Foundations - Make Up to Make Out

Archive for the Foundations Category

Shu Uemura Nobara Stick Foundation

By Lina on February 7, 2011

I’ve tried a few stick foundations over the years, they are the great in-between product between foundation and concealer and are perfect for providing a little bit of coverage, just where you need it. And from the lot I’ve tried, my favourite is the Nobara Stick foundation from Shu Uemura.

What I particularly love about this stick foundation is that it’s very creamy, but not greasy. It also wears amazingly; my problem often with most stick foundations is that when you do manage to find a nice, creamy one (you want to avoid the ones with powder in as they cake) it disappears very soon after application and needs constant touch ups. Not the case with the Shu Uemura Nobara Stick Foundation. Once I apply it, set it with powder, I seldom need to touch up. For evenings out, I never do, but sometimes during the day a suuuper light dab here and there (I actually just rub my finger on the end of the stick and then apply as opposed to drawing stripes on the face) is all I need to keep my make-up looking perfect and fresh.

I was sent two shades for review, 754 and 734.

Swatched Top 754, bottom 734.

There are two ways you can wear this foundation, on its own as an all over foundation or how I tend to do it, in conjunction with a lighter liquid foundation. Most stick foundations are completely unwearable using the first method unless you like the ‘mask effect’ look. However, as this one is so creamy and a little goes a long way you could easily do a couple of stripes on the centre of your face, blend out and that would be your base done! It looks fine, not cakey or heavy but admittedly doesn’t last as well as when used with a liquid foundation.

When used with a liquid foundation it simply allows you to have a full coverage complexion, without it looking heavy. All I do is use a light foundation first (at the mo MAC Face & Body) and then on the centre of the face, around the nose, under chin, under eyes, etc. I use this stick foundation. It brightens up my complexion, makes it look even and radiant and conceals any redness the previous foundation may not have got. A great technique for subtle contouring and way better than cloggy concealer.

I really, really like this product and think it’s so versatile. At £30 it is quite pricey, but it’s gonna last you years (should I admit that I would use the same stick for years?!), I’ve had it months already and it’s hardly worn down at all, so definitely worth the money. For me it’s perfect, I don’t really need regular concealer as my skin is relatively clear but I like a flawless coverage and a full coverage foundation all over is far too heavy. This, combined with my regular light, dewy foundation, allows me to look flawless but fresh. Perfect.

This entry is filed under Foundations, Shu Uemura and tagged Shu Uemura Nobara Stick Foundation. | 2 Comments

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Foundation – Wanna Review it????

By Lina on April 23, 2010

I’m lucky, whilst my skin is veeeery sensitive and prone to dryness I have never really suffered from acne, spots or blemishes of that nature. However, when I do get the occasional one every 6 months or so it is unbelievable how much it knocks my confidence, it can be very troubling, so my heart really goes out for those who suffer from this on a far more common basis.

Hopefully, this particular skin stress could be a thing of the past thanks to Clinique bringing out a moderate coverage foundation called ‘Anti-Blemish Solutions’. The liquid foundation is designed to gently keep blemish-prone skin comfortable and balanced by minimising excess sebum without drying out your skin. And once your skin is up to scratch, this product then works in safeguarding it against future breakouts, so you’ll only ever need one foundation to keep your skin in tip top condition all year round! View the video above to check it in action.

Now here’s the exciting bit, I’ve been offered the chance to review this product but having completely the opposite end of the scale skin type I would be the worse candidate ever to review it. Instead, I am going to offer one lucky reader the chance to review it on my behalf! Read on for the details.

There are rules, I will only offer the foundation to someone who a) has skin that this foundation has been designed for, and b) can string a sentence together without too much trouble! Although I should add that I will be expecting much more than a sentence; a few paragraphs detailing how the product wears, feels and general effectiveness (with good pics!). For ideas on how to do this (if you are unsure) please check my previous foundation reviews!

I am in the midst of sorting this and I haven’t completely got the ‘okay’ yet to pass the product on, but in the mean time if you are interested please leave a comment letting me know your skin type, troubles you’ve had with it, your current favourite foundation and a link to your blog if you are a blogger and your email. I will decide the reviewer from whoever applied at the end of the weekend!

For further info about foundation and of course to purchase one yourself, check here.

Good luck!

Disclaimer: This is a Digitorial/Promotional feature. I was asked by Clinique to include the video, the link to purchase and to test the product. Everything else written is of my own accord and completely unsponsored! Thus 100% my own opinion (as always).

This entry is filed under Clinique, Digitorial, Foundations and tagged Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Foundation. | 15 Comments

Urban Decay Surreal Skin Cream to Powder Foundation

By Lina on March 11, 2010

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 the task! 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 in terms of ‘bad’ skin 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 then 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 very 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 a really new experience.

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.

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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 skinned 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!

Check out the full review on Get Lippie here.

This entry is filed under Foundations, Urban Decay and tagged Urban Decay Surreal Skin Foundation. | 7 Comments

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation & Concealer

By Lina on March 1, 2010

As promised, here is the full review of the new Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation range! I was given this foundation at their bloggers press event early in February, and had the matching concealer sent to me a few weeks later. Everything about it sounded really exciting as the high street foundation market really needed a good coverage product which didn’t compromise on nurturing and caring for the skin. Whenever my skin played up, I’d use a full coverage foundation to cover it up knowing that long term it will probably dehydrate and worsen my skin slightly. However, when your skin is bad, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. Which is why the concept of Healthy Mix is so appealing.

Healthy Mix Foundation regards itself as Fruit Therapy, due to its main active ingredients comprising from fruits, such as Apricot for radiance, Melon for hydration, Apple for its anti-oxidant properties and Ginger for Energy. You can build from light to full coverage with it, and the finish is semi-matte (so no need for powder!). It claims to last for 16 hours, and come in 8 shades (the most ever for Bourjois). I had the second to darkest shade (56 Light Bronze) for the foundation, but the darkest in the concealer (53 Dark Radiance), as it only comes in 3 shades.

I was quite impressed with this foundation, I found it really easy to build up to a decent coverage with it and it felt comfortable on my skin. Being semi-matte finish I found it dried to a powdered finish, but unlike most powdered finish products it miraculously didn’t dry my skin out the longer I wore it! If anything, it actually made my skin feel more hydrated and softer the longer it was on! It didn’t last the the full 16 hours (was we really expecting it to?), possibly 5? But you could easily re-apply without it going cakey, which is quite unusual for a powder finish product.

The concealer from the range I absolutely love! You get the perfect amount of coverage to ‘finish’ your make-up off, whilst also covering any uneven skin tones or imperfections, and it also dries to a powdered finish, like the foundation. It appears thicker in consistency than the foundation when you squeeze it from the tube, but once applied it is practically weightless! It’s amazing. Being weightless and powder finish, it results in working much better on lines under the eye as it doesn’t settle into the creases as easily.

Their have been some opinions that the packaging for this concealer is slightly irksome as you can very easily squeeze too much out. I can see this but don’t really mind as the product is so light in finish that even if you do accidently apply too much on it never cakes and just blends seamlessy anyway!

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In conclusion, I thought the foundation was good, but I do think those with oilier skin might prefer the semi-matte finish of it than those with drier, as on me with my dry skin it just appeared as fully matte! However, despite its mattifying properties it did leave my skin soft and comfortable whilst wearing it so if you are after a matte product but have dry skin definitely give this a go. But the real winner from this range is without a doubt the concealer – simply outstanding! I really like the slim line tube it comes in, much more hygeinic than dipping fingers/brushes into a pot and it also slips easily into your make-up bag!

I do have one complaint which I’m sure all the other reviews of this have also stated, despite bringing a total of 8 shades now instead of 5, Bourjois really needs to address the darker skinned market as even though I am a fairly light skinned Asian I had the second to darkest shade (I even think I might mix this is with the darkest as that was a teeny bit too pale), so the colour range clearly doesn’t go that dark. And the concealer (as you’ll see from the swatches) REALLY needs more shade options. The darkest, which I used, was almost too light for me, and that was the darkest of only 3 shades. But other than the shade limitations, the Healthy Mix range is brilliant quality for a high street product!

You can buy Bourjois Healthy Mix from Boots or Superdrug for around £8.99 (foundation) and £5.99 (concealer).

This entry is filed under Bourjois, Concealers, Foundations and tagged Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer, Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. | 11 Comments

Bloom Pure Mineral Foundation Powder in Dark

By Lina on December 2, 2009

I was sent this mineral foundation a couple of weeks ago for review. Not usually one for a powder foundation as my skin is dry, I tend to prefer liquids so really wasn’t expecting this to be the best fit. But surprisingly, it did actually surpass my expectations.. eventually!

Application

Like most mineral powder foundations, it comes in a little pot, with a screw top lid, and a few holes in the plastic shield to shake the product out.

I have to admit I did find trying to shake some product out incredibly tiring and frustrating as only a tiny amount would ever come out each time (I imagine because the holes are too small), so you were continuously trying to shake more product out. I think the reason this happens is because Bloom suggests using a small amount of product first, and then building up. This is understandable, but still very annoying (especially if getting ready for work whilst short of time) and most will agree the amount that shakes out is ridiculously too low.

Once you’ve shaken out the product on to the lid, you then swirl into it with your mineral powder brush, tap off the excess, and then finally apply by buffing onto your skin.

Verdict

When I first applied this it was morning and I didn’t notice any difference on my skin – at the time I felt the shade was just a touch too dark and only noticed any effects of the foundation because my face appeared a little darker. I had applied several layers of the powder but felt I wasn’t gaining much coverage. I suppose I could see some evening out, but it certainly wasn’t by no standard to my normal foundations.

However, by evening I casually looked in the mirror and noticed my skin had a pretty illuminated glow to it, and actually looked like I had a (albeit slight) light base on. The colour match looked better (although still a tad too dark), and I was actually quite pleased with the result! This lead me to believe that this is actually a better night time foundation as the subtle illuminating shimmer in it that is usually washed out in daytime is brought out in evening light, and you can see how it softtly provides a delicate veil over your skin.

(you can see where I added a highlighter concealer pen under my lip! Oh dear..)

As I mentioned, having dry skin, a pure powder product is not normally what the doctor orders! But I have to say, my skin didn’t feel tight or uncomfortable the whole day/night I was wearing it. And it felt so soft and smooth; I do remember stroking my face and being alarmed by how great it still felt (considering I’m wearng a powder product only!). If you have very oily skin, this might not be mattifying enough, but I do believe that most skins will be fine with this, providing you don’t want a powdery matte finish (but also not dewy).

I’d say it lasted pretty long on, as I did apply it in the morning and then noticed it looking great in the evening, and that was without any touch ups. But I would suggest maybe concealing first before applying for day time – in order to get some coverage where you need it. All in all, I think my first experience of a mineral foundation has been positive – and I’m sure that’s largely due to this particular mineral foundation more than mineral foundations in general (you gotta remember, I’m a dry skinned gal!). But I will stress that it hasn’t left me a convert, I still prefer my liquid foundations by far. Great for if you have good skin already or don’t like wearing make-up, but really not enough for most of us!

You can buy Bloom from Superdrug here.
Lx

This entry is filed under Bloom, Foundations and tagged Bloom Pure Mineral Powder Foundation in Dark.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation

By Lina on October 23, 2009

I had actually picked up a sample of this when I was purchasing my Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick Compact, it was almost as an after thought as I totally wasn’t expecting to be that bowled over by it by any means. However, after only a couple of wears nothing could stop me from rushing out to purchase the full size bottle!

Bobbi Browns Skin Foundation claims to provide weightless coverage, whilst not appearing heavy or noticeable like a regular foundation might – it is supposed to just look like skin, but better. I’m usually not one for completely undetectable make-up, and often find these light foundations far too lacking in coverage for my taste, however the great thing about Skin Foundation is that it genuinely does provide weightless coverage without the heavy, cloggy foundation look, it actually lives up to its claim.

Application

It comes in a glass bottle, and you do get a fair amount in it for the heftier £30 price tag. I simply apply mine with my Bobbi Brown Foundation Brush and a couple of pumps usually does the trick. It’s useful to know that this is a buildable foundation so you apply a few layers to get the desired coverage you want, and that’s exactly what I do.

Verdict

Well it’s pretty obvious I’m totally in love with this foundation! It covers all my minor flaws and evens out my skin beautfully without looking cakey or heavy in the slightest – I often skip the highlighter pen (Touche Eclat) as there’s nothing left to even out! Surprisingly, I do feel like I look like I’m wearing make-up, but just good make-up, however a few people have commented on how good my skin is when I’ve worn this foundation and were surprised to learn that I was actually wearing a foundation! So I guess it does look just like skin, but better!

I personally find the finish a little iridescent, despite it being matte, almost like super fine shimmer (it sounds urgh but it’s not, honest!) or that it’s been mixed in with an illuminating cream. It’s great as your skin isn’t left with that greasy feeling like your make-up hasn’t set (much like many other illuminating, dewy foundations) as it’s still a matte foundation, but it just has that glow of healthy, youthful, radiant, illuminated skin – definitely not a harsh flat dry matte. Being a dry skinned gal, usually matte products are a strict no no but for me this product is completely fine and doesn’t highlight any dryness at all – it actually is one of the best foundations I’ve tried on flaky skin – must be due to the weightless coverage!

With full make-up (below)

So it’s a resounding thumbs up for me! Another plus point is that this wears incredibly long on the skin, and yes, it also comes with an SPF 15! So if you think good coverage, weightless texture, SPF and super long lasting sounds like your kinda foundation, do yourself a favour and bag yourself a sample at a Bobbi Brown counter today – I’m sure you’ll be rushing out to purchase a full size one in no time!

This entry is filed under Foundations and tagged Bobbi Brown, Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation. | 10 Comments

Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick Compact

By Lina on August 27, 2009

What a surprise, ANOTHER foundation. You’re lucky I’m single-handedly on the quest for the holy grail product so you don’t have to be!

I’ve just got this a few days ago, so am still very much in the testing phase (a full review will come shortly, don’t worry!). It’s the compact version of their Foundation Stick, designed to fit into their palettes. I don’t have the palette (although I am quite tempted to get one now and fill it with lots of lovely Bobbi Brown little square things but I am trying to resist the gimmick), but I decided after having already bought soooooo many foundations this year, average price £30 a pop, this is a good, cheaper way to really test the much hyped Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick without being lumbered with a gallon of unused product that will only go to waste if it didn’t work out. And I like the fact that it’s tiny and square and fits easily in any handbag!