Have you ever experienced a time when you were so ahead of the game, I mean like the ORIGINAL believer/ lover of/ promoter of something that later turned out to be HUGE!? Like that one person that read the Twilight book first, and started the #IheartEdward fan club, before anyone else on planet Earth had even thought about vampires in centuries.
Or were you the original 'Dirty Diet Coke' drinker, way before it became cool and now everyone plus their mom drinks their DC with lime and coconut!?
And then you are all 'HEY! Peeps, I started this whole thing- so give credit where credit is due!' Boom. [insert angry face]
I think it's safe to say that it has happened to all of us at some point in time. I also think it is safe to say the the ORIGINAL beauty guru that started the whole 'Highlight & Contour' craze, was none other than Cara Brook, of MaskCara.com
Now whether or not she's all huffy on the sidelines [I doubt it, I've met her and she is too kind to be huffy] and wondering when the rest of the world decided to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to the way we apply foundation... I don't really know. But Cara is a revolutionary with this product and technique, so it's no wonder that everyone else is joining this fan club.
If you missed my review on the first generation of IIID Foundation, you can go back and read that here. But let's talk about what has changed since the first go around, and why this foundation has been on repeat since I got it.
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| Wearing: Floral Shift Dress c/o Oasap | MaskCara IID Foundation: Linen/ Walnut/ Pink Grapefruit/ Illuminator |
The new IIID Foundation is like the way cooler older sister of the first edition. The packaging is much better and allows for custom palette creation with insertable colors and refills. It's a heavier quality plastic too which is much improved, and the magnetic system for holding the pans is perfect.
The makeup itself has also undergone a makeover, and the results are that much better. The highlight colors are designed for brightening and concealing. They are super creamy and spread really nicely under the eyes especially, but have great coverage as well for those dark circles or acne like I have. These tones are all warm to reflect light and give a natural 'glowy' effect.
Next, you'll pick a contour shade designed to chisel out the bone structure of your face and really make you look sculpted. The consistency of these colors is thicker and less creamy because they are designed to stay in place more firmly on the skin. After all we don't want our contour to go running down our face do we? Cara designed these colors to be cooler so that they look like a shadow on the face, versus a typical warm bronzer.
Finally you can top off the look with a blush and the illuminator. These final steps really make the face come to life and feel more feminine. And you know I LOVE a good blush color!
Here's a really quick look at my application process to give you an idea (video)
And for those of you with acne or oily skin, I recommend setting your oily/acne zones with a translucent powder to give the foundation extra holding power. I use the Pixi Quick Fix and love it. I also recommend a the Pixi Full Coverage Foundation Brush to apply the IIID foundation, because the bristles and size of the brush work well with the narrow makeup pans- so you don't accidentally pick up neighboring colors. And the bristles are contoured to fit into tighter spaces under your eyes etc. nicely, but it's still big enough to cover the whole face quickly. (Although in the video, I am using the MaskCara double sided brush which is great too)
Let me know if you have tried the IIID Foundation, or if you love highlighting & contouring as much as I do? Plus if you were ahead of your time on something HUGE, I wanna know that too! Thanks so much for stopping by today, xo
I have wanted to try this since the first generation came out but I am really nervous about my oily skin because it is a cream product. Does it really hold up all day with just powder? And I am also a little confused about the warm based highlighting colors. I am super pink and when I wear any foundation with a yellow base I look awful. Will the highlighting colors do that? Thanks for taking the time to review this product and put up the video!
ReplyDeleteHi Kara! I am also pink based and I don't have a problem with it being too yellow, although the first generation was a little too yellow for me, these seem to be better for a more global skin range. At least the Linen color that I have... is not too yellow at all, it just isn't white/or ch chalky like some of the highlights out there- that's what I mean when I say 'warm'. As far as the oily skin goes, I find that a setting powder works really well in conjunction with the cream, and it holds up about 8 hours, but I am only moderately oily myself. I would think that a mattifying primer plus the setting powder would secure it even further! Hope that helps!
DeleteThank you! I appreciate your help! I always get nervous about picking colors, so this helps!
DeleteLooks great on you! Unfortunately, it doesn't work on me. :-/ I've tried multiple times (primer, no primer etc) and it just sits weird on my skin. I wanted it to work so bad because what I've seen on other woman is awesome!! I love Cara, she does amazing work. I wish I could have her show me how to make it work.
ReplyDeleteTara have you tried applying it a beauty blender, or even your fingers for the highlight tone...? If it is 'sitting' weird on your skin, the first thing I would try is changing your application method. Sometimes brush application on certain skin types just doesn't work... and it needs to be almost pressed in with fingers or a damp sponge. Try it and let me know!
DeleteThanks! Will do :)
DeleteHow does this hold up in humidity? I live in Florida, so that's a concern when it comes to creamy makeup.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! I live in super dry Utah... so I can't really speak to humidity with this one. I would say that it has a nice moisture level in it already and is quite creamy, so it may break down in humidity more easily..? But it is very pigmented so I think you'd probably be OK as long as you set it with powder. I wish I could give you a more definitive answer :/ sorry for not being more help!
DeleteExcellent demo! That was super helpful to see. You look like a total babe!
ReplyDeleteWhy Thank You sweet Ivy! I hope you are doing well, xo
DeleteLooks like you also bought Stone and Dahlia... what do you think of those shades?
ReplyDeleteHi Maggie- Stone is great for when I have a tan/self tanner or when I want to really contour for a night out or photos. I wear Walnut more often though. And Dahlia is super pigmented and bright which I love in a blush, but again for a more natural look the Grapefruit is nice and works for daily wear I would say. Hope that helps!!
DeleteThanks for your reply! So hard to decide... I might end up like you and buy more to be able to switch out ;) I'm really interested in Shadow too! I may skip the illuminator as I have other cream highlights (but would also be nice to have all together for travel or on the go)... your thoughts on Illuminator?
DeleteI think you'd be fine to skip the illuminator if you already have some highlights that you like... that way you'd have an extra spot in the compact to add your second contour color!
DeleteSo glad I found this tutorial. I have the first generation and while I liked it I wasn't totally sold on the colors. Can't wait to try the colors you suggested.
ReplyDelete