So, to give you some history and a general disclaimer...the information provided to you as facts are from CoverGirl. I have no legal "ownership" to the claims about facts. Following the facts I am giving my honest opinion after using the product on myself. I am not being paid to share my opinion, I do however get to keep the makeup (lucky me in this case!!) and you can sign up to take part in campaigns too! It's not limited to people who have too much free time and write about beauty online ;)
Also, some history about myself and my skin. I have the most difficult to match skin when it comes to foundation. I have combination skin (dry in some areas, oily in others) and I have quite possibly the WORST skin care regimen ever. As in, I don't have one. I hate washing my face. My skin is so sensitive that medicated washes hurt very, very bad. I typically rub my face down in the shower with hot water only. I also don't remove my makeup. I've never suffered from bad breakouts (except around my hairline when I have bangs) and some blemishes in my T-zone, so I've never really cared to take that extra step. I also hate moisturizer. I have touch and sensation issues which has caused me great anxiety over things that are uncomfortable, and sticky skin is one of them. I feel absolutely GROSS if I'm sticky or slippery. Anyways, I digress...back to foundation. I am one who uses liquid foundation mostly because of the coverage. I have freckles and I don't sleep well, so I have dark undereyes pretty much all the time. I don't love liquid however because I typically feel sticky or dirty, but I've learned to deal with it in the name of beauty (or confidence, whichever you prefer.) I don't love powder foundation because my skin feels heavy after like it can't breathe. I do use it occasionally, however, because I live in Texas and it's freaking hot down here and regular foundation MELTS off and then, I sometimes resemble Mimi from the Drew Carey show. (If you have NO idea what I'm talking about, google it, you'll appreciate it.)
Without further adieu, my review.
To start: The facts, from CoverGirl.
- Provides a smooth, silky feel.
- Contains a refreshing cucumber water to help balance the creaminess on application.
- Made with hints of jojoba and rose hip extracts.
- Available in 14 shades ranging from light to dark tones.
- Oil-free, SPF 10 and dermatologically tested.
- Suggested to retail for $11.99
- (*****) Five stars. It's true, it leaves your skin feeling very smooth and soft, but I also feel velvety could be another word used here. There seems to be a soft texture versus what I associate with being "silky smooth" and having a slick texture.
- (*****) I'm not sure that it's the cucumber water that does it, but it does apply very smoothly and I didn't have any problems with pigmentation lines, as in, if you weren't to apply it 100% evenly, how it may appear darker and have a streak or line in one area versus another.
- (n/a) If you say so! I wouldn't know the difference, haha! A google search says that the chemical makeup of jojoba oil/wax is very similar to human sebum (oil) so that's great! It means that it mimics the services that our own natural oil does for our skin, which is to protect and moisturize and also maintain a healthy pH, so that's awesome! Rose hips are high in vitamin C (an antioxidant most commonly marketed for preventing or aiding the immune system in ridding the body of common germs, such as the common cold, or influenza) and also A & B, which are essential fatty acids and also antioxidants. It's also been prepared in some way to help relieve rheumatoid arthritis, showing some benefit as an anti-inflammatory. What does that mean for your skin? Well, I noticed my dark under eyes were not only covered, but seemed less puffy in my after picture. Its possible the rose hip in the foundation helped reduce the puffiness! (But I won't swear to that, I have a phD in google, not medicine.)
- (****-) Yep, only 4 out of 5 stars on this one. There are only 14 shades!? I got lucky that this particular shade matches me, but the darker ones seem to be the colors hit hardest. This definitely seems like a product marketed to the fairer skinned. Is that a bad thing? No, but compare it to Maybelline Fit with 18 shades, or L'Oreal TrueMatch in 24 shades, or even Revlon ColorStay (softflex) in 20 shades. I'm sure there are other CoverGirl foundations with more shades, but I'm talking about this one, and I was disappointed. However, since the color I got DOES match, and there are more than 8 or 10 shades, it gets 4 stars. I hope the rest of you have the same luck as I did!
- (*****) It is most definitely not oily. If it were, I would have been feeling slimy and gross, and I have not. It does feel slightly dewy, however. There's a light shimmer/glow to it that some might find to be too much (especially if they're used to matte finish) but it's not shiny.
- (****-) $11.99 seems a bit steep to me, however, I have considered that most brands suggest to retail at a higher price so that stores can offer a "discount" to seem like you're getting a great deal. I would predict finding it for $10.49 in stores instead as a "sale price." You know, kind of like how it seems Kohl's is ALWAYS having a sale. Seem suspicious yet? (:shiftyeyes:)
Things the experts don't list that I felt deserved mentioning:
The gloss balm - I didn't forget, but I am very wordy, so I'll keep it short. It's good. I may have said it was great before, but I'm on the fence. It's got a lot of moisture when you apply it, and it's not sticky, and the color is sheer for everyday use for people like me who play up the eyes over the lips, but its only "good." It didn't last very long, I felt like I was over applying because it seemed to "melt" onto my lips, and after it wore off, my lips felt very dry and cracked. I'm not sure if it's because they were in moisture shock in general (it's hot and dry here) or if it was the balm, but I haven't had this problem in the last month until I start using the balm....so I'm kind of questioning it.
- It doubles REALLY well as a mineral shadow primer. It's got a unique texture that is just enough to grab the mineral shadow without it just falling off the skin. In fact, it feels like the ELF primer, but nicer, with more moisture. My makeup has lasted all day (even including a long nap) without creasing, rubbing off or smudging and I didn't apply primer like I normally do. Added bonus - if you don't have to apply foundation AND primer - you don't end up with any weird lines or problems with the two mixing. Sometimes, when I use both, the primer actually becomes gooey if it mixes with the foundation and makes it difficult to apply shadow. With this, problem solved. Bye bye primer. (and hey, if you're buying sephora primer, or urban decay...hello saving money!) A+
- They call this full coverage! I had to dig to find that information. I have a feeling I know why they don't say that. Full coverage is usually associated with thick, goopy foundation. This is not, at all. In fact, it made my skin feel clean and tight and my pores looked smaller. A+
- It smells. It doesn't smell bad, on the contrary, it smells nice, but I was not expecting a fragrance. I'm not a huge fan of being able to smell my face, so I had really mixed feelings about this. It's not strong enough to stop me from using it - but it does cause me to rethink if I wear any perfume, or what scent I wear. No one else would notice a clash, but since the scent is right by my nose, I would be able the smell the two together. Oh, but I should note, even with the fragrance, it didn't burn the skin around my eyes like I was worried about. B-
- Most importantly, it stays. It is 95 degrees outside and I'm wearing a tee shirt and full length jeans and I'm quite warm and it didn't budge. It almost seemed to keep my face feeling cooler (maybe it allows more respiration than my former foundation so my face doesn't get so hot?) and I didn't end up with any weird sweaty "melty" spots. A++
The gloss balm - I didn't forget, but I am very wordy, so I'll keep it short. It's good. I may have said it was great before, but I'm on the fence. It's got a lot of moisture when you apply it, and it's not sticky, and the color is sheer for everyday use for people like me who play up the eyes over the lips, but its only "good." It didn't last very long, I felt like I was over applying because it seemed to "melt" onto my lips, and after it wore off, my lips felt very dry and cracked. I'm not sure if it's because they were in moisture shock in general (it's hot and dry here) or if it was the balm, but I haven't had this problem in the last month until I start using the balm....so I'm kind of questioning it.
So, here is my picture from last night after trying it - I can post more pictures if anyone is interested, please let me know.
Oh! I should add, BzzAgent and CoverGirl supplied me with coupons to pass out to friends as well, and I wish they had given me more that I could offer to all of you. Honestly, try it. I really, really like it!
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