Quick and dirty Clinique haul and swatch pics!

So, the other day Clinique had a promo on their website for four free minis and free shipping with a $40 purchase. I've been dying for some of their Cheek Pops and I thought it would be a great time to try them. But I backed out at the last minute and I'm so glad I did!! The very next day I got an email from Gilt City with a $30 off $80 deal! And the Gilt promo had its own gift with purchase, so I got like nine gifts PLUS $30 off! Okay, so pics.

(Top row: Liquid Facial Soap Mild, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+, All About Shadow Trio in Pinks, Cheek Pop in Ginger Pop. Bottom row: Lash Power mascara, Lash Doubling mascara, Cola Pop lipstick, Sugared Grapefruit lipstick, Mega Melon Chubby Stick, All Heart lipstick, Cheek Pops in Rosy Pop and Cola Pop)

And swatches.

(Top row: Pinks trio, shades are Strawberry Fudge duo and Morning Java. Middle row: lip colors in All Heart, Sugared Grapefruit, Mega Melon, Cola Pop. Bottom row: Cheek Pops in Rosy, Cola and Ginger)

These are just first impressions, but the lip and cheek pops swatch beautifully! I'll report back after actually wearing them! I don't even know what to wear first!

Also, I know the four mini promo ended, but if the Gilt voucher is still available, go for it! They do these periodically, so even if you miss this one, go sign up for Gilt City. This is my referral link, so I'll get credit for referring you and you'll get credit, too (I think it's $25 off a purchase). You don't have to go through my referral, though. I just want to be honest. I've gotten some amazing deals there (vouchers for Clinique, Bobbi Brown, SpaceNK, and lots more!), and I'm going to make a separate post about where to get the best beauty steals.

Until next time,

Sara

Undertones and depth, finding the perfect foundation!

Finding a foundation match can be super frustrating! The first step is identifying your skin's undertone. You can be cool, warm or neutral, with varying degrees among them. There are lots of ways to figure yours out. I recommend the following:

• Look at the veins in your wrist. Are they predominantly green, blue, or a mix? It's not 100%, but it's a good place to start. If they're blue, you're likely cooler toned. If green, you probably lean warm. A mix of both indicates neutral. My veins, I am neutral leaning cool.
  
  
  
• Look at a picture of yourself standing in a group of people. Warmer people will look more golden, cooler people more pink. You can compare where you fit within the ranges of skin tones and at least get an idea if you're cooler or warmer than the others in the picture.
• Get color matched at a MAC counter. Any brand can do a foundation match for you, but I recommend MAC because they clearly denote cool and warm shades in their color names. I should mention, though, that MAC has a different system. Colors with C or NC names denote warm/yellow tones. W or NW denotes cool/pink tones. Sounds backward, I know. But it IS a good way to get a match. It's kind of become the universal foundation language. For example, I'm NW20 in MAC, so I can ask online in makeup forums for recs in other formulas based on that. The 20 part of my MAC shade indicates depth.
• Get matched at Sephora through their Color IQ system. While it's still in its infancy and I've heard lots of stories about wrong matches, it got me dead right both times I tried it. How it works is, you go in with no foundation (or be willing to let them remove it) and they use this "camera gun" to take three pics of your skin in different areas (for me they did jaw, neck and forehead) and the system takes the three pics and uses them to find your match. The system uses the following Pantone shades:

5R shades denote the most cool/pink tones, with 5Y being the most warm/yellow. 1-2Y/R indicates the most neutral of tones. The 01-15 at the end indicates depth of tone. For example I am 1Y06. 1Y is neutral, 06 is a light-to-medium depth. The cool part about the Color IQ system is it gives you matches in every foundation Sephora carries. It's not perfect, but it's a great starting point.

The second part to finding your foundation is knowing your depth. Nobody wants to walk around in a foundation that's five shades too dark or light! The best way to test depth is to swatch the foundation you think is the right color onto your jawline. Next to it, swatch one shade darker and one shade lighter. Now GO OUTSIDE with a mirror. Store lighting is horrible for determining the right shade. You need natural light. Does one of those shades seem to disappear into your skin? If so, that's the right match! If not, repeat with lighter or darker shades as needed. If nothing is working, you just may not have a match in that brand/formula. If you're willing (and you're hellbent on getting THAT particular brand/formula) you can probably mix two shades to get a match. Before you go to the trouble, you could always just keep looking, though. It's all up to you. 

The third part is all about formula. Once you know your color, find the right foundation for your skin type! There are SO MANY OPTIONS, it would be hard to not find the right one. If your skin is drier like mine, look for moisturizing liquid or cream foundations. BB/CC creams are also great. If you're oily, look at powder, mattifying or oil control foundations. If you're combo-skinned, look for balancing formulas. If you have normal skin, just chose the finish you prefer. You have matte, satin and dewy options. You also have a large variety of coverage choices. It's all down to preference.

A couple of other valuable tools in finding matches are Temptalia's Foundation Matrix and Findation. You start with known matches and and it gives you matches in other foundations. Both of these databases are made with user contributions, so there is a strong possibility of user error, but it's a good starting place.

The search for the perfect foundation is a bit like a quest for the holy grail, but knowing your shades and your needs are good starting points on your quest. 

Until next time,

Sara, aka Beelzebubbles