Prescriptives Virtual Matte Replacement

After my denial of Prescriptives Virtual Matte's demise finally faded away, I searched for its possible replacement with a heavy heart and lowly expectations (yes, I am a creature of intense attachment). I headed over to Sephora after having done a bit of research and had my mind set on Make Up For Ever's Mat Velvet. I picked this one for the brand's high quality products, color offerings, formulation, and similar pricing (only $2 more than VM). Overall, the product seemed like a pretty good clone of VM, but it's always funny how what you think is best for you, isn't what you end up needing after all.

The Sephora make-up artists understood right away what I was looking for when I mentioned VM, and walked me over to Tarte for its similar au-naturale formulations. Unfortunately, I found the Smooth Operator foundation to be too dry and flat on my skin. Instead of sinking in, it sat on top with a fairly white cast. Instant neg on that one, sorry Tarte. These are two of my biggest pet peeves of oil-free and SPF foundations (a similar predicament I found when trying the highly touted VM-clone: Clinique Superfit). No, thank you, I would not like to be a cakey, white mess.

What was I looking for? Dewy, light, moisturizing, non-shiney, and coverage for my acne scars! Picky, much? Thankfully, my pickiness led me to my perfect match: Nars Sheer Matte. I love, love the finish and the fact that the color doesn't change after a long day! It's light enough for layering so that you can attain whatever coverage level you want. Two cons are that it's a little pricier, at $42 compared to $32 for VM. And unfortunately, it doesn't contain SPF, so you'd need to pair it with a separate sunscreen if wearing it during the day. Either way, the pros definitely outweigh the cons, and I think I'm hooked. For anyone with slightly drier skin, the foundation also comes in a Sheer Glow version!

Took this for a spin in Vegas last weekend, with a fear of what my "photo face" would look like... and was pleasantly surprised! Like VM, my face photographed pretty true to color and wasn't too dry or oily despite the sweaty mess of Vegas clubs. I don't usually wear liquid foundation to work, but tried it a few days to test out the staying power. I'm glad to say that whether I top it off with MAC Skinfinish Natural or Everyday Minerals Silk Dust, it sits perfectly, with very little fading. I had little hope that I could find a VM replacement so easily, but it's always great to find something unexpected.

Foundation routine to come in a later post!

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye

My heart is officially broken. After having a great week off from work and catching up with the family on Thanksgiving, I received a somber letter from Nordstrom yesterday. The news? That my beloved Prescriptives was being discontinued in January 2010! It all makes sense now why the counter at my local mall looked like a deserted mess when I went to pick up some foundation last month. After googling the news, I realize that everyone else has known about this except for me! Where the heck have I been?

My devastation stems from the fact that I thoroughly believe that no other foundation was made better for my skin. I love that it's light, provides great coverage without being greasy, has SPF, and doesn't break me out. Probably the best and most important thing is that it doesn't result in that ghastly "white-face" in pictures! True proof of its awesomeness lies in pictures taken recently of my best friend and me--she in gorgeous Chanel and me in my Virtual Matte. In person, her skin was flawless with the perfect tone. However, when we reviewed the shots we had snapped from the night, there was no denying the white sheen cast over her face. I, on the other hand, did not have this problem--and never have since discovering VM in college!

Buzz on the streets points to lack of brand positioning and marketing to the downfall of this Estee Lauder brand. With the huge lot of beauty brands owned by EL (which include MAC, Bobbi Brown, Origins), it's a shame that not enough attention was focused on Px. With limited visibility and an unclear target demographic, it's not hard to see why the brand struggles despite the high-quality products it offers. I, myself, admit that I don't turn to Px for any of my beauty staples besides foundation because the company has never done a great job with advertising. Make-up artists at the counters usually multi-tasked with other brands and only came by when I waved them over to get me my foundation. I once decided I'd ask the MA for some bronzer suggestions and she had difficulty offering me advice on contouring. After stumbling to wow me with any real product recommendations, I left with nothing more to add to my bag. As mentioned last year, the brand also never really took advantage of consumer shopping seasons, such as Christmas. Alas, so many areas that could've been fixed to save the brand. I wonder if the "thorough analysis" was only conducted after plans had already been made for the brand's demise. It's a shame that the economy claims another victim.

Pick up your last minute buys before all counters shut down in January! The website will stay up until all stock is officially sold out. Bye bye, VM. You will be terribly missed.

Coasting from Los Angeles

I am going to reiterate Janice's great enthusiasm for the start of our blog as we have been chit chattering about this since our senior year in college! Despite being swamped with recruiting, papers, exams, and fitting in all the "lasts" of our college careers, we have always looked forward to writing about one of our greatest shared passions: beauty!! I'm glad that we're finally giving it a real go. Work will not get in our way!

So let's see... how about a little about myself? I'm a native LA girl who loves the hustle and bustle of the city, but STILL hates the traffic. I love dressing up, but would choose lounging around in sweats and a ponytail any chance that I got (it's a luxury much missed now that college is over...). Being a true nerd at heart, I love reading, writing, and Photoshop. IMDB is one of my favorite websites aside from celebrity gossip blogs. Things that don't quite get me excited are awkward silences, clutter, windy days, and driving to the mall with a mission, only to be disappointed because I can't find what I'm looking for (doesn't this always happen, though?)

I've been trying a bevy of products on and off, but the ones I've stuck to for now are:

Cleanser: Aveeno Calming Cleanser (morning), Origins Clean Energy Cleansing Oil (night), Mario Badescu Glycolic Cleanser (every other night)

Moisturizer: Korres Cinnamon & Echinachea Moisturizer (daytime), Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Treatment (night)

Mask: Murad Exfoliating Fruit Enzyme Mask (I was recommended this after getting a facial at their spa and now use this every Sunday. Like their facial, I LOVE THIS!!)

Make-up: Murad Oil-Free Sheer Tint SPF 15, Everyday Minerals Intensive Foundation, MAC Peachykeen, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MAC Uniform Technakohl Liner, CoverGirl Lash Blast