Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Foundation in Natural Beige - before & after, swatches, pics, review

Hello, Beautiful!

As most of you know by now, I love full coverage foundations because I have too many flaws to cover and it's easier when I don't need to fuss with layers or concealer. Even though this Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Foundation lists it's Medium Coverage on the tube, I can say it's more full coverage. The shade I have, Natural Beige, is too light, but I was going by the shade chart for the wrong foundation from their line (stupid me). Natural Beige falls into the darkest end of the Light category in the Cover Cream, but in the Smooth Indulgence Foundation it actually falls into the middle of the Fair category. It's not the end of the world; I'm at my fairest skintone right now, so I can still make it work with some bronzer. In the spring/summer it won't work, so I'll have to switch to Soft Beige. Regardless of the shade, it covers beautifully, as seen in my before & after pic!

Check out my pics, swatches, stats, and review...

Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Foundation
Shade: Natural Beige


 

 



 


















Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Foundation
My before & after:

Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Foundation PRO's & CON's:

PRO's: goes on nicely, covers beautifully, natural matte finish

CON's: may be too full coverage for someone with less flaws

Basic Stats for Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Foundation:

Formula: liquid/cream

Wear: up to 16 hours of wear with Dermablend setting powder

Coverage: medium to full

Shade Info: currently available in 11 shades

Cost/Availability: $30.00 (1 fl oz full size). Available on the Dermablend website and everywhere else Dermablend is sold.

Packaging: squeeze tube, twist-off lid; includes a wedge sponge

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses

Formula:

This foundation is a liquid/cream, medium to full coverage foundation. Contains SPF 20. 

Wear:

This foundation, on its own, has up to 12 hours of wear. When used with Dermablend's setting powder (which I have), you can get up to 16 hours of wear.

Coverage:

Medium to full coverage, depending on application. You can layer this where you need more coverage.

Shade Info:

Currently available in 11 shades. When finding your shade on the Dermablend website please make sure you look at the shade chart for each different foundation formula, as the shade names do not match up (as I found out by getting a shade too light).

Cost/Availability:
$30.00 (1 fl oz full size). Available on the Dermablend website and everywhere else Dermablend is sold.

Packaging:

Squeeze tube with twist-off lid; includes a wedge sponge.

Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Foundation Review:

I love Dermablend foundations because they cover my flaws and look great on. This is my first time trying the Smooth Indulgence Foundation, and I really like it. It's a great choice because it covers a lot without the need for concealer or multiple layers. Although, of course you could use concealer and multiple layers with this.

I applied this using a flat-top foundation brush, applying in circular motions. That's my preferred method of liquid foundation application, but I will play around with applying this with the sponge too.

Even though the shade I have is too light for me, I still like to wear this foundation. I can make it work by adding bronzer or Smashbox Halo in Medium on top. It's better to have it lighter than darker when it comes to a foundation shade mix-up. I also have foundation mix-in's, to darker or lighten foundation. I'll try using the one to make this foundation darker and see if that corrects it.

Overall, yes, I would absolutely recommend this to everyone with flaws to cover, or anyone who wants a flawless face!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this foundation? Have you tried this or is this on your wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

Amusement Park-Proof Makeup Testing: Round 2!

Hello, Beautiful!

Round 2 of the Amusement Park-Proof Makeup Testing is complete. However, I have to say that this was an unofficial testing day; meaning I didn't really intend to document my makeup because I just wanted to focus on having fun, but I still (by force of habit) took a few pics to document things. I'll write more about my testing today instead of showing more pics. Continue reading to see all the results!

This trip to Kings Dominion was a very special one; just myself and my husband! My grandmother is still here visiting from out of state and we took advantage of that (per her request) to go to Kings Dominion by ourselves (thank you mom-mom!!). We decided to go on a weekday so it would be less crowded and so my son wouldn't miss out so much (he was at school most of the day anyway). It's very rare that my husband and I get to go out by ourselves since all our friends and family live in another state, so it was truly a special day for us.

It was just too bad he couldn't handle all the rides and we had to leave around 3pm... yeah, he's getting too old (he's only 31, but still older then me, hehe)! I was hoping to stay until the parked closed, or at least until 6pm (the park closed today at 8pm) but no, he couldn't do it and I wasn't going to force him to have fun. It's okay though; my nephew is coming down to visit me all next week and I'll take him to the park at least once and I'll be there until it closes!



Products I used:

• Moisturizer: none
• Primer: Make Up For Ever HD Primer - shade 0 Neutral
• Foundation: Make Up For Ever Face & Body Liquid Makeup - shade #32 Alabaster Beige
• Concealer: Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer - shade #8 Beige
• Setting Powder: Dermablend Setting Powder - Original
• Other Setting Product: Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
• Blush: none
• Eyeshadow Primer: none
• Eyeshadow: Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream - shade #13 Warm Beige
• Eye Liner: Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes - shade 0L Mat Black
• Mascara: Mally Volumizing Mascara (black)
• Brows: Tarte EmphasEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse - shade Medium Brown
• Lips: Maybelline Superstay 24 Hour Color - shade #090 Timeless Rose

Testing Conditions:

• temperature: High around 95 degrees
• what the sky was like: Very sunny; hot & humid!
• any clothing/accessories that could affect the results: I did use sunglasses for some parts of the day and I used blotting sheets around 1:30pm
• if I went on any water rides: no water rides today
• if I went on any roller coasters: yes!!!
• total number of hours at the park: 4 and a half hours
• total number of hours, including travel to & from the park: Almost 10 hours

Testing Photos & Notes:

Before Photo
I was running late this morning so I didn't do my makeup before I left the house. Thankfully my husband was driving to Kings Dominon so I was able to do my makeup in the car. I did apply my primer before I left the house; I used Make Up For Ever's HD Primer in shade 0-Neutral (colorless).

I applied a total of two coats of Make Up For Ever's Face & Body Liquid Makeup in the shade #32 Alabaster Beige. I didn't have my usual foundation brush with me so instead I used my fingertips for application. As you can see from the photo, using fingertip application did not provide me with as much coverage as using the brush method (since I stipple the product on in the second coat, providing me more coverage... something I can't do with my fingertips). Then I applied concealer to a few spots and under my eyes - but really, I just kind of gave up at that point and said "oh well, my face looks like this today, moving on" because I couldn't find the shade I normally use. This time I used Make Up For Ever's Full Cover Concealer in shade #8 Beige, but I usually use shade #6 Ivory because this concealer dries darker. You can see in the photo dark spots on my face from the damn concealer! Grrrrrrr! I didn't want to start all over so I really just did not care and moved on.

To set my face I used Dermablend's Setting Powder in the shade Original (colorless). I moved onto eyebrows and filled them in using Tarte's EmphasEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse in the shade Medium Brown. I couldn't find my usual brow brush this morning for some reason (it must have been with my foundation brush I like to use and my other shade of concealer) so I had to use another small eye shadow brush to fill in my brows.

I kept my eyes really simple today. I applied one coat of Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes in shade #13 Warm Beige. I skipped an eyeshadow primer today because I wanted to test the wear of the Aqua Creams without a shadow primer. Then I lined just my top lashes with Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes in shade 0L Mat Black. My lashes were beautified using Mally Beauty's Volumizing Mascara (a rich black shade).

My lips were on since I left the house... and actually they were on since LAST NIGHT! I applied Maybelline's Superstay 24 Hour Lipcolor to my lips at around 11:00pm the night before. I slept all night with the color on, woke up, brushed my teeth, took a shower, washed my face, and drank a Red Bull - all without the color budging! All I did was re-apply a very small amount (just to freshen it up and ensure it would last through the hot day), waited for that to dry and topped it off with the clear balm side of the lipcolor.

Once all my makeup was applied I spritz my face 3 times with Urban Decay's All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (to double up my insurance that my face would stay put).

I know I could have made an effort to make my face look way better, but honestly I really did not care for some reason. Like I said, I didn't have any official plans to do makeup testing today so I'm surprised I have any photos at all. But I really wish I would have just skipped the concealer all together because the spots on my face looked awful (until they faded away later in the day).

I want to apologize for the awful picture quality. I only used my camera phone.



Arrival Photo
Since the before photos above were taken only about 30 minutes before I arrived at Kings Dominion there really wasn't any further damage to my makeup. The only thing you should judge in the arrival photo below is my foundation, concealer, and setting powder (since they were applied about 2 hours before this photo was taken). 

During Photo
There isn't a during photo for this testing round; sorry! I just didn't stop to take during photos this time and probably because I really wasn't in a testing mood. I was more focused on all the fun roller coasters we went on together.


Touch-Up Photo
No touch-up photos. I have to admit, I didn't do a single touch-up the entire day!! My makeup stayed put, even though I felt like my face was melting off! I kept checking my face, expecting there to be a scary mess of melted foundation but everytime I looked in the mirror I didn't have to do anything. I did use blotting sheets around 1:30pm because I was sweating really badly, but my makeup was pretty okay. I don't know how it did it, but it did. I mean, I absolutely LOVE Dermablend's setting powder. It has been the only setting powder I can trust to keep my makeup on all day without budging, but I've never tried it out at the amusement park. I guess it really does work at keeping your makeup sweat and water resistant!

I can't say much for the Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray. I only have a small travel bottle because I wanted to see if I liked it before buying the larger bottle and honestly, I don't think it does a whole lot for me. I do like to use it on my face if I look too powdery because it kind of takes some of that away, but as far as prolonging my makeup I don't think it does a wonderful job for my oily skin. I know it doesn't do a whole lot on regular makeup days, so I don't think it did much on an amusement park testing day. The Dermablend setting powder is definitely who I have to thank for my makeup staying on at the park.


After Photo
I forgot to take a photo in the parking lot before I left for my trip home. I was in a really disappointed mood (because we had to leave early and I wanted to stay there with my husband until the park closed), plus I had to drive home and was in a lot of pain (my leg was hurting as usual, but I also somehow injured my left arm/shoulder doing the Extreme Sky Flyer ride, but that's a whole other story).


Back Home Photo (taken after over 2 hours in the car, after the day at Kings Dominion)
As you can see in the Back Home photo below my makeup faded and you can see my problem skin, but it's not a complete disaster. It doesn't look melted, it just looks faded - and yes, there is a big difference. Usually melted makeup looks weird and gross and again, just weird. But when your makeup fades it just goes away silently, without leaving you look like you have some weird skin problem as your makeup slips and slides all over, or balls up on your skin. Nope, my makeup just nicely faded away and left some spots looking pretty normal.

My brows stayed on better today (although they did have a light sweep of Dermablend setting powder on them as they normally get some powder on them whenever I set my face with powder; I don't purposely set them).

My eye makeup lasted pretty well. The shadow faded a little, but not really. The liner stayed on perfectly, as did the mascara. My lips were faded by this time, but hey, considering all they've been through I'd say they look pretty good. Plus, I was putting clear lip balm over top of them (Fresh Lip Treatment - the clear version), so I'm sure that may have effected the color somewhat too. But you can see some color in them still! I'm impressed!

Again, don't I look exhausted in this pic? Nothing wears me out more than a long day at the amusement park, which includes all the long hours driving to and from the park. I'm just glad to be back home, safe and sound.

The Verdict:

Here's what I think of each product I used...

• Primer: It worked really well. I'm happy with it's performance.
• Foundation: I can't complain, it always works.
• Concealer: I was NOT happy with my concealer today, but more so because of the shade I had to use. I couldn't find my usual shade and didn't have time to organize a search party so I just used one shade darker (which I normally use towards the end of the summer or mix it with a lighter shade). This particular concealer does dry down darker, so I ended up with dark spots on my face!
• Eyeshadow: Love these!
• Eyeliner: It hasn't let me down yet!
• Mascara: It too hasn't let me down yet!
• Brows: They stayed put and looked natural; I can't complain.
• Lips: Seriously impressed; I will do a separate blog post (very soon) on this product because I LOVE it!

Next time...

Next time I'm going to use my better camera (not my DSLR, but my regular Sony). The iPhone camera I used for these photos just doesn't work well; not to mention something is broken with mine and it won't focus on anything close to the camera, everything needs to be further away for it to work.

I will try out a different foundation (MAC Face and Body... if I purchase it in time for my next testing round) and I will use a different concealer (maybe one by MAC?).

I think I'll stick with the Maybelline Superstay 24 Hour Lipcolor; it's seriously impressive. Brows will likely remain the same, and I don't have plans to change my eyeliner just yet. I'm going to leave it up in the air right now as to what I'll try out next.

As always, if you have any requests of products you want me to test out leave a comment or send me an email. I did receive some emails from my last Amusement Park-Proof Makeup Testing blog post. I wrote your makeup requests for testing and I do have most of the products you asked me to test out. I will try to test them out at some point.

 

Amusement Park-Proof Beauty, plus Jason Mraz concert news!

Hello, Beautiful!

Are you an amusement park fan like I am? I'm a thrill junkie and roller coaster fanatic. So of course that means we have season passes to our local amusement park (although it's not really local, it still takes about 2 hours to get there). We go to Kings Dominion at least once a week, but usually twice a week. My husband doesn't always go with us, but you can normally find me and my son there (in the kiddie section).

Over the past two summers I've been experimenting with various beauty routines to see which will stand the test of heat, sweat, roller coasters and water rides. I've finally found the holy grail of amusement park-proof beauty!

First, it's no secret I have bad skin with lots of flaws to cover up (although my skin care routine is really, really helping that). And I sweat a lot at amusement parks - especially this summer, as it's been between 90 and 100 degrees most days (some even over 100 degrees).

A lot of foundations melt off quickly and don't look natural in sun light. It would be ideal to just go without foundation to the amusement park, but with my skin issues going bare faced isn't an option.

I've tried many foundations, primers, concealers and setting powders - all in the hopes something will stick around for more than 2 or 3 hours. I've found the secret combination of products!

Here's the routine:

FACE:

After I moisturize my skin I allow it to dry for at least 5 minutes. I want everything to dry/set fully - this is key! You don't want anything to not fully absorbed into your skin, which could cause products to slip down your face later on.

Then I apply a primer and allow that to dry for 5 to 10 minutes (I usually go do my hair or something while I'm waiting for it to dry/set completely). Ideally I wait 10 minutes because I just want it to be sure, but I certainly don't always wait that long.

Next I apply concealer. I use Make Up For Ever's Full Cover Concealer (I use shades 6 and 8). This is my holy grail of concealers to begin with. It is water proof/water resistant. I apply this to all the major flaws - like acne scars, any new blemishes, under eye circles and my eye lids (since they are rather dark without anything on them). I don't worry about applying concealer to areas that can be evened out with foundation - like redness and slight skin discoloration. I allow my concealer to dry completely - usually 2 to 3 minutes, but again, sometimes I wait 5 minutes just to be sure.

Then it's time for foundation. I apply Make Up For Ever's Face & Body Liquid Makeup (I use the Honey Beige shade). It provides very sheer coverage, but it's enough to even out skintone. Plus, it looks so natural that it's like putting your own skin on your skin. It's virtually undetectable on the face - even in sun light. I apply this with my stippling brush. I stipple it on to get the maximum coverage and so I don't just wipe away all that concealer I spent time applying.

Now here's where a problem may come into play. Because the foundation is a water based gel foundation I find it can wipe off your concealer. That's why I stipple it onto my skin. However, you can apply the foundation first and apply concealer second if you don't want to stipple on the foundation. You can apply this foundation with your fingers, a sponge, or regular foundation brush - all with great results.

Don't expect this foundation to cover anything. It will just even out your skintone. The full coverage concealer will take care of the rest. Sometimes I still need to apply a little more concealer after I apply my foundation, but not always.

Next I allow my foundation to set for a minute or two, just so it can dry on my face. While I'm waiting for that to dry I will apply my brow powder (because my brows are very sparse in some areas). I use Smashbox Brow Tech (I use the Brunette shade). I don't normally use the wax though and the powder will last me most of the day, and usually it lasts the entire day at the amusement park.

Then it's time for setting powder. This is a key step!!! I use Dermablend's Setting Powder (in Original, which is colorless). I apply this with a fluffy brush all over my face. I pat it on generously. Basically your face will look like you had white flour throw on your face. That's how you want to look. Leave it like that for 2 minutes, then brush off the excess powder with a fluffy brush in light sweeps. The powder will set your makeup and make it last all day. Seriously, sometimes I have trouble getting off my makeup at the end of the day when I use that powder!

Next up is eyes. My eye shadow ALWAYS stays on because I use Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I fell in love with that product last summer when I put it to the amusement park test. My eye makeup was still on at the end of a long day (7am till midnight) and I was so tired I fell asleep with my makeup on, woke up, and my eye makeup was STILL on! So this is a very easy way to make your eye makeup last all day.

I don't overly make up my eyes for an amusement park, but I don't like to go bare eyes either. I stick to one shade usually - something lighter and shimmery. Yesterday I used my Smashbox Classifeyed Eye Shadow Palette and used shades 1 and 4 mixed together all over my lid. Then I used shade 3 for the outter corner and crease.

I lined my eyes with Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes eyeliner pencil (the black one) on my top lid only. Then applied Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash to my top and bottom lashes. I did use Smashbox Jet Set Liner to line my waterline, but had to re-apply that a few times throughout the day.

For lips I just stick to a simple gloss. Yesterday I used NARS Lip Gloss in Chihuahua.


I only touched up my face (concealer) once, and that was around dinner time (and after going on a water ride and getting soaked). But even then I really didn't need a touch up, I just expected to touch up so I did it anyway. But that was the last I had to touch up my face!

Throughout the day I do bring a "sweat rag", which is just a t-shirt or a wash cloth. I use that to pat my face if I start to sweat (don't rub the sweat away, that could disturb makeup). And I swear to you, my makeup lasts and lasts and lasts!


I hope I was able to help any of you that go to amusement parks but suffer the same beauty issues as myself (sweating, melting makeup, makeup that doesn't last). Try this routine and you'll be happy you did!


Also, on a side note, I am beyond excited because I was able to finally get Jason Mraz tickets. He's my favorite singer and I've been obsessed with him for years. When I first heard "Geek in the Pink" I fell in love, and ever since I've been a big fan. I will be going to the concert in Delaware on September 28th and it cannot come fast enough! Plus, I scored seats 5 rows back from the stage! Wooooooo hooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! Any other Jason Mraz fans out there that are also beauty obsessed like me? Will you be going to the concert too??


xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.
- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com