Aallexxy's Foundation Files; black|Up Paris Cream to Powder Foundation

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.

black|Up Paris Cream to Powder Foundation

Brand: black|Up Paris

Name: Cream to Powder

Coverage: Medium

Shade: NFC 09

Swatch:

black|Up Paris Cream to Powder Foundation Swatch

What The brand says: This foundation is a true must have. When applied to skin, its unique creamy texture transforms into a silky powder with an impeccable matte finish. Its formula enriched with latest-generation matifying powders gets rid of sebum in a blink of an eye. The complexion looks smooth, radiant with a perfect velvety finish.

Its unique texture is very easy to apply with a sponge or a brush and is completely buildable, from a light powdery veil to complete coverage.

Wear time (with/without primer): This has great wear time on my skin, with and without primer, even a mattifying primer did not extend the wear time, my nose still got oily which is typical for me.

Price (ml): £29 for 0.28 oz

Pros: Oil Free
Paraben Free
Fragrance Free
16 Shades

Cons: Accessibility

No ingredients list on the website

Suitable Skin Types: Normal, Combination and Oily.

Ingredients: None on the website or the product itself.

Oxidation: None

Any Other Information: Housed in a mirrored compact, with accompanying sponge. Available from blackup paris website here or Debenhams.

Conclusion: This is a really nice foundation, that's great for the warmer months, it has great wear time and a good shade range. It's buildable, but I think most will get good medium coverage out of this. It can be a bit stiff in the compact, so fingers might be needed to warm the product up for application.

*Rating: Like

Ratings: Hate, Dislike, Like, Lust, Love

Aallexxy's Foundation Files; black|Up Paris CC Cream

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.

black|Up Paris CC Cream

Brand: black|Up Paris

Name: CC Cream

Coverage: Light - Light Medium

Shade: CC03 (Matches me best in the summer)

Swatch:

black|Up Paris CC Cream Swatch

What The brand says: Complexion Correcting Foundationblack|Up develops the 1st CC Cream targeting dark skin's specific needs : excess sebum, uneven skintone, unbalanced skin, lack of radiance, dark spots, more or less pigmented areas… This Complexion Correcting Foundation moisturizes, matifies, targets dark spots, blemishes, minimizes pores and unifies the complexion of African American skin tones. Its fluid texture offers a lightweight very natural finish.

Use as a makeup primer to hydrate and treat your skin while increasing makeup hold and offering a more even complexion.

5 shades suitable for all black and mixed skins.

Oil Free, Paraben Free, Fragrance Free.

SPF free formula. 100% no ashy finish guarantee because sun filters are made with white base ingredients that systematicaly turns grey on dark skins.

Wear time (with/without primer): This lasts well on me during the day with or withour primer, even on my combination skin and during the summer months. I can go all day without touching up, with only minimal shine coming through, usually around my nose, which is typical for me.

Price (ml): £27 for 30ml

Pros: Caters to darker skintones
Suitable for all skintypes
Can be used as a primer

Cons: A little pricey for a CC cream
Not all debenhams stores stock black|up Paris
Website doesn't list ingredients

Suitable Skin Types: All

Ingredients: None listed on the website

Oxidation: None

Any Other Information: The black|Up Paris CC cream claims to hydrate, mattify, reduce excess sebum, rebalance skin, minimise pores, boost radiance, unify skin tone and have a lightweight finish. My initial thought was how can something hydrate and mattify, but as you apply this CC cream it feels like a drink of water to the skin, without leaving skin shiny or greasy. CC04 runs more red in the undertone, so this maybe more suitable if that describes your skin tone. It's paraben, oil and fragrance free. It's available from debenhams.

Conclusion: If you have struggled to find a good CC cream in your shade, I can't recommend this highly enough, it has a good orange undertone that brightens and counteracts hyper-pigmentation on darker skintones, it's a great lightweight summer base.

*Rating: Love

*Ratings: Hate, Dislike, Like, Lust, Love

black|Up Paris Cosmetics

Black|Up Paris is fast becoming one of my favourite brands, it was founded in 1999 by an African makeup artist, and was the first upscale beauty brand to cater especially to black and mixed beauties. It pairs professional quality products with ease of use, it promises to provide a non-ashy finish and includes makeup, skincare and fragrance. I had heard about this brand for a while, but only dabbled in it recently when I tried and loved the CC cream, reviewed here.

I’ll start with the contouring sticks, this is a dual ended stick, think 2 stick foundations merged. One end for highlighting and the other for contouring and comes in 5 shades. I received shades 3 and 4. The contouring shades are identical and I can use these interchangeably, they are also quite warm toned and not as cool toned as a contour colour should be, but I feel on darker skin we can get away with this. The highlighting shades are very different, for this I need shade 3, these blend like butter, I love these. They cost £29 each, and if you know what shade you are in the CC cream, this is the shade you’ll be in these. 

 

 

Next is the Radiance Sublime Powder, I thought this would be extremely shimmery on the skin, but it’s quite subtle and adds a nice warm glow. It's developed with a new extra fine texture that blends easily, combining pigment and shimmer, it’s oil free, fragrance free and paraben free. The 5 shades are designed to match different undertones, I have shade no4 and it cost £26.

The 5 Colour Eyeshadow Palette is £32, each palette is designed to work in harmony, and structured around 3 looks a nude look using the matte shades, a day time look using the colour trio that can then be turned into a smokey night time look using the darkest matte shade. The palettes consists of 4 different textures, this one consists of 1 metallic shade, 1 satin shade, 2 matte shades and 1 glitter shade. I love this palette, it’s compact and great for travel, even though it’s structured around 3 looks, a multitude of looks can actually be created, I have palette no4 out of 5.

Finally are the mono eyeshadows, which have been developed in a new formula, and come in either a matte or metallic finish. Shade 02 is a light, bright orange shade, which is pigmented and blends beautifully. I’ve used this both on the eyes and cheeks, and it’s absolutely gorgeous, definitely a shade a brownbeauty should have in her stash. Then shade 12, which is a vibrant, light turquoise blue, not an everyday shade, but great for when you want a pop of colour. Again pigmented and blends beautifully, especially for a matte shade.  There are 15 shades in total, they don’t have names just numbers, and cost £15.50 each.

black|Up Paris is available on their website or Debenhams.com.

Thank you for visiting the blog today.

Alex