Review: Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

Take a deep breath after reading the name of the foundation! What a long name!  I got this Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation early January and had plenty of time to test this out.  You may notice from my foundations review, that I don't really use drugstore foundations.  My biggest fear is getting the wrong color!!!   But since Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation, I was pleasantly surprised with drugstore foundation, so decided to give it a go.  Typically when I think of Covergirl, I don't think of foundations (probably mascaras), but you may be surprised this review and the performance of this foundation.
(if you want to get to before after pictures, just go straight to the end of this review. :)

WHAT IT CLAIMS
All-in-one foundation with a long-lasting formula that fuses primer, concealer, and foundation in one easy step! The 3-in-1 formula provides a flawless look that lasts all day long.

• All day, longwear formula
• Primer, concealer, and foundation in one
• Smooth, flawless finish
• SPF 20

COLORS
This foundation comes in impressive range of 16 different shades ranging from fair to dark. Enough colors for everyone or wide range of skin tones. From what I can tell, it does appear more pink cooler undertone, but there are few shades with slight yellow undertones. And if you are much darker skintone there is Covergirl Queen (Latifah) Collection All Day Flawless 3 in 1 version.

I picked up Buff Beige (#825). It has slight yellow undertone, and I was lucky enough to pick the right color.  It matches me really well.  As a reference, I'm about MAC NC20-25, Revlon Colorstay Whipped in Nude Beige (#220), Make Up For Ever HD Foundation #117 or #120, YSL Le Teinte Touche Eclat in B30.


PACKAGING
It comes in a glass packaging with pump and a cap.  Pump can be locked and unlocked, so if the cap comes off, you won't have any accidents.  I'm loving that fact that this drugstore foundation comes with a pump.  It is easy to control.  This packs in regular standard 1.0 fluid ounce of product.

CONSISTENCY
It is a thick liquid foundation.  It's not too fluid because it doesn't run on my hand when I pump, and thick enough that it stays put when I pump it out, yet fluid enough to blend easily. It also gives you enough time to blend and buff your foundation before it sets.

COVERAGE AND FINISH
 It claims medium to full coverage.  But I find that I get plenty of coverage with one pump and one layer.  Other than my undereye concealer, I did not use additional concealer in the pictures below.  You'll see that it has full coverage. It covered my freckles, dark spots, and my blemishes.   It really blends like a dream with slightly silicone texture. As it claims, it has a lasting power of a primer, coverage of a concealer and blendability of a foundation.  When you first apply, it doesn't set right away, so you have teeny teeny dewy finish for few minutes.  Then it sets to a matte finish.  I wouldn't say completely matte, because without powder I still see a slight glow and dimension to my face.  And as day goes by when it really sets to my skin and mixes with my facial oil, it starts to look really nice and almost natural.  It doesn't settle in my lines or pores.  It stays on really well without making my face oily or seeing any separation for about 12 hours.  I find that it looks better without powder as it's matte already.  I do use loose powder to set my concealer underneath my eyes.

Now for some before and after pictures.  As mentioned, I did not use concealer on my blemishes and you can see that it is fully covered.  Also it stayed put all day and I did not need to touch up at all up to 12 hours!!!

Close up of my blemishes on my chin. (sorry for the color change, without makeup, my face is super pale and my camera picks up a lot of light in my face)

 

 

MY THOUGHTS

I was very surprised by this foundation and major kudos to Covergirl!!! They really did a fantastic job of creating a solid foundation.  Because this foundation is matte, it'll appeal more to normal to oily skin.  I have normal to dry skin, a bit more dry these days, yet this foundation works well without drying out my face, or accentuating my fine lines or pores.  It looks good all day.  I can apply this foundation with a buffing brush or fingers effortlessly.  If you have dry skin, make sure you moisturize well before applying any kind of matte foundation.

 

You can get this foundation at CVS, Walgreens, Target, Ulta, Bed Bath and Beyond.  I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond for $9.79 which is a little cheaper.  But if you are afraid that you are going to be stuck with the wrong color, I'd suggest CVS who has a very flexible no questions asked return policy.  Bed Bath and Beyond as well if you have one with beauty department. 

 

Miloberry approved! I'd definitely repurchase.



Review: Garnier Olia Ammonia Free Permanent Hair Color

Couple months back, I saw Garnier was releasing an ammonia free oil based hair dye called Garnier Olia  in a magazine and I knew I'd have to try it.  I have gray hair near my bangs, so I always have to dye my hair every couple of weeks.  I was too lazy to do it myself, so I used to get them done at a salon, then it got way too expensive.  So for the last couple of months, I have been only doing touch ups at home, but saw this opportunity to change my hair color and lighten it little bit from black to dark brown.

These were on sale at CVS for $8.99 (originally $10.49) and with coupons I only paid $5.  What can I say, I'm a savvy shopper. :) In order to do my full head, I typically need two boxes, but I opted for one, and thought maybe I'll just do a touch up.

 How it works: Unlike traditional haircolor, Oila uses an exclusive 60% oil blend, with natural flower oils, in the colorant. The unique oil-based formula maximizes the coloring process to achieve permanent color results. It propels colorants deep into hair, without ammonia, for pure, vivid, long-lasting color. Olia visibly improves and restores the look of hair, as oils help to reverse roughness and dullness for softer, shinier hair with bounce.
60% oil blend with natural flower oils
100% gray coverage
No ammonia 

What comes in the box:  Unusually big color mixer, developer, colorant, conditioner, and pair of gloves.

Instructions:

When I began to mix the developer and colorant, I noticed that it was a little difficult to know if you have squeezed everything out from the developer (which felt like any hair gel/cream dispenser), because you can't see inside.  I spent good 2-3 minutes to ensure I squeezed everything out, but more product kept coming out when I tried to stop.  And the colorant comes in a aluminum tube.  So if you start squeezing from the bottom near the mouth of the tube, you are a bit skrewed, because the aluminum tube are hard to unflatten.  So that was quite a task.  I love the humongous mixer.  The gloves were not flimsy, but felt a little tight even for my regular asian hands.  LOL

Biggest seller for me was the scent.  Due to lack of strong chemicals like ammonia, or maybe because it's 60% oil, it didn't have a strong chemical scent that attacks your nose and forces you to open all windows in your home in the middle of winter.  I think I wouldn't die of strong scent even if I closed my bathroom door.  It actually smelled pleasant and flowery.  I loved it.

Now all it had to do was pass the test and cover my grays.  I picked up color dark brown, 4.0 (versus 1.0 which is black).  I typically would have gotten 2.0 (natural black) but wanted to see if dark brown would cover my grays and I wanted to lighten my hair a little bit.

While dying my hair, I dropped the bottle couple of times.  While the roundness is cute, when your hands have the slippery solution on it, and my regular sized asian hands had a hard time grasping the big round bottle with precision. The solution wasn't too liquidy or too thick.  It squeezed out like mayonnaise. :)  I concentrated on my roots and grays, and surprisingly, I had enough to cover my entire head/hair (you have to remember I have a lot of hair and it hits my waistline).  If I were to do my  entire head next time, I'd probably pick up two boxes.  I noticed that the solution on your hair start to turn a little dry and start to feel like dry oil.  I'm guessing this is normal.  But my long hair felt so stiff and stick straight.

After 20 minutes, I was instructed to massage my scalp without water with gloves on, and rinse until it runs clear.  When it hit water, it reminded me of my Shu Uemura or Shiseido Face Cleansing Oil.  The solution turned milky white and it rinsed off quite easily.  After the rinse, my hair still felt dry, so I slathered on tons of the conditioner it came with.  Left it on for good 5 minutes while I finished showering, and my hair felt normal again.  And my hair smelled gooood.

I'm happy to report that it covered my gray hair and lightened my black hair a bit.
Before and After Pictures.  (Yes, my gray hair is really bad, I got it from my Papa)

 

My Thoughts:  The results of this hair dye is fantastic.  Garnier Olia, I likey you.  After I blow dried my hair, my hair felt softer and that dry feeling went away.  My grays were covered, my bathroom didn't stink of nasty chemical odor.  Definitely a lot of Pros with this product, and definitely outweighs the Cons.

Pros:
1. Ammonia free- less harmful for your hair
2. Smells nice and flowery
3. Covers grays
4. Colors well
5. Comes with nicely conformed gloves

Cons:
1. Bottle is too big to hold (I'm being really picky here I know)
2. Tubes were not easy to squeeze out the products to mix
3. Makes your hair feel like you put on dry oil (during application)

Obviously, I'm really trying hard to list the cons here (can you tell?).  But overall, I'm happy with Garnier Olia and I highly recommend it if you are a hair dyer like me.  Finally a less harmful way to dye your hair without spending tons at the salon.  I'm definitely going to use this product to continue doing root touch ups at home.

Miloberry approved!

First Look: Flower Costmetics by Drew Barrymore

If you haven't heard or seen Drew Barrymore promoting Flower Cosmetics, I'm here to tell you that Drew Barrymore is the face and owner of her own cosmetics brand, Flower.  I saw the collection, and I was so blown away by the beautiful colors.  Flower philosophy is to keep the cost of the products down by not paying for advertising.  They also use same ingredients used in luxury makeup and some products are made of real flower.  Also they are produced in the good 'ol USA and never tested on animals.  Also this brand is sold exclusively at Walmart and Walmart.com.  I think the official launch date was January 31st, but I've seen other bloggers seeing items at their local stores (limited items) and I ordered mine through Walmart.com.  All the items were priced starting at $6.98 and doesn't go above $13.98. Apparently a lot of the items are sold out already! Goodness!  I'm so excited for this brand and Drew Barrymore! (Loooooove her!)

So here are few items I was able to get.  This is just a first impression and quick swatches.

I ordered the Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadows, Win Some, Rouge Some, Creme Blush, Kiss Stick, High-Shine Lip Color.  The Color Play Cream Eyeshadows packaging look very similar to L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows, but they are a bit different.

 Swatches of the Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadows. They come in a glass jar with white top.
From left to right:
Lilac You a Lot (irridescent purple), Midnight Garden (black, grayish with sparkle), Awesome Blossom (slightly metallic chocolate), Mum's the Word (rusty pink).  As you can tell they are quite pigmented, minus Lilac You a Lot.  Also the consistency of the shadows are very light and airy, so I'd say it feels like a cross between creme and mousse.  It's not like the Maybelline Color Tattoos. 

 Walmart packed my package in the most horrible way possible and these got tossed around like popcorn in a humongous bag, so it's quite messy, but this is what it looks like when you open them.  This is in color Awesome Blossom.

This is the Win Some/Rouge Some Creme Blush in Peach Blossom.  This one isn't that creamy, but I'd say a cross between cream and powder.  It definitely finishes powdery and that's their claim.  It's a very pretty peach, perfect for spring.

And last but not least, the Kiss Stick, High Shine Lip Color in Sweet Peony.  I read in an interview that Drew Barrymore said this is one of her faves, so I had to have it!  It's a peachy creamy lipstick with slight pink sheen to it.  Really pretty.  it's a bit light even for my skin, but I can make it work for the spring. lol

Swatches of the lipstick in sweet peony on the left and the blush in peach blossom on the right.  Doesn't it scream SPRING IS HERE?

So that's my first impression of the Flower Cosmetics by Drew Barrymore.  I'm going to have to try them out to do a review. 

Review: Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipstick Hot Plum

I've been turning my head to all the new collection the drugstore brands have been releasing this year!  Maybelline just released a new line in the Color Sensational line- Vivids in 10 new colors.  This Vivids line have brighter, vivid pigments, yet same creamier feel from nourishing honey nectar.

Vivids line comes with a bright red cap, but same shape as the other Color Sensational lines (some come in silver, deeper red caps, etc...)

COLOR
I chose Hot Plum (#900) which looks to be a plum color in the tube, almost fuscia, however when put it on it looks almost hot pink.  (I don't know why but it keeps reminding me of MAC Candy Yum Yum, perhaps the shiny version)

This is a swatch with indoor light

Swatch with flash

As you can tell it definitely is a vivid color and has slight sheen to it and dimension.  Depending on which angle you look at it, it looks different.  This is a very fun color.  When you are feeling down, or just want a fun look, this color will definitely do it for you.

FORMULA
It glides on smooth as any other Color Sensational Lipsticks.  It is nice and moisturizing with the honey nectar formula.  This Vivids line definitely is vivid and very pigmented.  And Hot Plum is definitely opaque.

LASTING POWER
I didn't expect this color to last very long, because Maybelline doesn't promise long wearing.  But surprisingly this lasts all day.  I do apply mid-day for moisture and extra shine. And this does transfer, however it doesn't smudge all over my face throughout the day which is always a plus when wearing a bright bold color such as this.  I'm all about maintenance-free lipsticks.  Also I was able to apply precisely just straight off the lipstick, and didn't need lipliners or lip brush.  While this lipstick doesn't totally dry out my lips, it does get drier, if you don't reapply.  I'd definitely recommend reapplying throughout the day or apply lipgloss.

Overall, I'm impressed with the Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Hot Plum.  It definitely did not disappoint.  I will definitely be picking up more of these.  And I'm like totally obsessed with this color!  Also it doesn't hurt to get compliments and be noticed. :)

If you haven't seen my matching nail color (Rimmel 60 Second) with this lips, check it out on my facebook.  I don't know how it happened, but it was a perfect match with my nails. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

FOUND! L'Oreal Caresse Aqua Lacquer Shine Stain (YSL glossy stain dupe)

I had to do a quick post from my phone cuz I got super excited when I spotted these!

As you may know, L'Oreal owns YSL. I heard that L'Oreal released their version of glossy stain in Paris, France couple months ago and I have been waiting for their release in the US, which I wasn't expecting till next year spring. But while perusing at Walmart I found L'Oreal Colour Caresse Aqua Lacquer for $7.97 ( compared to YSL $32)!

I grabbed 4 to test them out. So far they smell very similar to YSL glossy stain. It has the wine grape smell. I put them on right after purchasing it. So far the staying power is good.

I wiped the swatch off and the stain remained! (See last picture)

I can't wait to test and try out all the different colors!!!!

I'm so excited!!! It's like a Christmas present!!! Hahaha

Happy Holidays everyone!!!! ❤

Review: L'Oreal Infallible 8 Hour Le Gloss

Hello all!  I can't believe it's December already! So many things going on including my birthday!!!

I wanted to do a quick post on L'Oreal Infallible 8 Hour Le Glosses I got awhile back.  I have been really into drugstore makeup lately.  L'Oreal also owns YSL (Yves Saint Laurent), and a lot of the times you see a cross over or similarities between the brands, so I thought I give these lip glosses a try.  And I got three of the new formulated colors (it'll say "new color" or "nouveau" on the handle).

It comes with a doe-foot applicator with a pointy end at the top which is very similar to YSL Glossy Stain, but Infallible Le Gloss was less sturdier, but still gave you enough control to apply precisely.

I got three different colors- a classic red, pink, and deep plum color.
Classic Red - #320, Red Fatale
Pink - #140, Pink Topaz
Dee Plum - #240, Glistening Berry

Swatches on a piece of paper (which showed up better than on my lips or hands)

Swatches on my arm (without flash)

Swatches on my arm (with flash)

FORMULA
The formula is on the thicker side.  But understandable since these are supposed to last you for 8 hours.  It's not too sticky. After an hour or two, if you keep rubbing your lips together, it does form this strange film that looks sticky.... so the formula seem to change in time.  It does have slight scent, but didn't bother me too much. 

COLOR & PIGMENTATION
Red Fatale, #320 was very opaque, and super shiny.  This was my favorite color of the three I bought.  It can be worn completely alone and hide your natural lip color.

Pink Topaz, #140 was very sheer, and I had to apply 3 layers just to achieve this color worn here.  It had iridescent shimmer, the rainbowish color that looks different from different angles.  It was quite shimmery with flash.  But this definitely needs to be worn over something else, like a pink lipstick.  As you can see, even with 3 layers, the color is very uneven.

Glistening Berry, #240 was also sheer.  Less sheer than Pink Topaz, but again definitely needs to be worn over lipstick.  I was hoping this was going to a deep plum, berry color, but it wasn't the case. It was more deeper pink on the lips. This also had shimmer in it.  This looked slightly darker than the Pink Topaz, but very similar.

LASTING POWER
It didn't last quite 8 hours, and I kept wanting to take it off to reapply because it does transfer, and in an hour or two, the formula seemed to change and didn't feel stickier, but when you kept rubbing your lips together, it formed a slight layer.

Overall, for $7.99 ( at Harmon inside of Bed Bath & Beyond, and for me it was about $5 each with coupons) it is a good lipgloss.  But I wouldn't say it's my favorite.  Also it also depends on the color.  And as it claims for the 8 hours, I don't think it really last 8 hours since it transfers so much.  I think the Red Fatale is gorgeous, so I may wear that again, but I'd have to be careful how I eat, and drink or touch stuff, since this pigmented lip gloss can end up everywhere!  I have been loving YSL glossy stain, and I find myself comparing all lip products to that (review coming up next), so these were good, but I don't see myself buying anymore of these.