MY FIRST “BIG GIRL” MAKEUP PURCHASE aka Napoleon Perdis MINI-HAUL | Review
[This was originally my first post, but I deleted it due to a change in post format]
Brand: Napoleon Perdis
Product: Powder: Camera Finish Powder Foundation Foundation: Foundation Stick
Shade: Powder: Look N1 - Ivory Idol Foundation: Porcelain
Features: Powder: None Foundation: Broad Spectrum SPF 15
Cost: Powder: $69.00 Foundation: $69.00 Total: $138.00
Rating: Powder: 8/10 Foundation: 9/10
What I rate:
Powder: This powder is an incredible pale shade for my skin. It’s such a good match to my skin tone that I had trouble actually watching it in fact. Often I find that really light powders have too much of a yellow undertone and end up washing me out too much, but I didn’t find any issues or an overload of yellow with this particular powder. I love that being a powder foundation I can use it as a setting powder or a foundation on it’s own depending on how much coverage I’m looking for and what I’m doing that day. It wears well, and doesn’t leave me feeling or looking chalky or sick. At first I was worried that I spent half of my weeks rent on a tiny bit of product but when I used it, I realised just how little product you actually have to use. The product payoff is amazing. The more than generous mirror that comes in the compact is perfect. I can check my entire face without having to move an entire compact to a thousand different angles, but the compact itself isn’t so bulky that it’s impractical too keep on me for a night out, or just while I’m going about my business on the day-to-day.
Foundation stick: I could not love this more. Napoleon Perdis is a god amongst men for releasing a line of pale tones without making it a joke. I usually find that when I’m looking for a foundation to match my skin tone one of two things happen: I either end up looking washed out and sick because of the intense yellow undertones (or in extreme cases, the absolute lack of tone at all), or even the lightest shade is a shade or two too dark, and I end up just looking muddy or orange. I didn’t get that at all with this. I’ll admit it oxidises slightly darker than what it looks like in the tube, but it’s not so much that it becomes too dark for my skin. I love the fact that being a foundation stick it’s really hard to use too much of it, and the fact that you can build it up to a fuller coverage without the pigment changing as you build. Like the powder, a little goes a long way, and for $69 that’s exactly what I’m looking for. I also love that this has an SPF of 15. Granted, it’s not great and living in Australia, I kind of need an SPF of around a million to feel protected, but it’s really good when makeup does have an SPF rating. Also, bonus points for not having a weird smell. I hate foundations that have a smell even when they set, and you end up feeling like you’re wearing cake-face makeup all day even with the smallest amount thanks to a distinct make-up-y smell.
What I hate:
Powder: Most of what I don’t like about this compact is it’s packaging. As much as I love the generous mirror, the whole case is reflective and gold which means it’s extremely prone to scratching and smudging. Sure, it comes with a protective pouch to keep it in, but I promise you, with a three year old and a serious case of mum-brain, I will definitely lose that before anything, and there’s no way to seal it, so the compact slides right out of it every time it moves in my bag. There is the slightest yellow undertone though, and I feel like if I were to wear this out as a foundation on it’s own, I would run the risk of looking somewhat washed out with any more than one layer.
I also feel like as much as it’s practical to take out with me places, I need a clutch on the larger side to do that. Luckily for me, that’s basically my go-to (I’m not a fan of a small clutch) but if you’re a person who likes a cute and tiny clutch or bag, it may be slightly impractical after all. The only other thing I can say against it, is that it’s such a well pressed powder that I felt like I really had to get into it in order to get enough product on the sponge for my face. I don’t like to be rough with my makeup, and I was almost afraid to use the necessary amount of pressure to be able to use it.
Foundation stick: I guess the thing I like least about the foundation stick is how hard it is to move it around your face. I’m not going to sit there and paint my entire face with it (hello, can you say bacteria?) and trying to blend it by dabbing it is just not practical. The only thing I could really do in order to dab it was to dab my sponge on the stick and then my face, but I don’t have the time to do that every day. Eventually I worked out doing it in sections is easier, but increases the risk of patchiness and an obvious line between the sections. To fix that I dampened my sponge and it was flawless face all day. The fact that it is an SPF means that it isn’t necessarily compatible with flash photography, something I tend to use a lot for selfies anyway. I’m a massive fan of setting my foundation with a powder though, so I’m not sure that for me, that’s going to be a massive issue.
Additional Notes:
This has nothing to do with the product itself, but the lady at the Napoleon Perdis store was extremely rude. I explained to her that I swatch on my neck and not my face (I match my foundation to my neck, not my face due to extreme paleness), and she launched into a five minute diatribe about how that was wrong (I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was shown to do this by a makeup artist for the NP company). I also do this thing before I swatch on my neck: I put some on my hand to see if I’m going to react to it (sensitive skin, and I’d rather not have rashes on my face from a bad reaction) and she invited herself to tell me how you don’t colour match on your arm (duh), and shushed me when I tried to explain I’m allergy not colour testing. She was extremely condescending the entire time I was in the store, and then when she realised I was serious about making a purchase her attitude immediately changed. I don’t like that. I literally almost left the store empty handed based on that woman’s attitude. The lesson here folks: Even if someone comes in with their hair in a messy bun, yesterday’s eyeliner, and an unflattering oversized jumper, don’t assume they don’t know what they’re doing, don’t be condescending towards them. It doesn’t bode well for the company that employs you. I do however love that every purchase of two full-priced items came with a complimentary makeup class (which I already had and didn’t receive a second one) at the time I purchased these products, and a sample of one of their primers (which I immediately lost, of course. But it did come with one).