REVIEW: RIMMEL STAY MATTE FOUNDATION

I've never tried Rimmel foundations prior to trying this one, so I wasn't sure what to really expect. Unfortunately, I don't think I will ever be buying a Rimmel foundation ever again thanks to the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation!

Let's talk about the packaging first. I actually enjoy it as it's small and compact and great for traveling. The product doesn't come out too fast and it's easy to control. It's also so cute, right?

I with the product was as great as the packaging. The consistency of this foundation is pretty thick and creamy. For me, this indicates that it's going to be medium to full coverage. I would compare the consistency to Revlon's Whipped foundation (which is my HG foundation). I immediately thought "Awesome! It's going to be just like my favorite foundation but have a matte finish." Once I started putting the foundation on, my hopes were sadly wrong. :(

I have dry-combination skin and boy did this foundation enhance the dryness to the extreme. The foundation stuck to my dry areas and also made my pores look HUGE. I've never had a huge problem with my pores, other foundations have been pretty good about minimizing them. Unfortunately, this foundation enhanced them like I've never seen before.

Definitely not a foundation for anyone that has remotely dry skin in the slightest. Don't even try layering this foundation if you want the full coverage because it becomes really cakey looking. I understand when you wear foundation it's not going to look 100% natural, but this foundation made it clearly apparent that you are wearing something on your face.

I tried using different primers underneath to see if this would help smooth my skin out enough for the foundation to lay on top of it and not cling to my dry spots. That was a major fail and I've come to the conclusion that this foundation just DOES NOT work for me at all. 

So to all you girls out there with dry-combination skin, I suggest you stay far away from this foundation as it will do nothing but enhance your dryness!

REVIEW: NAKED 3 PALETTE VS. NAKED 1 PALETTE

Okay, so life has gotten the best of me. It really makes me sad that I haven't found the time to update a blog that means so much to me! I am back once again with a review for you. :) 

A big thank you to my lovely boyfriend for buying this for me for Christmas (even though he thinks I have way too many eyeshadow palettes and did not need another one). After having the Naked 1 palette for almost two years, I was kind of skeptical about a new Naked palette. I wasn't really a super fan of Naked 2 as I felt like it was way too similar to the original to really invest $50. When I saw Naked 3, I almost died. Naked 3 contains 12 gorgeous rose toned shades that are completely different than Naked 1&2. I've posted a photo below of Naked 3 next to Naked 1 in order for you to compare the shades yourselves!

Naked 3 on the left Naked 1 on the right

While typing this right now, I realized I should have put them side by side where the shades both went darkest to lightest but you get the point! The main difference between the two palettes are clearly the warm colored tones vs. cooler, rose tones. I'm not going to lie, I was kind of intimidated by the pinkish hues as I didn't think for this reason the Naked 3 palette could be as versatile as the Naked 1. I was pleasantly surprised with how beautiful the Naked 3 shadows are (and they don't make you look like you have pink eye, one of the accusations I had).

Surprisingly, I actually now use my Naked 3 palette more frequently than 1. The lightest shade (Strange) in Naked 3 has a slight pink sheen to it in comparison to Naked 1's Virgin, which I actually prefer. It's the perfect highlighter shade for your brow bone as well as the inner corners of your eye. There are really no two shadows in both palettes that are a like, which I believe really makes you get your money's worth for a brand new palette.

My favorite shades in Naked 3 are Nooner (a matte dark mauve) and Limit (almost the same shade as Nooner, but a tad lighter. Also a matte shade!). I like mixing the two together and using it in my crease as it creates a really pretty deep mauve color that brings out my brown eyes.

I don't know if I'd be able to choose between Naked 1 and Naked 3 as I believe they're both great in their own ways, but I can definitely advise you to pick up the 3rd installment in the Naked franchise as you can create so many different looks with 12 gorgeous rose toned shades. :)