Murad Hybrids are makeup oriented products that do more than cover. So they basically aim for double duty. The entire line is full of quality products, but there are a couple of the Murad Hybrids that particularly stand out for me. The first of those is  Murad Skin Perfecting Primer Matte Finish.

Murad’s Matte finish Primer is a good oil free tinted primer that leaves a slight powder-like finish to the skin. It works well either alone or under makeup and I personally tend to use it under a light powder foundation. The primer controls oil pretty well. I got well through an average day with it. I did get a bit oily again toward the end of my day, but that happens to me with pretty much every mattifier that I use.  Coverage from the tint is light. If you like a sheer look, use it alone. If you want more cover, add makeup over it.

Murad Matte Finish reviews have generally been pretty good and you can see consumer reviews by clicking the link to go to the product page on the Murad website. If you are looking for a decent oil control tinted primer, Murad may be of interest to you!

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Disclosure: This post is based on a product provided by a representative of the company. For more, please see our disclosure page

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Avoid Makeup Melt With These Top Summer Makeup Tips

From melting and dripping to sticky messes, the summer months can really take a toll on your makeup. As the temperatures rise and summer creeps in, it is important to remember some important summer makeup tips to keep you looking your best, even in the heat. Different makeup products perform differently in the heat, so it pays to know how your makeup will deal with the summer months. By following some simple and easy summer makeup tips, you can still look your best, even in the heat.

Summer Makeup Tip 1: Less is More

One of the easiest things that you can do to avoid melty messes in the heat is to go easy on your makeup. Think about how much time you will be spending outdoors and consider the amount of makeup you usually apply. Apply less makeup for each hour spent outside in the heat. You may want to use a tinted moisturizer instead of your usual foundation. LORAC protecTINT comes in 4 different shades and includes SPF 30 sunscreen. This is not to say that you can’t use foundation, but a small amount of powder foundation can be placed where you don’t feel like using the moisturizer. You may also want to consider a light primer to go on after the moisturizer. A light primer is a perfect summer makeup product in that it helps to keep your makeup in place all day, even in the heat. You can use a primer for eye shadow, as well as blush. Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 with Dermaxyl Complex is a great way to get the benefits of primer and sunscreen.

Summer Makeup Tip 2: Use Bronzer

In order to keep your eyes bright, you may want to consider applying some powder bronzer to your cheek bones, forehead, nose, and your chin. Apply lightly with a loose brush, so as not to have a dense pattern on your face. Make sure to lightly dust your neck and ears in order to have a uniform look.  For a great waterproof, matte bronzer, check out Tarte’s Waterproof Matte Bronzer. It has been getting rave reviews!

Summer Beauty Tip 3: Consider Eyelash Extensions and Waterproof Eye Liner

When it comes to mascara, a great alternative is to have eyelash extensions applied. Done properly, eyelash extensions can last for weeks and you can swim and sweat all day with no worries of gunky messes.

Waterproof makeup has also made great strides in recent years. Gone are the days of flaky, crumbling messes.

If you are applying eyeliner, you may want to try Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes eyeliners (also see our previous review: Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes Swatches). This award winning line of eyeliners keeps you from turning into a raccoon, in the water or out. Whether you are performing a water ballet or just hanging out at the park, Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes eyeliners are a great choice to keep you looking beautiful all day. Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes eyeliners are completely waterproof, they glide on easily, and come in 25 shades.

Summer Beauty Tip 4: Avoid Heavy Lipstick

Instead of using lipstick, consider using a lipliner topped with some gloss. Find a shade that matches your natural lip color the closest, then apply and use a sheer gloss on top. This will keep your lips looking fresh all day while avoiding the sticky mess that can happen with heavy lipsticks in the Summer.

Summer Makeup Tip 5: Beat the Heat with Blotting Papers and Hydration

For your skin, carry around some blotting papers. From oily skin to light sweat, blotting papers can be a life saver in keeping your skin glowing without being shiny. Remember to keep yourself hydrated in order to keep your skin from drying and getting oily. Hydration will also help keep your makeup fresh and glowing. Also, when packing your makeup, keep in mind that even if your makeup bag won’t be in direct sunlight, the heat can still melt it. Consider using a an insulated carrying case to avoid sticky messes.

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As part of our back to basics series, here are some tips on applying eye makeup.

Most women know that achieving that natural eye-popping look requires a good deal of patience, experience and knowledge. Whether you are applying cosmetics for a day at the office or for a night on the town, some basic eye make up tips come in handy. Women who have not changed their eyeshadow routine since the 1960s and younger women who want to learn how to apply eyeshadow correctly before making too many mistakes should utilize the following eye makeup tips for that perfect look regardless of the occasion.

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Make Up Tip One: Always begin with primer. You would not paint a wall without priming it first. The same concept works for the application of eye shadow. Just as paint primer allows for more even coverage when painting the walls, eye primer allows for more even coverage when applying shadow. Sephora offers an excellent eyeshadow primer from Urban Decay. Primer Potion is magic in a bottle . It can be worn alone for that “no makeup” look. Worn as a primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion dries quickly and provides an unparalleled canvas for eyeshadow. It prevents the eyeshadow from creasing and ensures that the color lasts all day.

Make Up Tip Two: Once the primer is dry, it is time to choose a color palette. One of the most important eye makeup tips is that less is more. While glitter and highly saturated colors stand out on the runway, they will not look as appealing in the office. A woman can choose between a color that compliments her eye color for a natural effect and one that contrasts with her eye color to make her eyes pop.  For makeup based on your eye color, see our series:

• Makeup for Brown Eyes
• Makeup for Green Eyes
• Makeup for Hazel Eyes
• Makeup for Blue Eyes

Whatever the color of your eyes, you will find gorgeous eye shadow at Sephora.

Tarte Eyeshadow Palette

The Tarte Femme Natural Palette takes the guesswork out of obtaining a nice eye shadow look. The Tarte eyeshadow kit is packaged in a cute compact that comes with its own shadow brush for easy application. The shades are pretty and natural, so that they will work with many different skin tones.

Make Up Tip Three: Finally, no eye makeup routine would be complete without mascara. Women with dark eyes and dark hair should choose black mascara. Women with blue eyes and pale hair should opt for brown mascara. With all of the different types of mascara on the market, it is difficult to choose the one that best suits one’s lashes. For thick, full lashes, use a thick brush and apply one coat of mascara.  DiorShow Iconic Mascara is the right product for this situation. For thinner lashes, she should opt for a smaller brush to distribute the mascara more evenly and highlight each lash individually.  Lancome Definicils Mascara makes even the thinnest lashes look lush.  Curl your lashes before applying mascara for the best effect.

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The best makeup primer is a multi-tasker. Makeup primer should smooth the skin, fill lines, absorb oil, and allow makeup or foundation to last longer. The magic ingredient for all of this is usually silicone, which is why the makeup primers on this list all have that as an ingredient. I find that most silicone makeup primers work pretty well, but a few stand out for me. So here are the top three silicone makeup primers based on those that I have tried. With any of these primers, a tiny bit goes a long way. One good way to apply it is to spread a dab across your fingertips—skin heat helps it thin out, and then apply it. It doesn’t take much to cover your entire face.

(1) DHC Velvet Skin Coat (read previous DCH Velvet Skin Coat review): DHC skincare makes a number of excellent products, including my favorite DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. Velvet Skin Coat is also my favorite primer.  This primer is a bit thicker than the others on my list, which I like, because it fills in fine lines and wrinkles better that way. It provides a nice smooth surface for makeup, and I find that it makes a great base for both liquid foundation and mineral makeup. The one downside to it is that the tube is rather small for the price. However, this makeup primer thins out rather well, so only a very small amount is needed at any given time. DHC Velvet Skin Coat is the primer that I have repurchased the most often.

(2) Per-fekt Skin Protection Gel (read previous Per-fekt Skin Primer review):   Per-fekt primer has a great combination of anti-aging ingredients and makeup priming properties. It also is tinted, so it can be used alone for a light cover or under makeup for a more finished look. It too comes a bit on the small side, but covers well with only a small amount. I particularly like this one as a mineral makeup primer. The full size is pricey, but there is a mini size that is cheaper if you want to test it before committing to the full size version (see the shopping boxes below for both).  Per-fekt is available in translucent and in a number of tint shades.

(3) Exuviance Matte Perfection (read previous Exuviance Matte Perfection review): Exuviance primer is the absolute best for oily skin. While other silicone based primers tend to do well on oily skin, the Exuviance makeup primer is specifically formulated to absorb oil, and it does so quite well, leading to perfectly matte skin. Like the other primers, it also fills in lines and smoothes the skin nicely.

My review of the Per-fekt primer is based on a product that was given to me by a representative of the company. For more, please see my disclosures page.

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Mehron is a theatrical makeup company that happens to have some great products for everyday use. One of those is their Velvet Finish Primer, which combines a great makeup primer with Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Aloe Vera Extract, for antioxidant protection, anti-aging, and moisturizing.

I love this stuff. I’m a big fan of using primer, whether under liquid foundation or mineral makeup. There also tend to be a number of good ones out there. But there are not as many that add in protective or treatment ingredients, other than perhaps sunscreen. The ones that do tend to particularly impress me.

Velvet Finish comes in pump bottle and just a little is needed to provide a nice makeup base. The primer helps your makeup wear longer and smoother and the extra ingredients provide for a bit of protection and treatment.  At $19.95, the price is pretty good too. Many similar primers cost more.

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Per-fekt Beauty Skin Perfection Gel is an interesting product. It basically is a tinted primer, making it perfect for a sheer smooth look or as a base for makeup. But it also adds Alpha Lipoic Acid and Vitamins A and E for anti-aging properties. I am rather in love with the stuff!

As a primer, it works beautifully. It fills fine lines and smoothes the skin, leaving a nice base for powder or makeup. With a sheer tint (a transparent version is also available), it can also be worn alone. Since I have melasma and like to try to cover up the areas of pigmentation, I use it as a primer. I find that it adds just what I need to ensure that hyperpigmentation gets nicely covered with makeup. It works great as a base for mineral makeup too!I found that my mineral makeup lasted most of the day when I used per-fekt as a primer for it.

As an anti-aging treatment, I don’t know that I have noticed much difference, but I like the addition of Alpha Lipoic Acid. It also is slightly moisturizing, which worked well for me, even though I have been on the oily side lately. With that said, if you are really oily. I suggest using a mattifying primer instead such as Exuviance Matte Perfection (read review).

Per-fekt is a bit pricy in the full size version, but there is also a small tube of it that retails for less: Per-fekt Beauty Skin Perfection Mini Gel.

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I am in love with this mattifier!  Exuviance Matte Perfection is a light, oil-free gel primer.  Aside from acting as a mattifier, it also contains  Mandelic Acid, a naturally occurring Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) found in almonds, and Gluconolactone to improve uneven pigmentation and roughness.  Mandelic Acid can also help a bit with acne.

The primer feels like most silicone primers and absorbs quickly. It can be worn alone as a mattifier and treatment product, but it also provides a nice base for makeup by filling in fine lines and smoothing the skin. When I use it I find that I tend to stay shine free for most of the day with it.

Exuviance has a real winner with this one!

Comparison shop for Exuviance skin care products

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Update! Look for Etude House, especially the BB Magic Cream at YesStyle.com or on  COSME-DE.COM.  YesStyle is my preferred source for Asian items. It is a great online store!

Etude House is a South Korean cosmetics brand that sells out of stores fashioned as adorable princess type houses. If you are able to get it at regular price, the Etude House line is one of the best bets out there for very affordable quality.

I recently gave a number of Etude House items a try. Today’s review looks at the popular Etude House BB Magic Cream and their foundation.

Etude House Magic Cream is essentially a makeup primer. The BB in Magic Cream stands for blemish balm, which is meant as a soothing treatment balm that also covers redness and blemishes, but it is not really an acne treatment. The  Blemish Balm is lightly tinted so as to provide a bit of coverage and evening of the skin tone, but it also provides a good base for foundation.  Overall, this is one of the better and more interesting makeup primers that I have used. I provides a nice base, and I particularly find that it works well as a light primer for mineral makeup or powder foundations. Between the tint in the blemish balm and that in the makeup, it covers my areas of redness and melasma very well without making me look way too overly made up.

Etude House’s regular Blemish Balm formulation is a bit on the oily side. I have had no problems with it breaking me out, but if you have oily skin, you might prefer one of their formulations for that skin type.  The added SPF 30 to the product is a big bonus, and actually is what I think makes it seem initially oily because the oily feeling goes away after it absorbs.

There are a couple of downsides to the Etude House Magic Cream.  First, it has a pump tube, which I really don’t care for all that much. Those tend to either break or they leave too much unused product when the tube gets low. Second, although labeled as a blemish balm, Magic Cream doesn’t really conceal quite enough to be used alone. It is better as an overall tinted base for foundation or powder unless you want particularly sheer coverage.  Etude House does make a heavier blemish balm though that covers more.

Etude House Dream On Foundation is wonderful stuff and is my new favorite in the area of liquid foundations. Etude House foundation has a moisturizing feel to it, but it is not at all oily. I wear it just fine on my currently oily skin. It sits on the skin quite well, without sinking into pores, which makes me wonder if it has some silicone in it—something that I love in a foundation. Because they are in Korean, I can’t read the ingredients to tell, but it feels like it does. Coverage is sheer-medium. Use the blemish balm under it, or a mineral powder over it for a bit more coverage. Use it alone for the most natural look if you are lucky (I’m not so lucky) and don’t have pigmentation to cover.

I will be reviewing more Etude House makeup items in the future as I purchased quite a bit in order to maximize on shipping costs. So far, I love everything that I have ordered!

Shop for Etude House Cosmetics

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Neutrogena Skin Soothing Eye Tint is a fun little cream eye shimmer, good for use as a light illuminizing base or as a targeted highlight.

I find the the tint to be a pretty good way to add a subtle shimmer without going overboard.  This can also be used elsewhere on the face. I like to use the light pink shade (petal shimmer, linked above) on my cheek bones under a generally matte blush. I also have used it on my brow bones. Overall, it is a fun and inexpensive way to add just a bit of subtle shimmer anywhere you want it.

Neutrogena Eye Tint also has a cooling  aspect to it, so it feels nice and can reduce puffiness. So that is a bonus!

Aside from the petal shade, it also comes in the shade Honey Shimmer.

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DHC skincare is a Japanese skin care and cosmetics company.  I have been a long time fan of DHC skincare products, especially their Olive Oil cleanser (read previous DHC review), but until recently, I had not tried much of DHC’s Makeup. So I decide to change that and sent in an order.

I decided to try out a combination of DHC foundation and makeup products to see how well I could achieve a look using them that would hopefully lessen the appearance of my melasma, but without using a full coverage foundation. I found  a good mix for that. These item also contain Coenzyme Q as an anti-aging ingredient. So you can get some double duty action out of them!

First off, I applied  DHC Q10 Moist Color Base. This product comes in several varieties:

• Pink: Lends a rosy glow to diminish yellow undertones
• Apricot: Adds warmth to liven pale, dull complexions
• Beige: Balances uneven tones for a natural neutral look
• Yellow: Ideal for moderate redness and unwanted pinkness
• Green: Helps conceal severe redness issues

I used beige, which was advertised to help even out the appearance of discoloration. I found that it worked fairly well for that. The base is a light beige tone that doesn’t really tint much, but does help lessen the look of hyperpigmentation. Despite the term “moist” in the name, It came out quite matte, which I liked since I was fairly oily at the time that I tried it.  Because of its shade, I think it would work for fair to medium skin, but those with truly porcelain skin or with brown skin might not find it very useful. The base acts quite well as a basic makeup primer, but if you want a true silicon primer, try out DHC Velvet Skin Coat instead (read review).  That one is also clear, so it works well with all skin colors.

Next, I applied DHC Q10 Liquid Foundation. This is a sheer foundation with Coenzyme Q10 to add anti-aging properties. I appreciate double duty products, so I liked the idea of this item before I even tried it. Once I did try it, I loved the product. DHC Q10 foundation is sheer and a bit moisturizing, making it very comfortable to wear. Coverage is sheer, so while this doesn’t cover my melasma well alone, I found that it worked well in conjunction with the moist color base.  For those wanting just a bit of sheer evening of redness and such, this foundation would be a good choice. One downside though is that the container rather small for the price point.

My favorite of the bunch was the DHC Q10 Face Powder .  In fact, this has become my favorite facial powder, replacing my previous and more expensive favorite, Laura Mercier powder. This powder has a wonderful silky feeling to it and it sits well on the skin without overly settling into wrinkles and pores. The container is also of a decent size. I love it and will be a repeat purchaser.

Items from DHC skincare are generally available only online or through mail order. You are allowed to select four DHC samples with each order and their catalog comes with samples included, so it is a good mailing list to be on!

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