What's Old at the Drugstore | L'oreal Edition

Every so often, I like to forget about all of the new products that are coming out (lately they're just non-stop right?) and shop my stash. As a beauty blogger, I test out tons of products and when I find one that's really good, I always say, "I love this and will use this forever!". But then several months go by, and slowly but surely, it gets replaced by newer products and is left in a drawer.

A few weeks ago, I pulled out my bottle of L'oreal's Magic Lumi primer, because I was thinking about this new strobing trend and wanted to see how it compared to the newest illuminating formulas. Let's just say, I fell in love with it all over again, so I decided to go back into my makeup drawers and pull out all of the other L'oreal products that I happen to love, but haven't used in a while.


Starting with the Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base ($12.99), I have to say that this primer is holy grail status for me. It's definitely not for everyone...it's very thick and spackle-like. But on my dry, textured skin it's like magic! I have visible pores on my cheeks and an orange-peel texture on my chin and this minimizes those textures easily because it's so thick. It leaves my skin looking so smooth and feeling really soft and mattified. You only need a tiny bit, and a little goes a long way. It reminds me of the Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer quite a bit and is a good dupe for that!

The Magic Lumi Light-Infusing Primer ($12.99) and Magic Lumi Highlighter ($12.99) have been out since 2012 but are right on-trend again thanks to the strobing craze. The Magic Lumi primer comes out white (as you can see in my swatch below) but once it's blended on the skin, it gives you the most beautiful, ethereal glow that you can wear alone or let it peek through your foundation. It feels very light and silky on your skin as well!
The Magic Lumi Highlighter comes in four shades (I'm using Fair here which is very pink-toned) and is great for highlighting many different areas of your face...under the eyes, brow bones, cupid's bow, cheekbones, etc. It doesn't contain a lot of shimmer...it's more of a subtle highlight but it makes everything look brighter. It's actually a pretty close dupe for YSL Touche Eclat (L'oreal actually owns YSL) and I've been reaching for this every day lately!

Left: Magic Lumi Primer
Right: Magic Lumi Highlighter

The Visible Lift Blur Blush ($6.49) is a cream formula that feels like it has a primer-type base so it glides onto the skin easily and blends like a dream, making your cheeks look really smooth and minimizing the look of pores. It gives a really natural finish that lasts about 8 hours on me...I have dry skin but if you have oily skin and are wondering if this will be long-lasting for you, I suggest you check out this review that G from Nouveau Cheap did on this blush a while ago. She has suggestions on how she wears it to make it last longer. I have the shades Soft Peach and Soft Pink, but there's also a darker shade called Soft Berry (which is the one G reviewed).

Left: Soft Peach
Right: Soft Pink

Speaking of the Visible Lift Blur line, the Visible Lift Blur Foundation ($13.99) and Concealer ($6.49) are also gorgeous formulas...particularly for normal-to-dry or aging skin types. They go on so smoothly, have great coverage, and don't settle into lines or accentuate dry patches. They feel so creamy and emollient, making them great for the fall and winter months. I don't normally reach for these in the summertime but when the weather gets cold, these are so comfortable to wear!

I also want to mention another foundation favorite from L'oreal...the True Match Lumi foundation. It's a bit sheerer and more lightweight than these but it has a beautiful, luminous finish that my dry skin loves.

Visible Lift Blur Foundation in 203 Nude Beige and Concealer in Light

I've also been loving the Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color ($8.99) lately. These are liquid lipstick/gloss hybrids, so they feel and look like a gloss on your lips but are creamy and pigmented like a liquid lipstick. I don't like liquid lipsticks because I find them to be too drying so these are what I reach for when I want more color than a traditional gloss can give. The only downside to these is that they don't last long...like most lip glosses. But the colors are gorgeous and they have five different micro-oils inside the formula that make your lips feel so smooth and hydrated with no stickiness. If you'd like to see some lip swatches of these (probably the nicest lip swatches I've ever seen by the way) check out this post from Nikkie Tutorials.

Left to Right: Purple Prelude, Molto Mauve, Blushing Harmony

Of course, I can't go without mentioning the Infallible Eyeshadows ($7.99). These are super pigmented and incredibly long lasting. My swatches below are one swipe of color...no primer. They're just gorgeous!

Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush and Glistening Garnet

Finally, I've been using the Brow Stylist Definer ($8.99)  a lot lately...I ran out of my Anastasia Brow Wiz and am liking this almost as much!

Have you shopped your stash lately? What products have you rediscovered?

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