Happy Sunday, everyone!  Even though I am devastated that we have lost an hour of sleep, I spent a lovely morning with my family at Fork & Vine, which was a truly Austin-y foodie experience.  Their delicious Sunday brunch buffet consists dishes such as vanilla butter grits, butternut squash chilaquiles, a pork belly carving station, and of course, so many mimosas.  It was definitely an adventure for my taste buds.  It was also probably my last local restaurant outing before I go into South by Southwest hibernation for the next couple of weeks.  This event has grown to be so huge that you pretty much want to avoid any place an out-of-towner may want to go.

This past week, we had some “ice” in the forecast.  In truly Central Texas style, school was preemptively closed in anticipation of winter weather before the cold front even blew in. Fortunately, amidst the panic of an impeding snowpocalypse, I was able to track down some fire logs to enjoy a nice fire and snuggle with Lollie!  I woke up the next morning hoping that I would open my blinds to a magical winter wonderland, but there was only wind and some sad, damp grass.  No snow.  No ice.  Absolutely no reason for the city to have basically shut down.  The temperatures rose above freezing by 10am and it just so happened to be the nicest day we have had in weeks!  I ended up taking a hike with Lollie after work.  Austin, you are so silly. #embarassing

Our “Snow Day”

In other news, I have used my fireplace so frequently in the past two weeks that my downstairs is starting to be taken over by the faint aroma of campfire.  Some people may like this, but I typically prefer to keep the smell of campfire outside.

Enough talking you ear off about mimosas and fake snow days… onto the real purpose of this post!  Since trying new makeup is probably my favorite thing on Earth (aside from Taco Bell), I decided to branch out from my go-to Mac Studio Fix Foundation Powder and try something new!  After doing some research, I ventured to Sephora on my lunch break to purchase my top pick from my findings, the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation.  I went to the Tarte section to swatch some of the product on the back of my hand.  It was sparkly and shimmery.  I double checked to make sure I didn’t accidentally pick up a highlighter or something.  Nope.  The foundation is sparkly.  Like a Twilight vampire.  I pulled an associate aside to ask why a sparkly foundation is a best selling foundation.  Evidently it gives you a “dewy” effect.  With the way it sparkled under the bright Sephora spot lighting, I think it probably gives more of an “Edward Cullen” effect.  I didn’t bother trying it on my face.  The associate found a Color Artist for me to match my tone and find some other options.

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This gorgeous, Winona Ryder doppelganger-looking Color Artist looked like she knew her stuff since her skin was absolutely flawless.  She used this fancy shmancy device on my neck to find my tone and inputted it into a tablet screen.  Once she put in my information, a list of appropriate products popped up.  Amazing!

She asked me if I had tried MAC Studio Fix before and asked why I wanted to switch.  I think this may be a Sephora no-no because they do not sell MAC products, but I learned later that she came to Sephora from MAC.  I explained to her that I just wanted to see what else was out there.

She recommended that I try the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation.  From what I could tell in the store, it seemed to look ok.  The lighting in this Sephora is not great, so it is always hard to tell how something really looks on you.  I have loved just about every Urban Decay product I have ever tried, so I went ahead and took this powder home to try it out.

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Once I got home, I tried applied the powder and HOLY CHALKY GHOST FACE BATMAN.  Not only was it way too light on me, but I found it to be much more powdery than it claimed to be.  The Color Artist who recommended this to me asked me to bring it back if I didn’t like it and to find her and tell her why.  I went the following day on my lunch break to find another option.

I found her and told her I didn’t love it, so we went back to the drawing board.  Another one that came highly recommended what the Kat Von D Lock-It Powder Foundation.  The weirdest thing about this powder foundation is the color selection.  There is a HUGE difference between the bottom two shades.  We tried both.  One made me look like chalky ghost face and the other made me look like Snooki!  I was shocked that Kat Von D, a fellow pasty gal, did not even carry a shade that would even match her own skin in her own makeup line.

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I asked the Color Artist what she was wearing on her face, and she showed me the Sephora Collection 8 Hour Mattifying Compact Foundation.  I decided to exchange the Urban Decay powder for this one and wanted to take the time to try it at home.

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I took it home and was once again disappointed.  I am wondering if this cold weather has just sucked all the moisture out of my skin and my face is no longer a conducive environment for any sort of face powder.  That, or the first face powder I ever purchased is just the holy grail of face powders and I will never be able to top the magic that is my beloved MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation.  I ended up returning the Sephora powder foundation this week, so the search continues!

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I apologize if you had expected to read a rave review for a new product, but I feel that reviewing products I don’t like is just as important as reviewing the products I do like!  Everyone’s skin is different and reacts to products in different ways.  I don’t want to discourage anyone from trying a product they might like, but this was just my personal experience with these specific face powders.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!  Thanks for stopping by!  See y’all next time…

Marissa