you all, I realized that if I had read the ingredients BEFORE purchasing this product, that I would have left it at the store. A lot of the ingredients explains why this product acted the way that it did when once it was on your skin. Although it does help to minimize shine, it doesn't completely block it and leaves your skin very dry. Which also explains why they suggest you to moisturise your face prior to using the primer (however, that is a given with any primer). The primer is white and has a smooth but grainy texture; almost powdery.  Sadly this product doesn't blend into your skin very we and will leave a white cast if on dark complexions.

For me, the less of the primer I used, the sooner my face would become oily. Without this primer, my face would be oily within 2/3 hours. With the primer, I can go about 5/6 hours without having to worry about shine. Since the primer is hard to blend, I have had problems where my face had a ghostly appearance in photos and sometimes my foundation or powder would cakey up on some areas of my face (mostly my cheeks and my nose).

Bottom line: Does it work? Yes and no- it won't keep your face from being oily/shine all day but it will keep it at bay for the most part. Is it worth the money? I'm not sure. Will you buy it again? Probably not.

Price: $9.99 at Target
Rating: 3 out of 5 because it is hard to blend.

The Game Season 5 Premier!

I have been a huge fan of the show since season 1 and I can't wait to see what is in store for season 5. Although I am not a big fan of BET version of the show, I will be in front of my tv again this season. 

Are you looking forward to the season premier or do you pass this time around?

Hair Goal(s) for 2012

I have came a long way with my hair journey since this time last year. I have experienced some set backs and is still struggling finding the right products for my hair. I must say that I am proud of myself; this is the longest my hair has ever been and for the first time I was able to retain length without it breaking off.

I only have two goals for 2012:

1. Increase overall thickness
2. Reach bra-strap length by December 31, 2012

Comparison pictures: (left) December 2011 vs (right) January 2011

Happy New Year

Wishing you and your family a safe and wonderful new year. May this year be filled with blessings, love and success.

New Mac Shade?

Today I decided to go to the Mac store because I was curiosity to see if I was the same shade that I was years ago when I first got into wearing makeup. The last time I purchased anything from Mac was over 5yrs ago. Mainly because I was a broke college student and it just didn't feel right paying about 30 dollars here and there on something that wasn't a necessity. Back then, I was a shade NW50. To my surprised, the Mac consultant matched me at NW44. Although I do believe the that the shade I had before was extremely wrong now, I'm not sure that I believe that this is the correct shade now. However, it does look great, if must say so myself.

The pictures was taking earlier today. No foundation, just basic neutral eye, eyeliner, mascara and some blush. I decided to throw in an out of the day as well.

*Nail color is Sinful Color's Boogie Nights. I love this color!

Both pictures above: Studio Fix Fluid in NW44, Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark Deep, same neutral eye, eyeliner, mascara and no blush. Both pictures was taken about 6 hours later. No oil control primer was used so some areas of my faces was shiny.

*Please excuse the poor quality in the pictures, I took these with my phone.

Sadly I forgot to take a picture in natural light. I ended up just getting the MSF in Dark Deep. I will be going to another Mac store to get a second opinion for foundation color.

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to make a quick post to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Hope you have a wonderful and safe time with loved one and friends.