L'Oreal Infallible 24h Matte Foundation

First things first - this stuff is amazing. I have the shade 11 vanilla and it costs £7. This little tube of goodness is an amazing drugstore base. It's a good Double Wear dupe but in my opinion has a little less coverage and just a little less longevity but for 1/5 of the price who's complaining?! I love the packaging - no fuss and perfect for traveling. I apply this with my Real Techniques buffing brush and it goes on like a dream. Not really sure what else to say without sounding like I want to marry it. I'm a foundation whore so I know I'll be purchasing all the other new releases (I won't deny it anymore) and still know that Double Wear & Silk Creme are my ultimate's but this is just a dream for work when sitting at a desk all day doesn't deserve a £30 product covering your face.

Georgina x.

I finally own Estee Lauder Double Wear

I have no idea why it has taken me so long to buy this foundation. I picked it up in shade 2N1 Desert Beige which works very well for my skin tone. I've read so much about it and as a woman who seems to be on a mission to end the day with the face she started it with it seemed like a natural connection. On first application I adored it - especially when I came home and my blemished skin was still covered with not a single cover up. I was so impressed I declared my love here on instagram.  

I then bought myself a little pump on eBay - it was only £4 (I can't find my link so I won't post one but they're easily available. 

I think I then fell in love a little more as a foundation without a pump isn't my friend. I still love this foundation - I can't wear it everyday as it's damn hard work. I want to wake up and stay in bed for the longest time possible contemplating getting cold and dressed - this means getting ready has to take as little time as possible. This foundation is amazing and for amazing you have to work a little harder. My Laura Mercier Silk Creme blends effortlessly and seamlessly into the skin I find this takes a little more effort. I've tried my fingers, the real techniques buffing brush, the real techniques foundation brush and the everyday base brush. The real techniques buffing brush gives me the best finish but it still takes a good buff and blend to get a flawless base. 

I think that's fair though as come the end of the day that full coverage flawless base is still there. It's never going to be my everyday base but if I'm having a bad skin day, a night out or I want to spend a little time putting on my face at the weekend this is the one. It comes in at £29.50 which I think is more than reasonable for a high end high performing foundation. I know a lot of girls say mascara is there number one. For me it's a good foundation - I've learnt it's the one thing to spend a little money on if you find one you love.

Georgina x.

Warning - I'd recommend serious or double cleansing when taking this bad boy off a drunken night leaving a trace of this on clogged all my pores and left me with a sad face.

Maybelline Better Skin: Foundation & Concealer Review

Foundation on left and concealer on right 

I'm always looking to improve my skin and what better way to do so than through a foundation with such qualities. I think we always look to clogged skin stemming from the makeup we put on our skin so the idea of a product going against this immediately caught my eye. I picked up shade ivory which was a good match for my skintone and concealer shade light which again was a good match and a nice partnership of shades.

Foundation: I'll start with the less favorable review which is the foundation. I like the formula and finish of this foundation it left a nice natural look to the skin that wasn't too dewy but had a nice glowing boost to it. Unfortunately this foundation just doesn't last on me I found it literally slipped off the skin by midday. It's such a shame and I've tried all my primers to try and find a match but it just didn't work out for me. In terms of the 'clear skin' claims it's not a heavy foundation at all so didn't cause my any blemishes however I'm not sure it did anything favourable either. There's a lot of barriers between my skin and my foundation now - serum, moisturiser, primer that I can't really comment if it could directly 'better' my skin. It is however super light and natural in its application so goes give the look of 'better skin.'

Concealer: I really do like this concealer! For me this is the perfect touch up concealer it blends effortlessly into any makeup I have on and can be quickly dabbed over red marks or blemishes and then blends out really quickly. I found this gave good coverage and a small amount covered the reddest blemishes I have. It's firmly staying in my handbag makeup bag as the shade is perfect for my right now. I don't think this has many 'better skin' qualities at all as again it doesn't make any noticeable differences to blemishes or pigmentation of the skin but it is a nice little concealer. Again it does however give you the illusion of better skin after application.

The foundation comes in 8 shades and is £8.99 - The concealer comes in 2 shades and is £5.99.

Make Up Clear Out: Face & Base

My Ikea Helmer has been going strong since July in 2012 - I still love it ever so much but it has somehow become far less organised and a lot less easy to close. I realised there was a lot of product in there that was too old to use - a lot that I'd never used and probably never will and shamefully alot of products that were empty. I have three of these posts altogether splitting my entire make-up collection up.

Empties: 

I've used up L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau de Teint and it's time to just let go. I keep trying to shake one more application out of this but it's definitely empty and I need to just admit it. I will be repurchasing this when the weather warms up a bit as I really loved using it. 

Too old to use: 

Shamefully I found this No7 High Lights illuminating lotion at the back of a drawer - this huge bottle of highlighter is so so old. They don't even sell it anymore and I think it was one of the first beauty products I ever bought years and years ago. I knew it wasn't a good thing to be putting on my skin anymore and threw it away but to be fair you would never had told how old it was on application it's held up ever so well over the years. It's a massive Benefit High Beam dupe and cost something like £8 when I bought it which for such a huge amount of product was an absolute bargain. 

I'll never use again: 

There's lots of cheap products in here that I've been lured into buying over the years. I've really learnt buying cheap foundation does not work out so knew it was time to just through this lot out. MUA 'BB cream' is horribly thick for and just didn't blend into my skin. The Technic foundation oxidized quite badly on my skin and again just didn't have a nice finish or texture. The Nivea tinted moisturiser is ok for what it is but has never found it's place within my make-up routine so it was time for it to go. The technic concealer palette and primer again never found their place - I have so many more products that will always take priority over these that they just never get used. The ELF pressed powder was just orange and has never been used apart from for testing then washing straight off. Finally the maybelline and natural collection concealers just don't suit my skin tone anymore I bought these when I loved a facial fake tan but they are way to dark for my paler complexion.

It was so therapeutic going through my collection and my drawers are so much neater now it also made me rediscover some little gems that I'd forgotten about that will feature in an upcoming post.

Korres Ginger & Vitamins Foundation - Review

I'm a big fan of everything I've tried by Korres (lipbutter and showergel) so I couldn't resist throwing a few bargainous make-up items in my recent fragrance direct haul. I picked up shade LF1 for only £3.99 and didn't really have any expectations as I haven't read much at all about this foundation. 

I normally pick up medium to high coverage foundations so this is very different for me. Firstly I love the packaging of this foundation nothing better than a light plastic tube in my opinion. I apply this with either my real techniques buffing brush or just my fingers. This is super light coverage and really just evens out skintone. I find it gives a gorgeous glow to my skin and makes my complexion look really healthy. As I continue to perfect my skincare routine in time for a much lighter make-up look in the summer I know this will definitely be my foundation of choice. Highly recommend giving this a go if you like light coverage foundation especially as it's currently so cheap on Fragrance Direct. 

L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint - 110 Warm Ivory

L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint - 110 Warm Ivory - RRP £9.99 (Currently £7 everywhere) Boots

I didn't intend to purchase this a few weeks ago but when I was in Boots the pretty little POS caught my eye and it ended up in my basket - I'm a marketer's dream. Nude Magique Eau De Teint (what a mouthful) claims to be lighter than water, completely non greasy with a zero make up feel. I thought this would be perfect for my holiday as in the Turkish heat I definitely didn't want anything too heavy for my skin. It comes in a glass bottle which is described as 'perfume like' to apply it says you need to tip it onto your finger then blend. I will admit this took me a lot of getting used it and even after 3 or 4 applications I didn't like the method. It's so runny you can't put it onto the back of your hand to apply so I decanted some into a little round pot and then lightly dropped in my Real Techniques buffing brush to apply.

This worked a lot better for me - again took some getting used to as it's so runny a tiny bit will blend all over your face. I found it gave a really light coverage that evened out my skin tone a little but didn't give me the coverage I look for when it comes to blemishes and problem area's. The best part of this for me is that warm ivory is my perfect shade as its so light it blended into my natural skin tone effortlessly. 

Overall I liked this on holiday as I wanted a light foundation to just act as a base and the SPF 18 was perfect for the Turkish sun. However I really couldn't get on with the feel of it - it's just too runny, I don't think I ever wanted a foundation to be as wet as this so it hasn't really ticked any boxes as to it being the revolutionary foundation I needed in my life. I really think they should have bought this out much earlier in the year as it's definitely a summer base - I need something much more substantial to take me through the winter months. 

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation Medium Ivory

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation - Medium Ivory £33 John Lewis House of Fraser

I'm definitely a drugstore makeup kind of girl but over the last few months I've been umming and aaaahing over spending a bit of money on a decent foundation. If I was going to buy anything high end foundation was going to be it - I think it makes such a difference to the rest of your makeup to have a decent base. It took me ages to decide which to buy I've been swatching in stores for literally months. I nearly went double wear but decided it was just a bit much for my skin, I nearly bought all of the foundations however when it came down to it I chose the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation because of all the blogs I read I think Kate from Gh0stparties and Tanya Burr have the most amazing finish to their makeup and both raved about this foundation. 

So onto the foundation when I first got this I applied it with my fingers as that's always what has worked best for me and past foundations. I wasn't really amazed I loved the colour - it matches my skin perfectly but it didn't wow me. Then I tried it with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and that changed everything. I never thought the application would have made such a difference but it really took me and this foundation into a full blown love affair. It is expensive nearly £1 for every milliliter but you hardly need any at all as its so pigmented and it covers so well. It covers up all my horrible red pigmentation and the blemishes I currently have around my mouth. It lasts pretty much all day and when it does wear it wears really evenly. It's super soft to touch and is the leaves such a lovely healthy finish. I'm wearing it above with a little bit of concealer but no powder at all. 

  

I'm so happy I decided to just go for it and spend a little more on a decent foundation it's making having a simpler makeup look so much more effortless. I'm trying to mix up the products I use at the moment but I haven't used any other foundations since I bought this which says something as I'm usually so fickle with foundations. 

Revlon Nearly Naked 150 Nude

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation £8.99 Boots 

I bought Revlon Nearly Naked partly because of the many raving reviews (sucker for the hype) I've read about it and secondly because I was in the market for a lighter summer time finish. At first I was a little disappointed this didn't come with a pump - I'd much rather pay a little more to have the ease of a pump dispenser. However dispite that I've fallen a little in love with this foundation. Shade 150 blends effortlessly into my skin tone and is a dream to apply. It gives a finish that is somewhere between matte and dewy and is the perfect 'no make-up' look foundation. 

It lasts reasonably well and see's out the 9-5 day with only a few concealer touch ups needed on blemishes and red marks - applying powder does help see out the day a little more of course. It evens out the skin tone but still lets the natural pigmentation of your skin show through which gives a lovely finish for the summer. Overall I'm super impressed with this high street foundation the shade is perfect for me and the finish is just what I'm after. Revlon as a brand has really impressed me recently I often skip past their offerings as they've always had a bit of a mumsy brand image in my opinoin (probably because I always rembember my mum's make-up bag being full of Revlon) which is maybe a sign that the quality really is there. So glad I gave this foundation a go - I do still wish it had a pump as I find I end up wasting a lot of product because too much goes onto my hand for application however I am getting used to it and I will get over it. Saying that though if they did begin a release with a pump I would be super excited. 

With Love, Georgina x

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation - £10.99 Superdrug

I'm pretty fickle when it comes to foundation and always have quite a few on the go partly because my skin colour is always changing and partly because I'm a make up whore and always want to buy more. I picked up shade 51 which is the lightest offering I could find in boots. It's perfect for my skin without any tan as shown above. It smells gorgeous and has a lovely gel formula that glides onto the skin and gives a slightly dewy finish. My favourite thing about this foundation is how long it lasts for it stays intact throughout the day and I only need a small bit of concealer for it to take me into the evening. It's a really lovely high street foundation and I can't really fault it. The pump applicator is perfect in foundations and I think this will now stay solidly in my collection for pale days. It gives really good coverage for me and I only need the smallest amount of foundation for blemishes. I know they've had a little rebrand since my purchase too the radiance reveal healthy mix serum foundation which from reading reviews sounds pretty similar apart from the packaging and hopefully when I repurchase it isn't different from this formula as I love it. 

Maybelline Fit Me! Range Review

I've been pretty loyal Rimmel Wake Me Up for the last few bottles of foundation but when I saw this new range from Maybelline I of course bought it all. Firstly the packaging is lovely - it's super sleek and could easily be mistaken for high end NARS products. What I also loved about it is there was the most useful POS card next to it that made buying these products simple and stress free. I'm not sure about anyone else but I for one tend to stick to the same skin products just through finding a shade that suits my skin. I've gone through many bottles of foundation where under the harsh store lights it's looked perfect but in the cold light of day doesn't match my skin at all. 

Next to the range (I bought mine in Tesco) was a card showing which shades suit - light, medium and dark skin. It was also broken down into whether you had a pink undertone or yellow undertone. This made picking out the right shades so easy and on swatching the tones that the card suggested meant I wasn't left with a hand of foundation unsure as to what any of the swatches actually were. 

I'm currently laying off the fake tan so went for shades 

Foundation 120

Pressed Powder 120 

Concealer 10 

Foundation

I really like this foundation it glides on well and doesn't sit in any dry patches. It gives a very natural dewy finish without being overly glowy and matches my skin tone perfectly. It's quite runny in consistency but gives a really good medium coverage which can be built up to be pretty much full coverage. It lasts so well and I still have good coverage after a full day at work.

Pressed Powder

I'm not a huge powder fan but I wanted the whole range so gave this a go. I found that for a powder it sat well on my skin and was perfect for touch ups if I was heading out from work. It set my make-up well and when buffed in gave a really nice finish. I have quite dry skin so usually powders go patchy on my skin but this goes on pretty flawlessly and doesn't make my skin look cakey. 

Concealer

A lot thicker than the foundation in this range I really like the concealer, it covers any blemishes and also brightens my eyes really well too. It doesn't do anything revolutionary in my opinion but it is a very good concealer. 

I'm really happy with this range and have been using it non-stop since I bought it. It suits my skin really well and looks lovely. I can't find it anywhere online but I have seen it in most supermarkets I got all of mine in Tesco. 

Has anyone else tried the Maybelline Fit Me range? 

Rimmel - Wake Me Up

I'm sure most people have seen the hundreds of adverts filling this months magazine's and the television campaign showing Kate Moss' flawless face. I really need to splurge out and buy a new foundation but I'm still torn in a MAC, Estee Lauder, Smashbox triangle. My clinique super moisture is coming to the end of its life so I'm trying to just use it for better occasions whilst I search for my next buy. 

So after being drawn in by this new foundation from Rimmel partly due to many samples in magazines that were actually the right shade (so strange) and also the fact that this was on offer in boots for £5.99 I thought it was a good buy. (RRP £8.99 normally)

It claims to be anti-fatique and give a radiant glow. I hate it when foundations write 'anti-fatique' on them because all foundations make you look less tired simply due to the nature of what they are. I've never used a foundation that doesn't not do this so I always think it's a little pointless. However it does have a lovely glow to it I love the dewy look so this gives a nice finish. 

It's a medium coverage foundation and the downside to this for me that even after playing around with primers it just seems to fall off my face by the middle of the day. Leaving work I look like I had no foundation on. It's good if you have time to retouch or you just want a light dewy effect foundation for a few hours or event however for me it just didn't last for a full day like I need. But I guess that's the kind of thing you get with lower priced foundations. It definitely works for the interim though whilst my skin isn't perfect and I'm choosing which brand to go with next. 

If anyone has any foundation recommendations I would love to hear them as it's proving very hard to choose!