Graftobian HD Creme Foundation Review and Swatches

I tried these foundations and wrote this up a few months ago but never got around to posting it. Better late than never, though!

The past few months I've been on the hunt for my HG foundation. I have quite pale, very oily, sensitive and acne-prone skin, and I have really weird undertones. It is basically impossible to find a foundation that withstands my oily skin without breaking me out or giving me eczema, and even when I do succeed in that regard (this happens, um, maybe 10% of the time), I fail at finding a shade that's not too dark or pink or light or yellow, because my undertones are impossible to match. In my ongoing search for perfection, I decided to order some samples of Graftobian HD Creme Foundation after hearing good things from Drivel about Frivol, who is similarly light-complected and found a match in Lady Fair. So off to Camera Ready Cosmetics I traipsed, shelling over $3.99 each for little pots of four shades I suspected would work for me and eagerly awaiting their arrival.

left to right: Ivory, Porcelain, Lady Fair, Bombshell

I got samples of Ivory, Porcelain, Lady Fair, and Bombshell; the first 3 were the warm and neutral options from Graftobian's recently introduced super-light shade range, and Bombshell is the formerly-lightest neutral. I considered purchasing the formerly-lightest warm shade Graceful Swan, but thought it would probably be too yellow, since such things usually are. Unfortunately, none of the shades quite worked out for me, though Bombshell came closest––so if you're very pale, you should absolutely check out Graftobian! The fairest of fair shades should work for those who cannot find a match anywhere (which is me, yes, but even I am not that pale). Ivory is the lightest and is a balance of pink and yellow; Porcelain is a smidge darker and more yellow, Lady Fair is a bit darker still and pink, and Bombshell is a good shade darker and primarily pink. Bombshell is the right depth for me, but it is a bit too pink, and being so full coverage, the imperfect shade match is evident when worn.

CoverGirl Outlast 3-in-1 Foundation in Ivory 805 Review and Swatches

The product in this review was provided by Ladies' Home Journal as part of the Beauty Ambassadors program. I am not being paid to review this, and I am quite sure they do not know I have a blog, but I figured since I got it (and gave them my opinion already), I should review it! I am in no way affiliated with CoverGirl, nor am I being paid to review this (duh). No links herein are affiliate links, blah blah blah. (Okay, FTC, are you happy?)

With that disclaimer out of the way, let me get to the review! I chose to receive this in the lightest shade, Ivory 805, and was frankly expecting it to be a disaster. They claim it is an "all-in-one foundation with a long-lasting formula that fuses primer, concealer, and foundation in one easy step!" and that it "provides a flawless look that lasts all day long". I used a CoverGirl foundation many years ago and it was not the greatest, and this one makes so many claims that I prepared myself to be underwhelmed on all counts. I was wrong! Though it's still not the foundation for me.

Becca Radiant Skin Satin Finish Foundation in Shell Review and Swatches

I procured a sample of this from Sephora when I was in southern California for Christmas, along with a few other foundations to try and find one that fit my requirements. The fact that I now have a full bottle of this should tell you the punchline...

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup in 110 Ivory Review and Swatches

Thanks to a sale and coupon combo, I was recently able to snag the new Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme foundation for a mere $5.39. Since my normal liquid Colorstay is almost out, I of course took the opportunity to pick it up. So what's the verdict?

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Makeup in Ivory 110, sitting atop a pile of papers I had to grade because I was too lazy to clean off my desk before taking pictures...

Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 110 Ivory Review and Swatches

I reviewed this way back in one of my first posts, but I recently picked up a new jar and thought it appropriate to re-review it and actually include some swatch pictures (though no before and after shots, sorry! my skin decided it didn't want to play nice with my birth control, so it's not looking great, boo).

Revlon ColorStay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in 110 Ivory

Revlon Colorstay is the (based on my unreliable sampling methods) most-recommended drugstore foundation by beauty bloggers. L'Oreal True Match always wins the magazine awards, but ColorStay is beloved by internet beauty aficionados, so it's the one I tried several years ago. I never felt the need to try the L'Oreal, so that should tell you something about how I like it!

30 Days Makeup Challenge: Day 5

For a run-down of this series, see here.

Do you like to wear foundation? What's your favorite?
I wear foundation 99% of the time––basically, unless I'm really sick (like when I had strep!). I've been favoring MAC Matchmaster (in shade 1) lately, since it offers medium but buildable coverage and controls my oil without drying me out (ideal for winter), but on lazy days (or when I'm running late!), I opt for Meow mineral foundation (a blend of Pampered and Flawless Sleek Siamese). I have trouble finding foundations that match my pale skin and don't break me out, and both MAC and Meow succeed on those fronts. If you're oily like me, I definitely recommend checking them out!

What about you?

Estee Lauder Double Wear SPF 10 in 1C1 Shell Review and Swatches

Awhile ago, I went to Macy's to look for a new foundation and ended up getting color-matched at 5 counters and walking away with 4 foundation samples (Clarins was out of my shade, sadface). I decided to try the Estee Lauder Double Wear first, because I've heard so many great things about it from people with oily/acne-prone skin. It's touted as being a medium-full coverage foundation that gives a semi-matte, long-lasting finish for up to 15 hours.

Image via Nordstrom

Chanel Mat Lumière SPF 15 Foundation in 02 Porcelaine Review and Swatches

When I went foundation shopping at Macy's, I knew I wanted to stop by the Chanel/Dior counter just for kicks (and to pick up Chanel Dragon). The SA said the Mat Lumière formula would be best for me, as it's designed to control oil and be long-lasting but not heavy, and matched me to the lightest shade, 02 Porcelaine, a pale cool shade.

Image via Chanel

MAC Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation in 1 Review and Swatches

A few weeks ago I went foundation shopping at Macy's (the only department store with a beauty section in Eugene, we are so deprived) and was matched to and given samples of several brands' foundations. I almost didn't go to the MAC counter, because it was geographically the farthest away and I'd already gone to 4 other counters, but I decided I could take the 10 minutes more of standing. I was hoping to get matched to their standard shade scale, divided into NC (which, ironically, is the warm shades) and NW (the cool shades; I remember these by treating them as "not cool" and "not warm", respectively) and ranging from 5 to 50+, though their main foundation ranges start at 15. Once you know your MAC number, you can usually find your corresponding shade in other foundation lines more easily, so if nothing else, I wanted to walk away with that knowledge. Of course, I ended up deciding that the one foundation that isn't divided in the normal way was the foundation to try, but it's worked so well for me that I can't even care that I still don't know what my MAC number is (though, from what I've seen with this foundation and from input on Temptalia's Foundation Matrix, I'm probably NW10-15). The foundation in question? Matchmaster.

Matchmaster 1

Holika Holika Clearing Petit BB SPF 30 PA++ Cream Review and Swatches

BB Creams have been all the rage in Asia for the past decade or so, but are only now making inroads in the American and European markets.  If you read other beauty blogs, I'm sure you've heard a lot about them, but in the off-chance you don't know what they are: BB creams, short for "beauty balm" or "blemish balm", are supposed to be an all-in-one face product, serving as moisturizer, foundation, concealer, sunscreen, and treatment (many have whitening ingredients, or anti-aging treatments, or, as the case with this one, anti-acne ingredients).  Here are a couple of posts summarizing them from the Muse, who is an expert on Asian beauty and has been using BB creams for many years.

In the past few months, there have been several BB creams introduced in America, but they are all high-end (and therefore out of my price range) and tend to be closer to tinted moisturizers/primers than actual BB creams.  I wanted to try a legitimate BB cream, especially one targeted towards acne and oily skin, so I turned to eBay.  I'd read many positive reviews from other bloggers on Holika Holika brand of BB creams, and had heard from them of bello-girl, who sells a ton of Asian beauty, including many, many kinds of BB creams, from South Korea.  I ordered the Clearing BB Cream, which has tea tree oil, from her at the beginning of August for $9.99 with free shipping.  It took 2 and a half weeks to get here, on the early end of the 2 to 4 week window I'd been told to expect when I ordered, and she included a very nice note and free sample (I need to find that, hmmm).  Overall, it was a very positive eBay experience, and I highly recommend buying from her if you're wanting to try a real BB Cream for cheap (not that $10 is particularly cheap to me, but compared to other BB creams, it's a fraction of the price).

Holika Holika Clearing Petit BB SPF 30 PA++

Meow Cosmetics Foundation Review and Swatches

I'm sorry this review has taken me such an inordinately long time to post!  It's really, really exhaustively long, but I've tried to bold the important parts if you just want to skim.  On the upside, I've had the chance to review another shipment I got from them, so this includes more foundations than it would have originally.  It's quite pic heavy, and I am very verbose, but I hope you find it informative!

Meow Cosmetics is one of the better-known mineral makeup companies online, particularly for their foundations, which I'll be reviewing in this post.  Before I do that, though, I'd like to discuss the Meow shopping experience, because there are some MAJOR flaws.

Meow Cosmetics Haul

A week ago, Meow Cosmetics was having a free shipping plus 10% off sale, so I caved and bought an order of blush and foundation samples to try.  I'll be doing full reviews for everything in the next week or so (have to test it all for wear and color, etc.), but here are some pictures of the pretties!

Alima Pure Foundation

I research obsessively.  If there were a 12-step program for it, I would be a prime candidate.  I tend to feel that if I'm going to be spending my money on something, I want it to be the very best it can be.  I do the same for restaurants, as my friends can attest, and hotels, and beer, and I would do it for wine as well, except that all the wine rating sites cost money, which I am of course morally opposed to.  Therefore, when I started looking into mineral makeup, I went a leetle overboard with my investigatory efforts.  I read that Bare Escentuals irritated a lot of people's skin, because of the bismuth oxychloride in it, and that plus the fact that it's $25 for a jar of foundation with no sample options decided my mind against them.  Everyday Minerals was another popular choice, but many people said the variety in foundation formulas was confusing, and that their revamped formulas didn't work as well.  I eventually decided to try Alima Pure because of the generally positive reviews, the extremely wide color selection, and the fact that it's from my home state.

Revlon ColorStay

For a long time, I used Revlon ColorStay for Oily/Combination skin in Ivory 110.