I don’t wear much makeup – have I mentioned that? My primary reason for wearing makeup is to brighten my eyes or cover some blemish – so my makeup used to consist of mascara, MAC cover up and MAC powder.
However, recently I’ve been branching out! Big surprise, eh? I’ve jokingly coined last year the “Year of Beauty” since it’s when I became more interested in enhancing my appearance and generally being aware of my pros & cons.
Two cons I’m aware of on my face is the size of my pores and the redness around my nose. I believe both are tied together because the large pores produce a lot of natural oil and that in turn causes clogged pores – which I’ve dealt with using extraction methods that have resulted in broken capillaries. Broken capillaries are something I never even considered, when clearing my pores, and now I’m paying for it. I’m also concerned about the bags under my eyes – even when I get a good amount of sleep they seem to be there.
Doing research I’ve found there’s really nothing to change the size of your pores – but certain make up and skin care regimens can hide them. So I decided to try some products from Clinque, since I’ve heard a lot of positive things about the quality and the attention to keeping your skin healthy and not just covered.
I bought a type of redness reducing foundation, that I applied this morning, which worked! Yeah for that, unfortunately the coverage is thick and if you were to look closely at my face it’s obvious I’m wearing makeup, which disappoints me. On the Clinque website it marks the foundation I bought as “moderate” coverage, not full or sheer. I used a foundation brush to apply, which resulted in a much lighter wear then when I blot with my finger or use a sponge.
Do I just have a skewed impression of makeup? Have all the foundation print ads lied to me? Is it expected to see that someone is wearing makeup if they are in fact wearing foundation? I feel my face was well hydrated (I used their 3-step skin care and pore reducing serum last night), but not oily. Yet the foundation seems to be settling in and highlighting the size of my pores, the fine lines and wrinkles I didn’t even know I had, and making my skin appear dry and flaky. Those are the exact reasons I always shed away from foundation in the past.
Maybe I just need to give a proper skin care routine more time to really change the condition of my skin before I judge the way makeup sits on it? How long does it generally take before seeing results? I don’t think I really mistreated my skin before, so it surprises me that it seems to be in such poor condition now. I admit, I don’t like applying lotions – of any type, including sunscreen – to my face. But I never sleep with makeup on, I wash & exfoliate often, keep my pores clear with extraction to prevent permanent stretching, and don’t see too much sun. So why does my skin look so terrible with foundation?
I’m going to the Clinque counter tonight and exchange it for another product with more “sheer” coverage – such as a tinted moisturizer. The thing I’m concerned with is that the sheer coverage will not give me the redness reducing results of this moderate coverage. Do you think layering the two will work where I have redness – or just look thick and cakey? Perhaps I’ll look into their Superbalanced liquid foundation as well since it’s supposed to balance oily & dry patches with moderate coverage.
When using a sponge, you can wet it, squeeze it out COMPLETELY and then use. It will produce a “thinner” coverage.
I hate using sponges but at least they’re easy to wash, replace and most people love them. I use brushes — or when applicable, fingers but I wear A LOT of makeup.
Do you have Sephora stores in malls or JCPenneys? They have many brands and will take time with you.
If you have a particular price you won’t go over, TELL THEM. I used to be embarrassed but I recently asked about “sizing down” (money-wise) an item and it was so cute. The 2 girls there were all, “Girl! You’re not kidding! Unfortunately the cheaper ones aren’t as good and the same priced ones are — the same.”
I believed them, too! Also, you can buy and return there (within a reasonable amount of time).
That said, if you get somebody snooty? F em. There are lots of nicer helpers! I love Sephora but be sure to outline your issues and your PRICE limit.
I’d also mention: unless you really want coverage, there are many moisturizers (i hear you on the oily, I’m GREASY but everybody can use sun-protection) which NOW include “pore-minimizing” and “shine-reduction” that isn’t BS.
I *love* Mally’s Face Defender (marketed as “a clear powder” but it’s actually a sort of gel and it’s clear). It does the pore minimizing and shine reduction but ZERO coverage. She’s releasing a foundation but I haven’t tried it, so I cannot comment on that. I frigging LOVE that stuff though!
http://reviews.qvc.com/1689/A199513/mally-beauty-a199513-mally-poreless-face-defender-with-sponge-reviews/reviews.htm?page=4
We have a full sized Sephora store – but the place is ALWAYS packed – its relativity new and the area obviously has the income to support it. I completely forgot about it, I guess because the last few times I’ve been in there it was like a cattle herd. Couldn’t even look at most of the products! Will have to pop in there first and see what they suggest – thanks!
Okay, her Poreless Primer looks amazing! Can I only buy that from a website – or do they carry that in stores?!