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Not the beauty post for the month of November, BUT an added bonus, kind of.

I have been searching for a drugstore foundation that could compare to my love of Urban Decay's Naked Skin because I wanted to be able to offer all of you a product that was just as great, without the cost. While I absolutely love UD's Naked Skin, it is hard to buy an expensive foundation for the changing seasons, when your skin may be drier, paler, or just overall, different than your summer skin. I really don't have the budget to buy Naked Skin multiple times a year, so here is my solution:

I have now fallen in love with L'Oreal's True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup. It, for me, does not replace Naked Skin, but offers a great alternative at a competitive price point.  Plus, the formulas are different, with different benefits. And for me, this means one might work better on a certain day vs. another.

Now the scary part. I felt that I couldn't review this product, and show you the differences without doing a direct comparison between no makeup face vs. UD Skin vs. L'Oreal Lumi.  Seven & Seven is a place of no judgement.  So while no makeup is not a look that I want to put out there for the world to see, I also don't want you to buy something based on my words alone, I wanted you to see the difference.

And I know I make a "makeup face", obviously, but this pictures aren't about that.

Nothing but clean

As bare as it gets.

So my bare skin is clear a little uneven with color/freckles/etc. But here you have it, a close up.

Now for the UD Naked Skin shots: 

 

With the UD Naked Skin, my skin is more matte, even, and smoothed out. My makeup holds all day, really 12+ hours.  My one negative is that its slightly dark for me for winter (I wear shade 5.0), but overall, this is a fantastic product. 

Now the L'Oreal Lumi shots: 

With the L'Oreal Lumi, my skin really is more dewy and luminous.  You can see this foundation reflects the light in a way that is very natural and pretty.  The finish, for me, is better for the winter months when my skin is too pale for heavy makeup and drier than the summery, more humid, time of year. The staying power is not as strong as the UD Naked Skin, but overall it gets the job done.

So maybe you like one set of photos more than the other, maybe you hate both, totally fine.  Like I will continue to say a million times over, I am not a model, not an expert, just a girl who is super passionate about sharing my loves and what works for me. Take it for what it is, but both of these products have my grade A recommendation.

All photos taken with my iPhone, no editing, no enhancing.  Also, if you click on any of the pictures they will be enlarged (in case you want a real good look haha).

L'Oreal Lumi Foundation in W4, Natural Beige Warm: $12.95
Urban Decay Naked Skin in 5.0: $38.00