Too Faced Born This Way Foundation Review

Looking for a new foundation can be difficult, do you agree?

Finding one that fits my criteria can be a chore. It has the right consistency, the right finish, is buildable, lasts at least 12 hours and has the perfect skin colour in the range. I like buying new foundations when they turn out right, but otherwise it feels like such a waste of money especially when you don't have it to waste.

Spending £20+ on something that turns out to be rubbish is not for me, but I couldn't resist trying Too Faced's Born This Way foundation. It has some great reviews and some friends recommended it too, so I thought it might be a good one to try next.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

Hey All

Whilst in duty free I couldn't resist a few cheeky purchases (who can!!) I'd been eyeing up the Urban Decay All Nighter foundation for weeks and had planned to purchase it. In my excitement at the airport of seeing the Urban decay Shop and Foundations there I just grab Naked Skin not paying any attention to the packaging thinking it was the All Nighter foundation. Initially I was a bit disappointed but it's actually really impressed me.

MAC Pro longwear Foundation Review

Hey All

Long time no post from me it feels. Life has just been getting in the way lately but today I wanted to share a product I loved a while ago but recently repurchased and have fell in love with again, it's MAC Pro Longwear. We've reviewed it a long time ago on the blog but I've now gone for a different shade and thought I'd show you it on.

This was a total whirlwind purchase at the airport when we went to Copenhagan. You can see what else I picked up here and here. I am really pale lately and I find my foundations are all quite dark so I got colour matched at the airport to NW15. Previously I was NW20 but I definitely think that would be too dark for me.

The bottle and packaging are the same as they were before. Classic MAC black and white. I really like the pump on this, I like that it twists to close so it's secure in my bag as regularly I do my make up on the bus so I need something secure.

NW15 is for pink undertones. I have naturally rose pale skin I think I probably could have gotten away with NW12 but at least with this I can wear it all year.

Bare Skin

1 Layer

2 Layers

Full Face

I love this foundation. I'd forgotten how much I loved it until I had it back in my life. It builds up on the skin and blends so easily. I find my skin looks natural as it sets to a semi matte finish and doesn't leave me shiny and as you can see above photographs really well. I do find MAC colour options great for most skin tones.

Since purchasing it I have decided to go cruelty free so this will be my last bottle of it which does honestly leave me gutted so any recommendations for an alternative let me know.

Love M

xxx

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation and Setting Powder*

Hey All

A few weeks ago L and I were sent some the Vichy Dermablend Corrective foundation and Setting Powder to try out. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it as it's been a firm favourite of L's for a while now but one I've not gotten around to trying. You can see L's original post on the foundation and how it looks on the skin here.

Since then the packaging has changed from black to white which I think looks better. And plus messy foundation fingers don't look as bad on it. I also love that it's in a squeezy bottle. Something about glass foundation bottles does look better but practicality wise a this is better for controlling how much foundation you want and getting every last drop out.

L already knew she was the shade Opal so I went for this too as we are pretty similar in colours. I think I could probably do with picking up the new shade porcelain to mix the two in as I get paler over the winter. If you are pale this is a great foundation to try! There are 8 shades in the range and they do have a mixture of shades from light to dark.

As soon as L gave me it I couldn't wait to get it on my face! So far I'm absolutely loving it and find myself reaching for it most days. I find with this I need less foundation then other products as a little goes a long way. It seems to blend with every brush I've tried including traditional foundation, real techniques expert face and buffing brush. It leaves my skin looking like skin but perfected. Considering it's a more full coverage foundation I love that my skin doesn't feel masked or looked caked on. I should have listened to L's recommendation sooner!

The setting powder is also right up my street. I prefer loose powders lately and I know some people don't like the mess but I find it gives my skin a better finish. This one comes with a puff in the top which I do like as it means it's one I can take with me and use on the go. The first thing I have to say about this is how amazing the texture is. It's the lightest, softest texture ever!!! If you've felt the By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder it really reminds me of that. It buffs into the skin and doesn't make the skin look super powdering or disturb the foundation under it. It just makes the make up last look and controls my shine!

I'm totally sold on both of these and my beloved Laura Mercier Mineral Powder foundation has definitely been replaced with the setting powder!

Have you tried Dermablend or Vichy products?

Love M

xxx

As M has mentioned I have been a long standing fan of Vichy's Dermablend Corrective Foundation and couldn't tell you how many I have bought over the last few years. I just love the finish it gives my skin and the pigmentation is so good it covers really well - even some of my acne scars just disappear.

Another factor I love about it is the SPF 35 it contains, I don't need to apply many layers of products as I know this will cater to my needs and leave my skin looking flawless for the whole day.

I have been using the foundation for a while however I was yet to try the Setting Powder, and I was not disappointed. As M said it's very similar in texture and finish to an extremely well known powder that's received rave reviews - and I can tell you now that it is completely comparable. I love the finish and it really sets my face for the day, and I am 100% impressed.

The Fluid Corrective Foundation costs £18, and the Setting Powder is £16. Both are worth every penny and both will be staying firmly on my purchase list for a very long time.

Maybe a primer will be the next product on the books??


L xxx

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Hey All

This is a product we both picked up in the Cosmetics Company Outlet in Swindon. Double Wear is such a cult product and seems to be either a love or hate.

We both used to love Relvon Colourstay (review here) which many dubbed to be a dupe (I need to get that back out and try it as it's been a while since I used it. I tend to forget about foundations I love!). It took us both a while to pick it up.

It comes in a blue and gold box which fits the brand. Estee Lauder I find is quite a classic brand. It also comes with SPF so is great for everyday where to help protect the skin. It does give a little flashback due to this in photos but nothing too bad and sometimes this can help to make your skin more flawless!

By picking this up at CCO we managed to save £9.25 off the normal RRP which is great for us, it means another potential lipstick in future!

Make up in a glass bottle always feels more expensive and luxurious and though it's not great to travel with isn't something that would put me off a product. Annoyingly though it is a product that doesn't come with a pump and is quite a flowing liquid so it can come out a bit quick onto the hand. I think you can buy a separate pump just like you can in MAC but I wasn't offered this at the time of purchase.

So far I've found it's a product you need to learn how it works for you. When you find how it works best I think it's one you love but I do find it to be trial and error with mositurisers, primers and powders.

For M it best applies over a hydrating primer like Laura Mercier. She also finds it works best with a dense brush such as the expert face brush. With the buffing brush it's almost too soft to work into the skin. It is one that sets quickly so it's best to do one section at a time. Also she's found that when set with powder straight away it can clump. It lasts well without powder so she only tends to powder towards the end of the day if needed.

L found that using the buffing brush or expert face brush was fine, but that she needed a lot more product than she normally uses with foundations such as Laura Mercier Silk Creme or Vichy Dermablend. They tend to provide a veil over the skin whereas this needed more product and provided a full coverage, something that I've been needing lately!
I still powder my nose but apart from that I don't need any other products throughout the day and it stays fixed all day. After figuring out how this foundation works for me I've been really impressed with the finish and the lasting effect.

Do you use double wear? How do you find it works for you?

Do you have any other favourite Estee Lauder products?

My mum's a fan of Bronze Goddess bronzer so I will have to try it out soon!


Love L and M

xxx

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

Hi there!

After a bit of a spend in Debenhams the other day (products shown below) I've been playing around with all of my new goodies and have been absolutely loving all of them. Today's review is of the Naked Skin foundation from Urban Decay.

In keeping with the Naked product collection, the packaging is rose gold coloured and aside from that very simple. The foundation itself is pretty true to its name; it is weightless, peptide infused, and light diffusing as well as being free of parabens.





The foundation claims it will create a flawless demi-matte finish with light diffusing spheres ensuring you look professionally retouched. Not only that it is infused something crazy sounding called Matrixyl 3000 which is a powerful anti-wrinkle peptide, Lichtiderm which is protecting and brightening, as well as vitamins and antioxidant green tea.





There have been many studies into the effects from using this product and you can see how successful they were in the image above.

There are quite a few shades available in the range, and as a person who tends to live in the upper ranges of the spectrum (thank you rainy Wales..) I was pleased that not only are there a lot of pale shades but I wasn't the palest, which is always nice to know there are shades available for those who are paler than me.





The bottle itself is beautiful, its sleek and simple which is my favourite and most of all it's glass. I love glass bottles for foundation as it feels a lot more expensive and luxurious. However I can see this getting extremely grubby in my morning rush getting make up and fingerprints all over it!

Even the dispenser is similar and is very sturdy, it doesn't feel like cheap plastic that will stop working after a few pumps, nice to know it's not going to give up on me after a few uses.

So how is it on the face? It is exactly as it's described; weightless and light diffusing.

It manages to cover all of my flaws without caking, and although it covers it doesn't mask my face if you understand what I mean. It covers most imperfections and whilst it doesn't cover everything I feel that at least my skin does still look real. Some of my spots require an additional cover up with concealer but generally I find this is enough for me.

See for yourself, here's my face with just Naked Skin and then with the rest of my make up on:

In my opinion this foundation gives me enough coverage without caking my face. In the photo below I have the rest of my face on and I really like the glow it gives.

What do you think of Naked Skin? Do you prefer a lightweight foundation or something heavier?

Would you consider trying it?

If you go to the counter and ask the lovely girls they might even give you a sample size to try which should last you at least a week. I've kept my bottle so that I can refill it for weekends away!

The Naked Skin foundation retails at £27 for 30ml.

L xxx

Illamasqua Skin Base

Hey all

Today I'm feeling sorry for myself. I'm so hungover after an impromptu pint last night turned into a bit of drinking. Work today wasn't fun!

For me flawless skin is something I always want and being oily skinned, pale and freckly and having quite spotty skin lately it's not been easy to achieve. A fair few months back I picked up skin base on a whim. I'd heard good things and wanted to try a new foundation.

At first I didn't get on with it. I'm used to applying foundation with my expert face brush or buffing brush but couldn't get on with it. It was just looking streaky and not blending in. I asked on Twitter for advice and was recommended to try a beauty blender. That change it all for me. It gave such a flawless finish!

I picked up the shade 3.5. I did originally buy 4 and have been using it but I find it is a bit to yellow toned on my skin. 3.5 works better on my skin tone. I like that they just shrink wrap them now so you know it's not been used. It did come in a box and while I do like box make up I do think it's just a waste.

I like that the applicator is a squeezy tube so that you can control how much comes out, the tube is quite stiff so it's not easy to over squeeze and waste it.

Here my skin is quite red tones and spotty.

With just foundation all the redness has gone and the spots are well covered. I love the natural finish of skin base. It really does look like skin and flawless. I apply it with a beauty blender type sponge or a traditional foundation brush. It surprises me I like a traditional foundation brush but it really works with this. 

With full make up. I love the way it feels on the skin. It's not cakey, looks and feels natural and comfortable to wear. It's also buildable for nights out and photographs really well. Whenever I want flawless skin now I straight away reach for it and have already repurchased it which says a lot for me.

It's not the cheapest coming in at £27 for 30ml but it does last reasonably well. It's a firm favourite of mine now. I love the natural finish on it and the way it makes my skin look.

What's your go to foundation?

Love M

xxx

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation 100 Ivory

When I was picking up this new lipstick as it was on 3 for 2 I decided to try the new stay matte foundation. I'm struggling lately to found foundation pale enough. I think any colour I had from the summer has definitely disappeared.

It is in a simple squeezy tube which is practical for this type of foundation as a bottle wouldn't work well with getting the product out. You get 30ml which is average for foundation and it does come in at a budget friendly £5.99

Rimmel Claims 'A Feather-light, liquid mousse that blends flawlessly for natural-looking and an all day shine control

Silky smooth formula for a perfectly matte, baby-soft finish.

Lightweight texture won’t feel heavy or greasy.

Minimises the appearance of pores'

I was suprised by the texture. I don't know what I expected from a l.liquid mousse. I find it was quite thick. As the picture below shows when squeezed out it stays where it is on the hand. I does blend into the skin softly. For me at the moment I prefer to use it without primer as I find it is working better.

When blended in it really evens the skin tone out and I was surprised how light it felt on my skin. I thought the thick texture would mean it felt heavy. It did a good job at covering my red cheeks and freckles and gave a good match finish so I barely powdered my face.

Here it is on the skin with only foundation on. Ivory is a good colour match for my pale skin. There is also one shade lighter. Disappointingly there are only 6 shades released so it's not going to be a foundation for everyone.

Here is the finish with full make up. I really liked the finish. My skin looked healthy without being too covered. I'd say it was a medium to full coverage but didn't look cakey. It felt light on the skin lasted well throughout the day. Towards the end I find it had caked a bit between my brows but lately all my foundations are doing this.

Overall I'm impressed and definitely think it's a good winter foundation. I personally prefer fuller coverage foundation for winter.

Have you tried the Stay Matte Liquid Mousse?

Love M

xxx

Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation

This is one foundation I've been wanting to try for ages. Due to having oily skin I didn't think it would suit my skin type even though it had received positive reviews from people with all different skin types. This was another of the prizes I won from Bourjois. I was so lucky and winning this prize has definitely made me want to try more Boujois products as I've loved all I've tried so far.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum and Foundation were both hugely popular foundation. Bourjois have now released the popular foundation as Radiance Reveal Healthy mix. As I've not used the others I can't comment on how it's different. 

Being someone with oily skin I usually find foundations that offer radiance too glittery or slide off my face really quickly. I found this foundation blended into my skin easily and left a flawless finish. The photo above shows no make up, just foundation and then a full face of make up. I have the shade 51 Light Vanilla.

The packaging is my favourite type. Glass bottle and a pump. I like glass bottles as I find they fill more luxurious and the pump means no messy top. 

What they say

16 hour radiance booster** Instant anti-fatigue result! Give your skin a boost of radiance with Bourjois’ Healthy Mix Serum Gel foundation with a vitamin-rich fruit therapy formula for an even complexion and an instant anti-fatigue result!

Give your skin a radiance boost and leave it looking flawless for up to 16 hours! Enriched with a fruit therapy formula; Apricot for radiance, Melon for hydration and Apple to protect your youth. It also contains crystalline pigments for an even complexion and healthy glow. Soft and easy to blend.

This foundation does really brighten my skin up and it looking so healthy. The fruit extracts also mean it has a really fresh scent.

This foundation gives a healthy glow to the skin without it appearing shiny or glittery. It has a really natural finish to it. I find it lasts all day on me. By the end of the day my spots need more concealer if I was going out but I find all my foundations do this.

I love the texture of this foundation. It's light on the skin but blends well and is is still pigmented. It doesn't go cakey on the skin either.

It's good for all skin types as it contains fruit extracts for hydration if you have dry skin. It's great to have a foundation that doesn't cling to the dry spots of my skin.

I'm so impressed with this foundation and I wish I had tried it sooner. It really deserves all the positive reviews it gets.

I'll definitely be repurchasing this one.

Love M

xxx

you can pick it up for £9.99 from boots!