All posts by Beth Graves

Hi! My name is Beth Graves. I am a christian wife, mother of 2 and proud grandmother of 5 beautiful grandchildren. I am a self-proclaimed beauty enthusiast! I am in no way saying I am an expert but I am having a blast learning and sharing with all of you on my beauty journey. Come join me, find and feed your passion for anything beauty with me.
Beauty

Maybelline’s New Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser “Vs” Benefit’s POREfessional: My First Impression & Comparison

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babyskin

  • Maybelline’s New Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser .67 oz $5.74 at my local Walmart.
  • Benefit’s POREfessional .75oz $30 at Sephora.com (pictured above is a trial size I received as a gift with purchase)

Maybelline "Vs" Benefit

  • Above you can see a before picture. All I have on is my daily moisturizer and I have also already done my eyebrows.
  • Above you can also see an after picture. On the right side of my face I used the Benefit’s POREfessional primer and on the left side of my face I used the Maybelline’s New Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser (will be referred to as Baby Skin for rest of article) under my makeup. I will give you a list of what makeup I am wearing below in the article.
  • Lastly, above you will see a picture of the actual products on back of my hand.

Hi! Beauties! I was asked by one of my Bloglovin subscribers and a fellow blogger, Rebecca,  from www.HelloPrettyBird.com  what I thought of the Maybelline’s New Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. First, I want to thank her for reading my Collective Haul: CVS and Wal-Mart article and then asking for my opinion. I decided to do this by doing a  first impression and comparison article using the Maybelline’s Baby Skin and the Benefit POREfessional primers. Both products claim to erase the appearance of pores.

We will begin with the Maybelline New Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. As pictured above, it has adorable packaging and it is a clear transparent gel formula. It has a silky, smooth  and silicone texture. For the .67 oz tube it is priced around the $6 mark, it is just according to where you purchase it at. These are the claims that can be found on the packaging:

  • Instantly blurs the look of pores, without clogging them.
  • Transparent gel formula, smooths on clear.
  • Smoothes and refines skin’s appearance.
  • Non-comedogenic and fragrance free.
  • Directions says use alone for flawless-looking skin, smoothing onto areas with visible pores or Smooth a thin layer under foundation for a smooth-looking finish.

Now for my own impression of the Baby Skin. As my after picture above shows there is little difference, if any, on the left side of my face that I applied this to. So I do agree it does blur the look of pores. I would not wear this product alone and expect to see a flawless-looking skin. I believe its best use is as a foundation primer. It is fragrance free and it does glide on smoothly and clear. I have noticed while wearing it all day today that on the left side of my face that I used it on feels more slick, not so much to the touch, I can just tell that it is on my face unlike the Benefit’s Porefessional. Does it bother me enough not to wear it again? No, I will wear it again. The Baby Skin does not claim to make your foundation last any longer but I can say I just used it under the Pond’s BB+ cream today and there is little difference in the staying power on either side of my face.

How does it compare to the higher end Benefit’s POREfessional? The type of formula is totally different. As you can see in the picture above the POREfessional is not only beige  but it is like a balm pasty formula but it also glides on smoothly and it also seems clear to me. The full size of this product comes in the size  .75 oz and is priced at $30 at Sephora.com. You will find that the higher end brands like Benefit comes in the same price no matter where you purchase it for the most part, but you are limited to where you can find the products. I have found the Benefit brand at Amazon.com, Sephora.com, Ulta.com etc. Of course it can also be found in the actual Sephora and Ulta stores. The claims Benefit makes for the POREfessional is as follows:

  • A professional balm that minimizes the appearance of pores.
  • Quickly minimizes the appearance of pores and fine lines and helps makeup stay put.
  • Silky and lightweight formula can be worn under makeup to create a smoother-smooth canvas and can also be used throughout the day on top of makeup to mattify shine and touch up problem areas.
  • Oil-free formula contains vitamin E, which is known to protect skin from free radicals.

I have to agree with everything they claim. I can’t verify that it can be used throughout the day to help mattify and touch up problem areas by applying it on top of makeup because I have never used it that way. I have only used it as a primer. I can say it feels different on your face not only when applying it but also throughout the day. I used this product on the right side of my face today and unlike the Baby Skin I can’t tell it is even on my face, no slick feeling at all.

To sum this comparison up, I will use the Baby Skin as a primer on my light makeup days and I will use the POREfessional when I am going out on dates with my husband, church or any other time when I use my full coverage foundation routine. I will do this because using the Baby Skin($6) in between when I use my full foundation routine I will be saving money by making my POREfessional($30) last longer.  Would I buy this product again? The answer is yes to both of them as long as it is in my budget for the POREfessional.

Makeup I wore on my face/eyes today(as promised above):

  • Left side of face–Maybelline’s Baby Skin primer.
  • Right side of face–Benefit’s POREfessional primer
  • Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream in Light
  • Mac’s Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20
  • Tarte’s smooth operator finishing powder (white)(used to set under eye concealer).
  • Coty’s Airspun Loose Face Powder in Naturally Neutral.
  • Physicians Formula Summer Eclipse Bronzing Powder in Starlight
  • Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12- Hour blush in Fantastic
  • Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12- Hour blush in Angelic (used as highlighter)
  • Lorac Unzipped Eye Shadow Palette– colors used was undercover and unspoken
  • Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara- black
  • Anastasia Brow Powder Duo–Medium Brown
  • Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil–Ash Blonde
  • Anastasia Brow Duality Highlighting Duo Pencil–Camille/Sand
  • Pop’s Pouty Pop Lip Crayon–Coral Crush

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this article. I hope I have helped  with your decision whether to purchase one or both of these products. Please subscribe if you haven’t already, it is free and you will be notified when any new articles are published on my blog. I  love to read any comments, suggestions or feedback. Also please feel free to leave any questions you may have for me. I read and respond to all my comments and questions. As always you can also connect with me through any of my social media icons, I am just a click away!

Health

My Gastric Bypass Journey Series: Part 1, Why?

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My Weight Loss Collage

Hi! Beauties! I have had so many questions about my gastric bypass surgery and how I decided it was what I wanted to do. I have decided to start a series of articles about my gastric bypass journey. I will be posting an article once a week for this series. Today’s article as you probably can already tell by the title is going to be Part 1, Why?. I have lost 120 pounds after having the gastric bypass surgery. You can read more details about my 120 pound weight loss on my previous article: My Weight Loss Journey: How I Lost 120 Pounds!; if you haven’t already. So get you a cup of coffee or your drink of choice and let’s get started.

Weight loss should be easy: Just burn more calories than you take in, right? Weight loss is so much more complicated and losing weight is never easy, surgery or not. While surgery is a powerful tool in the battle to lose weight, it still requires modification of diet; exercise; and most importantly, some serious work on your personal relationship with food.

Contrary to what many people think, weight loss surgery isn’t the easy way out; it is just the first step in the weight loss process. It requires a great deal of research and thought. It also certainly isn’t easy to qualify for the procedure, as some insurance companies resist paying for the expense of what is often considered an elective surgery. The gastric bypass is an amazing ally in the fight for weight loss and good health, but the truth is that having the surgery is a giant leap of faith. You are counting on the results are worth the hard work before and any complications that you may have during and after surgery. Many people (me) actually mourn the loss of certain foods, wishing for the comfort they felt when they (I) ate those foods, but  the results make it worthwhile to stay with the weight loss regime.

Weight loss is a difficult process, and no matter how you do it the pounds don’t fall off as if by magic. Losing weight, changing habits, exercising–none of these things are easy to do, and maintaining those changes is even more difficult. I can tell you it does get easier and will become habit the more you do them. You feel better as you slim down and your body becomes stronger which helps give you the motivation you need to continue on your journey.

Did the gastric bypass make it easier for me to lose weight? Certainly. But anyone who says it is simple hasn’t been through it. They haven’t been through the early days of liquid only diet and they don’t understand what it is like to give up a favorite food because it ravages your system and makes you feel awful. It is also easy to fall into a trap of thinking everything is going to be perfect in your life after surgery. While I can say I have seen dramatic improvements in my health and life, I still have some of the same problems I had before surgery, for example: low self esteem, while it is better I still have to deal with it. This blog is one of my ways I am trying to deal with my low self esteem that I have fought since childhood. Now, my health has showed so much improvement since surgery. I no longer have to take medicines for high blood pressure. I am no longer a borderline Type II Diabetic and my knees are not in constant pain. Would I choose gastric bypass again looking back? You bet I would. I feel like it was the right choice for me. I am in no way saying it is the right choice for everyone; nor am I recommending just anyone have the surgery. I feel this decision is a very personal decision and each person has to make their own decision.

I am going to leave you today with the most common myths about weight loss surgery. All the following statements are FALSE:

  • Surgery is the easy way out.
  • You can’t gain weight after weight loss surgery.
  • Weight loss surgery is simple; there’s no need to worry about complications.
  • All your health conditions will disappear after surgery.
  • Your body will be stunning after weight is gone.
  • Your goal weight will be easy to attain.
  • Your goal weight will be easy to maintain.
  • Once you lose weight, all of your problems will be solved.
  • You just eat less of the same things.
  • Emotional eating stops after surgery.
  • You don’t need to exercise to lose weight.
  • Surgery means never dieting again.
  • Weight loss surgery is incredibly risky.
  • Once you lose weight, you can stop seeing your surgeon.

That’s quite a list, isn’t it? Believe me; there is a lot more out there. These are just some of the common ones out there. I believe one of the main things to keep in mind if you are considering a weight loss surgery  and for it to be successful is that you must be prepared to change your lifestyle with the way and what you eat. Never even think about it as being a diet!

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this article. I hope you have enjoyed part 1 of My Gastric Bypass Journey series. Part 2 will be coming next week. Please subscribe if you haven’t already, it is free and you will be notified when any new articles are posted to my blog. I  love to read any comments, suggestions or feedback. You can leave these in the comment section below. Also please leave any questions you may have for me. I read and respond to all my comments. As always you can also connect with me through any of my social media icons, I am just a click away!

Reference material:

  • Trinity Mother Frances Bariatric Surgery’s Gastric Bypass Guide Booklet
  • The Everything Post Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook by Jennifer Whitlock Heisler, RN (purchased at Amazon.com)