Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Foundation

Finally, finally!

I caved. I have been waiting to get this product so long, that I may or may not have paid too much to get a hold of it. But finally!

The full name: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup. If you saw the post on the Instant Age Rewind Concealer, you would know that the concealer is what got me interested in the foundation. And I am happy that I decided to try it!

This foundation is lightweight, medium coverage, and incredibly easy to apply. I don't have too much to say about the merits of it's lasting power, but I would say that this foundation is situationally amazing.

Time for a story. One day, I was feeling pretty upset and I ended up crying. Unfortunately, I am not a pretty crier! My eyes get swollen, and my nose and the center of my face get pretty red and I look like a hot mess. I wanted to go to the grocery store, but I didn't want to go looking like I had obviously just cried, but I also wasn't particularly in the mood to carefully and meticulously apply my makeup. IN COMES THIS FOUNDATION TO THE RESCUE.

This foundation took absolutely no time to apply, was ridiculously easy to blend, and covered all the blotchy redness on my face. It erased all the evidence of my tears! It was a miracle worker, a time saver, and was perfect for that moment.

The finish is definitely not matte, and would maybe be considered between satin and dewy. The applicator makes putting on the product a breeze and is a great time saver. There is a slight chemical smell to the product, but it's nothing too offensive.

Again, I wouldn't be sure about recommending this for the lasting power. But if you have somewhere you need to be and want to get out of the house in a few minutes and want to even out your skin, this would be a good option!

Rating: 3.8 out of 5

~Tiffany

Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution vs. CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser

I am kind of a skincare fanatic.  It all started in high school when I had stubborn acne that wouldn't go away no matter what I did.  No matter how diligently I washed, moisturized, ate cleanly, drank water, visited the dermatologist, and prayed to the gods of good skin, my angry red bumps just didn't go away.  I found it to be the most frustrating thing in the world, as anyone with acne will understand.  Once the acne finally started fading, I became obsessed with keeping my skin under control.  I knew I never wanted to deal with bad acne again (who does?).  So, researching skincare products and reading online reviews became one of my favorite pastimes and I learned a lot about different brands, ingredients, and products in the skincare world.  Cleansers are one of those things that are important to get right in your skincare regime, because they must keep your skin clean without stripping it of all its moisture and throwing it off balance.  Here's a couple of my favorite cleansers, each at drastically different price points, pitted against one another:

Two years ago I stopped using foaming cleansers and switched to Dermalogica's Essential Cleansing Solution.  It has a lotion-y consistency rather than a soapy one and since it doesn't get sudsy like most cleansers, it almost feels like it's not cleansing at all.  However, it worked wonders for my skin and I found that using a gentler, non-foaming cleanser made my skin softer, more moisturized, and much less oily throughout the day.  I also didn't notice any more breakouts than with the foaming cleanser (less actually) so it must do a great job of cleansing as well.  I like that the Essential Cleansing Solution doesn't contain any fragrances or dyes, and I like the additions of safflower oil, vitamin C and E for skin conditioning.  It's an all-around great cleanser and I have no complaints about it's performance.  But that price though...It is very expensive for a cleanser, and it's hard to justify paying $36 for 8oz. of something that is going to be washed down the drain, even if it is really great.

I decided to try CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser to see if it measured up to Dermalogica.  The consistency is kind of like a gel/lotion, and like the Essential Cleansing Solution, it doesn't lather up.  It contains ceramides and hyalauronic acid (shoutout to Lisa Eldridge on YouTube for educating me on this ingredient) which help moisturize and protect skin.  It also doesn't contain any fragrances or dyes.  Check check check.  As far as it's performance, I've been using it nearly a month now and it has kept my skin smooth, moisturized, oil-balanced, and clean.  Also, it's $12 for a 12oz pump bottle.  Not bad.

So, in conclusion, the Dermalogica and the CeraVe cleanser are equivalent products that do an equivalent job.  They are both great, but it is safe to save your money (save lots of money!) and go for the CeraVe!


~Ashley

Review: Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleansing Oil

I was looking for something gentle to remove my makeup when I bought this cleansing oil.  It seems like most makeup removers on the market are so harsh as they sting your eyes and dry out your skin, and the gentler ones like Bioderma just take a little too much time/effort/product to do a proper job.  Well here comes Philosophy Purity Made Simple to the rescue!  It is gentle AND effective at removing all my makeup in one fell swoop.

This magical oil has lots of ingredients, many of which I do not recognize, which is slightly scary, but it appears to be a mix of different oils plus water and some kind of emulsifier.  The oil is very thin and will run all over the place if you're not careful.  The technique to this stuff is to pour a little into one palm, dampen the fingertips of the opposite hand, and then use your fingertips to massage the oil in circular motions around your dry face and over your eyes.  I probably massage for about a minute before I rinse it off with warm water.  The great thing about this oil is that is takes off ALL my makeup the first time!  It leaves not a trace on my skin or eyes.  It has easily removed tough mascaras, waterproof eyeliners, foundations, BB creams, you name it.  It does sometimes get in my eyes and blur my vision until I can rinse it out (because it is oil, but that really scared me the first time), which is unfortunate, but it doesn't sting or irritate them and leave them red like lots of makeup removers.  I always follow this cleansing oil with my normal facial cleanser because I don't like the slightly oily film it leaves behind and I want to make sure my skin is completely clean.  With this method, I never saw an increase in breakouts and I think this oil helped keep my skin moisturized through the dry winter months.

I paid $18 for mine back in autumn but I just checked Ulta's website and it looks like they're selling it for $25.  It is quite pricey but mine has lasted me a long time.  I'm not sure if the ingredients are quite worth that cost.  My next endeavor is to try a pure oil like coconut or jojoba to see if they do as good a job at removing my makeup for a fraction of the money.  I hope so....

Overall, I highly recommend the Philosophy cleansing oil for its makeup removing power if you are willing to shell out the cash, but check back in the future for my report on purer and cheaper oils!  

~Ashley

Double Take: Four Eyes Reviews Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

Here's our take on the concealer everyone on YouTube raves about, full name: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer with Goji Berry & Haloxyl. Phew!

Ashley 
Concealer might be my most important makeup item, and it is definitely the hardest to find a good one.  I've been loyal to the Amazing Cosmetics concealer for 3 years now for the great coverage it provides, but I've become increasingly dissatisfied with the dull finish it leaves and the cakiness and creasing after a few hours of wear.  Also the exorbitant price.  But as a makeup snob, I've never found a drugstore concealer up to par so I was skeptical of this Maybelline one before I bought it, even with all its hype.  I'm so happy I made the leap though because it did not disappoint, and now I have a great concealer for less than 1/4 the price of my old one!  Yay!!
I bought mine in the color 'Light' at Ulta for...was it $7?  I can't remember, but it was in the $5-$8 range.  It comes with a fuzzy sponge applicator on top and you wind the product to distribute it through the applicator.  I'm not a fan of the applicator I have to say, because every time I swiped it under my eyes the concealer got all in my bottom lashes and it applied too much.  Not a major problem though, because I can use my finger to dab the product from the applicator onto my skin.  The coverage is good enough to cover my dark circles and any redness in my skin.  The finish is somewhere between luminous and matte.  That's to say it doesn't look wet and shiny and it doesn't look dry and cakey; it strikes a nice natural-looking balance.  I've found it to fade only slightly throughout a long day of wear and it doesn't crease at all on me. I love it!

P.S. What on earth is goji berry and haloxyl?  I looked them up and found that goji berries are full of antioxidants and vitamin A which are great for skin, and haloxyl is a man-made compound that is supposed to remove dark pigments from skin and reduce the appearance of broken capillaries over time.  I can't speak to their benefits in this concealer because I don't know if there is even enough to make a difference.  I can say I haven't seen a change in the short time I've been using it.  I wish beauty product's skincare benefits always lived up to their claims but sadly that is not usually the case so I don't expect to see much of a change in the skin around my eyes.  At least it's nice to know they tried!


Tiffany
This concealer is a wonderful product from the drugstore. The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer is incredibly blendable which is something I absolutely love! It also does not crease on me or settle into fine lines, and it looks very natural. Many people also love the Maybelline Fit Me concealer for the under eye area, but I think the Instant Age Rewind does a better job of looking natural.

Another positive point on this concealer for me is the packaging. I love the sponge applicator! It is incredibly soft and spreads the makeup quickly and evenly across the areas where I need it. It makes my makeup application so fast and easy when I have places to be! The way I apply it is I swipe it under my eyes, and blend it with my Sephora Airbrush Concealer brush. 10 seconds: done!

This concealer also does a great job of brightening the under eye area. For me, it cancels out the darkness which can drag down my eyes and make me look tired. It makes me look fresh and awake, without looking like I have on makeup!

Another thing I like about this concealer is the wear. It doesn't settle into fine lines during the day or come off patchy, or do any other sketchy things that makeup can do. It fades a bit after a while, but in a natural way, which is a check plus in my book! (The natural, not the fading :3)

One negative about this concealer though is that if you apply it directly onto dry spots, it will accentuate them on your skin. So if you have a dry under eye area, I can't recommend this in good conscience (unless you have some magic techniques to make it work, then you do you boo).

Rating: 4/5

I would definitely repurchase this product, and it has actually gotten me interested in the foundation. I have been wanting to pick it up for the last week and a half and have checked several places and it's always out of stock in my color! So unfortunate, but if I can ever get my hands on it, I might write a post! Let us know with comments or suggestions whatever you are interested in :) 

Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana

This "bronzer" has been a recent favorite of mine! And by recent, I mean that I have been wearing it almost daily over the last several weeks--none of that first impressions nonsense! The word bronzer is in quotes because unless you were the color of a sheet of paper, this product would have no bronzing effect (it looks darker in this particular picture than in real life). However, this powder works beautifully as a subtle highlighter.

I picked this up at my local Walgreens on sale for $2.50 (AMAZING) but the regular price is closer to $3.50. And for the makeup world, $3.50 is incredibly affordable!

This bronzer gives the most beautiful glow to the skin in sunlight! I like wearing makeup that doesn't look very obvious, which is why I love this product. There aren't any chunks of glitter or obvious shimmer, and I don't feel self conscious going out into the bright California sun. I feel that natural light is very unforgiving if you have overdone makeup, but I always feel safe with this highlighter!

Reserve Your Cabana doesn't come across as strongly as some other products (ex. Nars Albatross), but some days I don't want all of that. For days I go to work or if I will be outside, I want a pretty product that I can quickly swipe on without being particularly careful, and will leave me with a healthy looking glow (and not like a disco ball). For this purpose, and for this price, I believe this product cannot be beat!

S/N The name of the bronzer is just too cute, does it make anyone else crave a holiday at the beach??

Rating: 4.5/5

Edit: here is a picture where you can see how light this product actually is!