First Impressions: L'oreal Paris Nude Magique Cushion Foundation

Cushion Foundations seem to be popping up everywhere at the moment! So you can imagine my excitement when BeautyHeaven sent me the Loreal Nude Magique Cushion foundation to try out. It claims to be a weightless foundation that provides build able coverage, with a antimicrobial applicator and convenient 'to go' compact'. 

On first impressions I have to say I absolutely love the adorable packaging, the muted pink metallic container would look lovely in anyones beauty desk or handbag. I selected the shade 01 Porcelain as I'm naturally quite fair and usually the lightest shade available works for me, don't quote me but there only seems to be six shades currently available in Australia, although there appears to be twelve shade options over seas. The liquid is soaked into the sponge inside and the nifty packaging means that you can seal after every use making it handy for travel. The compact only holds 14.6 grams of product which is not much compared to the standard 30ml foundation and considering the $29.95 price tag. 

I used the sponge provided to apply the product in tapping options all over my face. I noticed that the shape of the sponge made it difficult to get into areas such as the nose crease but overall it blended and applied the foundation nicely. Even though they claim the sponge helps prevents bacteria, I just couldn't bring myself to keep the sponge after use and threw it out. I feel a beauty blender would be the best option for applying this foundation, although the supplied sponge would definitely be handy for those who like to touch up their makeup while out. 

L-R: No foundation, One Layer, Two Layers

The coverage after two layers was medium and it provided a nice dewy glow, personally I would still apply concealer to dark circles and any spots but this is definitely a foundation for someone who loves a more natural look. I have fairly normal skin with the occasional oily T- zone and think this foundation works beautifully for me. If I were to head out for the day I would definitely powder, but this foundation does look it's best left dewy and un set in my opinion. If you have dry skin I feel like this foundation would look and feel amazing on you. 

Overall I have to say that this is a very nice natural foundation that lives up to the claims. Personally I couldn't justify the price for the amount of product but this Is super handy and convenient for on the go. If you're after a dewy natural look I would definitely check out the L'oreal Paris Nude Magique Cushion Foundation. Thank you for stopping by my blog and I hope you're having a lovely day!

Monique xx

First Impressions: Too Faced Lip Creme In 'Fuschia Shock'

I'm currently in the middle of the stressful applying for new houses/packing stage, so I haven't been able to blog as much as I like, but when I received this gorgeous Too Faced Lip Creme In the mail I just had to share it with you! I purchased the colour 'Fuchsia shock' off Amazon and It was roughly $24 Australian including shipping, they are also available from Mecca for $29 although I don't think this particular shade is available. 

The Too Faced Lip Creme Colour Drenching Lip Cream claims to be 'infused with white lotus flower extract to hydrate, sooth and condition the lips and power peptides to condition and smooth the delicate lip area'. On first impression I can definitely agree that this lipstick is super smooth and creamy to apply, you don't have to worry about your lips drying out whilst wearing this lipstick although that being said the staying power isn't that fantastic. You will probably get a good 2-3 hours wear before you will need to touch up or re-apply. 

The colour pay off is rich and on first application this lipstick has a very pleasant smell that I can't quite put my finger on, It doesn't linger which is great for those who aren't a fan of scented products. The colour Fuchsia shock is a very universally flattering shade in my opinion and I have nothing bad in general to say about the formula and the packaging, In fact I'm having a very, very hard time throwing out the box, here's why;

There's a bunny on the box!! Yep I think its going to be quite some time before I bring myself to throw this adorable packaging in the bin, you have won me over Too Faced. Let me know if you have ever tried out the Too Faced Lip Creme's and whats your favourite shade, as I would love to pick up some more of these super creamy pretty lipsticks. Thanks for reading!

Monique xx

First Impression: ELF Flawless Finish Foundation

If you love a good bargain like me then you have to try out the ELF Flawless Finish Foundation. I have been testing it out over the last week and I am seriously Impressed, especially when considering the price which is a whole $3!

The foundation came packaged in a plastic box and when I first opened I was super surprised at how great the packaging of the bottle was. The foundation comes housed in a sturdy glass bottle that definitely doesn't feel cheap, I was extra ecstatic to see that It had a pump! So far so good. I applied two pumps to my clean face using a stippling brush. I found it quite easy to blend, and there were no weird patches or streaks on my skin. ELF states that you 'apply on face area to even out skin tone for a beauty semi-matte finish that lasts all day' and I would have to agree with that, the liquid set nicely on my skin and it didn't slide around when I touched my face.

The foundation was a light to medium coverage on my skin and I definitely agree that it helped even out my skin tone and made my blemishes less noticeable. I was happy with the effect after one layer and knew that the real test would be how long the foundation held up on my combination/oily skin. I always use powder to set my makeup and I found that the foundation lasted through a normal day without breaking up or turning more oily than usual on my skin. Unfortunately the colour range is quite limited with to my knowledge there only being 6 shades. Usually I'm the lightest foundation shade in any range and the lightest shade available was 'Porcelain' which definitely isn't very light for us pale folk. Thankfully I have been using the Bondi Sands gradual tanner (review here) on and off, so 'Porcelain' turned out to be a pretty dead on match. If you can make a colour in the range work for you then this foundation is a definite steal!

Pros

• Inexpensive ($3 from Iherb.com)
• Has a pump
• Great formula
• SPF 15

Cons

• Limited Shade range
• Only 23g of product (compared to a standard 30g foundation)

Overall I am pretty impressed by the ELF Flawless Finish Foundation and I'm glad I decided to give it a go as I have really been enjoying using it for everyday. It's just so affordable so I know I'll definitely be repurchasing it when I run out! Elf continue to impresses me with their products so if you have any recommendations from the brand please let me know as I'd love to try it!

Monique xx

First Impressions: Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Having oily eyelids is pretty much a curse, you spend a ridiculous amount of time blending out and applying beautiful eyeshadows, to go look in the mirror an hour or two later and find that your gorgeous creation is now a hot creased mess. Let me tell you, I've tried multiple paint pots, colour tattoos, mineral eye primers and even the raved about Urban Decay primer potion multiple times and yet nothing will give me the confidence to go out for a full day without worrying about my eyeshadow creasing. So after reading many claims that the Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base was a god send for oily lids, I had to pick it up. I've tested it out and today I'm going to let you know my first impressions of the product, and does it live up to the hype!

Well, you don't need me to tell you that the packaging of the product is simply stunning, I purchased it for $34 from Mecca, and was surprised at how big the tube was, which is great because at $34 a pop I don't want to be repurchasing this eye primer frequently (unless it makes my eyeshadow look like real diamonds or something crazily awesome). The applicator is a simple doe foot and the consistency is just like any other liquid primer, this one is white/clear and dries on contact- it won't change any eyeshadow that you put on top of it. 

I created a simple neutral look for the first time testing out this primer - something similar to what I would wear on a working day. Before applying the shadows I focused the primer on my lid and crease, which is usually where the eyeshadow looks super gross at the end of the day. The day was quite humid and you guys know that shopping is a form of exercise right... So basically this eyeshadow was under extreme conditions, I kept it on for a good 12 hours before inspecting my eyeshadow again later that night;

I was so impressed with the outcome 12 hours later! As you can see there is slight creasing near the inner corner of my eye. Using other primers, my whole lid area would be creased and separated after 2-3 hours of wear. My liner still looked practically new and the matte crease colour still looked great too. I'm not going to claim that this primer is bullet proof- but I'm definitely impressed at its ability to keep my eyeshadows in place, especially after such a long day.

I feel now that I can use this primer and go much longer without having to worry about touching up my eyeshadow, and actually use eyeshadow in general on a woking day- before I didn't even bother as I knew it would look terrible after a few hours! My first impression of this product is great, and I look forward to testing it out more, I'm sure it will definitely be making more star appearances on the blog.

Let me know what you think of the outcome and if you have any holy grail eye primers that you think I should test out! Thanks so much for reading,

Monique xx