Dewy Glowy Foundation

I'm constantly in search of a better foundation since I'm not entirely satisfied with what I'm currently using, which is L'Oreal's True Match Healthy Luminous Foundation (W1-W2). I like the dewy finish it gives but colour wise it doesn't match my skin perfectly. Also, I do find that it does emphasize the dry spots around my nose, which a lot of foundations tend to do though.

It's a habit of mine to ask for foundation testers whenever I go to the mall. So far, I haven't had much luck with finding "the one", but I do find that high end foundations have better colour matches.

What I'm looking for in a foundation:
- light to medium coverage
- finish is dewy, radiant and glowy
- lasting power
- doesn't emphasize dry spots around nose
- colour match

My skin type:
- dry cheeks and normal t-zones
- problem areas include dryness around nose and blackheads on nose

What I have already tried (some were just samples and others the full product):
- M.A.C Mineralize Moisture SPF15 Foundation: I received a sample in both NC20 and NC15; since foundations tend to oxidize on me, NC15 was a better match. Unfortunately, lasting power was not great with this foundation but the good thing was it didn't emphasize the dry spots around my nose.

- Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45: The colour match was horrible! The foundation came in only one colour and although it was supposed to blend into your skin after it settles, it turned a dark pink-orange on me and I looked like I had tanned only my face. I did love the formulation; it had great lasting power and the finish was dewy beautiful.

- Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation: The lightest colour oxidized on me and was too pink. Emphasized dry spots around my nose. Finish was not as dewy as I would like.

- Make Up For Ever Face & Body Foundation: I really liked this one, but couldn't find a good colour match. It felt really light on the skin and had surprisingly good coverage considering how light it was.

- Make Up For Ever Liquid Lift Foundation: 11 Porcelain was a great match! I also loved the finish but did find this to be a little thicker and fuller coverage than what I preferred. I really don't like to feel like I have foundation on my face.

- Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation: I tried the I00 and it was a good match. Overall good foundation but I felt other than the colour match, I don't feel it's that much better than what I'm using now ... and this costs more than three times as much.

- Shiseido Radiant Lift Foundation: This foundation was so thick! I cannot abide something that made me feel like I have a mask on my face.

- Skin79 Pink Super BB Cream: This was one of my first bb cream purchases and I did like the formulation and the finish. Staying power was pretty decent and price was good. The only problem I found with this was the colour, which was a tad bit dark but nothing I couldn't tolerate. I would repurchase this if I cannot find anything else better. 

- Skin79 Gold Super+ BB Cream: Very similar to the Pink one except was more moisturizing, which I liked, but for some reason this one was even darker, which I didn't like.

- Bobbi Brown Luminous Moisturizing Treatment Foundation: Horrible colour match! The colour 00 Alabaster was way too dark and yellow on my more neutral-toned face. I would give this a try again if they fix the colour issue.

I recently purchased a Korean bb cream from Pretty & Cute and should be getting the shipment today. Yay! Other than the fact that I love getting packages, I love trying new things too. We'll see how this one goes. Let's just hope it's not another fail. Grrr!



 

The Wet Brush Review

I had been brushing Elizabeth's hair with a cheap small brush and she has been complaining about her head hurting whenever I try to get out the tangles. I did a little research and purchased The Wet Brush. I got mine from Target in the colour pink, since Elizabeth is going through the Princess Phase.

What can I tell you? It works. It detangles effortlessly and I've used it on both wet and dry hair. I also use it on my little one, who is only 10 months but has a ton of hair. I love it. As long as there's no whining and crying, I love it.

No Candy Valentine's Day Goody for School

Wow, two blog posts in one day? Must be because the little one is asleep and the grandparents are here. Not for long! They're leaving in 2 days! Boo hoo!

Elizabeth and I made Valentine's Day gifts for her friends last night and we kept it healthy -- meaning no candy. I googled and found this cute and easy idea from kommunicated.com.

Here's what we did:

1. Download the printable here.

2. I got Elizabeth to hand write her name on all the tags. There are thirty in total. What a great way for her to practise writing within the lines. She did complain she was a little tired near the end.

3. We jazzed up the tags with glue and sparkles. That was Elizabeth's favourite part.

4. Cut out the shape of the tags and hole punch the ends for the glow stick.

5. Slip the glow stick through the tags. We got the glow sticks from Michael's for 12 for $1.

Uh-oh! Did you accidentally bond with your child while doing this? Oops!

I'm a Lazy (Angry) Mommy

This morning while dropping Elizabeth off at preschool, I ran into the security guard and we started a friendly chat. During this friendly chat session he asked me if I worked, and I thought to myself, if by "work" he meant do I get paid for the things I do and the time and energy I put into these things I do -- then no, I don't work. I answered with a complacent smile. "You're so lucky," he goes on to say, "you have all this time on your hands!" I was momentarily stunned but recovered quickly. "Well, I do everything a nanny does, but I just don't get paid for it!"

While driving back home, I immediately regretted my answer which I found to be too defensive. I'm sure the security guard didn't mean to demean my whole existence nor is he insinuating my role in society is insignificant; I should have just answered with a breezy smile and move on. Then I asked myself, why did I have to defend myself in the first place? Do people really think that stay-at-home moms do nothing but wash their hair and paint their nails all day? Free time? What free time?! Grrr! Maybe he doesn't have children. Let us not be too hard on him.

This whole episode reminded me of an article my friend shared on Facebook (she's also a stay-at-home mom) called "A Husband's Amazing Response To 'She's A Stay-At-Home Mom? What Does She DO All Day?'". It's a nice article.

As I'm writing this blog, I'm reminded of all the papers I had to write for my Society & Feminism class back in school. To me, feminism is about right of choice, and being respected for these choices and sometimes sacrifices that one makes. Mothers work sometimes because they need to, and sometimes they just choose to ... and I respect that. It's a choice that women should be allowed to make. There seems to be some sort of a division between these two groups, those who decide to work outside and those who stay at home. Sometimes -- not always -- I feel the divide when I talk with friends who work outside the home. We can all be so judgmental sometimes. At the end of the day, we are all trying to do what we think is best for our family and we love our children. So we are the same. Maybe.

Morning Skin Care Routine

Skin care is very important to me. Your makeup will look its best when your skin is healthy and smooth. My skin care routine is minimal, but I feel is effective for my skin. I have dry, combination skin so I gravitate towards "gentle" products with no fragrance and are very moisturizing. Read on for my simple 4-step morning skin care routine.

Step 1: Clean face with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Pat dry face with tissue or hand.

Step 2: Using a cotton ball, apply Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner.

Step 3: Liberally apply Eucerin Daily Protection SPF 30 Moisturizing Face Lotion all over face and neck.

Step 4: Gently dab Origins Eye Doctor eye cream with ring finger.

I have very fair skin and when exposed to too much sun, moles appear so I apply sun protection religiously. Having said that, I'm still hesitant about applying it on my daughters daily because I'm afraid a few years down the road, research is going to show that sunblock is bad for children. Of course, if they're out in the sun for a long time I still do.

Flower Power Diaper Cake

I have another baby shower to attend this weekend and since I really enjoyed my last diaper cake, I decided to make another one. One thing I didn't like about my other diaper cake was that you can almost-sort-of see the rubber band underneath the ribbon. This time, I used an opaque cream coloured ribbon underneath my gauzy pink ribbon to hide the rubber bands. If you want to save time, you can always just use one opaque ribbon instead of layering two. Whatever you like.

Front of diaper cake. 

 

Side view of diaper cake.

 

Back of diaper cake.