Foundation – Bubbly Michelle

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation Review

August 29, 2015September 3, 2015by Bubbly Michelle8 Comments

It seems the weekend is finally here, which means, new post! Last weeks post unfortunately got cancelled since I was on holiday, but my tan has finally brought an opportunity to review this new MAC foundation.

Todays discussion is about the MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof foundation which released 2-3 months back. Even though i’ve had this for over 3 months (as I received a sample for review), i’ve been reluctant to post a review due to the fact my regular shade NC 35 oxidised on me quite a bit, and basically was too shy to post blog photos of myself looking like a Cheeto. Now that i’m a lot darker, this matches great! Hence todays review!

Anyways diving right in, this foundation comes in a squeezy plastic tube packaging with a screw on cap. A hygienic and travel friendly provided the cap closes securely, and it does. I also like that there are no messy wands, droppers and pumps to work with and controlling the flow of product easy.

On a side note, highly appreciate that this doesn’t require you to buy the pump dispenser separately like some other MAC foundations (so yay!).

As seen above, the matte black packaging also features a transparent band where you can easily monitor just how much product’s left as you near the end. A welcome, useful design element!

Moving onto formula, this has an almost whipped silky, creamy texture. Quite smoothing and nourishing as the name suggests. It feels lightweight when applied, though you do feel the foundation slightly tacky to the touch & definitely needs to be set with a powder. It’s what makes it long wearing though, as it hugs the skin. Basically going no where once applied.

Application

Most days I prep my skin with a primer. It gives any foundation a smoother surface to work on and extends wear. However I did notice this foundation didn’t pair well with mattifying primers such as the new MUFE one. It gave the foundation an awful, patchy finish and emphasised flakey areas and texture. I’d suggest a regular smoothing primer or a good old moisturiser (10 mins prior to application so the skin surface isn’t too moist) for best results.

For application you can go for a brush or a sponge. I on the other hand like to use fingers and work section by section. It gives the best finish in my experience. No streaks and very even.

Here’s a before and after, I’ve only primed my face with my regular moisturiser, nothing else.

As you can see, coverage is medium with a satin finish.

Observations

This foundation does not settle into fine lines. I specially noticed that it sits great on the sides of the nose and also stays crease free on the smile lines, the trickiest areas of my face. The smaller pores are also less noticeable and skintone is evened out well concealing the redness on my cheeks and around the nose.

I also like that the foundation is quite nourishing and does not emphasise any dry patches or flakiness. Should work fine on drier skin types and oily combination alike.

Overall this has a second skin finish, you don’t really notice the foundation at all. Something I love about the Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation.

Longevity and Wear

The foundation definitely lasts all day. I only noticed slight dewiness around the 4 hr mark (seriously good oil control in my opinion) but no migration or separation at all. I am especially pleased that it hadn’t broken down around the sides of the nose and was still pretty much in tact after 8 hours or so.

Overall I find this to be one of those rare foundations that performs well in extreme, hot humid conditions. As for the waterproof claims, it’s said to ‘repel’ water and withstand rain or tears and to the best of my knowledge, this is true. I do believe it’s quite water ‘resistant’ and probably withstand a little bit of water in the event you do come into contact with some. Though I don’t think it would last a swim or a shower! and I doubt it was ever intended to.

Shade Selection

You need to try samples. I can’t stress that enough.

However based on my experience with this particular foundation, i’d advise you to go a shade lighter as this had a tendency to oxidise. But of course, on some of you it probably wouldn’t, so like I said, get a sample first.

Here’re a few swatches of the current foundations i’ve been using. (Please note the NARS one is way too yellow on me, and my perfect match as always is a mix of Chanel PL 30 and 40)

As you can see, the MAC is the darkest (this is after it oxidised) but it works fine right now as my arms are way tanner than my face. It also gives a nice bronzed look which probably wouldn’t look so forgiving if I hadn’t been tanning so much.

The Bottom Line

It’s my favourite foundation formula right now. It perfects the face without looking like I have any foundation at all and that’s what I always aim for!

Pro Longwear NWF is lightweight, glowy and yet long wearing, quite unusual for dewy finish foundations. If you live in the tropics and been having difficulty picking a foundation that stays put all day. I’d highly recommend this. I’d also recommend this for mature skin as well as it has a very smoothing quality and doesn’t make fine lines look worse, which can be a problem with some foundations.

Product Info

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation comes with 25ml .84 fl oz (slightly under your regular foundation size which is 30ml)

Retails price – SGD 62

Shade range for Singapore (according to press release) – NC 15, NC 20, NC 25, NC 30, NC 42, NC 45, NC 50

Lastly here’s the ingredient list (click for a closer view), you’ll notice the generous amounts of Silicon. It’s what gives this a smoothing silky feel 🙂

Another thing I noticed was that this is marketed as SPF free, although it does contains Titanium Dioxide right at the end of the list…. Huh…?? I’m guessing it’s probably a negligible amount, but does give a very slight flash back.

That concludes my review! However, if I’ve missed anything, feel free to ask me in the comments, i’ll get back to you as soon as I can 🙂

Thank you for reading,

Michelle.

Makeup

Diorskin Nude Air Serum Foundation Review

April 23, 2015July 31, 2015by Bubbly Michelle8 Comments

The Diorskin Nude Air Serum Foundation is the latest of the high tech bases that seem to be hitting the counters these days. They promise great coverage with unbelievably light finishes and the Diorskin Nude Air in my opinion is at the top of it’s game. Formulated with ‘oils’ that evaporate instantly, leaving behind a fine layer of concentrated pigments, it makes for one interesting product!

Packaging

As with all things Dior, the packaging is ultra luxe and just beautiful.

The product is housed in a matte glass bottle and comes with a dispenser that is a very stylish silver dropper.

Formula & Coverage

According to Dior,

“The Diorskin Nude Air is an ultra fluid serum foundation, as weightless and beneficial as a breath of fresh air, for an enhanced complexion with a sheer finish. Like after a day in the great outdoors, the face gains a natural healthy glow.”

As described, the texture of this is very lightweight and runny, making this oil based fluid feel a lot like a serum. Almost liquid silk as you swirl a drop on the back of your hand, it feels like skincare to the touch.

Before dispensing, instructions recommend shaking the bottle well. This helps mix the pigment particles into the solution evenly. Proceeding you can start with just a few drops and build on from there. I found that one drop for either cheek, one for the forehead and one for the chin works well. If you need slightly higher coverage you can always add more, although in my experience the coverage isn’t that buildable.

For application I just use my fingers.

When it comes to thin solutions such as this, sponges absorb too much product and with this foundation using a brush made it difficult to assess how much product was going on (as it’s so light!) therefore fingers were the ideal choice. You can sweep and pat till the finish looks almost airbrushed. Plus this is the quickest route to take on rushed days!

When applied, the Diorskin Nude Air goes on smooth without catching onto or emphasizing any dry patches or exaggerating pores, leaving you with a soft velvety finish as it sets. A layer of this would easily give you medium coverage.

The real selling point though is that it looks just like skin. One of the most skin like foundations I have ever encountered. This has a healthy balance between matte and dewy, and the overall look is soft and airbrushed once it sets.

Here’s a before and after, i’ve just prepped with a light moisturiser and skipped a primer so you get an idea how it looks applied directly onto the skin.

As you can see it corrects redness well and lightly conceals blemishes. Pores are also smoothed out for the most part and skin looks like a better version of itself.

Longevity & Wear.

Those with normal to dry skin may not have to set it with a powder. To me this is a non negotiable step, so I did set it with my Gucci pressed powder as I find a regular loose powder isn’t enough to keep this in place throughout the day.

During wear, I noticed the first signs of dewiness appear around 2 -3 hours of wear (since I do live near the equator and am blessed with 90+ temperature and 70% humidity everyday). Most dewiness was concentrated around the t-zone while the cheeks still looked fresh and non greasy.

As the day continued, the finish got dewier, and blotting was an absolute necessity. Although I am glad that I never noticed any transferring and the foundation mostly did stay in place except around my nose where it seemed to slide off. It lasted well into 8 hours on me after it started to look a bit worn.

In conclusion, I feel this foundation would be ideal for those with normal to drier skin and those of you like me, blessed (NOT) with combination skin having to prep with a mattifying primer before application. If you live in hot, humid countries + have oily skin, it might be a bit high maintenance (unless you spend most of your day in an air conditioned cubicle), having to blot regularly and touch up around tea time.

But of course if you live in colder weather, I believe this could even work well on combination skin.

Shade Range

The shade range is quite limited. When I checked this out, I saw just shades 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60. But then again I was at the Dior Duty Free counter in Dubai. Online I found that there were in between shades similar to Dior Star (21, 23 and 33). But for those of you around an NC 35, you’d still be between 30-40 where there is a massive jump. As 33 is a more peachy undertone than yellow and 40 is a very deep medium with a yellow tone.

Either way my exact match ended up just past 30 which meant I needed to mix in a tiny bit of 40. But once my tan fades, i’m guessing i’ll be back at 30!

Here’re swatches of 30 and 40. There really should have been at least two more shades between >.< Seriously.

A comparison with Dior Star

So for those of you who already have Dior Star and debating getting this, they are nothing alike. Dior Star is more of a full coverage foundation which is also more matte. Something you’d reach for when you need to look flawless without that caked up mask of a regular full coverage foundation.

Diorskin Nude Air on the other hand is more of a sheer to medium coverage skin like foundation. It’s the ideal, your skin but better finish achieved with a weightless formula. A great foundation for day to day use.

*Between the two, Dior Star was the more longer lasting.

A comparison with NARS All Day Luminous Weightless foundation

The NARS ADLWF is somewhat comparable. It’s a similar consistency, with a slightly more buildable coverage and the same idea as far as technology goes. The main difference I see between the two is that the NARS does apply with difficulty over dry areas though I find this a foundation that suits oilier skin types better as it’s longer lasting. The finish is more ‘wet’ in comparison to Diorskin Nude Air mainly since the Dior sets to a velvet finish. However, between the two, even with my oilier disposition, I can truly appreciate the luminosity and overall finer texture of the Dior. It truly feels sublime.

Bottom line, If you like a dewy finishes and don’t mind slightly less coverage, Dior is the way to go.

Overall Thoughts

It truly is a perfect ‘nude’ skin like finish. Undetectable (i’m not talking macro lens point of view!), perfecting and glowy. If there was anything to complain about, it would have to be the shade range. Those with warmer olive skin tones might find it harder to get a match. In general I find Dior shades to suit the rosy and neutral undertones best, so if you fall into that category you are in luck!

Anyways all cards on the table, this is my favourite foundation for now, and wish they come up with a longer wearing version suited for oilier skin.

Product Details

The Diorskin Nude Air comes with an SPF 25-PA++ (no flash back) and is a talc-free formula.

Retails at 88SGD (30ml)

Ingredients List

Yup! There’s Dimethicone in there. Explains that silicony feel!

Other information

*When shade matching, keep in mind this has a tendency to oxidize, always try out a sample before you buy!

Lastly thank you for reading, and I hope this review was useful.

Wishing you a great week!

Michelle. xx

Makeup, Skincare

Absolue Sublime Rejuvenating Essence Foundation by Lancôme

March 1, 2014March 1, 2014by Bubbly Michelle6 Comments

There have been quite a few serum foundations hitting the market lately, the YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation and I believe By Terry did one as well.

This is my first time trying out one of them and after testing out the Absolue foundation for over a month now, I think it’s time to finally offer you my thoughts on this.

Testing was done in two cities, humid and hot Singapore and chilly, dry San Francisco. So I can give you an in depth review on how it performs in different climates wear wise.

I am actually glad I packed this for my vacay to SF because none of my existing foundations would have given me enough hydration for that weather! Eeeek!

So what’s special about this foundation? Apart from the gorgeous packaging, it’s the high percentage of active skincare ingredients that goes into a bottle of Absolue. Which means over time, this performs as a skincare product would and improve your skins condition.

Lancôme describes this as a serum-in-oil foundation. With 45% of active skincare ingredients and powerful precious essential oils. A renewed youthful complexion : Sublime golden glow, smoothed and evened out and visibly transformed.

My first impressions on this were, it was incredibly lightweight, and it goes on very smooth. You could actually use your fingers to blend this in, and it still gives a very professional finish. Looking at the swatches below, you’d notice that the potion of my hand where the foundation is applied reflects more light, giving it a glow.

Once applied, this foundation feels very hydrating. I’d recommend this as one of the best foundations for dry or mature skin.

It gives a dewy, youthful glow; unevenness on my skin was visibly blurred in the photographs I took after.

Coverage wise, although this is a very thin, liquidy foundation, it actually gives you a good medium coverage. I myself like to blend it a bit further and get a sheerer coverage and I most certainly wouldn’t recommend building this to achieve maximum/full coverage.

Wear wise, In San Francisco this lasted me all day with zero blotting, however in Singapore, after around the 4th hour my nose was quite oily. If you have normal or dry skin, this would be very easy to work with, skin definitely would look healthy and radiant all day. But if you have oily or combination skin (like mine), I’d recommend prepping the skin well with a oil control primer before application. You’d still look glowy, minus the oil factor.

Final thoughts

It’s definitely what I’d consider a high-end foundation. The luxurious, golden, glass bottle certainly reflects that and the added skincare benefits make it even more covetable and in my opinion the price is justified. I’d recommend this highly! I love it so much and it has quickly become my favourite foundation in my stash 😀

Lastly here’s a pic of me I took off my phone, with this applied. As you can see skin looks very smooth and I haven’t retouched it or covered up any blemishes.

Product info

Retails at S$ 138 for a 1oz bottle.

Comes in 6 shades (specially created for Asian skin)

You can find it at all Lancôme counters in Singapore.

*Note that this foundation does not contain sunscreen and you would need to layer some on before applying it.