Makeup Quality is Degrading!

I felt the need to say this as it's so unfair for the price we pay! Prices usually go up and never come down but the quality of makeup is degrading. In my free time when I don't blog I read a lot of reviews online of different products and recently I've been very interested in Revlon foundations. They're comparable to MAC. (And they smell the same, I've got MAC Pro Long Wear Concealer and did a sniff test side by side, they smell exactly the same!)

Apparently there was a reformulation of the Revlon Colorstay in early 2013. It doesn't perform as well as the previous version and the most disturbing thing I've seen in the reviews is that it transfers a lot after the reformulation! Yikes! It's a pet peeve to me so will have to try out the foundations again and see if they really transfer that much. 

I remember my maternal grandmother telling me she used to put on Max Factor foundation on her face before going out. They didn't have many brands at the time but it sounded like it was top quality and I never hear her mentioning anything about breaking out. She's now in her 80s and her face is still flawless and smooth. Better than mine! My late paternal grandmother used a lot of Elizabeth Arden she even had a train case that she carries along whenever she travels! Apparently that's what a lot of women did back then! How cute is that? I wish they produced cosmetics as good as those days. The quality of makeup is synonymous to that of cars; back in the day the steel was a lot harder and stronger but now, it's a lot weaker and softer. 

I think it's rant-worthy after searching high and low for a drugstore foundation that was almost perfect. 

Polkadotpaw

YSL Yves Saint Laurent Forever Youth Liberator Serum Foundation

Sorry, have been busy and left my blog alone for a long, long while. But I'm back and hopefully make it up! I'm reviewing the YSL Youth Liberator foundation today. Just a short review on what I think about it.

I don't think this needs any further introduction as everyone on the internet has been pretty much raving about it. But for those of you who have no clue whatsoever, this foundation is basically infused with an age-defying serum. 

I got this from Selfridges (UK online) via a friend who stays in Australia. She wanted to buy more stuff so the VAT deducted can be used for shipping. So this bottle has been travelling the whole world before reaching me in Malaysia. (YSL cosmetics are not available in Malaysia, we only have their perfumes)

So what do I think about this foundation? I don't know if it's the rave reviews that raised my expectations way too high but from the sound of it I bet you can tell from the sound of it I'm begging to differ with all those rave reviews. 

Let me tell you I absolutely HATE this foundation. It does give me a dewy finish but right after the 30-minute mark, my face looks like a grease-ball, there's shine everywhere and worst of all, it makes my pores look bigger. Bumps and irregularities are enhanced and it is absolutely abominable. I have combination skin and it feels so heavy on my face by the end of the day. The shade I have, B30 is too yellow and after oxidizing, it looks even muddier. It is sheer in coverage, it wouldn't cover my rosacea-red cheeks or blemishes. I actually prefer my bare skin after I take my makeup off for the day over this foundation. That's how much my skin hates this product as well. 

Malaysia is really humid so I can tell you it doesn't work at all on my skin in this climate. The only time I got it to be work alright, mind you I said alright, not excellent, was when the strong winds from Siberia was blowing and it was raining really heavily (about a month or two back). The weather was cold it reduced the chances of my face becoming overly oily. 

I also tried buffing it in with a brush and dusting a thin layer of powder on top to prevent oiliness - It still feels very heavy and greasy at the end of the day. 

I feel cheated by L'oreal. I feel like their products in general are substandard for the price they're charging (for the luxury brands under them). Because I don't quite remember really enjoying something from L'oreal. Just for the record, the liquid pen eyeliner from Shu Uemura is just downright terrible and again I don't get the hype. It skips and erases the previous line if I go over the liner again on my eyelids. Simply terrible. 

My point is, don't believe in the hype. Especially for foundations, it really must be suited to our skin type whether it's dry / normal / combination / oily etc. I don't believe there's a product that works for every single person. Some may love a product, others may hate it.  Try it for yourself before buying. 

P/S: I just realized the foundation I always reach for, the Chanel Perfection Lumiere is oil-free. Funny I just realized the spamming of "oil-free" written all over the back of the frosted glass bottle like one and a half years later after using it? I have my eyes on the Laura Mercier oil-free foundation. I tried it at the counter the other day it works well for me and I'll get it when I'm about to finish my liquid foundations! 

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I've also thrown in the YSL Glossy Stain in #12 Corail Fauve for a really short review (I promise). It was a Christmas gift and I was really delighted to have it. (It was actually Secret Santa so it was kinda an exchange) Nice as a gloss but it doesn't last as a stain. And it smells like liquor. Honestly, would I repurchase this if I run out of it? The closest I would get is purchasing L'oreal's dupe for it (Caresse Shine) which works fine. For the price, I don't think it performs that well. I'd suggest going to Korean brands for lip stains that really work. I'm absolutely in love with Korean lip stains; they last for a few good hours on lips and are more affordable too!

Pictures below:  

Looks luxe in packaging. Not thoroughly impressed with any of these. 

Left-right : YSL Forever Youth Liberator Foundation in B30, Glossy Stain in #12 Corail Fauve. 

I don't quite like the scent either, if I haven't mentioned already. 

Here's the foundation on. I don't think I've gone past the 30-minute mark but I assure you, it's not something I would want to show you and it's not something you'd like to see. 

Trying to look more serious as I'm trying to convey my dislikes about the foundation. I shouldn't look so happy, right? 

Have you tried this foundation? Love or hate? Tell me in the comments below!

Hope you enjoyed my honest review. Have a great day!

Love, 

Polkadotpaw