Base Makeup Updated~

I feel a bit disloyal to the Asian cosmetics that I normally like to buy, but sometimes it's hard to look for a new powder or foundation without trying it on. Eyeshadows, blushes etc.. haven't really caught my eyes the past year, maybe a few things but I think it's because I have too many products to finish first.

So I decided to switch to using some American brands. It's also a lot cheaper too, unless you buy it in Canada. For this haul, I only purchased the Bobbi Brown foundation in Canada...$55CAD compared to $45USD, is that ridiculous? Plus our 13% tax on top.
And I got the Sephora round powder brush #41 for only $36, I think it's $45 here? My only complaint is the white bristles...when I load up the brush with the pressed powder, I don't know how much I actually pick up and sometimes I end up powdering too much.

If you've ever been to Holt Renfrew at Yorkdale mall, you might have noticed that Benefit has their Brow Bar there. However, I recently found out that Benefit was being pulled out of Holt and they weren't going to carry the brand anymore...so sad, and I was about to get my brows done.

Since they weren't going to be sold at Holt anymore, there was a mini sale going on with a bunch of the Benefit products, ranging from $15, $20 and $25. The boxed blushes were all $20, cream eyeshadows were $15 and skincare was from $20-25! There were also things like the concealer kits, lipgloss and lip sticks, liquid blushes, eyeshadows and a few other eye brow things.Cheap right? But I only picked up the High Brow.
BTW, if you're in Toronto, head to Holt at Yorkdale, the lady told me the sale ends this week, but I'm not sure if she meant Friday or Saturday.

The High Brow is a unique brow lifting pencil. You basically use it to highlight your brow bone and this helps give your eyes a nice lift. The shade is a pale pink color, I don't think it's very universal and there was only 1 color to choose from.
You draw a line under your brow on the outer half like so...

Then blend away with your finger or brush. I find that 1 swipe is enough, otherwise it gets a bit difficult to blend. The product feels a bit chalky and if I add too much, I can see a white-ish hue under my brows rather than a natural highlight.

Do you know about Murale? If you've never heard of it, it's a beauty boutique opened by Shopppers Drug Mart. They carry a wide variety of products like NARS, Smashbox, Benefit, Cargo and...*gasp* Bobbi Brown!!!! I finally found somewhere that I get purchase Bobbi Brown products...without having to deal with the snooty service at Holt Renfrew, plus you can earn those Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum points at Murale.
I spent about 45mins at Murale getting a mini makeover and trying out their base makeup. The girl was super nice, if you ever go, look for Shannon.
I purchased the Skin Foundation SPF15 in Warm Beige 3.5, which gives a light-medium coverage and leaves a slight dewy finish...which I love. I don't like fully matte makeup.

I also purchased the Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in soft sand when I visited Buffalo. Darn you Canada, why are things so expensive... I got the powder for $34USD and it sells for $45CAD here.

In case you ever need a comparison for online shopping, here I'm comparing the shade with Fit Me 210, they're very similar except Fit Me is a bit more yellow toned.

I LOOOOOVEE my new foundation. I normally use a sponge to blend, but I can get away with using my fingers to blend and the result is a smooth even finish. The Fit Me needed a sponge for better blending.
BB definitely has more coverage than the Fit Me foundation, but a lower SPF.
Lasting power is quite good, my skin was more dewy by the end of an 8-10 hour day but it looked so smooth. The foundation feels quite runny and it also feels very light weight which helps it give a light-medium coverage. 1 full pump is also enough to cover my face without any being wasted.
I used the pressed powder on top and it matted my skin very well, which I wasn't too fond of, but after an hour or so my skin looked more dewy when the oils started to produce on my skin.