Review: Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Foundation and Primer

Sally Hansen, a brand I've only tried for their hair removers, came out with a new makeup line inspired by Carmindy, the makeup artist on TLC's What Not To Wear. After hearing good things about the foundation, I decided to buy it along with the face primer (they were buy one get one 50% off at Ulta). The following is what I discovered.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Your Skin Makeup: This is the foundation, which I bought in Warm Beige. First off, I love the packaging. It is a glass bottle with a pump, which makes it more hygienic than some other foundations. The glass also looks more like a high-end brand. The foundation inside I did not love too much. When I first applied this I used a MAC 187 and it went on too thick. It left a kind of stickiness to my skin. When I applied it with a wet Beauty Blender sponge, the coverage was a lot better, still medium to heavy, but not cakey. The color was great, it blended well and disappeared while still giving me coverage. The problem with this foundation seems to be my oily skin. Though it did not oxidize (turn darker) on me, it did leave me with an oily T-Zone as the day wore on. When I looked up close in a mirror, I saw that the foundation had settled into my pores, making them look larger, even with the primer. This foundation would probably be great if you had dry or normal skin, but if you are oily, I would make sure where you get it from a place that has a great return policy in case the same thing happens to you. This cost $12.99 for 1 0z. at Ulta.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Luminizing Face Primer: I was so excited when I found this because drugstore have very little when it comes to primers. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. This primer did not help my foundation stay on as long as I would have hoped. It has the same feel as a Smashbox Primer, that sort of slippery feel, but does not work as well. My foundation stayed put on my T-zone for less than half a day. What is worse, instead of making you less shiny it makes you glittery. Yes, there are visible chunks of shimmer in the primer. I guess thats why it is called 'luminizing'. If you are the type who needs an extra shine to your skin then this is for you. If you are like me and shiny enough, save your money. The bottle, made the same way as the foundation one (glass with a pump) only has about half an ounce in it, and it costs $9.99. I expected better product and more of it for that price. You can find this at Ulta.

I am a little disappointed with the products I picked up, but others seem to love them. Maybe if you are not oily, the products would work better on you. Still, I am tempted to try other things from this line in hope that there are a few gems. Maybe the eye base next? I'll keep you posted.