Maybelline Cushion Foundation Vs. L'Oreal Cushion Foundation

Cushion foundations are popping up in drugstores, and I'm a huge fan. Maybelline released their cushion foundation this month (review here) and I wanted to compare it to L'Oreal's version. Neither have SPF, by the way.

Maybelline DREAM CUSHION™ 

FRESH FACE LIQUID FOUNDATION

• 8 shades
• "Dream Cushion™ Fresh Face Liquid Foundation delivers complete luminous coverage for fresh-faced perfection."
• INGREDIENTS AQUA / WATER / EAU BUTYLENE GLYCOL DICAPRYLATE/DICAPRATE METHYL TRIMETHICONE DIMETHICONE DIPHENYLSILOXY PHENYL TRIMETHICONE GLYCERIN LAURYL PEG-9 POLYDIMETHYLSILOXYETHYL DIMETHICONE PENTYLENE GLYCOL BUTYLENE GLYCOL TRISILOXANE PEG-10 DIMETHICONE TALC MAGNESIUM SULFATE ACRYLATES/STEARYL ACRYLATE/DIMETHICONE METHACRYLATE COPOLYMER PHENOXYETHANOL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER LAUROYL LYSINE ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE ASCORBIC ACID PANTHENOL ADENOSINE PANAX GINSENG ROOT DISODIUM EDTA TOCOPHEROL CITRIC ACID
• $15.99

             L'Oreal TRUE MATCH™ Lumi Cushion Foundation

• 16 shades (usually 12 can be found)
• Luminous finish with sheer to medium coverage
• Ingredients: AQUA / WATER / EAU, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, DICAPRYLATE/DICAPRATE, METHYL TRIMETHICONE, DIMETHICONE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE DIPHENYLSILOXY PHENYL, TRIMETHICONE, GLYCERIN, LAURYL PEG-9, POLYDIMETHYLSILOXYETHYL, DIMETHICONE, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, TRISILOXANE, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, ACRYLATES/STEARYL, ACRYLATE/DIMETHICONE, METHACRYLATE COPOLYMER, PHENOXYETHANOL, 
DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, LAUROYL LYSINE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, POLYHYDROXYSTEARIC ACID,
STEARIC ACID, ALUMINA, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, LECITHIN, ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE, ISOSTEARIC ACID, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE, ADENOSINE,
POLYGLYCERYL-3, POLYRICINOLEATE, DISODIUM EDTA, PHENYLETHYL RESORCINOL, TOCOPHEROL
• $16.99

The packaging is pretty much the same on the inside and out, as they are made in the same place.

The coverage is better on the Maybelline, pictured left, but both give sheer-medium coverage.  L'Oreal is on your right.

I've applied Maybelline to one side (left) and L'Oreal to the other (right). I'm wearing the Zooeva Cocoa palette that I won from Zoe's blog, by the way!

And here's a shot of them both, and it's hard to tell the difference, isn't it? 

I'm using lighting here to demonstrate the luminous aspect.

So which was better? 

This really depends on your preference. I felt like Maybelline had better coverage but definitely showed my fine lines more on my dry skin. They both lasted the same amount of time, and I wasn't able to get a full day of wear. I like them both, but personally, I like L'Oreal more. I have compared these to compacts from Lancome, Sulwhasoo, and Laniege and found the two I reviewed to be different from those, but similar to one from Amore Pacifc.

Have you tried these? Which is your fave?

Extra Elle:

I went a little crazy in the dollar section of Target for Valentine's Day stuff. They get me every time!

I can't believe we had snow on the ground still on Monday and 70 by Friday.

NEW L'Oreal Lip Paints Review

So before we begin, let's get caught up! I was in a dang funk last week. Luckily, I have good friends who dragged me out of the house for a fun dinner at one of my favorite places. I laughed and laughed and it was good for the soul. I took my dog Charlie with me to grab a red cup of holiday goodness from Starbucks--it was a little chilly, which made it even better. I also played with lots of new makeup from Sephora (look out for my haul this week!) and finished reviewing products from my last ULTA haul I got a little over a week ago. And the first thing I had to try would be these NEW L'Oreal Lip Paints! Here's everything you need to know:

L'Oreal Lip Paints

Description:

"In 1 stroke, the designer applicator precisely diffuses vibrant color to lips for high impact. Smudge-proof. Waterproof. Comfortable wear."

Benefits:
Saturated with pigments
High color impact
Designer applicator

Price:

$9.99 for .27 oz (for comparison, Maybelline Color Jolt is .20)

pic via Loreal's Facebook

Shades:

14

Pictured above is the applicator. I did not detect a scent.

I picked up the shades Sultry Sangria, Nude Star, and Wild Rose. Pictured above are arm swatches. 

Swatch of Sultry Sangria

--this shade was VERY patchy and hard to apply

Swatch of Nude Star

--if you have the Maybelline Color Jolt in Stripped Down, this is similar, but a little more brown. Very close color-wise. 

Swatch of Wild Rose

this is definitely more of a bubblegum pink on me.

Finish

This instantly felt familiar when I put it on. Definitely like a gloss but not sticky or too thick. Once the gloss wears off, there is a demi matte finish, but I consider this to be a pigmented gloss. It reminds me a little of the Too Faced Melted Lipsticks, but with a bit more of a gloss feel. These do not feel like the L'Oreal Matte liquid lipsticks.

Overall

I do like them, but the claims of being waterproof and smudge-proof were not true for me. Definitely worth a try, especially if you are looking for fun colors, like the blue or green.

Are you going to give these a try?

See also: Lip Paint Reviews

Extra Elle:

Some good news: I was mentioned twice on Pop Sugar's 100+ of the Best DIY Gifts Ever!!

Thanks for the honest feedback about my last post--I was so nervous to share it!

NEW L'Oreal Voluminous Feline Mascara Review & Voluminous Liner Noir

I'm back after a little blog disappearance! But I have a reason--I was at The Blog Societies Conference, which was held in Charleston. It was fun and informative, and part of it included networking with brands. L'Oreal was there and you could get braids or cat eye liner at their station. They also had these two new products, L'Oreal Voluminous Feline Mascara and L'Oreal Voluminous Feline Noir Liner, which they said are being released this week. I had to grab them and test them out!

L'Oreal Voluminous Feline Mascara

• $8.99
• 3 shades
• instant volume and full lash density
• feline mascara and Quick-Charge brush captures each lash to deliver instant volume and fullness
• quick-charge, ultra-glossy black formula provides feline volume and shiny smooth lashes in one coat
• the "new cat eye look"
• NOT the same as the UK version, although both feature similar packaging. That brush is curved. EDIT: As of the end of August, ULTA is selling the Uk version as well. It wil have a black tube, not green.

Here's a look at the wand--it has the shape similar to the original Voluminous, but mixed with the plastic wands from the Million Lashes. I received this not in the packaging but as pictured, and according to the website, the wand is originally green.

It does what it says with providing volume with length. I like how it does clump and is a "drier" mascara when compared to traditional L'Oreal mascaras.

I don't really get the "new cat eye" vibe, but I was overall happy with the mascara. It didn't flake, didn't clump, and was easy to wash off. No eye irritation either! 

L'Oreal Voluminous Liner Noir

• $9.99
• 1 shade
• liquid eyeliner pen in a rich, black formula
• ultra-fine 0.1MM felt tip eyeliner for sleek and easy application
• unique packaging shape provides added control and precision (see example below)

Here's a close up of the liner and the "unique packaging shape" which I call a grip. The cap will only go on one way too.

Here are swatches of thin and thick lines with the liner. At the bottom is a swatch of the mascara to show how much extra comes off the top of the wand (very little) and the teeth of the mascara wand to help with length.

This liner is not waterproof, but does not claim to be. If you rub your eyes, it will smudge, so oily lids might wand to skip. I wore the mascara and liner in the humidity of Charleston and neither transferred on me, but I don't have oily skin.

Here's a thick line and a thinner line on your right. It is easy to apply, remove, and did not irritate my eyes. Of the two, I would be more likely to purchase the mascara than the liner.

I did a quick Instagram search for availability of these new products (I had originally heard September was the release date a couple of months ago) and they started arriving in stores over the weekend with a full release soon.

Would you try the mascara and/or the liner?

Extra Elle:

• Charlie and I had the best time in Charleston, a fave city of mine. We were constantly stopped wherever we went, and Charlie was even asked to be in wedding pictures! Did you see it on my Instagram story?
• One of the best parts of the conference was seeing bloggers you "know" online in person. I was so happy to meet A Blonde's Moment and catching up with the Atlanta bloggers is always fun, too. Would you like a recap of the conference?

L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation Review

Last week I did a post (see it here) on the latest products from Sephora and ULTA, and the L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation was among the list. And after nearly a month of testing, I'm here with my review! Get ready for a thorough one.

L'Oreal Paris Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation

• $12.99
• 1 oz
• 12 shades
• Liquid foundation--shake first, somewhat runny
• Purchase: ULTA.com, walmart.com, amazon.com--check often to see if your shade is restocked
• I have seen it at Walmart and Walgreens, but expect to see it in more drugstores/box stores soon
• Best for: dry or normal skin
• Coverage: light to medium
• Finish: radiant
• Broad Spectrum SPF 15
• Air-light feel

I tested this using various primers, no primers, moisturizers, and bare skin. Below is a demo of the Pro-Glow on half of my face to show coverage.

On your left, bare face...on your right, applied with beautyblender.

• I also tested this using Real Techniques sponge and a bb knockoff from ULTA.

On your left, bare face...on your right, applied with clean hands

Left pic: applied with brush with a moisturizer as a base--the glow comes from my 2 soft lightboxes

Right pic: pic taken using a flash

• I also tested this using various techniques (stippling, swirling, buffing, etc) and with various brushes from Makeup Geek, Sigma, and Real Techniques, among others

Wear time:

• I tested this between 2 and 19 hours of wear. I still had product on my face but didn't have the coverage. An average wear time in the summer has been between 4-6 hours with no powder.
• I even wore this twice swimming and it lasted, although it had faded to a light coverage. I also did not experience any sunburn from wearing it nor break outs.

Temps: I tested this in temperatures ranging from 68 to 103 degrees, with a heat index of 113. See video for a pic to see how well it lasted.

Similar to other L'Oreal Foundations? No--see more in the video below.

• It does oxidize (get darker) on me. I noticed the shades run lighter but it works out since it gets darker in the end.

Overall: Feels very light on the skin and gives a satin finish if I'm wearing no primer or a mattifying one. Gives a dewy finish if used with a moisturizer--my preference. I really like it and would repurchase. Dry and normal skin would like this best.

I made a video giving an in-depth look at the Pro-Glow Foundation, so please, please check it out (plus Charlie is in it):

https://youtu.be/EPKjSPQ-nI4

Have you heard of this foundation?

Extra Elle:

• Thanks for reading the review and watching the video--I worked hard on this one!
• Happy July and happy 4th of July weekend!!