MAC Matchmaster Foundation SPF 15 in 1.0 Review

So I started using liquid foundation in addition to my usual powder about a year and a half ago.  I started with Revlon Whipped foundation in Ivory 1 and while I definitely love it I really wanted to try a high end foundation once I finished it!  I decided on choosing a MAC foundation as I love their lipsticks.  I went in to the MAC store and got matched by a very nice lady.  I think she did a great job....I was pretty nervous after some horror stories I've read on r/makeupaddiction.  In store she threw a thick layer of powder on over top making me look horrid, but I bought the foundation anyway because I was able to get a good look at my face before she suffocated me in powder.

Overall, I really like how this foundation melts into my skin and matches perfectly.  

When I walked into the store I asked for a pale as possible medium coverage liquid foundation with SPF and a matte finish.  I got my wish with the MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 1.0

Its the lightest shade available in this line and it has a little twist closure that keeps it from pumping down while in a makeup bag, which is nice.

So here is me with no makeup on in all my red faced glory!

I usually squirt some foundation onto my finger and then dot it onto my face before rubbing it in evenly with my fingers

As long as I'm keeping up with my skincare routine it blends just find with my fingers but even so I usually go over my face with a stippling brush just to make sure everything is nice and blendy.

And here we go! I usually only do one small layer.  It is buildable but I follow liquid with a sweep of powder so I tend now to use too much liquid. I tried to do a close up shot so you could see that it doesn't even look like there is foundation on my face! It melts right in and feels like I'm wearing nothing. If I have any pimples and am too lazy to grab my concealer I just dab a bit of extra foundation on the spot and blend with my finger as I did with that nasty thing by my lip.

Here is a side by side before and after.  I love this foundation and unless I like the little sample of the lightest shade of Kat Von D's foundation better I could definitely see myself getting this again.

Where to buy: maccosmetics.com or a MAC store

Price: $35

<3__)~

Laneige BB Cushion

I came across this BB Cushion sample in the latest Beauty Army box. I had heard about it and have been very curious to try it out.

Here is the cover, as you can see you push on the cushion and out comes the bb cream.

So this sample came with 4 different shades and I'm using the lightest (Light).

Here is the sponge after pushing down on the BB cream.

I then proceeded to pat this stuff all over my face. Also this picture is so unflattering oh my gosh.

As you can kind of see in this picture the lightest shade is a bit too yellow for me.  Nothing new here, I don't think I've ever received a foundation sample that was the right shade :/

So here are the claims made by the product, I'll go through each one and say whether or not I feel it lived up to this piece of cardboard.

Here is my BB Cushioned face in all its yellowish glory.  I do have to say it blends quite nicely, it just wasn't the right shade. However I had to use a ton of product to get this amount of coverage that I get from less than a single pump of my Skin 79 BB Cream.

1. Brightens- Ok, yeah I'll give it that my face definitely seems even and bright.

2.  Protects- It contains spf 50+, I went outside the day I wore this and got a sunburn on the back of my neck but not my face so yay!

3. Cools and Moisturizes- It did feel nice and cool when I put it on, but I use a moisturizer day and night so I can't really say whether or not the moisturizer in this product really did anything or not.

4. Prevents Shine-  This is where I think it contradicts itself a bit....it created shine! OH GOD SO MUCH SHINE.  I was a scary shiny mess after putting this on.  The second after I snapped this picture I covered it with a matte powder. I also do not have oily skin so I can't say whether or not it stopped my skin from getting oily.

5. Perfects Long Lasting Coverage- I can't really comment on this considering I covered my face in powder after this to try and hide the shiny finish and how yellow it made me.

Would I buy this? Maybe...but only if they made it in a less yellow shade and also removed the shininess.

Where to buy: Target, Laneige.com

Price: $34

Ok, nevermind, after finding out the price, even if they did have it in my shade it is 3x more expensive than my Skin 79 BB cream that matches me perfectly and smells better.  So, no I would not buy this.

<3__)~ 

Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation in Ivory 1

I've been a Bare Minerals girl all my life but once I hit college my mom stopped buying my foundation and I just could not keep affording it. Therefore I decided to switch to Mary Kay's mineral foundation.  While I do not believe that it adds as much coverage as Bareminerals does I still like it for what I use it for.  I do not just wear powder, instead I usually do BB cream and then powder or if I want extra coverage I slip a liquid foundation in there.  I primary use it to add a bit of extra coverage, even out my skin tone, and provide a matte finish.  If you are looking for a mineral foundation with heavy coverage this is not for you, but if you use it as a finishing touch and want an affordable alternative to Bareminerals this might be your solution. For anyone interested I used to use Baremineral's Matte Mineral Foundation in Fair.

I have it in Ivory 1. There is a lighter shade available in Ivory .5 and there are a total of 12 shades to choose from.

It has a sealable sifter top so that the powder doesn't get everywhere while traveling.

I dispense the powder into the lid and then apply it with a brush from there. 

Here is my cheek with no powder applied.

And here is my cheek with powder.  As you can see it reduces my reddness as well as evens out and softens my skin.

All over matte amazingness.  On my lips I'm wearing a Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya.

Where to buy: Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant

Price: $18

Mary Kay CC Cream in Very Light

Instead of using foundation primers I usually apply a bb cream, cc cream, or tinted moisturizer before my liquid and/or powder foundation.  When Mary Kay announced their new CC cream of course I had to try it! The pump dispenser is very nice, that was a pleasant surprise.

Upon squirting it out of the tube I was very uneasy because of how yellow it looked.  Yellow foundations are the bane of my existence because I'm so pink and they never match my skintone.  

And wow! As I rubbed it onto my face it went from yellow to gone! It blended in wonderfully and provided a nice amount of coverage.  After putting on my mineral powder I couldn't even tell a difference between this and the Skin 79 BB cream I've been using for the past year.  Awesome.

Where to buy: Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant

Price: $20