Revlon nearly naked foundation review and comparison

Revlon has closely copied Urban Decay's naked foundation! You can check out my review for Urban Decay's version here.

Unfortunately, nearly naked does not come with a foundation pump. Why Revlon why? And, this Canadian version does not come with SPF 20 like the US version. WTH!? That makes me mad.

 I got the lightest shade, 110 ivory. I thought it would be too pink but it actually works well on my skin (NC10). It blends in nicely, and the finish is very skin-like

Nearly naked 110 ivory swatch on hand:

blended:

And here are the before and after pics on my face. Yeah I know I labeled it 'almost naked' lol. oops.

As you can see it is medium coverage, and easily covers redness and scars. I love the finish of this. It blends so beautifully.

So, here is the break down on how Revlon compares to Urban Decay's formula:

Price:
Revlon nearly naked $10.97 CAD for 1oz / UD naked skin $45 CAD for 1 oz
Revlon is $34 cheaper!

packaging:
Here is where UD excels! UD comes in a nice pump bottle, while Revlon is housed in a glass bottle with a twist off cap.

formula:
I don't have exact ingredients to compare but both include antioxidants to help skin. They also both contain a lot of silicones, but I did notice Revlon's version uses less than UD.

Coverage:
Both have similar coverage power, ranging from light to medium.

application:
I felt that Revlon was easier to blend than UD. UD went on a bit patchy, and you're supposed to use an expensive brush with it that is just a waste of money in my opinion, although others say it's amazing. Revlon was a dream to put on and it layered well.

finish:
Revlon actually feels light on, while UD felt heavy. They both have a nice skin-like finish. I found UD to badly sink into pores/lines after an hour or so, Revlon barely did that, and when it did, it was hardly noticeable.

wear time:
UD wore well for about 6 hours. Revlon wore for about 8 before starting to fade.

Overall, I wasn't impressed with UD naked skin, but I really liked Revlon nearly naked. It looked more natural and felt a lot lighter than UD. It covered nicely and it blended easily. It didn't settle into pores the way UD did.
The color match was good for both brands, and they have a wide selection for most skin tones. I would recommend Revlon nearly naked to everyone!

I personally like Revlon colorstay foundation better than nearly naked for it's lasting power. I will probably stick with that but nearly naked was a nice surprise for a cheap price!

Repurchase? No (I like colorstay better)

Price: $10.97 CAD

Rating: 4.5/5

Maybelline superstay 14 HR lipstick in beige forgood photos and swatches

Well now, I think I have a new favorite lipstick! This color is fabulous. The formula is decent. The price is right!

These new Maybelline superstay lipsticks don't hold up for 14 hrs unless you don't eat or drink anything while wearing them. Otherwise, on me they last about 4-6 hours which is pretty good for a drugstore lipstick.
Beige forgood - is pretty well my new favorite go-to nude. It's the perfect mix of beige brown and pink. It's natural, subtle and looks great with pale skin. It does carry a slight hint of grey, just a warning it could look corpse like on some complexions.

So many nude colors turn awful shades of orange, bright pink or mud on me. This one is perfection.

Beige forgood swatch:

Wearing beige forgood:

Of course hardly anything is perfect, but this is close. My only dislike is the fragrance. It is really different from anything I've smelled in a lipstick before. It's sweet yet strong and chemically, not pleasant. But the good thing is that it fades after a while.

The finish is really nice, not totally matte, more like a MAC satin finish.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that this color is similar to Guerlain divinora deep and matte #480, discontinued and rare shade - and yes one of Angelina Jolie's favorite lipsticks. Beige forgood is possibly a smidge cooler but really, it's similar! The Guerlain is absolutely more matte in finis.

Comparison pic (Guerlain was taken without flash)

Edited to add:
Other lipsticks beige forgood is similar to is MAC our pick and fondle. I think fondle is more brown, but beige forgood and our pick are super close.

Comparison:

If you are looking for a new nude lipstick I highly reccomend checking this color out! It's quite inexpensive too at $9 CAD.

MAC Azalea blossom blush ombre swatches, comparisons and FOTD

I got Azalea blossom with the recent Daphne Guinness collection from MAC. I have a little weak spot for lavender! I have a few similarly toned blushes so I figured I would do some comparison swatches.

Colors left to right:

Smashbox dolce vita, MAC azalea blossom, MAC briar rose, MAC Dame

Swatches left to right:

Smashbox dolce vita, MAC azalea blossom (pink side), MAC azalea blossom (purple side), MAC azalea blossom (mixed), MAC briar rose, MAC Dame

Same swatches as above with slightly different lighting:
Smashbox dolce vita is light lavender pink with gold shimmer - similar in tones but definitely not a dupe.
Briar rose is very similar, only it has a touch more pink.
Dame is more on the pink red side with faint cool blue pearl, not so much lavender in it really.
Out of all these blushes which one do I reach for the most? Surprisingly, smashbox dolce vita! It's so pretty and gives me a nice glow.

Here is my FOTD wearing azalea blossom, I used both sides of it mixed. It gives a light cool pink flush to my cheeks:

I like azalea blossom, but compared to other colors I have I don't think it's overly unique.
I do like that you can use either side of it depending on what look you want to do. It's practically two blushes in one!

I also had vintage grape blush ombre (also released with Daphne Guinness) but it made me look like I got punched in the face. It was very dark and very purple, definitely not a good fit for pale skin! I didn't bother swatching it since it was so awful on me.

MAC please re-promote ripe peach and springshine blush ombres!

Comparison: Urban Decay 24/7 liner vs. Styli-Style line & seal liner

(Above) Right: Styli-Style carbon black Left: Urban Decay zero

For the past 3 or so years I have been using Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner in zero. I have always been on the look out for something cheaper because it seems I go through zero really fast, so it can get a little pricey.

I recently bought a Styli-Style line & seal eyeliner in Carbon Black, and decided to compare it to Urban Decay's zero.
I first tried Styli-Style line & seal eyeliner years ago and I adored it. It stays on all day and wears well on the waterline.
I had a hard time finding Styli-Style for a while, which is why I got hooked on Urban Decay's 24/7 liners.
I have noticed Styli-Style cosmetics are only sold at Pharma Plus/Rexall stores now (in Canada), in case you are wondering where I got it.

Price comparison:

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner $22 CAD

Styli-Style line & seal eyeliner $9.99 CAD

Styli-Style is less than half the price of Urban Decay eyeliner! Much more affordable.

Right: Styli-Style carbon black Left: Urban Decay zero

Size:

Both eyeliners come with the same amount of product, 0.04 oz


The test:

I swatched both liners heavily on the back of my hand, then let them dry completely. Then I put them to the test!

Left: Styli-Style Right: UD

You can see both liners are well pigmented, and the depth of black is really similar.

Left: Styli-Style Right: UD

After 8 hours:

I exposed both sides to soap, water and towel drying as I washed my hands about 10 times within the time period. You can see, Styli-Style held up really well! UD, not so much.. I was sort of surprised!

Left: Styli-Style Right: UD

After 12 hours:

Both colors were pretty well gone by this time, and that is mainly because I was really scrubbing at them to get them off. You can see on the left, Styli-Style eyeliner residue is more prominent.

The final test:

I wore both eyeliners to work on different eyes. Styli-Style on the left, and UD on the right.
This photo was taken about 10 hours after I applied my makeup, right after work.
I found that both wore really well. The Urban Decay liner moved and smudged more than the Styli-Style did. I was impressed, the Styli-Style is the ultimate winner!!!
I would absolutely recommend it over Urban Decay.

Kat Von D lovecraft lipstick photos and swatches

I've wanted this lipstick so bad since I first saw it on Sephora's website. I am a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft's work so naturally I needed this lipstick in my stash.

Like all KVD cosmetics the quality is superb. This particular color is very rich and creamy in texture. Very pigmented as well.
It's a dusty mauvy pink that adds just enough color to my lips when I want a more casual look. This is pretty much a YLBB color. ('your lips but better')

swatch of lovecraft:

wearing lovecraft :

It's very flattering and perfect for work. It lasts a while without any touch ups, a few hours at least. I use this more during the week and nude colors like celebutard on the weekends when I do heavier eye makeup.

After doing these swatches I noticed that lovecraft looks very similar to MAC faux satin lipstick. They are super similar, but since lovecraft is matte and more pigmented I much prefer it over faux. Faux is really pretty but being a satin formula from MAC I find it dries out my lips really bad.
Yet another winner from Kat Von D, I can't wait to try out more of her line.

What's your favorite YLBB colored lipstick?

Wet n wild 902C bare it all mega last lipstick photos and swatches

I just had to post about this lipstick since it's become a daily staple for me.
This is one of my favorite lipsticks of all time.

Wet n wild 902C swatch:

This color is perfection. It's a mix of peach and pink that suits my pale face nicely. I really do think it would look great on anyone though.
I like the matte formula of the mega last lipsticks. I use a balm underneath and they don't make my lips feel dry or uncomfortable at all. They last for a few hours of wear which is great.

swatches on lips:

This is very close in color to MAC honeylove lipstick (see my swatch of it here) . I like honeylove a lot, but I like 902C bare it all even better because it isn't quite as light or peach as honeylove.

902C With Estee Lauder peach fizz gloss over top:

I highly recommend this lipstick if you are looking for a nice neutral go to color. For the $3.99 price tag I promise you won't regret it.
If they ever discontinue this color I will be so upset. That's what happened with my other favorite lipstick from L'oreal called in the buff.

What's your favorite lipstick of all time?

MAC gentle mineralize blush photos, swatches and FOTD

Gentle is another supremely pigmented mineralize blush from MAC. The color is a deep raspberry, a mix of pink and red with golden shimmer. Although it seems cool from the photos, I find the color leans warm.

Swatches:

The golden pearl is more of a sheen, and the particles are so small they blend nicely into the skin.

Wearing gentle:

I also wanted to mention that gentle is almost identical to NARS outlaw blush (see that one here), which is now discontinued. If you missed out on outlaw, don't worry because gentle is a permanent color. The only difference is that gentle has a little bit more of a golden sheen to it, which I think is prettier!

Swatch comparison:

I don't particularly like this (or outlaw) on my skin because the warmth seems to bring out any redness in my face. I definately prefer cooler colors like NARS sin.

What is your favorite blush of all time? I need suggestions because I want to try something new.

MAC fluidline vs. Maybelline eyestudio gel liner

I did a review earlier for Maybelline's eyestudio liner here, challenging whether or not it stays on for the claimed 24 hours.
While not a bad liner, I wondered how it would stand up to the cult favorite MAC fluidline in blacktrack. The results are pretty interesting.

On the left: Maybelline eyestudio gel liner blackest black, on the right: MAC fluidline blacktrack

The packaging is very similar. Both liners come with 3g of product in a glass container.

price comparison:

Maybelline $9.99 CAD

MAC $18.00 CAD

So you pay almost twice as much for MAC, for the same amount of product. MAC fluidline does not come with a brush. Maybelline includes a free brush.

texture comparison:

Believe it or not both liners have a very similar smooth easy to work with texture. I found both easy to apply and they dried in about the same amount of time.

On the left: Maybelline eyestudio gel liner blackest black, on the right: MAC fluidline blacktrack

I applied both eyeliners in a thick layer to put them to the test.

Color comparison:

Get this, Maybelline blackest black is a richer, deeper black than MAC blacktrack!

Both liners 2 hours after applying:

After 2 hours Maybelline started to smudge, smearing even below the MAC swatch. MAC didn't move at all.

After 5 hours and a shower test:

I put both liners through a hot shower test to see which one would stand up to heat and water best. They both faded but MAC stayed on significantly better.

After 24 hours:

24 hours later both liners were faded, but wore away equally. Maybelline wore away evenly, MAC started to look patchy.

Comparison of wear:

Both liners are similar in formula. They are long wearing and have great pigment. Maybelline smudged and smeared after a few hours. MAC didn't budge as far as smuding, but it did fade considerably when exposed to water and heat.
Neither of these liners stay on my waterline, (kohl stays put better) but they both work equally well for lining the upper lash line.

Overall:

For the blackest color Maybelline is by far the best choice. It looks great and stays on well, but it might smudge if you have oily eyelids. A primer under it would probobly keep it wearing well all day.
MAC stays true all day without any smearing even without an eyeshadow base. It's the best choice for someone with oily eyelids that wants their makeup to stay put until they take it off at night.

Which one is better? Both are pretty good, but I'd have to say I personally like Maybelline better. I like the blacker pigment, and when I use it over an eyeshadow base I don't have much smearing at all. It's also easily available and a nice price.

What's your favorite gel eyeliner?

Urban Decay Stash 24/7 liner and Clinique Egyptian creamshaper comparison

I adore my Clinique creamshaper for eyes in Egyptian, it's such a great color to use when I am sick of plain black. It's a very dark blackened green with golden shimmers.
When I first got my Urban Decay 24/7 Stash eyeliner I had a feeling it wasn't an overly unique color in my stash. It's a deep olive green with golden glitter.
Since I recently realized that they are quite similar, I thought I'd swatch them.

Here are comparison pictures:

Left: UD stash Right: Clinique Egyptian

Left: UD stash Right: Clinique Egyptian

Left: UD stash Right: Clinique Egyptian

It does seem that Egyptian is slightly more blackened green than Stash. It also seems that Stash has more noticeable golden glitter.

When I look at them both in direct light they look identical. I can't tell them apart. I also did a shower test to see which one would stay on better. They both stayed on well until I completely scrubbed them off. They are equally great liners.
Clinique creamshapers cost $17, while Urban Decay costs $19.

Although they are dupes and I use both, I think I prefer my Egyptian creamshaper.
When I apply it I only have to go over twice to get a very intense line, but with Stash I end up using more since it's a lot softer and doesn't go on a deep enough color or create a sharp line.
I own 4 or 5 different creamshapers and I really love them. They go on really smooth and intense, and they last a long time.