cavano’s Neighborhood

Jennifer shipped super fast this time.  I emailed her on Wednesday November 21 asking for another recommendation after sampling the Wool, Sand and Antique -- which are all too dark and too yellow for my skin tone.  And today, Wednesday, November 28, my second batch sample from Jennifer arrived!

Cornsilk : lighter than Wool

Bisque : approximately the same in color depth as Wool but more neutral and even in its yellow and pink tones

Sungrass : a golden tone that is in between Cornsilk and Wool in its color depth (slightly golden but lighter than Wool)

As you may know, I'm now busy preparing our wedding and our new home.  We've been looking everywhere for smart, functional storage ideas to support my makeup hobby :)  as well as planning and designing the kitchen, dining room, master bedroom and bathroom areas coz we're doing everything by ourselves.

Interestingly, my dearest fiancée and I are like Ying and Yang.  We've been friends for ten years and we're totally the opposite of each other.  He is very masculine, outgoing, into extreme sports, ice hockey, basketball, hand gun, likes automotive, music, movies, computer games, mechanical tools, assembly devices, and works in construction business.  While on the other side, I adore comfort, like being surrounded by pleasing, soothing things. enjoy long candlelit baths, massage and filling the house with fragrance, home decorating, love makeup, perfume, snuggling at home with a good book, and comfort food.

Does opposite really attract?  ;)

So we're working as a team here -- he knows specifically how things physically, practically and functionally works, and he lets me decide on the design or the look of the home.  So I've been hunting and working on how I'd like our rooms to look like, providing him my amateur drawings and measurements of each cabinets and drawers for our kitchen and walking closet as well as my vanity table :)  Whenever I'm done with my part, he'd then give me feedbacks, suggestions and corrections, whether my aesthetic point of view is doable or not against his structural point of view, then, make it happen... YAY!!!  :D

We have SO MANY works and SO LITTLE time!  The house is due on our wedding day... January 27, 2008  ;)

While searching for ideas for my vanity and storage dilemma, I found few interesting ideas on BE Addicts forum, Lilydrop, IKEA, Elfa, The Container Store and Makeupalley.

Here are some of my favorites...

BE shrine

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BE storage

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IKEA VINSTRA cabinet 2 doors S$898 - 98Wx39Dx185H

IKEA VINSTRA cabinet 2 doors S$898 - 98Wx39Dx185H - 0

IKEA VINSTRA cabinet 2 doors S$898 - 98Wx39Dx185H - 1

IKEA VINSTRA cabinet 2 doors S$898 - 98Wx39Dx185H - 2

IKEA VINSTRA cabinet 2 doors S$898 - 98Wx39Dx185H - 3

IKEA VINSTRA cabinet 2 doors S$898 - 98Wx39Dx185H - 4

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VINSTRA storage w mirror $399

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On November 12, I placed my second order with Cory with a question regarding some International custom form.  To my surprise, I received her reply on November 15, and it was a very friendly, caring and sincere email.  So I replied her email immediately with another question regarding the Color Correcting Primer Powders (Balancer vs. Equalizer) and how would they compare.  In less than an hour, I received Cory's reply saying that she will add those primer samples as a little thank you gift and that my order is scheduled to ship first thing in the morning but because of the issue she just explained she wanted to get an okay to ship my order.  ;)

This time I ordered the foundation, concealer sets and some color correcting primers, concealers, finalizers, finishers, blushes, bronzers and eye shadows sample.  And I already have my next wish list started!  It includes few full sizes of blush, bronzer, a color correcting primer or finisher and God-knows-what-else.  I just can't tell you how happy I am that I found not only my perfect shade, but also products that are as great as these and look like I have perfect skin!

My quest is over!   This is it.  Period.  I couldn't have said it better myself, but Cory's color, texture, coverage, it is everything and more that I wanted and have been looking for.  I love how reasonably priced everything is!  And that she shipped orders promptly (International order arrives in less than 10 days!).  Plus, she's just a sweet person.  I'm totally sold on this company.  I LOVE IT!

And lastly, of course, some eye candies for dear Vox ladies and special appreciation to dearest Cory for making such wonderful products!  :)

Picture 1
top to bottom, left to right :
1st row : Warmth Balancer Primer, Equalizer Primer
2nd row : Light Yellow Concealer, Peach Concealer, Mauve Concealer, Light Lavender Concealer, Light Blue Concealer, Yellow Green Concealer
3rd row :  Whipped Cream Foundation, Fawn Cream Foundation, Absolute Cream Foundation
4th row : Warmth Balancer Finalizer, Light Lavender Finalizer, Light Violet Finalizer
5th row : Mist Finisher, Rose Finisher, Tangerine Finisher, Lemon Finisher

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Picture 5
top to bottom, left to right :
1st row : Baked, Reno, Shady Eye Shadow
2nd row : Wolf, Contessa, Marchioness, Pebble Eye Shadow

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By now I believe you all should have known that I've been in the market for full coverage foundations...

Buff'd Cosmetics offers small ziplock bag samples (maximum three per order) free for clients to try.

Buff'd mineral foundations offer fantastic coverage while using only a minimal amount of product.  At this time Buff'd has one foundation formulation that works well for all skin types.  For problem areas I recommend spot application of our mineral foundations (such as on dark circles) and then blending in to the rest of your skin.

I had a look through the shades that you have tried in the past and think that Buff'd mineral foundations in Wool, Sand and Antique may be good matches to your skin tone.  We do offer small ziplock bag samples (maximum three per order) free for clients to try, so if you would like to forward me your mailing address I can send out samples of these three shades for you to try.

Our sample jars are a great value too.  Not simple a 1/4 teaspoon, our sample jars are at least a quarter of the amount of our full size jars.  That's enough product to last around a month if not more!

Our full size Mineral Foundations are still on sale too.  24 gram jars filled with 10 grams of Mineral Foundation are still only $12.00 Canadian.  Free shipping on orders over $50.00 Canadian.

Jennifer
www.buffd.com

YAY!  I love that kind of customer service!

Wool : Pale shade with yellow undertones -- a good match, maybe just a teeny tiny bit too golden, but the perfect depth for my skin tone!

Sand : Pale shade with heavier yellow undertones -- noticeably too golden

Antique : Light shade with subtle yellow undertones -- noticeably too golden & too dark

Cory has been my greatest discovery, but just for the heck of it, I decided to sample stuffs from Buff'd Cosmetics. 

Buff'd foundation gives really wonderful coverage -- very similar, just slighty less coverage than Cory, but more coverage than bareFaced Mineral Velvet Plush or Monave Concealer Foundation.  The finish is nice and very matte -- similar to Cory, but more matte than bareFaced Mineral Velvet Plush or Monave Concealer Foundation.

Buff'd does carry mineral bronzers but since I'm looking for something NOT so shimmery, Buff'd have a few blush shades that work as bronzers too. 

Muted & Malted : light shimmery neutral/bronze/beige shades *versatile & beautiful*

Autumns Glow : nice light shimmery golden peachy nude blush and also works well as a bronzer

Tricky : one of Buff'd's more popular blush shades (Nars Orgasm dupe) -- light neutral peachy pink blush with golden shimmers

All Buff'd blushes are slightly shimmery, easy to apply and blend beautifully.  The texture is incredibly creamy and moist.

All in all, I am extremely pleased with all Buff'd samples I received and Jennifer's outstanding customer service!

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I am wondering, how do you all organize your vanity room with all your foundations, powders, blushes, bronzers, eye shadows, brushes, hydrosols, serums, creams, lotions, perfumes and all other goodies? 

I'm finding ways to deal with my stuffs and looking forward to all and any suggestions? pictures? tips?

Thanks ;)

I recently received and tried my Cory foundation samples order based on a valued recommendation by Theresa (IceCookies) for a superior coverage MMU, and I'm so glad that I did take her recommendation.

The samples are very affordable at .35 each and the foundation shades run much much lighter than is on the website so I went with several different colors from 3 different color families: Buff Beige, Dreamy Cream, Whipped Cream, Fawn Cream, Creamed Peach & Perfect Peach.

I received an automated email saying my order was processed but honestly didn't expect much since I've heard the back and forth on Cory's, however, my samples order arrived earlier than expected, still, I didn't expect much...

I have quite fair skin with very mild yellow undertones and I can wear Whipped Cream and Fawn Cream, or a mix of both, and have a naturally beautiful match!

I have very dark circles, sun pigmentation spots, past-and-present acne marks and I am surprisingly pleased with Cory's foundation

Coverage is unbelievably excellent, finish is creamy and luminous, and leaves a nice "real skin" finish.  It truly looks like just plain beautiful, natural skin.

The key is application - I sprinkle a very tiny amount into a bowl, apply lightly, very lightly, and if you need more coverage, apply another light layer or spot conceal.  It provides awesome coverage without looking like a mask and really looks like perfect skin - not foundation.

I'm really seeing the superior coverage of Cory over others (Buff'd, Monave Concealer Foundation, bFM Velvet Plush, Lumiere Veena Velvet, Lumiere Cashmere, Lumiere Luminesse, Meow Pampered Puss, EDM Intensive, KT Naturals, etc.).  There really is a huge difference.

For heavier coverage, Cory is my current absolute favorite.  I do like it better than my previous favorite -- Monave Concealer Foundation, to be honest.  It looks better and is more affordable.

Thank you so much Theresa for sharing Cory Cosmetics with me!

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Honestly, I'm not a really finishing powder type-of-girl, however, I can't help but noticed crazes and raves for primers and finishing powders on Vox, Delphi MMM as well as EDS Forum:

Silken Pearl Primer (click here and here for reviews)
silk powder, pearl powder, titanium dioxide, Z-cote (zinc oxide), tapioca starch, colloidal oatmeal, essential oil mix

Silk Naturals Perfecting Powder
Mica, Silk Powder, Silica Microspheres

as well as...

Silica Microspheres
Silica Microspheres

Serecite Mica
Serecite Mica

bFM Oil Control Primer

bFM Mattifying Finishing Powders
Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Boron Nitride, Calcium Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Ultramarine Blue

Monave Setting Powders
Serecite, iron oxides, kaolin clay

Monave Illuminizers
Mica, iron oxides, titanium dioxide

Thus I'd be interested in knowing everyone's experiences, rants, raves and LOVES on your quest to find your HG primer or finishing powder!

Thanks for sharing! :D

Based on Rhonda's recommendation, I finally ordered and recently received my samples of...
* Velvet Plush Y1 foundation
* Velvet Plush Y1.5 foundation
* Velvet Plush Y2.5 foundation
* ColorMePeachie blush
* ColorMeNutmeg blush
* ColorMeSienna blush

including four FREE sample jars of...
* Parfait
* CinnaBear
* Velvet Plush Y3.5 foundation
* Oil Control Light Primer

Rhonda is awesome and right on in recommending color match based on pictures alone!  The Y1 and Y1.5 shades are both very flattering to my skintone.

I am completely amazed at the quality of Rhonda's foundations and blushes.  They are unique, super fine, so very smooth, creamy, very easily applied and really buildable.  The finish is very naturally beautiful and youthful with a slight glow finish to it.

The formula and texture of all Rhonda's products are exceptionally impressive and superior quality, they're smooth and very high quality. 

bareFaced Minerals is one excellent line of mineral makeup, and Rhonda's thoughtful & generous customer service is even more outstanding!  It's a real pleasure to deal with a kind, passionate and dedicated owner like Rhonda.

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I'm glad I took advantage of the BOGO 50% sale Lisa had recently and purchased 8 full sizes of the eye shadows.

I was looking to discover new favorites in eye shadows with good pigment, nice sheen, not overly shimmery or glittery or sparkly. I don't like when the shimmers, glitters or sparkles get in my sensitive eyes or end up on my cheeks.

Lisa is truly kind, thoughtful and accommodating throughout the emails we're exchanging, she's been so patient with me and willing to help out as much as she can. She even helped me narrowing down the eye shadows based on my preference and made sure she didn't recommend anything with over-the-top shimmers or glitters.

All the MMBB eye shadows are silky & finely milled, with just the right amount of color, depth, sheen or shimmer--definitely not sparkly and without chunks of glitter! 

Amber : a definite must-have!  the perfect shade of medium dark, not too dark, warm shimmery chocolatey brown

Cocoa Shimmer : not really Cocoa & not a shimmer either, more like peachy with gold shimmer, which is best used as a wash on the lid (but not orangey peach), lovely worn alone on eyes, as an all over (Lisa said it is being renamed to "SugarPeach Beige")

Beige Bling : has a bit of gold glimmer to it, but nothing over the top

Honey Pearl : creamy fleshy beige with pearly sheen

Seafoam : very subtle and neutral, can be worn alone so no blending, lovely on!

Antiquity : darker greens, makes a gorgeous liner, nice for brown eyes & not so much blending

Highlights : beautiful, versatile soft ivory with pearly sheen 

And that's not it!  Lisa generously sent me 18, yes, E-I-G-H-T-E-E-N free samples of:
1.  Translucent Veil
2.  Veil #1
3.  Veil #2
4.  Veil #3
5.  Veil #4
6.  Wedding Chapel White
7.  Matte Yellow Foundation
8.  Olive Beige Foundation
9.  Medium Light Foundation
10.  Sunglow
11.  Soft Glee
12.  Pink Passion
13.  True
14.  Smokey Green
15.  Red Clay Mask
16.  Gel Primer
17.  Eyeliner Sealant
18.  Eye Primer

I'm extremely very pleased with my order and I'd recommend MMBB to everyone.  Lisa is a dear to deal with and I can't say enough great things about her!  Thank you Lisa, you know how AMAZING you are!  ;)

Turns out I'm loving Monave Concealer Foundation, Glisten, Glow & Radiant Illuminizers, Buff Apricot & Damask Blushes, and Grand Marnier Bronzer...

However, I'm still so curious about bareFaced Mineral (Velvet Plush and many others) after reading IceCookies' rave  about the Velvet Plush Foundation here, just because I wouldn't miss out on a HG material (before giving Monave a HG tag) ;)

I would love to hear everyone's list of "must-haves" from both companies?

Or how the products from both companies compared?
eg.
bFM Velvet Plush Foundation vs. Monave Foundation vs. Monave Concealer Foundation?
bFM Tequila Sunrise Illuminating Finishing Powder vs. Monave Glow Illuminizer?
bFM Parfait Face Powder vs. Monave Glisten Illuminizer?

I'm looking forward to any and all suggestions!  Thanks :)