The Foundation Fairy: Almay's Smart Shade Liquid Makeup and Primer

Ya'll know that I have been on a massive foundation hunt lately with my Foundation Fairy Series. I don't know what it is, but I just seem to go through such phases with my makeup. Right now, I am determined to find my perfect shades in both drugstore and higher end foundations.

Having such fair skin, it really is a feat to find a good shade match. Many ranges just simply do not go light enough for my porcelain skin. That is why Almay's Smart Shade Liquid Makeup really appeals to me. A self adjusting makeup? This has to work in a fair girl's favor, right?

Another thing that I struggle with (besides trying to find a good foundation color match) is my large pore size. Honestly, besides my dark under eye circles, my large pores are the bane of my existence. My skin is overall pretty good. It is fairly even toned and it rarely breaks out. But, my pores, yikes! Most foundations just seem to sink into my pores and emphasize them. While I do not need primers to increase my foundation wear (as my skin is not oily), I do need primers to function to "fill in" the pores and allow my products to apply more smoothly. I hate adding another step to my busy makeup routine. But, if I want a flawless face, I really need primer.

With my fair skin and large pores in mind, I am excited to test out these products from Almay! To see my reviews for Almay's Smart Shade Liquid Makeup and Smart Shade Perfect & Correct Primer, keep reading!

The Foundation Fairy: Pixi Flawless Beauty Stick

Hello fair ladies!

My Foundation Fairy: A Fair Girl's Guide to Foundation series continues with this amazing foundation stick from one of my favorite brands: Pixi Beauty!

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Pixi's Flawless Beauty Stick in No. 1 Cream might just be the foundation stick that I have been searching for! There are so many things that I like about this product! To hear how this product worked for me, keep reading!

"The Foundation Fairy" The Fair Girl's Foundation Guide: Napoleon Perdis Foundation Stick

Hello my fair ladies! Tis the start of my new foundation series: "The Foundation Fairy" The Fair Girl's Foundation Guide. What is this series all about? Finding great foundations that work for super-duper fair skin.

In a nutshell, my skin is fairer than fair. I have such a hard time finding good color matches in shades light enough for my skin (especially with drugstore products). Join me in my search for great foundations for fairies like me! I am going to be testing out and documenting as many foundations as I can. Plus, I would love to hear from my fellow fair-girls: "What foundations are working for you?" If you missed my "The Foundation Fairy" The Fair Girl's Foundation Guide Intro post, be sure to check it out!

To kick off this series, I have a review for Napoleon Perdis's Foundation stick. Napoleon Perdis is a high end makeup line that is available at Ulta, Nordstroms, Napoleon Perdis concept stores, dermstore.com, and Napoleon Perdis.com. I am a huge fan of Napoleon Perdis makeup. So, I am excited to explore the foundation offerings of this brand. They have a variety of foundations available: a variety of liquids, spray, powder, tinted moisturizer, and stick. So, lets start of with the Foundation Stick!

The New Buzz in Beauty: BB Creams! Clinique's Version Reviewed

There is no doubt BB Creams are all the Buzz in Beauty right now! 

BB Cream stands for "Blemish Balm", "Beauty Balm" or "Blemish Base". The idea behind a BB Cream is that it is an all-in-one product: skincare, primer, concealer, and foundation in one. 

BB Cream History:

After hearing "BB Cream" mentioned on various blogs and YouTube channels, I did a bit of investigating.  Apparently BB Creams have been around longer than I thought! They have been huge in Asia and overseas for years now. Previously, BB Creams were hard to come by...they were an import. Plus you have to match your skin tone. So, ordering internationally is just not appealing. What if you can't get a good match?

BB Creams were originally professional products that Dermatologists recommended for use with their post-laser treatment patients. The BB Creams were to soothe and protect the skin. The various formulations of Asian BB Creams tackle a variety of skin concerns and needs: anti-aging, "whitening", anti-blemish, evening skin tone, etc!

Well, US brands, to the delight of consumers like me, finally jumped on the BB Cream bandwagon! Many mass market brands are releasing BB Creams. They are cropping up everywhere! No, apparently they are not the same as the Asian BB Creams): These are the US's version of a BB Cream. To make a generalization, I would define a US BB Cream as a product that falls somewhere between a tinted moisturizer and a foundation (depending upon the brand) and which also is packed with skincare ingredients. That is the key difference here. BB Creams are intended to help improve your skin with anti-aging and anti-blemish ingredients while also protecting the skin and evening out your skin tone. 

Does this mean what I think it does? Yes, a new category of product has emerged! Seriously, as a product enthusiast (cough, product nerd), this is so exciting!!! I want to scope out and try as many BB Creams as I possibly can! Not just because they are a new product category, but because I have high hopes that this type of product can fill my foundation-void and make me a quasi-foundation/BB Cream lover! That's right...foundation has never been my "thing". Oh yes, I have tried a million. But, generally speaking, I would rather wear a few dabs of concealer and powder. Tinted moisturizers are nice, but they really don't cover anything. Foundations have always seemed to "heavy". Yes, I am thinking the BB Cream route might just be where I need to head! 

So, my dear readers, this is the first of many BB Cream reviews that you will see on Pammy Blogs Beauty. What is the lineup so far for review? Clinique's BB Cream, Garnier's BB Cream, and 3 Lab's BB Cream. I thought I would try a high-end BB Cream, a drugstore BB Cream, and a BB Cream from a skincare line. Also, there are a few other BB Creams that have caught my eye: Smashbox's and Boscia's. I hope to try those too! 

Let's kick off my personal BB Cream quest (craze!) with this review for Clinique's Age Defense BB Cream.