When I opened up the February issue of Vogue, I was excited to read that all of Zellweger’s make up was Cover Girl. I’m sure there was some product placement going on, but I figure that if a makeup artist can make drugstore makeup work for a Vogue photo shoot, it is worth trying out. I wasn’t able to find all of the products used, but I did pick up the TruBlend Whipped Foundation in creamy natural, the Cheekers blush in rose silk, the Professional loose powder in fair, and the VolumeExact mascara in brown. My coloring is very similar to Zellweger’s, so I bought the exact products that were credited.
I have had more breakouts recently and was becoming dissatisfied with the coverage I was getting from the i.d. bare minerals line. It is such a nice, natural look, but somedays I need more to cover up the redness. The TruBlend Whipped definitely adds a thicker layer. Because it is so thick, I’ve only been using it in problem areas. I’ve applied it around the eyes, around the nostrils, and over the breakouts. I’m using a brush to apply to these areas and then blending outward. I like the look overall and the color is nice for my tone.
The Cheekers blush has worked well, although Cover Girl blush has always smelled funny to me. Very chemically and kind of nauseating. Not sure why I notice this, but I can’t apply it without taking note. The color is peachy enough that it is reminiscent to me of my Nars Orgasm blush, the famed ubiquitous blush that is supposed to look good on any skin tone. In fact, when I compare the two side by side, the colors are nearly identical. Nars has a bit more golden flecks than the CG one, but that is the only difference visible to the eye. Out of curiousity I tested Orgasm on one cheeck and Rose Silk on the other. I can’t see the difference. (Although I can smell it! What is it with that stink?!) Nars Orgasm runs $25 at Sephora.com, while CG Cheekers in Rose Silk is $3.39 at drugstore.com. I think the yucky smell of the package is worth the savings.
I had never purchased a just brown mascara before. I have a very dark brownish black that I used for a while, but usually I stick to black. I know people advise it for light hair and fair tones, but I am happy to see my eyes pop with black mascara. But I wanted to follow the make up look as close as possible, so I went ahead and bought the brown. Besides, I already have so many mascaras I couldn’t really justify buying another one unless it was in a different color. I wasn’t able to find the soft brown CG smoothers or the Petal shine lip stick also used on the cover, so I improvised with my own brown mascara from Clinique and a pink tone sheer lippy. I am happy to have experimented with the brown mascara combined with the brown eye liner, as it is used on the cover. It provides a very natural look to my everyday make up. But it is a look of its own; I do not like the brown mascara with color on my lids. A few days later, as I was playing around with the brown mascara, I threw on a light lavendar shadow. It didn’t work. As far as the texture and wand is concerned, the mascara is great. It provides a very even, nonclumping application. I don’t feel that it adds much in length, but that could also be from using brown as opposed to black.
I am still a novice when it comes to loose powder. I bought the CG Professional loose powder because I don’t really have any aside from what I’ve been using with i.d. bare minerals, and I wanted to follow the look exactly as prescribed in the magazine. So when I finish my look, I applied the powder. I don’t feel the look is more finished. I can’t really say that it makes my make up last longer, although that is a possibility. I don’t really get the whole powder-finish thing. I’ve been doing it out of obligation and because Bobbi Brown Beauty said to.
Pictures of my Nars Orgasm next to CG Cheekers Rose Silk to come.
