Inventory 2012: Foundations and Powders

I don't tend to go too crazy with foundations - mostly because I have a holy grail that I mostly stick with (Chanel Mat Lumiere), and because it galls me to pay the price we do here for drugstore foundations. Of the drugstore ones I have, 3 were given to me and two were bought during a "3 for $30" sale in Priceline.

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF42+++ Light Beige: I kind of hate this - it's very grey and though it's meant to adapt to skin colour I don't feel that it does entirely. It also feels quite heavy. I'm going to try adding some tinted moisturiser to see if I can make it work any better for me.
Chanel Mat Lumiere in Cendre: My holy grail, sliiiiightly too yellow but the next one down is way too light for me.
Maybelline Fit Me in #220 (too dark/yellow) and #120 (too light/pink): Mixed together they are a good colour for me; I want to try to get hold of a pump bottle so I can mix a good amount instead of having to do a teeny bit every time (I always end up with too much and then it gets wasted).
Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup #190 Nude: Again a bit too yellow but I can get away with it, and as drugstore foundations go, I really like this one.
Face of Australia Photo Finish Compact Foundation Ivory: I don't know in what world this could be considered Ivory. I have light (though not pale) skin, and I generally use the 2nd or 3rd colour in a range. Anything called Ivory is usually a bit too light for me. This one is way too dark. I don't like the feel of it either - it feels very masky. However, I have found that it makes a nice, super subtle contour colour so I keep it around.
Random sidenote: I have recently noticed a great similarity between David Jones makeup and FOA makeup. I have a suspicion the same place makes both brands, so might be worth checking out if one or the other is cheaper. 
Face of Australia Stick Foundation Outback Beige: I have a secret love of stick foundations (you couldn't prise me away from my Max Factor Pan Stik in the early 90s), so I really wanted to love this but it's too heavy, too thick and too yellow. It's also too dark, but again works well as an almost imperceptible contour (got that idea from a YouTuber, by the way - either Wayne Goss or Pixiwoo, can't remember).
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 Nude: LOVE. This is absolutely the best tinted moisturiser I have ever used, and worth every cent. It gives nice coverage without feeling heavy or greasy, and it lasts a good while. Holy grail.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural Medium: I'm not that big a fan of MAC so I only discovered this fairly recently - maybe a couple of months ago. I LOVE IT. I use it with the Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser and it provides the perfect hot weather coverage - lasts most of the day, doesn't feel heavy and doesn't look cakey. I buff it in with my Everyday Minerals flat top kabuki.

Chanel Poudre Douce #50 Mimosa: I never use this anymore - it's several years old and looking a bit mank, but I can't bring myself to throw it out. It's Chanel!
DMK Cosmetics Pro-Set Loose Powder HD Clear: I think Jade sent me this, and I've only used it a couple of times, but when I did I quite liked it because it's super finely milled and doesn't sit heavily on the skin. It's very similar to the ELF High Definition powder, which is itself a dupe of MUFE HD powder, so I'm assuming this is DMK's version of those kinds of things. 
Palladio Rice Powder Translucent: This was so cheap - $5US from Makeupgeek. I don't really use powder all that often as I don't much like it, but when I do, this tends to be the one I reach for most often. It's just a very finely milled translucent powder. Nothing fancy, does the job.

There you go - not too bad, eh? With this and the mascara post, I think I'm coming off as a pretty regular type of chick. Which is why I'm saving the eyeshadows until last...

Sampling Samples: Clarins Skin Illusion Natural Radiance Foundation

One day a long time ago I was standing at a counter in Myer waiting patiently for someone to come and take some money from me (and as anyone who's ever been to Myer knows, these days it's a long wait), and I saw a stack of these foundation samples sitting on the desk. Right there in the open for anyone to take. This may seem quite a normal thing to you North Americans and Europeans, but for Australians, a free sample actually being OFFERED is a rare thing indeed. I snatched one up quickly and scurried away into the night before anyone saw me.

As sample colours go, this one (111 Toffee) is a pretty decent match for my skin - usually they're way too dark - so I was able to test it outside the house for once. Oddly, this seems to be the darkest colour in the range - they must run really light.

It's quite liquidy so it has a light to medium coverage, but it is buildable. I added another layer to my cheeks and it blended in nicely. I usually apply foundation with my fingers and then sometimes buff it in with one of these if the 'finger finish' isn't cutting it.

I forgot to take a photo of 'after' before I put the rest of my face on, so I am also wearing blush in that second picture. D'oh! (As a side note, check out how much the redness in my cheeks has reduced since I started using Silk Naturals serums, compared to the last foundation sample post I did!)

The problem I had with this foundation is although it doesn't look heavy, it feels heavy - I was constantly aware that I had it on my face and it bothered me. After about 4 hours I couldn't stand it anymore and I had to wash it off, so I can't speak for its lasting power. It also didn't look especially radiant.

It's a shame about the feel because I did really like the look of it. A 30ml bottle of this will set you back $60 in Australia, but as much as I like Clarins' skincare, I'm never overly thrilled with their makeup. They won't be getting my buckaroos on this one.