The Fair Foundation Files and My Take on a Classic Look for Spring

The extensive testing process is over and I have come to a lot of conclusions about Rimmel's Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in shade 010 Light Porcelain (retail $4.99 at Ulta, but I received it complimentary from Influenster).

So, what does this wunderkind have to offer us?

• Cheap price tag at around $5 depending on location
• No added fragrance as far as I can tell
• Totally matte
• Fun mousse texture
• Lots of light shades

It claims to offer 'lightweight shine control' as well, but we will get to that claim.

The texture of this is a mousse and is very fluffy, so you will think you need more when you actually don't. A little goes a long way---a lot gets cakey fast. This can be used with fingers, a BB, a flat brush, or a round foundation brush. I have tried all methods and they all basically work the same.

Here is me wearing Stay Matte in Light Porcelain all over my face. It almost covers my hardcore cheek hormonal blemishes, but a little dab of concealer fixes them right up. I just wanted to show you with only this product.

You really need to moisturize and prime well. Even if you have oily skin, this will get into every pore and every fine line. But if you prep well, this can have great results.

My results have been nothing less than spectacular. For over a week, this foundation (Clinique moisturizer and primer underneath) has keep me completely shine/oil free for 12-15 hour days. I have worn this during busy work and school days and I also wore it to a 95 degree day at the Huntington Library (for you non-Californians, it is beautiful, but mostly outside and was hotter than the sun that day). No shine whatsoever. 

But before you go running out and buying this, I have a few words of advice....

This may work for me, but I feel this will probably be a seasonal product for me. It takes a ton of prep time for me to look flawless with it (I have larger pores and my cheeks run drier). Also, I do not see this as 'lightweight'. It certainly isn't heavy, but I would say you can feel it on your skin.

Also keep in mind that this tends to oxidize in my experience about half a shade. If you have a chance, try a test patch on your skin first. Ulta let me return the first shade I bought before the Influenster box with no problem (that shade was Light Ivory, the next one up from this, and ran too yellow).

Overall: If you are drier on at least 50% of your face or have a lot of fine lines, this might be a nightmare for you. Oily girls...grab this and throw away your blotting linens forever.

Now, onto the fun stuff...I decided to make a look for Influenster and @RimmelLondonUS for the #StayMatteSwitch movement.

This is my twist on a classic look---for Spring! Substituting my normal red lip for something pinker and of course, matte skin!

What I Used:

1. Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in Light Porcelain ($4.99)

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Creamy Natural ($4.99)

3. Clique Cheek Pop blush in Peach Pop ($21)

4. Benefit They're Real Mascara ($23)

5. Josie Maran Argan Creamy Concealer Crayon in Fair ($20)

6. Nude browbone shadow from Wet N Wild 'Drinking a Glass of Shine' Palette ($4)

7. NYX Collection Noir Liquid Black Liner ($5.99)

8. Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium ($22)

9. Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Pencil in Chase ($22)

This is a routine I rely on for early morning to still feel fun and fresh

1. Prime, get that foundation on your face---any way you like---and then conceal!

2. Set with powder

3. A little blush on the apple of your cheeks. Something dewy works well!

4. Curl lashes and apply mascara

5. A nude matte wash of shadow on your lid is simple and a no-makeup look

6. A liquid liner baby cat eye keeps things classic

7. A hint of brow keeps things looking put together

8. And a glossy coral pout keeps things fresh!

What is your go-to Spring look?

Benefit Gimme Brow Review and Swatches

Its funny, I never really used to care about my brows. But with brow icons like Cara Delevigne around, its hard not to pay attention anymore. My brows are far from perfect, but Benefit's new Gimme Brow is supposed to fix less than perfect and sparse brows! 

 Gimme Brow ($22) is an Allure Best of Beauty 2013 winner and one of the newest products from Benefit, which is such a fun brand. I chose the shade light/medium and there is one other choice, a darker brunette. I have what anyone would say is brunette hair, but it is tinted red from my recent adventures as a red head and so I have a little bit of warm/caramel tones. Needless to say it is kinda hard to find a shade that matches. Most of the time, blonder shades match well, and this shade is a decent fit, but maybe a little too warm. 

 

The Gimme Brow is a gel-like formula that has visible fibers (as you can see on the swatch above), and is applied with a very small spoolie brush. It does have a bit of a wet look but dries down.

 

Benefit claims it is waterproof and smudgeproof, which I found to be true for the 12 hours I tested it. It is supposed to create the look of thicker, fuller brows--and yes it does! However, it isn't really a substitute for creating brows where there aren't any. I still need a pencil for that. But this in conjunction with a pencil is great!

 

 

This little guy is actually really tiny for the price, which kinda kills me. However, you don't need much and it will last a while. I really do like that this mimics the look of hair, so it is very natural looking.

 

Want to see my before and after? Don't judge my brows too hard!

 

 

My brows are pretty light, have a gentle arch, and aren't always the neatest, but they do for now.

 

Now, lets add one application of Gimme Brow (no other product/pencil)

 

Thicker? Definitely? Looks like more hair too! But the sparser patch isn't covered with the gel and the pigment of the gel makes it look a little messy. I think this is a great finishing product for decent brows, but not a miracle worker if you don't have any!

 

Overall, I like that Gimme Brow is a fast way to amp up my brows---but I rarely ever use it alone. It does last through pretty much anything, but the gel-like consistency can make it a little messy looking without some definition from another product.

Pleased, but not overly psyched.

 

What do you think? Have you tried Benefit Gimme Brow?

 

 

Benefit Gimme Brow Review and Swatches

Its funny, I never really used to care about my brows. But with brow icons like Cara Delevigne around, its hard not to pay attention anymore. My brows are far from perfect, but Benefit's new Gimme Brow is supposed to fix less than perfect and sparse brows!  

  Gimme Brow ($22) is an Allure Best of Beauty 2013 winner and one of the newest products from Benefit, which is such a fun brand. I chose the shade light/medium and there is one other choice, a darker brunette. I have what anyone would say is brunette hair, but it is tinted red from my recent adventures as a red head and so I have a little bit of warm/caramel tones.   Needless to say it is kinda hard to find a shade that matches. Most of the time, blonder shades match well, and this shade is a decent fit, but maybe a little too warm.  

 

The Gimme Brow is a gel-like formula that has visible fibers (as you can see on the swatch above), and is applied with a very small spoolie brush. It does have a bit of a wet look but dries down.

 

Benefit claims it is waterproof and smudgeproof, which I found to be true for the 12 hours I tested it. It is supposed to create the look of thicker, fuller brows--and yes it does! However, it isn't really a substitute for creating brows where there aren't any. I still need a pencil for that. But this in conjunction with a pencil is great!

 

 

This little guy is actually really tiny for the price, which kinda kills me. However, you don't need much and it will last a while. I really do like that this mimics the look of hair, so it is very natural looking.

 

Want to see my before and after? Don't judge my brows too hard!

 

 

My brows are pretty light, have a gentle arch, and aren't always the neatest, but they do for now.

 

Now, lets add one application of Gimme Brow (no other product/pencil)

 

Thicker? Definitely? Looks like more hair too! But the sparser patch isn't covered with the gel and the pigment of the gel makes it look a little messy. I think this is a great finishing product for decent brows, but not a miracle worker if you don't have any!

 

Overall, I like that Gimme Brow is a fast way to amp up my brows---but I rarely ever use it alone. It does last through pretty much anything, but the gel-like consistency can make it a little messy looking without some definition from another product.

Pleased, but not overly psyched.

 

What do you think? Have you tried Benefit Gimme Brow?