LORAC POREfection Baked Perfecting Powder Review

Lorac's POREfection Baked Perfecting Powder was featured during Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty promo this week, and as an oily/combination girl, I had to pick it up. I mean, it was 50% off! This product has salicylic acid in it and is supposed to minimize your pores and keep you matte, while keeping your skin clear and giving you moderate coverage. That's no small order!

The packaging is really substantial, the kind of product that you can toss in your bag and not worry about it breaking. Its very polished looking and the interior mirror is a nice size to have on the go.

So what's it look like on? First, a no (face) makeup shot for comparison:

Here's how it looks after one layer is applied. I used a powder puff (as recommended by the Ulta saleswoman) and kind of packed/placed it on. It is very powdery, so using it with a powder brush ends with a lot of product going all over the place. I saw this was a big complaint about it online, so I took my salesgirl's advice and bought a pack of velour puffs to apply. 

I definitely think you can see my skin tone is evened out from the one layer, including my blemishes around my jawline.

I applied to the right half of my face only for another comparison (yes I am aware I did more than half my forehead! I mean hey, I am not a professional here! :) ). Again, you can see there is some coverage going on but not a heavy look. Definitely light coverage.

Here it is after two layers, concealer and blush.

Final face:

Overall, this product gave me light to medium coverage that is definitely buildable. It did keep on pretty well throughout the day, but I had totouch up after lunchtime. The upside is that it is much more portable than the cream or liquid foundations that I am normally drawn too, and there is even enough space in the compact to keep my velour puff for on-the-go touch ups.

Since this contains salicyclic acid, you must must must moisturize before using if you have any dry areas or blemishes, otherwise it clings to those areas. The packaging say it isn't drying, but I'm not 100% sure I'd agree with that. If you are oily, this is awesome. I am oily/combo, and I think it works well for me.

The POREfection powder feels really light on the skin. If you are oily or acne prone and don't want or need a ton of coverage (or don't like the feel of makeup), I think this would be a great product for you. Even if you are used to moderate to full coverage, this is a great alternative for days that you want to let your skin breathe but still have some coverage and shine control. I haven't used this as a setting powder, but I am betting it would work well. I would even keep this in my bag for touch ups over my regular liquid foundations.

Have you tried this? What did you think?

XO
Beauty Cents

Products Used:
LORAC POREfection Powder in PF2 Light
Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Concealer in Light
Laura Geller The Real Deal Concealer in Light
NYX Brown Kit in Medium/Dark
Sephora Creme Eyeliner in Black
Buxom Amplified Lash Mascara
Rimmel Airy Fairy Lipstick
NYX Mauve blush

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector (Oily/Combination Version) Review

Hello again!

Everyone and their mother knows BB creams have taken the US by storm over the past year. Garnier was one of the first to put out their version, the Miracle Skin Perfector, and it has won multiple awards, including an Allure Best of Beauty. I tried to make it work for me for most of last summer, but as someone with Normal/Oily/Combination skin, I ended up feeling greasy after a few hours. I think it's a great product, just not for me. That's why I was soooo excited to see the oil-free mattifying version hit the shelves a little over a month ago! The Miracle Skin Perfector for Oily/Combination skin promises to control your oil while giving you coverage and a great finish.

 I picked up the Light/Medium and Medium/Deep shades. There is also another dark shade available. First, I am going to talk about the packaging. I have been using both of these for about a month, and as you can very obviously see, they are a MESS! The formula is very thin, much runnier than the original version, which is a thicker cream. As a result, after a few weeks, you will find the product oozing out of the sides. It is really annoying and I do wash them after every use because I don't want the product getting all over my shelf! I have heard of this happening to other people, too, so please don't look at these photos and think I am just some gross individual with gnarly bottles.

The product itself, in my opinion, does exactly what it says it will. It leaves my face matte for at least 8 hours, even when I have been running around. I can't say how they will hold up in summer heat and humidity, but I would bet it will be pretty impressive.

I purchased both shades ecause sometimes the generic "light" is too light even for my fair skin. Here's a swatch when first applied to skin:

And after setting/oxidizing for five minutes:

I think the swatch shows the matte finish really well. When applied with a flat top kabuki brush, I get great, streakless coverage. Color wise, my only issue is the Light/Medium shade looks rather peachy on me. It definitely has pink undertones, which makes it not a great match for my complexion. In some lights, I even found it to show up orangey. It's weird because it comes out looking really neutral! By contrast, the Medium/Deep shade does have yellow undertones but doesn't look orange, no matter what light I look at it in.

Overall, I think the Garnier Skin Perfector for Combination to Oily skin is a great product. It gives the matte finish of a higher end product at a really nice cost (I paid $12.99 at CVS). The coverage is light to medium and buildable, and it does last all day. Sometimes I find it even a little too mattifying and find if I don't put some moisturizer on before using, it can highlight my dry spots. Aside from that, I wish they would come out with more shades! Perhaps a yellow-toned light just to add to the mix (selfishly, of course!). I am hoping once the summer rolls around, the Medium/Deep shade matches me better.

XO
Beauty Cents