Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer

A friend from Kentucky was kind enough to pick up a few things for me when she came to KL for her annual family visit. One of the items she brought was Covergirl & Olay’s Simply Ageless Serum Primer. I was so very excited to try this to see if this primer was any good compared to Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and even Monistat Chafing Gel.

On the website, there are several claims which state:-

Hydrates and smoothes skin for an ageless canvas 

• Hydrates and smoothes skin for an ageless canvas
• Helps boost skin’s elasticity
• Creates a finish that looks instantly firmed

This product goes on above your moisturizer however, it says on the packaging tha you can forgo moisturizer and use this alone under make up. As with all products I use, I give it a minute or so to allow for it to be absorbed well. I instantly noted that this product did not feel like silicone but rather like cream on the face.

What I liked:-

Here is what it looks like.

I love the pump packaging which dispenses just enough product hygienically. It looks mousse like and has the consistency of moisturizer. I did not notice any fragrance which is great as I hate a medley of contradicting smells on me. It also did not feel like heavy silicone ‘sitting’ on my face.

As you can see above, the primer looks very white and I was afraid that it would leave a whitish cast on my face. After blending and patting it in, you can see a slight sheen but not a noticable white cast. 

What I did not like:-

Here is the sad truth….this is not for babes with oily or combination skin. I found the primer to be quite oily as early as two hours after application. This is totally the opposite of what I experience with my current primer which in fact works very well to manage, control and diffuse oiliness on the face. In fact, I really felt uncomfortable and I found that I needed to pat my face with a tissue throughout the day. This is totally not the case with my other primers. When my face became oily, I noted too that my make up did not stay fresh and I looked almost washed out. This was caused by two things:- Firstly, the greasiness 'melted' my make up causing the colors to fade and secondly, I kept constantly dabbing my face with a tissue and this also caused make up to come off onto the tissue.

Well readers, I did not give up on the product easily. I tried it again after some time and this time I chose to leave out my moisturizer thinking that this will contribute less to the oil slick I experienced the last time. Sadly the result was the same. My face did feel unusually greasy and I still needed to pat off the oil several times during the day. I tried applying a thin dusting of face powder at lunchtime but that just felt heavy and was not comfortable at all. Needless to say, my day at the office was not so pleasant.

The Verdict:-
Unless you have dry or mature skin this is a product that you can do without. I gave this to my mum and she has not experienced the extreme greasiness that I felt. Not a product that can challenge Smashbox Photo Finish Primer or even the cheaper Monistat Chafing Gel. I would not recommend this at all. It was worth a try just for this review though!

 

My Top Beauty Picks of 2011!

Here are some practices I started in 2010 and am continuing through 2011 and beyond. These are items which have become entrenched in my beauty routine now and I cannot do without them.

Meet my not so new friends – NYX Eye Shadow Base and Smashbox PhotoFinish Primer. These are the two additions to my beauty steps prior to applying makeup.

I love NYX Eye Shadow Base for the lasting power it gives my eye shadows and now I do not have to worry about that ugly oily crease that I get in my eye socket by midday. I used to be so self conscious about it and sometimes when I am busy at work and forget to check, I wonder how others would have felt when they had to look at the ugly light brown line on my eye where the oil had its way! Not any more…..i wonder why I did not discover this earlier, because it certainly has been a wonderful product. Initially I was skeptical as to whether this product would deliver as even though I had heard about Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, I had not come around to purchasing it due to the numerous complaints about its seemingly flawed design. There were hundreds of YouTube posts on how to depot what was in the cute bottle and that scared me a little, I must admit.

Well, the NYX ES Base indeed was a little surprise in a pot for me as the payoff was good, bright colors and most important of all, super staying power. Even when I walk out in the sunny heat for lunch, my eye does not get that oily crease-y gunk that looks terrible. I cannot say enough about how much I love this product.

When I finally got round to purchasing Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, I did not use it as much as I do my NYX. I have also (albeit, a little unfairly) not given it a spin and put it to the 12 hours and above test like my NYX. I guess I will have to get round to doing that soon and when I do, I will let you know how that went. In fact one day I am going to use UDPP on one eye and NYX ESB on the other and put it to the test that way!!

My other makeup staple now is the Photofinish Primer by Smashbox….which they have thankfully also repackaged! The old packaging was terrible and until this day I have not figured out how to get the last bit of Primer out of that damn package! I love how my face looks and remains fresh throughout the day with the Primer on and it really controls the oily shine that is so unsightly. I still need to pat my oily face with a tissue or Blotting papers after lunch everyday but even if I forget, the oil does not shine like a beacon on my face!

Another good substitute for this Primer, if you are a beauty on a budget is Monistat Chafing Gel. It is just as good as the Smashbox version only cheaper. I do use both interchangeably without preference for any one. I think Smashbox is slightly better at controlling my oiliness but just marginally so. I do not think Monistat can be purchased here in Malaysia (at least I have not seen it in the shops) but there are some online spreer’s that will be more than happy to purchase it for you.

Apart from these, I am also more aware of the need to exfoliate regularly and I use Clinique’s Exfoliating Scrub every two or three days. The grains in this gentle scrub are not abrasive and can be used often. It is 100% fragrance free and its top ingredient is water. I never realized how my pores can get clogged and thus resistant to absorbing all the good and expensive products I have bought for my skin until a recent experiment done by my favorite SA at Clinique (Pavilion). She cleansed my cheeks – one side with cleanser and the other she used the Exfoliating Scrub. She then applied my moisturizer on both cheeks and asked me to feel which side had absorbed the moisturizer best. Lo and behold it was the cheek that had been exfoliated that had completely absorbed the moisturizer! That side of my cheek felt smooth and satiny. The other side was still a little damp with my moisturizer just ‘sitting’ on my skin and after some vigorous rubbing, I then felt that the moisturizer had been absorbed. That too not as fully as the other cheek that was exfoliated.

We may sometimes think we know so much about makeup but there are still some tips and tricks we can learn that will benefit our skin greatly. It is one thing to talk about the benefits of doing something or using some product but until we experiment and see the results for ourselves, we will never know. So do try this little experiment for yourself with whatever Exfoliating Scrub you currently use and then see how well your moisturizer is absorbed. For my face, I have to exfoliate every three to four days in order for my moisturizer to properly be absorbed. The environment we work in also plays a big part in clogging our pores. A cleanser alone cannot wash away what is deeply embedded in our pores and the dust (heat and dust are our greatest enemies when it comes to clogged pores and being in the tropics, we cannot run away from these two things). So, surprise, surprise, our cleansers do clean what lies on the surface but a thorough exfoliation or even a deep clay mask will do the trick of cleansing from deep within.

What are your must haves for 2011 dear readers? Have you discovered a tip that was interesting? Do share!

Gripe! Smashbox Photo Finish Primer: Love this Product - HATE the Packaging!

I blogged about Smashbox Photo Finish Primer (which you can read here Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Review) and told you all about how much I love this primer. I still love it with a passion! Its the packaging I have a massive problem with! Am I the only one out there with a dud dispenser?

Just an update as to how difficult it is for me to use this product without first getting into a fight with the dispenser! If the powers that be at Smashbox ever come across this tiny corner of the blogosphere, please take note of my concern!

This product comes in a pump bottle and for the life of me, I can be pumping and pumping and the only thing that comes out is AIR! Where is my primer meanwhile? Well it sits pretty in the bottle and is in no rush whatsoever to come out and serve my face! Have you experienced this before? Well it's a daily battle for me!

I have tried everything....when I first bought the thing, I went back the very next day to replace my primer because it would not come out after repeated pumps but even then the new bottle had the same issues. I then tried storing the bottle on it's head but this only seemed to work temporarily. Mornings are such a rush that I don't have time to be pressing the dispenser 50 times to get a pinhead sized dollop of this primer so I tend to reach for my Monistat Chafing Gel which is easy as hell to dispense!

As you can see from the picture above, despite the issues I am having with it's packaging, I have used up a significant amount of the stuff and am on my last legs with it already. I cannot for the life of me get that last bit out and will need to unscrew the cap and pick it out with a cotton bud - I hate having to do that.....only because I have paid a lot for this primer and I would expect that for the amount I paid, at least I should get a device that works perfectly.

If any of you are facing the same problem as I, do share....at least I will know that I am not alone.

P/S:- Paris B of My Women Stuff pointed out in the comments section that this product has indeed been repackaged into a tube.....picture below! Thank God for small mercies! I can breathe easy now.....

Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer - An Experiment

I had been mourning the fact that my eye colors just did not pop the way it does on some ladies. The colors looked lacklustre and lacked the 'oomph' that I was after. Which is why I purchased Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer - many bloggers have reviewed different eye primers and the verdict seemed to suggest that eye colors would literally reach out and grab you if you put on a primer first.

This primer comes in one shade and melts into skin to provide a base for eye shadow. Below is a swatch of the color on the back of my hand:

I only recently discovered the power of primers and primers should be used over your moisturizer to keep your make up looking fresh, vibrant and long lasting - so  important to working women like me because I don't have time to check my make up every so often.

So I embarked on a little experiment to see if the use of a primer would brighten eyeshadow colors. The results, will shock you! Read on!

The Lid Primer comes with a doe foot applicator that dispenses just enough product for both eyelids. Just a

swipe of the applicator on each lid and then smooth the product all over the top lid. The product is very creamy and blends well.

 

I applied a color that was bright on its own and expected the color to really pop. This is NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Loose Pearl Shadow in True Purple Pearl. I applied primer on only one eyelid and the other was just a little loose powder.

Can you tell which lid has the primer on? You can't? Really?

Well, this is the lid WITHOUT the primer...... it's the lid on your left if you refer to the picture above

And this is the lid WITH primer........the lid on your right

My eyesight is not failing me right? I expected this experiment to really blow my socks off and it did........for the wrong reasons!

I expected one eyelid color to pop and the other to look lacklustre.....that did not happen. Both eye's look the same (one with a slightly thicker eye liner, my bad!) but otherwise, nothing to suggest that the primer did anything to enhance the eye color at all! Quite disappointing really.

On a more positive note, I wore the color for about 5 hours and after that, I did another assessment. The lid with primer did not crease and the color stayed the same whereas, on the primer-less lid, the color faded a little and creased too. So, for me the only concrete reason to use a primer would be to keep my eye colors looking fresh. It does not in any way make the color more vibrant as can be seen on the side without any primer.

Has anyone else experienced this? Should I go on using a specific primer for eye lids or just stick to covering the area with a little concealer and a light dusting of powder before I put on eyecolour?

From Dull To Darling in Benefit "That Gal" Face Brightening Primer

Benefit......I love the whimsy behind their product designs and this one had me from hello! I know what you are thinking dear readers, "has she gone into primer overdrive?" Hell yeah!

What caught my attention (apart from the packaging) was the fact that this adds a subtle youthful glow to the face when applied and makeup goes on evenly and lasts longer throughout the day. The primer also keeps my make-up in place - so necessary especially in the tropics where it can get really hot and humid.

This pink colored primer is creamy and feels much like a moisturizer. The light-reflecting pigments contained in the primer helps to brighten my face without the disco ball effect. Very appropriate for those who are looking to glow and not shine!

The packaging is also slightly different from what I have seen. It comes in a white plastic tube that has a hexagonal twist cover at the bottom and a mesh top that allows the product through with a twist. This is great because you twist out the amount that you need and no more.The product is not too runny that it spills out so there is little opportunity for creating a mess in the morning when you are in a hurry. The downside to the white packaging is that you are not able to judge the amount left in the tube. Also, it looks more cutesy than luxurious.

I apply the primer with my fingers and find that it is very easy to blend and it is absorbed very quickly. It contains raspberry and chamomile as well as sweet almond and algae extracts to help skin retain natural moisture. This quite explains it’s rather sweet, almost bubble gummy smell!

Please click on the photo to enlarge.

Here is a fun fact for you, dear readers:- Benefit was created in 1976 by twin sisters Jen and Jane Ford.

Smashbox Photofinish Primer is Da Bomb!

Everyone needs a best friend. This primer has become mine.

I must admit that the many reviews online got me lemming this primer for a long time. I was not disappointed and I believe I have joined the thousands or probably millions of women out there who think this is a great product.

My first taste of a primer came in the form of Revlon's Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer. This did not work for me because it felt heavy and just sat on my face. It did not do what I expected it to do which is give me a smoother complexion. My skin was also unable to 'breathe' the whole time I had it on and it was just not right for me!

I purchased the oil-free Smashbox primer because of my oily t-zone and with combination skin like mine, an oil-free product is always welcomed into my make-up family with open arms!

Start by applying your moisturizer and give it a minute to absorb into your skin. Then take a small amount of the primer....a half pump to start with. Smooth all over the face and you are ready to go on to the next steps of your routine.

I am so happy with this primer. I have noticed a considerable difference in many ways:-

• my face looks smoother
• my make-up stays put and looks fresh even towards the end of the day
• the primer has done wonders for the area under my eyes with fine lines. Prior to using this primer, my concealer used to settle happily into my lines and create horrible looking creases that made me look old and haggard. With the primer sparingly applied under my eyes, my concealer does not settle with a vengeance into the creases. I still do get some concealer settling in the lines because I tend to sweat easily there but all I need to do is pat the area under my eyes with my finger to smooth out the concealer and it looks as fresh as when I applied it. 
• the product is odorless as opposed to Revlon's primer which has an unpleasant smell.
• this primer feels light.
• I experienced no breakouts!

I am so pleased with this purchase and I forsee that it will be eternally part of my make-up arsenal. I love it.

Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer - Yay or Nay!

My first primer is this one by Revlon. I admit I was persuaded by a very flawless looking Jessica Alba to buy this. She made me do it!

I have had this for months and have only used it a couple of times. I used way too much of this product the first time, in my pursuit to achieve Jessica's smooth skin. The second time, I used much less.

This is a clear gel primer with silicone as the agent that provides smoothness as silicone sits on the lines and pores of your face. It is also advertised as having a clean fresh fragrance that is supposed to refresh the senses. 

Unfortunately, I did not like much about this primer, which is sad really as I had such high hopes. The feel of the silicone primer was something that I was not really used to and when I applied it on to my face, it felt like it was sitting there and my skin could not breathe - you know the feeling right? But then again, thats what it is supposed to do, sit on your face!

Thankfully though, I did not suffer any breakouts. If you have oily skin prone to breakouts, then you might want to approach this with caution.

To my horror also, my t-zone became an oily battlefield within 3 hours of using it which is not good because I work long hours and most times am too busy to be bothered with blotting every few hours. Sad to say, my make-up faded really quickly.

As for creating a smooth canvas by covering pores and fine lines, I did not see that happening. Another thing that I did not like was the fragrance which the product claims will refresh the senses.

Here is a list of the ingredients, which I must say was not contained on the product itself. 

Trisiloxane, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Peg/Ppg-19/19 Dimethicone, Aqua ((Water) Eau), Glycerin, Dimethicone/Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Alcohol Denat., Citrullus Vulgaris (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract), Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Iron Ferment, Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment, Saccharomyces/Potassium Ferment, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 80, Silica Silylate, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol.

Perhaps one tiny plus point is that it contains Pyrus Malus or apple fruit extract which is an anti-oxidant and aids in toning and exfoliating the skin.

At RM55, I will not repurchase this product again and it gets a big Nay from me.

Have you, dear reader, had a better experience with this?