Before & after: Tarte rainforest of the sea foundation in porcelain - pale dry skin review & swatches

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea is supposed to be a 12 hour lightweight, water based, full coverage formula with SPF 15. When the new lightest shade Porcelain came out, I was excited to give it a try. I usually try to get foundation samples at Sephora because my skin is sensitive and acne prone, but the dropper format is unhygenic for getting samples.

After trying it for the past few weeks, it is definitely a lightweight fluid, but I don't think it is full coverage. I would rate it a light-medium coverage - building serious coverage would require quite a few layers. I get light coverage with one dropper and medium with three. I could see someone using up 5-6 droppers full of foundation to get maximum possible coverage with this one. The dropper system gets messy, so I wouldn't advise traveling with this.

Swatches

Review & comparison swatches: Giorgio Armani Power Fabric longwear high cover foundation shade 1

I recently went to Sephora looking for a new foundation and the SA recommended a sample of the new Giorgio Armani Power Fabric foundation. I was matched to shade 1, which is the lightest shade in the range and is meant for pink undertones. One my all time favorite foundations is Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk - I have shade 2, but it is a little too dark and yellow for me in the winter.

Swatches

As always, I take swatch pictures in natural light and don't edit the photos at all except to add labels. I like to swatch heavily to show the differences in shade - worn sheerly, all of these work on me. I have fair skin with netural undertones.

Cover FX custom cover drops N20 - comparison swatches

I'll keep this brief, but I had to share comparison swatches for Cover FX custom cover drops in shade N20. I am late to the custom cover drops hype train, but I really wanted to try them. I went to Sephora to get color matched because I wasn't sure what shade I would be. The guy at Sephora color matched me to N20.

Let me be the first to say that N20 is not my shade and color matching at Sephora is a total crap shoot.

BB and CC cream comparison swatches for fair skin - Purito, Skin79, Missha, It Cosmetics

It can be really hard to color match yourself to a BB or CC cream when you don't have access to to a store or counter with testers, so I have a quick comparison swatch post for you today.

A few words before we begin: I have fair netural-cool toned skin, my skin is dry and sensitive, and I intermittently struggle with eczema and acne. Also, I bought all of these myself with my own money. I got ~5 samples of the Purito BB cream free with eopenmarket orders.

The contestants: 

1. Purito Snail Cleansing BB Cream - SPF 38 / PA+++, one shade, dewy finish
2. Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm (BB) Hot Pink - SPF 30 / PA++, one shade, virtually identical in color to the Skin79 VIP Gold BB cream, satin-dewy finish
3. Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm (BB) Green - SPF30 / PA++, one shade, natural matte finish
4. Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream in 13 Light Milky Beige - SPF 25 / PA++, 4 shades, satin finish, full review here
5. It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ in Fair - SPF 50, 5 shades, dewy finish

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream No.13 review & swatches

It's easy to think from instagram, radiant ring light selfies, and flattering YouTube editing that any foundation or BB cream looks perfect on the skin and it's even easier to feel bad about your own skin for not living up to strangers' skin online. This review has up close and personal pictures of my imperfect skin and I hope it helps show if this BB cream is for you.

What I expect from a foundation or BB cream:
I expect my base product to look natural on the skin, even out my complexion, not aggravate dry patches or acne, and last all day long. I always moisturize my skin and apply sunscreen before base makeup, even if the foundation or BB cream has SPF. I also always set my base makeup with a lightweight powder, usually a loose silica based translucent powder. My skin is dry but very shiny, so I prefer a natural finish over a dewy one.

Missha M Signature Real Complete details:

• I bought my 20 gram tube from eopenmarket for $9.43 (20g is about .7 ounces, which makes the price broadly comparable to many western drugstore foundations, tinted moisturizers, and BB creams)
• SPF 25 / PA++ sun protection
• 4 shades available (13, 21, 23, and 27 for those of you familiar with Missha shades)
• Advertised as a BB cream for sensitive skin - Missha says this BB cream is hypoallergenic, noncomedogenic, and free of parabens, mineral oil, alcohol, GMOs, triclosan, and benzophenone. Most of that sends up a mental red flag for science fear mongering, but alcohols do irritate my skin and cause me to break out in itchy eczema patches so I am very interested to see if this irritates my sensitive skin.
• Supposed to offer light coverage, be moisturizing, feel lightweight and last for 12 hours
• Cruelty free

Empties & mini reviews - Skin79, Bite, NARS, Clinique, Essence & more

I love seeing other people's empties, so today I have a bunch of makeup & beauty products that I have used up. I'm not always good about keeping my empties, but I remembered to take a few pictures of these before I tossed them. Let's get started!

Face Products

• Skin79 Diamond BB cream - this one actually went bad on me after I powered through about a quarter of it and gave up. The Diamond version is very accurately named and made me look reflective in a greasy way instead of glowy in a healthy way. Would not repurchase.
• Skin79 VIP Gold BB cream - one of my favorite BB creams of all time - natural medium coverage that looks invisible on the skin and lasts all day. This is my 2nd empty VIP Gold, I will definitely repurchase. 
• Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint - this tinted sunscreen is a great option for wearing under makeup. I have a full review here if you want to see more, but I will repurchase. 
• Essence All About Matt powder - awesome affordable translucent pressed powder. The packaging broke on me but the powder looks invisible on the skin. I didn't feel like using up the outer rim of powder because it is a pain to get even coverage with a brush, but I already repurchased so I felt comfortable saying goodbye to the last remnants.  

Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint Level 1 fair/light (new packaging)

 Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint SPF 30 - new black packaging 

I recently purchased the Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint SPF 30 in Level 1 (fair/light) while looking for tinted sunscreens suitable for sensitive fair skin. In my experience, many tinted sunscreens are sold as a 'universal' shade that is much too dark for fair skin. Paula's Choice recently changed the packaging for this product, mine is in a black squeeze tube with a transparent window on the front. The Barely There Sheer Matte Tint retails for $20 for a 1 ounce tube.

My top 5 affordable Asian beauty favorites

I've been buying Asian beauty products for awhile now and have built up a substantial collection, so I thought it was time for a favorites post! Behold, my current top 5 affordable beauty products from Asia: Etude House I Need You A to Z sheet masks, The Face Shop Lovely me:ex Design My Eyebrow auto pencil in No. 1 Grey Brown, Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher in No. 06 Grapefruit Jelly, Skin79 VIP Gold BB cream, and Skin Food's Rose Essence Lip Balm.

All of these products are price equivalent to American drugstore items and are great options for people new to Asian beauty. The price will vary based on where you purchase, but I have had good luck RoseRoseShop.

It Cosmetics celebration powder foundation in fair [review] [swatch]

I purchased the It Cosmetics celebration foundation in fair from the It Cosmetics website a few months ago while looking for a powder foundation. I was swayed by claims of excellent coverage and the color match. I went through Ulta and swatched all of the powder foundations available, and the It Cosmetics fair was one of the best color matches for me. I have cool toned fair skin, but I prefer powder products that skew slightly yellow to help combat redness in my face.

The It Cosmetics celebration powder foundation sells for $35 for 9 grams / .3 ounces of product. This powder comes in a black rubberized compact (similar to NARS) with a mirror inside. I find the compact itself to be very standard, with no real complaints or standout features.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation - Shade 02 review & swatches

While searching for the perfect wedding foundation, I kept coming across glowing reviews of Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk. Review after review promised I would love the natural skin look, effortless glow, and photo friendly formula. After a few weeks of deliberation, I placed my order at Nordstrom. Luminous Silk retails for $62 for one ounce, which tops my personal "most expensive foundation ever purchased" list.

I chose shade No. 02, the lightest shade on Nordstrom's website. Confession: I have never been to an Armani counter, so I'm not sure if Nordstrom's website carries all of the shades available. Shade 02 turned out to be a very good match for my very fair skin and works with my cool undertones despite having a little yellow. The undertone of the foundation is neutral-yellow, which works for masking my natural redness.