Estee Lauder double wear foundation

I have been using this foundation for the past three weeks, mainly because I have a tan and when the lady in the shop matched me before I went on holiday I think she gave me the wrong shade as it suits me more when I have a tan than before. I had heard some really good reviews of this foundation and a lot of people called it their 'holy grail' foundation.

The packaging is very cute, and it looks like a high end product. It comes in a glass bottle which feels like it wouldn't break, with a gold top. Unfortunately it doesn't have a pump which is something I don't like about it.
The foundation itself is a lot more liquidy than I thought it would be. A lot of people had compared this foundation to the revlon colorstay foundation which is a lot thicker so I was a bit surprised. I'm not sure I like the consistency of it as most of the foundations I use are on the thicker side.
I apply this foundation with a sponge applicator, I did try using my real techniques brush and then my fingers but it didn't apply very well with either. I only use a small amount of foundation as using the sponge makes a little go a long way, plus because I am tanned I don't need the super full coverage that I usually go for.
I do apply a small amount of powder over the top of this to make it last that little bit longer.
I find that this foundation gives quite a matte finish, which is what I like, and so far does seem to last all day. Although this could be because my skin is very tanned still so I can't really tell that I'm wearing foundation much. I did get very sweaty the other day (tmi) and this foundation still managed to look flawless!
I am very impressed so far with this foundation, and have found that when I apply it with a sponge (I am going to have to buy a beauty blender!) It doesn't begin to look cakey later on in the day like some foundations do.

Overall I will continue to use this foundation for a while I think, but once I lose my tan I might do an update as I'm not sure if it will still work as well for me. It is quite expensive (I think it was over £30) and there are foundations that are just as good out there, including the revlon colorstay foundation, but if you're looking for a good quality foundation that lasts all day and you're prepared to spend a bit extra, then this will be great for you!

X

Makeup collection- primers, foundations and concealers

Hi guys!
I thought I would do posts about my makeup collection, which is still quite small currently but good enough for me! I am doing it over a few posts as it would be too long to do all in one.
*disclaimer: I am not bragging about anything that I have, I know my makeup collection will be small to some of you and large to some of you (my husband), I bought all of these products myself except for the sample sized ones which were free with another purchase in store. *

Primers
Benefit porefessional
This is a well known and very popular primer amongst bloggers, and although I did love it its not my go to primer currently. It comes in a super cute tube and aims to minimise the appearance of pores which it does.

No7 beautifully matte primer
This is quite hard to apply especially with fingers, mattifies the skin instantly but doesn't keep mine matte all day.

Smashbox photo finish primer
This was my most expensive primer, and is the one I am currently using everyday. It is lightweight and although it doesn't keep my skin matte all day it works well enough.

Benefit that gal primer
This was a sample I got in the benefit beauty score box, and I hate it! It is a pinky colour and doesn't mattify my skin and actually I thought it made my skin more oily and looked awful!

Concealer

Benefit erase paste
I used this a few times but although I got the lightest shade it looked orange on me and didn't cover my dark circles at all.

Collection lasting perfection concealer
I got this in ivory and I am in love with it! I use it to cover my dark circles under the eyes, and not only does it cover them, it brightens the whole eye area and stays in place all day with only a small amount of creasing.

Maybelline dreamlumi concealer
I got this as I used it years ago and loved it, but the ivory colour looked orange on my skin and didn't hide the dark circles.  I was gutted about this as I was expecting better based on previous experience.

Foundations

No7 beautifully matte foundation
This is the foundation I have been wearing every day for quite a while now and I do love it. I got it in the lightest shade which I think is called calico but I could be wrong. This shade matches me perfectly when I don't have a tan (and I haven't had a tan in years!) It looks flawless when first applied and only needs maybe one touch up a day which is fab. It doesn't keep my skin matte all day but doesn't look overly oily either

Chanel perfection lumiere
I like this foundation but I don't love it. It's actually a shade too dark for me so I am going to use it on holiday when I am beginning to tan. It is a medium coverage so is perfect for the summer months when the no7 foundation is a bit thick.

Estee Lauder double wear foundation
I have only just recently purchased this and although the lady in the shop 'matched' it to my skin it seems a little dark/orange to me but I will use it in the summer months. I have only used it once so far so don't want to say too much.

Creams and highlighters

Clinique moisture surge cc cream in light/medium
This was a sample in a Clinique bag I got for purchasing 2 items. I haven't used it yet but I did check the colour and it is really dark! I am hoping that it will blend out to be a lighter shade but I am taking it on holiday to use instead of foundation. 

No7 illuminating fluid
I got this in a gift for buying 2 products and only used it once. I guess if I was to use it I would use it in the summer and I would mix it with my foundation to make my skin look illuminating.  It is gold in colour and looks quite pretty but with my oily skin I am a bit worried it will make me look like a grease ball.

Benefit high beam
I got this in the beauty score box and haven't actually used it yet but it looks pretty.

Makeup setting spray

Urban decay de-slick makeup setting spray
I have used this every day since I bought it and I quite like it. As a setting spray it's not the best but it does cool my face down.

That's everything I have for my base, it doesn't seem much when written down!
What have you guys got in your makeup collection to use as a base?

X

First impressions- chanel perfection lumiere

Hi guys!
As you know if you read my blogs, I have been wanting a new foundation for a little while now as the one I was using (no7 beautifully matte) is a but too high coverage for the summer. Although to be honest this is the first year that I have wanted to get a lighter coverage foundation!
I was undecided between the chanel perfection lumiere and the vita lumiere aqua foundation as I watched the reviews that fleur de force and ingrid nilsson did and wanted a chanel foundation. Because I couldn't choose I sent my fella to get one for me while he was already shopping and let him make the decision. Bit risky but if I had gone I would have ended up with both!
He came back with the perfection lumiere one in 20 beige, which cos £36, the most I have ever spent on a beauty product in my life!
I used it the very next day and I though the colour was a bit too dark for me but it actually matched me perfectly and seemed to get better throughout the day.
The packaging is luxurious,  it comes in a glass bottle with a black pump and it feels so sturdy as if it wouldn't break if you dropped it. The glass is see through so you can see the colour of the foundation and how much you have left.
I shook it but I'm not sure if you're meant to! I use two pumps for my face, and it is a lot more liquidy than any other foundation I have used which is good as it provides a lighter coverage.
I used  brush to apply it, and it went on smoothly over my primer and looked flawless. It does look slightly more beige than my skin when I first put it on but it looks perfect after a few minutes.
It has a smell that I can't quite describe, I actually really like it as it is quite sweet I think. Not at all what I expected it to smell like!
It does look shiny during the day but it doesn't claim to be mattifying and I had the same problem with my old foundation.
The coverage it gives is lighter than what I am used to but looks more natural, it doesn't cover any blemishes I have very well but that is what concealer is for really.

This is perfect for what I wanted and will be fab for my holiday. It is a bit pricey bit with foundations I think you get what you pay for. I haven't been using it for too long so I will do an update after about a couple of months but so far I love it.

X

Review- benefit hello flawless oxygen foundation

Hi Guys! Hope you are all having a fab day!!
This post is going to be about the benefit hello flawless oxygen foundation.  I only got a sample of this which did only last three applications so my opinion is based on this.
I was in the palest colour they had, which is pretty usual for me!! The packaging of the actual product is pretty cute, it is a see through plastic bottle so you can see how much product you still have left, and it has a pump which is great as you can control. how much product you are getting.
This foundation doesn't have a noticeable smell (or at least I didn't notice one!) I applied it using my fingers as it was runny compared to the foundations I am used to wearing and I wasn't sure how it would cope with a brush and I didn't want to waste any of the sample.  it was applied over the porefesisonal (also by benefit) and seemed really light comapred to the revlon and n07 ones.
It did blend easily but it was a light coverage which I am not used to, so I was a bit unsure as to whether or not I liked it as I couldnt really tell where I had applied it- as if I was just rubbing the product off my face.  But the second time I applied this I used a bit more and it seemed to work better.  For the first hour or so this foundation looked amazing on my skin, not too matte and not too dewy.  i do tend to go for more matte foundations as I do have oily skin and I feel like dewy fou ndaitons will just make my face look like a sweaty mess, but this didn't.  it actually looked really natural and my face looked brighter than usual.
I wore this for a night shift and when I got to work my colleagues commented on how good my skin looked which they have never done before, and even went as far as to say that I looked too good for a night shift!!
However, after a few hours in the air conditioned lab I couldn't even tell I had applied foundation, and  not in a good way.  It was if the whole product was just drank in by my skin!! I did try it again once more and used the last of the sample but the same thing happened, the product just didn't last long at all.
This may be because I have oily skin so this foundation may work brilliantly for people with normal or dry skin, but it just did not work for me at all.
I was actually a bit gutted as I had such high hopes for this foundation, but I am glad that I managed to get a sample rather than buy the bottle for £26 and hate it.

Have you tried this product? What did you think?

X