Foundation Files; Becca Blotting Powder Perfector - Tinted

Foundation Files; This is where I test out different base products, from concealer to powder, tinted moisturiser and foundation etc, over a period of 7-14 days and post my findings. (Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Bloglovin so you don't miss a post) So let’s get started!!!

First off some information about me; Skintype: Combination (leaning dry in winter and Oily in Summer). Shade Reference: in between MAC NC45-50/NW43. Undertones: Yellow/Neutral.

Becca Blotting Powder Perfector - Tinted

Brand: Becca

Name: Blotting Powder Perfector

Coverage: None

Shade: Tinted

Swatch:

Becca Blotting Powder Perfector - Tinted - Swatch

What The brand says: An oil-absorbing powder that mattifies skin and sets makeup for a long-lasting perfected soft focus look. This non-drying micro-fine powder controls shine without adding noticeable color or texture. Imperfections are softened while the appearance of pores are minimized for a velvet smooth finish. Use after foundation application to set makeup or alone for touch ups throughout the day.

Wear time (with/without primer): This has great wear time, once applied I don't need to reapply for a few hours, however I did find towards the end of the day more frequent reapplication was required to keep shine at bay.

Price (ml): £29 (10.8g)

Pros: Controls oil
Comes in a handy pouch

Cons: Would benefit from one extra shade being added to the line

Suitable Skin Types: Combination, Normal, Oily

Ingredients: MICA, SILICA, DIMETHICONE, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE. MAY CONTAIN: CI 77492 (IRON OXIDE), CI 75470 (CARMINE), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDE)

Oxidation: None

Any Other Information: It comes with a powder puff, which I never used, it's housed in a mirrored compact, and the little zip up pouch and is a great addition.

Conclusion: Every summer the hunt for the perfect products to keep shine at bay is on, this year I found one such product, the Becca Blotting Powder Perfector. This comes in 2 shades, tinted and translucent, I picked this up from SpaceNK. I use this mainly to touch up throughout the day, I found that when used to set my base if I was a little too heavy handed it would initially make me appear a little ashy, but this doesn't happen during touch ups. it can also be used as a finishing powder, once setting powder has been applied to also prevent this.

This powder is great for absorbing oil, without getting cakey and heavy, as it has little to no coverage it hardly alters the colour of your original make up. However repeated application is required the longer you've had your makeup on, as the mattifying effects don't last as long, . I can see this product becoming a stable feature in my summer makeup, for keeping shine at bay.

*Rating: Lust

*Ratings; Hate, dislike, Like, Lust, Love

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream

Here's a review I wrote for brownbeautytalk.com;

Bobbi Brown’s hydrating skincare range is infused with mineral water, to provide skin with the moisture it needs. The creams have a lightweight texture so they melt right into the skin, keeping skin soft and glowing all day; to make sure foundation and concealer glide on smoothly and evenly.

I received the hydrating face cream; it’s a rich yet lightweight texture that steadily releases moisture, skin conditioners and nutrients to the skin throughout the day. Make-up stays fresh due to a long lasting cushion of humectants and hydrating ingredients, it contains Algae extract to moisturise and condition the skin and caffeine to soothe. It can be used morning and night, but I prefer to use it in the morning as a good base for make-up and before primer.

This does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s great for my combination skin. It hydrates the dry areas without overwhelming the oily areas, it’s rich yet light, it moisturises without leaving skin greasy or shiny and foundation glides on. In my opinion I think it could be great for all skin types, but extremely oily may want something a little lighter and more fluid in texture and extremely dry skin may require something a little richer.

I love that it doesn’t make a million claims, and does the one thing it claims to do well, hydrate. It has a light inoffensive scent that Bobbi describes as a clean botanical fresh smell. It’s a bit on the pricey side at £38.50 for 50ml, but you only need a small amount, so should last a good while.

The post Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream appeared first on Brownbeautytalk.com.

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser

So I've had this cleanser for a while, I originally purchased it from spacenk.com back in September for £35, but it didn't suit my combination skin at the time, which can get quite dry in the colder months. I instantly regreted forking out that amount of money for a cleanser and as my first foray into Sunday Riley skincare products I was quite disappointed. It's a lightly foaming gel based clay cleanser, with vitamin C and essential oils that is geared towards normal to combination skin, that is in pursuit of ceramic smooth skin and minimises the appearance of pores. The refined french clay (montmorillonite) purifies skin, vitamin C ester boosts radiance, black pepper fruit oil stimulates circulation, sandalwood oil helps with skin irritation, is anti-inflammatory and promotes radiance, jasmine oil soothes and restores, frankincense tones. This all aids in balancing the skin and is paraben free.

Had to steal pic from cultbeauty.co.uk as my bottle looks manky now lol.

I recently decided to try and use up some products I've had lying around and this was one of them, and I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised. It makes my skin feel very smooth and clean, I use it in the morning as I prefer balms and oils at night, and massage it into my face. You have to shake up the bottle at each use as the clay and oils have a tendency to separate, especially if left for a while. I started by wanting to use the product up and now I'm dreading it running out. if you have dry skin don't go anywhere near this or use very sparingly, and obviously if essential oils don't sit well with you, then avoid this cleanser. But for my combination and oily skin girls and guys, if this is in your budget I'd say give it a go.

Have you tried this cleanser or any other Sunday Riley products?

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Hourglass Liquid Powder Foundation in Sable!!!

In a quest to expand my Hourglass collection (aka obsession), I finally purchased the Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation, touted as 'the' foundation for oily skin and with rave reviews I had to see for myself. The closest spacenk store to me closed down recently, (I almost cried...literally), so I had to purchase blind based on swatches and shade descriptions from Beautyprofessor.net, at £50 it was a pricey risk to take. I bought it as part of my purchase with the spacenk beauty event, I figured it was the best time to stock up on my most lusted after items and get a great GWP, also a great way to test new products.

I chose the colour sable, which is the second to darkest shade available, for a mac reference I'm inbetween NC45-50. This foundation is formulated to absorb oil without absorbing moisture, due to an ingredient called cashmere kaolin clay, it's a liquid to powder formulation with a velvet matte finish. It's oil free and water resistant, it's also been reported to have skincare benefits for those with acne and blemish prone skin. It does not require powder to set, in fact it sets quite quickly, so you have to be quick during application and blending.

FlashNo flash

As with most Hourglass products it's oil, paraben, phthalate, fragance, nanoparticle, synthetic dye and gluten free. It's vegan and water resistant, it provide medium to full coverage, although I've never built it up to more than medium coverage.

The shade comes off a tad beige/ashy on initial application (I wish it had more yellow in it), but once it sets, and in a complete make-up look it blends well and is a great match. I was surprised to find that my skin did require a touch up after a few hours, nothing major, but I guess with a hyped up product you can tend to have higher expectations. However it performs best with the Hourglass mineral veil primer, it also comes with a sachet in the box, no touch up's required at all!!!

Have you tried any hourglass products? What's your favourite?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex

balance Me pure skin face wash; skin-balancing cleanser!!!

I'm always on the hunt for a good facial cleanser, I want something that feels nourishing and leaves my face feeling clean but not stripped. So I picked this up with the latest issue of Glamour magazine, I've not used many balance Me products, but always been quite intrigued. When I saw this cleanser as a freebie, I thought it was a great opportuinity to try it, especially as it's targeted towards combination skin.

This 50ml size costs £11, it's 98.8% natural based product and here is what balance Me say about the cleanser;

"A gentle yet effective non-drying sulphate and petroleum free face wash to cleanse skin of make-up and daily grime. Formulated with anti-oxidant rich moringa and rice bran oils to brighten and polish the skin and leave it smooth and gently cleansed. Ideally suited for normal to combination skins." 

It's a thick, white cream that is emulsified with water and applied to dry skin to dissolve daily grime, I usually remove my initial layer of make-up with a wipe, so can't fully comment on it's make-up removing abilities. However it does remove water-resistant mascara and leaves my face feeling clean but not stripped., I usually remove it with a muslin cloth, which adds a mild exfoliation aspect to the cleansing process. It has a strong frankincense scent I'm not massively keen on, but it's not a major deal breaker for me. 

I have really enjoyed using this cleanser and would definitely purchase this product, it's great for days when I want to give my skin a break from all the glycolic based products I use, while still feeling like my skin is being thoroughly cleansed and nourished.

From the 19th you will be able to purchase this cleanser from debenhams.com, so bring on the beautyclub card points!!! Have you used any other balance Me products, what other products from the range would you recommend? 

 

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex

Hourglass Mineral Veil SPF15 Primer!!!

Hourglass is a luxury beauty brand that's been gaining a massive following in the UK in recent months, I absolutely love the ambient lighting powder in dim light, review here. I'm eager to try more from the brand, but there products aren't the cheapest and my closest spacenk store that stocks there products recently closed down, meaning colour matching and swatching in person is difficult. However for my next dip into the hourglass pool I ordered the travel size mineral veil primer from the spacenk website, at 10ml this will set you back £20, a full size 30ml bottle costs £52. It's probably one of the most expensive primers I've used, but with the warmer months unusually warm for the UK and my combination oily skin setting in, I thought it was worth seeing what all the hype was about.

What Hourglass say about the product;
A mineral-based, water-resistant primer with SPF 15 that creates an impossibly smooth canvas and seamless look. Veil eliminates redness, minimizes pore size, softens fine lines and creates a uniform canvas for a flawless makeup application and minimises shine. This clean, satin-finish formula helps keep makeup looking fresh and prevents fading, while SPF 15 shields the skin from the sun.

 As you can see, it's a white, thinkish liquid, that looks like it would give my darker skintone a white cast, but doesn't. This definitely prolongs make-up wear and helps towards mattifying the skin, it got daily use during the heatwave, but now I try to reserve it for long make-up wearing days or events. The SPF is a nice bonus, although a little low for me during summer, so I still use sunscreen prior to this. The product keeps going, everytime I use it I think this is going to be the last pump, so this small size will still last a decent amount of time.

So far Hourglass is a brand I'm becoming increasingly impressed/obssessed with, I will definitely be trying a few more of there products, currently on the list is the No28 primer serum, for the colder months and the immaculate liquid powder foundation. I'm also toying with the idea of getting one of the new nude lip stylo's and possible the No28 lip treatment oil, among a myriad of other things, the list just keeps growing!!! 

Have you tried any hourglass products? What were your thoughts? Recommendations welcome.  Let me know what you would like to see on the blog.

Thanks for visiting today

Alex.