Review: MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder

Studio Careblend powder is a newish powder from MAC. Powders are typically meant to mattify the skin, aid in oil control and used for touchup, but the Careblend Powders have ingredients that are actually meant to hydrate the skin. A powder that hydrates the skin? that is crazy to me, I had to try this out. It's described on the MAC website as being a "cream-like powder that offers a virtually invisible, fresh-looking finish." They feel really smooth and comfortable on the skin, which I love. I normally don't use pressed powders because my skin is quite dry, but in the summer and in the heat it's nice to touch up with one. I've been using this powder to set my liquid foundation.

Review: MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder

I bought the new MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder on the morning that it launched on the MAC website, I was super excited about this product because I missed out on it when it first appeared in the Venomous Villains collection. Since I have dry skin, anything hydrating or cooling is high on my list. This product is a really neat concept, it's a loose powder, but when applied on the skin it has a "wet" or "cooling" sensation because of the high water content in the product. Other brands have some this before, including Presciptives, Revlon and Almay (which I will discuss below). I had some time to try this out this weekend and I can give an initial review here. Please note, to really "see" the sparkles in this product, please click on the images to enlarge the image.

Review: Bare Escentuals Hydrating Mineral Veil

This powder is great for those with dry skin and hate the feel of powder on their face. The Sephora website describes this product as "a unique, water-based, 100% pure bareMinerals formula that infuses thirsty skin with a cooling softness and subtly brightens for the ultimate, translucent finishing touch. Completely sheer, it lightly hydrates with natural ingredients while gently absorbing oil and minimizing the appearance of fine lines and pores. Buff it over makeup or bare skin for a fresh, airbrushed complexion that lasts all day long." I liked this powder but, I did not feel any kind of hydrating or cooling qualities, which is mostly why I bought it in the first place.

Review: Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder

This is Part 2 of my Maybelline Fit Me review, check out yesterday's review on the foundation (if you haven't already) today I am talking about the pressed powder. I have this in 110 just like my co-ordinating foundation colour. As you all know, the Fit me line has a matching powder, concealer, blush and bronzer to go with your foundation shade. There are 18 powder shades available, one for every foundation shade. I am normally not a powder girl, since I have dry skin, but I opted to give this a try because I had great coupons to use on these products and ended up paying about $4 for each item. The powder is advertised as "natural coverage that leaves skin the way it is meant to be, fresh, breathing and flawless, no oils, no waxes, no nonsense".

The pressed powder comes in a chic black packaging, it's squared, but once you open the powder it's round, it would of been cool to have a square pan, but whatever. It has a compartment underneath for a puff and a mirror on the back of the powder too. I would of preferred the mirror to be on top of the powder itself, instead of the see-through top in my opinion. Notice the ugly Walmart sticker on the side of the compact? Love that.. why do company's ruin pretty packaging? I can't get this sticky stuff off!

The matching powder and foundation do not look to be the same colour, the powder looks much lighter. But actually (and this is a fault in the colouring of this line) the powder once applied is DARKER than the foundation. I was tempted to buy 115 since it's darker, but that colour is very pink in the powder and I suspect VERY pink once applied. This powder does oxidize (when used with this foundation) so please be careful what shade you choose.

I found the coverage of this powder to be comparable to MAC's Mineralized Skin Finish Natural (except MAC's powder is much smoother). I have MSFN in the colour 'Light' and as you can tell it's a tad darker in the pan and more yellow swatched. I use both as a setting powder only since the coverage is so minimal. Since the Fit Me foundation itself is so dewy and wet-feeling, I feel like the powder is really necessary (or some powder anyway) to set it better. I like that this powder does not make me itch and it works on my dry skin (which is new for drugstore powders for me). It's not hydrating or anything, but it does not dry out my face, feels comfortable on.

Here are the ingredients on the back for those interested, first ingredient is Talc. That's the Walmart sticker on the bottom left that ripped up part of the label. I feel this powder is nice, nothing wow, and nothing worth running out to get. I think it works nicely with the Fit Me foundation, but any powder would.

Have you tried the Fit Me powder?

Review: Physicians Formula Multi-Colored Highlighter Pressed Powder

Physicians Formula multi-colored highlighter is like no other highlighter I have ever used. When you think highlighter you probably think a shimmery, luminescent or dewy cream or liquid product. The pressed powder line from Physicians Formula is meant to enhance the skin tone, correct imperfections and provide a soft and natural color without a harsh, monotone cast. I like the Physicians Formula brand because all their products are hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, oil-free, non-comedogenic and dermatologist approved. Their products are on the pricier side for the drugstore, but there are often 20-40% off sales, that's why I have so many. I have read several reviews that this product reminds people of the Guerlain brand powders which go for much steeper prices.

I was first attracted to this product because of the pretty variety of colors in it, you can see in the image above this comes with sections of pink, beige, purple, green, yellow and white. It's just pretty to look at, it resembles a soccer ball.

Now onto the packaging, this is a pressed powder that comes in a bulky silver plastic compact, underneath the product you have a mirror and a compartment for the provided brush. I never use the brushes that come with these, as you can tell, it hasn't even been taken out of it's wrapping. The way the product is made, it's deceiving you think you are getting more product than you actually are (the case with many PF products), this comes with 9g of product. The packaging I think is way too bulky and unnecessary.

Despite, this being dubbed as a highlighter, I use this primarily as a setting powder. Since I have dry skin, a lot of powders are really thick and drying on me. This powder is silky, matte and light, you can barely feel it. The coverage and color payoff of this product is sheer too. I have swatched some of the individual colors above and you can barely see them, and all mixed together, it just looks pinky white. You could use the colors separately to correct areas of your face, like the green on redness, the yellow on the eyelids and so on, but because they are so tiny, it's not really practical. I think it can work well all over to even out a dull complexion. I wouldn't say it highlights or brightens however, so the description and name of this doesn't really apply well, it should of been called a complexion brightener instead. I would recommend this for those with light skin, as it may look too obvious since it does come off with a pinky tone.

Have you used this powder? or any other Physicians Formula products?

Review: ELF Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder

ELF sells these Healthy Glow Bronzing Powders for $1/each as part of their basic line. They are described on the ELF website as "A touch of sunshine to warm up every complexion with its soft and silky texture for a beautiful and natural glow." They come in 4 colours and I have all 4 here to show you and review. I think they are an ultra-cheap alternative for a bronzer. The colours are flattering and I think this product is definitely one of the ELF's most under-rated products, since people are generally skeptical of a product this cheap being any good.

The packaging on these is a really cheap and thin plastic container, with not much product. I kind of like the clear plastic packaging, but if you flip it over you see the glue holding the compact together (pic above) and that just screams cheap. This is all indication of why this product is only $1. I feel like I need to be careful with these, if I drop them, I think the entire thing will crack and get destroyed.

These come in 4 colours: Sun Kissed, Warm Tan, Luminance and Matte Bronzer. There is a colour to suit every skintone I think. Putting the packaging quality aside, the quality of the actual product is really good. The powders are quite finely milled, but you will get fallout with these (since they are so lightly pressed) so make sure you tap the brush off before applying it. The powders are quite pigmented as well and add that "healthy glow" that the name suggests.

Luminance is probably the most popular bronzing powder of the bunch. I have read many people rave about this one. But keep in mind, despite it being called a "bronzing powder" it is not that, it's more of a highlighter and works really great at that. This is a shimmery pale, beige colour. This is a fantastic highlighter.

Sun Kissed is peachy bronzey colour, this one is more of a blush colour in my opinion and works well for that. I think this is the prettiest one out of the bunch, I use this one the most.

Warm Tan is gold bronzer, it is much darker than Sun kissed, and is super pigmented. This one is also the shimmeriest of them all and I think the darkest to pull off, but I have read that some people use this as an eyeshadow, which is actually a great idea.

Matte Bronzer is a dark coloured bronzer and as the name suggests it is matte, unlike the rest in this range which all have shimmer. If you are light, I would suggest being very careful when using this, use a light hand to apply it as it can look dirty on your face if you overdo it. However, as you can tell in the swatch it is not as dark swatches as it may appear in the pan.

I think these are very nice affordable bronzers. If you are looking for a cheap highlighter, Luminance is a very nice one and if you don't mind shimmer in your bronzer, these will work well for you.

Have you tried any of these ELF Healthy Glow Bronzing Powders?

Review: ELF HD High Definition Powder

I got this powder free with purchase a couple months back when it first came out. It's definitely one of ELF's most popular products and is often out of stock. I use this to set my makeup, it keeps it in place and gives a smooth finish. My face is dry and not very pore-filled, so I don't really need a powder like this, but I like having it. I do not have the MAC Prep and Prime to compare it to, I don't see a need for these products to be honest, I think most powders will set your makeup just fine.

The ELF HD powder sells for $6 on the ELF website, it's one of their more expensive items. It comes in a sleek, but bulky black packaging with a sifter and puff inside. The cover clicks when you turn it around a couple of times, which is nice that way you know it won't spill all over the place. I would suggest keeping the sticker on top of the sifter (poke some holes into it or half it half off), that will prevent too much product from coming out. The packaging claims that this product gives your face a "soft focus" effect, masking the fine lines and imperfections for a radiant complexion. It's soft and invisible, however be careful to not over-apply this. It is a white micro-fine powder, but once you blend it in, you can't see it, only the effects that it gives, which is a blurring effect to camouflage your pores and lines.

I just shake the container (with it closed or the puff over it) and then open it and whatever is on the puff I apply. Or you can also take some out onto the inside lid and use a brush to apply it to your face, that is my preferred method. Make sure you use a rolling method when to apply this, that way it sinks into your skin well. Most HD powders on the market has similar ingredients, this ELF one has Dimethicone as the primary, then silica. Whereas the Makeup Forever one for example is 100% silica. The other fault that I find with this packaging is the opening where the powder is, is huge basically the entire size of the box, they could of made the opening a tad smaller.

Overall, I think this is a good product and for the price it really can't be beat, it's a fraction of the price of high-end HD powders. I think ELF did a fabulous job with this product. The price is awesome and it will last you ages. I would recommend this specifically for those with skin that tends more on the oily side, for dry skin, I wouldn't use this very often as it may irritate your skin.

Have you used this? How do you think it compares to other HD powders?

Review: L'oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder

Yesterday, I wrote a review on the L'oreal Super Blendable Liquid Foundation, today's it's the POWDER version in the same range. This is a pressed powder that comes in a plastic compact container, you can see the colour of the product right away in the packaging, underneath is a little compartment with a mirror and a sponge.

Review: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

Maybelline's Dream Matte Powder is a pressed powder that you can use as a finishing/setting powder. This provides sheer, almost zero coverage, has a silky smooth texture and has really wonky packaging. I picked this up in the colour, Light 2-3. I think my drugstore was changing the packaging so they had these on for pretty cheap and I had a coupon so I paid like $3 for it. I was interested in purchasing this after watching many youtube videos on how great it was. Once I got it, I was really surprised by the lack of coverage, thinking it would be a pressed powder foundation, but no this is not that, the coverage is zero in my opinion.

The packaging is really weird and bulky. The compact opens up two ways, first to reveal the powder that you see through a clear window in the front, and then the back part swivels out to reveal a mirror and on top of the mirror is a powder puff. The powder puff is pretty cheap and useless, I would throw this away after using it a few times. When opening the back part, I often get the puff folded and stuck in the back, which is annoying. I know a lot of people have gripes with the packaging, as it's not the traditional compact packaging. If you pulled off the back of the packaging, it could be less bulky, but then you wouldn't have a mirror in the back, which sucks.

You can tell in the picture above that this powder is pretty transparent, and once you blend it in it's gone. So it doesn't really matter what shade you get, I could of picked up the deep tan or whatever and still probably wouldn't see any colour on my face. I would recommend this as a blot powder for those of you with oily skin, it can work well for that. I use this, very rarely however, to set my makeup by lightly dusting it after applying liquid foundation. I would not re-purchase this as it isn't essential for me and the product is not what I thought it would be.

Do you use this? What do you think of it?