I flit between a lot of different requirements when it comes to my base makeup. Flawless or natural, matte or dewy, bronzed or fair - I could want any of those things on any given day. One thing I always want from my base, however, is longevity. No matter what look I'm going for, I want it to last the distance. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of an event/meeting/day out and worrying that your face is falling off! Lately, I've been using a combination of products that seems to work really well, giving me a natural yet polished base that lasts a solid 8 or more hours of wear. It would be remiss of me not to share, so here are my 5 hero products for a long lasting base.
1. Ren Perfect Canvas Skin Finishing Serum
I've rediscovered this primer in recent months and I'm thrilled to have it back in my collection. It's so light to wear which is lovely in the warmer weather, and really feels more like a serum than a primer. My skin feels instantly smoother after I've applied this, and no matter what foundation I wear, I notice an improvement in how long it lasts when I have this on underneath. As if that wasn't enough, Perfect Canvas contains hyluronans, which increase the hydration and elasticity of the skin, as well as a-Glucans to promote the growth of skin friendly bacteria and optimise skin health. A primer that feels light as air, nourishes your skin and makes your makeup last longer? Yes please! I wrote a more in-depth review of Perfect Canvas a while back so do check it out if you're interested in this product.
2. Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation
This is my most recent purchase of the 6, although I gave a very brief first impressions of it in this vlog. Bought on a bit of a whim, I picked it up because I was in need of a new foundation and had the vague idea in the back of my mind that I had heard good things about this one. I've been wearing it every single day since I bought it and I'm so impressed. I got the shade True Ivory, which is a great match for my fair to medium skin tone. It's a creamy formula with higher coverage than I've used for a while, but the finish is still very natural and gives a lovely glow to the skin. It lasts a decent length of time on its own, but does even better when layered over the Ren primer. Containing hydrating properties as well, it's the best drugstore foundation I've tried in a long time and I will definitely be repurchasing when I finish my bottle. It's under £10 anyway, but I've found it on sale at Very if you feel like giving it a go.
3. Clarins Instant Concealer
While I've been loving the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer recently, I feel that the Clarins Instant Concealer just has the edge when it comes to not settling into fine lines during the course of the day, so that's why I've gone with this one for my current favourite long lasting base products. It's also very effective at brightening the under eye area and conceals blemishes nicely too. The packaging isn't my favourite as it's a little messier to apply than concealers with a doe-foot applicator, but I can put up with that as it gives such lovely results. The texture is fairly fluid, which I think helps to keep it from sinking into lines, yet it packs a punch when it comes to coverage too. For anyone over a certain age, or indeed anyone who worries about their concealer making them look older due to emphasising lines, this is a great one to go for.
4. Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Loose Powder
This lighter than air, finely milled setting powder is perfect for setting the concealer under my eyes. Containing micronised pigments, it's designed to keep from settling into fine lines, while the transparent white colour adds a subtle brightening effect. I don't set my whole face with this, just under my eyes, where the extra brightening is welcome. It's perfect for adding that additional layer of protection to my under eye makeup without disturbing what's already there.
5. Pixi Makeup Fixing Mist
Once I've applied the rest of my makeup over the base products mentioned above, I'll set it all in place with a quick spritz of Pixi Makeup Fixing Mist. Containing rose water and green tea, this smells like a spring morning, contains skin hydrating and balancing properties and feels so lovely to use. It leaves my makeup looking fresh and ever so slightly dewy and helps to prolong the wear just that little bit further. You can also carry it with you for a quick refresh on the go, as the hit of hydration it provides can help to stop makeup sinking into lines as the day wears on. My one criticism of this product is that I wish the spray was a little bit finer, but I do love using it and definitely feel it helps my makeup last longer.
What are your favourite makeup products for a long lasting base?
Kate x
Some links may be affiliate links. This poses no extra cost to you, the customer. All opinions, as always, are my own.
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I've been keen to try something from The Ordinary for a while now. Rarely has a brand been more hyped, and there have been so many glowing reviews for many of the products. As I was in need of a new foundation, I decided to go for The Ordinary Serum Foundation as my first purchase from the brand. At less than £6, it's probably the cheapest foundation I've ever bought! I decided to go for the Serum Foundation rather than the heavier Coverage Foundation as I had read from several sources that it offers a lightweight, natural finish, buildable coverage and is suitable for all skin types.
I used Findation to find my shade. It's a website where you can input the shades of foundations you already own, and it will tell you which shade to buy in any other. This is handy when it comes to buying a foundation that isn't easily available in a store. I was matched to shade 1.0N, which is possibly a little too light for me but definitely an acceptable match when you add a little bit of bronzer.
While this is far from ideal, I have found a way to prolong the life of this foundation. With a mattifying primer underneath (I've been using Ren Perfect Canvas Skin Finishing Serum) and a fixing spray over the top (my current favourite being Pixi Make-Up Fixing Mist) I can get closer to four hours out of it before it starts to deteriorate.
My skin type is best described as "temperamental" - it can go through dry phases, but is usually slightly oily through my t-zone, especially my chin. My cheeks are definitely not oily, yet both the slippery application phase and the powdery deterioration that happens later seem to affect my face as a whole, so I can't really say that it would be more suited to either drier or oilier skin types than mine. Perhaps, after all, it's equally suited to all skin types, but is just generally a bit difficult to work with!
Would I buy this again? Yes, because it is so affordable, because the finish is so lovely and because I have found a way to prolong that finish to a semi-decent amount of time. However, if one of those three criteria had remained unfulfilled, I would probably have said no.
Have you tried The Ordinary Serum Foundation? If so, I would love to know how it performed for you and what your skin type is! Let me know.
Kate x
Packaging
Super lightweight and with a pump applicator that can be closed during transit, the packaging of the Serum Foundation is about as user friendly as it gets. There's something quite chic and stylish about it too, and even though it doesn't look as luxe as my Chanel foundation, it's still pleasing to the eye when displayed on my dressing table.
Application
The consistency of this foundation is very light, almost watery, and if I'm honest I find it difficult to apply. It tends to slide all over my face, regardless of whether I use a brush or my fingers. I have learnt to apply it with a buffing brush first as best I can, and then perfect it with my fingers after that to get rid of the unsightly brush strokes, which seems to do the trick. I've never been a fan of makeup sponges, so don't possess any, but perhaps that would be the best tool for the job. Once I have battled through the application process, it seems to take a minute or two to settle down, so I tend to go away and do something else before attempting to apply the rest of my makeup.
Once the foundation has settled, it looks beautiful. It provides a radiant glow without being in any way too dewy, and gives a decent amount of coverage while still looking totally natural. The lightweight formula is also very comfortable to wear. All this for less than £6? At this point, immediately after application, it feels like the best foundation ever.
Unfortunately, however, the lovely finish doesn't last very long. Or at least it doesn't on me. Strangely, for something that is so wet to apply, after a couple of hours it starts to take on a powdery appearance. I have my share of skin concerns, but large pores has never been one of them. Yet somehow this foundation seems to find them and sink into them. The picture below was taken after I had been wearing it for about two hours. After another two hours, it looks quite a bit worse than this, and I wouldn't want to be out and about without the means to fix my makeup.
Finish
Once the foundation has settled, it looks beautiful. It provides a radiant glow without being in any way too dewy, and gives a decent amount of coverage while still looking totally natural. The lightweight formula is also very comfortable to wear. All this for less than £6? At this point, immediately after application, it feels like the best foundation ever.
Longevity
Unfortunately, however, the lovely finish doesn't last very long. Or at least it doesn't on me. Strangely, for something that is so wet to apply, after a couple of hours it starts to take on a powdery appearance. I have my share of skin concerns, but large pores has never been one of them. Yet somehow this foundation seems to find them and sink into them. The picture below was taken after I had been wearing it for about two hours. After another two hours, it looks quite a bit worse than this, and I wouldn't want to be out and about without the means to fix my makeup.
While this is far from ideal, I have found a way to prolong the life of this foundation. With a mattifying primer underneath (I've been using Ren Perfect Canvas Skin Finishing Serum) and a fixing spray over the top (my current favourite being Pixi Make-Up Fixing Mist) I can get closer to four hours out of it before it starts to deteriorate.
So Does Your Skin Type Matter?
My skin type is best described as "temperamental" - it can go through dry phases, but is usually slightly oily through my t-zone, especially my chin. My cheeks are definitely not oily, yet both the slippery application phase and the powdery deterioration that happens later seem to affect my face as a whole, so I can't really say that it would be more suited to either drier or oilier skin types than mine. Perhaps, after all, it's equally suited to all skin types, but is just generally a bit difficult to work with!
Would I buy this again? Yes, because it is so affordable, because the finish is so lovely and because I have found a way to prolong that finish to a semi-decent amount of time. However, if one of those three criteria had remained unfulfilled, I would probably have said no.
Have you tried The Ordinary Serum Foundation? If so, I would love to know how it performed for you and what your skin type is! Let me know.
Kate x
Some links may be affiliate links. All opinions, as always, are my own.
So, precisely how did we get half way through the year already?! June has been a hectic but very nice month. I got to spend a few days in London with my sister, which is always one of my favourite things to do. The weather was so beautiful too so it almost felt like we were on holiday, and with the amount of iced coffees we consumed, let's just say I don't think that Starbucks will be going out of business any time soon.
As usual, I've handpicked a few favourite items of the month, so let's get started shall we?
1. Chanel Les Beiges Foundation - Back when I first started blogging, I only wore full coverage, long lasting foundations and couldn't imagine wearing anything else. Now, partly because blogging has taught me so much about taking care of my skin properly, I feel like I can branch out into lighter bases more. Chanel Les Beiges is one I've wanted to try for a long time and I've been loving it this month. It's a great "compromise" foundation, offering a healthy glow without being overly dewy, and a decent amount of coverage without venturing into mask like territory. There are so many others I would like to try, but I think this one will be a mainstay of my collection for a long time to come. I have shade 20 which is a good match for my fair to medium skin.
2. L'Oreal Color Riche Matte Addiction Lipstick in 640 Erotique - As far as I can tell there is nothing new about this lipstick range, but for some reason I hadn't discovered it before a few weeks ago. The formula is just gorgeous. The finish is matte, but probably the softest, creamiest matte I have ever encountered and very comfortable to wear. The shade Erotique is a beautiful rosy pink nude and I've worn it almost every day this month.
3. DHC Liquid Eyeliner* - DHC is a Japanese beauty brand. I hadn't heard of it before it started popping up on my Instagram feed over the last couple of months, and then as luck would have it, a very kindly PR company sent me a couple of things from the brand. One was this precision point liquid eyeliner. While my favourite Kat Von D Tattoo Liner is difficult to beat, this one comes very close indeed. It has a super fine nib that gives a beautifully precise, black line. I really love the shiny pink packaging too!
4. DHC Olive Virgin Oil Swabs* - The second DHC product I was sent was this box of cotton buds. Also beautifully packaged, this is such a simple but brilliant idea. Each individually wrapped cotton bud or swab is infused with virgin olive oil, meaning that they are perfect for cleaning up any eye makeup mistakes. I used to dip a cotton bud into makeup remover to do this, and now I don't have to! They're also useful for moisturising small areas like cuticles and around the nose. I did wonder if oil infused swabs would feel greasy to the touch, but they don't at all. They just feel like regular cotton buds until you start to wipe them over your misplaced eye makeup, and like magic, it disappears.
5. H&M Skirt - I wore this skirt pretty much every day during the June heatwave (all four days of it!) It's an effortless piece as it goes with everything and the slightly longer length is ideal for city wear. H&M appear to have a slightly different wash in stock now but from what I can see, the cut is the same.
What have you been loving this month?
Kate x
*Gifted item. All opinions, as always, are my own.
So, how was everyone's February? Mine felt as if it flew by, and was something of a nondescript month, without anything particularly exciting happening. Still, on the plus side, there were no disasters either, so I guess I should just be grateful for that! This month's favourites is a mixed bag - some new things, and some old faithful products that you are sure to have seen me declaring my love for at least once or twice before! It's mostly beauty this month, plus a book that I think pretty much everyone who blogs will be interested in.
1. L'Oreal False Lash X Fiber Mascara - First up, something new - this double-ended mascara from L'Oreal. I've seen quite a few mixed reviews about this, but I personally love it and think it gives some serious impact to my lashes. You apply the primer end first, to add volume, and then the end with the fibres for length. Some people claim to have experienced the fibres falling onto their face or into their eyes, but I've experienced neither and have really been enjoying using this. I don't mind the extra time it takes to apply the two different steps and think it's well worth it for the results. I would be interested to know if anyone else has used this and if so, what did you think?
2. Primark Eyelash Curlers - For the longest time, I've used Shu Uemura eyelash curlers, which cost around £20, but having heard about these pretty Primark ones, I decided to give them a go this month. Apart from not feeling quite as weighty in my hand, the Primark curlers are really no different from the Shu Uemura ones. They curl my lashes just as well, and they only cost £1. No, that's not a typo. They cost £1. Plus, they come with a spare silicone pad, and they're rose gold! Needless to say, I won't be going back.
3. Maybelline Super Stay 7 Days Gel Nail Color - I've featured a couple of these in monthly favourites posts before, and having added a couple more shades to my collection this month (Midnight Red and Divine Wine), I feel it's only right that I give a shoutout to the range as a whole. The colours are beautiful, the formula is a dream to work with and the wide brush makes application quick and easy. I've got my eye on a couple of lighter shades for spring as well - I'll probably end up owning the entire range before long!
4. The Body Shop Spa of the World French Lavender Massage Oil - I reviewed a few products from the Spa of the World range here and truth be told, I've been loving all of them this month. I decided to single out the lavender oil, though, as it has made so much difference to the quality of my sleep lately. I don't use this for massage at all, but put a few drops on my chest and wrists before I go to bed and breathe in the relaxing scent as I drift off to sleep. I've been falling asleep quicker and having a much more peaceful night since I started using this, so I'm keeping it on my bedside table for good now!
5. Clarins Extra Comfort Foundation applied with Zoeva 104 Buffer Brush - This foundation has popped up in my favourites before now, but I've been loving it so much this month that I had to mention it again. I find I enjoy this more whenever my skin feels that little bit drier, and with the cold weather we've had throughout February, that's certainly been the case. It's a full coverage foundation with a lovely dewy finish, and if it only lasted a little bit longer it would probably be my all time number one base product. However, the drier my skin, the longer it lasts, so it's often something I love in the winter. I've also been enjoying this Zoeva brush to apply it with. As someone who's always applied foundation with their fingertips, it's been something of a revelation! The finish is smoother and more flawless with this and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
6. The Million Dollar Blog by Natasha Courtenay-Smith - My final favourite this month is this book on blogging which I stumbled upon by accident when searching for something to read. The Amazon reviews were excellent, so I decided to give it a go. I'm just over halfway through it and I'm finding it really interesting so far. It's fun to read the stories of established bloggers and how they managed to turn their blogs into successful businesses, but there's also a lot of good tips about how to approach content creation, which I think anyone with a blog would find really useful. If you click on my link you'll find it on Amazon and you can check out the first few pages for free if you're interested.
What have you been loving this past month?
A few of you might remember that I wanted to try Chanel Perfection Lumiere after my sister wore it at her wedding last summer. I'm always on the lookout for good full coverage foundations and was very impressed with the way this one lasted all day, and particularly with the gorgeous silky finish and luminous quality it gave to her skin.
Several months later (I'm quite slow), I finally got around to buying it for myself. My skin is pale bordering on medium, and I was matched in store to the shade 20 Beige.
Back in the day, (a loooong time ago), I used to love Chanel's Pro Lumiere foundation. That was sadly discontinued, and I eventually moved on to Estee Lauder Double Wear - amazing coverage and lasting power - and more recently Clarins Extra Comfort - a beautiful dewy finish. This is the first Chanel foundation I've tried in quite some time, and interestingly, it was created as a replacement for Pro Lumiere. You could say it's the happy medium between Double Wear and Extra Comfort, yet funnily enough, although I liked it from the beginning, it's taken a while to work its way into my regular routine. Over the last couple of weeks, though, I've found myself reaching for it almost daily, so I thought now would be as good a time as any to write a review.
Perfection Lumiere is supposed to contain a perfect balance of correction and light, using the Chanel Perfect Light Control complex. The finish is matte, but radiant - "silky" really is the best word I can think of to describe it - and it is remarkably long lasting. I wore it to a wedding recently and was surprised to find my makeup pretty much intact after a very long, hot day.
I like the sleek glass packaging, especially the handy pump applicator which is perfect for dispensing the right amount of product. The consistency of it is not exactly watery, but it is remarkably lightweight. In fact, of all the full coverage foundations I've tried, it's the lightest, which makes it a great choice for summer. It works very well when built up in thin layers to achieve the level of coverage you want, and it's almost impossible to overdo it. Even better, the light consistency makes it super comfortable to wear.
(I actually took this photo for my Instagram feed a couple of months ago, but I think you can see the quality of the finish quite well here so I didn't bother taking another! If it ain't broke...)
Incidentally, my sister wore this for her wedding with a generous dusting of Mac Lightscapade over the top, and her skin really did look sensational. Guess which product is next on my list?!
Have you tried this foundation? If so, what do you think of it?
Kate x
(I actually took this photo for my Instagram feed a couple of months ago, but I think you can see the quality of the finish quite well here so I didn't bother taking another! If it ain't broke...)
Incidentally, my sister wore this for her wedding with a generous dusting of Mac Lightscapade over the top, and her skin really did look sensational. Guess which product is next on my list?!
Have you tried this foundation? If so, what do you think of it?
Kate x
Some links may be affiliate links. All opinions, as always, are my own.
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