Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

This the only Illamasqua product I own and if it's anything to go by - I'm in desperate need of a splurge.

Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint

Nars are well known for their foundations and I'm sure most of us have at least one favourite from the brand but this is just something else. It has not only risen well above the love I had for all of Nars' other foundations, which were once upon a time my holy grail, but it's become my absolute favourite foundation of all time. It's so unbelievably wonderful.

Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Since I've been testing this out over the past month or so I have had such a love/hate relationship with it. I've never had so many emotions over a foundation. It's been real. 

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation

Like you most probably have I've heard a lot about this foundation. It was everywhere a couple of months ago and, as always, I waited until the hype had died down before I actually caved and added it to my foundation mountain that has started forming.

This foundation claims to have full coverage and yet still remain lightweight and undetectable. Personally, I have never experienced those two phrases married in one sentence. As far as I was concerned that literally couldn't exist but I was most definitely proved wrong.

The texture is creamy and somewhat runny, much like the Nars Sheer Glow, but applied to the face it blends wonderfully into full to medium coverage without feeling heavy or uncomfortable and miraculously, still allows your skin to look like skin. I've avoided full coverage foundations for as long as I can remember because they tend to take the dimension out of your face and the life out of your skin but again this surprised me by not only leaving your skin looking as life like as it normally does, but it also adds radiance which is super rare to find in a foundation with this level of coverage. It lasted ages and was still just as flawless when I went to remove it 7 hours later. It is oil free which makes it a nice option for those with oily skin and although it isn't the greatest foundation for oil control I've ever used I still think it did a pretty damn good job, especially when you take into account how natural the finish is for a full coverage foundation. The finish is demi matte/satin, the shade selection is great (mine is Porcelain if you were wondering) and I'm just all round impressed with every detail of this foundation.

If you were sceptical about this like I was, believe the hype ladies, this foundation is incredible.

Have you tried this? What finish of foundation do you tend to go for?

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Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation

GO AND BUY THIS IMMEDIATELY. Seriously this is one of the most incredible foundations I have ever used. I adore it. I know everyone and their dog is praising the crap out of Charlotte Tilbury products at the moment and as much as I've tried to steer clear of the hype, I am officially on the band wagon and I'm here to stay.

At £29.50 this is pretty much on par with other high end foundations and in my opinion is worth every penny. It's a full coverage foundation that, usually, I would avoid like a house on fire but all the aspects that would put me off just aren't an issue with this. It isn't cakey, it blends beautifully and I didn't find it heavy at all in fact, I find it comfortable enough to wear everyday which I have never had with a foundation with this level of coverage. It adds radiance, revives tired skin, it's a demi matte finish and covers everything you could ever want to cover but still allows your skin to look like skin.

It lasts all day without moving or settling in any areas although I did need to powder once or twice throughout that time but I blame my skin more for that than the actual foundation. Having said that, it does control oil fairly well and it's definitely one of the best foundations in my collection for oil control.

To be honest I can't fault this foundation at all and that's coming from a firm hater of full coverage foundations. It is the best full coverage foundation I have ever used and I tip my hat to Charlotte Tilbury. She truly nailed this one and it absolutely deserves all the hype.


Have you tried this foundation? What do you think of full coverage foundations?

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Chanel Perfection Lumière Velvet Foundation

Chanel Perfection Lumière Velvet Foundation SPF 15 (Beige 20) £33 - link

A few months ago I did a review on the Vitalumiere aqua foundation (which you can read here) and promised a review of this baby and here I am finally getting around to it.

I'm going to start off by saying that I don't love this as much as the Vitalumiere. I much prefer a dewy finish and this is more of a demi-matte finish. It works so much better for my oily skin but I feel like when applied it looks much more like I have foundation on rather than just looking like my skin. It hasn't hindered my love for Chanel foundations at all and I do like this a lot but not as much as I hoped I would.

It's a really watery consistency like the Vitalumiere so it definitely needs a good shake before applying it. The consistency doesn't really affect anything though and when applied gives a medium to full coverage. It easily conceals any uneven pigmentation, dark circles and some blemishes but you'll need a concealer for any heavy duty spots and possibly darker dark circles (I know from experience that this is absolutely not enough to cover up what a hangover and severe lack of sleep does to your skin). The lasting power is great at around 4-5 hours without any signs of fading or movement but it does gradually get drier throughout the day and also slightly darker which is really annoying. I keep a powder with me to even out the shade throughout the day but that really did put me off of this foundation quite a lot. Not so much that I have to powder over it throughout the day as I usually have to do that with other foundations anyway, but to powder to correct the colour so it blends with the rest of my body I was not impressed by - at all.

I haven't found it to be patchy as some people have said in reviews of this product and really the only downside for me is the oxidation of it over time. It preforms well against my oily skin and I didn't get shiny enough to powder until 3 hours of wear. There are definitely better foundations to control oil than this one but I was still happy with 3 hours.

This is not the best foundation from Chanel by far but it still isn't that bad. I wouldn't recommend the £33 as I think there are much cheaper foundations that can do a better job.



What do you think of this foundation? Have you tried any foundations by Chanel?

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YSL Le Tient Touche Éclat Foundation

YSL Le Tient Touche Éclat Foundation £30.50 - link

I absolutely LOVE this foundation. I have no idea why I held out trying it for so long. The colour I have is BR20 and I have never matched a foundation so perfectly which is a big part of why I love it so much but it's also just a really wonderful foundation.

It's described as an illuminating foundation with dimensional radiance that is meant to highlight the contours of the face. I'm not sure that it does that much as I've never really noticed a massive difference in the radiance of my skin or particularly "highlighted contours" when I've used it but it definitely does even out and conceal any darker areas, redness or uneven pigmentation I have on my face. It applies beautifully and doesn't crease at all like almost all of my other foundations do. It glides over any dry patches/healing blemishes I have and doesn't accentuate pores or soak into them. 

It's a light to medium coverage and where it's great for creating an even skin tone it doesn't hold up so well at concealing blemishes and spots on it's own. It does definitely help but I wouldn't say you could solely use this to hide any imperfections and it would work. It lasts a good 6/7 hours without needing to be reapplied and for people with normal or dry skin I don't think you'd have to touch it up at all for up to 8 hours. From an oily skin perspective for a natural, weightless and light coverage foundation this is brilliant at preventing shine and lasting for a long time. I usually have to powder over my t-zone at around 6 hours in of wearing this and even that I am super duper impressed by, especially in comparison to other foundations of it's type that I've tried.

So far of all of the foundation I've tried, high end and drugstore, this is my favourite. It does everything I'd want a foundation to do and it's so worth the £30 price tag.

Although if you can't afford or justify the money to buy it - the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation is a great dupe for this in my opinion. It applies the same, has the same coverage, finish and consistency the only difference is that it doesn't last as long and settles into pores and lines after around 3 hours. Despite that, it's a really great foundation and really similar but less than half the price of the YSL.

You can buy it here for £6.99.

Have you tried this foundation?

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Nars Luminous Weightless Foundation

Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation £32 - link

Not one of the catchiest titles Nars, but I'll let you off because I am seriously impressed with this foundation.

Nars Sheer Glow is one of my all time favourites and even against my oily skin sits well and lasts quite a long time with the aid of a little bit of powder. This foundation to me, is like a lighter, weightless if you will, version of the Sheer Glow foundation. It also has the same shades as the Sheer Glow range which is nice too.

I've worn this a couple of times since I bought it last week and so far I'm loving it. It has a really watery consistency but advises to shake well before use which is definitely necessary and IT HAS A PUMP! That was honestly the first thing I said (or shouted) when I opened it. It's so annoying that hardly any foundations come with a pump these days #firstworldproblems - and if you have my luck and they're out of stock everytime you go to buy one, Space NK have them in stock online at last! You can get one here for £3.

Anyway, back to the foundation. It applies beautifully (I used a brush) and it blends really well and evenly. It didn't cling to any dry patches/healing blemishes I had on my skin although it did slightly settle in the creases around my eyes. It actually does feel completely weightless on the skin is super comfortable to have on all day. The first time I wore this I had a big day of shopping and not only did it feel great it still looked great by the time I'd got home 6 hours later. It had started fading a little bit on my chin, nose and forehead especially, which is where I get most oily, but compared to other foundations I've used I'm really happy with the longevity and staying power of it, even if it didn't last the 16 hours it claims to be able to.  It says it is a full yet natural coverage but it's much more of a medium coverage I'd say, but the natural part holds true. Blemishes I had were still visible when I used this on it's own but any redness or discolouration I have in my skin were completely covered. It would be a wonderful foundation for good skin days where there isn't much to conceal but you still want a flawless look to your skin.

I really like this foundation. I'm a lover of the natural looking foundations that aren't too heavy or matte, which is difficult to avoid if you have oily skin, but I think this one is a winner. It doesn't have a dewy enough finish for it to be completely unwearable for those with oily skin but is natural enough for everyone of all skin types to enjoy I think. Another great foundation from Nars.


Have you tried this foundation yet? If not, are you going to?

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Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Liquid Foundation £33 - link


I've always been a fan of Chanel foundations with their original Perfection Lumiere being my first love, which I actually still have a bottle of and refuse to use, so when this came out a while ago I was super keen to buy it but just kept forgetting. And then Christmas morning rolled around I was over the moon to find this sitting under the tree. The boyfriend did good.

I've been using this daily since then and it's incredible. It's a light to medium coverage similar to Nars Sheer Glow (my other favourite) although this has a slightly more watery consistency. It blends beautifully and adds a radiance to skin. It definitely doesn't completely conceal dark circles and blemishes on it's own but has sat and lasted well on top of the concealers I've used with it.
It's a dewy finish which I adore but have to douse it with matte setting powders because of my oily skin so I don't get to take much advantage of that - so annoying.
As for it's lasting power I'd say it stays pretty much perfect for around 4 hours but like I said I have oily skin so my make up is much more likely to move throughout the day.

Is it worth £33? Yes, absolutely. There are so so so many great high street foundations but if you want to treat yourself to a high end foundation I would definitely recommend this one or really any Chanel foundations. They're all great. I have another review coming up on Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Velvet foundation too so keep your eyes peeled!


Have you tried any Chanel foundations?

Review: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

- Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation £10.99 - 

Even though this is a relatively old addition to Bourjois, I have continued to love it since I tried it last Summer and have gone through two bottles over the past year. The texture of this foundation is lovely and with it being a gel it's a dream to apply, blend and all of the above. It's lightweight and airy which I'm sure you know by now is my favourite type of foundation so I've been reaching for this a lot this Summer so far, especially as it's been too hot to even think about putting on both a concealer and a foundation without wanting to scratch my face off. It has enough coverage to stand alone (it's light to medium coverage) and it lasts a good 6-8 hours without any movement at all - even without a setting powder! It doesn't have the most varied colour range which is a little disappointing but I've still found a shade that matches me pretty well so there's hope for you yet!

Overall I'd say this is a winner from Bourjois and I'm looking forward to trying some of the products they've released as part of their Summer 2014 range.

Have you tried this foundation? 

Lots of love.

Review: Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

- Nars Sheer Glow Foundation £30.50 -

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this foundation yet!

This is most definitely my most favourite foundation of all time. I love the kind of make up where it doesn't feel like you actually have make up on, especially in the summer when it's most likely going to melt off anyway, and this lightweight foundation completely ticks that box for me. It is a light to medium coverage although I'd say it's more on the medium side of things. It evens out the skin tone diminishing all my redness and disguises most of the imperfections I have. I can't say that it completely covers everything because it doesn't. My dark circles look a little less terrifying when I've applied a coat of this but I still need to go in with a concealer to completely hide them and the same goes for blemishes, but with sheer in it's name you can't really expect more than that.

It has a satin finish that leaves the face looking dewy which I can't get enough of at the moment and it also makes your skin look much brighter and just gives it an all round glow. It blends in well with a bit of help from my Real Techniques Buffing Brush which you can get in a set here and the colour range is great, so I'm sure you'll be able to find a shade that matches your skin. The colour I have is Deauville (Light 4 I think) if you were interested!

It surprisingly fairs well against my oily skin which satin finishes rarely seem to do. It doesn't do a whole lot in preventing or stopping the shine I get throughout the day, but in comparison to other foundations of the same finish it makes much more of a difference. Because this foundation is quite moisturising, I've heard that it works well for people that have dryer skin too.

The only fault I can find with this product is that it doesn't come with a pump which can cause some particularly messy make up routines (there have been spillages) and really just wastes a lot of the product. There is a pump available to buy separately but I have no idea where to get it from, so if you could enlighten me I would appreciate it! 

This is pretty expensive at £30.50 but I think that it's absolutely worth it. It's a great foundation for summer and all year round. I love it!

Have you tried this foundation? What do you think of it?

Lots of love.