Glow . . . Cream foundation

I'm a die-hard powder mineral makeup junkie. Ever since I discovered Bare Escentuals in college I have refused to try any liquid foundation - I find it heavy, oily and shiny.

For the sake of the blog- I am SO dedicated to you, readers- I tried two cream foundation samples this week that are targeted for people with oily skin who don't like the heavy feel of liquid foundation. . . and I was surprised to find I liked both of them.

First one I tried was Perfekt's Skin Perfection Gel ($57):

It is oil-free, paraben-free and water-resistant. It's amazingly matte-tifying (I know, not a technically a word, but you get what I mean, so it probably should be) and I almost am not sure whether "foundation" is the right term for this product because it is so light in its coverage. I put it on half of my face and took a look in the mirror and was amazing by how much it didn't look like I was wearing foundation but how much better I did look. I'm not sure if it's coverage or highlighting or how exactly this gel makes my skin look both even and luminous without looking covered. In fact, the shade I tried was called Luminous, but I think I could have gotten away with Radiant too.

One word of warning - there were some mixed reviews of this on Sephora.com, so it might not be for everyone, but if you have oily skin and love Bare Escentuals, I think this is worth a try.

The second one I tried was Lancome's Magic Matte ($37).

I have been using this for the last few days straight - I love it! It's almost the inverse of Bare Escentuals: instead of being a powder that goes on like a liquid, it's a liquid that goes on like a powder. It's perfect for my skin, which tends to get shiny along the T-zone (nose, chin and forehead) in the mid-afternoon. It's very light, and feels just as breathable as my Bare Escentuals powder - which is pretty impressive for a cream foundation. The coverage is unbeatable and it lasts throughout the day without heavy application in the morning or a touch up at lunch.