Too Faced Cocoa Powder Foundation Review + Integrate Mascara Primer+ Fasio Mascara

Hello!

Sooooooo.... I'm well aware that I've talked about this foundation many many times and you guys are probably sick of hearing about it XD  but I thought I'd come back and do an update anyway.


Here are all my Instagram related thoughts

Matching myself at sephora for #toofaced #cocoapowderfoundation I feel like there isn't a perfect match but golden light seems pretty close. Light is relatively neutral but a bit on the pinker side for my liking

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Sep 6, 2014 at 11:37am PDT

Quick arm swatch

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Sep 6, 2014 at 11:38am PDT

First impression: TooFaced Cocoa Powder Foundation is pretty nice 😄 it gives sheer to light coverage-- The first thing I noticed was that the coverage is lot less than my Lancôme and Paul & Joe powder foundations. Don't think I can ever build it up to medium coverage though. The finish is soft matte... With a soft focusing effect 👌seems to have decent oil control but not sure... Cuz I wasn't oily at all today... But that might be because I was using the Clinique smart custom repair serum and that's new to me lol. Shade Golden Light works perfectly for my NC20-25 skin. Personally love the milk chocolate smell 😍 but I can see why some ppl would find the chocolate smell a bit "artificial" #toofaced #cocoapowderfoundation #foundation #makeup #beautyblogger #review #firstimpression #goldenlight #nc20 #nc25

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Nov 8, 2014 at 9:35pm PST

Final verdict of the TooFaced cocoa powder foundation: I classify it as decent lol! More of a novelty product. It's nice but it doesn't adhere to the skincare as well throughout the day (will start to look slightly powdery when I get oily. I prefer my lancome and Paul & Joe powder foundations. Also the coverage is really light and not buildable. Good when I'm going for a natural look or when I want to use it to set my liquid foundations

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Nov 17, 2014 at 8:24pm PST

Okay, so that's where I left off. I pretty much didn't use this foundation for a good 4 or 5 months?! Was trying to focus on finishing my Paul & Joe powder foundation and haven't really been setting my liquid foundations, so I kind of had no use for it lol. But one day I saw it and told myself not to be wasteful lol and for the last several weeks I've been using it. I'm not sure if it's because I moved to Cali, aka dry climate, but it has been performing quite okay on me these days!



My shade is Golden Light. Had to put a piece of paper towel underneath so the color would show up more true to color




Finger swatch



I never really get it whenever I hear ppl say how the TooFaced Chocolate eye shadow palette/Cocoa powder foundation feel very buttery... -_-? They both feel very chalky to me. Finely milled, yes, but buttery? No. But worry not my friends the powder doesn't apply chalky lol! I think as long as you use the right tool, you should be fine. Don't know about the eye shadows, but I feel like they probably won't do very well if you try to apply them with fingers. I used to want that eye shadow palette so badly but ever since swatching the shadows in person I got over it lol.



Texture is definitely on the dry and chalky side.




Blended out


Don't use this picture as a guide/reference... obviously I blended the powder out with my fingers, which never works hahaha.


Took the paper towel away so you guys can kind of see it with different lighting, haha.



So this is my powder foundation routine-- after skincare, sunscreen, I would use a "highlighter" on my forehead, nose bridge, around the mouth and chin.

Some days I omit this step and just do the highlight after the powder foundation. Of course, that'd be my "fancy" routine... sometimes I just omit highlighting altogether, who cares LOL.


Lol uh.... excuse my super puffy eyes/face. Literally just woke up -_-

Most of the time I don't drag the highlight all the way to the tip of my nose... was just experimenting that day lol. Then I just pat the highlighter in gently with my fingers till the edges are smooth.



Finish of this powder is matte, and slightly blurry effect.





Usually after I'm done with my full face of makeup, I'd set it with a facial mist (no particular brand... just whatever I have on hand. Feel like it doesn't really matter). I usually only use a mist if I'm wearing powder foundation, I found that this extra step really helps powders wear a lot longer and nicer.

I actually forgot if I took these pics before or after misting my face down... uhhh my bad LOL.


Haha ma face makes the compact look so dainty in comparison.




















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After about 6.5 hours


Lol I changed my lip color that day, just for the heck of it.



Not bad at all right?!






Cool beans. This foundation agrees with the California climate. Haha



Bonus review~

The mascara/primer currently on my rotation: Fasio Smart Curl mascara (you can see the packaging here), and the Integrate mascara primer


... it was a pure mistake that I bought the mascara in brown =_= meant to get the black one. But I've got to say... this is a good brown mascara! The brown is deep enough, and not too red! (Unlike the brown Innisfree Skinny Macrocara... that one gets a thumbs down from me. The brown is too light and I can't tell apart my lashes from my eyeliner. AND the brown was really red. No like!)


The combo. I'm digging the Fasion mascara! Actually quite thickening on the lashes. The wand is very fat (lol) and curved. The bristles are somewhere between comb/bristles. Very separating. Me like ^_^ Wish I got it in black. 


And I think I've talked about it before... the Integrate mascara primer is good. It's not mind blowing but it does the job. Obviously liked it enough to repurchase, especially it's quite cheap and cheerful (I think it's actually almost half the price of the Majolica Majorca primers?! Not sure maybe it's not that cheap, but definitely on the affordable end of drugstore makeup).




<3 Frances

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister Review... and Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam and Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascaras

Hi all!

Haven't done a mascara review in a long long time! That's because I'm just making my way steadily through my stock pile of Majolica Majorca mascaras xD For those who have been reading my blog for a while, you all know I've been using MJ since high school/undergrad.... it's been a love affair for almost 8 years now O_o!!

I thought I'd do a review on this MJ mascara today though cuz I think it was a new release from last year??? Or something... maybe there's a newer one since then lol. Anyway it was actually my first time trying it out. I only bought one just because I wasn't sure if I'd love it as much as I love the older formulas.

It's called the Lash Expander Edge Meister.



Edge Meister?? What does that even mean?? lol.


Can we just please take a moment to appreciate how CUTE this pink butterfly design is!!!!! Hahahah I'm so easily excitable.

For Chinese readers... 給中文讀者 =D





Like most of MJ mascaras, it also has a double-sided comb feature.


I never bothered looking at ingredients for mascaras... but here's the list in case you're interested lol.



You can see this mascara is PACKED with fibers. Immediately I was worried about the fibers flaking off during the day and getting into my eyes X_x

I actually did find utility with the double-sided comb... usually with MJ mascaras I tend to just use the "regular" side, but this one, I found that after coating my lashes using the regular (right) side, I can use the "detailed" (left side) to add the fibers to the tips of my lashes to build length. Although I mostly only do it when I have a lot of time xD  On the packaging though it says the "detailed" side is designed for getting to inner/outer corners/hard to get lashes (I'm not really sure how that works... since the comb is actually wider for the "detailed" side...)  or to add emphasis to the lashes.


Essentially this mascara is marketed for extra lengthening-- 1.3x length to be exact.  Let's see how the mascara works shall we?


Ayyy! Not bad! It gives a very clean, separated look. I like!
PS: I do have my MJ mascara primer on

Here's better picture.

I can definitely say this is the most lengthening mascara I've ever used... even more so than the Benefit They're Real! Mascara that I liked so much a while ago. But I do have to use the comb to build the fibers on the tip of my lashes though, otherwise it performs just like any regular MJ mascaras.







Now onto the things I DON'T like about this mascara:
1. It does flake. Just a little. Thankfully the flakes never fall into my eyes, but on average I usually find 1 or 2 pieces of fiber sitting on my cheek or my lower eyelid. Boo! :(  So I have to check in the mirror to make sure I don't walk around showing off mascara fibers lol. Although strangely, I found this mascara doesn't flake as much (if at all) when I don't use my MJ primer.

2. It does make my eyelashes droop... just a wee little. Not too bad though cuz as you can see in the pics, my lashes still have a good curl, I just noticed I do lose a tiny bit of curl when I use this mascara. It's the same with or without my MJ primer, which is kind of interesting. 


My overall thoughts?
Not my favorite mascara cuz I like fuss-free products, but I really really like the lengthening XD who doesn't like some more length in their lashes lol.

Will I repurchase?
I think I will, but I want to try just using this to add length to the tip of my lashes, with regular MJ mascaras underneath. Maybe that will minimize the fall-outs/flaking. I ran out of all my MJ mascaras so I won't be able to test out my hypothesis for a while XD but when I do I will make sure to do an update.

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Now onto some bonus mini reviews XD


Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara






My overall experience/thoughts:

1. Super wet formula, I have to scrape off a ton of it before I can apply it to my lashes, otherwise it gives a very clumpy/messy look. Really have to make sure the wand is "clean" otherwise the finish is pretty clumpy and unflattering.
2. It makes my curled lashes go stick straight. With my MJ primer then it works fine.
3. This is the hardest-to-remove mascara I've ever encountered. Which is shocking cuz my MJ mascaras, which are invincible to smearing/smudging/whatever, aren't that hard to remove (at least with cleansing oil/cleansing cream/cleansing balm). I found that I have to take extra time for wait for this to melt off. Really annoying actually.
4. I don't mind using it up with the help of my MJ primer, but I will not repurchase.



Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara






My overall experience/thoughts:
1. I mentioned on my Instagram for my first impression that I really liked it. But after I used it for a week straight I changed my mind. It makes my lashes DROOP. Even with my MJ primer. It's insane. I really don't know how I got it to work the first time, but it had never worked ever since. Boo!
2. Gives a relatively clean, separated lash look, which I do like. However, the con majorly outweighs the pro.
3. I stopped using it. Now I put it in my on-the-go makeup bag in case I ever have a mascara emergency. Will not repurchase.

That's all for the mini reviews! Hope some of you found it helpful!



By the way, wearing the Innisfree Long Wear Cushion foundation in these pics, in case you're wondering.

Have you tried MJ mascaras? Do you like them? What's your favorite mascara?

Can't believe tomorrow is already Monday T_T Let's all banish the Monday blues shall we? Fighting~~~ LOL (feel so weird saying it cuz I'm not Korean).


<3 Frances