I bought the Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel to use a primer on Thursday. It cost me $6.90 for a 1.5 ounce squeeze tube. That evening, I came home, wiped off my makeup with my Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes, toned my face with my Neutrogena Toner and moisturized with my Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. After letting my moisturizer soak in for about 15-20 minutes, I applied a layer of the Chafing Relief Powder-Gel. After letting that set for a minute or two, I applied my Monave custom blend foundation, powder to set the foundation and a little bit of my J. Lynne blush. I did notice that the foundation goes on a bit more smoothly than without the primer. Also, the finish is a lot smoother. Pores aren't as noticeable, neither were the "pits" left by acne. After a few hours though, I noticed oiliness on my forehead and nose.
On Friday, I did a full day test. Again, the same routine: cleanse, tone, moisturize, 15 minute wait, primer, few minutes wait, foundation, powder, blush, and a little more powder to set the blush. And yet again, my oiliness attacked all over my face, but more so on my T-zone. I did get a chance to blot around 1 but less than an hour later, I'm back to oily again.
Today is day 3 of the Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Get "Primer" testing. I did the same routine (by accident. I meant to change it up a little bit by adding a layer of Meow's Primp & Preen Primer for Oily Skin after the primer but before the foundation). After about 4 hours, I'm oily. But this type of oily is more "glowy" than "greasy" which is an improvement from my Silk Naturals "oil-mine" disaster (okay, I exaggerate but you get my point. Note: I do like SN though but the foundation by itself makes me oilier than I've ever been before).
How does it compare with the high-end primer? Well, I really couldn't say. I've only tried the MAC Prep + Prime Primer but I could not fairly compare Monistat's "primer" with that of MAC considering that I'm using different makeup with the Monistat than I did with MAC. Also, I used MAC a year ago and my memory does not serve me that well.
In summary:
Pros: CHEAPLY priced, available at local drugstores (which is a plus for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable ordering online or doesn't want to pay shipping & handling for one item), makes foundation go on smoother, and makes makeup finish look smoother, a little goes a long way
Cons: I think this stuff retains moisture in the skin (similar to what silk does, which is great for those with dry skin) which makes me oily all over, no SPF (then again, I think my foundation has SPF of some sort already), comes in a squeeze tube (one can accidentally squeeze out too much of the product), really long product name!
Although this stuff does make my skin oilier than without the primer, it's a great product for such a low price. It's one of the best investments that I've ever spent my money on. If you're short on funds and want a good primer, then this is definitely worth it. I'd also recommend this to those who don't want to waste their high end primers for daily makeup wear. Save those for the special occasions, dates, and whatnot and use something cheaper and more wallet friendly. =)
Top 10?! I don't even have a top 5! o.O
Skin Type: Somewhere between Combo-Oily & Oily
Known Sensitivities: Benzoyl Peroxide (Good thing MMU doesn't have this stuff in it!)
Desired Coverage: Medium to Heavy buildable coverage
Top Mineral Foundations:
1. Lumiere Veena Velvet & Cashmere
2. J. Lynne Smooth Mineral Foundation
3. Meow Flawless Feline
4. Everyday Minerals in Intensive
Top Finishing Powder:
1. Silk Naturals Perfecting Powder & Date Bait (haha I keep wanted to spell it "Dait Bait")
2. Lumiere Veena Veil
3. J. Lynne Mineral Finishing Powder
Top Primer Powder:
1. Meow Premiere Puss Primer in the Oily Formula
Top Concealer:
Don't use one, not because I don't have a need for one, but because I'm too lazy. =P
Top Mineral Blush:
1. Lumiere Veena Blush in Wild Rose
2. Everyday Minerals Blush in Apple
Top Mineral Eyeshadow:
1. J. Lynne Satin Pearls Eyeshadow (I only have Inspire, which I think they discontinued, but I absolutely love it)
2. Alima Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow in Aubergine.
Top Mineral Lippies:
I have yet to try any kind of mineral lippy! =(
Top Non-mineral Face Primer:
1. M.A.C. Prep + Primer (this is the only non-mineral primer I've ever used but I absolutely loved it. I need to get another one soon!)
Top Non-Mineral Eye Primer:
1. M.A.C. Paint Pot (I love my Soft Ochre and Nice Vice)
Note: This list is subject to change... =D
Hello everyone! I just wanted to camera whore my brushes today. For those who haven't gotten their brushes yet, I hope you get them soon!
What I think so far:
The only brushes I've actually used so far are the Original Kabuki Brush and the Blush Brush from the 9 Piece Brush Kit.
I'm falling in love with the Original Kabuki. At first I though to myself, "Holy Cow! It's huge!!!" But after using it with my Lumiere foundation, I was absolutely sure that it was totally worth the $8 I paid for it. The handle is the perfect size to be able to hold on to without it slipping from my grip and falling into the sink or onto the bathroom floor (ewww!). The brush itself is perfect. It's super soft and large enough to be able to apply foundation, powder, etc. in a flash.
The Blush Brush on the other hand, is my least favorite. It's not super soft like my powder brush, kabuki brushes and baby buki brush. The shape of the brush actually reminds me of those cheap brushes that come with Covergirl Blushes and other brands of blushes, only it's bigger. Don't get me wrong, it's not prickly or rough, but I'm not loving its size and shape. I swear that I recall the 9-Piece Brush Set was supposed to come with an Angled Blush Brush. Oh well, my memory must be failing me again. Anyways, back to the Blush Brush issue. Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm so used to using my Sonia Kushak Blush Brush or maybe it's the brush itself, but I definitely am not a big fan of Lumiere's Blush Brush that comes with the 9-piece Brush Set. It's also shed 6 or 7 bristles! Let's just hope it stop there. o.O
My impressions of the other brushes:
The Long-Handled Kabuki Brush - When I ordered this brush, I actually thought that it would have a long handled like a M.A.C. brush or something, but then I saw on someone else's blog that the Long Handled Kabuki Brush wasn't how I imagined it would be. =/ But that's okay. The longer handle seems like it will be a plus for someone as clumsy as I am (I get even more clumsy when I'm in a hurry!). The bristles are firm yet soft. It doesn't feel as soft and plush (for the lack of a better word) as the Original Kabuki, but that's alright. It's still very soft.
The Long-Handled Baby Buki Brush - Now this brush, I want to love forever. The handle is actually LONG, similar to a regular sized M.A.C. Brush (I really have no clue why I'm comparing my brushes to M.A.C. brushes. I don't even own a M.A.C. Brush!). The bristles are also firm (not as firm as the Long-Handled Kabuki), yet super soft! I think it'll make a better blush brush than the actually Blush Brush that I have! =P It also has a larger brush head than my Baby Buki Brush from J. Lynne Cosmetics, which I like because it can cover more surface area.
The rest of the 9-Piece Brush Set - The Powder Brush seems like a good one. It has firm and soft bristles (just like all the other brushes). The eye brushes are teeny tiny. They're a lot smaller than I expected them to be. I'll hold on my review of them till I'm able to actually try them with makeup.
That's all for now I supposed! I hope that was informing and entertaining (now I'm just throwing random words out there).
YAY! I'm so happy. I got home today and checked the mail and there it was! I ordered mine on the 20th of October and it got here pretty darn quick!!!
So to review, I purchased:
- A Long Handled Baby Buki Brush
- A Long Handled Kabuki Brush
- An Original Kabuki Brush
- A 9-Piece Brush Set
They look gorgeous!! And hopefully they work well. I spent a great deal of money on them, they'd better work well.
Pictures later!
F.Y.I. I am loving Alima Cosmetics because they give free samples with every order! <3
To be honest, I had high hopes for my Alima samples since I've heard so many people rant about how "drying" it is for their skin (and some might be wondering why that's a good thing... I have a very oily T-zone that doesn't agree with my Everyday Minerals and J. Lynne). I got my foundations in G-3 and W-3. My finishing powder in Ami and my blush in Mimosa. I tried all except for W-3. But I'm somewhat displeased with the results.
After putting on my "face" as usual with the Alima foundation in G-3, finishing powder, and blush, I was a bit pissy. It looks so powdery on my face. I don't know why. The color seems fine to me but it looks way too powdery. At the end of the day, my T-zone isn't oily like it usually is by the rest of my face feels dry and tight, which is so uncomfortable. And the finish still looked grotesque, all powdery and uneven-y. (Note: I applied my Alima samples the same way I apply my EDM and J. Lynne. So maybe it's the way I applied it? Or maybe my face is just grotesque and nasty? Note to self: wash face profusely, face mask, pore strips, etc.) Also, the foundation has like zero coverage. I could see every single post acne mark on my face after 2 or 3 layers. -.-'
I'm not giving up on Alima just yet though because I am literally in love with their eyeshadows! In my set of free samples, I got one of their Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow in Aubergine. It's such a pretty shimmery purple! I absolutely love it. And another free sample was a blush in Soft Plum. It looks so dark in the baggie but it's very sheer (which was a problem with the Mimosa blush.. It was invisible on my face and I'm not exactly dark skinned). I'm going to put my Alima samples in a safe spot and take them out whenever I have time and work on making it work for me (possibly mixing with my moisturizer to make a tinted moisturizer).
So I guess that's my review for now. I'll come back to it later and write a proper review sometime in the future, hopefully with pictures!
Gosh, I am in love with this makeup. I actually feel pretty wearing it! As I mentioned in my previous blog (I think...), I ordered five items from this wonderful company: 1 Mini Taklon Kabuki Brush, 2 Foundations Samples, 1 Finishing Powder Sample, and 1 Eyeshadow Sample.
The Mini Taklon Kabuki Brush:
Wow. Not only is this little brush super adorable and has synthetic bristles (which I absolutely love), but it provides amazing coverage! It's got really firm bristles so it gives me a nice medium to heavy coverage and it's small enough to fit in my backpack or purse without taking up any space at all. I say it's totally worth $12. I'm actually considering buying the regular sized Taklon Kabuki Brush!
Smooth Mineral Foundation:
I am so loving this foundation. It gives really nice coverage and a matte, but natural look. It feels really light on my face too. The colors I got were Golden Light (which doesn't match yet because my tan hasn't faded yet) and Medium Warm (which I think looks really good on me). The only problem I have with it is when I start to get oily (around 1 or 2 in the afternoon). The foundation doesn't seem to absorb that well to me. It just kind of "floats" on top of the oil, but I think I'll need further testing because it just might be that I'm doing something wrong. Other than that, it stays really wells, especially when I'm in physical ed class and I sweat profusely. I'll use the sleeve of my black shirt to wipe the sweat off my face and the makeup still stays on my face somehow. It's like magic!
Mineral Finishing Powder:
At first, I look at the baggie sample in Medium/Tan and I was like, "WHOA! That is way too dark for me! I can't use this stuff!" But when I put it on, it was a lot lighter than it looks! It feels as light as the foundation. And I love it because I have this horrible complexion in which my forehead is like 2 shades darker than the rest of my face. So when I put the foundation on my forehead, it looks way to light. This finishing powder evens out the lightness so my face looks picture perfect (which is ironic because I have no camera! Well, except for a 2 MP camera phone.).
Satin Pearl Eyeshadow:
The shade I bought was called Inspire, which is part of the Original Collection. It's a cool violet with a light shimmer. I think it looks beautiful in the pot, but when I put it on, I think it looks a big odd. Then again, I can't put on eyeshadow to save my life. In fact, the only eye makeup I am able to put on correctly is mascara. (Totally lame. Stupid retarded eyes. -.-") But anyways, I tried it on twice and my friend, who is insane when it comes to criticizing things, said it looked pretty. I like it. Whenever I start getting income of some sort, I'll purchase more!
Overall, I am definitely going to purchase more products from J. Lynne Cosmetics. I am absolutely in love with their products and they offer great customer service. Their makeup is definitely my HG. I don't think I'll ever find anything better (although, that won't stop me from trying to find something even better, if it's possible =P). Anyways, I'm going to do more testing for another week or so and see what I changes I can make to my routine to improve the already great performance of J. Lynne Cosmetics. More updates if anything changes!
[edit]
Oh look at my airbrushed tattoo that I got today! It's what my friends call a "tramp-stamp" but I've always wanted a tattoo on my lower back. Sorry if the photo looks horrible. I took it with my camera phone (it took forever!) and my room is pretty dark. But the tattoo looks super cool huh?
Usually, when one asks others what they think about Everyday Minerals, they either love it... or hate it. For me, I love it.
Thing I like about EDM:
1) EDM is very cheap compared to other mineral makeups. You can get a sample kit from EDM for FREE (plus shipping and handling). You get 3 foundations, 1 blush/bronzer, and 1 concealer. I believe S&H for me was around $3.47. So about $4. Their Mini sized foundations are $5 each and their Full sized foundations are $12 each (compared to Bare Escentuals BareMinerals which is $25 for 1 foundation). It's great for newbies who do want to try mineral makeup for the first time but don't want to spend a fortune.
2) EDM foundations come 4 different formulas to fit your formulation needs. The formulations are: Original Glo, Semi-Matte, Matte, and Intensive. Original Glo has what I call "light-reflecting pigments", which is great for those who want to direct attention away from their fine lines and wrinkles. It gives a nice glowing look. Unfortunately, I was able to try this only once because I'm clumsy and dropped the entire container all over my carpet. It's okay though. It was too light for my skin tone anyways. The Semi-Matte formula was the first mineral foundation I ever had. IMO, it's best for those with normal to somewhat oily skin. Gives a light to medium coverage. It evened out my complexion very well. The Matte formula does about the same at the Semi-Matte. Again, IMO, best for oily to super oily skin types. The Intensive formula is my favorite. It's best for those with those with problematic skin, i.e. acne, etc.It's my favorite because it keeps my skin from getting that "greasy" look, somewhat conceals my acne, and evens out my complexion.
3) It's perfect for the natural look and feel. When applied correctly, one can achieve a flawless natural, almost non-existent makeup look, yet it feels very light, almost like I'm not wearing anything at all (except for my clothes that is).
What I don't like:
1) Still oily, but that's my natural look. So that's not a big deal, just something I should inform you about though.
2) Shipping takes forever! I don't have a credit card and I'm too scared to use my debit card, so I send a personal check instead. I end up waiting ages! T_T
3) I ended up breaking a couple of lids from the containers. =/ Maybe that's just me though.
Overall:
I love EDM. It's the perfect "everyday makeup." I hold it close to my heart, along with my friends, cows and my boyfriend. It's definitely worth a try!
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