Back to Basics - By Terry Sheer Expert

A holdover from my recent foundation "week" - and featuring the return of "Maurice", by popular request (you nutters) - This is Sheer Expert foundation by ... er ... by Terry.  I've had this a little while now, and it's time I got my thoughts out on the interwebs.


Packaging

I love the signature by Terry metallic purple packaging, and this tube doesn't disappoint, squeezy and easy to read, it's a winner.

Formula

A rather runny liquid, with a rather whipped mousse-y kind of feeling on application, it's easy to spread, and blends with your natural skintone very well.  It has an exceptionally strong rose-scent though, which some people won't be able to tolerate, but this wears off after a little while on the skin.

Shade Selection

This is available in ten shades - more than the average "high end" foundation (usually there are six, or, if you're lucky, eight), but it's still weighted towards white women, the darkest shade, "warm copper" doesn't look all that dark on the Space NK website.  The shade in the swatches by the way is 03 Neutral Beige.


Coverage

Coverage, despite the word "sheer" in the name, is about medium, and is quite buildable, without becoming cakey.

Finish

It's quite a light, dewy finish, which I really like.  I personally, don't powder over, but oilier skins might benefit from a dusting of your favourite powder to set it.  You can barely feel it on your skin, and it's a pleasure to wear once the smell has worn off.

Wear

Wear is surprisingly good for such a light finish, I found it didn't need a reapplication for around eight hours or so.

Price

Okay, sit down.  Are you sitting comfortably?  Then I'll tell you.  This little beauty is £44 a tube.  Yes, you read that right.  Forty four of your earth pounds.  Admittedly, nothing in the by Terry range is cheap, but ... yeah, this is a little too rich for my blood.



Overall Thoughts

It's a nice product, if you like the smell of roses (personally, I do), but at this price, it's not outstanding.

The Fine Print: This turned up in a goodie bag, once upon a while ago.
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Back to Basics - Clarins Ever Matte Foundation

Another new foundation this month is Clarins Ever Matte, which I've had for a couple of weeks and have been mulling over on your behalf for a while.


Packaging

A squared-off squeezy tube, perfect for carting around with you.  I like the classy gold top, too.

Formula

 A medium-thick liquid, quite low in silicones, this feels velvety on the fingers, and I find it easy to blend and spread over the face.  It feels fairly "traditional" compared to some of the others I've tried this week, and it has a very faint "herbal" scent that dissipates quite quickly after blending.  It takes a little while to "settle" on the skin, but this gives you time to buff the foundation into the skin, should you want to.

Shade Selection

There are e;even shades in the range, and this one is 109 - Wheat.  Whilst it's probably a good range of shades for us of a paler persuasion, like many French makeup brands this is lacking a little at the darker end of the spectrum.   I always find it a shame that so many brands don't cater for as many skin tones as possible.  Wheat is a fairly good match for my neutral/cool-leaning skin.

Coverage

I'd say this was about a medium coverage foundation.  Maurice!

Yes, not entirely covered up, but the coverage is good, and has definitely lessened the ability to see Maurice.

Finish

I wouldn't say this was entirely matte on the skin, it has more of a velvety finish.  My skin is combination oily, and this is an oil-free formula, which I find controls oil production quite well without drying my skin out entirely, which is nice I wouldn't say it was necessary to finish it with powder, but your mileage may vary.  If your skin is prone to dry patches, this will cling to them, so be warned.

Wear

This wears reasonably well,  I'd quibble a bit over the box's claim to keep skin "shine-free from morning to evening" as shine will break through at around the six hour mark, and you will experience fading from around the 7-8 hour point, but I'd say that this is about what I would expect from a foundation of this type, so I'm not too disappointed.

Price

£24 for 30ml.
 
Ingredients

Overall Thoughts

This is a nice, pleasant medium-coverage foundation, which is not particularly earth shattering, but those with slightly oily skin may fall in love with it.

The Fine Print: PR Sample.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Back to Basics - Keromask Camouflage Cream

Long overdue this one.  Keromask is a foundation specifically made to cover up imperfections, birthmarks scars and tattoos and the like.  I've had my bottle since last July, and it's been a godsend to me and my red, red face.  This foundation is recommended by the British Medical Association for use in particular skin conditions.  But, it's also suitable for use for people who just want a heavier coverage foundation.

Lets take a closer look:
 
Packaging

An airtight plastic bottle with a pump, that's integral to the bottle - you twist the entire cap, and the pump pops up, very handy, and you can operate it one handed if you're dextrous enough! Handy also, because you can see exactly how much you have left in the bottle.

Formula

This is a rather thick formulation, which feels like it contains a lot of oil.  A little bit of this certainly goes a very, very, very long way.  I find that the amount above, barely bigger than a pinhead in reality, will cover my entire face and neck.  It spreads very easily, and is easy to blend.  In spite of it being a heavy duty foundation, it isn't any harder to remove than a "normal" foundation.
 
Shade Selection

This shade is Light No.11.  There are 24 shades in the range, (in groups, Light, Medium and Dark)  and that includes three shades (white, yellow and dusk) which are purely for mixing with the other colours to make your own custom-blended foundation.  In order to find your perfect shade, there are sample packs available from the website, containing 12 tiny pots of foundation (each of which will last you several days minimum) + the three mixer shades at a cost of £4.99.  A bargain in anyone's book.  And this is an excellent range of shades, even if they didn't have the mixer colours.


Coverage

Coverage is full/heavy.  But the feel of the foundation is not, before I go into more detail, lets see how Maurice is getting along:

 As you can see, Maurice has almost entirely disappeared, but you can still see the skin beneath. You can wear this sheered out, too.  I find buffing it into the skin with a stippling brush works well if you find the coverage too heavy on first application.  I tend to apply this with my fingers most days though, and you can build the coverage when you need to.
 

Finish

This tends to a  dewy finish, which is quite natural-looking, Unlike other heavy-duty foundations, I don't find it leaves you with that "mask" like effect.  Also, unlike, say, Estee Lauder Double Wear, it won't leave you looking like an off-duty drag queen if you accidentally over-apply slightly.

I find it that it does work better if you set it with powder - and the Keromask powder is very good for finishing this one off, but more about that in a separate post - as this increases the wear time.


Wear

This stuff won't move until you remove it, it's a marvel.  If you have very oily skin, you might find you get a little fading around any particularly oily areas, such as the nose and chin, but this will take you from dawn to dusk with very few touch-up worries.
 
Price

An absolutely bargain-basement £14.99.  I've worn this a minimum of twice a week every single week since last July, and I estimate I've used about a third of the bottle in that time.  I think getting to the end of this will take me at least another twelve months.


Ingredients

Sadly, I've lost the box for this one, so don't have a full list of the ingredients handy.  I'll check with the PR firm and see if I can get one though.
 
Overall Thoughts

Excellent coverage, and wonderful lasting power, this is a powerhouse foundation and a half.  It won't suit you if you have perfect skin, but for those of us with things to hide, this is amazing. 


The Fine Print: PR sample, and a VERY overdue review.  I'd be redfaced with embarassment, but ...
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Back to Basics - Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup

Continuing with the Foundation Week theme, it's time to discuss what is the newest addition to my little* foundation family, Estee Lauder's Invisible Fluid makeup.  We're not allowed to call it "foundation", apparently, as it's specially formulated to be foundation for people who don't like foundation.

Personally, I don't understand this "not liking foundation" business, but that's probably because my ugly blotchy red mug regularly makes small children cry, nonetheless, I thought I'd give this a go anyway.

Packaging

Cute plastic bottle, with shiny, shiny blurple lid.  A little on the large size for carrying around with you, but it won't shatter if you drop it.

Formula

An exceptionally thin, runny liquid.  This is light, light, light!  The formula is both oil and emulsifier-free, meaning you need to shake the heck out of it when you first buy it (at least three minutes worth) in order to mix the pigment with the binding ingredients.  After the first use, you won't need to shake near as much to get the ingredients to blend, but this will need shaking every time you use it.  Again, this product contains a blend of silicones to get the pigment to meld with your skin.  This is virtually undetectable on the skin, either visually or physically.  It spreads easily, either with fingers or a brush.  I prefer fingers.

Shade Selection

 This is shade 2CN2.  There are sixteen shades in the range, arrayed into six colour groupings (1 = palest, 6 = darkest), and C = Cool, N= Neutral and W = Warm.  This should, in a perfect world, all make sense,  so my shade is second palest group, with both cool and neutral undertones, but not the palest shade in the group - that would be 2CN1.  I think.  It's great to see a brand like Lauder catering to a large range of skintones at last.  As a Lauder foundation-wearer of many years standing, I've often found it difficult to match my skin tone owing to the limited shades on offer, and it's great to see them expanding the range in both directions.

Coverage

Coverage is, as you might expect, on the light side.  Here's Maurice the Control Mole for our visual demonstration:

Coverage is light to medium, as you can see from the above, it won't hide blemishes completely, it will even out your skintone, and at least disguise the worst of your blotchiness.  The coverage is very buildable, and if you have stubborn redness, you can just add another layer or two over the worst affected areas, without it looking cakey.  As it's oil-free, it's great for oilier skins, if you're prone to dry patches, this will cling to them slightly, but keeping on top of your exfoliating will help.

Finish

Finish is matte, but not flat.  You can powder over this, but it will kind of defeat the whole "invisible" nature of the makeup.  I find using an illuminating primer underneath will give your skin a glow, but again, it's not necessary.


Wear

I've been very impressed with the wear of this.  I expected such a light formulation to wear off very very quickly, but this has stood up to even the hardest of wear over the last week or two, and I've not really noticed any problems with fading or needing reapplications during the day. I'd say I get about 8-10 hours before needing to touch up.
 
Price

Currently exclusively available from John Lewis, this costs £27 for 30ml.
 
Ingredients

Overall Thoughts

Wonderfully light on the skin, with buildable coverage which is virtually undetectable on the skin during  wear, in a great range of colours, this is a total win as far as I'm concerned.  I'm surprised at how much I like it, considering my redness problems, but since this turned up, I've found myself reaching for it over and over.  

 * Ha ha!


The Fine Print: PR Sample.


This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Back to Basics - Avon Ideal Flawless Foundation

It's been quite a while since I last did a week of foundations, and this one has been a while in the planning, so I thought I'd better get on with it!  This week I'll be reviewing five foundations, weightless ones, full coverage ones, invisible ones, and others ...

I'm starting off with Avon's latest foundation launch, Ideal Flawless, which is described as an "invisible coverage foundation".

Packaging: 

This is a heavyweight glass bottle, with a pump mechanism, not ideal for travel, but it's a handsome enough bottle for the dressing table.

Formula:

  
This is a rather thick liquid formulation, which just a hint of shimmer visible in the bottle (not visible on the skin, thank goodness), which spreads extremely easily over the skin, and feels feather light during wear. It's rather silicone-heavy, so unsuitable for skins who don't tolerate those easily, but it makes your skin feel gorgeously smooth and velvety whilst you're wearing it. Touchably soft, even!

Shade Selection

This is shade: "Creamy Natural".  Please bear in mind that the skin of my hands is considerably paler than that of my face for some reason, so these swatches will look a bit odd.  There's an amazing range of shades in this range, Avon offer 16 shades, from the very palest "Ivory" or "Light Pink" through to "Nutmeg" and  "Earth".  I've tried all 16, and, instead of being the second palest colour in the range - something I normally am, owing to being pale, but not that pale - I'm right in the middle of this shade range. I could probably get away with wearing "Nude" or "Medium Beige" as well, depending on the time of year, and the light I was going to be seen in, to be honest.  It's nice to see a range of shades that caters for both cool and warm tones, too.

Coverage:

Let me intoduce you to Maurice, the Control Mole, you're going to be seeing him a lot this week, so if skin blemishes offend you, I suggest you look away now:

 And here's how Maurice looks after a coat of Ideal Flawless:

Yup, that's some pretty good coverage right there, that is.  I'm impressed.  Maurice, not so much so.

Finish:

Avon Ideal Flawless blends easily onto the skin, leaving it velvety and smooth, and is, as promised, more or less "invisible" on the skin.  It has a satin-matte finish, which isn't at all flat owing the aforementioned "shimmer" in the bottle, and doesn't leave skin too dewy either.  You can finish with powder should you need too - and if you are oily-skinned, I'd recommend it - but it isn't 100% necessary, I very rarely bother with powder, to be honest.

Wear:

Avon don't promise any particular long-wearing capabilities for this foundation, which is just as well, as the lasting time is about average, it'll see you through the average working day, but you will notice fade after around six - eight hours or so.  You'll need another application if you want it to take you from day to night though.

Price:

This is an absolute bargain, costing £12 at full price, but is currently on offer on the Avon Website for just £10 a bottle for 30ml. Online swatches are beyond dreadful though, so do a bit of searching around to find your shade.


Ingredients:

Overall Thoughts.


This is an excellently priced product, with great coverage, average lasting power, and a wonderfully light feel on the skin - highly recommended, even if the online swatches mean that finding your exact shade might be a little problematic.


The Fine Print: PR Sample.  I was not swayed in any way by the mention of Aleesha Dixon in the marketing of this product.  Sorry, Aleesha.

This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Foundation Week Finale – Liquids

I love liquid foundations, and have amassed a fair collection of them over the years. There are very many different formulations, and with liquid foundations, it can be a case of trial and error getting the right formulation for yourself.
There are two main kinds, ones that leave you with a dewy glow, and matte ones – but, of course, there are all kinds of gradations in-between.  Me being a dry-skinned kind of gal, I tend to favour more glowy kinds of foundations over the matte ones, but I’ll have a look at some good examples of both in this post.
Dewy
Foundations that give you a dewy finish can be heavier in oils, and therefore they’re better for drier, or more mature skins.  My absolute favourite foundation in this category is Chanel Vitalumiere, which I find leaves me with a lovely “glowing” effect, without making it look like I’m either sweaty or greasy.  It last pretty well, too, but the shade range isn’t all that wide (I find the pale shades pretty dark, and they don’t really cater for darker skins at all, which is a shame), but I like the air-free pump bottle, which means no messy spills!
Bourjois 10 hour sleep effect foundation is another good one, but I find it can my my (only slightly) dry skin look a little too shiny, and so I find that setting it with powder takes the edge off that.
Nars Sheer Glow is one that a lot of people swear by, but I found in my recent Nars makeover that it just made me look sweaty, even after a good powdering!  However, if you have really dry skin, it might be a good one to try out.
Matte
I’m not the best person to ask about matte foundations, as I find that many of the “oil-free” formulations that abound, like Lancome’s Teint Idole Ultra (which is actually an excellent foundation for greasier-skinned people) suck all the moisture out of my face after a couple of hours and leave me looking a little desiccated.  I also recently tried Bourjois Mineral Matte foundation recently (which is cutely packaged with it’s own tiny kabuki brush) but again, it just dried my skin out that little too much to be comfortable.
So, can dry-skinned people use a matte base without resembling an Egyptian mummy by lunchtime?  Surprisingly, the answer is yes! 
I recently discovered Rimmel’s Stay Matte formulation (okay, I may not have been the first person to ever have bought this one) and I absolutely love it!  Now, the reason I love it is probably because it’s not really as matte as it claims to be.  Personally, I’d describe the finish as a “satin”.  It doesn’t give me as dewy a glow as Vitalumiere, but there is definitely a lovely sheen to my skin when I’m wearing this.  Over the winter, Rimmel Stay Matte has been my default foundation, and currently, it’s the one I use as a benchmark for ALL foundations, it’s that good!  I also purchased a couple of back-ups …
Another one with a great satin, or “semi-matte”, finish is Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, which I like a lot, but the texture is a bit more liquid than the Rimmel, and I think doesn’t last quite as well.
Application
With all my liquid foundations, I pour a little onto the back of my hand, and dab a flat-topped Kabuki brush into it, and use that to spread the foundation over my trouble spots (nose and T-Zone), then use the slightly denuded brush to blend it over the remainder of my face.  I then use my fingers to add a little more in place of concealer where I need it.  Sometimes, I finish with powder, sometimes I don’t, it depends on what I’m doing for the day.
That said, there’s no real right or wrong way to apply your foundation, the right way is simply the way that works for you.  For my makeovers, I usually use a disposable foundation sponge, but sometimes I use my fingers.  As long as you don’t end up looking like you’re wearing a mask, it’s all good!
What’s your favourite liquid foundation? How do you apply it, and what finish do you like?

Foundation Week - Tinted Moisturisers

Yes, I know that tinted moisturisers aren't strictly foundations, but I'm doing this post by request! During summer, I'm actually a big fan of tinted moisturisers, as they're lighter, and generally offer better sun protection than traditional foundations. Nothing worse than looking a bit dry in the summer sun.

One of the most famous tinted moisturisers is Benefit You Rebel. Long touted by Benefit as the ultimate "suits all" shade (three words that always make me suspicious, whether it's a foundation, a lipstick, blusher, or whatever), they brought out a "Lite" version not all that long ago - why would they do that?  It's a "suits all" shade! - and I thought I'd show a comparison of the two:

The original formula is at the top, and the lite version is at the bottom.  As you can see, there is actually a massive difference in the two shades, for me, the original is the one I actually prefer! But, I cannot tell a lie, I tend to use it more as a bronzer, or faux tan, than a tinted moisturiser.  This is, however, actually my third tube of it! The lite shade is actually just a little bit too light, and can upon occasion make my NW20/25 skin look a bit washed out, but it's good for winter.

Here's how they look blended out - and many apologies for the poor quality of pic in advance -

As you can see, on my winter-skin, the lite version disappears completely, but the original leaves quite a distinct tide mark ...

Much as I like You Rebel (and I've been using it since back in the days when it was still called I Am Rebel), it's not, actually, my favourite tinted moisturiser, mainly because whilst it's nice and pigmented, I find I still need to use a moisturiser underneath it.  That's mainly, of course, because I have stupid flaky and sensitive dry skin! For oilier skins, I doubt you'd need another layer of product with it, to be honest.

No, my favourite tinted moisturiser - and I bang on about it at any opportunity I get - is Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturising Balm (above).  I like it because it has a decent level of pigment, is available in quite a large range of shades, from extremely pale through to dark, and it's quite possibly the nicest-smelling tinted moisturiser I've ever found.  Also, I find it gives a nice dewy sheen without making you look sweaty.  It is more suitable for dryer skins, but Bobbi also offers a more traditional tinted moisturiser, in a tube, that's not quite as heavy on the oil content.  I'm out of this at the moment, but at the first sign of spring arriving proper, I shall be investing in a pot, and discarding all the moisturisers + foundations I've been using all winter!  Fickle?  Mebbe ...

I occasionally also like to wear Estee Lauder DayWear Plus Multi Protection Anti-Oxidant Moisturizer SPF 15 Sheer Tint Release Formula (catchy!) which starts off a rather unappetising grey shade straight from the tube, but transforms on contact with the skin to a sheer (and quite light) tone, that isn't quite as pigmented as the other moisturisers in this review, but is well worth a look if you're looking for something that's a bit lighter in texture.  It also smells rather delightfully (if somewhat artificially) of cucumber, which is  very refreshing on a hot day!

What's your favourite tinted moisturiser?  Or do you think, as a couple of my housemates do, that they're a complete waste of time?

The Small Print: I bought these, they're mine, I tell you, MINE!  No PR's were harmed in the making of this post.

Foundation Week - Cream to Powder

Now, as cream to powder formulations are the ones I have most trouble with, I invited two guest bloggers to try out a brand new foundation on the market, Urban Decay Surreal Skin.  Let's take a look at how Lina from Make Up to Make Out and Charlotte from Lady of the Lane got on with it:

First of all, Lina:

I was given this Urban Decay Surreal Skin Cream to Powder Foundation by Get Lippie as she needed a reviewer of darker skin and I greedily put my hand up for it! As the name suggests, it's a compact foundation that is cream in formula, but sets to powder finish. Having naturally dry skin (plagued with it my entire life - I was BORN with eczema, EW!) I was a bit dubious about how well I'd gel with this product; ordinarily, any kinda powder finish product (especially in compact form) is a massive no no. Looking quickly online to see any further info about it didn't really help much either in deciphering its target skin type.  Oh well, I'll give anything a shot!

The first thing I learnt when playing around with this was don't even bother trying to use the special brush it comes with; cheap, crappy, and scratchy. I don't even have much to cover and I could barely get ANY coverage with it. I tried a few other brushes and interestingly found my No7 Foundation Brush worked best (as opposed to my beloved Bobbi Brown one). It's quite a thick fluffy foundation brush so you could really work the product into it. And working the product into it I did! Unlike most foundations, where you start of with a little and build, I literally swirled my foundation brush in the compact, and the applied straight to my face. This worked really well and I managed to get a really good, even coverage .

What I noticed when applying it was that is it incredibly weightless, and feels really silky on your skin. It did dry to a powder finish, but luckily not so severely that it dried my skin out in the process. With a bit of concealer it made my face flawless, made up but flawless. A little bit unusual for me as I tend to go for quite light dewy foundations so this finish was fairly new to me.

The lasting power is pretty good, admittedly I found around my nose it wore off more quickly but I get that with every foundation so that's fine. I did feel the need to touch up just to freshen it up a little bit half way through the day, not the sort of product you can apply in the morning and then forget about it till bed time, but this led me to discover that it was great for building with - even hours after original application. Didn't cake in the slightest.  Neither did my skin feel particularly parched either, which was really surprising.

I'm not sure if my skin could take wearing this everyday, especially for days which start at 8am and finish at 1am, my skin would just collapse from dehydration on day 4, but it's definitely great for evenings where you want to look made up and have a powdered finish matte base. Obviously, if you have oilier skin then you could probably (happily) get away with wearing this everyday but dry skin needs a little bit more nourishment. However, in general this is good matte, powder finish product that even dry skin gals can get away with using on occasion! Just make sure you slather on the richest night cream when you go to bed to put back some of that moisture into it at night time!


Here's how Charlotte got on with it:

I’ve been using Lilly Lolo Mineral foundation for years, it works well and looks really natural which is great, but sometimes I want a more finished and polished look and so have been on the hunt for a cream foundation that suits me. Louise kindly offered to send me this one she had in return for a review as it was too pale a shade for her. So here we are.


The packaging is really rather nice. Heavy solid, transparent purple compact with inlaid design on the lid. Inside is a (very  shallow) pan of foundation and underneath that is a brush to apply it with.

Okay now brace yourselves, you need to see what I’m working with. Eeep!

I applied this on day one using the brush it comes with. It went on easily and smoothly, was easy to blend and gave good coverage to the spots on my chin, it wouldn’t need much touching up with concealer. However, I’m recovering from a cold and I have some dry skin around my nose – the effect wasn’t pretty. This stuff is definitely not for people with dry skin. The other thing I should mention is that within moments of application I started to come out in red slightly itchy blotches. These were caused by the brush. I don’t know why, or what the brushes that do this to me are made of, but an hour later the blotches were gone. I won’t use that again, but that’s not a massive problem except it loses the portability factor me as I’m unlikely to carry a foundation brush around with me.

 It lasted well throughout the day and I would describe it as light to medium coverage, it didn’t mask out my freckles and looked soft and natural.
 
I tried again today but this time used my own foundation brush, went on nicely with no irritation this time. My dry skin has pretty much gone today so the finish was much better without the clumping in the dry spots!

It’s a pretty good colour match for me and I like the finish, but it won’t be my go-to foundations for a couple of reasons:
I do get dry patches from time to time which this foundation does not suit.
The brush doesn’t work for me.
It’s not terribly buildable and if you try it can get a little cakey.
The quantity you get is tiny. It wouldn’t last me five minutes.

I take a lots of pics of myself (for my blog) and this gives you awful white face when a flash hits it, but in natural light it’s good.  I think it’s a pretty good foundation actually and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a handbag foundation compact just so long as they don’t suffer with dry skin and can afford to replace it often. I will definitely finish it, but I probably won’t replace. The search continues!

Now, in the interests of thoroughness - and because I hate to miss out! - I tried it myself, in the shade Kismet.  Actually, I surprised myself by liking it a great deal, normally with cream-to-powder formulations I find them cakey, and drying, and just awful. I didn't find it clung to any dry patches, and it gave a lovely natural finish. But ... but the brush is dreadful, don't even bother using it. It reminds me of those dreadful Benefit blush crushes, which are neither use nor ornament, I think it would be better to actually have more product and a separate, rounder brush with more bristles.  I do appreciate the packaging (it's very pretty, and portable) but the brush is only really fit for top-ups during the day, and not for a proper application. I use a flat top Kabuki (from Elf) which works way better, and I'll be talking about that a bit more later this week.

Urban Decay Surreal Skin Foundation will cost approx £18 and will be available from your usual stockists later this month.

Do you use Cream-to-powder formulations?  Which ones do you recommend?

The Small Print: Foundations used in this review were provided for review purposes.  All reviews are impartial, regardless of the source.  

Foundation Week - Powder

Foundations come in all shapes, sizes and formats, I'm spending a day on each of the main types of foundation (powder, cream, and I'm splitting liquids into matte, and dewy, but I think a mousse might slip into at least one of those, so be warned!) and I'm starting with powder, as they can be a bit less scary than full on foundation ...

Loose/Minerals

Trendy among powder formulations at the moment are mineral foundations, I know a lot of people find them difficult to work with - they're generally loose powders that you "buff" over the skin with a large brush to give you an airbrushed look.  The trick with these is to use a very, very light hand at first, and build up the coverage until you have a look you're happy with.  Use a very small amount on your brush, then knock the excess off before applying to your face.

Pros: It's very easy to get a nice, even, buildable coverage.  Many of them are made of natural ingredients, and contain nothing in the way of synthetic dyes.  They're supposed to be less irritating than traditional-style liquid foundations. They multi-task, as you can use the same product as concealer, if you use a smaller synthetic brush.

Cons: many of them contain bismuth, meaning they can leave you looking rather "plastic" or "artificial" (aka "fembot").  Bismuth can also make the product  feel a bit like you're wearing a mask.  Also, the buffing motion itself can lead to aggravated and irritated skin.

I like Bare Escentuals - even though it's trendy not to, but I'll be talking more about Bare Escentuals later on in the week - and Christopher Drummond is an excellent - albeit expensive - alternative.

Recently, I've been using a Cosmetics a la Carte powder foundation, Cover Tint in Sand.  I like the packaging, as it doesn't require an additional brush, and comes complete with a mirror (a proper mirror, not just a silver painted top, which you have to squint into) in the lid.  CalC foundations don't contain bismuth, and I've found the coverage to be extremely buildable, meaning that I've been able to use this both on it's own as a full foundation, and as a finishing powder over liquid formulations.  Basically you just dot this on your face, and then "smoosh" the puff around a little to distribute it, if you want a lighter look, or dot repeatedly, if you want to build up to full-face coverage. Priced at £30 for an off-the-shelf shade, or £45 if you want a custom blend shade made to your own requirements, it's very quickly become a makeup bag staple for me.

Pressed

Pressed powder formulations have been around forever, and I recommend MAC studio fix to any of my personal shopping clients who are too scared to think about a "traditional" liquid foundation.  Benefit's Hello Flawless is also a good one, but it has a very small colour range, whereas MAC is outstanding in that area in comparison.

Powder foundations are simple and easy to use, but they don't always work for dryer skins, and you do need to make sure that you're well moisturised if you are at all prone to dryness before using them.  But they're a godsend to our greasier-skinned sisters!


Do you use powder foundations? What do you recommend I should have a look out for?

The small print: I was sent the Cosmetics a la Carte foundation for consideration to review, all other opinions on foundations in this roundup are based on items I already own.  Opinions are impartial and honest regardless of the source of the product.

Foundation Week - Bespoke

It's foundation week here at Get Lippie, I'll be bringing you some hints and tips, and reviewing a few foundations (and the odd tinted moisturiser) from my collection for you too. If you have any questions, let me know, and I'll do my best to get back to you!

But I wanted to start the week off by mentioning Cosmetics a la Carte.  A lot has been written lately about the demise of Prescriptives, and people have been bemoaning that they're not able to get custom-blended foundations any more.

Well, Cosmetics a la Carte are, arguably, the company who Prescriptives got the idea of "bespoke" cosmetics from in the first place, and they've had a bespoke service for over 30 years! I had the pleasure of chatting to Lynne, the company's founder, a couple of weeks ago and was bowled over by her commitment to cosmetics and her enthusiasm for makeup in the first place.  I had a makeover from them, and loved their choice of items, too!

Cosmetics a la Carte will custom-blend your foundation to your perfect shade, in the format of your choice, matte, powder, satin or all of the above, if you so wish.  And best of all, none of that silly colour-matching nonsense with the yellow/red/blue and orange pencils, which only ever worked in proper daylight (and, not ever, in department store lighting), and was entirely dependent on the whim of the sales assistant in the first place ...

But I digress, if you want a bespoke foundation, Cosmetics a la Carte are the place to go, and the prices start at £45 for a foundation.  Take a look at the website, for more details, you can find it here

I'll be reviewing my foundation from them later in the week.

Do you have anything you'd like to see featured in Foundation Week?