makeup Archives - I'm Not a Beauty Guru

Literally for the past six months I’ve been sampling foundations from Sephora to try and find the perfect one for my skin.

I would say I have oily-combination skin with an oily nose. I’m not sure if this is the same with others who have oily-combination skin, but I’ve been having a really hard time finding a foundation (hence me trying samples for literally half a year…).

I thought I would share my journey (so far) on the different foundations I have tried.

1. NARS Sheer Matte in Ceylan

NARS - Sheer Matte Foundation
Image from the Sephora website

This is the first high end foundation I had ever tried. I went to Sephora to get shade matched and there were only a few that came up. This foundation was one of them, but in the colour Fiji. After the sales associate at Sephora tried it on, we decided that Ceylan was a better fit.

This foundation was a bit too matte for me. I felt it gather around patches of my skin, even though my skin was not dry those days. I also noticed that it actually started to dry up in the little sample container. :/ Seemed like a bad sign.

2. Sephora Collection Skin Perfect CC Cream in Light

SEPHORA COLLECTION - Skin Perfect CC Cream SPF 20
Image from the Sephora website

I really wanted to like this CC cream, but I couldn’t and that’s because of the smell. The coverage was good, and it actually wore well on my face throughout the day. I noticed my nose would get shiny, but that’s to be expected.

The thing that really turned me off this product was the smell. Oh god the smell. No word of a lie, I thought it smelt like vomit when I was first putting it on. After it set the smell was fine, but it was putrid. I only tried this sample once, and had to dispose…

3. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup in 3

Urban Decay - Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup
Image from the Sephora website.

I didn’t have a good experience with this foundation either. My skin became very very oily when I wore this. I set my foundation every time with powder, so I know it wasn’t that. Even my cheeks, which usually don’t get oily, looked very slick. The coverage was nice, and it felt light on the skin, but I had to pass on this one as well.

4. NARS Sheer Glow in Ceylan

NARS - Sheer Glow Foundation
Image from the Sephora website.

After trying out the CC cream and Urban Decay Naked, I decided to try out the NARS Sheer Glow. One of the reasons I stayed away from this one is because I thought I would look really really oily after using it.

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. It applied a lot better than the sheer matte, and I really like how my skin looked right after the application. This was one foundation that I was really close to buying full size, but I was turned off by a couple of things. I noticed my nose would get very oily throughout the day. Not even just a little shine, but sun-reflecting-burn-your-eyes shine. But the rest of my face looked great, which made it a toss up… Also the price made me unsure at $44. For a foundation that wasn’t perfect, I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend that much.

5. Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation in 120 Sand

MAKE UP FOR EVER - HD Invisible Cover Foundation
Image from the Sephora website.

So this is a foundation that I was this close to buying. I loved the way it made my skin look. I noticed I was still looking a little slick, but no where close to how the NARS Sheer Glow made me…glow. The coverage is great. The only thing is that I don’t think 120 is the perfect shade for me. It seemed a tad light on my skin, but the sales associate in Sephora said that I could warm it up with a darker powder.

This was the foundation I tested the longest. One reason why I didn’t make the plunge was the price at $42. If I do end up buying a high end foundation, I think this one would be the one I would get. The only thing is that I don’t really know how it would wear in the summer because I tested it in the Fall.

5. Revlon PhotoReady Makeup in 004 Nude

Image from the Revlon website.

So this is the foundation I ended up buying. I sort of purchased it on a whim, but when it first came out years ago I remember looking at it. The reviews I’ve read since purchasing say that it’s supposed to be a dupe for MUFE Invisible HD.

So far I like it. I think I might write up a full review after I’m able to test it out a bit more. When I first tried it on in my room, my face was a glitter mess. I could clearly see the sparkle which really annoyed me. But after wearing it throughout the day, it’s looked okay. I’ve only had it for a week though, so we’ll see how that goes.

And there has been my foundation journey as of now!
Thanks for reading! 😀

Some people say that the best ideas happen in the shower.
I would happen to agree.

Well here it is. My first blog post. I’m not even sure what to say.
I guess I could start out with what this blog will be about.

If you couldn’t tell from the title this will be a beauty blog. I’m a huge YouTube beauty guru fan. I’ve been watching Ingrid, Fleur, Tanya Burr and many more since getting into makeup a couple of years ago. Also insinuated in the title is my lack of skills in the makeup department. Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy playing around with makeup and trying out new looks. But I honestly don’t know very much at all. In the past couple of years I have gone from bare faced every day to attempting to flick the perfect cat eye.

So I thought I would create this blog as a personal beauty diary. I plan to use it to keep track of products that I like, products I dislike, tips that I pick up around the internet and anything else that I feel like smashing in here. One of the major reasons I decided to start this blog was to actually keep track of things that I’ve tried and my opinion on it. I’ve done this quite a bit, where I pick up a product in the store, and I wonder if I liked it…d’oh.

I come from the world of Tumblr, so I’m unaware completely of any unwritten rules and such. I hope I will be able to post YouTube videos from gurus that I find helpful on here without facing a lawsuit or anything, haha. I guess I’ll find that out soon enough.

Anyways here it is! The beginning. Who knows how long this blog will last. Who knows how often I’ll post. As mentioned before, this blog is mostly for my sake, to keep together all the bits and bobs that I happen to pick up about makeup. But hey, if you wanna join me for the ride, you’re more than welcome!

Journey to the Perfect Foundation

Beginnings