What Is Your Quest?

You know the opening scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark? Sure you do. Indy's maneuvered through this horrible cavern of deadly obstacles, and is finally face to face with a golden fertility idol. Well, if I had my way, it would have looked like this:

Photo by Mighty Muggs

How cute is that?! This is the Mighty Muggs Indiana Jones Fertility Idol, made exclusively for the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con. Amazingly, I found this one on Amazon for $15.99. I already have his Indiana Jones counterpart, so I may have to pony up and get this one to go with him. In case you're unfamiliar with Mighty Muggs, they're not plush. They're painfully adorable like plush, but easier to dust. I mean, if you were to take it out of the box. Not that I'd ever do anything like that. *innocent whistling*

Indy's search for the Idol, the Ark, the Grail, and the Skull actually got me thinking about (shocker) beauty supplies. Seriously. You laugh, but think about it. How many times have you found that one awesome [insert product here], only to have it discontinued on you (*sob* Salsabella!)? Or maybe you just haven't been able to find exactly what you need (like a mascara that plumps and lengthens, perhaps)? Well, for any of you in the market for a new foundation, I may have found your Grail.

This morning, continuing my mission to try out all my samples, I grabbed Stila's One Step Makeup Foundation. According to Sephora:

A skin-loving makeup that combines the benefits of a primer, foundation, concealer, and powder in one long-wearing formula. This innovative, medium-coverage formula is energized with Stila's exclusive Ionic Mineral Complex™ that reads and reacts to skin zone-by-zone, visibly priming, balancing, correcting, and optimizing for a supremely flawless finish. Achieve a beautifully smooth look with this buildable, blendable, hydrating essential that minimizes pores, regulates oil, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

I still needed to use a separate concealer, but yeah, it really does all that, and it does it well. The foundation is very thick, which, honestly, scared me a little at first. I usually just wear a foundation faker over a very light primer, then dust it with the teensiest bit of powder. I don't like very heavy makeup, and especially not in this heat and humidity. However, as thick as it is, a little dab'll do you. I think I used maybe a quarter of the packet, and there really wasn't very much in the packet to start with. I skipped my primer, eyeshadow primer, and powder. As I said, I still needed a separate concealer, but only under my eyes. Really, I expected to either have to redo my makeup, or, at the very least, be super shiny by lunch. Boy, was I wrong!

First off, the finish is absolutely gorgeous. Normally, I would need to use my E.L.F. HD powder or MAC Mineralize to get this kind of airbrushed look, but with this, I didn't even need a setting powder. Secondly, nothing has moved. I've been wearing this for 7 1/2 hours, and my eyeshadow still looks like I just put it on. My blush is still blushy. Nothing has moved. Let me repeat that one more time, simply because I am amazed: Nothing. Has. Moved. Lastly, as I said, I've been wearing this for 7 1/2 hours, and I am no shinier than I usually am by this time of day. No primers, no setting powder, and no dabbing at my nose with a tissue to get off the excess oil. My makeup still looks as good as it did when it was applied. Best of all, it doesn't look or feel heavy. Amazing.

The bad news: it's $44 for 1oz. at Sephora. The good news: the combined total for my primer, foundation, and powder of choice is $75. That's not including the various eyeshadow primers I cycle through. Basically, I could save $31, free up a lot of real estate in my makeup case, and spend a few less minutes getting ready in the morning by buying this foundation. I like what I have, and I have quite a bit left, but when my supply starts to dwindle, I've got some serious thinking to do.