Power Duo: My go-to foundation and setting powder

People will stare, make it worth their while!

So in Love

The key to having something beautiful starts with the right foundation and ends with the perfect finish, especially makeup! I cannot stress enough how important it is to have the perfect foundation and setting powder duo. My power combo is the L’oreal True Match foundation and the Jemma Kidd Gossamer Finish Ultra Sheer translucent powder. These two are a match made in makeup heaven! The shades, application, finish are exactly what I need for an everyday makeup look and I’ve been using this duo for two years now. I can rave all day about these products but let’s just talk about the basics.

Back Story

I found these beauties when I went to Evenhand Cosmetics (Bulawayo branch). I wanted a medium coverage foundation and powder to wear everyday. I actually wanted the true match setting powder but sometimes different brand products work better together, which I obviously did not know until I tried out the products. Truth be told, I chose the Jemma Kidd over the L’oreal powder because it was $5 cheaper and the container had a lot more product than the later. Trust me, $5 is a lot of money in a makeup store seeing that I bought two lippies with the change.

Shade

I’m in the shades N9 Cocoa and 02 Dark in the L’oreal foundation and Jemma Kidd powder respectively. The L’oreal foundation looks a bit light during application but suits my skin tone perfectly after blending. During those months when I get a bit darker, I mix it with a pump or two of a darker foundation. Other than that, I can rock this foundation all year round on its own.

Coverage and Texture

As I mentioned earlier, the True match foundation is medium coverage but it is build-able for a full coverage look.  It is light weight and appears watery when you pump it onto you hand. The foundation comes in a 30ml glass bottle with a pump and I shake it before pumping so that it thickens. I use a flat foundation brush to apply the fluid then blend with a sponge. One coat (I say it like I’m painting my face) gives me a sheer light coverage, which is good if you’re going for a skin-like, no makeup look; but I normally apply two coats in order to cover my hyper-pigmentation. The foundation gives me a matte finish after application but during the course of the day this changes to a dewy finish. I then use a fluffy powder brush to apply the Jemma Kidd setting powder, which gives a warm, light finish. What I love about these two products is you don’t feel like you’re wearing lots of makeup when you have them on. They are super light and give you a natural look while lasting for hours. I literally regret having to wash off my makeup every night.

The only thing I don’t like about the True Match foundation is that when it’s super hot I tend to get oily on my t-zone within hours. On an ordinary day my foundation stays dewy and oil free.

I recommend this duo if you’re looking for budget friendly everyday makeup products that give you a natural look and don’t look or feel heavy on the skin.

Save or Slurge

The foundation costs $12 while the powder is $10. This is quite reasonable as you only use a little bit of each product everyday. On average, my foundation lasts 4 months while the powder lasts up to 6 months. Considering the finish and coverage, I think both products are worth it!

My Crochet Braid Experience

Never be afraid to try something new, because life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know.

So for the past three months I’ve been lusting after crochet box braids and I really wanted to try them out since winter is the only time I actually like having braids. Unfortunately most hairdressers in Bulawayo have no idea what crochet box braids are. You can imagine how excited I was when I found a ‘mobile’ hairdresser on Facebook who claimed to specialise in crochet braiding. So basically crochet braiding is a protective hairstyle whereby one ‘crochets’ braids into cornrows with a latch hook instead of plaiting individual braids into your hair, which is the more conventional braiding method. Crochet braids are easy to install and mine took an hour and half. I was initially excited when I contacted this lady and I told her I wanted thick, waist length braids. I made an appointment for Thursday but she kept postponing it. She finally called five days later and said she would come and do my hair at 1 pm. I spent the whole afternoon waiting for her and she finally showed up at 6pm and said she had been busy. I was really disappointed and I feel like this also affected the way my hairstyle came out. She had pre-braided the hair using the Angels Avis long braid and it was neither the length nor thickness I wanted but I didn’t make a big deal of it. I loved the way the hairstyle looked after I got over the initial disappointment of having shorter braids, but I noticed after she left that they were done clumsily. Anyway, the following day I was eager to try out all the box braid styles I had screenshots of. With regular braids it takes days before you can tie your hair into a bun but I managed to tie mine, which I probably shouldn’t have done because my braids shifted. I was really disappointed because my braids sagged after that. Part of me regretted paying $30 for braids that sagged within days and I wished I had done regular braids. I reminded myself that regular braids would have damaged my hairline and this was a small consolation. I think I would have liked my braids more if they were the size I had requested and also if my hairdresser had actually cared enough to install them properly. Listed below are some of the pros and cons of crochet box braids.

                                                            

The Pros of Crochet Box Braids

• Easy and probably the least time consuming protective hairstyle.
• Your own hair is highly protected and it’s easy to keep it clean and healthy.
• You can style your braids as soon as you finish installing them.
• There’s a lot less tension on your hairline in comparison to ordinary braids provided that the cornrows aren’t put in too tight.
• They are easy to remove.
• You can re-use your braids.

The Cons of Crochet Box Braids

• If you don’t apply the braids correctly they’ll sag which looks kind of shabby.
• The knots are sometimes visible.
• The knots and cornrows make crochet box braids more difficult to style.

 

Although my first experience was quite unpleasant, I will give this hairstyle another try but I’d probably use a different hairdresser and different braids. This method can also be used for weaves and twists and I will definitely try more variations of this protective hairstyle.

Stay Fabulous…

xoxo

Crochet Box Braids Tutorial

Crochet Twists Tutorial