Coastal Scents HD foundation review

I've been trying out the Coastal Scents Undercover HD Foundation ($16.95) for awhile now and thought I'd share my thoughts.

image from here

Paraphrased from the Coastal Scents website, this foundation is perfect for creating a soft focus, and a flawless natural finish. UnderCover HD is not oil or water based and it is non comedogenic. HD foundations use silicones, which creates a protective shield on the skin, allowing it to breathe and retain it's natural moisture.

I picked 4 samples so I could get an exact shade match. I am NC42-NC45 in MAC, so I selected shades 6, 7, 8 and 9. Since each 3 gram sample is only $.49 each, its well worth it to pick up several shades.

As soon as I placed the foundation on my hand, I noticed that the consistency of the foundation was thin. It's thinner than my Shu Uemura Face Architect, and much thinner than Revlon Colorstay.

I thought there would be no coverage given the thin texture, but here, you can see that my hand has that "soft focus and flawless finish" when blended out with my fingers.

 Let's cut to the chase...

After a bit of trial and error with getting the right application technique, I have concluded that this is an awesome foundation. At $16.95, it is a total bargain HD foundation, compared to MUFE HD Foundation, which is $40. Also, it hasn't broken me out, and I love how the thin consistency makes me forget that I'm wearing anything on my face. The finish is a sheen (neither matte nor dewy), which makes my skin look flat out gorgeous. I set the foundation with a light swipe of Studio Fix Powder.

Technique is everything with this foundation. Brushes made this foundation look cakey, and fingers made it look like a tinted moisturizer. Believe me, a week ago, this puppy was gonna get a terrible review! But that was, until I tried applying this with a damp sponge. I've been using a damp non-latex sponge (like $1.99 from Target for a whole bunch), and it gives the most breath-taking finish.

The dreaded Buts:

1. This foundation is not full coverage. If you have any imperfections to cover up, you'll need a concealer. I mean, that's fair enough. After all, this is a foundation, not a concealer.

2. I would not use this on days when my skin was miserably flaky and dry. Because this foundation is so light weight, it actually accentuates flaky dry skin. So if you're going through a huge acne treatment and its Flake City (haha lovely mental image), then stay away. But a few minor dry patches should be no big deal. In fact, applying the foundation with a damp sponge will moisturize away minor patchiness.

Final Thoughts: Pros are shade selection, price, staying power, finish, and non-comedogenic. Cons are: not full coverage, tricky application technique, and does not work on dry skin.

PS. I am currently a mix of shades ST 07 and ST 09.

PPS. Foundation samples were provided courtesy of a voucher from Coastal Scents. I was not even asked to review these products. This is my honest opinion, and I am unaffiliated with Coastal Scents. 

Foundation for Dry, Flaky Skin?

Remember that part in Miss Congeniality when Sandra Bullock gets ready to do her makeup, and she goes "Ok...now which one of these is the lipsticks?" All of a sudden, her friends swarm around her and help her out. The beauty blogging world reminds me of that!!

I just had a reader ask me a beauty question, and rather than just replying to her alone, I thought I'd open up the question to you guys so you can weigh in too!

Le Question: Can you suggest a foundation that is super easy to apply, gives light-medium coverage for daily wear, and is for combination skin (oily nose, but dry everywhere else)? I suck at liquid and I have a compact, but it looks funny and gives me flaky dry skin. 

My answer:

1. Using a gentle exfoliator everyday to buff away dead skin cells. I like Olay Regenerist Daily Thermal Peel, Mario Badescu Strawberry Scrub, and Lush Dark Angels.

2. Use a rich moisturizer before applying makeup. I suggest Cetaphil (in the jar) or MAC Moisturelush. You can also try La Mer if you have won the lotto. ;)

3. One of the best foundations I have used is Shu Uemura Face Architect. MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation is also great because powders don't accentuate flakes as much. For both products, a dense, flat top mineral brush works brilliantly.

4. In the winter, I used to get dry patches even after the foundation was on. What I did was apply a spot of eye cream on the dry spots and they'd go away (I used Mario Badescu's Hyalauronic eye cream). Because eye cream is heavier than face cream, it really helps combat flakes.

Now over to you guys. Please help this reader out, and along the way, give me a few new wishlist items! :)

March Favorites

It's been a wonderful month of new purchases and rediscovering gems I already had. Here are the products I've loved all month long:

Maybelline Dream Mousse Bronzer: I have been LOVING this as an all over lid color for my eyes! It's a perfect shimmering bronze and the mousse consistency is a dream to blend. I think the mousse line needs to launch eyeshadows too! Click here for my full post on it.

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Ever So Rich: This is my go-to gloss for a swipe of sheer baby pink. It complements any lip color you have underneath. No really. Any. Repurchase is very likely. Here's how it looks over a bronze lip.

Maybelline Color Sensational in Warm me up: a perfect dusty rose color. Not sure why this is categorized in the brown section of the lipsticks, but who cares. It's an amazing color. Pair this with Ever So Rich, and you'll have Victoria Secret lips! Here is the full post on it!

Shu Uemura Face Architect: What I love about this foundation is how easily it goes on, blends, and stays put. It also doesn't break me out. What I still don't like is that it is pricey as heck, therefore repurchase is unlikely. Anyway here's the full review.

Prime Time Foundation Primer: This was a pretty affordable primer I purchased from Sephora a year ago. It stayed dormant in my drawers because a lot of makeup gurus skip primers, but I recently tried it again and fell in love. I only use it on my T-zone, which is never prone to acne. It controls oil very well, and a little goes a long way!

Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Turbo Mascara in Blackest Black: Repurchase is 100% guaranteed, and this is a Holy Grail for me. Enough said. :)

My DIY 188 brush: My Coastal Scents stippler brush has made a comeback into my life as a MAC 188 dupe! A simple rubberband reunited me with this little gem. Here's my full post on it. I love applying blush with this brush. It's small and precise enough to fit right on my cheek bones, but blending very highly pigmented blushes can be an issue, so be careful how much you pick up in the first place.

That does it for March. Now that it's April I'm roaming out and about in skirts and light jackets! Spring is here! I now leave you with my current mood:

Shu Uemura Face Architect and Base Control

I've used Shu Uemura's Face Architect and Base Control for about a year now, and I haven't seen many reviews of it. Not sure why, because I have nothing but praises to sing for it.

This is an amazing medium coverage foundation that gives you that next-to-skin look. The packaging is a frosty glass bottle with a pump (yay!), and I find that one pump of product covers my whole face. I use a dense flat-top mineral brush to apply, and set it with rosewater spray. This foundation has a pleasant fragrance and the texture is light but its not watery at all. A perfect middle ground.

Whenever I wear this foundation, I can easily skip concealer. And believe me, I have dark circles, blemishes, acne scars to deal with! Although it covers my imperfections, I never feel like I have a heavy layer of foundation on. Face Architect has a matte finish with teeny tiny shiny bits in it that give you an overall sheen. Surprisingly, although this foundation has shiny bits in it, it can be worn in broad daylight. I've worn it all day to a tennis tournament before, and I looked great and not at all overly done up.

As for the Base Control, it is a liquid bronzer that I mix with the Face Architect (1 pump is enough!). The Base Control makes the foundation look warmer, and not "ashy". What bothers me, however, is that I have to buy 2 products to achieve the look of one. But oh well. The end result is the much coveted no-foundation-foundation look.


The only downside to these two products is the hefty sticker price. I paid $42 for Face Architect and $24 for the Base Control. Ouch. As a makeup beginner, I never reached for this foundation except on special occasions (that's why it lasted me for a year!). But if you think about it, it's worth splurging on a foundation that looks great, stays on all day, and doesn't break you out. What do you think?

PS. The foundation shade I'm wearing is #934. The Base Control shade is called Bronze.