Product Review: Almay Smart Shade Makeup
Hi y'all! I just drove for an hour and a half in rush hour traffic to come to Mississauga to do some testing, only to realize that duh, my participant is coming in on Tuesday, NOT today. So I feel real smart.
Oh well, on with the review! The Almay Smart Shade foundation caught my eye because it promised to "magically transform into [my] ideal shade"! Magic makeup! It's full of magical gobbledy-gook technology and will magically make you look better! It's magic, folks!!
This stuff looks hella odd coming out of the tube... like a white cream with tiny black dots in it. Its appearance reminds me a bit of a facial scrub, but it doesn't feel at all grainy going on. There are 3 shades to choose from: Light, Light/Medium, and Medium, but the display only provides a tester for the Light/Medium shade. This product is supposed to "take the guesswork out of finding the right shade", so I suppose they figure one tester is enough.
Needless to say, I was very skeptical of this product -- any cosmetic that claims to "magically" do anything raises my suspicions immediately. I figured that the little black dots probably reacted with friction or sebum or whatever to create colour, and that it would match one's skin tone because it was sheer enough to blend out, NOT because it could somehow detect your skintone. Sort of like those magic-paintings from my youth, where you brush a picture with plain ol' water, and pretty colours appear out of no where. Except my face won't turn into a picture of Hoppy the Easter Bunny or whatever.
Anyway, I finally caved and hesitantly picked up the Light/Medium shade. And I'm.... impressed. Really impressed. The shade match really was dead on, and most importantly, the finish was extremely natural looking. This is the most skin-like foundation I've tried to date! I was also impressed by the coverage -- this is definitely a light coverage foundation, but it was a notch more than the super sheer tinted-moisturizer-esque coverage I was expecting. A touch of concealer on top of the foundation, and I was very happy with the results.
In terms of oil control, it seems to be holding up pretty well. I haven't put it through a whole day's wear yet, but it looks good at least up to the 3 or 4 hour mark, sans blotting. I'm going out for my friend's birthday tonight, so I'll be able to report back on how well it stood the ultimate test of drinking & dancing**!
I still have no idea how this shade-matching voodoo action works though. I put some of the Light/Med shade on Roommate (who is very pale) and it looked really orangey on her. So it appears that you DO have to use the shade that best approximates your skin colour. I just put some on my knee (darker than my face due to self-tanner), and it blended right in there as well! Weird! Wonderful, but weird!
One tip: be sure to blend the product well. Since it sort of looks and feels like face cream, it's tempting to just smear it on. But don't! I did, and ended up with dark smudges on my jaw line, where I'd failed to blend properly. This foundation is VERY easy to apply, so long as you work with small amounts and blend as you go.
So far, I think this has been the best summer foundation I've tried. An uber-natural coverage plus SPF 15 make Smart Shade a great option for outdoors-y activities*. The squeeze tube and screw-on cap means it's safe and easy to toss it in your bag. The cost (~$18 CAD for 30mL/1 Fl Oz) is somewhat prohibitive, especially for a "drug store" foundation -- albeit one that performs as good as some higher end ones I've tried. I think that if Almay dropped the price point by $3 or $4, a lot more people would buy this. I happened upon mine for about 15 bucks on sale, so keep an eye out for any coupons or discounts! Definitely a rave in my books!
* Need I remind you to use a proper sunscreen underneath if you're going to be outside for any length of time?
** We're going to the very crowded, very fun, and very gay Village too, which means it's going to be a crazy, sweaty, drag-queen/Shania Twain-impersonator filled time! Yee haw!
This review was part of Foundation Week!
Labels: face, foundation
posted by The Glitterati @ 3:53 p.m.
55 comments
55 Comments:
I will definitely be checking this out at Walmart tomorrow. I have been using the new Cover Girl mascara featured in ANTM, so far I'm impressed.
You did post the review twice my dear :)
Whoops! What with that, the participant mix-up, and my asterixes all switched up, it must be backasswards Friday around here!
Thanks for the heads up, lemme know what you think of the Almay!
Hola!
I read your article on the Almay SmartMatch yesterday and handy dandy, my prof gave us an assignment to do at Shoppers.
Soooo, before brandishing my trusty pencil and dotting down Vitamin info, I scoped out the Beauty Boutique and grabbed the Medium SmartMatch.
You are so dead on! I put it on this morning and thought to myself, "Hmm, prolly need more, but no one will point and laugh, or stare, or ask what the hell is wrong with my face. I'll just be at work... Eep." And so on until I just looked at myself in the mirror (5 hours later) and, "PRESTO!" I've found the best foundation I've ever used. It does match, like really.
I'm dark-skinned, and my undertones are so hard to match (I sometimes end up looking sort of grey or too orange). Up until now, I'd use Dermablend under my eyes and on spots, then cover it with medium powder. A year ago I'd use Dermablend all over. I don't even have a skin problem to warrant that kind of mask, but as I felt nothing matched properly, it was just easier to make my face a whole new shade of something, if you know what I mean.
Anyhoo, the other product I purchased last night was Lancôme Photogenic for under the eyes. The combo of these two is great. I don't look shiny, and under my eyes doesn't look cakey or dry.
Both the products aren't cheap, (SmartMatch $18 and Photogenic $27) but well worth it not to wear the mask or to have 17 different shades of foundation, concealer, lightener, finisher, whatever - clogging up my makeup bag.
By the way my husband, the good monkey pilot hates makeup with a passion, (yes, it's just too bad, really) so I try my best to look like I'm not wearing any and that I just happen to look fabulous naturally (emphasis on try). This stuff works for that.
Thanks a heap for your review and turning me on to the SmartMatch!
:D
Hi Chicken! Thanks for stopping by and reading! I'm so glad that the Almay stuff worked for you. Isn't the shade matching thing nifty!
I hear ya about not wanting to wear a mask full of makeup! Especially in the summer heat... euck, no fun. I've heard such great things about the Photogenic line... maybe one day I'll bite the bullet and try it out!
I have to say though, if my prof gave me an assignment to do at Shopper's, he'd have to rent a team of wild horses to drag me out of there! ;)
I bought a tube of the light over the weekend and found the coverage was excellent. One thing that I didn't like however was that the consistancy seemed really thin, I found it dripping off my fingertip before applying it to my face. Other than that I liked the product. Price was a bit steep, but I'll more than likely buy it again.
i was looking at the product and reviews. In all of the reviews that i have read everyone seemed impressed. my only concern is that i am a woman of color and would the foundation be able to adapt to my "deeper" complexion.
Nettie: Hi! I'm glad that Smart Shade is working well for you. Do you squeeze some out onto your palm first, and then use your fingers to apply it from there? This may help the drippage factor, as you're picking up less product at a time.
If you're already doing this, then there's not much else that can help, I don't think. It is thinner than a lot of foundations, and like you said, it's a bit cotsly, but I keep buying it too!
Anon: Hi there! I've only tried the Light/Med shade, so I can't say how dark the Medium version is. On the back of the package, there's a guide for what shades it translates to in "normal" Almay foundations, so maybe that will give you some clues.
You could always try emailing the Almay people and including a picture or description of your skin tone to see if they can provide any guidance. Finally, if you can find a drugstore that will do returns, you can just give it a try & see what happens.
I've been interested in trying SmartShade and after reading all these good reviews I think I gonna. I was just wondering how this "color matching" tech would be affected if I used a foundation primer on my face first? Any thoughts?
Amanda: Hi there! I've used both a Smashbox silicon type primer, and 2 creamier "light diffusing" primers under this, and they've all worked great. The "colour matching" is not at all affected, but you get a bit more longevity out of the foundation (and in the case of the light-diffusing primers, a bit of a glow).
excellent writing style. I was amused and informed. This sounds like a great product
Ijust bought this in Light at Wal-Mart for under $9.97. Check out Wal-mart for great pricing!
I just bought some Smartshade at Walmart for 9.97 and I love it. It blends perfectly and doesnt look cakey. It gives the perfect amount of coverage and color.
It is wonderful, no? :)
I never understand how such large companies like Almay justify leaving an entire demographic out of their product line.... light, light/medium, and medium? Of course, cause there must not be any dark people in North America. Or maybe they just wished there were none.
My cousin bought the light/medium to try, but it was too light for her so she gave it to me. I tried it, and while it feels fine it's too dark for me. I'm going to see if my friend wants it.
There should be some sort of shade - to - wrist type thing like those other make-ups have. (if that makes any sense).
I'd be afraid the light would be too dark for me though.
I use Dream Matte Mousse in porcelain ivory now.
Hmmm.... I'm even more curious now to see how this stuff actually works. Maybe something in the formulation prevents the "shade matching" from working for anything darker than medium skintones?
It's really too bad they don't have more range... I guess they should qualify their claims with "Magically turns into your ideal skintone! If you are in the most common 50% of skintones!". Or something.
Hi, My name is Jenn and I have very very pale skin! Its always a huge hastle for me to find a fondation that is light enough and doesn't look orangey on me! (Just recently wasted $9 on Maybelline dream patte mouse in Porcelline) So i'm thinking of trying this Smartshade stuff, maybe it will hit my actual shade right on! Seeing they only have it in light/medium..i'm a little concerned about possibly wasting $13 on it! PLEASE inform me if anyone is here that knows about it.
Thank you,
Jenn
For those that have tried the SmartMatch, what do you consider the coverage? Light? Medium? I need something with a little more coverage due to dark undereye circles and I don't want to waste money on something too watery or that doesn't cover well.
Jenn: They also have a "Light" shade, although I have not tried it myself. Wish I could help more, but maybe another reader has tried the "Light" shade? You could also try buying it from a place that will take returns in case it doesn't work.
Anon: This is definitely a light coverage foundation. More coverage than a tinted moisturizer, but not much more. It's fine for evening out the skintone, but I don't think it conceals very well; I always use undereye concealer over it.
However, if you have pretty good skin overall, it might be worth using a light coverage foundation like this one, and then using a separate undereye concealer. (MAC makes some nice ones, and I've heard good things about Maybelline's Age Rewind) It'll look more natural than using a heavy foundation on your face if you don't need that kind of coverage.
Hi. Unfortunately, I have been plagued with scars on my face due to Lymes Disease. I have tried everything to cover up the light (white) spots where I lost all skin color. It is extremely noticeable and nothing seems to work.
If you have a light/medium skin color naturally and white scars all over, do you think this might blend to conceal? It would be nice to look in the mirror and not be reminded that I'm ill.
I'm certain that feeling good about yourself makes living with a disease easier to handle. Suggestions?
I was also very impressed and surprised and the coverage, and the fact that it actually DID match my skin tone! Also, I have very red/pink undertones to my skin (I'm a little over 1/4 Irish), and I expected that if it DID match, it would also match the redness, therefore not covering it. I was wrong. It matched my skin, while at the same time, covered the red undertones. I love it. But the thing I love the most about it is its consistency. I'll be eighteen in a week, and I have that skin type that is oily, but at the same time dry in places and flakes when I try to put makeup on. I haven't tried a make up that didn't flake for me be because most make-ups are too thick and dry to NOT make me flake. I even tried BareMinerals, which worked well, but using the BRUSH with that, made me flake. I tried Maybelline Superstay Silky foundation, because I thought the thinner white stuff would help, and it didn't flake as much as other make-ups, but it still flaked quite a bit. The Almay SmartShade, though, is thin like lotion, and is applied with the fingers, so I had no problem whatsoever with my face flaking! I might actually wear make-up now! Because normally I don't wear any make-up.. I mean, one week, spread out over a year, is about how much I wear make-up, because make-up actually makes me look WORSE... but hopefully, not anymore. If this works this great all the time... I am definitely going to use it all the time. Yay!
Btw... Y'all are saying it's $18.. you do know you can get it for $10 at Wal-Mart right? Well I mean..unless prices are that much different at different Wal-Marts. I just thought I'd give you a heads up!
Ok I hate this stuff...The first time I tried it, it worked. The next it didn't...the next it did...so I figured that I had to apply it in small amounts and then I figured I have to practically smack my face blending it to get it to change into foundation. I think this stuff adds way too much guess work for me. If I don't do it right have my face is pale and the other half done up. I have to go back and get something a lot better.
Poohie: I'm very sorry to hear about your illness, and I absolutely believe that looking good can help cope.
However, I don't think Smart Shade is the product for you. It's simply too sheer to handle that kind of concealing job.
I will write a full post on this in the upcoming weeks (will update with a link here) but basically, I think you need a full coverage concealer that is as close to your skin shade (the normal medium tone) as possible. Dabble this concealer on your light spots, then use your fave foundation on your whole face.
Crystal: So happy this worked out for you! Thanks for sharing! :)
Carlie: Yikes, the other side of the spectrum! I do have to work w/ small areas at a time, but not teeeeny tiny areas. Like, 1/3 of the forehead at a time, maybe.
I definitely didn't have to smack at it to get the shade to develop... I find that even if you just leave it on your skin for a while without touching it, the colour starts to change (although I don't recommend this as an application method of course, I'm just sayin')
I am sorry it's being so difficult for you though, everyone's skin is different. What kind of coverage are you looking for? My other drugstore fave right now is Maybelline Superstay Silky, but it's def. a heavier coverage.
First, thank you so much for this review, I just saw the commercial and exactly like you, I said "what is this? voodoo magic???" and I went right online and your review was one of the first to come up, so I clicked on it, and I was so happy to see a review that was THOROUGH!!! No matter what you had to say, you explained yourself fully, and it gave me a great idea of what the product has to offer, good or bad. I'm also glad that it was a good review, because I can't do foundation! I just can't do it! I'm mixed, half black, half white, with a little Native American thrown in there, so my skin tone is not mediteranean (olive) but it's also not just caramel (like black plus white, because the native american makes my skin a little more..... I dunno' dark reddish) so I'm very excited that there's a product out there that I don't have to pick honey versus caramel versus olive versus whatever. They sure did pick the perfect tagline, because I'm a student, and I don't want to work hard to look good, but I'm still 24, and I'm in a relationship, and I like going out sometimes! Why can't I look good too?? Anyway, the point is I'm so glad you wrote this, and I'm on my way out the door right now to check it out!!
Second, I want to thank the 1/4 Irish young woman who wrote the comment about her skin flaking. I have the exact same problem! I have oily skin at the end of the day, so I clean my face before applying make-up, use a toner, and basically dry my face out first, and then as soon as I put foundation or powder on, my skin starts flaking! and the most frustrating thing is that it's hit or miss for me: if I put on foundation first, my skin gets super oily, and if I skip foundation and just do powder for a more laid back approach, my skin starts flaking. Is the SmartShade oily? or is it really like lotion in that it blends into your skin and keeps it fresh?? Lastly, do I need powder afterwards? I know Almay does bronzer, and blush as well, so should I just try the whole line??? cause I will! I'm so sold right now! haha. Thanks for all your advice!
Ashley: Thanks so much for your kind words! What a coincidence, one of my really good friends is a mix of black, white, native, with bit of Egyptian thrown in ... of course *she* just has marvelous skin that doesn't need any product at all. :D Anyway, I'm glad you found the review helpful, please do report back and let us all know what you thought!
My skin isn't as oily as you're describing, so I can't say for sure how it would work, but like you said, the other commenter sounds like she had a lot of luck with it. I'm actually using mineral makeup most days now, and I love it... since it's powder, it soaks up oil and I don't even need to powder separately. Plus their kabuki brush is incredibly soft (and relatively cheap), which might help if you've found that other brushes have made you flake in the past.
As for Smart Shade, I'd definitely recommend powdering over it if you're oily. I feel like since Smart Shade sinks into your skin a bit, you might find that it helps you avoid the dreaded flaking. It certainly doesn't feel oily when it goes on... more like a light moisturizer. Another option to explore might be a primer. Smashbox makes a good one... it smooths out the skin and acts as a barrier between your skin and makeup, helping to keep makeup from sliding around. It's not exactly cheap, so definitely get a sample to try it out at home first if you can (Sephora will let you do this).
Maybelline's SuperStay Silky has a primer included in their foundation, and I quite like it. It gives a heavier coverage, but it's nice, and the product stays put. It's actually not recommended for dry skins, so it might help control oil a bit. It doesn't have the nifty shade-matching thing though.
Finally, I haven't tried the Almay blush and bronzer, simply because there are so many quality powder blushes out there. If you have oily cheeks, I'm inclined to suggest sticking with a powder blush/bronzer... it should stay in place better. Of course, if you're finding that the powder blush is accentuating your flakes, then it might be worth it to try the SmartShade blush, with a light dusting of loose powder over top.
Do you typically use moisturizer under your foundation? I have hypersensitive skin and usually use an organic moisturizer, but I don't want to cake my face with makeup. The Smart Shade seems brilliant, but I thought I'd check quickly. :)
Lani: Yes, I always always always moisturize under makeup. My skin has some dry patches, so I find it really necessary. Plus, my moisturizer has SPF, so it's a great "brainless" way to remember to put on sunscreen.
Almay tends to have skin-friendly makeup (at least, they certainly market it as such) so it might be a good match (har!) for you. I've found that it works well over pretty much every moisturizer I've tried it with.
Brilliant, thank you! :D
Hi I'm a LATINA [Puerto Rican Female..and to be Honest with You all, I've NEVER used Foundation but I seen the Almay Commercial and I think I want to Try it but I am Skeptical. All I want is a Little coverage/sheer cover. I don't know wat shade to buy or the Shade that need. My Myspace DEFAULT Picture is my complextion NOW..If any of You can Look at it and Tell me what sade You think would work best forme I'd appeciate it.
www.myspace.com/oncutetrucker
God bless!!
How about a guy's perspective?
I know, I know. . . What straight guy wears makeup? I'll tell ya who: A vain bastard like myself, that's who!
I don't go all out when it comes to cosmetics because, well, I AM a guy, and I have really no clue how to do makeup, I just want to look like I've got better complexion than what I'm rockin' naturally.
After reading the review here, I ran off and bought a bottle at Rite-Aid for about $14. I'm also Irish/Norwegian, so I've got the fair skin, but am plagued by a constant shade of red/pink.
In any case, I snagged the light/medium because I have darkened up a little bit since moving to south Georgia. (well, any part of me that's seen so much sun, that is.) I must say, though, I'm very impressed with this makeup! So easy to apply, goes on like lotion, and has just enough coverage that none of the guys know I'm wearing makeup! (none of the girls, either, for that matter.)
I'd also like to vouch for its oil control properties; I'm on an oral steroid which, among many things, causes a hormonal flux, including extra-oily skin. (I'm 23 and I thought I'd be past that already!) Today was my first day of full-wear -- just about 8 hours, and I do notice less oil than previous days.
Overall, a good buy!
Good-bye?
Tris
I already bought thelight shade but wanted to see if others liked it as much as I did :D
I was lucky enough to get it for $14 with their free concealer which I love maybe even more than the foundation !
I've been using bare minerals for a little more than a year now and I have to say that this looks much more natural lasts quite a bit longer !
way to go almay :D
Thank you for the review! It was just what I needed.
Good review. I have it in light and i love it. looks truly natural and works well on my large pores. I wish it did a bit more coverage but still it is amazing. I got mine at a street fair in NYC at a makeup stand for $5! In target it is now $11
Thanks for the great review. I cannot wait to try it!!! I saw the commercial and wondered if it was too good to be true. I always have to mix shades to match my skin tone.
I have loved this product, but have a warning- I took it along with me on a 12 day road trip. Since the trip focused on outdoorsey, rugged activities I didn't use it until I returned home. When I did start to apply the makeup, I was horrified to see that it was turning a dark horrid orange - brown color on my face. I am guessing that being in a very hot car did something to it.
I have an Asian skin tone with a sort of pigment deficiency that gives me a few large white spots on my face. I'm wondering if the Light or the Light/Medium is the correct one. Any suggestions? Is the Medium really dark?
Thanks everyone, for your comments and feedback, glad to hear Smart Shade seems to be working out for most people!
Anon1: Yuck! I think you're right, something about the heat may have destabalized the foundation. Good warning not to leave it in a hot car!
Anon2: I think it's best to pick the colour that is closest to the 'majority' skintone of your face. (So, match the skintone, not the white spots) The makeup will cover the white spots a bit, but it will likely not make it match your skin exactly, unless the discolouration is very minor. I'd suggest using a good smooth concealer (I like Vichy's Dermablend concealer) to dab it onto the white spots, and then using foundation over your whole face to blend things out.
As for the shade, I think the medium is not *that* dark, more for a medium complexion (like, Philipino/Latin skintones, or lighter black skintones). Without knowing what colour your skin is, it's impossible to recommend a colour, but if you have a 'typical' Oriental skintone (whatever that means!), my guess would be Light/Medium.
I have never been able to find the right shade of makeup so i just gave up and quit wearing it for years.
I decided i would try it again thinking there has to be some new stuff out there, a lady at Walmart suggested i try Almay Smart Shade and WOW this is awesome, this is the very best makeup ever ,i chose light/medium and it blended perfectly.
I will never use anything else.
I found this to be a total rip-off honestly. I have very pale skin and I tried the Light one, but even that came out looking much darker on my skin and also a little orangy.
I just bought mine today for $14.99, and was too frightened to try it since the back said that it would "work best beige, neutral, warm foundation". So I got real confused.
Thanks for the review! Finally a blog with reviews that gives me what I want.
I want to try it, but I have a horrible acne condition. I am a pale pinky myself and no matter what make up I use, (including bare minerals) I turn out orange. Sensitive skin might have something to do with it. I haven't bought it yet, I wanted to know if anyone else here has acne and has used it.. Usually anything with SPF clogs my pores and makes my acne worse.. Anyone experience that?
you cn get it for ten bucks at target. or cvs, they have great deals. mine is in medium shade. the only thing i've disliked is that it wipes off very easily.
I find the claims that it will somehow "sense you skin tone" ridiculous. Unless it has tiny photoreceptors and some sort of microscopic, computerized photo cells that mirror the color of your skin, the claim is utterly ridiculous. Plus, if that were true, would it not then also match any blemish you were trying to mask?
Rub it on a wall and see if it "senses and matches" the color.
On the flip side, what this stuff actually is is a featherweight, long-lasting, very sheer makeup that goes on long way to giving you a clean, natural finish. It's good makeup. Especially on my aging skin. Really gives me a boost.
So, yeah. While the claims the company makes is utter nonsense, the product itself is the best I've run across in a long time.
Hi, I want to get this right & have searched all the Q & A's on here & my best related comment was a response to the asian girl.
My skintone is Light/Medium & Iam of an Italian background...It's more on the lighter side of medium but still close medium.
So basically I have no idea which shade i should buy, what one would you recommend?
(Sorry, I know you don't know my skin tone but still, I thought this was worth a shot as I'm buying it & any advice would be greatly appreciated as I've been trying to figure out which one is best for me for ages now!
So damn annoying,lol...
Thanks for your time in advance, Davina... :0)
Thanks, everyone, for your feedback! Davina, is there a well-known celebrity whose skintone is close to yours? (Or a photo of a lesser known celebrity?) That might be helpful. For reference, I am about Lucy Liu's skintone, and the light/medium is perfect for me.
Hi Glittari, thanks so much for your response.
I guess I'm similar to Lucy Lui also.
Aswell as Natalie Portman & gewn stephani's skin tones.
Maybe closer to Natalie Portman...
Thanks in advance... :0)
You're very welcome!
I'd definitely go for the light-medium then. Medium would be too dark for you, I think. Also, I haven't really tried the Light shade on my face, but I gather that it is more pink based, whereas the light-medium is more yellow/warm based.
Awesome, thanks...
Btw, I have dark circles under my eyes... :0/
I'm going to buy the Almay foundation & concealer in the one pack.
Do you think this would be enough for me to cover the dark circles?
I read that it's coverage isn't the best feature...
Idk, what do you think?
Thanks... :0)
I actually really like the Almay concealer... it's not heavy coverage, but it was more than I had expected. I like it because, similar to the foundation, it blends really seamlessly. For my dark circles, I use the Almay concealer as a base, then top it off with another concealer (Vichy Dermablend, which I reviewed here). I also like the new Garnier roller ball concealer/brightener.
I do have pretty dark circles though, so you may be pleasantly surprised to find the Almay alone does the trick for you. Good luck, hope it works for ya! :)
Hi Glitterati, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate you being so helpful.
I've spent so much on make ups yet to no avail as I haven't found anything that was just right. Although I really do love Misha b cream which I buy on ebay from Hong Kong...that's pretty amazing stuff. But still, I feel i need a concealer also...
So your help has been so very much appreciated...
Actually, I just have one more question (so sorry for asking so many)...
With the almay foundation, would I need a powder over the top for it to look natural?
Thanks so much for your time... :0)
Hey Davina, no problem, glad to help! :) For the Almay foundation, I found I needed a little bit of powder in the summer to keep shine at bay. (I have pretty "normal" skin, sometimes a bit shiny in the T-zone, but nothing major.) If you have dry skin, you may not need powder. It certainly doesn't look unnatural or weird without powder. If you have combo or oily skin though, you'll probably want powder.
One thing -- I hope the Almay works for you but if not, have you considered mineral makeup? I tried Lumiere's (review here) mineral makeup years ago and now it's pretty much the only foundation I use (I still use the Almay + Vichy concealer combo though). I like the Luminesse version. I do have to mix colours to get a match (I get Light/Med Warm and Medium Warm and mix the 2), but they have a LOT of shade options, so you may find a single shade that matches yours. I belive they have some kind of "new customers" kit where you can get samples of shades for a very reasonable price.
I do like the Almay foundation because it's easy to buy in a hurry (vs having to order online) but the mineral makeup is definitely my daily foundation now.
glitterati you have no idea how much of a great help you have been to me & I can't thank you enough for this-really... :0)
I really appreciate your great detail & especially how you mentioned what you use & what tones you use as my skin tone is very close to yours (I checked out Lucy Lui's skin tone on google images & I realized I'm like her also-maybe just the tiniest bit lighter, but not by much)...
i also have only very mild oily skin in certain parts so I'll definitely do what you do with the mineral make up over the top of the almay concealer...
I'll now be buying the mineral make-up also... :0)
So now I'll definitely be buying exactly what you use since our skin tones are very similar.
(Except I don't want to buy more then 2 atm so I'll just get the almay concealer & the mineral powder- minus the Luminesse).
Just to clarify, it's the almay concealer & the maybeline mineral powder Light/Med Warm and Medium Warm and mix the 2) is this correct?
That last answer was excellent, thanks so much for making this so much easier for me. It's been such a hassle up until now.
Once again I really appreciate your time in answering & helping me with this... :0)
Hi Davina,
You're very welcome, I'm so glad I can offer help. I think maybe I wasn't too clear in my last comment though:
In the past:
- I put on conceaeler (this was before I tried the Almay concealer so, just whatever I had)
- Then I used the Almay Foundation, and topped off with a little loose powder. The loose powder wasn't mineral makeup, just whatever I had lying around.
Now:
- I switched to Lumiere Cosmetics' mineral makeup foundation. (Lumiere is an online company.)
- I use their Luminess version for foundation -- they have a few different lines, for different finishes, etc. Luminess gives a lighter, glowy coverage. The Cashmere line is nice if you like a slightly heavier, more matte coverage.
- In the mornings, I first put on the Almay concealer on my dark circles and any other red/uneven spots on my face.
- Then I apply Lumiere's mineral makeup foundation powder.
- Then I top off with the Vichy foundation just under my eyes.
I haven't actually tried Maybelline's mineral makeup line (or any drugstore mineral makeup line), because I've been really happy with Lumiere. So unfortunately, I can't say how the Maybelline worked for me, or give any advice re: colour selection. But I'm sure there are really helpful reviews out there about other mineral makeup brands if you decide to go that route! :)
Hello! If you're still curious about how Smart Shade works, I've written up an explanation on my blog as a comic, and that is available through this link.
I'm right around Kirsten Dunst's skin tone, so I thought I'd try this out as it starts white then darkens. This is the first time I've tried it. I've just put it on - there are random deep orange streaks but they blend out pretty well. Let me go check in the mirror and see if it's developed...UGH NO. This has turned me into a developing Snooki. Looks like I'll be showering now. The bottle says "pale" - well, this would be considered pale if you were Sudanese! This is better suited for the color I was after 2 weeks in Hawaii or a week in Italy. Heading down to Texas soon so if I catch some rays in Galveston, I might be able to use this. Until then, Halloween costumes only.
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