My Top 5: Foundations

Finally I think I've got them, my top 5 favourite foundations.I've tried and tested a lot of foundations the past year or so, but I finally think I've narrowed down the ones that I love and the ones I don't really love as much.

NARS SHEER GLOW
Selfridges | £30.50
I've mentioned this quite a lot because it's been very well loved since I bought it in October. It literally is perfect. The name, I do have to say is very misleading. It does have a certain glow to it, however generally it is rather matte (I suppose a satin finish rather than saying matte?). It literally looks beautiful on the skin though.

RIMMEL MATCH PERFECTION FOUNDATION
Boots.com | £6.99
This foundation, for the price, is amazing. This is make my skin look so flawless and radiant. It's a decent coverage and needs a light powdering to keep it to stay put all day long (I love using the matching powder).

MAX FACTOR FACEFINITY ALL DAY FLAWLESS 3-in-1 FOUNDATION
Boots.com | £11.99
I hated this so much when I first got it, literally it was the worst thing in my eyes. After a break from using it, I tried it again and fell in love. It's a medium coverage and is so long lasting.

BOURJOIS HEALTHY MIX FOUNDATION
Boots.com | £9.99
The apparent Chanel Vitalumiere (or possibly Pro Lumiere) dupe, I had high hopes of this, however thought it would be a lot lighter coverage than it is. Don't get me wrong, it's not full on heavy full coverage, but it covers everything it needs to whilst feeling like there's nothing on the skin. Most possibly my favourite of them all. For the time being.

MAC FACE AND BODY FOUNDATION
Maccosmetics.co.uk | £21.50
The makeup artist favourite. With its ability to go from a tinted moisturiser coverage up to full coverage, Face and Body is the perfect day to night foundation due its amazing buildabilty. It makes the skin look great because it perfects imperfections but still lets the skin show through so it's not masking it away. I didn't think I'd love this as much as I do at all but it's absolutely amazing.

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Illamasqua Skin Trio + Topshop Wicked | FOTN

I went to the theatre last night to see ‘Wicked’ in Manchester, and I thought that I would just do a little “face of the night” post telling you what I wore on my face and so letting you know some of my favourite products at the moment, as so to speak.

I started off by applying the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion + all over my face (I mentioned it in THIS haul post). I've been using this mainly as a nighttime moisturiser, however I've used it when my skin feels like it needs a little bit more moisture!

I then used my favourite skin trio of the moment, starting with the Illamasqua Hydra Veil primer - I am absolutely loving this as I have very  dehydrated skin, and this gives my skin a real boost whilst providing a great base for my makeup. Sticking with Illamasqua, I used their Skin Base Foundation in the shade 4. This applies perfectly over the Hydra Veil, using a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. To get rid of my terrible dark circles, I used my Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer and applied this under my eyes and across my eyelids, and also on the redness around my nose and any little blemishes.

MAC Eyeshadows; Clockwise - Omega, Brule, Handwritten, Era

At this point I then move onto my eyes, and I started off with doing my eyebrows, using Omega eyeshadow (top left) from MAC on a small angled brush.  

Using a MAC 217, I applied the shade Brule (top right), a matte skin colour shade also by MAC, all over the lid, just to set the foundation and concealer across my lids. 

I then applied MAC eyeshadow in Era (bottom left) all across the lid, again with my 217, and then I used my Real Techniques Duo Fibre Eye Brush to apply MAC Handwritten (bottom right), a gorgeous matte chocolate brown, through the crease. I also took this on a small angled brush on the lower lash line. 

I lined my top lashline with the Illamasqua Precision Gel Liner and my top waterline with the Bourjois Queen Attitude Khol Kajal Liner, finishing off the eyes with a few coats of my favourite mascara ever, the Maybelline The Rocket Mascara.

Moving back to the skin, I powdered through the centre of the face with the last of the Illamasqua face trio, the Illamasqua Powder Foundation (I think I’m using shade 135? - it’s a tad too light for me though). 

I am a huge huge fan of contouring, and recently I have been loving using my Benefit Hoola bronzer and the Real Techniques Contour Brush. 

The final touch for the face was using the gorgeous MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft And Gentle on the tops of my cheekbones.

Bringing the whole look together, I finished it off by using Topshop’s Lipstick in Wicked, a lovely burgundy shade.

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Recently Purchased #3: Illamasqua, Clinique and L’Oreal

I have bought rather a lot these past couple of months, despite me saying that on each purchase post or what not, but anyway, I thought I’d show you some of my beauty purchases from September and October!

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation, £27

WHAT THEY SAY: “Inspired by the cult Asian market Beauty Balm creams, Skin Base Foundation is a brand new, refined formula unlike anything on the UK market. Easily blendable, it effortlessly creates a perfect complexion, and like the entire Illamasqua foundation range, is undetectable in a professional HD environment. Suitable for all skin types, it smoothes, softens and conditions your skin whilst providing natural, buildable coverage. The Ultimate ‘Skin Realism’ Foundation.”

I FINALLY bought Skin Base! I’ve heard so much about this foundation and I absolutely love it!! At first I wasn’t too in love with it, because it is a little bit tough, but when using a denser brush it blends in a lot easier. It has such a gorgeous finish, plus it smells absolutely gorgeous!

Illamasqua Precision Gel Eye Liner, £18

WHAT THEY SAY: “Soon to be the mainstay in the make-up bags of every beauty enthusiast, Precision Gel Liner recreates the fluidity of a liquid liner in the ease of a gel. Creating a smooth, rich black line from the first application, the long-lasting and water-resistant formula is guaranteed to stay in place all day.” 

Again from Illamasqua I got their Precision Gel Liner. Now I’ve been using the Maybelline Studio Gel Liner for about two years or so now, and I absolutely love it, but I ran out about a month back and instead of repurchasing that I thought I would branch out and try something different! 

After reading the reviews online on Illamasqua’s website it seemed very good and so far I’m really loving it! It’s super smooth to apply, even more so than Maybelline’s and, yeah, I’m loving it!

Illamasqua Hydra Veil, £27

WHAT THEY SAY: “Create a radiant finish with Hydra Veil's instantly rehydrating, gel formula, providing the optimal base for your make-up.” 

Another product that I’ve been wanting for so long too is the Hydra Veil primer. Though I have slightly oily skin, I am generally quite combination and have very dehydrated skin, so I thought that this would help with that. I’ve only use it a couple of times so far but I really like it!

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion +, £17

WHAT THEY SAY: “The big plus: Our new formula now helps strengthen skin's own moisture barrier. More moisture stays in. Skin feels soft, springy. Has a healthy-looking glow.” 

I tried this in Boots about two months ago and it left my hand feeling so so soft but I didn’t end up buying it then. I then did the Clinique skin consultation online and found that this is the moisturiser for my skin type, dry combination which is skin type 2 (it also works for very dry to dry, skin type 1). I’ve been using this the past couple of days as a nighttime moisturiser and I like it!

Clinique Brush On Cream Liner in Smoke Grey, £16

WHAT THEY SAY: “Creamy liner brushes on deep, smoky, eye-defining colour. Long-wearing, waterproof formula, comes complete with a mini Eye Liner Brush. Ophthalmologist tested.”

So I bought this after seeing it on one of Pixiwoo’s tutorials (THIS) and it is so smooth and easy to apply! Perfect for a smokey eye like in Sam’s tutorial!

I’ve bought rather a lot from Superdrug this month, but rather than showing you everything, I thought I would just show you the L’Oreal items I bought.

L’Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash, £7.99

WHAT THEY SAY: “New Glam Shine Stain Splash: it's a gloss that acts like a stain. Our first of its kind 30% water-based formula to finally quench your thirst for shine AND lasting colour! Application is easy with its unique feather soft wand that matches perfectly the contour of your lips.Shine feels fresh, barely there.Colour is easy with a stain finish that lasts up to 6 hours without drying out.”


I bought one of these a few months back and I love how soft they feel! This time I got the shades 102 Romy (light pink) and 200 Princess (reddish-coral).

Top - 102 Romy, Bottom - 200 Princess

L’Oreal Lumi Magique Pearl Powder, £8.99

 WHAT THEY SAY: “Capturing the natural radiance of pearls, this new powder defines and illuminates the face. Designed in the form of a ring of pearls. Available in 2 different shades for natural, glowing looking skin. Light-infused pearl powder technology.”

I haven’t yet tried this but it is super pearlescent and glowy-looking and looks lovely!

L’Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation, £6.99

WHAT THEY SAY: “Unveiling new Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation. Perfectly invisible, invisibly perfect. A new sensation with a lighter than water formula for non greasy zero make up feel. A new application with perfume-like bottle: shake, pour a drop on finger tip and apply. A new finish: perfect looking nude finish for even, smoother, healthier looking complexion and enhanced skin texture. Revolutionary formula: Evanescent texture thanks to volatile oils gradually evaporating as the formula is applied to the skin. Lighter than water. Ultra-light micro pigments. Non greasy feel. Just a few drops needed. Zero make-up feel.”

I’m not sure at the moment what I think about this foundation - I’m going to try it a few more times and then I’m going to write a review on it for you, hopefully uploading next week or the end of this week. 

So that is all! You can read my last ‘recently purchased’ post here.

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October Wish List

It’s been a while since I’ve done a wish list, so I thought I would today and let you know what things I’ve been lusting over this month so far!

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

WHAT THEY SAY: “A glowing, natural radiant finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage that immaculately evens skin tone. Replete with skincare benefits and the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, it leaves skin hydrated, more luminous, softer and smoother. Used daily, Sheer Glow Foundation improves the skin's brightness and texture.”

I’ve seen a lot of YouTuber’s use this foundation and it looks really nice. They recommend it for normal to dry skin - I am normal/combination, but I have heard that it’s not great on dry skin as it clings to dry patches (not good!). Though rather pricey, I do really want to try it - plus the packaging looks ever so chic.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation retails for £30.50 and is available HERE

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly

WHAT THEY SAY: “A highly pigmented eye colour that goes on creamy but dries to an intense, vibrant finish. The next generation of a popular M·A·C formula, Paint Pots maintains all the intense traits of its inspiration. Long-wearing, colourfast. Creates seamless coverage without weight or caking. Blends smoothly over the lids. Cream-based, can be mixed with M·A·C shadows and liners. Available in satin, cream, frost, and pearl formulas.”

I’ve been wanting this for so long as it will be such a great neutral eyeshadow base, plus I’ve been absolutely loving cream shadows recently too! The shade "Painterly" is described as "nude beige".

MAC Paint Pots retail for £15 each and are available HERE

Illamasqua Neutral Palette

WHAT THEY SAY: "Create sculpted highlights and stark contours anywhere on your face and body with these four pivotal Powder Eye Shadows. From our new antique gold shade, Vintage - exclusive to this palette - and matt shades Stealth (creamy buttermilk) and Wolf (rich chocolate brown), to the smoky charcoal depths of new shade Obsidian (rich black), express your inner light and darkness with riotous glamour."

I am a huge fan of Illamasqua, and also a huge fan of neutral eyeshadow palettes! This palette looks so gorgeous and I can't wait to get one!

The Illamasqua Neutral Palette retails for £24 and is available HERE

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