Regular Normalizer Shake-It is basically a pigmented treatment product that doubles as a light to medium coverage makeup (it is buildable).
“Shake It” Face Make Up uses exclusive “toner with color” technology to control surface oils, conceal blemishes and blot excess moisturizer with a transparent hint of color.
Laszlo suggests that this product is suitable for all skin types, but given that it contains a fair amount of alcohol I would suggests that those with drier skin types avoid this product altogether. I would also think that it might be too active a product for people with sensitive skin, but for those with normal/combination skin it is a very lovely product.
In order to activate and incorporate the tinted pigment into the liquid base you have "shake it" until the contents become completely opaque. Then you saturate your cotton ball and apply it to your skin after you have applied all of your post-cleansing treatment products. I actually like to apply this before my moisturizer has completely soaked in- as it seems to give it a more natural finish. After squeezing the last bits out of my cotton ball I rub and blend until there are no streaks of pigment left. The end result is a porcelain smooth finish that appears poreless and flawless. During the colder months I do sometimes find this product a little too drying, so I generally opt for something a bit more moisturizing during the winter. To finish off this look I like to use a finishing powder, and Laszlo's Controlling Face Powder (review forthcoming) is a perfect companion product.
A look into the bottle right after shaking it.
On a cotton pad in direct light.
On a cotton pad outside.
Outdoor lighting.
Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Alcohol Denat. (Sd Alcohol 40-B), Calcium Carbonate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Talc, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Parfum (Fragrance), Denatonium Benzoate, Amyl Cinnamal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Eugenol, Gerniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Ci 77491 Ci 77492 Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77947 (Zinc Oxide), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide).
Overall assessment: I love this product and highly recommend it for normal/combination skin types. It is a very unique product in the vast sea of foundations and tinted moisturizers, and I love the finish it gives. I'm going to keep a bottle on hand from now on.
6.8 oz. $56.00 from Erno Laszlo (Affiliate Links)
This looks excellent, as you said a replacement for the long-discontinued Clinique Pore Minimizer foundation. But, yikes! We we really putting SD Alcohol on our faces?? I don't know what I am griping about--I still do it twice a day with my toner heh. And my skin still looks pretty good.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link. I will definitely explore this option. Looks like you've written quite a bit about this brand, so I'll consider this the start of my EL education.
I like it, but not for everyday. Although back when I used it as a teenager and young adult the saleswoman taught me that I could add a little extra face cream or lotion right before applying the Shake-It to mitigate some of the effects of the alcohol. That really seems to work for me. I know, the idea of putting SD alcohol on our faces (when we are no longer teenagers) is a bit scary. I don't use it too often for that very reason. However it is a nice break from foundation and tinted moisturizers. I use the Erno Laszlo toner (Light Controlling Lotion) periodically too, but it has a lot of alcohol in it as well.
DeleteI only just recently revisited the line after many many years away. It is very nostalgic for me, but there are some good products in the line.
I have ordered a few things online from Nordstrom as well as from Erno Laszlo directly (online as well).
It might be worth exploring, but only if you are not opposed to the alcohol content.
I'm not opposed. My skin is still oily enough, and I tend to wear foundation mostly in the middle of my face and feather outward, and that area gets the most oily.
DeleteI'm just really intrigued by a formula I used to love so much. I can't wait to track some down!
My skin is still oily enough as well, and I still have to use the Shiseido Blotting papers periodically (only for my T-zone). I definitely don't require much coverage outside of my T-Zone either.
DeleteI actually think that you might really like this- especially since you used to love Clinique's Pore Minimizer. Shake-It just has a nice clean feeling. It's like a pigmented toner, and it feels great on. If you get it I hope that you review it! I don't think that it will be too difficult for you to track down- plus Porcelain is available at nordstrom.com-- so if all else fails there's that route!
Ooh, pigmented toner. That sounds good. Maybe I'll just go straight to Nordies.
ReplyDeleteYou literally have to shake-it to incorporate the pigment into the solution because it all settles to the bottom. Then you just apply it with a cotton ball and rub it in with your fingers. It's a bit of a paradigm shift from the world of foundations, but given your love of Pore Minimizer this might just be a hit for you. You could try the "Pick up in store" feature on Nordstrom.com to see if any of the stores in your area have it so that you could actually see it first. Fingers crossed that you love it!
DeleteEXCELLENT pictures, thanks! I do remember how the pigment sunk to the bottom. I loved shaking it up each morning and your capturing the bubbles on the surface in the photo above brought back happy memories. I almost never change my foundation, but this looks too good to pass up. I'll probably order it from Nordstrom this week, especially if I can pick it up.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome! It was actually pleasurable to do-- it brought back wonderful memories of using this each morning back when I still lived with my parents (which feels like a lifetime ago). The shaking, the bubbles, the smell-- the whole experience evokes a pretty powerful visceral reaction in me. I suspect it will do the same for you-- of course the smell will be different, but the principle is the same. I can't wait to hear what you think!
DeleteI ordered this in Porcelain today! With any luck I will have it by Friday. I feel so excited, like I am recapturing a happy part of my past when I was so in love with my foundation. Granted, it wasn't this brand, but it's the same concept, and I can't wait. I am certain it will be perfect.
DeleteSo you use a cotton ball? I think back in the day I used a latex sponge, which surely wasted a ton of product. I am wondering if it will work with my fingers and then blend out with a damp beautyblender sponge.
I'm sure I'll be able to experiment all over the place, woo hoo.
Oh, and as an aside, given your love of makeup as artistry, have you tried Ellis Faas yet?
YAY!!! I can't wait to see what you think!! Yes I either use a cotton ball or a cotton pad since it is as thin as toner or water. Then I squeeze it out onto my face little buy little and blend it in with my fingers. I would use something that doesn't cause you to lose much product. I worry that a damp blender sponge might still re-absorb too much product, but give it a try. I always use my fingers, and then once it dries down I can blend the edges out with the Hakuhodo 527. Experiment and see what works best for you. WOO HOO!! I'm so excited for you!!
DeleteThat's so funny that you should bring up Ellis Faas-- I just responded to your last comment on the Sephora sale, and I asked you if I should even bother with Edward Bess, but that I was very tempted to try out Ellis Faas. I have been drooling over your reviews. What do you suggest? That line really resonates with me, but I have never tried or even swatched a single thing. You and Modesty Brown have posted such favorable reviews that I'm finding it hard to resist. The click packaging isn't my favorite type, but if what's inside is amazing it's worth a go!
Are you drooling over Bess or Faas? I keep forgetting to subscribe after I post and lose track! Edward Bess is ho hum. When he first introduced his line his packaging was gorgeous, and the products were comparable to any high end eyeshadow or lipstick, except his stuff smells like figs. he's since redone his packaging and it's crap. When I spent $48 on a blush, the container better be at least as good as Chanel or Dior or Guerlain. It's not. Also, after plowing through pretty much his entire line, I found that it was all too warm or muted for me, even the one lipstick I held out on until the end (Night Romance). Too much brown. So Eddie and I divorced and I started my girl crush on ellis.
DeleteShe'd be hard to swatch, as I think the only place to buy her stuff in person is at Bergdorf's in NYC, though I could be wrong. There was recently a master class in CA, so maybe she made her way to one of the higher end stores out there.
Her "human colors" concept is incredible, and her formulas are outstanding, but again, much of it is too warm for me. If you wanted to start out relatively safe (and I think you can get these both at Sephora), I'd recommend the E107 eyeshadow, which is a neutral-warm taupe (freckle colored!) and L303 Lip Glaze, which is a cool, sheer-but pigmented berry. I left my L303 behind at my color analysis this past December and was heartbroken! I should reorder it now using the Sephora discount.
Ellis's concealer is also fantastic! I have it in S201, the lightest color, but it's a bit yellow side for me. If you like your concealers yellow (to cancel blue), then you might like hers. I prefer my concealers to be more peachy (YSL Touche Eclat) or pink (Estee Lauder whatever it's called in Soft Pink).
Oh, and my Laszlo foundation shipped!
Drooling over FAAS! I'm not quite sure I see what all of the fuss is over the Bess line. I mean it is nice, but i think ho hum sums it up nicely. I appreciate some of the cooler toned items, but they do look a bit muddy, and if I'm going to do a muted color- it had better be fantastic! Yeah- for $48.00 for a blush the packaging had best be on par with Chanel, Dior or Guerlain.
DeleteI will check to see if any stores in the LA area have Ellis Faas. I wonder if any of the Sephora's in LA have her line- I noticed that 8 of the 12 items on Sephora's website did not say online only. I'm going to call their Customer service number to see who has it. Space NK seems to have her products as well, and there are 3 in my area. I could swatch and then order through Sephora for the discount. I'm going to check out all of the items that you recommended- they sound gorgeous. I have a real weakness for taupe eye shadows, and berry lips! I'm in trouble now! I will definitely check out the concealer as well!
I'm so excited that you EL Shake-It shipped! I can't wait for you to play with it!
You probably have to have a super duper Sephora for them to carry FAAS stuff in store. Mine doesn't even carry Bobbi Brown, so no Ellis Faas for me to swatch ... but you just reminded me about SpaceNK. They're at Bloomingdale's, and I am almost 99% sure her line is there. I'd have to drive an hour, but it's a chi-chi mall, so I could certainly have a lot of fun. I wouldn't mind looking at some Chantecaille, either, fer gawd's sake. I haven't seen it since before it pulled out of Barneys around 10+ yeard ago.
DeleteThere's a Sephora on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica that has Bobbi Brown- so I wonder if they have Ellis Faas there. If not there is also a SpaceNk in the Bloomingdale's right down the street from that Sephora. Ooooh I want to go look at Ellis Faas now! I wonder if all of the SpaceNK stores actually keep it in stock, or if a lot of it is online. I know- I get tempted by Chantecaille when I go to Barneys, but haven't gotten sucked in yet. Chantecaille pulled out of Barneys in your area? They still have it at the one here.
DeleteYes, Barney's dumped Chante. I'd have to drive into the city to Saks or Neiman's to see it, I think. It might be sold at Nordstrom, just not the Nordies around me.
ReplyDeleteIf you can swatch EF first, I definitely recommend doing so. Her colors really warm up on me, but I've had the best luck with the E107 eye and L303 lip. If you like red lipstick, DO check out the Ellis reds in the creamy and milky formulas. The Glazed Ellis Red (L301) will likely be too warm for you, as it is a warm tomato red, whereas the other two are like cherry cola.
4:00AM comes early, so nighty night!
Interesting that they dumped Chantecaille,. I would have figured that they would have sold so much of it given the popularity of the line. Perhaps the lack of geographic convenience is a way of saving you from yourself! Though I bet if they repromoted Agate you might find yourself running to the nearest counter. I would have loved to have gotten my hands on that gorgeous shade!!
DeleteI'm calling to find out who has a Faas counter in LA today!!
4:00am is quite early!!!!!!!!!!! I hope that you got some good sleep!
It arrived! I wore it today but applied it with my fingers. I am going to try cotton tomorrow, but it has the exact same texture, blendability, and coverage of the old Clinique foundation I once loved so much. ♥ I almost feel 21 again!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't expecting the bottle to be so enormous, and it has the most heavenly fragrance.
Thanks for cluing me in. I'm looking at it now and can see all the pigment settled in the bottom half. I would never in a million years have guessed that this kind of foundation was still around. It's going to be great this coming summer.
WOO HOO!!!!! I'm so glad that you got it and are liking it! I'm so glad that I remembered Clinique's Pore Minimizer-- otherwise I never would have thought to mention Shake-It. I know what you mean by feeling 21 again-- I have the same response to it! The bottle is enormous-- which actually makes it pretty cost effective- all things being equal. I'm glad that you like the fragrance-- I am afraid that I am incapable of being objective about the scent since I have a very strong visceral reaction to the smell that is anything but unbiased. One whiff and I am 17 using it in the Jack & Jill bathroom at my parent's house.
DeleteAbsolutely my pleasure!! Is the color a perfect match as we suspected it would be? It is hard to believe that this formula is still being made, but at least the two of us are glad that it's still available! It is perfect for the summer!!
Yes, the color is perfect. I'd been using New Ivory in Clinique, and I suspect I was matched when I was slightly tanned and never thought to change the color. It was always probably a little too dark for me, but since I used it in the center of my face only (where I had enlarded pores), I guess I feathered it out to the sides enough that the color wasn't noticeable. I know I wanted to be darker back then and hated my white skin.
DeleteSo, yes, Porcelain is an excellent match, and I love that there's a base of alcohol because it means this liquid foundation won't spoil as quickly as others.
The only other liquid foundation I ever found to be a good match for my skin was Make Up For Ever F&B #38 (Pink Porcelain). I can't remember if I mentioned that before. I prefer the EL because it is so lightweight and perfect for summer when I get the oilies!
I'm delighted that the color is perfect for you-- it really seemed to be the most logical choice. Well, then it sounds as though this color is an even better match than your old New Ivory. It makes sense that you could have been mismatched. Back when we were using these products for the first time we were young enough that if a sales clerk told us that this or that color was perfect-- then we were apt to buy it and wear it- even if it didn't feel quite right. Like you, I was also color printed at Prescriptives, and even then I remember feeling some relief that the guess work was being taken out of it. Somehow finding a foundation color remained a mystery to me- though I could tell you with great certainty that I couldn't wear coral, lipsticks, but could wear fuchsia to blue pink!
DeleteVery good point about the base of alcohol preventing it from spoiling quickly. I just can't tell you how happy I am that you like it!
Funny that you should mention MUFE F&B-- I have it and love it. I love the texture and feeling of it. I even reviewed it a while back. I chose Ivory 20, and while it is neutral and seems to disappear on me- I wonder if I wouldn't have been better off with #38 as well. EL says that you can actually add a foundation on top of Shake-It-- since they always used to consider this a part of their "treatment" line. I did try putting the MUFE F&B on top and it gave me a really lovely polished finish. I do agree that EL is perfect for the summer-- that it is so lightweight makes it so very comfortable to wear-- it gives that MSBB look.
Exactly! Those lab coats were THE authority, lol. Were you a R or B/R at Prescriptives? I was B/R and loved to look at coral, and sometimes wore it on my toenails, but I couldn't do much with it on my face. We get ripped off this time of year by not being able to wear corals, peaches, and bronzes!
DeleteIt never occurred to me to wear EL Shake-it under foundation ... um, wait, that's not true. I dusted my beloved Jane Iredale powder on top to set it today. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my FOTD today.
I am so grateful for the recommendation. A friend mentioned it on the forum, but I assumed, like Clinique, the EL stuff had also been discontinued, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw your review. I am looking at my bottle right now, and I just want to kiss it. :^)
BTW, I have so much to catch up on here. You are the stealth-posting machine!
DeleteI know!! IT was like we were being approached by doctors who were exactly that THE authority! Ridiculous! OMG I can barely remember how they color printed me-- they could see that I was a true winter. I think I was a B/R- wasn't that the Blue/Red and the purest least murky colors? Toenails are a great place to break the rules for sure! I know what you mean by getting ripped off this time of year-- yet our colors look so much better on us!
DeleteI say wildly experiment with it- I suspect that it might become a HG item for you! I'm THRILLED that you LOVE your FOTD today. Yippeeeeeeee!
I'm so happy that you are so happy with it!! :-)
I try to post something each day- so far I haven't skipped a day-- but I suspect that there will be a time that I do-- life does have a way of intervening periodically!
I'm sad. My face has been noticeably red all over, the last several days--especially around cheeks, chin and nose and up to my forehead (you know, the T zone), and all other things being equal, the Shake-it foundation is the only new variable. :(
ReplyDeleteI'm going to give my skin a complete break for several days, see if things calm down, and then try again. Of course, this only occurred to me this morning, as I was already putting it on.
I hope this isn't true, because I LOVE it, but it might have to go back as an irritant.
OH NO, say it ain't so!!! I sure hope that it isn't the culprit- because it would otherwise be so perfect for you!!!!!!!!!!!! I have had to return things I really loved because my skin did not love them at all-- I will keep my fingers crossed that it was some other variable (that is easily discoverable). :(
DeleteYep, my skin felt irritated all day and I could think of no reason why. If it does turn out to be the foundation, maybe I can still hang onto it but not expect to use it every day. I really do love it.
DeleteI don't think it's worth keeping if you are having an allergic reaction to some of the ingredients-- no matter how much you love it. It's not worth putting your skin through that. I'd return it and get my $50.00 back-- heartbreaking as it is. Plus what if it really causes more severe irritation triggering Rosacea. I''d rather see your skin happy- not red and/or irritated.
DeleteI have read so many articles or reviews but this article is truly a fastidious post, keep it up.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anonymous.
DeleteDo you know the ingredients in the ORIGINAL heavy shake it?
DeleteHi there, Unfortunately I do not know the ingredients for the original Heavy Normalizer Shake-It. I do remember it well. You might email Erno Laszlo directly to see if they can give it to you, if you can't find it somewhere online.
DeleteI do not even understand how I stopped here,
ReplyDeletebut I thought this publish was good. I don't recognise who you might be but definitely you're going to a famous blogger in the event you are not already. Cheers!
That is very kind of you to say, thank you.
Delete