Givenchy Airy-Light Mat Radiance Foundation Swatches

Hello guys ^_^

So today I bring you this swatches post :D sometimes I question myself what's the point of posting this kind of swatch post when it includes no thoughts/review -_-a oh well. I WILL come back to give a detailed review... some day XD



I will say though, at this point I do like this foundation enough that I won't mind purchasing the whole bottle (but that probably won't happen in a long long time as I'm working on 2 other liquid foundations... not to mention BB creams and foundation powders TAT) Although recently I also tried the Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation and was pretty impressed with that too -__- TEMPTATIONS NEED TO BE GONE (Or I should just stay away from Sephora).

Okay, here goes the swatches---

I will say the unusual thing about this Givenchy foundation is that although it leans orange (like most European cosmetics), it's a pink orange. You can tell from these two pictures that this particular shade, 3 Mat Sand, it has a subtle pinky quality about it.


Mat 3 Sand is described as "for light complexions with neutral undertones". While it is noticeably pink, I do think that Givenchy did a good job of keeping this shade looking neutral rather than pink. The pink in this foundation gives a brightening effect, rather than turning the foundation pink. The consistency of this foundation is pretty light but not very runny.

Blended out

Hahahaha yeah don't ask me... I was like where is the swatch when I first looked at this photo too...

Here's a better-focused picture:





Not sure if you can tell the pinky glow from this foundation (was very hard to capture as the pink is very subtle), despite it being a matte foundation. I honestly think most matte foundations these days are so gorgeous and are not any less natural than dewy/glowy foundations.


Naked face time!

I have to admit my skin looks pretty darn good in this pic... but it's only because I happened to have cleared out my blackheads a few days prior to this photo AHAHA. Otherwise my skin normally doesn't look so spotless.

close up:





Alrighty-- half face application

Ahhh... what can I say... there are so many natural, gorgeous looking foundations on the market these days >_< Seriously. So many liquid foundations give you that your skin but much better look these days. The only difference being how well they wear throughout the day. The coverage is light to medium.


The pinkiness of this foundation counters the sallowness of my complexion quite nicely, don't you think?






Full face application:








Ok... swatches done XD Now comes the awkward ending: I shall come back and update my thoughts on this foundation ROFLOLOLOL.

Laters ^_^

<3 Frances

Shiseido The Makeup Dual Balancing Foundation Review

Hello hello everyone!
So this is gonna be a review for the Shiseido Dual Balancing Foundation ^^~ I am gonna include a comparison with the Givenchy Photo'Perfexion Fluid Foundation because I feel like the two are very similar :)

Before I start I just want to let you guys know I always look for very very liquidy foundation because 1. watery foundation is easier to work with, whether you're using fingers or stipling/foundation brushes (leaves least streak marks) 2. watery foundation is less thick 3. have better moisturizing effect :)

So if you don't like watery foundation... you can skip this post :P

Now I don't own this foundation, but I got a sample and I've been using it for almost 2 weeks.

Here it goes! =)


Volume: 1 oz.
Price: $38.5
SPF: SPF 17
Finish: matte

So at Nordstrom, you can ask for this little jar to store your samples (instead of having to keep them into little packets which sucks to use)

*keep the packet so you can keep the shade number! or you can just label the jar lol!
* I like to use samples first before I purchase :) because I don't like to open a brand new product and just return it if I end up not liking it... lol!

You can kind of tell it's very watery consistency =)

Here are the swatches:




So highlights of this product:

- Glides on like water which I love, blends very easily
- Dual balance? Honestly I can't feel a difference so the oil control isn't great
- Medium coverage
- Doesn't smell like anything (which is good cuz some foundations smell funky...)
- Looks a bit powdery????? Not obvious, kind of like how you would look a little bit polished from using any other foundation...  but I happen to notice it more because I was switching between using this and Givenchy...  so I'd say the finish looks a bit more powdery COMPARED to Givechy.


Now onto Givenchy:



Volume: 0.8 oz.
Price: $44
SPF: SPF20 PA+++
Finish: Dewy

As you can see Givenchy has less product and a lot more expensive T口T

Highlights of this product:
- Glides on like water and blends really well
- Medium coverage
(that's why I said Shiseido is really comparable to Givenchy lol!! the consistency is almost the same, so is the coverage
- Smells amazing... very Givenchy XD the best-smelling foundation ever used
- Awesome pump that has perfect control over the amount (sorry I can't tell you about Shiseido cuz I don't have it)
- Major drawback for me: all the shades I have tried has this orange tint to it :/


Swatches


See what I mean about the orange tint?

The orange tint becomes apparent when you apply it on bigger areas... especially for me I don't use foundation all over my face, just on areas where I need some coverage, and the tint really makes my face look more orange than other areas where I didn't apply foundation. For this reason I always have to apply the whole face when I use Givenchy :(


My final verdict:

I love the Givenchy formula but I hate the shade (orange tint). I love the Shiseido shade but the formula is not as good. Also The dual balance control doesn't really have any effect on me (I didn't notice any difference between oiliness when I use Givenchy or Shisedo) and for me that should be the selling point of this Shiseido foundation. But aside from that I like Givenchy foundation better because I think Givenchy has finer particles? When I get oily the foundation still looks good, like I would look dewy instead of oily, and it doesn't really cake. But the Shisedo one cakes up just a little bit. Givenchy one I can pull off the day without touching up, but with Shisedo, the slight cakeyness makes me want to touch up.
And finally...
Givenchy smells AMAZING XD

*** BTW I ALWAYS SET MY FOUNDATION WITH POWDER, SO THE EFFECTS I TALKED ABOUT IS COMBINED WITH THE EFFECT OF LOOSE POWDER AS WELL, NOT JUST SINGLE USE OF FOUNDATION!!


It just really sucks that Givenchy has that orange tint... if I can have the Shiseido shade but Givenchy formula... it would be perfect... /__\

Hope you guys find this helpful~ :)

<3 Frances

Foundation reviews

 Hi hi!

So this is a comprehensive review I did a while back... but I updated some info so I thought I'd repost it :) All the foundations I've used/owned :D

1. Make Up For Ever HD Foundation


Price: $40

Volume: 30ml or 1.01 fl. oz.
Finish: matte

Pros:
- Spectacular range of shades! I think they have 24 shades with different tones, like peachy/rosey or more yellow undertone.
- Very good coverage. Buildable but will look too heavy if you apply too much.
- stays well for me ** However I know a lot of gurus said this foundation has horrible staying power

Cons:
- The pump SUCKS. It's like a "all-or-nothing" pump (haha reminds me of neuron firing... uhhh sorry... nerdiness kicking in again)... sometimes I just need a little bit more to touch up but the pump just doesn't allow me to do it... it'll just squirt out another pump of foundation that is enough for another face application :( if they fix the pump I think it's perfect.

- A little bit dry to work with, so if I'm using a foundation brush I always have to wet it first. But this foundation is great using your fingers cuz it really helps with blending (however using fingers gives you thicker coverage).

Will I go back to buy it?: No. I only use this foundation for tutorials, and occasionally for night-outs, because this foundation for me is too thick for every day use, and it actually breaks me out. So I figure 40 bucks is not worth it ^^;;

2. Bobbi Brown Smooth Skin Foundation


Price: $40 (Although I got mine at The Cosmetics Company Store for $28)

Volume: 30 ml or 1 fl. oz

My shade: Biege 3

Finish: matte

Pros:
- Easy to blend
- Natural coverage

Cons:
- I HATE the packaging! I feel like it's easy to contaminate. If I dip my brush/sponge in it then it's too much, so I'll always have to wipe my brushes on the back of my hand to get the excess off.
- I don't really like it cuz it just looks powdery on my face...
- It does slip and slide, so you will need to set it with powder

Will I go back to buy it?: Nope! (But I'm willing to try other Bobbi Brown foundations that have pumps :P)

3. Missha Perfect Cover B. B Cream

Price: I can't remember... I got it on e-Bay. I think it was under 15 bucks.

Volume: 30 ml

My shade: I got it in 23 which was a mistake, I should've got #21

Finish: matte

Pros:
- Good coverage
- Smells really nice!
- It's supposed to have skin benefits that help heal your blemishes while you wear it... which totally doesn't work for me cuz it makes me break out (so ironic haha).

Cons:
- Feels heavy on my skin.
- If I use my fingers to apply it, it makes my pores look HUGE. So I have to use sponge or stippling brush.
- For this specific line, there are only 2 shades.  


Will I go back to buy it?: Nope! (Although I know a lot of people rave about this...)


4. Givenchy Photo'Perfexion



Price: $44

Volume: 25ml

My shade: Perfect Honey

Finish: Dewy

Pros:
- Most moisterizing foundation I've used so far.
- Dewy finish makes my skin look super healthy :)
- Smells AMAZING! You can totally smell the Givenchy-ness ;)
- Sheer coverage (if you're looking for super good coverage this is NOT for you). But it's buildable!
- I LOVE the pump!!!! You have 100% control over the amount you want. If all the pumps are like this... sigh.

Cons:
- I've tried it in Perfect Gold (for medium olive complexions with neutral undertones) and Perfect Honey (for medium complexions with yellow undertones) and for some reason they all in my opinion have an orangey undertone... even when it's supposed to be yellow or neutral.

Will I go back to buy it?:  If I don't find another foundation that is as good then yes (cuz it's $44 for 25ml -___- so pricey!) I think it's a great foundation for everyday because it's sheer and very moisturizing. But I need to find a better shade. The people who work at Sephora aren't very helpful =_=


5. bareMinerals SPF 15 Matte Foundation


Price: $28

Volume: 6g or 0.2 oz

My shade: 1G, light

Finish: matte

Pros:
- Has natural ingredients :)
- Good coverage
- This is actually my go-to product... because usually I just need coverage for the redness around/on my nose, and it's just really easy and fast to use, plus it absorbs excess oil off my nose XD Not so well for the rest of the face though.

Cons:
- Doesn't stay on well for the rest of the face
- Will look uneven if your face gets oily by the middle of the day
- I also want to add if you want to mix this foundation with lotion to double it up as a liquid foundation... well this foundation powder doesn't mix very well for me. So I wouldn't recommend it if you're thinking about that.

Will I go back to buy it?: Maybe. But I still have a lot left XD


6. MAC Mineralize SPF 15 Foundation/Loose


Price: $29.5 (I got mine at The Cosmetics Company Store for $20.75)

Volume: 8g/0.3 oz

My shade: Light

Finish: Matte

Pros/Cons: I'm just gonna say it's very comparable to the bareMinerals one, except in my opinion bareMinerals is wayyy legit. This MAC one's staying power is not as well, and the coverage is not as good.
 
Will I go back to buy it?: NO


Please note that it's all my personal opinion :) what works for me might not work with you, or vice versa. I remember I was so excited when I got the B.B cream because a lot of ppl were raving about it... but I honestly don't like it. So you just have to try things out and find something that works best for you.

Right now my favorite would be The Givenchy for every day, because I'm huge on moisturizing.
MUFE is my favorite go-to when taking pictures (contains no SPF).

That's it! Thanks for reading :)

<3 Frances