Tag: cosmetics

On the Search for the Perfect Foundation: Dior Skin Nude

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 Dior’s Skin Nude

Cost: $48.00 US Dollars

Available at any Dior counter at your local department store (Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, etc.) and at your local Sephora.

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Description: “A hydrating fluid foundation that delivers just the right amount of coverage to create a naturally flawless, bare-skin effect.”

First Impression: Dior Skin Nude smells just like Davidoff’s Cool Water. It feels very light and it looks like you don’t have any makeup on. Sporting a very natural finish, Skin Nude leaves the skin looking airbrushed and feeling like velvet.

SPF: 15.

Shade: There are 18 shades available in the Dior Skin Nude foundation collection. I went to Sephora and I matched myself to be 040 Honey Beige. The shades are a good mixtures of yellow-based shades and pink-based shades and they seem to  catered to fairer complexions. There are about four shades for dark complexions. I think Honey Beige is a fairly good match although I think I’ll go a tad bit lighter.

Finish: Once again, we have another foundation with a radiant finish (however, this one is actually no shine and all glow). I feel like I tend to gravitate towards foundations that are more illuminating and luminous. My skin is dry so I tend to look dull and lifeless so I’m always trying to find ways to make my skin look more human-like. Dior Skin Nude is luminous yet it’s not over-the-top. Honestly, I don’t even find it to be a true radiant finish foundation because it almost looks too natural to me.

Texture: The foundation is very watery and light. I think you’ll end up wasting more product if you’re pumping the foundation onto your wrist and dabbing your brush into it. I think it’s best if you use your fingers to dot the foundation on your face before you start blending with your brush.

Coverage: I think Skin Nude has pretty good coverage but it can easily look unnatural and noticeable if you build on it too much. It took about two layers for my broken capillaries to be hidden from view. Once again, this is another foundation that stuns me with how light it is yet it is quite pigmented. Despite Dior marketing this foundation as “Skin Nude”, it is pigmented enough where you’ll look very nude, even washed out in some cases. The coverage is medium to full for Skin Nude and just be sure to use as little as possible because it can look very bad if applied with a heavy hand. It covers blemishes and acne marks like a dream though.

Workable: I think this foundation is watery so it’s easy to apply as long as you do it before this foundation sets. It goes on wet but once it sets, it dries to a satin finish that makes it nearly impossible to work with. I think that you should try to apply one layer of foundation and spot cover any other areas that need a little TLC. Over two layers = overkill.

Longevity: Since this foundation actually does set, its staying power automatically gets a boost. This foundation lasts all day (8 hours) although I find that my skin is a lot drier by the end of the day and that my dry patches feel a bit rough. No powder is required when it comes to Dior Skin because it actually sets to a natural finish already.

Application: I used my mineral powder brush to apply this foundation. I actually had to take some of the foundation off because I found that I had used too much in one area and it made the foundation look a little cakey and patchy.

I’m not going to even try to look glamorous today lol!
I think it’s a little too pink.

Type of skin: I think this foundation is more suitable towards anything in the normal to oily skin range. If you have dry skin, you can still wear this foundation although I recommend that you moisturize well before application or use a more hydrating foundation during the winter months. If you are a dry skin type, (like I said earlier) apply with a light hand to avoid plastering foundation on your face and try to go extremely light on those dry patches because this foundation can and will emphasize them. Also, I think once this foundation sets, it feels tacky after a while.

Packaging: Dior Skin Nude comes in a small rectangular bottle that is outfitted with the Dior logo and silver branding. The foundation feels very small and light in your hands and I’m sure that is because it is packaged in plastic instead of glass.

The Verdict: Dior Skin Nude can look very natural if you do several specific things such as not going over the two-layer mark and not use powder. It’s very pigmented and is perfect for anyone who wants a true natural finish. I would not recommend anyone who is new to wearing makeup to use this because you can easily overdo it, scare yourself when you look in the mirror, and end up calling it quits on makeup forever. I don’t want anyone to do that so that is why I am telling you all ahead of time. At $48, it’s priced reasonably for normal to oily skin types but it doesn’t necessarily deliver when it comes to us drier skin types. I think this foundation would look lovely on wearers who have more oil to their skin. The fragrance is unisex in my opinion and it hasn’t bothered me since application.

I don’t think I will be purchasing this foundation at the moment. I will keep it in the “Maybe” section.

Tomorrow, I will be testing out Smashbox’s Studio Skin foundation. Keep subscribing and thank you to all who have subscribed since yesterday.

UPDATE: I’ll be putting this foundation in the “No” list. It caused my skin to become agitated, red, and raw. The dry patches on my face have dried up and are now more noticeable. I think this foundation could be great for other skin types but it definitely has not worked out well for me. By the end of the day, the foundation was cakey and a lot of the foundation had rubbed off elsewhere. 

On the Search for the Perfect Foundation: Estee Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme

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Estee Lauder’s Resilience Lift Extreme

Cost: $37.50 US Dollars

Available at any Estee Lauder counter at your local department store (Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, etc.).

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Description: “Now, the radiance, the moisture, the resilience of youthful skin. Flawless makeup with proven lifting technology. Gives you every advantage against visible aging. Plus time-released hydration for all-day comfort. All-out radiance to bring back vibrancy. And the perfect finish to keep you looking ageless. Clinically proven: 100% of the women tested had more hydrated, more radiant, younger-looking skin.”

First Impression: This foundation has a light chemical scent to it (smells like the hand soap you find in a public restroom) and I think the finish is great once applied to the skin. This is one of three foundations I went to a counter and got professionally-matched when it came to the shade (Lancome and Chanel). The five other foundations were matched by myself (Guerlain, Dior, Smashbox, Korres, and Stila). I wish I had done it myself this time as the sales associate was able to match me a few shades darker than what I really am. I understand that I have a medium skin tone, but to make me red-brown when I’m yellow is unforgivable. I really like how it looks on my skin and how well it covers problem areas though so I’m going to have to get rematched later on in the future.

SPF: 15.

Shade: There are 15 whopping shades available. I was matched to be 4C1 Outdoor Beige (03) and I have to say that my face looks significantly redder and darker than the rest of my body. People always say that your face, body and hands do not match but in my case (I always wear sunscreen and take measures to protect my skin) there is only one shade of a difference between my face and chest and none between my face and hands. I told the sales associate that I am prone to redness which can throw off the matching process if you’re not careful where you match the foundation to on my face. After checking out their website, (based on my skin temperature), I am either a 2W1 Dawn (18) or a 3N1 Biscuit (17). I would not take their labeling seriously as 4C1 turned out to be warm instead of cool.

Finish: Radiant (luminous). I think Resilience Lift has one of the most pleasant finishes so far. If I saw a person wearing this foundation, I would definitely compliment them and ask what it was that they were wearing. One thing I noticed about Resilience Lift is that it’s satin in the right areas (hairline and outer areas of forehead as well as the cheek area) and highlights the right areas (nose bridge, under eye area, and chin) as well

Texture: This foundation’s texture is the typical kind you would get from a liquid foundation. It’s not watery in my opinion and I would classify it in the medium category as opposed to being “light” or “heavy/dense”.

Coverage: The coverage is medium to full. Resilience Lift is easy to layer on and is buildable. It covered all of my redness and broken capillaries. It evens out my skin tone without making my face look 2D. The light-reflecting pigments are top-grade in this foundation because I don’t find that I have to use highlighter to bring light to the typically darker areas of my face such as the corners of my nose. This foundation has slightly more pigments than regular foundations (still not more than NARS) and that’s a huge plus. I have darker spots around my mouth (which makes me look like I have a moustache) but those are the veins underneath my skin since my skin is so thin. I think using a concealer would almost guarantee any wearer a flawless finish. (I’m not wearing concealer for my foundation reviews).

Looks nice, just the wrong shade though.

Workable: This foundation feels slightly lighter than NARS Sheer Glow and it is another foundation that is easy to work with. Layering is easy although I would not suggest layering on more than two light layers.

Longevity: Resilience Lift does set without compromising the sheen that you see right after application. This foundation lasts a long amount of time because it actually does set and because it has a low transfer rate. The foundation lasts all day (I would honestly say about 8 hours) and using a powder would prolong its lifespan even more. For an oilier skin type, I would recommend powder touch ups.

Application: This foundation was actually really fun to blend into my skin. The foundation did not emphasize any of my dry patches even after some micro-exfoliation from all the blending I did. This foundation can be applied through a variety of methods without having to be cooled or warmed up. Make sure you shake before application.

Type of skin: Estee Lauder’s Resilience Lift is great for anyone who needs a “lift”, radiance, and a finish that doesn’t look like plaster on your face. I’m sure this will be one of my everyday foundations! Estee Lauder’s website claims it’s even suitable for wearers who are prone to getting acne so I’ll assume that oilier and combination skin types can wear this as well.

Packaging: The packaging of Resilience Lift Extreme is mostly synonymous with most of Estee Lauder’s other foundations as it comes in a frosted glass bottle with a gold cap. Don’t forget that this foundation also comes with a pump. I have a vintage bottle of Youth Dew from Estee Lauder and I’m glad that the gold cap is still an accent to most of their products.

The Verdict: Resilience Lift Extreme really does what it sets out to do. It has great coverage, looks very natural, and does not dry out my skin even further. As a matter of fact, this foundation delivers continuous hydration to eliminate midday dryness. It’s buildable and is priced quite reasonably at $37.50. There is one thing about this foundation that does bother me and it’s the scent. I didn’t find it to be a nuisance when I first applied the foundation but the fragrance hasn’t exactly dissipated. I have a slight headache at the moment and I will have to try this foundation again on another day to see if it is just me or if it’s the foundation that is bothering me. I have a very sensitive nose but I’m not usually bothered by fragrances at all. I would definitely buy this foundation; I just have to make sure that the fragrance is not what’s really bothering me. I definitely have to get the right shade match because I am definitely not walking around looking super brown in the face!

We’re halfway through the marathon of foundation reviews and I’ve found two that I want to buy already (this and Guerlain’s). I’ll update this foundation review in a few days. I’ll be reviewing Dior Skin Nude tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed the reviews and have a good night. Also, try not to laugh too hard at the photo of me wearing the foundation that’s too many shades darker than what I really am. :)