Origins Brighter By Nature™ SPF 30 Skin Tone Correcting Makeup

I've always loved Origins Silk Screen Refining Powder Makeup. I had considered it a holy grail but switched to Bare Escentuals Matte a few months ago, mainly out of a combination of boredom and curiosity. I find myself shiny by mid-day with the BE and when I saw that Origins had a new powder foundation with SPF 30, I jumped.

This oil and talc-free powder is designed to absorb shine and gently illuminate with a small amount of mica. I only use powder on my t-zone to mattify and even out the skin a bit so I cannot attest to how it fares over cheeks, but so far I really like it. The included sponge provides medium to full coverage and the product doesn't look too chalky on the skin the way some powder foundations can. The shade selection is pretty good (though I wish there were neutral shades and not just cool and warm) and the price is right at $27.50.

Face of the Day

I haven't posted a Face of the Day in a while, but I received so many compliments on my look today that I thought it was worth sharing, especially given how simple it was.

I used Bobbi Brown Champagne Quartz Metallic Shadow lash to brow, Rock and Republic Diffused Shadow in the crease and lined with Sephora Nano Liner in Glitter Brown. Cheeks were MAC Lilicent topped with the last dregs of the Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Highligher I dropped and destroyed a few weeks ago and I wore Bobbi Brown Berry Shimmer (decidedly not berry colored) and MAC Gingerroot to line. Usual underpinnings of Jouer concealer, True Cosmetics mineral pressed powder, Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen and Korres black mascara.

Update on my Trip to Senna

I had to leave LA this morning to head to a four day company retreat where I unfortunately will be without email access! I'm taking the red-eye home on Sunday. For all of those who inquired about my blog sale, thank you SO much for your interest! The items have all been sold to a wonderful reader whom I hope really adores them!

After the not-so-hot experience I had at Senna Monday, I decided to give them another shot to see if anyone else could help me make the concealer and brush that I purchased work for me. It goes on cakey and very creamy, and I'm getting more of a smeared mess than flawless coverage. A different, very sweet person was working today and gave me some application tricks, and told me that this is the right concealer for me but that it really does need to be set with powder. I was torn between the new new Mineral Eye Lift Powder and the Secret Set Mineral Buffing Powder. The Mineral Eye Lift ($20) is an HD powder with a slight yellow tint that really brightens. I could see from just applying it on my hand how illuminating it is. The Secret Set ($26) is ultra-sheer and colorless.
I was very tempted by the newer one (I mean they actually call it a non-surgical eye lift!) but it really is a heavier powder and thus accentuates fine lines a bit more than the Secret Set. I'll take a less bright smooth undereye over an illuminated crepey one any day! I also purchased a brush with which to apply the powder, the 15 Feather ($20). Two things to note: The Secret Sets comes in a mini size (which the makeup artist did not tell me about--I would have gotten that size instead) and the website recommends the Baby Face Brush ($26) for setting concealer, not the brush I was sold which turns out to be an eye shadow tool. Go figure! Here is the Baby Face for comparison:

The makeup artist also tried the Barely Base Sheer Mineral Makeup SPF 20 on me in Fair ($36). I'm lucky to be blessed with nice skin and never wear foundation or tinted moisturizer (just a bit of sheer powder to absorb shine) so I was a bit hesitant, but I have to say I really like it! It's very sheer, has non-chemical SPF 20 and is oil and fragrance free. She gave me a sample to try for a few days I can always call back and order it. I would consider using this for flawless skin on special occasions. One tip she gave me was to use this under the eyes to provide just a bit of coverage before concealer since my circles are super dark.

Finally, the makeup artist recommended using a primer under my eyes in addition to eye cream and the tinted moisturizer to help concealer go on smoother and last longer. She recommended the Silky Primer ($38), but between moisturizer and sunscreen I'm not sure if I want to incorporate another layer into my routine. It's definitely on my "to think about" list though.

I'm very glad that I went back and gave the line another chance. The second makeup artist couldn't have been nicer and it was such a nice experience. Many of the eye shadows and lipsticks were beautiful and I wish I had even more time to play, but unfortunately I had to run. I did take a brochure and wrote some product names down for my wishlist. Please let me know if you have any favorites from the line!

Hopefully the hotel where I'm staying for my company retreat has a spa and I can explore the products for sale there!