Aubrey Nicole haul (again)

I ordered full sizes from Aubrey Nicole during their Mardi Gras free shipping sale last February, and I received my package yesterday. I'm happy just looking at the huge 3oz jar of foundation. My haul:

Elegant Minerals samples

Today I tested my samples from Elegant Minerals. I ordered only two foundation shades - Cornsilk and Sandstone. Based on the website descriptions, it was pretty easy to narrow down my choices to just two.

I tried Sandstone first. To my eyes it looked yellow-peach. I think it had some peach undertones; I didn't bother doing a full face. I swatched both shades - applied wet - on the back of my hand. Sandstone looks peachier, while Cornsilk looks more yellow-olive.

When I tried Cornsilk, it was a perfect match! I wore it the rest of the day. I love the powder - it has light to medium buildable coverage, great slip, and a velvety matte finish. The pores on my nose appeared smaller, and it evened out the surface of the skin, making my cheeks look really smooth. I have to get a full size of this!

Chapped Lips: Remedies!

I used to have chapped lips. As in really dry and flaking. I've tried a number of balms and creams, and these are the ones I've found most effective in healing, softening, and smoothening my chapped lips - Skinfood's Cocoa Lip Blam, The Face Shop's Lip Care Cream, and Kiehl's Lip Balm #1:

Blusche haul #2

I still have full sizes of Blusche, but I couldn't resist the cute new packaging! So I went ahead and bought more full sizes of foundation (what will I do with four jars of Creme Brulee?) , concealer, and primer.

DreamWorld samples

If you order DreamWorld foundation samples and creme toppings, the first thing you'll notice about them is the generous amount of powder! It'll take a while before the baggie runs out, so you'll really get value for your money.

Another thing is that they run a bit light. The only ones I'll be testing are Amenti, Ashnan, Themis, and Hebe, which appear to be the closest to medium.

EDIT: I got the Sands formulation for everything, and the coverage is fantastic! Enough to cover imperfections, but not cakey. The finish is matte, but not dry-looking. Definitely fullsize-worthy. My best match seems to be Amenti, which belongs to the yellow-olive family, but I've only tested it under one kind of lighting so I can't say for sure yet whether Amenti is truly my shade. More testing is in order.

Buff'd samples

Buff'd is a heavy coverage foundation with a smooth, creamy finish. Because of its density, you only need a small amount of powder to do your whole face. A little really does go a long way. Shipping for their sample baggies is inexpensive, so it's budget-friendly as well.

The shades I got, with their website descriptions:

Ginger: Light shade with heavier yellow undertones.
Almond: Medium light shade with subtle yellow undertones.
Moccasin: Medium light shade with heavier yellow undertones.
Saffron: Medium shade with heavier yellow undertones.

The shades, to my eyes, run a little dark. My best matches: Ginger and Moccasin. I want to narrow it down to just one, so I'll have to test some more under different kinds of lighting.

Joppa haul

Joppa held a free shipping sale and so I ordered last February 6 and I received the package March 4. I just estimated the shades and ended up buying 4 full sizes because I wanted to take advantage of the free shipping! Free shipping (or even just reduced shipping) is always a great thing for international MMU addicts like me. ;)

At first glance, the Full Coverage Foundation in Medium #3 looked a little dark in the jar, and I was thankful that I ordered the Medium Light #3 too. But since I've always been a Medium, I opened the Medium #3 first. On application, the depth was just right. I would have liked a bit more yellow, but it's fine as it is. Not a perfect match, but close enough. It had good coverage - smooth, even, and not cakey. On my next order, I want to try the Soft Coverage.

The Bronzer Foundation in Bronzed Sienna looked a bit dark as well, but just like the Medium #3, it was just right when I brushed it on. It glides on smoothly (didn't clump) and has a nice, brownish-bronze sheen, perfect for summer. It's a pretty shade, not orange at all. And I liked the fact that it combined bronzer and foundation in one - how great is that?

The Simple Radiance Foundation in French Toast has a good amount of yellow. I didn't bother doing a full face, because it was already a great match when I swiped the brush in one stroke along my chin. It looks to be a better match than the Medium #3.

I was lucky I picked the right shades. Overall, I'm satisfied and will purchase again.