MAC – the most popular makeup brand with its StudioFix line of Powder Foundation beating out the competition for years now has finally made it’s way back inside the gigantic makeup case. At least my makeup case.
MAC is great for photos no doubt, but dries my skin and causes it to breakout with continued use. It’s great for some people but not if you’re on the sensitive or irritable or dry side. Nevertheless, we still use it for the sake of looking good on photos and in person despite the consequences.
I use NC35 during the summer and NC30 during other days. NC35 is simply too dark for me when I’m not tanned.
Lately however, I decided to try Benefit’s Hello Flawless in Petal. You’re probably thinking, we sell the stuff. 
BUT, this is the first time I’ve used it. Visiting our store room and while checking inventory status, I accidentally dropped a Hello Flawless and had no choice but to purchase it. Haha! Seriously, we have so many products now that I’m having trouble keeping up with trying each and every single one of them, to put it in all honesty. I depend on customer feedback and requests when it comes to deciding what products to import, some products I make a point to try right away, some I can’t get around to as fast such as foundation. It takes a while to finish a whole pan of foundation.
Back to my review.
The next day I use it in place of my MAC NC30. Here are the application steps I followed:
1) Wash your face. Oil and newly applied primer, moisturizer, or makeup doesn’t mix well. To be sure to avoid clumping of foundation, wash your face with a non-drying oil-free facial wash. Do not use soap. Soap will overdry your face and cause irritation due to harsh chemicals that were made for the body, not for the face.
2) Apply moisturizer or primer or both. TIP: If you prefer to apply both moisturizer and primer, make sure to use a very light moisturizer just enough to help with glide if you have chronic dry skin like I do. For those with normal skin, you may skip the moisturizer and opt for a liquid primer like Benefit’s That Gal primer, or Girl Meets Pearl. The Smashbox primers are good too (we do not carry smashbox primers). For those with Oily skin, I recommend something like Urabn Decay’s De-Slick primer or Benefit’s Dr. Feelgood primer which helps control oil throughout the day.
3) Get a clean sponge and wet with purified water. Apply Benefit Hello Flawless.
4) For the perfect full coverage, use the brush to smoothen the foundation finish.
Reasons I like Benefit Hello Flawless over MAC StudioFix:
1) This foundation lasts the whole day and night when applied with a wet sponge. When applied with a dry sponge, it’ll last throughout the day but may require a touch up by late afternoon. MAC will last a looong time, but I will have breakouts after. My skin will feel heavy and matte.
2) Speaking of matte, when first applied, Hello Flawless will give you that matte coverage. As the makeup blends with your skin, it gradually turns into a healthy non-made-up look. It’s a balance between too matte and too glowing. It looks like you simply have perfect skin where no effort was exerted in putting on foundation to cover redness, blotchiness, and other skin imperfections. You could pass as having healthy looking even skin. A subtle glow to be exact.
To illustrate:
Please refer to the two photos, one representa the effect you get with Hello Flawless, the other one reflects the matte effect from MAC StudioFix. MAC StudioFix will eventually blend with your skin tone, but ti takes longer for it to achieve the effect Hello Flawless has.
The woman (blonde) in the photo used Hello Flawless in Shell while the other (brunette) used MAC StudioFix in NC35.
Benefit Hello Flawless skin – gives a subtle healthy glow
MAC StudioFix Powder Foundation in NC35
3) Hello Flawless comes with a brush and sponge.The brush is actually pretty good for something that comes free with a product.
4) It blends so well I don’t want to retouch it. 
5) It is lightweight! Full coverage feels like light coverage. Light coverage feels like nothing. My skin can breathe.
6) It overed my dark freckles and other facial marks like a dream. No caking.
7) It’s love, love, love! Feels like foundation heaven!
What I don’t like about Hello Flawless over MAC StudioFix:
1) I became so addicted to it I started using it everyday, it’s more expensive than the MAC counterpart, so do the math. When used every single day for both wet and dry sponges, it’ll last you 2 to 3 months tops.
2) Benefit should put more of the product in the pan so we don’t have to buy too often.
3) The case is nice, though square and a bit bulky. But since it provides long lasting full coverage, you don’t need to take it with you.
Updates:
1) We have a few pieces left of Hellow Flawless.
2) We have MAC products arriving mid-August. I just bashed MAC a bit but it’s still one of my favorites. They are the pioneers of the ‘foundation movement’ and set the benchmark for super nano-micro-milled foundation which goes on our skin so well.
3) Our MAC products will be cheaper than department store prices but we only have a handful arriving. This is our trial inventory to see which MAC products are the most popular. As always, our customers dictate what we will import. 
Benefit Hello Flawless is definitely on the pricey side, but in my opinion, this is one of the best and is worth it. I define value for money with the satisfaction I get from a product. It might be 1.5 times as expensive but 3 times as good.
My precious! – Benefit Hello Flawless
I’m very thankful that accidentally dropping this foundation compelled me to use it. Truly the best discoveries happen by accident.
Benefit Benetint on Preview Magazine 2011 Issue
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Summer Perfect!
A lot of people have asked me… both male and female… on how to effectively keep their face matte all day long. My suggestion is Benefit Cosmetics Dr. Feelgood.
This balm is a mattifier, a primer that can go under or over makeup, an anti-oxidant that contains vitamin C, and best of all, although it is not the intended use… it fills in acne marks and scars and eventually makes them disappear due to the vitamin C. The vitamin C in this balm acts as a treatment for scars and enlarged pores! Talk about value in a can!
1) As a mattifier, apply this balm on your oily areas or the entire face. It will help keep you shine-free throughout the day until night. It is excellent for guys too!
A suggestion I came across from the manufacturer’s blog is to use this in conjunction with sunscreen. Summer is here and no one likes the look of sunscreen when applied to the face. It’s too shiny! Use this and it will look like you did not pile sunblock on your face. No gunky shine.
2) As a primer, it smoothens the face and fills in gaps in the skin giving your foundation a flawless finish. Eliminates foundation streaks since your face is smooth. It makes your makeup last longer and gives your face a comfortable feeling when applied.
3) Wear it over makeup to help keep your oiliest areas shine-free. Yes, over makeup. It is better to use this to blot out oil than re-applying powder over and over again because powder can build up, become un-even, and eventually cake or break apart when mixed with oil from your face.
4) As a makeup eraser. Accidental mascara dots or eyeliner overlaps can easily be erased by this hard-working, multi-tasking balm.
5) The manufacturer suggested that some women even use it to tame frizzies on their hair… I might try that some time. Feedback says it is not icky on the hair.
Confessions of A Concealaholic Kit
Perfume: Something About Sophia
Benetint
Posietint
Smokin’ Eyes Palette
Dear John Movin’ On Moisturizer
Hello Flawless two-way Foundation – all shades
Erase Paste Eye Concealer
BadGal Waterproof Mascara
BadGal Waterproof Eyeliner
Benetint Lip Balm
Firmology – skin firming serum for face and neck
Coralista
Sugarbomb
Dandelion
Georgia
Brow Zings – all you need for perfect brows
Bathina Take a Picture, It’ll Last Longer – body smoothening balm
***Don’t forget to get include one or more samples to your shopping cart. ONE SAMPLE FOR EVERY $35 ORDER. This offer is based on increments of $35. So if you purchase $70, get 2 SAMPLES, and so on. This is found under our FREE SAMPLES section.
Click on the image to view the sample detail page.
FREE Physicians Formula TOWEL with a minimum Physicians Formula purchase of $50!!
Will be automatically shipped with your order when you purchase at least $50 worth of Physicians Formula products.
Looking for a Cheek and Lip tint that you can carry around in your purse?
Look no further because hard candy stain and shine is the product for you! Not to mention there’s a lip gloss at the other end of the tube. This product is so convenient and versatile that teens and women alike are very fond of it.
Hard candy training brow is another example of a convenient and versatile product. On one end you have the eyebrow pencil, on the other end is an eyebrow gel to make those pesky little hairs go back to their proper places for a neat, not a hair out of place beauty.
Both can be found at tameraonline.com
Pout Big Lash Mascara 2 in 1 (two in one) available in:
Black and Sapphire
Black and Jade
Sale at tameraonline.com $12
Pout Lip Polish available in 5 shades:
Easy Ethel
Mighty Aphrodite
Juicy Lucy
Randy Sandy
Voluptous Venus
All on Sale at tameraonline.com $14
Pout Lip Stain:
Don’t want to splurge on a Benefit Benetint?
Try Pout!
Only $16 at tameraonline.com
loreal minerals, concealer minerals, blush minerals, eyeliner and eyeshadow kohl minerals
Loreal minerals featuring:
L’oreal concealer minerals
L’oreal blush minerals
L’oreak eyeliner and eyeshadow kohl minerals
What’s hot in cosmetics? Minerals! Loreal came up with an excellent line of minerals for the eyes and face. The concealer is excellent at obliterating oil while the blush ensures you have a healthy glow – literally! Finally, the concealer goes a long way throughout the day. The concealer is excellent for those with oily skin.
All at $11 each at www.tameraonline.com
| BENEFIT NEW ARRIVALS!
Perfume: Laugh With Me Leelee
Confessions of A Concealaholic Kit
Perfume: Something About Sophia Benetint Posietint Smokin’ Eyes Palette Dear John Movin’ On Moisturizer Hello Flawless two-way Foundation – all shades Erase Paste Eye Concealer BadGal Waterproof Mascara BadGal Waterproof Eyeliner Benetint Lip Balm Firmology – skin firming serum for face and neck Coralista Sugarbomb Dandelion Georgia Brow Zings – all you need for perfect brows Bathina Take a Picture, It’ll Last Longer – body smoothening balm ***Don’t forget to get include one or more samples to your shopping cart. ONE SAMPLE FOR EVERY $35 ORDER. This offer is based on increments of $35. So if you purchase $70, get 2 SAMPLES, and so on. This is found under our FREE SAMPLES section.
Click on the image to view the sample detail page. FREE Physicians Formula TOWEL with a minimum Physicians Formula purchase of $50!! Will be automatically shipped with your order when you purchase at least $50 worth of Physicians Formula products.
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Get perfect foundation coverage with an airbrush look with elizabeth arden flawless finish foundation. Offered at $33 or Php 1,500-1,600 in mall retail and other online department stores, get this from tameraonline for only $30 or Php 1,300 depending on the exchange rate.
Review from Tamera Szijarto:
My skin is combination to dry. When using this product, I would put on primer or moisturizer first. But on good days, when my skin isn’t so dry, I would go ahead and put this on skipping the moisturizer. For those of you with oily skin, skip the moisturizer and top the foundation off with loose powder. Take note, LOOSE POWDER. Do not use dual foundation powder to top off a foundation. That’s 2 foundation layers. This might cause your foundation to cake. If the two foundation are of different shades, then you’ll end up with uneven color on your face. I have noticed this with a lot of Filipino women. They tend to finish foundation with foundation. The result is not so smooth looking cakey face. Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Foundation hardly ever cakes, but do not overdo it.
After about 10-15 minutes, I notice that this foundation blends exceptionally well. The result is clear glowing skin from a foundation. But it doesn’t look at all like I’m wearing foundation because there are no streaks nor any build up or caking. It is also proof that I’m wearing foundation because my freckles are nowhere to be seen.
Flawless Foundation by Elizabeth Arden is by far the best foundation I’ve used. It’s true that it’s not really on top of every makeup artist’s must-haves probably because EA doesn’t target professional makeup artists in their ad campaigns, but in my modelling and pageant years, I have encountered A LOT of foundation brands. The popular MAC makes my skin dry and causes my skin to breakout but has excellent coverage and best on photoshoots. With the rest of the expensive brands such as Shiseido and Lancome, you can really tell I’m wearing foundation. Even I can tell I’m wearing foundation without looking at the mirror because they feel so heavy.
This foundation literally lasts me the whole day. The longer I have it on, the more the blending gets better. Simply excellent.
An exception does happen IF you put the foundation on while you’re sweating. Never ever do that. No foundation mixes well with sweat. But once you have it on, you can go ahead and sweat it out at the gym. Just don’t put any makeup on WHILE you’re a bit sweaty. Not only is it unhygienic because bacteria will stick to sweat, it also fosters breakouts because when you’re hot or sweaty, your pores are open. Putting foundation on top of bacteria can almost guarantee zits the next day.
A foundation that doesn’t feel heavy nor has ever caused me to breakout – that’s my everyday choice!
