The Convenient Beauty

Friday, October 19, 2012

Review: Burberry Sheer Luminous Foundation

Posted by JoanneP

Aahh, foundation always challenges my application skills and patience. I have the toughest time to find a great foundation. My skin turns all foundations into red-based color either orange or muddy or pink. An ideal foundation for me will smooth out my skin, dry in natural finish and will not turn orange.

Only Clarins Ever Matte has grant all my wishes for the summer. It however leaves little dry patches when the dryer weather hits Houston. And it leans pink, although at the slightest, enough to get me unsatisfied. So here I test and test again. I've been collecting samples of some the new foundations coming out this fall. Let's start with what used to be Burberry's only foundation.

Burberry Sheer Luminous Foundation ($52 for 1 oz) comes in 9 shades. It seems like the odd-numbered shades are yellow-based and the even-numbered leans more neutral. Trench No 5 lies between the shade of my neck and my face but is closer to the first. My face skin is one shade darker than my neck. Yeah, troublesome I know. And Trench No 5 solves this problem. It doesn't turn orange through out the day either.

Burberry Sheer Luminous covers my green veins quite well with 2 layers.

I don't find it luminous to the level that mirrors the description. It's really natural and weightless. My face feels naked! However, it becomes shiny at hour 5 on my T-zone. That's not particularly bad compared to Clarins Ever Matte (hour 6), Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk (hour 3), Chanel Mat Lumiere (hour 5), Dior Skin Nude (hour 5), Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich (hour 5), and Bourjois Healthy Mix and Healthy Mix Serum (hour 5).

Although designed as a sheer foundation, it can be built up to full coverage and somehow still look like second skin. Love love love it! Better yet, it stays on for 6 hours when applied sheerly without setting powder and 8 hours with two layers and a bit of powder on the T-zone.

The texture is so heavenly smooth and lightweight. You can feel the silicon slip through your fingers yet not as much as Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk does. It's also less liquidy and more like cream type of foundation.

Bottom line. It might be the one for me. Highly recommended! Since so many new foundations have been released this fall and all promise revolutionary technology and exceptional finish, I must try them, especially Giorgio Armani Maestro, before declaring Burberry Sheer Luminous is the winner for me.

Have your tried Burberry Sheer Luminous Foundation? Any thoughts on how it compares to your favorite?

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****

I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup.

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me

doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
dries in natural finish
evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots

Why do I wear makeup?

Posted by JoanneP

"You look good already. You don't need makeup!"
"Your nose is too flat, otherwise you'd be so beautiful."
"Try a few shades lighter. Your skin is a bit too tan. You'll look prettier with paler complexion."
"You're short, you know, so don't wear floor-length dresses."
"You're too this or that, so wear this don't rock that."
"bla bla bla"

Does any of these sound familiar to you guys? Or this one is worse to me - "Men don't like women wear makeup. Why do you do it?"

My bare face at Johnson Space Center. Not the best no-makeup shot but I remembered I was happy.

Every girl, no matter how confident, feels insecure at least one time in her life because of those kind of comments. I struggled through out my childhood to accept how I looked. My face, my body, my eye color, and almost every other features of my physical appearance used to bother me. It wasn't because I didn't feel pretty myself but the standards that the culture and society created for people. I believed everybody was beautiful, in different ways. You don't need to have hour-glass figure or perfectly symmetrical face structure to feel it. I believe we, women and man, shouldn't let what so called beauty standards dictate our view of beauty. And yet those "standards" put such a pressure on my younger self. Being different in my culture (I'm Asian in case you couldn't tell) is not encouraged. Those days were unhappy.

Until I decided I can't be anyone else but myself. So heck, I'll do what make me feel happy.

My love for makeup started at very early age, probably 7. I still remembered eyeing my mom's lipsticks. I was thrilled when discovering how to use mascara. I used to want to grow up fast so that I can wear makeup too. With all those insecure feelings about myself, strangely enough, I never thought of makeup as something will make me look prettier or more up-to-date in someone's eyes. It has always been a way to express different aspects of myself. It has always been fun. It has never meant to please anyone but myself. I also have faith in a healthy lifestyle, healthy diet and proper exercise. I believe they work better than an anti-winkle serum or a dark-circle eraser.

Do I look more/less beautiful with makeup? You guys decide.
Do I feel more/less beautiful with makeup? I decide.
Do I feel more/less confident with makeup? No. Makeup is one of my hobbies.
Do I listen to my man if he says he doesn't want me to wear makeup? No. In fact, he has told me more than a dozen times that makeup is redundant for me. But he understands it's something that I want rather than a necessity.

Now, I don't undermine the power of makeup nor advocate for inappropriate makeup. When people compliment on my makeup, I am certainly flattered. Makeup helps me to express how I feel. And I truly appreciate people's recognition of my feelings. How do I define inappropriate? Say, I wouldn't bring red lips to work. But if I had the same "job" as the Kadashians, I would need to wear a heck lot more to stay employed rather than just smokey eyes or red lips. I think when makeup is done in the way that fits your personality and your purpose, it can change the way you feel about yourself, and therefore your life.

That's my story. I would love to hear about your opinions on wearing makeup. I understand everyone's different. So please don't argue over what's right or wrong. Please just focus on what you think.

Joanne xx

Friday, October 12, 2012

Styling Friday - Changing-leaf Fall

Posted by JoanneP

Polyvore has become my latest obsession, well, second after Tom Ford Beauty. It's so fun and helpful to pull together outfits. I absolutely love to mix and match different brands, texture, and "try" them without worrying about errors. Here is another complete look for the fall. I hope you enjoy it.

Changing-leaf Fall by convenientbeaut featuring betsey johnson

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Review: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 17 Pearl Grey

Posted by JoanneP

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No 17 Pearl Grey ($29 for 0.088 oz) caught my attention in half a second. Seriously, because pearl and grey is the combination that calls my name. Needless to say, I expected high quality and a wearable grey that doesn't overwhelm with shimmer. I was half right!

Pearl Grey is a true cool shimmery grey. On my warm skin tone, it looks more flattering when used lightly or intensely to the more opaque. It becomes muddy on my eyelids if used between these two ends of the spectrum. So, I need some other shades to boost Pearl Grey. My favorite combination is L'Oreal Infallible Liquid Diamond in the inner half of the lids, Burberry Pearl Grey in the outer half and Burberry Taupe Brown to define the outer V and bring some warmth to balance the look. For an easy throw-away smokey look, I use lots of black eyeliner and Pearl Grey alone!

The shimmer of Pearl Grey is very delicate and finely milled. It gives my lids enough sheen and work-appropriate. Like other Burberry eyeshadows, Pearl Grey is housed in a luxe hefty metal case. The texture is smooth, easy-to-blend, easy-to-build-up and soft. It stays fresh for 10 hours with a standard primer.

I think Pearl Grey compliments cool tone the best. It's one of those shimmery shade that you can wear to work and rock a casual smokey eyes. Pearl Grey is a nice eyeshadow but not the best grey I have in my collection.

Bottom line. Like but not love, mostly due to the shade. The quality is phenomenal.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Styling Friday - Jewel Fall

Posted by JoanneP

Teal seems to be the color of this fall. I recently purchased a teal dress that resembles the silhouette of the one shown below. While I was trying to put together a couple of outfits, I thought why not using polyvore. I have wanted to test my styling skills for ages anyway. Hope you enjoy my very first polyvore attempt!