Tag Archives: Beauty Blender

Is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge a Dupe for the Beauty Blender?

Posted in Make Up, Makeup, Normal Skin, Oily Skin, Primers, Review, Skin Care, Uncategorized by

Well is it?!   It seems everything I’ve watched and read, the opinions are divided.  Either people love it and never buy another Beauty Blender or they hate it and declare nothing can come between them and their Beauty Blender.  Since the internet could not give me a definitive answer I decided that meant I had to find out for myself.

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I bought a Beauty Blender within six months of it making its debut.  I have to say I really like it and until the Real Techniques Sponge I hadn’t been able to find anything close.  I bought a kinda look-a-like sponge from Target and also one I found at Marshalls.  Both were a disappointment as they were hard and didn’t give me the coverage that the Beauty Blender did.  I was then on the “Only Beauty Blender” bandwagon.

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When Real Techniques came out with their sponge I wasn’t going to give it the time of day as I’d been fooled before and didn’t see the sense in wasting my money.   Fast Forward to the end of 2015 and I’d seen a few of my favorite You Tubers and Beauty Bloggers say they really like the Real Techniques sponge… and then Ulta ran a special on Real Techniques… so yeah I mean really the Universe wanted me to buy this right?!

Ok, so here is the down and dirty aka my opinion.  Is the Real Techniques Sponge a dupe for the Beauty Blender?  Its close but no cigar… but, its still a good product and I think the closest thing you can find to a Beauty Blender.

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  • It is softer then any of the other sponges I’ve used but the Beauty Blender is softer.
  • I like the flat edge as its good for blending in around the nose and under the eyes.
  • It holds a little more water then the Beauty Blender so it also soaks up more product.
  • Using Heaver concealers and foundations I can’t tell a difference between the two.  But using a lighter or more watery product I feel like the Beauty Blender gives me more bang for my buck aka more coverage.

 

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge $6.99 at Ulta 

Beauty Blender $20.00 at Sephora 

7 Days of Makeup Geek #6

Posted in Acne, Blush, Bronzer, Combination Skin, Dry Skin, Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, Favorites, Foundation, Hits, Lipstick, Make Up, Makeup, Mascara, Normal Skin, Oily Skin, Powder, Primers, Review by

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Unexpected on inner third of eye lid and Glamorous on outer third with Sigma E20   Cocoa Bear blended in crease with Sigma E35; Corrupt used as liner on upper lid using Sigma E15;  Glamorous and Unexpected mixed and used together on lower lash line with a clean E15; Filled in brows with the e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit in Light. Two coats of L’ORÉAL Extra Volume Collagen Mascara in Black on top lashes and one coat on bottom lashes.  ** All Shadows used can be bought individually or in the Makeup Geek Starter Kit and Z-Palette Bundle **

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The rest of my face..  Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme Foundation in Buff applied with a damp Beauty Blender.  Dusted face with Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder in Porcelain Ivory with Sigma F30. Used Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer  and light contour; applied with Sigma F35  and blended out with e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush.  Elizabeth Mott “Tints and Sass” used as blush, blended with fingers (review here)  On the lips is  Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain in Miami Fever (review here) 

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7 Days of Makekup Geek #5

Posted in Acne, Blush, Bronzer, Combination Skin, Dry Skin, Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, Favorites, Foundation, Hits, Lipstick, Make Up, Makeup, Mascara, Normal Skin, Oily Skin, Powder, Primers, Review by

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Applied Drama Queen all over eyelid using Sigma E20;  Unexpected  blended in crease with Sigma E35;  Shimma Shimma was layered over the Drama Queen across the eyelid.  Drama Queen and Unexpected used as liner on upper lid and on lower lash line using Sigma E15;  Applied two coats of Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara (review) to upper lashes and one coat to lower lashes.  ** All Shadows used can be bought individually or in the Makeup Geek Starter Kit and Z-Palette Bundle **

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The rest of my face..  Estee Lauder Double Wear in Ecru 1N2 applied with a damp Beauty Blender.  Dusted face with Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder in Porcelain Ivory with Sigma F30. Used Tarte Hotel Heiress (this seems to be discontinued as I can’t find it! 😦 ) as bronzer and light contour; applied with Sigma F35  and blended out with e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush.  Used e.l.f Studio Blush Brush to apply Coastal Scents Forever Blush in Elegant.  On the lips is e.l.f.  Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose

 

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7 Days of Makeup Geek Day #4

Posted in Acne, Blush, Bronzer, Combination Skin, Dry Skin, Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, Favorites, Foundation, Highlight, Hits, Lipstick, Make Up, Makeup, Mascara, Normal Skin, Oily Skin, Powder, Primers, Review, Uncategorized by

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Applied Prom Night all over eyelid using Sigma E20;  Crème Brulee blended in crease with Sigma E35;  Drama Queen used as liner on upper lid and on lower lash line using using Sigma E15;  Applied two coats of Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara (review) to upper lashes and one coat to lower lashes.

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The rest of my face..  Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme Foundation in Buff applied with a damp Beauty Blender.  Dusted face with Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder in Porcelain Ivory with Sigma F30. Used Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer  and light contour; applied with Sigma F35  and blended out with e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush.  Nars Deep Throat blush applied with Sigma F10.  On the lips is Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait topped with Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain in London Posh. 

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7 Days of Makeup Geek Day #3

Posted in Avon, Blush, Bronzer, Combination Skin, Dry Skin, Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, Favorites, Foundation, Lipstick, Make Up, Makeup, Mascara, Normal Skin, Oily Skin, Powder, Primers, Review by

Applied Creme Brulee all over eyelid using Sigma E20; Glamorous blended in outer corner with e.l.f. Studio Contour Brush; Cocoa Bear blended in crease with Sigma E35; Mocha used as liner on upper lid using Sigma E15;  Glamorous and Mocha mixed and used together on lower lash line with a clean E15; Applied two coats of Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara (review) to upper lashes and one coat to lower lashes. Filled in brows with the e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit in Light.  ** All Shadows used can be bought individually or in the Makeup Geek Starter Kit and Z-Palette Bundle **

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The rest of my face..  Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation in Ivory mixed with Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in Classic Ivory 2 applied with a damp Beauty Blender.  Dusted face with Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder in Porcelain Ivory with Sigma F30. Used Tarte Hotel Heiress (this seems to be discontinued as I can’t find it! 😦 ) as bronzer and light contour; applied with Sigma F35  and blended out with e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush.  Tarte Cheek Stain in Flush as blush and blended with fingers.  On the lips is Avon Ultra Color Lip Crayon in Carefree Coral 

 

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Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation Review

Posted in Acne, Combination Skin, Dry Skin, Foundation, Make Up, Makeup, Normal Skin, Oily Skin, Review, Uncategorized by

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Next to my quest to find the perfect mascara, foundation is a close second on the holy grail search.  I bought the Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation about a month ago and have used it six or seven times in different conditions so I think this will be an honest assessment. First off lets take a look at the advertisement for this foundation:

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First off Emma Stone is beautiful with or without makeup. I like to look at “celebrities without makeup” photos to remind myself that everyone has flaws.  Emma without makeup is beautiful, she has gorgeous skin. That could be good genes, a awesome dermatologist or a combination of both. But this photo is totally airbrushed, as are most advertisements selling foundation,      NO ONE IS PORELESS!   But I will say that this foundation did give a ‘nearly naked’ look with a fair amount of coverage.

First Impression: This foundation is quite thin and borders on runny.  I was concerned with a such a thin consistency there would not be great coverage and I would  really have to work with it to cover my redness and acne scars. For a drugstore brand and such a thin formula I was presently surprised at the coverage.  I did need to apply two coats but it layered very well and did not look cakey.

Application: I applied this foundation with my Sigma F80 Kabuki Brush and with a Beauty Blender on separate occasion. Both worked well, I think I prefer the brush a little more, as I didn’t have to work quite as hard to blend.  I did need to apply concealer to a few spots but not as many as I thought I would.  This coverage is pretty good for covering light scaring and redness.

Conclusion: The first time I wore this foundation I was in a hurry and did not apply a powder, which was not smart on my part as I have super oily skin.  Around noon I was shiny and the foundation started to gather around my mouth and nose area. So lesson learned I will make sure to set this foundation with a powder.  Another time I wore this foundation I spent part of the day outside in 87 plus degree weather and Florida humidity.  Even with primer, setting spray and power this foundation did not last long on my oily skin.  Last week I spent all day inside a very cool room attending a class.  The only time I was outside was walking to and from my car.  By late afternoon I noticed the foundation gathering again around my mouth and nose area (this was after about 6 hours).  I touched it up and when I checked in the mirror again before leaving (about 8 hours in) I noticed it was also pulling around my cheeks.

So all in all I think this is great foundation for those with normal or dry skin.  I don’t think it is oily skin friendly for long term wear.  If you are only going to need to look good for a few hours then give it a try.  I will hang on to what I have left and try it again in the winter when my skin is not quite so oily.

Have you tried the Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation? What were your results? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!