Tag Archives: oily skin

Black Opal: True Color Stick Foundation SPF 15 Review

Hello everyone!

Today I wanted to share my review on the Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation with SPF 15. I was really excited to try my first Black Opal product. I really want to start giving money to cosmetic companies who really push diversity, and I thought Black Opal was the perfect place to start. They have the perfect shades for women and men of color. I’m Indian, with a medium-olive complexion and I was able to find my perfect shade, which is Cashew.

First of all, the packaging of the product is the most convenient packaging I’ve ever witnessed. FYI, this is my first stick foundation ever, so I didn’t realize how nice and easy it was. It’s basically a small cylinder, all black, with the company and foundation information on it. It has a cap that’s clear at the top, and you just have to turn the cylinder to get the product to come up. It’s so easy, hygienic, and not messy at all.

To apply this product to my face, I basically drew lines all over my face with it, since the product is in a nice compact case. It’s a cream type of product, and the description states it gives you a velvety-matte finish.

I applied this product two different ways: one half of my face I did it with a brush, the other half I used a beauty sponge from Real Techniques. I don’t recommend a beauty sponge because for me, it didn’t blend very well at all. I liked how it blended out with a regular face brush, but I did spray my brush with the Mario Badescu rose water and aloe spray.

The coverage is medium to full. I have quite a few dark spots from acne, and I did about two layers and they were all covered up. Also, my redness was perfectly covered as well.

Unfortunately, this product did not work for me. In the pictures below, you can see that it left my skin looking streaky, dry, and very bad overall. Before applying the foundation, I moisturized, applied primer, and I have oily skin, so it doesn’t make any sense as to why my skin looked like that. I’m not sure if it’s because I have textured skin and large pores.

Black Opal Dry on Cheek/Jaw Area

Black Opal Dry on Cheek/Jaw Area

Black Opal Dry on Temple Area

I really wanted this foundation to work out, so I waited a couple days and tried it again, thinking maybe it was something I did wrong, but I still received the same result.

I found the Black Opal brand in a Walmart near me, but this is the only Walmart around me that it’s in. From what I understand, it just varies by area, and it could be found in Walgreens, RiteAid, etc, depending on where you are. You can also check out their website by clicking here. I paid about $10 for it, which I think is good for the amount of product you get and how creamy it is. If it had worked for me, it would be even better.

Just because this product didn’t work out for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. The reason I purchased this one specifically is because of all the great reviews, but because of my bad luck, it didn’t work for me. If I looked at myself from a couple feet away, the foundation looked really good. Like a better version of my skin, but up close, it was obviously streaky and dry looking.

I will definitely continue trying more Black Opal products, because just because one product didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean the others won’t. If you guys have any recommendations for Black Opal or from any cosmetic company similar to them, I would love to hear it.

Thank you for reading!

Video Review: Trader Joe’s Enrich Facial Moisturizer

Review: Trader Joe’s Face Lotion SPF 15

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Hello everyone!

I wanted to share my thoughts on the Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 15…whoa, is that a mouthful or what?

I purchased this around March because I was interested in a moisturizer with SPF. Most of the time, my makeup has SPF in it, but there were some that didn’t and I wanted to add this to my daily routine. I purchased this from Trader Joe’s for about $10.

It is in a nice little bottle and the product is white. It feels like your basic moisturizer, nice and smooth. It’s easy to apply and after giving it about 10-15 minutes to absorb, I find that it doesn’t leave too much of a greasy feeling. I only feel it in my super oily spots like my t-zone and cheeks. Nothing a little bit of powder can’t fix.

Unfortunately, this product did not work for me. I didn’t notice until two weeks ago that it was causing breakouts on my forehead. I tend to have acne on my cheeks, but I’ve never really broken out on my forehead. It was just a lot of really small pimples, which would take forever to come to a head.

At first, I didn’t put two and two together. My mom asked if I tried anything new, and then I thought about the lotion. But I thought that it couldn’t be because the rest of my face was not breaking out as bad. Eventually, I decided to test out not using it for two days, and lo and behold, my forehead breakouts started healing.

It’s so odd, because I put it all over my face, but only my forehead was affected. But the lotion was the culprit and now my forehead is virtually clear.

I’m not sure why it did that, but I’ll let you guys know what type of skin I have and maybe if you have the same issues, you can avoid this product. I have oily skin, prone to acne on my cheeks and chin. I’ve used many products and have almost never had breakouts from them, only the NYX color corrector palette.

I hope you guys found this helpful! Let me know if you’ve tried the lotion and if it worked out for you.

L’Oreal True Match Foundation Video Demo

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Hello everyone!

I wrote a review for the L’Oreal True Match Foundation earlier this week, which you can click here to view. But, I thought it would be more helpful if you guys could really see it in action, so here’s a video of how I apply it.

I hope you guys enjoy and feel free to comment any questions or concerns!

L’Oreal Foundation

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Hello there!

Today, I wanted to share my thoughts on the L’Oreal True Match Foundation. Just so you guys know, I have oily/combination skin. My cheeks, areas around my nose, and t-zone get really oily. But, my under eyes and chin are very dry. It’s seriously the worst combination ever.

I’m in the color Buff Beige N4 (neutral). I really like this color because I have a lot of redness and it neutralizes it. I usually used a green corrector, but not in any of these pictures, so you guys can see the actual coverage it gives.

I don’t know why I look so mad…lol

Also, it blends extremely well! I used the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer under my eyes, and I am able to seamlessly blend the two without much effort. A lot of my regular foundations are matte, so I have to work extra hard to blend them because they dry so fast. But not with this one.

I do have super large pores and even though I use a primer, the foundation still settles into them after only a couple hours. That’s the main downside I have.

A smaller issue I have with it, is that it has that “makeup smell”. I’m sure you guys know what I’m talking about. It’s that smell that when people add a lot of powder to their face or something, and it’s super strong but doesn’t have any recognizable scent, besides makeup. I only smell it when I first apply it, and then it tends to fade away.

I bought mine from Ulta for about $10, which may be pricey for a drugstore foundation, but the price doesn’t bother me because I like it. Though I don’t like that the bottle is glass, because I’m a super clutz, I do like that you just need to pour it out. Some people may not, but I like pouring small amounts onto my blending sponge and adding as I go. And as long as you’re careful, your bottle shouldn’t look messy at all, like if you had a pump.

I really like this foundation for when I want a natural look. But, if you have oily skin, just be sure you set it very well. It made me oilier on my cheeks, but didn’t do much with my other oily areas, like my t-zone or forehead.

Overall, I would give this foundation a 7/10. Positives: Great texture, easy to blend, packaging is simple, medium coverage, and there are a lot of shades available. Downsides: Not the best for oily skin, settles into pores and lines, and doesn’t last all day.

Thank you guys so much for reading! If you liked this post, please give a girl a follow and feel free to leave any comments!

Maybelline: Better Skin Powder VoxBox #BetterSkinPowder

Review: Benefit Cosmetics Boi-ing Concealer

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Hello everyone!

Today, I wanted to share my new holy grail concealer. Before, I was using the Tarte Maracuja Concealer, but it didn’t work too well with my oily skin. Then, I used the Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer, which I like, but it made my fine lines look really bad. It also exemplified the tiny pore-like bumps we have on our under eye area, which caused my concealer to look super cakey. So I had to find something for oily skin, but dry under-eyes. After lots of research with reviews and videos, I came across the Benefit Cosmetics Boi-ing Concealer and I absolutely love it!

The packaging describes it as an “industrial-strength concealer”, which is referring to the fact that it’s full coverage. I used this primarily for my dark under-eye circles, and occasionally on breakouts/dark spots. My under-eyes are dry, and this concealer is perfect because it conceals without showing how dry my under-eye area is. I have olive/medium skin, and I use the shade 2, which is light-medium. It would be too light as an everday blemish concealer, but for my under-eyes it’s perfect and as long as I blend it out well on my blemishes, you can’t tell the color difference. It also says you just need to use your finger to apply it. I know that many people find that unsanitary, but I like it. I make sure my hands are clean, don’t worry! But, a small concealer brush would work too! It’s a very matte concealer, but has a unique texture so it doesn’t dry your under-eyes out. I’m also a huge fan of the packaging! It’s super small and circular, which is perfect for my handbag and traveling. The package holds .1 oz of the product, which doesn’t seem like much, but it’s definitely enough. I usually need just three thin swipes with my finger and I’m done, and trust me, my dark eye circles are no joke.

After four hours, I usually check up on it because sometimes it settles into one specific line under my eye. I don’t know if that line is just deep or what, but it’s always the same eye/line that the product settles into. My other eye is perfectly fine and normal, so it’s not a big deal for me. Also, I bought mine from Sephora for $20, which is pricey for such a small amount of product, but I feel like this is going to last me a long time. But, whenever it does finish, I definitively will be repurchasing.

Hope you guys liked this review! Let me know if you’ve tried it!

Thanks so much for reading!

Mask Maven Unboxing: August 2015

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Hello everyone!

It’s that time again! Mask Maven time! This month their theme is “Troubled Skin: Acne & Pores”. I am in love with all of these masks! I have oily combination skin and huge pores, so I’m excited to try these out! Check out my unbagging video for the descriptions of each mask! All the products are listed below!

Pure Derm Deep Cleansing Peeling Gel (x2)

Pure Derm Strawberry Yogurt Mask Pack

My Beauty Diary: Citrus Firming Aroma Mask

Hanaka Marigold Oil Control Sheet Mask

SNP Troubled Skin Care Essence Sheet Mask

Face Q Luffa Oil Control Sheet Mask

Esfolio Volcanic Water Essence Mask Sheet

Beauty Friends: Green Tea Sheet Mask

Beauty Friends Kiwi Sheet Mask

Mask Maven is a subscription service from the company Beauteque. They don’t just give masks for your face, they also give them for your feet, hands, and other places that need some love. Click here to check them out!

Let me know if you guys would like a review on a specific mask!

Thanks so much for reading!

Review: Black Seaweed Peel-Off Masque

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