[Review] theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer AKA "The Lumanizer"

Hi guys!

I think it's about time for me to introduce you to my current favorite highlighter (I wanted to say 'ever' but I'm not ready to settle just yet :P). So yeah, I didn't come up with many FOTD entries lately so you probably never noticed this highlighter in my blog. But I really am in love with theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer. Umm.. before you say anything about the name, let me just say that I've never been a fan of theBalm punny names myself, but it comes in a package. So I'll just take it as it is.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer is a compact highlighter. I'm not good at describing color but I'll take it as champagne color with warm undertone. The texture, OH THE TEXTURE!! Seriously it's finely milled, so soft and when I touch it, it feels moist on my fingers. The application is super easy with no crumbly mess. A little bit goes a really long way and with the amount of the product, I don't even know when will I ever finished this. Not that I ever finished up a makeup product before, but just bear with me.

The result is nothing but satisfactory. It blends very well on my skin and really compliments my skintone. Nothing frosty, as it subtly  reflects on my complexion the way sunlight reflects on water (the fact that I just described it like that is a sign that I've been reading too many Cassandra Clare's), if you know what I mean. One thing I have to point out about this highlighter that it is very pigmented. You might not notice it unless you're under certain lighting. But the best advice I could give you would be, "Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not there." So, stop piling up! Otherwise you'd leave the house looking like Photoshop filter gone wrong. Take time to check on your complexion under appropriate lighting. Or if you're too lazy, just don't apply the highlighter more than two layers.

Below is my FOTD wearing  Mary-Lou Manizer under bright sunlight. As I said, the highlight is very noticeable. I personally love the result. I've been using my Real Techniques Contour Brush fro their Core Collection and it does the job very well.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer retails for $24.

[Review] Revlon Age Defying Foundation

• This product was sent to me by Revlon for review purpose. However, this is my honest opinion.
• While trying this, I am currently on Accutane. This means, I my skin is very dry at the moment and the verdict of the review might be bias. I usually write my review based on my oily-combination skin, so the performance might be different. Once I’m done with my treatment and I notice a different result of the product, I will update this review

Hi guys!

So here's another review of Revlon latest collection. I'm sure you've seen this foundation in their counter lately. It's their Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup. This foundation claims to combine makeup and anti aging skincare to help protect skin's DNA to fight the signs of aging.

At the moment, I don't really have aging problems that I need to deal with. Yes, I know that it is important to prevent rather than to fix the problem. But right now I'm too busy fixing my breakout, instead of aging signs. Besides, if the product claims to fix aging signs by providing UV-rays protection, I  might as well write about sunscreen. I always say that I don't care about skincare effect in my makeup and always treat makeup as it is, which is makeup and not skincare.

Revlon Age Defying Foundation comes in a transparent plastic bottle mimicking the shape of DNA strands. Nice touch. It also comes with a pump and everybody loves foundation that comes with a pump! Spare us from messy makeup application.

This is a cream foundation. It has a light buttery texture that spreads easily. I don't understand why Revlon keeps infusing all of their complexion products with shimmer, especially for a foundation that's targeted for mature skin. Just like the infamous Photoready, this, too, has shimmer. BUT at least the shimmer is more obscure. It gives the skin just enough dewy radiant look, minus the vampire-shine. As much I enjoy blending the buttery texture, this foundation slips and melts easily. My skin is currently very dry so I can still get away with this foundation without powdering it. However, in general, it is recommended to set this with powder. Piece of advice., though, don't set it using dry translucent powder (like HD powder) as the dry finish only accentuates the shimmer. Happened to me.

Due to the buttery texture, I prefer to apply this with dense brush to help set the foundation on my skin. I use Sigma F80 or Real Techniques Expert Face brush. I tried damped sponge but it just wiped away the foundation from my face. And the regular paddle foundation brush only left me with streaky finish. I didn't try applying it using my stippling brush because my skin is really flaky right now, the brush will only enhance the flakiness. I use patting motion when applying this foundation.

How the foundation looks like before powder.

The coverage is light and can be built to medium-light coverage. As you can see, my acne scars is pretty noticeable underneath it. I actually love how light this foundation feels on my skin. I thought this foundation would be a great option for daily foundation. Unfortunately it falls short in terms longevity. It melts easily. Right now I could eliminate oil as the culprit, but this foundation easily melts when contact with sweat. And when I try to pat the sweat, the foundation transferred and left me with patchy looking complexion. That's too bad.

My shade is Medium Beige (25) and it matches me perfectly. But then again, the coverage makes the shade selection quite forgivable. Medium Beige is medium dark with warm undertone, and for all I know is the darkest shade available. By the way, this might be a sponsored review, but Revlon sent me Fresh Ivory (05) which, ironically, is the lightest shade available. So, in order to to come up with this review, I decided to purchase the right shade on my own. There are five shades available for this foundation.

Left: Medium Beige; Right: Fresh Ivory

Overall, I've been wearing this foundation a lot lately just for the sake of the lightweight feeling. Mostly to places where I know I won't be sweating a lot, which is not so hard considering I'm exposed to air conditioner almost 24 hours a day. I have compact powder ready to handle the melting issue in the middle of the day. When my skin is dry, like now, this foundation is okay. However I don't see myself wearing this once I'm done with Accutane and back to my usual oily combination skin.

Revlon Age Defying Foundation is available at Revlon counters and retails for IDR 145k.

L'occitane: Blogger Event and First Impression

Welcoming new products to Angelica line, L'OCCITANE held a Blogger Event to introduce the products to beauty bloggers at Cafe Aria.When I came, the place was decorated with a touch of green, just like our dress code. Even the drinks are green! Too cute. I met some of my blogger friend and had fun chitchatting. We were treated to bite-size snacks as well as hand massage before the event started.

 

 

As we enjoy our snacks, Sarah Damanik, Marketing Manager from L'occitane, did a presentation to introduce us to Angelica line, which is a skincare line from L'occitane marketed especially for dehydrated skin. The main ingredient is Angelica archangelica also known as Angelica or Angel Grass. Angelica is plant that can grow to a height of two meters in just a few weeks. And the answer apparently in the roots that grows really deep that it easily finds moisture it needs. From this Angelica extracts, L'occitane createad Organic Angelica Essential Oil that works as antioxidant that protects the skin from free-radical. And Organic Angelica Water that helps boost the circulation of water across skin layers by stimulating the production of aquaphorin (also known as water tunnel).

Angelica line itself has been available since last year. But this year, L'occitane added three more products to complete your hydration needs in a zap, and they are Instant Hydration Mask (super hydrating mask that works in just 3 minutes!), Exfoliating Gel (restores skin radiance in just 30 seconds!) and Face Mist (refreshes and revitalizes in 3 seconds!).

We went home with some L'occitane products from Angelica line and a full size of Instant Hydration Mask so we can try and experience the hydrating sensation ourselves. Don't forget to check out my video about my first impression after I used the mask.

Thank you L'occitane for the wonderful event!

Swatch of Kiko Face Palette in Tangerine Tan

My other kiko Origami Face Palette finally arrived. This one is in the shade Tangerine Tan. I already reviewed the product in general, so this post is just going to be about the swatch and pigmentation, which sadly, even worse than my previous palette.

I was already suspicious when I opened the palette and see a group of warm brown colors that matche my skin tone, except for the dark brown and the peachy pink. If the colors match my skin tone, then how on earth are they going to show up? And I was right. You can see on the swatches below. I swatched the colors separately. They look very pale with very strong warm undertone. Most of the colors show up as yellow and orange. I'm not saying I don't recommend this shade, because as I said on my review, this actually has a wonderful quality But of course Tangerine Tan is definitely not for my skintone, and darker. If you are paler than me, then you should get this. But remember that this is a very warm palette. Don't even bother trying to get it if you have cool undertone

And here's how the color looks like on my cheek after I don't remember how many layers. I lost count after fourth layer. Can't see anything? Yeah, neither do I.

Anyway, I dropped my palette the other day. It fell from the sink which about the height of my hip. It sounded pretty bad. I panicked and immediately picked up the palette from the floor, expecting to find all kinds of mess consists of crumbly blush and pieces of cracked mirror. But I have to give it up to the sturdy packaging and solid product inside. The blush itself just detached form the pan and the five colors separate from each other, but no crumbly mess. Also the mirror stays in one piece.

If you notice that chunk of blush in the picture and staring with questioned mind, well that's not how the palette originally looked like right after it fell. I panicked when it fell and then relieved that the blush was alright so I just pressed the detached product immediately into the pan. And then I realized, this could be a testimony for the product and I wanted to show it on my blog. So.. ehm, I slammed the palette one more time. This time with lighter force though, just enough to detached the product once again and took picture (I realize this story is getting even more absurd as I'm writing it).

So yeah, plus point. Sturdy packaging and dense product. Get this if you can, preferably if you have lighter skintone than mine. And why do I never report about the sturdiness of a packaging? Because I always try my best not to drop any of my makeup compact. But hey, at least there's an advantage from that stupid accident, yea?

[Review] Kiko Origami Face Palette

 

This might sound really late, but I've been into Kiko products a lot lately. If you're probably not familiar with this brand, for all I know, this is an Italian brand. And that's the extension of my knowledge about the brand, so far. Nothing more. My aunt's been traveling a lot and gave me some Kiko products for me to try. Kiko Origami Face Palette no. 04 (Hot Pink Contour) is one of the many products she gave me. I looked up at the website and apparently this is part of their limited edition Summer collection, Blooming Origami. I'm not sure how long this collection would be available. But I tried to provide this review as soon as I could and hopefully you'd still have time to get your hands on the collection.

Origami Face Palette caught my attention at first sight. The packaging is sleek and clean looking. The velvet pouch gives an extra luxurious feel. Reminds me of products from Dior or Chanel. It also comes with a huge mirror which makes it handy for touch up during the day. 

Inside is this five colored face powder / blush with satin and shimmery finish, arranged beautifully in a way that mimics origami. The colors inside, based on my own definition, are warm deep brown, pale chalky pink, deep hot pink, shimmery bronze and taupe. I assume, multi-colored face palette usually means you get contour color, along with blush and highlight / face powder. Or you could just swirl all the colors at once and treat it as a blush. I swatched all the colors and I must say the only two colors that show up easily on my skintone are the deep brown and the deep hot pink which isn't a surprise considering those are the only two colors that have the most pigmentation out of the five. The shimmery bronze doesn't deliver much color but gives a shimmery finish to the blush in general. And I have no idea why are the pale pink and taupe colors even included in this palette as they, in my opinion, contribute nothing. I don't see how the colors would work when applied individually, so I just swirl them all together and apply it just as blush.

The texture of the product, quoted from the website, is "brand-new texture, the result of an advanced extrusion-baked powder technique." God knows what does extrusion-baked mean but I'm impressed with the texture and the finish of this blush (let's just call this a blush from now on, because that's what I use it for). The color doesn't easily show up on my skin, so I have to layer it. But it is worth the effort. About three layers of this will do. The texture is really soft and blends well on my skin. It has this 'transparent' finish that gives the 'glowing-from-within- effect and looks very natural on me. That's not something I usually get from powder blush. The blush last on me about 8 hours until I had to remove my makeup. Although it's kind hard to notice when did it start to fade since the color itself are pretty sheer. 

So I'm just gonna gather all my thoughts into conclusion now (I'm trying to cut the length of my reviews and all my entries in general. Started to think that I ramble too much. Let me know what do you think, though). Origami Face Palette as a face palette with multi-colored shades might be a great idea but doesn't really live up to the claim, which is to "enhance cheeks and cheekbones and sculpt the complexion." As a blush, though, I really like it. It does take effort to make the color show up, but it's worth it. Then again, it might show up a lot easier if your skintone is lighter than mine. 

Here's how the color shows up on me as blush. As you can see the color is pretty sheer but it's noticeably there. 

Kiko Origami Face Palette is available in 4 different colors. Palette number 1 is specifically a color correcting powder while the rest are face palettes like this one that can be used for blush and whatnot. Luckily my parents is currently on vacation in Europe so I asked them to get me palette no. 02, which is Tangerine Tan. I can't wait to see how it turns out on me.

[Review] Graftobian High-Definition Creme Foundation

Hi guys!

I’m back with a foundation review. This is actually a super long overdue review. I purchased this foundation about a year ago, back when I was still in Semarang. Of course it was none other but Wayne Goss who introduced this kind of ‘stage makeup’ and I’m always weak when it comes to foundation so I decided to give this a try.

Packaging

Graftobian is an affordable brand with quality products that you can find online. That explains the super simple packaging. Fancy packaging requires more $$ and seems like Graftobian focus more on the quality of the content. The cream foundation comes in a simple pot with transparent screw lid. Not only budget friendly, but I think the compact packaging is convenient for professional makeup artist who will have a lot of this pots in their makeup traincase. It doesn’t take up so much space. If there was one thing I could fix from the packaging, it would be the screw lid. I prefer a snap shut lid. I think it’s a lot less messy, also smaller chance to lose it, especially when work with more than one pots.

Product performance

Texture

The texture of this foundation is buttery soft. It glides easily on the skin and a little bit goes a long way so it takes just a smallest amount of this, and seriously you don’t want to over apply. Because of the super soft consistency, applying too much products makes this foundation slides around and hard to evens out. So I always start small. If you use just the right amount of products, the application is really easy. I can even easily apply this using my paddle brush whereas other foundations tend to be streaky when applied with such brush. Still, it’s necessary to set this foundation with powder.

Coverage/ Finishing/ Longevity

Depends on brushes (or sponge), this foundation gives medium to full coverage. I find using dense brush with flat surface gives minimum coverage while paddle brush and sponge give fuller coverage. This even covers my pores very well even with no primer underneath. The finishing is somewhere between matte and glowy. No reviews describe this as matte but I just don’t think this foundation is glowy enough. I prefer my foundation to be glowier (Not a word, everyone. I made that up). And I found applying this foundation with damped sponge gives me the kind of finishing that I want. As usual, theatrical foundation is not meant to be long lasting, though this foundation gives the usual four to five hours performance before it turns oily on my t-zone. Very much acceptable for me. 

Below is a picture of me wearing this foundation using buffing brush. As you can see, my blemishes on the cheeks still peeking through. You can find other FOTDs of me wearing this foundation on some of my latest FOTD entries.

Color selection

Graftobian offers a wide range of color selections with three different undertones which are cool, warm and neutral. Still, finding shades online could be challenging. The amount the shades available are overwhelming as well. Back when I was about to order this foundation, there weren’t many reviews about this foundation on the internet so it’s kinda hard to find information about which shade that matches me.

Now this is the reason why I never used this foundation until just recently. First of all, I ordered the shade in yellow undertone. Unfortunately, it’s not warm enough for me. It looks a little bit red. Second of all, the shade I ordered, “Desert Sand’ is too dark on my skin back then. I’m about one or two shades darker than my usual shade so this foundation matches me at the moment. Gonna need to order lighter shade, though, once my skin back to its usual shade. About the reddish undertone, I usually set this foundation with my Ben Nye Banana Visage Poudre to tone down the red a little bit, but it still kinda bugs me (Not as bad as Guerlain Parure Gold, though)

HD-ness

As always, I don’t feel eligible enough to say about an HD-ness of a foundation due to my lack encounter with any HD tools so this is just my experience around cameras when I’m wearing this foundation. I think the most notable time of testing the performance of this foundation in front of camera is when I was at the launching of Revlon Lip Butter, since it was a bloggers event. There were many bloggers and each of them has different types of camera. Not to mention, the interview with O Channel.

Well, I was browsing through my friends’ entries about the event and thankfully all the pictures turned out great, including the one on television. My face looked flawless and the foundation appeared natural on my skin, which is the key to HD foundation. More than just covering the flaws, it supposed to look natural and not-masky at all. And this foundation gives those qualities. Other things to note are I found no unnecessary shine or white cast.

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To sum up, I am very much pleased with this foundation. I prefer light coverage on daily basis so to me this is the kind of foundation I use for special occasion. It could do better in packaging and the undertone but overall this foundation meets my expectations.

I ordered mine from camerareadycosmetics. Back then I had to pay IDR 220k because I had to pay for the shipping fee as well. The website gives free shipping for order more than $60 and my online seller is so nice that she now opens pre-order regularly to be able to collect orders until it reach quota. So next time I can pay less than my first purchase. But even with the shipping fee added, this foundation still considered affordable.

[Review] L'oreal Base Magique Transforming Smoothing Primer

Phew! Such a mouthful name for a product. Let's just call it Base Magique, shall we?

Base Magique is L'oreal's first face primer. Now, you might have seen this product before, probably with different name. I know I have. That other product has a completely identical look except it goes by the name 'L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base'. Now, don't quote me on this, but *I THINK* Base Magique is the name that's distributed around Asia. Because most bloggers who's reviewing Base Magique are asian-based.

Now, onto the product.
Base Magique comes in a clear glass pot with screw lid, which is not really my cup of tea. I don't fancy having to dip my fingers into the pot and the wide opening makes the product so easily exposed to the air.

The texture is velvety and it has rosy shade that suppose to instantly brightens up the complexion. When I apply this I can see the difference on areas with and without primer. The area with primer has matte velvety surface and my pores also covered very well. It makes foundation and powder application so much smoother. This primer plays a role in oil control and extend the longevity of my foundation. Specifically for the pore covering effect, I even tried it on my sister. Her pores are quite large but this primer masked it very well. I'm impressed. I can't really say much about the brightening effect because I don't see this primer interfere the undertone of my foundation. This can also be worn alone on naked skin if you just need a mattifying effect.

I usually dip my middle finger and warm the product at the tip of my finger before application. You don't need to apply too much product, just focus on areas that are oily or has pores that needs to be covered. In fact, because of the texture, layering it caused the primer to balls up. I apply this with patting motion. One dip is enough for my t-zone and another dip the cover the pores on the side of my nose. I don't apply this all over my face because I find it unnecessary. I never apply primer all over my face but of course it's just my habit for the sake of efficiency.

Please note that this is a silicone-based primer. So if you have any reaction to silicone, than this might not be the one for you.

Except for the packaging, after all I'm very much happy with the performance of L'oreal Base Magique and definitely recommend it. And L'oreal is doing a good job with their first primer. L'oreal Base Magique is available at L'oreal counters for IDR 149k.

[Review] Guerlain Parure Gold

I finally had a chance to try my first Guerlain foundation when there was a buy get one get one free deal (Guerlain! I know, right?! All the ladies in my family went completely nuts). So, long story short, I end up with this foundation.

Here is product description from Guerlain website.

“Guerlain has slipped a magical blend of Gold Radiance Pigments and Precious Rejuvenating Complex enriched with Oil of Myrrh into this fluid foundation. The pigments light up, smooth and correct the complexion instantly, and the complex revives the youthful radiance and vitality of the skin.
Evanescent and supple, the wonderfully smooth texture glides over the skin, providing perfect light-weight coverage. Fine lines fade away, imperfections seem to disappear.
Discover the full range of six shades designed specifically to rejuvenate the skin and revive the complexion’s healthy glow. Luminous and ultra natural, each shade is warmed with yellow gold and pink gold pigments that smooth away the signs of time and fatigue.”

Parure Gold comes in basic Guerlain foundation bottle. You know how Guerlain have the same packaging for all of their foundations. But most of them come in gold bottle. While the one that actually named “Gold” comes in a black bottle. It’s a shiny glass bottle and a little bit heavier than most foundation bottle I have. Something to be concern about. I keep this in my traincase instead of my vanity because I’m worried I might accidentally hit the bottle and drop it, knowing how clumsy I am. The bottle is equipped with a pump. And on the side of the bottle there’s a little ‘window’ so you can see how much product you have left inside, which I think is a nice touch.


This foundation has a semi-matte finish and it delivers medium to full coverage. The texture of the foundation is thick although it doesn’t feel heavy at all. It actually feels comfortable on me. It blends smoothly despite the thick consistency and covers all my flaws flawlessly. If you want lighter coverage you can just mix it with primer. Guerlain website recommends mixing it with their L’Or - Radiance Concentrate but I personally think any primer will do. The foundation has a flowery scent that is pretty strong. From what I read, all Guerlain foundations (or products?) are scented. It kind of annoys me at first, especially when I'm applying the foundation around my nose but then I got over it. Thankfully even though it's scented I don't experience any allergic reactions to it, considering how sensitive my skin is. If you are not used to scented foundation especially this strong you can maybe try hold your breath when you're applying foundation around your nose? I dunno.

I wear this foundation with no primer and still, it performs a superb staying power. Oil control is also great. For reference, my skin type is oily combination where I tend to get oily on the t-zone and normal for the rest of the face. After around 5 to 6 hours, my natural oil starts to peek through especially on my t-zone area. But the amount of oil is minimum just to give me a dewy look. Sometimes I don’t even blot. I once wore this for around 13 hours, and for that long I just blot once. After 13 hours my make up looks the way it looks after 5 hours. The amount of oils stays minimum until the end of the day and my complexion still looks good.

Here's pictures of me wearing this foundation on different occasion. Click for larger images so you can really see the finish and coverage of the foundation.

As you can see, after 13 hours I think the amount of oil still acceptable and overall the complexion still look good.

So far, this foundation is almost perfect but it fails in one thing which is shade selection. As it mentioned before, this foundation comes with 6 different shades. Mine is number 3 which is Beige Natural. First of all let me say that I have this weird obsession with foundation that it has to be a better version of my skin. Therefore, the first step is to find the perfect match in terms of color. Parure Gold doesn’t come in different undertones. Judging from the shade that I have, beige natural, it supposed to have neutral undertone. That bugs me already. And it annoys me even more that what supposed to be neutral, in reality appears pink. And is pretty strong too. At first I thought it was just me, but when I applied my make up, my sister entered the room and she said, “Your foundation looks red!” Gaahhh!! That pink shade doesn’t get worse during the day, thankfully. It doesn’t oxidize on me. But still I feel very self-conscious when wearing this. Of course I can try to tone it down a little bit by applying my Ben Nye Banana Visage. But for the price, I wish I didn’t have to compromise to get a perfect match.

Because of the thick texture, I prefer dense brushes to 'push' and spread this foundation all over the face. I use my MAC 190 or EDM flat top brush. But because I try to tone down the pink, I apply this using my fingers in order to get lighter coverage so the pink undertone won’t be too noticeable. Note that this foundation has SPF 15 - PA ++ so it'll appear slightly whitish on flash camera. And the red undertone does not help either. So far, I don't rely on this foundation for special occasion especially if I'm about to take a lot of pictures.

To sum up, I think this is a great foundation but although it’s not perfect. Personally, I will continue wearing this foundation but I don’t think I’ll repurchase.

This foundation alone cost IDR 800k. Yes, I got this on BOGOF deal but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a very expensive foundation and this is the most expensive foundation that I own. I think the price is absolutely ridiculous. And with that price, I would expect to get a flawless product, including a perfect match for my skin but I don’t.

I know they’re selling the skincare benefits in it. It supposed to rejuvenate the skin and revive the complexion’s healthy glow. But as I said, I don’t care about skincare benefits in my make up, especially my foundation. First of all, I don’t wear this everyday so I don’t expect a proper result And I believe most woman already have their skincare separately without having to add a very expensive foundation to also works as their foundation. Yes, the performance of the foundation, as make up, is near perfect but I believe there are more options out there without having to shell out that much (note that, other Guerlain foundations don't even cost this much).

But of course that’s just my personal opinion. I would recommend this foundation if you:

• Have neutral or cool undertone
• Willing to pay an arm and a leg for a perfect foundation (If the shade matches you, then this could be a perfect foundation for you)
• Believe in skincare benefits in your make up

[Review] NYX HD Studio Photogenic Foundation

I've been wearing this foundation 5 months now. It's been my safety net lately so I think it's only fair to give this foundation a proper review and share it's story.

Honestly whenever I hear the name NYX my mind instantly wonders about colorful products. Yup, I'm in love with their eyeshadows, blushes, lipsticks but never really interested on their complexion products. That is, until they launched their HD lines. And as a camera whore, I'm a sucker for every foundation that promised flawless looking face in camera as well as in real life.

NYX HD Studio Photogenic Foundation gives you a high definition effect by covering the skin and a light diffusing effect. It also claimed to give a skincare benefits where it promotes collagen regeneration, reduces line and wrinkles and also skin rejuvenation.

Obviously I didn't purchased this for the skincare benefits. I don't even care about skincare benefits in my makeup (if any). So this review isn't going to cover that department. So let's call this product the way it is, which is a foundation and not a skincare.



As a foundation, this products claimed to give perfect coverage that makes it suitable for catwalk or sidewalk as written on the top and bottom of the box.


Packaging comes in a slim opaque bottle that's made of plastic. So no need to worried if you're a type of person who tends to drop things. It also has a pump (hallelujah!), a good controllable pump. It may look slim and small but you actually get more products inside which is 33mL where most foundations generally give you 30mL.


This foundation gives a light to medium coverage and it has a dewy finish. I really REALLY love the finishing of this foundation. It blends very well into my skin, looks like a second skin. It makes my skin looks flawless. I don't think my skin needs that much coverage right now, but I'll let you be the judge.


My skin is not perfect, I know. There are some acne scars that needs to be covered, redness that needs to be evened out as well as few bumps just because it's the time of the month. I don't think those are major and this foundation managed to conceal all those flaws. However if you have severe acne reaction or hyper pigmentation like my lovely undereye circle above, it will be more than this foundation can handle and a concealer might be required.

Below is my picture with the foundation on half of my face. Can you guess which part of my face covered with foundation?

Can you see? The right part of my face in this picture looks more even and it also appears more glowy compare to the left part. As I said earlier, this foundation has a dewy finish. It looks like a healthier version of my skin. Still, I highly recommend to set this foundation with powder since glow could easily mistaken as oily. For me, since I want to keep the glow, I only powdered my T-zone area which is the area where I get oily the most. Other thing to keep in my mind, considering this foundation is dewy already, I'd lay low on the highlighter. In fact, I ditch my highlighter everytime I'm wearing this foundation.

The performance of this foundation is another satisfaction. It lasts me for about 5-6 hours before I get extra shine on my nose. It even lasts longer is I spend my day in a cool weather.

My shade is Natural (03) which is a warm undertone although it's not as yellow as MAC Studio Fix Fluid. NYX's shade is slightly beige-y but it still in a warm undertone family. This shade matches me well despite the lack of yellow undertone in it.

I bought this foundation at NYX counter at Metro department store because I really wanted to find the perfect match and reduced the risk of picking the wrong shade from the internet. There are only 4 (or maybe 5?) shades available in the counter out of 8 shades, which can make finding your shade a little bit challenging. I was lucky enough that I found my perfect match.

Thanks to the bad lighting at the mall, I picked a wrong color the first time I purchased this foundation (Yup! I have two bottle of this). I picked Sand Beige (04) and it's too light for my skin.

The texture of this foundation is quite runny and it spreads so easily. My favorite tool to apply this foundation, other than my fingers, would be a sponge or a stippling brush. Basically you want to dab this foundation instead of swiping it. I don't recommend using a regular paddle brush, otherwise you'll be blending forever.

I can't say a lot about the "HD-ness" of this foundation, considering I have never been around any HD tools. But I love the appearance of this foundation on most pictures that I took with or without flash. This doesn't perform very well under minimal-lighting-and-harsh-flash-light, due to lack of yellow-ness in it (flash photography accentuate redness and yellow works to minimize the redness) but that's a rare case (like when I snap picture of me in the car at night). Other than that, I have no complain at all. I've been wearing this foundation pretty much everywhere, on casual as well as special occasion and I'm satisfied with the result, on and off camera.

This foundation retails for around IDR 285k at the counter. I know it's a little bit expensive, especially for NYX that's famous for affordable product. But it totally worth the price. Also you can purchase it at some online stores for around IDR150k, which is more affordable.

Here's some pictures of me wearing this foundation in different occasion. I believe you've seen some of it already.

All in all, I'm deeply in love with this foundation. And repurchase I will.