Maybelline FIT Me Foundation... Not exactly.

I have to admit that I give mostly sugary sweet, positive reviews, because honestly... I just like make up. I can usually find appreciation for all different types, textures, shades, and formulations. However, for this one, I could not.

I found it to appear (and these really surprised me)...

• heavy
• uneven
• cake-y
• too yellow
• dull
• flat
• lifeless

But, since everyone is different and you may wish to try this, I will write the full review...

Keep in mind I have warm tone, normal skin. Small blemishes every now and then. Maybelline FIT Me Foundation in Natural Buff #230 was my best match and I purchased it for... I believe it was $6.48 from WalMart. Quite cheap. As it should be for the results I got.

Product Info/Claims:

• SPF 18
• "No Oils, No Waxes, No Nonsense" (So... Oil free. We get it.)
• "Exclusive translucent base and lightweight pigments allow skin's natural highs and lows to show through."
• "Matches Natural Tone"
• "Blends Seamlessly"
• "Lets Skin Breathe"

First, the packaging isn't wonderfully practical, but I do give them an A for appearance... However, this A is for effort, not for being just that darn good lookin'. Because it's not. The packaging is clearly trying to be reminiscent of a higher end cosmetic product with the modern, chic plain glass bottle & solid black cap... And I actually quite like the oversized, super thin sans serif font on the bottle that also lends to the clean minimalist feel, but the cheap shiny stickers immediately take away from that. As for the practicality of the bottle, it's a fail. Similar higher end packaging, nearly always has a pump dispenser. Well, not FIT Me. Instead you have to pour a bit on the back of your hand to dip your brush (or do the old cap it with your thumb and flip the bottle over with a force like someone just cussed your mama). I've never really had a problem with pouring too much, but it is extremely difficult to keep the top clean in a bottle like this and you'll probably find that you end up with gooey, partially dried left over foundation all over everything. Yuck. But since the packaging isn't even close to what makes or breaks a foundation in my book... Ahh, well.

Second, application actually does feel as if it's going smoothly. Now I did apply this at night, after a shower & before going out, so the lighting wasn't perfect. Therefore, I expected this foundation to be amazing since I was only going on the feel due to shadowed lighting. When I poured the foundation, it was very liquid-y (I happen to like this although I know many don't...). But don't worry. It wasn't too runny. Just... Smooth, I guess. Easy to pour. So anyway, I dipped my brush in and swept it down my cheek... I thought it felt nice. And it went a long way so that's a plus I suppose. As for coverage, it feels like a sheer, but it gives you... Eh, sheer to medium, I guess. I say sheer to medium, because it still feels so sheer but actually appears to cover quite well. I actually did happen to have a little breakout that had become quite inflamed (thanks to my OCD...) between my eyes and it covered that right up. Basically this foundation feels great going on, but...

As far as appearance, this is just not my cup of tea. I have... A weird skin tone. My grandmother calls it olive toned, but I'm not so sure. Some days it looks yellow, usually in the winter, when I'm paler. However, when I begin to tan, it turns a golden color with a slightly... Okay, orange hue. Yes, orange. I have naturally orange hued skin. At least, that's what it seems like to me. So anyway, this foundation was way too yellow for my skin which is really, really unusual for me. Typically the problem is that the foundation is too pink-ish or too orange (I know that doesn't really make sense, but like I said... Weird skin tone). Maybe the shade was just too light so it appeared too yellow. I don't know. But I got the darkest medium available and I highly doubt that I'm considered a "deep" skin tone so... Another problem was that the foundation appeared insanely heavy and cake-y on my face. This was really surprising to me since it felt so light and smooth going on. I'm not sure how Maybelline managed that one! Another thing that was extremely unexpected was that it came out uneven. I used my flat foundation brush to apply the foundation and then, like always, used my stipple brush to blend all over my face in a quick, circular motion. This usually blends EVERYTHING. Even the hardest to blend products so I don't understand how that happened. The last thing I have to say is that, judging from the consistency, texture, and advertised "main point" of the foundation, I expected a more natural finish, a fresh, slightly satin finish. This foundation, called FIT Me, is supposed to be a foundation that will give you your own skin, only better! It's supposed to allow you to glow and let your own skin shine through... And it does not. At all. I found it to look very dull and flat. No glow whatsoever.

How long does it last? Well, this is downright awful and don't judge me for this, but... I didn't remove my make up before bed. Eek! I'm know, I know. I was just so tired! Anyway, my skin still looked cake-y, uneven, and yellow in the morning so I guess it's safe to say it has a reasonable amount of staying power! You know... On the bright side? But seriously, all sarcasm aside, any kind of make up tends to hold up pretty well on my face... I don't know what it is. I've never had the sliding eyeshadow or the melted off face or the raccoon eyeliner. That being said, I honestly feel like this foundation is probably pretty long-lasting since it was unfortunately so well preserved on my face the next morning, but just be warned that there is a chance it was just my skin.

So that was my experience... Remember, yours may not be the same!

Here are two very blurry, Blackberry camera shots of the whole experience from the other night that really aren't going to be any help to be honest... I had originally hoped to apply the foundation during the day and take photos in natural light with my camera for you guys, but after seeing the results... I don't think I want to waste my time putting it on again. Ick.

Just bought Maybelline's new FIT Me foundation! Can't wait to try it... Since it's summer and I'm getting darker, my foundation is way too light giving me the perfect excuse to try new products. Ha. Review coming asap!

Amazing Box Dye

So, as you saw in my post on ION Color Brilliance products, after my last at home dye job I was left with light colored, orange/gold roots and darker, more ash tone ends due to porous ends...

I intended to wait a while to correct the color and just let the color pigment fade out as much as possible while deep conditioning my hair as often as possible to repair damage. Then, I had to go to Walgreens to attempt to find a deep conditioner with larger amounts of natural, moisturizing ingredients instead of silicones, alcohols, and unidentified synthetic goop. And that's when I got this gut feeling that using a light blonde box dye might give me just enough lift to even up the two tone dye job, but the color deposit would be light enough to prevent it from becoming too dark again on the porous areas of my hair.

I decided on L'Oreal Excellence Creme in shade 9A Light Ash Blonde. A box dye comes with everything you need to color! I altered the instructions to fit my needs:

• After parting my hair down the middle and from ear to ear, I tied hair ties around the four even sections creating small ponies. I knew my ends were porous from bleaching and coloring so I used the pre color treatment liberally on the darker sections of my hair, from mid-shaft to ends.
• When the treatment was pretty absorbed (about 2 minutes), I started applying the dye mixture to the ends of the ponies quickly and haphazardly just to allow all sections to be processing for a more even result. Then I started applying the dye mixture more thoroughly on the bottom two ponies since they were the darkest, moving on to the upper ponies afterward, being careful to stop applying the mixture where the lighter roots began.
• I allowed this to process for about 20 minutes before undoing the ponies and starting to color the roots. After making sure all of the roots were covered, I went back over my whole head making sure all of my hair was saturated.
• The instructions say to leave the dye on 30-40 minutes, but I could tell my roots needed a little more time and I had started the timer while still applying the dye so I left it on about ten more minutes...
• After rinsing the color with warm water, I used the conditioning creme that comes in the box. I rinsed with warm water again to prevent the cuticle from closing just yet. 
• Then I used the Head & Shoulders Classic Clean with Ardell Red Gold Corrector mixture I mentioned before. I applied the mixture to my hair paying special attention to the roots (which had come out a tad on the orange-y side) and made sure it was evenly coating my strands. I left that on for a little over 10 minutes.
• I followed that with an organic deep conditioner containing coconut & olive oils as well as other types of oils and moisturizers, allowed it to sit for 10 minutes, and rinsed it with warm water followed by tap cold water to seal the hair cuticle.
• Afterward, I rubbed a bit of pure extra virgin olive oil through the ends of my length, layers, and bangs. Then, I blow dryed the ends with heat just long enough to help the oil soak in, but finished drying my hair on the cool setting.

The only thing I was concerned about was my light colored roots turning out carrot top orange, because they looked quite alarming after I rinsed out the dye. But luckily I was pleasantly surprised to see the result was a beautiful dark blonde/light brown with a gorgeous golden sheen in direct light, artificial or natural. It's a very interesting color, but hard to capture in a photo... The color looks like a neutral brown in photos, but appears a to be a much lighter, extremely golden hued shade in person. The best way I can describe the color result is a light muted brown that has a soft, shimmering golden overlay. This effect could possibly be caused by the light ash blonde color pigment being deposited over the previous dye job, but whatever the cause... I must say I LOVE the results!

The only thing I might do is go over it in a few weeks with the same product and repeating the same process just to try to intensify the golden quality so that it shows in pictures as well!

New Golden "Bronde" Hair:

This shows the golden sheen the best...

Yet here it looks more red. Ha. (And excuse the mascara smear on my cheek bone...)

So basically, if you have light/medium brown hair, do not be afraid to try a blonde dye to get the shade you want. This is what you have to remember:

• It will come out more red/gold/orange if you are trying to go lighter and especially if you already have warm undertones like me so choose an ash based dye even if you want a warm hue.
• Tint will not lift tint no matter what. In other words, the only way to lift artificial pigment from your hair is using bleach or a color corrector like ION Color Brilliance Color Corrector. A lighter shade of pigment will just lay over the previous pigment.
• When going lighter, you will usually have to do the ends first and let them sit for a period before starting to apply color to the roots. This is because 1) most women have previously colored their hair and there is color pigment build up on the ends from overlapping and 2) roots are closer to your scalp so the dye mixture processes faster.
• Your shade is not going to come out like any of the swatches on the box. You can expect to get 2 levels of lift at the most on virgin hair, usually less on colored hair.

Review on the deep conditioner I mentioned coming next!

Fixed the two-tone dye job sooner than expected using some common sense and an amazing box dye! Products, "how to" info, and photos will be posted when I get back to my desk top computer...

ION Color Brilliance System

This is my natural color (Level 6-7 Dark Blonde):

Which I dyed to this using L' Oreal Superior Preference box dye in shade 4A Dark Ash Brown:

Then, I got sick of it being basically black so I went to a salon where a color specialist that I absolutely adored gradually lightened it to this (about a Level 9-10 with highlights and lowlights ranging from Level 8-Platinum) using heavy foil highlighting:

THEN, I decided I was craving a richer, more solid (even sexy, if you will) shade so I took it back brunette using box dye again (L' Oreal Excellence Creme in shade 6A Light Ash Brown followed by 5A Medium Ash Brown about a month later):

But now it is summer, and so I have let the dark brown fade out (permanent dye is never really permanent...) hoping that would be enough lightening to transition into warm weather. It was not. Too dark & too red. Not enough golden.

So I decided to use ION Color Brilliance products from Sally's Beauty Supply to attempt to lighten it at home for the first time ever!

Now the ION product section at Sally's has many helpful little charts and booklets to assist you in choosing the right products for your goal. I was looking to achieve a Level 7 Neutral Medium Blonde. Using the available tools & advice from a Sally's employee, I determined that I would need:

• ION Color Brilliance Color Corrector (to lift permanent dark brown dye)
• ION Sensitive Scalp Developer Creme 10 Volume (for use with Color Corrector; not stated on package, but needed in instructions)
• ION Color Brilliance Liquid Permanent Color in shade 7.1-7A (Medium Ash Blonde; natural Level 6 hair will ALWAYS pull orange/gold especially in naturally warm toned hair like mine so using an ash dye will give more of a neutral tone or more often still a warm tone)
• ION Sensitive Scalp Developer Creme 20 Volume (for dye mixture; ION permanent color dye chart recommends that natural level 6's use 20 volume developer with level 7 color to achieve lightening to level 7)
• Ardell Red/Gold Corrector Single Use Packet (recommended by employee; include in dye mixture to combat brassiness)
• ION Color Brilliance After Color Treatment (optional; seals cuticle & stops processing)
• Latex Gloves
• Callibrated Plastic Squeeze Bottle for Dye

Other items needed that I had at home:

• Plastic Shower Cap (for use with Color Corrector)
• Hair Dryer (processing Color Corrector)
• Wide Tooth Comb
• Gentle, Color Saving Shampoo (L' Oreal EverStrong Reconstruct Shampoo)
• Deep, Color Saving Conditioner (L' Oreal EverPure Moisture Deep Restorative Masque)

What I did:

• The ION Color Corrector had two sets of directions. I was using the product to completely lift the permanent dye from my hair so I followed the instructions for achieving a complete "color change." After evenly applying the mixture, you could choose to cover your hair with a plastic shower cap & apply intense heat using the hair dryer or to go without the cap & heat, but leave the product on for about 5-10 minutes longer. After the color corrector, my hair looked like this:
  
  
• After using the color corrector to achieve your desired level of lift, you have to do a 10 volume developer "rinse" to stop the oxidation/processing. This just means you coat your still wet strands with the developer & let it sit for 5 minutes. This part can be confusing, because after I did the developer rinse, my ends actually turned darker and my roots turned lighter. The opposite of what originally happened. I'm still not sure if that was just my hair, or if it's supposed to do that...
• Now, you are ready to color... I used the callibrated squeeze bottle to mix the proper ratio of permanent color/tint with the 20 volume developer. I only bought one bottle of color and one bottle of developer, but I almost ran out of the mixture so I recommend getting two bottles of the actual tint. There is only 2 oz. in the tint bottle, but the developer comes in an 8 oz. bottle.
• Instead of adding the entire pouch of Ardell Red/Gold Corrector, I added about half. I have a warm (yellow/olive) skintone so I didn't want the color to be too ash toned.
• The ION Color Brilliance instructions said to put it on your ends first then your roots if you were going lighter than your natural color so I did.
• Unfortunately, this step did not work for me. My ends became very dark very fast, and my roots couldn't process long enough since the ends were going to become way too dark. This left me with extremely orange/gold tone roots and more ash toned ends. Also, the roots are about 1-2 levels lighter than the ends.

That being said, I DO NOT think ION Color Brilliance products were the problem. I actually quite like the products. I think they are extremely affordable, easy to use and understand, and very gentle.

My hair turned out the way it did due to the porosity of my ends which have been dyed and bleached and dyed again! I left the dye on the ends too long, because I didn't go with my gut and rinse them when I noticed them turning too dark.

Since I wanted it to be lighter, I've been using Head & Shoulders Classic Clean (known to fade color) mixed with the other half of the Ardell Red/Gold Corrector packet to combat brassy tones. I run the shampoo mixture through my wet strands evenly, allow it to sit for several minutes, and lather it up right before I rinse it out. This is how it looks now:

Brassy roots in direct sunlight...

I tried to show the two tone which is hard to capture in pictures.

This is what it looks like most of the time. Imperfections aren't really noticeable since it blends nicely.

As soon as I nurse my hair back to health, I am going to attempt to correct this. My next post will be on how I am restoring the moisture and repairing the damage done to my ends... So check back!

A New Kind of Beauty Blog...

This is my new blog that is going to allow me to explain to other women the beauty and health regimes and processes I use regularly as well as reviews of the products and tips and tricks that I decide to try out! What I plan to do differently than most other blogs, however, is use drugstore/discount/all natural products as opposed to the high end trendy products featured in many other beauty blogs... I'm not saying I won't ever post about a particular splurge now and then, but for the most part, you're going to get "how to" info for and reviews on realistic products that you can easily obtain!

Check back frequently to see new posts!