Mineral Fad Over?

Do you guys remember when Bare Minerals (Escentuals) first came out?  I remember everyone was going crazy about mineral makeup because it was the IN thing, not to mention it was advertised as being good for your skin. So my question, a few years after the debut of BM, are you still on the mineral bandwagon or have you fallen off?

I personally was never a big mineral fan. Not that I didn't like it but finding my color and making it look non-powdery was always a problem for me. But recently, my skin has been too dry for my MUFE Velvet gel foundation so I decided to try mineral makeup again. I started off purchasing Revlon's Colorstay Mineral Foundation. It was quite nice as far as color match as I blended 020 and 030, but it didn't really last on my skin. By the 6th hour, I definitely saw fading, which makes me sad as I want to give it high marks. It is also very matte when you first put it on so you can not layer too much, otherwise you look like you're wearing a powder mask. After wearing Revlon's mineral foundation for about 3 weeks, I busted out my Laura Mercier mineral foundation from awhile ago. I used to not use it because it was darker than my skin color at the time but I now mix it with Revlon's 020, half and half, and get a perfect color as well as texture. The Laura Mercier formula definitely has more shine/glimmer to it than Revlon's matte formula but the LM one also lasts quite a bit longer than the Revlon one. I should mention though, neither prevent shine so if you tend to get oily, I would bring powder or blotting sheets on the side to touch up. I should also mention if you have acne scars or facial blemishes, the LM one is a lot more buildable and covers more than the Revlon. However, if you have nice skin already, I would go with the Revlon one as it will give you lighter, more natural coverage.

Overall, I think both mineral foundations are great...which makes me conclude that I'm back on the mineral bandwagon. Is one better than the other? It depends on what you're looking for. If you have good skin, need light coverage, and like a somewhat matte texture with a great price I'd definitely go for Revlon. If you need more coverage, don't mind paying more, and like somewhat of a sheen in your foundation, then Laura Mercier is the way to go.

Has your interest in mineral makeup waned recently? How about giving it another go? I'm glad I did!


FTC regulation information:
*I purchased these products myself.
*I have no affiliations with these companies.
*I am not being paid or earning any commission.

**According to FTC guidelines, products that are given or donated for review by a company or brand must be stated as such. Products that were purchased by the beauty blogger/reviewer will be stated as such.

Mascara Comparison

At $14 a pop, Clinique’s High Impact Mascara is considered luxe in the world of mascaras. Given it may not cost as much as something  like Dior’s Diorshow mascara, which retails around $24, Clinique’s High Impact is still more expensive than retail drug stores mascaras. So, if it’s a department store brand mascara and it costs $14, the question is does it perform better than a drugstore brand mascara, something that’s categorized as “less”?

To test this question out, I went out and bought one of the most recently launched mascaras, Rimmel’s Sexy Curves, and compared it to Clinique’s High Impact Mascara. Rimmel’s Sexy Curves mascara retails around $6-8, depending on where you purchase it.

Here are the two products:

 

 

The Verdict?

A point for the less team because Rimmel’s Sexy Curves mascara beat Clinique’s High Impact mascara by a mile!

Why? Clinique’s High Impact mascara is super clumpy. In fact, one swipe of the wand will already leave your lashes sticking together. If you try to swipe on a second coat, your lashes get weighed down and loses its curl. Even though this mascara is supposed to be volumizing, I feel like all it does is give a nasty spidery effect. On top of it all, this mascara smudges as the day progresses! On the other hand, Rimmel’s Sexy Curves mascara was very buildable and it didn’t clump until the 3rd or 4th coat. The formula seems to be a lot less waxy so maybe this is the reason why it doesn’t make the lashes stick together. I must say that it didn’t make my lashes that luscious looking as I had expected it to, but at least it didn’t turn my lashes into one giant lash like Clinique’s mascara did. I must say though that the downfall of Rimmel’s Sexy Curves is its brush. The brush is made completely of plastic, even the bristle looking things are plastic, so it hurts a lot if you get near your eyelid.

So in conclusion, I think that if I had to choose between these two mascaras, less is actually the better of the two. Which goes to show you that luxe isn’t always better, despite its cost, name-brand, and sleek packaging. However, I must note that I didn’t think that either of these two mascaras were really great so I don’t think I would buy either again.

*You can find Clinique’s High Impact mascara at any department store that carries Clinique products such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, etc.

**You can find Rimmel’s Sexy Curves mascara at any drugstore, grocery store, Target, and Walmart, that carries Rimmel products.