Alverde Concealer Review

Hi guys!

 

Today I'm reviewing a cream to powder concealer that I picked up in Germany from the brand Alverde, which is a drugstore brand that features all natural products. I've never tried anything from them before, but I swatched this concealer and thought it had good coverage, so I decided to try it out. Unfortunately, the product is a huge disappointment.

The color match is actually surprisingly good, given that the concealer only comes in one shade (10, Natural Beige), but that's about the only positive thing I can say about it. First of all, it doesn't have nearly as good coverage as I initially thought, I use about 3-4 layers of the stuff on a blemish, and even then the coverage is mediocre at best (By the way, the reason I thought it would cover well is because I tested it on a bug bite scar on my hand, it it covered that up really well. Very misleading!). It also has no staying power; after about 2 hours, I have to touch up, and I am the kind of person who likes to put on makeup in the morning and not have to worry about it the rest of the day. And, as you can see in the photos, I've already hit serious pan on it, even though I've only been using it for 3 weeks.

So, all in all, I would not recommend this concealer, which is a pity because I had such high hopes for it. But I guess this is a case of getting what you paid for, since it only cost about 3 euros. Some inexpensive drugstore products are awesome, but this isn't one of them!

-Seraphine

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation Review

Hello all!
Today I'll be reviewing one of my all time favorite foundations: Bourjois Healthy Mix. After watching the Pixiwoo sisters and Lisa Eldridge use this time and time again, I really wanted to give this foundation a try. But, alas, Bourjois is no longer available in the US, so I needed to wait until I went to Europe. Fortunately for me, my whole family is from Switzerland, and we go back to visit often, so I was able to get it last summer. I purchased Healthy Mix and a foundation from L'Oreal (their HD foundation, which isn't available here either. Quick review on that: I didn't like it, won't repurchase, and wouldn't recommend it) and I made myself use up the L'Oreal one before I finally tried Healthy Mix, so I only started using it around March.

 My verdict: Healthy Mix offers exactly what I look for in foundations: It has a good, medium coverage but it never looks cakey or overdone- my skin always looks like skin, not like I've got on foundation. I have dry skin, and this works wonderfully for me because it doesn't accentuate flakes or dry patches. And not that this matters (or maybe it does?), but it smells really really nice (but only when you first pump it out, you won't smell it on your skin all day!).  It wears really well , and with a powder on top it'll last me all day. My shade is 51 (the lightest shade), which, in comparison to my skin, is a bit yellow, but I actually like that since it helps neutralize redness. According to the French website, that particular shade is only available online...I'm not sure if they've stopped carrying it in stores or something, although I did hear somewhere that 51 isn't sold in all countries, so keep that in mind if you're looking for that shade.

My one issue with this foundation? I find that  the pump sometimes gets clogged up and doesn't work well. After pumping it like 10 times and wiping the top, it ends up working fine, but it is a bit annoying. 

 image source

Before:                                  

  After:

                                                 
I know the picture quality and lighting suck, but hopefully you can see that this foundation got rid of the redness on my nose and cheeks, and reduced the apperence of blemishes. It didn't cover everything, but it's not supposed to, either. With concealer and powder on top, this creates a pretty flawless finish without looking heavy.

Shade: 51
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Satin (not super-dewy, but not matte either)
Price: 14.45 euros (can't remember how much it cost in Swiss francs!)

All in all, I would highly recommend this, if you can get your hands on it, that is! I'll be in Switzerland again this summer, and I'm planning on trying out some other Bourjois foundations. Any suggestions?

-Seraphine