The Big Black Swatch & Shade Post

This post is in lieu of a finish to the Juvia's Place review. No need to go on beating that dead horse. In the meantime (and since even being the hermit I am, this lockdown is crazy) I thought I would do a swatch post that includes the 2 new Juvia shades.

It's nice that a lot of the established cosmetic brands are adding shades for "deeper" skin tones. New brands seem to be popping up all the time (like Juvia's Place). Still, finding an affordable and appropriate shade of foundation is tough for a lot of us. I know ladies of all races and colors who have almost as hard a time as I do in trying to find something that works with their peach- or olive-hued tones. If you can't pull off one of the basic shades - porcelain, ivory, buff, light, tan, medium, "deep", chocolate, almond, or some variation of "toast" - then you have to be the Indiana Jones of the makeup world.

These are some arm and face swatches of all the shades I have lying around. I throw nothing out so I have stuff from 4 years ago. Don't judge me!

Just so you know:

• I photographed my leg in the natural light of my home. (ceiling and floor lamps)
• I applied a light primer and nothing else other than the moisturizer I already had on  
• I did not apply any other powders or setting products
• I used a makeup spatula to apply (cleaning after each use)
• I ran a line of the Nars shade along the top so you can compare it to each of the other shades.

These are the ones taken a couple of minutes after applying all the swatches:

sorry for the bad cropping
see names and shades below

It's easy to see that the Khartoum, Ebony, Mali, and Bronze 8 shades are ones I can work best with. The others can be used, I suppose, for highlighting, contouring, and blending to lighten or darken other shades.

This is after I lay a paper towel over them and did a light blotting:

You can barely tell the Nars from my skin. Perfect.

This is after I have let the makeup rest and completely set for about 5 minutes

I tried to keep the camera the same distance away but there could be some variation. You get the idea though.

By the way, this is the wonderful primer I used. It was sent as a full-size sample (yay) from Tryspree and I will be buying more when I am finished with the jar.

Hard Candy Primer Balm

If you are always on the lookout for shades in "deep" tones, here are some that I have considered. With a couple of exceptions, they are affordably priced and seem to come in a good variety of deep shades. And, since I was only looking at shades, you would have to judge for yourself how good they are as far as wear and staying power. The links are to where I found the item and not always the brand site.

Black OpalTrue Color

NYXBorn to Glow

MaybellineFit Me

MilaniConceal & Perfect

 

e.l.f.Flawless Finish

I did notice that Target carries quite a range of brands with diverse shades. Also, the site has a "foundation guide" to help locate suitable brands on their site with your shade range.

Actually, once I started searching, I found quite a few brands with "deep" shade choices. You have probably heard of most, but I think at least a couple will be new for you.

Here are some with prices in the mid to higher range - depending on what your budget is. I'm too tired to do links for all of them but hit up Google.

• Uoma Beauty (totally new to me)
• Fenty (Rhianna's gig so I won't bother with it. Personal bias.)
• Il Mikiage (see this a lot on social media platforms)
• ColourPop (I've seen this on Influenster)
• Black Up (I had one of their foundations in a near-matching shade for my skin. Good foundation as long as you get a match.)
• Urban Decay
• Nars (of course)
• Becca 
• Marc Jacobs (who knew?)

• Lancome (love theirs but it's pricey for me at around $45)
• Hue Noir (another totally new one for me)
• MAC
• Makeup Forever
• Black Radiance (of course)
• Flori Roberts (I used to love their Gold perfume but it's no longer made)

The name of the last one I want to mention gives me the creeps but I love that they seem to have a wide range of shades. It's called Flesh Beauty. See what I mean? Anyway... The prices are mid-range ($32 for a foundation) but they offer free shipping. If you sign up for their mailing list, you get a discount on your first order. 

Believe it or not, there are more I could have listed but I got tired.

Hope this helped.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation

I found this at Walmart the other day.

It's Rimmel's Stay Matte Flawless Finish Mattifying Foundation (in shade 605 Deep Chocolate).

I am hotter than a jalapeno that I even went through all the bother with Juvia's Place! This Rimmel foundation is perfect. Perfect shade, perfect finish, perfect price. Most of all, it's the perfect price. Let's talk about that.

Remember the Lancome Ultra foundation I loved so much? That was close to $50. Nars Sheer Glow? Around the same as the Lancome. This Rimmel? $4.97 at Walmart. 

Normally, with drugstore foundations - even if they are good - there is a little something that gives away the difference between them and the higher end brands. Either they feel different or wear different or they are just slightly off in some way from the pricier stuff. Not so with this Rimmel.

When I first tested this shade on the back of my hand (I should have tested it in the store and I would have gotten more than one tube!), I knew the shade was a dead-on match to my face color. 

I thought that even though the shade was great - actually so close you can't see it in that swatch photo - that the makeup itself might not look or wear as well as I want. 

Wrong again.

This makeup wears almost EXACTLY like the Lancome and lasts all day without needing to be touched up. The shade is very similar to the 555 Suede C I wore. It's extremely mattifying - just like the Lancome. I have to moisturize my face well before using it - just like with the Lanco- well, you know what I mean. I think the only difference I could point out is that the Lancome was more of a liquid and this Rimmel is has a creamy consistency. It's labeled as a "mousse" type foundation.

It took very little of this to cover my entire face - I think it was about 3 dabs of the amount shown in the above photo (if even that much). Most extremely matte products I've used haven't gone on as smooth. Once I had this on it was almost immediately "set". (By the way, when I first tried applying it without additional moisturizer and just using the Hard Candy primer, it did set instantly.)

For such a mattifying foundation, this is not drying. Yes, it sets very drily on the skin but it didn't cause any tightening or stiffening sensation. Still, as with any makeup, I will apply a good moisturizer in my dry zones before using it just as a precaution. 

Want to know what I love the most, most, most? There is no transfer. None. One thing every woman hates about makeup - especially those in any deep or very colorful shades - is having it transfer to clothing and paperwork. So embarrassing and inconvenient. This one is matte enough that I can palm my face and not have it transfer. Now, I am not going to be rubbing my face on collars or papers, but I like not having to worry about hugging someone or handling paperwork and leaving behind a tell-tell mess.

Where has this stuff been all my life? 

By the way, I have used Rimmel eyeliners before and I might have picked up a gloss or mascara from a makeup bin but I think that is the extent of my experience with the brand. At least, I have never purchased anything major because I don't remember it. Now, I am telling everyone about this foundation and I will look for other Rimmel products. Shoot, I'm going to write them a fan letter! Hahaha.

 I was so upset about the experience(s) with Juvia's Place and I had resigned myself to just making do with the foundations I have on hand. Mary Kay is out of my budget - even if I could get a rep to come around at this point... Now that I have this Rimmel, I feel better. This is a shade I really like. It lacks the red undertone of the Nars, but I don't care. I can wear some blush underneath or just go without - especially now that it is summertime.

I'm not sure if this is something that someone can be happy with if they have very dry skin. As I said, I wear a deep moisturizer underneath in my dry skin areas so it balances out. My t-zone - which can develop a shine quickly in warm weather - is completely matte with this foundation.

Listen, this is such a great product and the price is just too good. People ought to know about it while we're all rushing around trying to afford some of these other brands.

Peace

--Free