Product Rave-iew: Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour Long Lasting Makeup

Hi everyone!

I'm back to share with you another AMAZING foundation! When I tried the Essence Clear & Matt Oil-Free Foundation and wrote a review about it, a lot of people told me to try the Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour Long Lasting Makeup because they said it is way better. It took me half a year before I could find the chance to finally try it out and now, I fully understand why those people said that this foundation is way better.

I'm planning to do another 1-brand makeup tutorial featuring Essence cosmetics and I wanted a foundation with fuller coverage. Since the two Essence foundations that I have (Clear & Matt and Soft Touch Mousse) can only provide light coverage, I decided to buy another Essence foundation. When I swatched the Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour foundation, I was sold. I was impressed with the consistency of this foundation that I decided to buy it without hesitance.

Product Name: Essence Stal All Day 16-Hour Long Lasting Makeup

Shade:  Soft Beige

Price: P299.00

Available at: SM Department Stores / Watsons

PACKAGING

- This foundation comes in a plastic bottle which I thought was a tin can. It contains 1 fluid ounce of the product which is pretty standard or typical for liquid foundations. The bottle comes in a pump which I absolutely love.

SHADE AVAILABILITY

- Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour foundation is available in 4 shades only. I hope they can come up with more shades. This shade that I got, Soft Beige, looks a bit orange-y once it sets on the skin. This is the closest to my natural skin color thought that's why I chose this and since it matches my skin color already, I always set it with a translucent powder instead of a colored setting powder.

CONSISTENCY AND TEXTURE

- This foundation is very creamy, almost like a mousse. When I apply it on the back of my hand, it doesn't run but the consistency is not really that thick. It has a silky texture that's why it's always a joy to apply and to blend.

COVERAGE AND FINISH

- The coverage is medium to full. It can definitely conceal imperfections on the face. With just one layer, it can already cover dark circles around the eyes, redness of the skin and lighter pimple scars. For darker and bigger spots, you might need two layers to fully conceal them. Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour foundation almost has a semi-matte finish and it sets really well on the skin. This foundation claims to give you a flawless, silky complexion and I ABSOLUTELY agree.

AWESOME COVERAGE AND FINISH!!!

Watch my review/demo video here:

LONGEVITY

- The longevity of this product is really commendable. It stays on for long hours on my skin. I've tried wearing this for longer that 16 hours. Since I have oily-combination skin, I got oily on my t-zone area by the middle of the day but very slightly. At the end of the day, it had already faded a little around the nose area and under my eyes but overall, the coverage still looked pretty great. It's a shame that I didn't get to take photos during that time so I did another road test but with shorter time.

PHOTO TEST

BEFORE (7:30PM)

AFTER 4.5 hours (12:00MN)

Overall, I can say that the Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour Long Lasting Makeup is an AMAZING product. The quality is really awesome yet the price is really affordable for only P299.00! I actually wouldn't mind using this on my makeup clients because this is actually better than a few of my more expensive foundations. I will definitely repurchase and I absolutely recommend this to you guys, especially to people with oily or oily-combination skin. :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission!

Product Review: Essence Clear & Matt Oil-free Foundation

As some of you know, a month ago, I attended the launching of 5 European brands to be locally available here in the Philippine and Color Society Philippines brought them here. I've blogged about it and if you want to read my post and read about those new European brands, please click here.

One of the 5 brands is Essence which originated from Germany. Essence arrived here in the Philippines just few months ago and people are already digging their stuff because of its good quality yet affordable prices. I am actually already a fan of Essence and I was really happy and thankful for the box of goodies that Color Society Philippines had given the beauty bloggers who attended the launching. The box that I received was full of Essence cosmetics and a lip gloss from GOSH cosmetics plus a blow dryer from American Heritage! Haha! Because of that awesome box, you'll be reading a lot of Essence product reviews here in my blog. I have already reviewed their Get Big! Lashes Volume Curl Mascara and their Eyebrow Stylist Set which I both love and so far, I've also been loving most, if not all, of the Essence cosmetics from the box that I received. First up, Essence Clear & Matt Make-Up!

I received two foundations from Color Society and this is the first one that I picked up to try because it says "matt" and "oil-free"! I always look for this kind of foundations because my skin is oily-combination and so I wanted to see if this would really work on me.

Product description:

Oil-free foundation, mattifying, moisturizing, with vitamin E. Dermatologically tested.

Essence Clear & Matt Make-Up is contained in a hard plastic squeeze-tube bottle with a tiny nozzle so you have an easier control to dispense the foundation. The bottle is light and very travel-friendly.

It is available in three shades only; 01 Porcelain, 02 Honey, and 03 Sand. I got the shade 01 Porcelain and I think it's a little pinkish and lighter than my skin color but I can make it work so it's still okay and also, it oxidizes after about 2 hours or less.

Photo source: http://www.luuux.com/health-beauty/essence-clear-and-matte-foundation

The consistency is not too liquidy/runny but it's light so it's not capable in covering major imperfections on the face but it can conceal the redness of my skin. It gives light to medium coverage. One thing that I like about it is that it feels so light on my face like I don't have a foundation on. With its coverage though, I can say that this foundation is just great for everyday / casual looks.

From the product description that you've read above, it claims to abate oiliness and mattify your skin. The finish is not totally matte, just semi-matte but the fact that it has a smooth finish and it can last for long hours just effin' amazes me! For its light texture, I didn't think that it would last on my face for more than 3 hours. Look at this photo below. Almost 9 hours had passed and my face still looks smooth and the coverage is still good although you can clearly see that my face already got oily. But that's about 9 hours already and it may not look as matte as the first photo and my lip color may had already faded but my foundation stayed intact.

*FIRST TEST*

Here's a photo of my bare face:

Here's me with 2 layers of the Essence Clear & Matt Make-up. It was able to cover my dark under eye circles, redness of my skin and some light pimple scarring but as you can see, it is lighter than my skin color. When I look at the foundation, it looks like it has a yellow undertone but when I apply it on my skin, it would turn a little pinkish.

Here's what the foundation looks like after setting it with translucent powder. Who wouldn't be impressed with that flawless and smooth coverage? I just hope it matches my original skin color.

Here's a photo of me with complete make-up on:

After a total of 9.5 hours:

*SECOND TEST*

I thought maybe it's just the translucent powder that I used from Glory of New York that made the foundation last for almost 10 hours so I decided to do another test without using a translucent powder to seal it in. I just used a pressed powder this time to set the foundation.

Before: (freshly applied makeup)

After 3 hours:

After 8 hours:

What more can I say? A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Hehe! Although I can say that the Glory of New York Translucent Powder that I used on the first test made the foundation last longer but still, the foundation is pretty great!The foundation was able to control the oiliness of my skin and it didn't completely fade out even after hours and hours without retouching. Whenever I take photos chronologically for product reviews, I make it a point that I don't retouch nor even blot my face to get rid of oiliness which is not really difficult and a big problem for me since I'm the type of girl who doesn't care about her face anymore once she walks out the door. Haha! I don't really retouch not unless my face looks super oily and unpleasant and I'm in a special occasion but for regular days especially when I'm in school, I don't really care about retouching anymore.

Going back to the product review, yup - I love the Essence Clear & Matt Make-Up because it does reduce the oiliness of my face, it has a good coverage, longevity is commendable and it's not going to hurt your pocket! I'm not sure how much is the exact price of this foundation but I think it's just around Php 250.00. I also want to add up that even though it can mattify your skin, it will not make your face look and feel dry. It's quite moisturizing, in fact.

I will surely repurchase this but in a shade that will match my skin color na para mas okay na talaga! :) It's definitely a product that I would recommend for people with oily skin and for those who are looking for a budget-friendly foundation.

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

Product Review: Fashion 21 Perfect Stick with Tea Tree Oil

Stick foundations are not really my thing. It's just that two of the stick foundies that I've tried before didn't really work out that well on me. I thought they're both cakey and just not the perfect match for my oily-combination skin. However, maybe it's just the way how I used it? Hmm... Not sure but after using those two, I decided I won't use stick foundations anymore, well, not for the rest of my life naman. Hehe! Stick foundations are so convenient to use sana, however, I guess we're not really meant to be (or so I thought?).

Then just a month ago, I went over to Fashion 21 cosmetics' counter at SM North Edsa to complete my stash from the said brand for my one-brand makeup tutorial. I realized that Fashion 21 cosmetics doesn't have liquid and cream foundations. They only have powder foundations and their Perfect Sticks which are actually concealers but can be used as foundation. So, with no other choice at all, I decided to purchase one of their stick concealers for the sake of my one-brand makeup tutorial and also, to see if it's worth sharing to my readers. There are two kinds --- the classic perfect stick and the one with tea tree oil. I went for the latter since the Fashion 21 sales lady told me that it has better coverage than the former. Of course, before buying it, I tried it on the back of my hand and I was kind of intrigued with its texture because it glides on smoothly, blendable and seems to have an almost powder finish.

Product name: Fashion 21 Perfect Stick with Tea Tree Oil

Price: P195.00

Bought from: Fashion 21 counter at SM North Edsa

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

soft concealer stick with tea tree oil

PRODUCT FEATURES:

- Tea Tree Oil (fade blemishes)

- UV Protection

- Oil Control

- Mild on skin

- Smooth and easy application

- Cream to powder finish

- Can act as foundation

The first thing that I thought when I bought this was "Oh please, don't let me down.". I mean, yes it's affordable but if it's not worth buying for then I'd rather just spend my P195.00 on something else (like a meal from Burger King, oh yum!). Fashion 21 Perfect Stick with Tea Tree Oil is available in only 3 shades. I got the shade Milk Tea which is the second lightest shade. The first one, which is Irish Tea, is lighter than me and the last shade, Warm Tea, is already too dark for me. Milk Tea is the perfect shade for my skin color!

The product comes in a mint green plastic case with a roll-up barrel which is pretty sturdy. It has a slight mint scent which I like because you know naman how much I love minty products! Some though doesn't like the scent. Oh, well!

Direction for Use:

Best applied with a soft, flat sponge or with your fingers. Apply in even strokes, working towards the hairline and jaw line.

When I first used it, I was already impressed with it! I use it as foundation and concealer most of the time and I use both my fingers and buffing brush (synthetic kabuki brushes from Beauty Cosmetics) to apply it. I double up on some of the areas of my face that need more concealing. It glides on smoothly as you apply it and not at all thick and cakey. One layer is equivalent to medium coverage but you can, of course, build it up to achieve your desired amount of coverage. As for me, I apply one layer all over my face then just add more on my imperfections, especially my dark circles, redness around my nose, and blemishes but really, it covers up mild imperfections in just one application.

I was absolutely in awe when I first tried it because it has a really good quality, considering its price of only P195.00! Good coverage, smooth texture and finish, and the longevity is really striking, too! The powder finish doesn't bother me since I have oily-combination skin but for people with dry skin, you might want to moisturize well your skin before using this because it might accentuate your dry skin and might create patches. What I also love about Fashion 21 Perfect Stick with Tea Tree Oil is that, it has a good amount of coverage without looking like you're all photoshopped and used layers of foundations. It just looks almost flawless and natural and it doesn't feel heavy at all even with 2-3 layers.

Let me show you my before-and-after photos from the first time that I've tried it. I used Fashion 21 Two Way Cake with Milk Moisturizers to set it:

Impressive, ei? The first image was a photo of me with the stick foundation set with their two way cake foundation, then second image with finished makeup and then the last one was taken 4 hours after! I looked shiny on my t-zone area already but the coverage is still awesome!

Okay, okay, I thought to myself that maybe the Fashion 21 Two Way Cake with Milk Moisturizers helped with the result. So, I did another test just recently to really see how long it would last. I only used a loose translucent powder to set it:

Want to take a closer look? Let's break it down, photo by photo:

Picture No. 1: Bare face

Picture No. 2: Applied the Fashion 21 Perfect Stick with Tea Tree Oil as foundation/concealer.

Picture No. 3: Set it with a loose translucent powder, did my brows, and then contoured my face.

Picture No. 4: With complete makeup on.

Picture No. 5: After 7 hours. My skin looked shiny already but the coverage was still almost as good although some of my pimple scars were starting to show.

Picture No. 6: AFTER A TOTAL OF 9 HOURS, my skin looked really oily already, the foundation was starting to wear off on my nose area and under eye area but overall, the coverage still looked pretty good! FYI, I did not retouch at all!!!

Isn't it imposing? That's a total of 9 hours, for pete's sake! Now, I can really say that Fashion 21 is one of the best (if not the best) local cosmetic brands in the Philippines! You've seen it all in the photos that I've provided for you. ;-)

I absolutely recommend this to all Filipinas who are tight on budget. The Fashion 21 Perfect Stick with Tea Tree Oil is definitely worth it. I honestly can't think of any negative thing about it. Maybe just the scent because it might bother some but it's totally fine by me, I actually like it. Oh, and I'm just not sure if it will really help fade out blemishes because I don't use it everyday but if we're just going to talk about texture, coverage, staying power and overall quality, it's very surprising. Let's just put it this way, it changed my view towards stick foundations. Hehehe!

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

Product Review: Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation with Smart-Tone Technology

Hello everybody!

I'm a little bummed yet somehow thankful for my new class schedule. I've mentioned in one of my previous posts that I have a very free schedule this Academic Year so that means I can spend more time in blogging and filming videos! It just worries me a little because I only have three subjects this A.Y. so that means I need to push it harder in the coming semesters to graduate early!

Anyway, my schedule is still awesome because at least, I can start crossing off things from my backlogs. I can post more now, especially product reviews. And with that said, let me give you my review for the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation.

Now, the Match Perfection line of Rimmel have different variants based on what I've researched. This one that I have is Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation with Smart-Tone Technology. You may think why it's called "Match Perfection". Well, that is because of the "Smart-Tone Technology".

Product Name: Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation with Smart-Tone Technology

Shade: 340 Nude

Price: P450.00

Bought from: Chedelyn's Cosmetics

"Unique, innovative formula with Smart-Tone Technology to mimic skin's tone and texture for a match that blends and covers easily. Blue sapphire gives a truer, fresher color for a flawless, natural finish"

Now, this foundation is designed mainly to adapt to one's skin tone and texture. It contains blue sapphire which gives the foundation a flawless and natural finish. Interesting, isn't it?

The foundation is contained in a glass bottle with a plastic screw cap, like that of the Revlon ColorStay liquid foundations. I prefer though foundations with pumps or the ones that come in squeezable tubes. It actually annoys me because some of Rimmel's foundations from the Match Perfection line have pumps but this one does not. Oh well!

The shade that I got is nude which is a shade or two shades darker than my skin color. It was the only shade available the day that we bought this from Chedelyn's Cosmetics during the Celebrity Bazaar 2013. My sister really wanted to try this and she's kind of into foundations that'll make her look a little tan so she said it's okay if we buy this particular shade.

The texture of the foundation is thick but not too thick. In fact, it's a little runny. If you're going to compare it to the Revlon ColorStay liquid foundation, Revlon is thicker in consistency. And because of it's texture, at first I thought it wouldn't give a full coverage but it's actually buildable.

Looking at the bottle, I thought it wouldn't appear too dark on me but when I applied it, my face looked really tanned. It's okay though because I'd prefer shades that are a little darker than my skin color rather than shades that are lighter than me. And besides, I'm impressed with the finish of this foundation so the shade didn't really bothered me that much.

PICTURE NO. 1:

In picture no.1, the image on the left is my bare face and on the right image, the left side of my face was covered with Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation. You can see that it covered the redness of my skin and the little spots on my face. It also has a really flawless finish and it blends very well onto the skin.

PICTURE NO. 2:

In this photo, you can clearly see that my face looks a little dark but can you notice how the foundation made my skin look smoother and flawless? I'm in love with this foundation's coverage. Very impressive! Indeed, it will match perfectly on your skin and adapt to its tone and texture. However, it has a dewy finish so it's not really the perfect foundation for people with oily or oily-combination skin like me! :-(

PICTURE NO. 3:

On the left image, I applied the foundation all over my face and again, see how flawless my skin looks? On the right image, I've already set the foundation with powder and filled in my eyebrows. My face looked way flawless and smooth after I've set it powder.

Like what I've said, it has a dewy finish so of course, I road tested it to see how long it would last on my face. We were going to attend church the day that I took these photos and after only 2-3 hours, my t-zone area already got shiny and I can feel the dewiness on my cheeks already. It still looks great, though so it's okay.

Then after about 4 hours, the foundation started to fade out a little on my nose and a few of my blemishes started peeking through already. It still looks smooth, though. Here's a before-and-after photo. Left image was taken right after I did my makeup and the right image was taken after 4 hours or so.

Overall, I'd say this foundation is good. If only it has a matte or semi-matte finish, maybe it will be one of my HG foundations because of its very flawless and smooth finish and its amazing coverage but since it has a really dewy finish, I'd say it's just good. I highly recommend this to people with dry or normal skin. By the way, this is not a new product from Rimmel. It's just my first Rimmel foundation and after trying it out, I'm now more interested to try their other foundations.

If you want to purchase the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation, please visit Chedelyn's Cosmetics Collection on Facebook.

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

Product Review: Yves Rocher Matte Fluid Foundation

Good riddance, I missed blogging! My laptop had a problem with its cooling system so I had it fixed at the service center and it was there for almost a week. Those days without my laptop, I just spent most of my time with my phone, uploading photos and giving updates on my Instagram account and on my Facebook page. Thank goodness, my laptop is now fixed. In fact, I just picked it up last night, and here I am with a new post... and oh! With a new YouTube video! ;-)

I have a looooooooot of backlogs and there are a lot of products listed that I have to review. To start off, I'm crossing the Yves Rocher Matte Fluid Foundation from the list because I'll be reviewing it today. :)

Product Name: YVES ROCHER MATTE FLUID FOUNDATION

Shade: Beige 100

Price: P600.00 (bought with 50% discount)

Bought from: Trinoma, Ayala Mall

I've had this foundation for about 3 months now and I have to say that it's one of the best everyday-foundations that I've tried.

The foundation is contained in a tube-shaped bottle with a tiny nozzle so you can easily dispense the product and have a good control on how much product you're going to use. And since it's not a bulky bottle, you can bring this everywhere you go, especially when you travel.

I got the shade beige 100 which is actually a wee bit lighter than my skin color but it's okay because it has a yellow undertone. Looking at the foundation, it may seem that it's darker than my skin color but when blended, it becomes lighter. The consistency of the foundation is quite thin and a little runny.

It IS blendable but it dries faster than the other foundations and it dries absolutely matte. It has a powder finish which is good for people with oily skin (like me), however, it can accentuate dry patches on the skin. I've experienced quite a few times having dry patches around my nose so be sure to moisturize your skin well!

Since the foundation is very light, it only gives sheer coverage. It can lighten dark under eye circles and dark spots or blemishes on the skin but cannot fully conceal them. However, it makes my skin bright and radiant-looking and it will look better when set with powder. I know it transforms into a powdery veil but since I have oily skin, I still set it with powder.

Picture No. 1: BARE FACE

Picture No. 2: Applied Yves Rocher Matte Fluid Foundation on the right side of my face.

Picture No. 3: Applied Yves Rocher Matte Fluid Foundation all over my face and set it with a powder with full coverage using a powder puff.

Picture No. 4: After about 8 hours of wearing Yves Rocher Matte Fluid Foundation.

As you can see, my face still looks pretty good and FYI, I did not retouch at all.

Here's another test wherein I set the foundation with a light powder.

Picture No. 1: Applied Yves Rocher Matte Fluid Foundation on the right side of my face.

Picture No. 2: Applied Yves Rocher Matte Fluid Foundation all over my face.

Picture No. 3: Set the foundation by lightly dusting powder all over my face using just a powder brush and did my full makeup.

Picture No. 4: After only 3 hours of wearing the foundation.

Side-by-side shot:

As you can see, my face got oily and looked shiny already just after 3 hours of wearing the foundation without retouching it nor blotting with an oil blotting paper. At least it's not super shiny and oily. Still looks great! It turns out that it can make me look oily if I just lightly set it with powder but with a fuller coverage of powder, it can keep the oiliness at bay for longer hours. I have to say though that the coverage is still pretty good, don't you think? Event though my face got shiny especially on my t-zone area, the foundation didn't sheer off that much.

Overall, I love this foundation a lot. It's perfect for everyday, especially for school or for work. I remember Chriselle Sy telling me that for everyday foundations, Yves Rocher is perfect and now I can finally agree to her. :)

Will I recommend it? Yes for people with oily or oily-combination skin but no for people with really dry skin since it can accentuate dry patches.

Repurchase? Absolutely! :)

What's your recommendation for an everyday foundation perfect for people with oily skin? Let me know by leaving comments below!

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-