Hello friends!!!
I can’t remember the last time I did a product review, which likely means it was quite awhile ago at a time when grad school didn’t feel quite so demanding. I definitely felt he pressure this term, balancing classes and a clinical externship, but they were good reminders of why I wanted to get into speech-language pathology. Another area of interest of mine is makeup, and today I wanted to review two Make Up For Ever foundation products.
Matte Velvet Skin Blurring Powder Foundation
I fell in love with the MUFE Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation shortly after its release (which I believe was in 2013), and it was my holy grail powder foundation until it vanished off the market earlier this year. I was devastated, and then stumbled upon the Matte Velvet Skin Blurring Powder Foundation. Hopeful that it was the replacement for the multi-use powder I was mourning, I gave it a go.
The packaging is nice, with the powder and applicator sponge housed in a sleek, rectangular, matte, black tin. My main concern at first glance was that only half of the tin contains product, unlike the multi-use powder, which filled an entire circular pan and had the applicator sponge beneath it in a separate compartment of the compact. However, a weight comparison indicated that the circular compact was 10g, with a net product amount of 0.35oz, while the rectangular tin was 11g, and housed 0.38oz of product. In short, the new blurring powder foundation actually contains 0.03oz more product, but the packaging is deceiving as to how much product is actually included. Product amounts aside, what I especially love about this product is that a mirror fills the entire lid of the tin. Another fun packaging feature is that the tin is lever-activated. In other words, there’s no way for it to pop open in a makeup bag if it gets jostled around in a purse or during travel; it will only open if the lever is pressed and the lid is lifted. The only downside of the packaging I can foresee is that, because the exterior is a matte surface, fingerprints and makeup substances may cling to it, but should easily come off with makeup remover, or even simply warm water.
Phew, after that long preamble about the packaging, here are some features of the product itself:
- Full coverage
- Buildable coverage
- Mate finish
- Blurring effect (smoothes and mattifies, reducing pores and absorbing oil)
- Amino acid- coated pigments offer water-resistant 12-hour wear
- No fading, caking, or flaking
- Suitable for all skin types, but especially good for use with combination to oily skin
- Formulated with MUFE’s unique Flexi-fit puzzle complex that allows for flexible coverage and lightweight feel
- Double-sided applicator sponge for sheer to full coverage
- Available in 30 shades
Now, not that availability, or lack thereof, is indicative of a product’s quality, but I had a devil of a time getting my hands on my shade in this powder. It had been sold out on the Sephora website for months, but I lucked out and found it at the Pacific Centre Sephora in downtown Vancouver while shopping with my boyfriend. I settled on the shade R210 Pink Alabaster. While it is always better to see a product in person to confirm that the shade is right for you, I especially recommend doing that with this product. Online, R210 looked much darker than what I would imagine ‘Pink Alabaster’ to look like, but it was listed as the lightest shade, and it wasn’t until I saw it in Sephora that I realized it was indeed my perfect shade.
Now, I am not usually one for using applicators that come with products, but the sponge that comes with this product was actually specially designed to offer application flexibility. The black sponge side picks up more product, and is intended to provide a more full coverage look. In comparison, the white velvet side picks up less product, allowing for a more sheer coverage. Something to note is that the applicator sponge retains a lot of product, and it can be hard to get even product distribution on the sponge. If sponges really aren’t your thing, the powder can also be applied with a brush. Of course, MUFE recommends their branded 124 powder kabuki brush, but I’m sure any powder foundation brush would offer the same precise buildable coverage. (Side note, I do own the 124 kabuki brush and it is really great, but also really pricy at $42).
Matte Velvet Skin Full Coverage Foundation
Now this product I did not actually pick out myself. My mother has been on the hunt for a new foundation for several months now (R.I.P Almay TruBlend), and every time she buys a new foundation to try, I sneak in and try it too, and I wanted to share my thoughts.
Features of this foundation include:
- Breathable and full-coverage
- Matte finish
- Up to 24 hours of wear
- Suitable for normal, dry, oily, and combination skin
- Reduces shine
- No fading, caking, or flaking
- Formulated with MUFE’s unique Flexi-fit puzzle complex that allows for flexible coverage and lightweight feel
- Available in 40 shades
I purchased (or rather, my mother did) the shade R210 Pink Alabaster, which just so happened to be the same shade as the powder foundation I had been on the hunt for for months. The formula is on the watery side, and feels thin, but it applies and blends really well, either with a brush or a beauty blender. It does have a bit of a chemical-like smell to it, and I’m not sure what ingredient or ingredient combination creates that smell, but it’s a little off-putting. It’s nothing major though, and you might not even notice it if you aren’t super sensitive to smells like I am.
I did a wear test across a few days, and noticed that, while the foundation held up well for the most part, there was some drying around my nose, and my skin started to show through. This was easily fixable though with a quick touch up with the blurring powder, but I don’t like to pack makeup around in my purse to fix my makeup during the day. Who has time for that???
So those are my thoughts on the Make Up For Ever Make Velvet Skin Foundation collection. Let me know in the comments below if you have tried either of these products, and your thoughts on them!!!
This multitasking sulphate-free shampoo is the first Bb shampoo that I tried. I came across it in a three-product travel-size pouch in a Sephora in Paris after the hotel shampoo was starting to seriously dehydrate my hair. I was able to try the shampoo, conditioner and heat/UV protective primer for a solid week and the range completely transformed my hair. According to Bb, this shampoo is formulated with six feather-light oils to make hair smoother, softer, and silkier, while taming frizz and protecting against breakage from heat and UV radiation, all while not weighing down hair. This shampoo has a very fruity scent that I am obsessed with because it is so lovely and fills up the entire shower. This shampoo is available in two sizes: a 2oz bottle for CAN $14, and an 8.5oz bottle for CAN $38, perfect for traveling. 
This is the second Bb shampoo that I tried. I was finding the Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil formula to be very nourishing and hydrating, but prolonged use left my hair feeling flat. This shampoo is lightweight and serves the dual function of moisturizing hair and sealing split ends, while also building body to add fullness to fine or limp hair. Bumble and bumble describes it as “ideal for fine, thinning, limp, or flyaway hair,” which perfectly describes how my hair was feeling. This shampoo is also compatible with colour-treated hair, thank goodness. For best results, it is recommended that this shampoo is paired with the rest of the Thickening range including the conditioner, serum, and hairspray. I have only tried the shampoo but it worked wonders on my fine hair. The shampoo is actually available in three sizes: a 2oz bottle for CAN $11.50, an 8oz bottle for CAN $29, and a 33.8oz bottle for CAN $74. I know the latter seems like a ridiculous amount of money to pay for shampoo, but it has done amazing things for my hair and I find it lasts months and months so, broken down, the cost is equivalent to the number of shampoo bottles purchased from other brands. 
This sulphate-free shampoo is designed to reduce frizz and tame flyaways. It features 
While it is recommended that each shampoo be used with additional products from the same line, I prefer to use the Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Conditioner after washing my hair with all three of the shampoos mentioned above. It is formulated with the same light oils as the shampoo, helping to make hair softer and smoother, while also taming frizz and protecting against breakage. This conditioner is safe for colour- and chemically-treated hair, and is available in two sizes: a 2oz bottle for CAN $14 and a 6.7oz bottle for CAN $42. This may seem expensive to some, but this is the only full-size bottle I have purchased to date and I have been using it after every wash for a good 6 months already. Like the shampoos, a little goes a long way so only a small dollop is needed. 
Well hello there 🙂 🙂
As you can see here, the XXL brush definitely lives up to its title. 
Just to show how massive this brush really is, check it out in comparison to the tube size. That’s right. Admittedly, I think the brush is a tiny bit in foreground, but the size increase is negligible. 
Before applying this moisturizer, I prep my skin with my nightly skincare routine and substitute this in for the moisturizer component. I apply this to my face and neck, but a little goes a long way so I only use two small dollops. I have been using this since November when I received it in my 
Literary and Lovely 