Covering All Bases

After a fair few years searching for the perfect base, which I believe is pretty much as easy to find as a unicorn in a field of rainbows, I have developed quite the collection which means I'm covered for all different occasions.

The Barely There - If you just want to whack something on that's lightweight, evens out the skin and keeps your skin feeling hydrated and cared for, I highly recommend the Dr Jart + BB Cream. It won't cover many sins, but it will get you through a day at work or out shopping.

The Night Out/Special Occasion  - When a special occasion comes calling, or a night out occurs (which is rare as I like to be tucked up in bed by 9pm) I'll crack out my Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation. I definite medium to full coverage foundation that covers pretty much everything and stays put for most of the night. The lack of SPF means photos are left without a white cast.

The I Need Some Covering - Most days for me I go make-up free or chose a BB but if I'm heading out and my skin is mis-behaving the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation is my foundation of choice. It's a nice medium coverage that feels quite light weight. The shimmer particles can't be seen on the skin, but it does give a lovely healthy dewy effect.

The Powder Foundation - Sometimes you just want a bit of a powder foundation, and for that my favourite is the Bare Minerals Original. I quick brush swirl in this bad boy and I'm good to go. Nice and light weight, and perfect if you know things are going to get a bit hot and sweaty.

The I Couldn't Be Without It - Nine times out of ten you will find me wearing the Dior Nude BB Cream on my face. Not wearing make-up daily means I can still call this my regular base right? Plus it makes it more cost effective. I just love how my skin looks after application and the way it wears throughout the day. Not much coverage but enough for me with concealer, and I feel my skin just looks so healthy when I'm wearing it.

What are your top bases?

Laura

My Budget Brand: Rimmel

One quick scan of my make-up collection and it's safe to say there is a lot of Rimmel in there. So much so I decided to dedicate a post to my favourite pieces. This isn't my whole collection (shamefully) rather the stand out bits and pieces that I love and would recommend.

I'm yet to find a foundation that I love as much as the Wake Me Up foundation that Rimmel offer. It has great coverage and lovely finish that leaves you looking healthy and glowing. The concealer counterpart is great for taking care of dark circles, however my beloved Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer just tops it for me.

Moving on to eyes. The Scandaleyes in Rich Russet is a strange liquid eyeshadow, which shouldn't work but does. It doesn't make your lids look greasy, nor does it crease easily, instead your left with a nice wash of colour that's easy to apply. My other Scandaleyes in Bad Girl Bronze is a great cream application in stick form. Looks great loosely applied and blended with a brush. My only gripe with this product is the fact you have to sharpen it, I'd much prefer a twist tube. Finally in my eyes category I highlight the fact that if I like something, I tend to buy it in every colour. The Scandaleyes Eyeliners in Nude, Black and Taupe are just perfect. They are long wearing, help open up my eyes and give the perfect amount of colour.

Finally let's talk lips. I'll start with the Appocalips in Stellar. A lovely red meets colour, Stellar is great for a long wearing, glossy finish lip colour. Be warned you could end up with this on your teeth, but a simple finger pull trick will have that sorted. I like to apply mine with the back of the applicator to ensure that not too much product is applied. Last but not least, the Moisture Renew Lipstick Range is probably my favourite lipstick range. It has the moisturising quality of the Revlon Lip Butters without the glossy finish and more pigmentation. Nude Delight, Berry Queen & Rose are my favourites.

What would you say your budget brand is? Do you use any of these?

Laura xoxo

Throwback Thursday: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Whenever I need to wear a foundation, I always gravitate toward either this one, or for more special occasions Laura Mercier Silk Creme. The reason for this is 'casue it's bloomin' well amazing.

Coverage wise I'd say it's a good medium with the room to build upon. It doesn't feel heavy on the face and can definitely cover up any minor scarring you may have. I prefer applying it with either my fingers or a damp sponge for a lighter and more natural finish.

In terms of finish if you prefer a more matte look than I would maybe steer clear. This definitely does have the radiant glow it advertisers, however no need to worry, no Edward Cullen lookalikes happen after. 

If you're looking for a purse friendly, radiant inducing foundation, I reckon this should be your next purchase.

Have you tried this? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Throwback Thursday: Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

This is my 'special occasion' foundation. Due to its price and the fact a Laura Mercier counter is quite far from me (thankfully for my bank balance!) 

It's good coverage, has no spf (perfect for cameras) and with the right primer/powder lasts a long time too.

Whilst it is expensive, a little goes a long way and I find applying it with a damp sponge is the best!

Do you like this?

Laura xoxo

Throwback Thursday: Bare Minerals Original Foundation

Over the last few months I've completely forgone foundation in favour of BB creams, however before I made the switch, this was definitely one of my faves. When someone asked me my opinion on it, I grabbed it out and reacquainted myself with it.

It's definitely a light coverage, but I'm perfectly happy with that. Even though it's a powder foundation it blends in really well, doesn't look cakey, and to be honest, could do with some powder half way through the day.

Whilst I'm still on my BB craze, (it's so much quicker to apply) I still have a place in my heart for this foundation.

What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Video: Top Foundations

In my quest for the perfect foundation, it's safe to say I've tried a few. This video shows you the ones that I would class as 'favourites.'

What is your top foundation?

Laura xoxo

Video: First Impression: Vichy Dermablend

Hello everyone, just thought I'd let you know I've just put a new video up!



Hope you enjoy!

Laura xoxo

Video: First Impression: Loreal Nude CC Cream

Today's video is a first impressions video, because I'm slightly obsessed with them. There is a lot I can improve on with doing this type of video, but I thought I'd still share this one, just because I want to give you my views on this product.




Have you tried this product?

Laura xoxo

Review: Bare Minerals Foundation

I'm sure I've babbled on about my love for mineral foundation a lot. I thought it was time I gave you a full review of the Bare Minerals foundation I've been loving at the moment.

Packaging is ok. Nothing revolutionary, but can be a little messy.

Colour wise, it's a perfect match, and the coverage is low, but buildable.

For a powder foundation, it doesn't leave me looking cakey nor overly powdered, and even has a slight glow to it.

It lasts ok, it's not brilliant, but I'm yet to find something that is. This is around 6-7 hours wear here.

So overall, if you want a light foundation that allows your skin to breathe, this is your guy.

Have you tried this? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Throwback Thursday: Loreal Mineral Foundation

I first got my hands on this in the summer when everyone and their mum was raving about the Laura Mercier Mineral foundation (which I still want of course.) Mineral foundation baffled me to be honest, but this well and truly floated my metaphorical boat and I wore it daily, until something else came along. (Story of my life.) However, as I mentioned in a previous post, my skin has been acting up lately (mainly due to a bad Christmas diet) so I haven't been wanting to cover my face, and this feels so light and lovely that I decided to give it a go.

As you can see it hasn't completely covered up the mass of blemishes that have taken over my face, but it has done a good enough job, and if my skin wasn't as bad, it would definitley be fine with no concealer.

It is slightly messy to apply which is the only downside, definitely don't get dressed first, but I just love the simple natural effect it gives.

As you can see, with concealer on top it is the perfect foundation, and I really feel like my skin is able to breathe under it, even though it is a powder.

I also love how it doesn't give an overly powdered look either.

Have you rediscovered anything recently?

Laura xoxo

Review: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation

Last week, I drove up to visit the ever so lovely Shen, and of course we only had one thing on our agenda. Shopping. Whilst out Shen mentioned she wanted to try the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection foundation, and I thought, hey I'll try it out too. (YOLO)

If you read my blog regularly, you may already know that I am after a long wearing foundation that stays in place all day, so I was interested to see if it lived up to the 16 hour wear claims.

I really like the packaging of this bottle. It feels like frosted glass and a pump is always good in my books. One thing I don't like is that there was no seal around it, and many of the bottles had already been used, so be careful with that.

Nothing // Just the foundation

The colour match is pretty accurate for a high street (drugstore) foundation (there are six shades to choose from), and the coverage is very much medium-high. 

Now I wasn't a massive fan of the concealer, but this foundation impressed me. I wouldn't say its my favourite ever one, but it is pretty good. I didn't feel the need to powder up my skin, but after a few hours I noticed my skin got a bit greasy round my T-Zone.

I wouldn't recommend to for dry skin as it did cling to ceartain dry areas of my face, and started collecting ever so slightly.

It lasted pretty well, but not amazingly, considering I only had it on for around 7-8 hours.

Overall I'm impressed, but not blown away with this foundation. Maybe it will be a grower, but it won't be a negative item in my collection.

Have you tried this? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Review: Dior Forever Skin Foundation

I mentioned it a post last week that I am trying to invest in some products that are going to last on me throughout the day, enter this.

Now I feel like I need to tell you the story behind this purchase before I go into the full review; I had just finished a four hour lecture (9-1) I was going into town shopping, looked in the mirror and realised whatever foundation I had used (can't remember what it was) had completely faded. So I thought, that's it, I want a good, proper foundation that will last, and this pinged into my head, and here we go. (It's amazing what just getting your student loan can do to your thinking.)

I would definitely say this foundation falls into the light - medium category, it is by no means full coverage. It does cover up my redness and few scars, but any major blemishes still need a good treating of concealer.

I like to apply this using the RT Buffing Brush, and it does give a flawless looking effect. However, it was just coming to the end of summer when I was matched, so now, I could go with going a shade down.

So this is me with full make-up on. I do like how it photographs, and how it looks in the morning, however by lunch it definitely needs a touch up. I don't know about you though, but I hate getting my powder up to touch up, I feel like I look like I try too hard? Just me?

This is how it looks towards the end of the day. Now I didn't do any touch ups, nor did I use my Urban Decay setting spray, and with the use of those, it does last longer, but honestly I expected more. So with that in mind, although it is a nice foundation, I can't justify the pennies.

Overall, it gives a decent coverage, but I maybe wouldn't recommend if you have oily or blemished skin, but it just does not live up to the 'forever' claims.

Have you tried this foundation? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Three Ways To: Apply Foundation

Before I started blogging or watching Youtube I always just used to apply my foundation with fingers. I could never work with the type of foundation brush I bought and it was just simpler that way. I then moved onto brushes, and was amazed at the flawless finish they could give, and also that a foundation brush wasn't only the flat paint brush type. Now I know that certain products need different techniques, so I thought I would share the three ways I apply foundation.

A brush is probably my favourite way to apply foundation. I just know that afterwards I will be left with a flawless finish. I also feel that using brushes give you better coverage too. Obviously a different brush will give different coverage because of it's density, for example the Real Techniques Stippling Brush will give lighter coverage than the Buffing Brush, both however are great brushes.

'scuse the dirty sponge, but I actually use it, shock horror! I love using this with my Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, and find that when using a damp sponge it makes my foundation look extremely natural and second skin like, which is a look I love. But I do find it takes longer to get the stuff on my face, so it's not an everyday technique for me.

And finally fingers. This is probably the easiest way to apply foundation to your face, but make sure you clean your hands first so no germs get onto your face. Also make sure everything is blended thoroughly to make sure you aren't left with tell tale lines.

So these are my three favourites ways to apply foundation, what are yours?

Laura xoxo

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

Today's post, surprise surprise is on the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, which I picked up last week whilst shopping with Rachel. I'd been wanting to try this foundation for a while, as I have always seen it mentioned on blogs and in youtube videos.

I love the look of the packaging, I find it very simple yet dare I say stylish? I also thought it looked like there wasn't much product in there, but there is actually more ml in this than in my Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation bottle.

The first picture is without any make-up, and the second is with just the foundation.

The colour match of this foundation is something I'm very pleased with, at the moment it is slightly light compared to the rest of my body, but that is only because I've still got a slight tan, so I know that it would be perfect in winter.

One think I dislike about this foundation is I feel it applies quite matte, whereas I was expecting a quite glowing look, however after a couple of sprtiz of my Vitamin E face mist, I find it gets rid of the original matteness. In these photos I almost look too shiny, but I promise not so much in real life.

Here is my make-up just applied. I feel like it gives decent coverage and looks quite natural. It clings slighty to dry patches, but I like the overall look it gives.

This photo was taken eight hours later, and I'm really sorry for the quality, it was late at night and was dark outside, so had to use the dreaded flash. I must say, the flash makes my face look worse, but the foundation had worn quite a bit throughout the day. I think I may need to invest in a better primer maybe?

Also, this is the same day, I had just gotten changed!

I thought I would add a final picture of me looking semi nice as I feel there were a lot of unattractive pictures in this post!

Overall I like this foundation, I prefer it to my Estee Lauder Double Wear Light, but am slightly preferable towards the Rimmel Wake Me Up. I do however want to try the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser.

Also, I still don't have my own laptop, which means I don't have the progamme I usually use to make collages etc. I also had post ideas which I had taken pictures for which are already on my laptop, so blogging is slightly difficult at the moment. But enough of my moaning. I hope this review has been helpful.

Do you like this foundation?

Laura xoxo

BB Cream Battle

Is anyone else getting slightly tired of hearing about BB Creams? This time last year I was completely clueless. I saw an advert for the Garnier one in about August, then kind of got into them. Now I'm very, well, over it. I was planning on buying some more BB Creams for this post, but honestly I just didn't see the point. I'm just not a BB girl. I can live with that. Therefore I only have three, but been as though these three have made up my mind on BB creams I thought I'd give you my opinion of them.

Also, as I tend to not wear them often, I started this post a while ago, so in the first two pictures my skin is quite bad, but it has cleared up in the last one which was taken last week. This impressed me to be honest, yes I'm impressed easily, but it shows some part of my skin care routine at least, must be working.

No 17

I used to use this daily instead of foundation. Then I didn't like the way it sat on my skin, it didn't last and overall I got fed up. It is probably the best out of all the ones I have. The colour suits me quite well, although it has a bit of a grey tinge on my skin. It gives a fair amount of coverage, and it lasts OK on my skin with powder, but there is something about it which stopped me reaching for it. And after using it for this post, I've put it back in it's draw and not touched it again. You know what they say, actions speak louder than words.

MUA

I don't want to dislike anything from MUA. They are such a good budget brand, but I just don't like this. The coverage is very little, and the colour is ok. But I could not use this for it's intended purpose. BUT I found a way to wear it that works for me, and that is as a primer/base. If you're having a very bad skin day, or need your make-up to last longer, use this as a base, and I promise you will be amazed by the result.

Garnier

The first BB cream I picked up. I really like it at first, and part of me still does, but it makes me look like I've just escaped from the Wonka Factory (I know it doesn't in this picture, but in person, trust me!) It has a gorgeous smell to it, is very creamy and does feel nice on the skin. Maybe, but only maybe, if they bought out other shades I may consider purchasing it, but again, there is something around it, which I understand that as a review on a blog post, is not entirely helpful, but still, there is something that makes me not like it.

Garnier // 17 // MUA

So they are my final thoughts on my BB Creams! I would love to know what you think, am I just being to persnickety? Do you love them? Do you hate them?

Laura xoxo

*first picture is no make-up, second is just the BB cream!

Top Three Favourite Foundations

That's right, you read the title correctly, I have gotten to the point in my blogging life where I have found three 'favourite' foundations. Now I still want Chanel Vita-Lumiere Aqua, why when it doesn't work that well with me I honestly don't know, there is just something about that little bottle, maybe when I'm rich and famous? (haha yeah right!)

Anyway, carrying on my top product theme, here they are:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light // Loreal True Match Mineral // Rimmel Wake Me Up

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light: Now this foundation has been very love hate, but I have finally found a way to wear it that I love. It gives such good coverage, is a perfect match, and lasts the whole day! Lovely!

Loreal True Match Minerals: Dare I say it? I think this is my favourite foundation, ever! Big statement I know. It is a teensy tiny bit different to my natural colour but I can live with that. But this foundation is brilliant. It isn't a heavy heavy coverage foundation, but it does give a nice medium coverage, covering up redness and spots and evening out my skin tone. The mineral form means it is quick and easy to put on, and in this heat, has SPF 15 and doesn't melt!

Rimmel Wake Me Up: I think this is the drugstore equivalent of Double Wear? Especially were hype is concerned. I finally got this in my proper shade, and I must say, I really like it. It has good coverage, lasts and is usually on offer in Asda for a fiver! Perfection!

What is your favourite foundation?

Laura xoxo

(Titles are links to full reviews :) )

Sample Showdown

Due to the overwhelming kindness I received from my Foundation Face Off post, I decided that I would further this idea in my quest for the perfect foundation (which I may have found? Check here!). Now my purse is getting rather annoyed at me for buying foundation to try, and I'm quite frankly running out of room to house these foundations,  so I decided to go on a sneaky sample spree. (I like alliteration, can you tell?) Anyway, these are the ones I've collected, and my verdict on them!

Estee Lauder - Invisible Fluid - £27 


When I first put this foundation on in the morning, the first time, I was impressed, I thought it looked rather good. It applied really well, which surprised me as the sample I got in the magazine was not the best, but I really liked it. However, in a couple of hours, it had started to fade, and after around 7 hours it had started to collect in random places on my forehead, now I'm not a scientist but from what I've read, is this due to oxidization? Or is it because of the shake formula?The second time I applied it for these photos, I was not impressed, it didn't look smooth and flawless, it looked kinda cakey, but did calm down a bit, so strange. Anyway all of this has made it a no for me!

Colour - Fine, maybe slightly too dark
Coverage - Light to medium
Longevity - Around 6-8 hours
Sample Size - Rather good - around three uses.

Chanel Vita-Lumiere Aqua - £31


So many people talk about this foundation, and I tried it when I went to get my Estee Lauder Double Wear, and didn't like it, but I thought I'd give it another go with a sample. It applied so easily, and can really be built up, but give a natural look, which I liked, however I felt like my face felt greasy after, and it didn't look right. However on my hand where I put it before using my brush, it looked fantastic, so I think that it may be my skin type (whatever that is) that it doesn't work with. That said though, I think in these photos, it photographs really well, but in real life, it doesn't look that flawless, so I won't be getting it unfortunately, but I do recommend trying to get a sample of it. However, if I become rich one day, I think I would buy it, not cause I think it's fabulous for me, just cause I really want it. (I promise I'm not crazy! But for some reason I really want it!!!)

Colour - Great
Coverage - Light to medium, but build-able
Longevity - Only around 3-4 hours, which makes me think it's my skin type.
Sample Size - Average - two wears.

Benefit Hello Flawless - £24.50

This foundation has so much buzz around it, and I'm kind of left asking why? I think it's an ok foundation, and if it was on the highstreet/drugstore I wouldn't grumble as much, but it did just not like my skin tone. I was first matched to Honey which was just too orange for me and the Ivory colour was much better, but I think it was just a bit too light coverage, and hardly lasted on my skin at all, which is such a shame as I love Benefit and think their campaigns and products are gorgeous, it's just not for me.

Colour - Ok, still a bit too warm for me.

Coverage - Light 

Longevity - Not very, around 4 hoursish.
Sample Size - Good - I've only used it once but will definitely get a least one more out of it.

Diorskin Forever - £31 
This is definitely my favourite out of the four. It applied so smoothly and blended like a dream. It is pretty medium coverage leaning towards the light, but it feels soft on your skin, and when feeling my skin it felt so lovely, strangely it probably looks the worst from photos though. Unfortunately I'm not swayed to buy it, as it is slightly the wrong colour for me (only slightly, but for this money, I want an exact match!) and it didn't last 'forever.' By the end of the day it had worn off slightly, not as bad as the others, but it had, which again, is probably my skin as the woman at the counter was like, 'make sure you double cleanse' as it sticks around a lot. Ah well, if this was a highstreet/drugstore foundation, I'd get it within a heartbeat, but for this price, no thank you. Shame really!

Colour - Good, but still not perfect (which you can't tell in the main picture)

Coverage - Medium

Longevity - 8 hoursish
Sample Size - Average - around two

There are so many more foundations I want to try out there, but I kind of feel really awkward asking for samples. Many of the women at the stands were lovely, but some you could tell were thinking, go away cheapskate, especially if you didn't stay for a full makeover and buy a product, do you find this?

I feel the need to add that everyone has a different skin tone, and just because none of these particularly worked for me, doesn't mean they won't work for you. I have:
*an oily T-zone and dry cheeks with numerous blemishes and scars.
*I am rather pale, but do have a lot of redness too.


I also want to say that never go from pictures on a blog, try and get hold of things yourself. Different lighting etc can effect how things look in real life, sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse. I think that needs to be kept in mind.

So what do you think about getting samples? Are you a wuss like me, or a confident Connie?

Laura xoxo

*I didn't buy any of these samples. First picture is just moisturiser/primer, second is just foundation and large is a full face of make-up!