makeup: base notes

I’ve been addicted to a $60 designer spray-on foundation for a few years now. It gives flawless coverage—not unlike one of those pro-style airbrush machines that makeup artists use on photo shoots. But it’s a big can (not really travel worthy), and I’m hating the price tag.

One day, though, I was at the drugstore, shopping for a small bottle of spill-proof makeup to get me through a weekend trip and mollify the TSA employee at the airport. I settled on Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup (the name is bigger than the bottle)…and fell in love with this $10 beauty. The affair has little to do with its anti-aging benefits (which seem to be lofty: an SPF of 18, plus a collagen-based formula that’s supposed to reduce imperfections in eight weeks). Instead, I was seriously impressed with what can only be described as a velvety sensation when this makeup hits your skin.

The intended method of application is a sponge-tip gizmo that’s attached to the end of the bottle (note: it’s anti-microbial, so you’re not applying a garden of germs to your face each time), and the coverage is perfect—thorough, but not mask-like. If you want a sheer look (which I kind of prefer, especially in the summer), you can try this trick I picked up from makeup artist Brett Freedman: Lightly dampen a good foundation brush, like M.A.C. #107, then gently run it over the foundation and apply to your face in a swirling motion.

Gotta admit: I haven’t touched the spray can in weeks. Have you fallen in love with a drugstore beauty product that you never thought you’d use? Tell me about it. (But take note: I might just have to run out and buy one.)