Foundation review - Bourjois Healthy Mix

Hi guys,

I am here today with my thoughts on the oh-so popular Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation.

Let me start by saying that I resisted the hype for ages - the other reviews were so positive I assumed it had to all be lies. How could nearly everyone love this product so much? It honestly made me suspicious and admittedly I've never seriously considered Bourjois as a make up brand I could use on my face so I was just full of negativeness and resistance.

Well well well, I eat my words and negative thoughts. This is good stuff. Good like, the photo is an image of my second bottle!! Now, anytime an item is repurchased is proof enough that it is great, and when a blogger  repurchases (ok, no one read mine but I do like to try new stuff even if it means having to move away from a great product) that is the ultimate sign of greatness.

I got this from Boots and it's around £9.99 (and it is on promotion right now, buy one Bourjois product and get the second one 1/2 price - just saying!). I got the shade 54 - beige (both times).

Healthy Mix gives a great finish - light but with medium coverage and it fades down evenly so you're not left looking dry and patchy. The bottle says something about 16hours - that is a lie, but it does last around 7 hours so enough to get you through most of the working day. I just touch up my blemishes.red areas before I go home per usual.

It is really easy to work with and blend out - it isn't overly liquidy but it isn't too thick either. If you were new to applying foundation this would be a good place to start as it's consistency does give you plenty of time to work with.

The reason why I said at the beginning that I didn't consider Bourjois as a brand for me* is because I was worried they're face products would break me out. I have no idea why I thought like this, but I did. My lost! I am pleased to report that after two bottles this did not cause me any redness or break outs so bravo Bourjois.

(*That being said, regular readers will know that I absolutely love love love their mascaras! And my mum seems to love the and brand  has gifted me with a few blush pot things (not a love) and a few eye shadow palettes - massive love!)

Anyway, let's talk about the shade. This is extremely subjective but a) not impressed with the shade range generally - naughty naughty bourjois!) shade 54 is probably a smidgen smidgen smidgen bit too light for me but nothing noticeable. Let's be realistic, I always have this problem and for a tenner I'm not too bothered at all.

I usually end with - would I recommend/repurchase and I think it is quite obviously that I would say YES and YES!

I won't repurchase a 3rd bottle just because I do need to eventually move on and try new stuff, but I admit I am already sad about having to move on. Bourjois Healthy Mix - you made me eat my words, but you have proved trusty and true!

Honestly, if you are looking for a new everyday foundation to try out - try this!!

xoxo

Foundation Review - Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation

Hi Guys :)

Here are my thoughts on Maybelline's SuperStay Better Skin Foundation.

Readily available in drugstores and costs around £8.99 for 30ml.

Previous to this I was using Loreal's Infalliable 24h foundation (which I have reviewed).

I chose Better Skin as my next foundation as it claims to be long lasting and seemed a decent consistency when I swatched it in store. With regards to the Better Skin claims - let us all be realistic here - who would actually believe that claim? If there was a foundation which could actually physically make your skin better, do you think it would come from Maybelline (no offense!) and be sold for under a tenner? Spoiler alert - no, my skin did not miraculously

Colour wise - as always with a drugstore foundation, colour matching is a tough job. I went for the shade SAND. This shade was a bit too light on me but the shade darker was too orange. It was not too bad with a smidge of bronzer dusted all over my face.

When I first used this I was really impressed. It blended in well - was not too thick or too wet and worked well with my Real Technique's expert face brush. It also lasted a decent amount of time. It isn't what I would call heavy duty but this medium coverage foundation definitely saw me through 8ish hours. And importantly, it wore off very evenly so I was not left patchy.

I was not too keen on the finish - it is suppose to give you a flawless finish but I found it a bit too...flat? To be fair, this could be because the shade was too light but I felt slightly grandma at times. On the other hand it did cover my blemishes and my redness well, but at times it could gather a bit on dryer areas of the face. (That bit between my eyebrows can get a bit dry for some reason...just me?)

So.........I would say this is a decent everyday foundation. It isn't one I'd grab for an important occasion where I need to be looking damn fine, but for going to and from work it does the job. Wouldn't repurchase it just because it is a bit blah. No wow.

Have you used this? What do you think?

xoxo

(Side note - Hello! OMG! So I said I would be back and I am here so yay? But absolutely gutted/p*ssed off cos during my absense I was taking a ton of product and swatch pics and then when I upgraded to IOS 8 (or whatever) I lost all my shizz. And I did back up and transfer my pics prior to the update but..........no pics. I don't know where da fuq my pics are but rather than dwell too much I've tried my best to retake some sort of blog pics. So apologies in advance for all the dutty and half used product pics coming your way. This is real life dude! ..........Kisses x)

Mini drugstore haul + Loreal Infallible 24h foundation review

Hi Guys!

Picked up some stuff at Boots and Superdrug the other day.

First up is the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - if you tink you've seen this here before you are right. This is my second brush. I loved it so much that I had to get another one. I use this every day to apply my foundation. I love how dense it is and its so easy to use. It washes beautifully. I keep one on my vanity and one in my handbag. (rrp £9.99 but I got mine as part of Boots 3 for 2 promo).

At the moment I'm using Loreal's True Match and since it hasn't broke me out I thought I'd give another Loreal foundation a go.

In all honesty I meant to pick up Infallible 16h but picked up Infallible 24h instead but its all god in the hood. I got mine in shade 140, Golden Beige.

RRP around £9.99 but again, mine was part of the 3 for 2 promo (third and free item is not shown here...picked up Falsies mascara, review to come once I use it!)

Back to the foundation:

It's slighty thicker than True Match and I much prefer this consistency. It's a medium to full coverage I say and it blends really well. It looks great on my skin when 'i first put it on: not cakey, not too matte but not shiny.

However, considering its called Infallible 24h I'm not too impressed with its staying power. The positive point is that it fades well and isn't patchy, but the negative point is that it wears off toooooo quickly. The (slightly) warmer weather probably isn't helping but  this stuff just vanishes off my face I feel.

I like this and don't regret giving it a go but definitely won't be repurchasing this. If you are less sweaty/oily maybe this will work for you?

On that note, would anyone recommend I still try Infallbile 16h? 

Random purchase but it was on clearance for £1.75 at Superdrugs. If you can still get your hands on this I would definitely recommend this night cream.

I have used Superdrug's Optimum line before and its so so but this Line Decrease night cream is like heaven. So smooth on the skin and leaves my face feeling plump and hydrated when I wake up.

Due to the clearance price I assume they are discontinuing this product and I can't imagine why. I wish I had picked up more when I had the chance!

Review - Loreal True Match foundation in Golden Natural

Hi Guys,

Can't remember if I mentioned it before but I picked up Loreal's True Match foundation during Boots' previous 3 for 2 beauty promotion (FYI the promotion is running right now up until May!).

I've heard a lot of good things about the True Match foundation so thought I would give it a go. 

This was around the £10 price point, which seems to be the average for drug store foundations these days.

I went for shade W4 Golden Natural. I spent ages swatching but of course I came out with a shade that is slightly too light for me. It's so difficult to see properly in store, and I always feel like the security guard thinks I'm planning to stick the entire display into my handbag so I end up panicking. But I must say there was a good colour range, and I like that they split it into warm (W) neutral (N), and cool (C).  Once I have my contour done I think it looks ok.

First thing I noticed when I used this was how liquidy the foundation was. For example, when you dispense something like Revlon's colorstay or Estee Lauder's Doublewear you know that it's going to be full coverage cos the foundation is so thick and heavy. True Match on the otherhand is like.....melted icecream. When I pump a generous amount onto the back of my hand I have to be careful otherwise it'll be running down my arm or worse onto the carpet.

However, I have been using True Match for a couple of weeks now and I really like. In my opinion it is not a full coverage foundation but it's definitely gives better coverage than a bb cream or very light foundation. I notice that the poeple who say this is a medium to full coverage foundation are people who have been blessed with skin that doesn't need hardly any foundation at all!

Recently my skin has been in good condition (for me) and I find this gives me a nice coverage without looking like a mask and it feels so nice. It's not matt but it's not dewy either. Kind of a satin finish maybe? Smooooooooooth. But if I was having a bad skin day I don't think this would cut the mustard especially taking into account that I'm not much of a concealer user - I prefer the foundation to do all the work. Lazy).

How does this wear? This is the first new foundation I've tried since my new job and all the fun commuting so at the beginning I was like, "aaarrrghhhh my fasce is melting!!! MOFO!" but now I know that I am melting because I hate public transport. Yes, a heavier foundation might wear a bit better, but it also means your face feels tight asnd heavy and there's a danger of cracks appearing when you smile. Despite the sweating (sorry to keep talking about being sweaty, but forreals I'm drenched in sweat by the time I get to work)! my face looks pretty good by the time I get to my desk. Still smooth and bright (radiant?). In my experience this isn't a long wearing foundation, maybe 6 hours, but it does fade very evenly, which makes reapplying whatever afterwards very easy (I use my kiko foundation stick before I leave work).

I love the look and feel of this foundation, I just wish it lasted better. It hasn't broken me out so I am tempted to try one of the Loreal Infalliable foundations next. I like the True Match enough that I am tempted to repurchase and try a better colour match, but for the sake of the blog I will give a different product a go.

Have you given True Match a go? Was it your true match or more of a fling?

Rimmel Match Perfection foundation review

Hi Guys

This is another foundation that my mum has given to me.

As with the Wake me up foundation the shade is one too light but fine with bronzer. It is supose to have magic stuff in it to make it a flawless finish but personally I never believe in the PR bullshit. The only way your face will look flawless is if you already have 9% flawless skin. So far it does not seem to be reacting badly with my skin.

For the price point it is a good foundation but I haven't fallen in love with it.  The coverage is an ok medium but I find the product quite liquidy...not as thick as the wake me up foundation. It does have a nice finish - neither dewy or matt - a nice in between. 

I think that this foundation is a 7/10 - I think the problem is me! I have some sort of ideal in my head and this just doesn't meet it, but it's definitely ok and I' happy to use this as my current everyday work foundation.

Have you tried this? Any other high street foundation recommendations?

Rimmel Wake me up foundation review

Hi Guys!

My mum has become a youtube addict. Addicted to beauty gurus to be exact. I have no idea where this has come from - prior to this she only wore make up at my graduation. As a result of her new found hobby she has purchased a few make up bits and pieces but inevitably she gets bored of them (since she doesn't wear make up duh!!!) and I get the hand me downs - for which I am really grateful.

Ok that was a long spiel. Basically, my mum gave me this foundation - Rimmel's Wake Me Up (shade 201 classic beige). I won't talk about shade too much as obviously this was for my mum's skin tone but actually it's not too off from me, maybe one shade too light, but nothing a lot of bronzer and shizzle won't fix!

Ok - so what do I think of the foundation?

I don't like it for one main reason - it broke me out really bad within a week - left me with horrid red and painful (ooooowwwwwww) bumps all over my face. So yeah, that's a bit crap.

Aside from that, it was an ok foundation for the price point. Buildable to a good medium coverage, lasts the working day with touch ups, not a cakey finish. I didn't like the shimmer shimmer but I think for other people that's part of the selling point.

If this hadn't broke me out I wouldn't have repuchased anyway but I would have happily finished off the bottle. (And since we're on the subject - I love the bottle, pump and lid.)

Have any of you tried this? Anyone have a bad reaction?

New make up brushes! Ebay real technique dupes!

Hello hello!

So a few weeks ago I picked up a couple of Real Techniques brushes and i did like them. I was considering picking up the Core Collection but couldn't really justify the price. Whilst I was online browsing reviews to see if it would be worth it I came across a post about some dupe real technique make up brushes available off eBay. And then I googled dupe real technique brushes and read a few good reviews. Got myself on eBay and aftering a bit of umming and arring and tok the plunge and purchased 3 of the brushes. 

The seller I went with was bg4acf and I got my package in 2 weeks - whichis bloody amaxing considering it came from Hong Kong. Postange and packaging was free, and the brushes were £1.87 each. Yes, £1.87! I went with the brushes 01, 02 and 04. (OMG I just checked eBay and they are only £1.84 now lol)

I washed them before I used them and they washed and dried well. I used the stipple brush to put on foundation and I liked it - not super dense but dense enough to make application smooth and easy. I used the contour brush to...contour (perfect size), really nice quality. The other brush is like the expert face brush which I already have but I did dab it around my face to give it a bit of a road test and I like it - none of them are scratchy by the way, and I've not noticed any shedding.

I cannot believe the price I paid and would recommend it - tempted to get even more just for the sake of it!

Real Techniques: blush brush and expert face brush

Hi Guys!

Quite obvious from the title and picture but I finally got myself a couple f real technique make up brushes!

Boots had a buy one get one half price deal going on so I grabbed these two. I wanted the core collection set but I think I'll put that on my birthday/xmas wish list :)

I've been having problems with my foundation (revlon colorstay) - I'm finding it so dry and hard to apply, so I thought I'd give the expert face brush a try since everyone raves about it so much. How is it? It's ok. I think it's amazing for the price but if I won the lottery, I would definitely give other brushes a go - this is not my holy grail. I must say that I love the actual brush style/shape(?) - I've used either a traditional foundation brush and stippling brush to apply liquid foundation (on a day to day basis I prefer my fingers) but I do like this rounded/flat (can it be both?) brush.

Ok - so blush brush - to be honest I kinda picked this cos I wanted something of a similar price to make the most of the deal. I've used it everyday since I got it probbaly more out of the novelty of having something new and because by coincidence my mum gave me a blush palette (post to follow).

I gotta say this though - best thing about these brushes - drying time!!! I've had these 6 days and I've washed these 3 times because it's so easy and they dry so so so quick!!! And no shedding. Very impressive.

Review: Revlon Colorstay foundation

Hi guys!

Just wanted to let you know what I think about Revlon Colorstay foundation.

I have 3 shades/2 formulations: 

The first Colorstay I tried out was 320 True Beige in the normal/dry skin formulation. I got this ages ago (2012?...maybe 2011?!) but I've only been using it for a few months. I really liked the coverage and staying power but the colour match was not good. Colorstay oxidises on me very very badly - this shade is dark for me regardless but after about 4 hours, I'm an Oompa Loompa. Scrap that - even an Oompa Loompa would think I was too orange!!! 

Also, skin wise I've come to the conclusion that I don't have dry skin (I'm just dry at my damaged nose area); the majority of my face is normal-ish. This revelation has changed my life (well...it's changed the type of stuff I put on my face).

So anyway, I liked this but I needed a slightly lighter shade and whilst I was looking I thought I'd try out the combination/oily skin type.

First stop was Boots and Superdrugs to try to find a colour match. Can I just say that the cleanliness and overall display quality of drugstore makeup stations are utterly appalling. Disgusting. I'm sure you can catch something deadly from the testers. 

Long story short, there wasn't much of a shade range in stores but I knew from online research that Revlon foundations come in a relatively fantastic shade range. So I decided to colour match myself to a mac foundation using my Estée Lauder's double wear match (in tawny FYI) as I very recently got matched  in store. My dodgy research told me I was probably around the 35-40 mark and interestingly enough that gave me a colorstay match of true beige as the darkest. So I was on the right track I felt.

I have shade Golden Beige in Revlon Photoready and it was too light for me but reviews said that Photoready and Colorstay shades weren't the same (despite using the same names) so I decided that I'd go for this, since if it was too light I could mix it with True Beige.

But then! I realised that in the USA they had a shade 310 Warm Golden. Smack bang between 300 Golden Beige and 320 True beige. Now how do I get my hand on this 'special' shade?

Some retailers were selling Warm Golden for £17-21!!!!! (In the UK Colorstay rrp is £12-13 - and I always buy foundation when it's on offer eg 3 for 2.

I was about to lose hope but then an eBay miracle happened. A lady was selling golden beige and warm golden!!! I entered into a bidding war and slayed all my enemies. Best feeling. (Each was sold separately - total for both was £13 inc p+p - bargain!!!)

So - do I like it? Yes! I won't go on about shade anymore but I'm loving the formulation of the combination/oily skin.

Coverage - great coverage. Covers all my red bits and gives a nice even finish. 

Finish - nice and matte but doesn't leave me looking like I'm wearing a mask. And it doesn't feel tight and heavy. It's probably heavy for some people but this is a full coverage foundation so what do you expect?! Wears really nicely throughout the day. 

Oil control - Does control my oil so it was worth switching formulas. Doesn't leave me totally oil free and I do need to blot but my face is definitely less melty lol I can't make a comparison with any other foundation as I've always gone for dry skin types before.

Lasting power - this says "wears for up to 24 hours". I've never worn my make up for 24 hours but I would say definitely great for a 9-12 hour working day, and pretty fantastic for 16 hours.

I'm really happy with my choice of product and for the price this might potentially be my forever foundation. Very tempted to bulk buy but trying to remain calm and sensible!

Have you tried this? Do you like it? Any recommendations?

Let's have some face time

Hi Guys!

A post about some boring face stuff.

Almost out of my current eye cream (Avon's Anew Clinical Eye Lift) and was on the market for a cheaper eye cream (both the Avon and my usual Clinique are around the £20 mark) so I picked this up from Boots, 2 for £4!!!

It's just your bog average eye cream with spf15. And I love it! It's moisturising and doesn't sting. Been using this for about a week and very tempted to buy another 1340295693 tubes. Any product which awakens my bulk buy mentality is all good to me!

I've been wanting to use up my random products so I'm back on the BB cream but as you know colour match isn't great so I have to mix it with a (much) darker foundation. The above is the colour 'caramel'.

I just stick a few blobs on my hand and mix and ta da!

Erm, that's about it really. But had to share the eye cream with you. Share the love and all that :)

Natural Collection (mini) Haul

Hi Guys,

As I mentioned in the last post (matte notd) its 3 for 2 at Boots so I also got some other bits and bobs.

Natural collection is Boots cheapy brand of make up and all items cost less then £2 and they usually have a 3 for £5 offer on, but with the 3 for 2 promo going on I got all 3 products [pictured above] for £3.98!!!!!!!

I got a colour foundation in almond rrp £1.99. I am not expecting much from this coverage wise; not even sure if the colour is a decent match cos the security guard was stalking me (hate it!) but I thought that I would keep this in my make up bag or at my workstation for any unexpected touch ups. All I hope is that it (and the rest) doesn't break me out!

This blusher is the reason why I was browsing the natural collection section - this is one of the products beauty bloggers are raving about so I had to be my usual sheep self and get my hands on one too!!

It is a blusher in shade "pink cloud" and rrp is £1.99. Erm, I'm not too sure what to say apart from it's a pretty pink and for £1.99 its good but staying power isn't great but you get what you paid for.

[Above - swatch with no flash]

[Below - swatch with flash]

And lastly, the product I'm most excited about. Basically, for blemishes (aka the craters on my face!) I use Clinique's concealer in 04/medium ('line smooth concealer' rrp £14) which is actually for concealing lines and wrinkles but I find the consistency perfect for truly fugly spots but I'm literally scraping the bottom of the barrel and would be happy to repurchase bar the price so I thought that for £1.99 I can risk trying this out and then if I do end up having to repurchase I haven't really wasted any money.

So I haven't actually put it on properly yet but so far my swatches seem good. [Below] the left swatch is natural collection in medium and right swatch is clinique. As you can see the natural collection concealer is slighty lighter which isnt ideal because clinique's was as perfect a match as you could wish for BUT since winter is fast approaching the slightly lighter natural collection should be fine. Plus once foundation and powder is on and blend blend blend no one will no the difference.

So all in all I am really happy with my £3.98 haul lol

Have you tried natural collection? Any recommendations?

BB creams

For a while now I've been interested in delving into the world of 'bb creams' (amongst others, bb can stand for blemish balm).

It's suppose to give amazing coverage as well as working magic on your skin. The formula was originally developed to help laser surgery patients heal better, and then it became popular in SE Asia and it is slowly reaching here. MAC America/Europe are supposedly launching their own BB cream on these shores soon (I differentiate between MAC SE Asia and MAC America/Europe because MAC have already got BB creams selling over the East Side.)

There's loads of BB cream available online and it's no means hard getting a hold of this stuff - the problem is a) choosing the right shade b) knowing which are good brands and worries along those lines.

My mum went to Thailand and on my request bought back a bunch of BB creams to try out with the aim of knowing what I like so that when my Dad goes in September he can buy me more.

The one I am using on a daily basis at the moment is:

.....by a brand called Mistine, which is popular in Thailand. It's been maybe a month now and it hasn't broken me out and it seems pretty decent (my first proper try so nothing to really compare it with so watch this space). The only problem and for some it might be a massive problem is the colour.

As you can see from the [above] pic, the shade is a)too light b) kinda grey looking. And this is pretty much true to life. But this doesn't really bother me. It would be great if it was a perfect match but c'est la vie! What I do is mix it with my revlon photo ready which is too dark/orange and so I get the perfect shade!

The other bb creams my mum got me are waiting to be given a trial run - no pictures or swatches cos I can't remember where I put my stash and can't really be bothered to hunt around. sorry!

However, I do have another batch of bb creams to share with you courtesy of someone at work....nickname shall be NK (btw these initials are not the people's initals but initals of the blog nicknames I have given them e.g SF's initials are not SF and NK's initials are not NK - in this case K stands for Korean cos she likes korean stuff. FYI).

NK has been very sweet because we don't really know know each other or talk very much, but one day we started talking in the loo (I was fixing my clown blusher) and next thing we had a looooong convo about BB creams and kpop, and the next day she bought in stuff, as shown below, for me to swatch. How kind!

[Pics ABOVE AND BELOW:]

This is a bb cream by Missha. I used this on my face twice and it's really good. Again, as you can tell in the swatch below it's still light and grey and I also have to mix this with my revlon photo finish.

It's hard to explain in words but BB creams feel like a thicker denser foundation (gloopier?) but when you put it on your face and blend it is not as thick as foundation....confused? I am! lol I must be honest, because of the colour situation it is very hard for me to this review this in a normal way. But I thought I'd share with you anyway my experience with BB creams because I am thinking that when it hits these shores then I'll be able to get my shade.

And lastly........

Next we have 4 sample sized tubes of bb cream by Skin 79 which is a very popular brand of BB cream (btw, if you did want to buy your own samples online all 3 brands I mentioned are good SE Asia brands).

From TOP to BOTTOM we have:

VIP Gold collection super blemish balm which had the most coverage out of this mini bunch (it probably doesnt look like it cos unlike the others it didn't super speed squirt out the tube as soon as I took off the lid!).

Triple Function (whitening, spf25 and wrinkle free) - this product swatched nicely but tbh all of the bb creams in bunch (the 6 I'm blogging about and the one's my mum got for me) all have the same functions

Diamond Collection Pearl BB cream - I love this! Definitely not an everyday bb cream as it is packed with glitter (described as luminous on the tube) but great for a night out or mixed in with your normal bb cream/foundation to give you a bit of boost.

Prestige blemish balm from the Diamond collection - erm, that's all it says so I dunno! I obviously had a bit of an accident whilst swatching....my arm seemed to like it ;)

So, have you tried any bb creams? If not, does the concept interest you?