Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation Review

*Disclaimer* I received this product free from Influenster to test, but the opinions are all my own.

 

I was recently selected for the Stay Matte Vox Box by Influenster and was sent the new Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in Light Ivory to test out. First off, I want to say that since my skin is so fair and I have freckles it can be very hard for me to find foundation that matches my skin tone nicely. Usually even the lightest options from most brands are still too dark. Rimmel's Stay Matte foundation actually matches my skin really well! I was very impressed. It's very light and airy and blends well.

elf Mineral Infused Face Primer & Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

I would recommend applying it over a primer as I noticed that it can stand out a bit on dry areas. I use e.l.f.'s mineral primer and it works fabulously. I also set with a translucent powder. The coverage isn't too heavy, I would say about medium. It's enough to cover light blemishes, but not enough to cover heavy marks. I've been wearing it for a week and I've noticed that it does keep my skin fairly shine free, which is saying something since I wear makeup from 5:45am-9pm. I haven't had to touch up or reapply yet.

Me after 10 hours of wear, no reapplication of any foundation or powders

My Vox Box

The foundation will be released in stores in January 2014 and I highly recommend keeping your eye out for it!

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Vanilla Bean & Sea Salted Caramel Cupcakes

As a Raley's Something Extra Try It member, I was sent a box of Raley's Vanilla Bean cake mix, a custom recipe for Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting, cupcake wrappers, some coupons, and a handy whisk to help me put this concoction together!

As a huge fan of vanilla, especially vanilla bean, I was really excited to try this recipe. I mean, who doesn't like cupcakes, vanilla, cream cheese, and caramel?!

The cake mix was easy enough, just add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 cup milk, and whisk together. Then add to baking cups, 2/3 full, bake at 400 deg for 14-16 min. I used my convection bake setting and they were done in 12 min.

Making the caramel was much easier than I thought it would be. Just add the heavy whipping cream, brown sugar, and butter, bring to a boil, then simmer at a low boil for 10 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt, stir, then put in the fridge to chill.

The frosting was the most difficult (for my arms at least - that's right, I use a hand mixer. I haven't been able to get my hands on a stand mixer yet. They're so expensive!). Using some of the caramel you made, cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar, mix them all together until they're well mixed and fluffy.

There was tons of frosting leftover so I put it in a container in the fridge. Not sure what I might use it on yet, but you never know! It might come in handy. Using the remaining caramel, drizzle it over the cupcakes and add a pinch of salt to each. Man these are so good! My husband and I can't eat 22 cupcakes between the 2 of us, so I ended up taking these to work to share the deliciousness. They were a hit!

The finished product!

Have you made caramel sauce from scratch before? Or frosting? This took me about an hour and  a half to complete from start to finish, which I don't think is too bad considering the results! 

Recipes:

Cupcakes:

• 1 (16oz) box of Raley's Vanilla Bean Cake Mix

Salted Caramel

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 6 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Generous pinch sea salt

Frosting

• 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
• 1/4 cup butter, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Let cool when done baking.
2. To Prepare Caramel: bring cream brown sugar and butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and keep at a low boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla and salt and transfer to a small bowl; cover and chill.
3. To Prepare Frosting: beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and 3/4 of caramel together until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until smooth.
4. Spread over cupcakes and drizzle with remaining caramel, warming for a few seconds in the microwave if too thick. Add a small sprinkle of sea salt to each cupcake.

Disclosure: I received this product free from the Something Extra Try-It program but all the opinions are my own.

Garnier

BzzAgent was kind enough to send me a bottle of the new Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Oil-Free B.B. Cream in light/medium to test out.

I hadn't tried a BB cream before, but I knew they were all the rage. I would put this in the same family as a tinted moisturizer, offering spf protection while still giving some coverage for blemishes, etc.

My "before" face - no makeup

I wasn't prepared for how liquidy it would be. It's extremely runny when you open the tube, so be careful! A little goes a long way.

I have very fair skin, and tried the light-medium shade. It was a little darker/orange-y for my skin tone, but was able to blend it out pretty well. It does a good job of covering most blemishes and helped even out my freckles and all over skin-tone.

My "after" face - Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Oil-Free B.B. Cream

I added some bronzer, blush, eyeliner & shadow, mascara, and filled in my brows (of course) and was ready with a quick, fresh, everyday look. I wish I had this when I went to Jamaica! It would have been perfect for those days at the beach when you don't want a full face of makeup but still have some coverage and sun protection to boot. One of the only downsides is it can wear off fairly quickly. On days I wear it to work, by the time I get home most has disappeared. It's oil free, but but I wouldn't say it's completely shine free as advertised. I used a powder to set it. I haven't tried it with a primer yet, but I figured as a BB cream it shouldn't need one. It's meant to be a quick coverage, and in that is does quite well.

**Disclosure: I received this product free from BzzAgent but all the opinions are my own.