Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation Review

There is quite a lot of hype around this foundation, mainly as US bloggers were raving about it before it was launched in the UK, when it was released I have to admit I jumped on the bandwagon and bought it straightaway, mainly due to the fact it was reduced to around £6, I normally like to research products before I buy them.

I know there have been hundreds of reviews of this foundation but I wanted to write a post as I have had mixed impressions on this foundation. 

The foundation has a lovely consistency almost gel like which reminds me of YSL's touche eclait foundation or Bourjois Healthy Mix, and it gives a really good light coverage I find on days I don't have blemishes I don't need to apply concealer, even on the redness around my nose.

After I have applied the foundation it gives a nice healthy skin glow, and the shade matches my skin tone well, the shades seem very neutral - not too yellow, not too pink.

But despite these positives I have really struggled with this foundation and I have mainly been trying to persevere with it as I am sick of buying foundation after foundation that don't work for my skin type, so I am determined to make this foundation work!

It's a struggle from the start, I have applied this foundation with my fingers, Real Techniques expert face brush and buffing brush and still find that I get streaks in the foundation (especially with the expert face brush) so I do need to spend extra time ensuring that all of the foundation is blended in properly, on a recent #bbloggers chat another blogger mentioned she also had this problem and found a damp sponge helped the foundation apply much better, so I am definitely going to give this a try.

Even when I do blend the foundation in well I wouldn't agree with Revlon's description that the foundation is 'unbelievably light with an undetectable finish', I can definitely still feel this foundation on my skin, I mean it's not heavy but it's also not unbelievably light either.

Hmm... and as for undetectable finish... the first day I wore this I was shocked at the state of the foundation by lunchtime, as it was the first application I only used a small amount with a light dusting of powder, and by lunchtime my skin was shockingly shiny around my T-Zone I actually gasped when I looked in the mirror, I could even see around my nose and cheeks where the foundation was shifting, it was not reacting with my oily skin well at all.

Since then I make sure I only wear the foundation when I am able to use my L'oreal studio secrets primer (mentioned here) and Rimmel stay matte powder along with it, these products have made this foundation a lot easier to wear, the shine is kept under control (and by that I mean my skin is shiny by lunchtime but no where near looking like I have smeared my nose in vaseline!) and the foundation has a nice finish throughout the day.

On a positive where I don't have issues with oily skin the foundation wears really well and lasts all day at work, I think this foundation would be amazing for people with normal or dry skin. Overall I don't hate it, I actually quite like it now I know the best ways to apply it but it's definitely not the holy grail product people claim it to be, well not for me anyway.

Have you tried it yet? What are your thoughts?

Elaine

Barry M White Foundation Creme Review

I have really struggled to find a foundation/BB cream that I like as much as my Garnier BB cream for oily/combination skin, over the winter months I can't use the Garnier BB cream as it is  just too dark for my even paler winter skin, even though it is the light shade.

I have been a bit naughty and carried on using it hoping that blending it out and by using a lighter shade powder on top it will magically make it look the right colour, but it really doesn't, as Rachel pointed out I was looking a bit orange! She recommended that I try Barry M's white creme foundation, one of her friends mixes the white foundation with her normal foundation to make it the right shade. I have quite a few foundations that are that bit too dark, as they matched me in the summer or I have bought a foundation assuming the lightest high street shade would suit me and it hasn't, so I went out to get this straight away.

The foundation costs £6.19, I managed to get this at a large Superdrug, but out of interest I recently had a look in my local Boots (which is quite large) and they didn't stock any of the Barry M foundations, so this might be a bit tricky to find, especially if your local Boots or Superdrug have a smaller Barry M concession stand.

The foundation creme range is described by Barry M as...

 'Suitable for all skin types and available in a complete colour range to provide the perfect base for make-up. The creamy base is enriched with moisturisers and vitamins that help keep skin smooth and supple for all day wear.'

The creme has quite a thick consistency and does feel moisturising, I do find that when I use it I have to make sure I give the tube a good shake as it can get a bit watery. As the creme is thick, you only need to use a small amount especially if you are mixing it with another foundation.

The shade itself is a bright white, I don't think even the palest of skin tones could get away with wearing this on it's own, but I find that it mixes well with other foundations and you only need to use a small amount to make the shade lighter. 

I was a bit concerned that it may make my skin oily, especially as my Garneir BB cream manages my shiny skin so well, but it didn't make much difference I did have a little bit of extra shine but it wasn't as bad as when I use other foundations and a bit of powder sorts it out.

You have to be realistic with this foundation it's not going to create your exact skin tone but if you find that even the lightest high street foundation is just that bit too dark or if you have loads of your favourite summer foundation left you will find this white foundation creme extremely useful. I really like this foundation I'm soo pleased that I discovered it! I can definitely see myself repurchasing this many times.

 Elaine

YSL Le Teint Touche Eclait Foundation Review

As i'm sure you know YSL were offering a free colour match and 7 day sample of the well hyped new foundation. This also meant they get your details so that the counter can ring you when the foundation is available to buy so you don't miss out (it's out now). So we couldn't resist a chance to try out this much anticipated foundation.


Elaine was colour matched to BR30
Rachel was colour matched to BR30, B40, B30,B10 & BD20 (so just goes to show sometimes you need to trust your own judgement with foundation colours!)


"Twenty years after the launch of the iconic Touche Éclat, Yves Saint Laurent adopts a leading edge technology that transposes the magic of this legendary highlighter into a foundation to achieve the same illuminating result for the entire face. Yves Saint Laurent introduces LE TEINT TOUCHE ÉCLAT.A bold, unique formula to target shadowy areas and define contours. A magic light infused within a weightless fluid. A texture that has no mask-like effect. A formula free of opaque powders that evens the complexion and erases imperfections, enhancing the face’s natural features."

(L-R) BR30, B10, B30, B40, BD20

Pro's

• The foundation feels lovely and lightweight on your skin but still provides a medium/slightly light coverage.
• The packaging is perfect, not only is the glass bottle very well designed it also has a pump, it looks clean and stylish, Rachel would buy it just to put on her dressing table.
• The finished look does diffuse the look of imperfections and pores, we compared this to other foundations we had and there was a clear difference in the quality of the finish, pores were noticably less visible with the YSL foundation.
• It had good lasting power if you have dry skin, however I found on my oily skin it slipped quickly.
• It was easy to apply and blended really well.
• The shade range is impressive, there are 22 shades in 3 different colour categories, I really love that it has a range catering for people with pinky skin, as I find some foundations can be quite yellow for me.

Con's

• This made my skin very shiny after a couple of hours, which was very disappointing, as having to add powder so early on in the day wasn't great.
• I don't think this foundation matches up to the hype of the Touche Eclait highlighter, I can't say that YSL brought the light to this foundation, it is a nice foundation that gives a natural glow but as illuminating as we hoped.
• The price, £28 is the norm/relatively cheap for high end foundations but I don't think I could justify paying that much for a foundation that doesn't knock my socks off! Rachel however is on the fence as to whether this foundation is worth the price.

Will I purchase?
Elaine - I won't be buying this foundation, I was disappointed with how quickly it made my skin shiny, and it was very shiny! I do like this foundation and will be using my samples up but it isn't the perfect foundation for me so I couldn't justify buying it.
Rachel - I am very much on the fence about this, I didn't blow me away, I thought after reading other bloggers reviews it sounded perfect for me and all I want from a foundation (light/medium coverage, dewy glow & good for dry skin) but it hasn't met my high expectations. I'm going to keep trying out the samples and will definitely be looking into this foundation again when I need to buy a new foundation.

I bet you have all tried the samples of this foundation, what do you think?

Elaine & Rachel

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint Review

Since the recent launch of Liz Earle's new makeup range we have been dying to try it out, so we  managed to get some samples of the Liz Earle Sheer Tint from John Lewis.
Liz Earle say - The perfect way to enhance your skin. Our rich, creamy formula leaves skin looking naturally dewy, even and radiant. With Mineral UV protection SPF15, plus our specially selected blend of botanicals. 


Elaine tried shade Bare 01
Rachel tried shade Bare 01 and Beige 02


Pro's

• It's long lasting, it lasted easily 8 hours. 
• Decent coverage for a tinted moisturiser or whatever it is. I did ask the sales assistant if she would class this as a tinted moisturiser or a light foundation - she couldn't answer me. I would personally class this as a light coverage foundation as it feels much more like a foundation on the skin.
• It does make skin look dewy, even and radiant, and didn't cling to any dry patches in the slightest.
• The formula is lovely and easy to work with, you can easily build it up if you like a much heavier coverage.
• As I would wear this in the daytime and mostly during Summer it's great it has SPF 15 in.

Con's

• Elaine found that it made her skin look a bit too dewy on the T Zone, and we both found it did seem to slip from the T Zone by lunchtime. I have dry skin Elaine Oily.
• It feels quite heavy on your skin compared to other tinted moisturisers / light foundations, you can definitely feel it on your skin.
• The price for me isn't much of a issue, however when I worked it our per ml compared to my new favorite NARS tinted moisturiser I found it would only be 50p cheaper than NARS if it were 50ml too. As I'd put the price of NARS in as a con on that review, its only fair to put the price as a con on this review too.  For 40mls of Liz Earle at £21 this works out at 53p per ml compared with my new favorite NARS tinted moisturiser £27 which is 54p per ml.
• 4 shades - really! Although it is blend-able I found the shade offering really didn't work for me.
• Not so much of a con but I found it does dry slightly darker when applied and takes a little while to settle into your skin.

Verdict
Elaine - I did really like how this product made my skin look and the lightest shade did match my skin tone well, but I wouldn't buy this again as it wasn't the best on my oily t zone and it felt quite heavy for a sheer tint, if it was cheaper I may have bought it to try during the winter when my skin was drier but I didn't love it enough to pay £21.


Rachel - I was 100% ready to buy this, I've heard great things about it and I really like light foundations, also the price doesn't really bother me. So I'd been to the counter a number of times and tried swatching the two lightest colours, the sales assistant assured me the shade 02 Beige was for me - luckily she gave me some sample sachets to try out (they have a really good colour matching scheme to avoid wastage). When trying them at home I found neither shade 01 or 02 works for me at all. 01 washed me out and 02 was far too dark (maybe if I'd actually seen some sun this Summer it wouldn't have been too bad) but even blended out neither of these worked for me. So unless they bring out more well needed shades to the range I won't be buying this, which is a shame because the formula is lovely and I really really wanted it!

Elaine & Rachel

NARS Pure Radiance Tinted Moisturiser Review

                                                                                                                                                                      I've had this NARS tinted moisturiser for about a month now, you might have seen I featured it in my May favourites so I thought it was about time I did a review for you.

I picked up the lightest shade Finland from ASOS during a 20% off beauty promotion they had on. I was initially reluctant to spend £27 on a tinted moisturiser but at 20% off I couldn't resist, and I'm so glad I did. Its also worth noting that although it doesn't look very big you do get 50ml which is at least 10 or 20ml then your average high street foundations.

What NARS say - Your skin – almost bare, but better. This advanced, oil-free formula provides a translucent veil of color and sun protection while helping to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots in just four weeks.Infused with lush, naturally derived botanicals and ingredients to immediately helps thirsty skin feel hydrated. Kopara from French Polynesia and mineral rich seawater revive and re-mineralize skin for a softer, smoother, and brighter natural glow. Skin is transported.

• Advanced sun protection
• Hydrates and helps reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots for a brighter natural glow
• Oil-free. Paraben free. Dermatologist tested. Non-comedogenic. Synthetic fragrance free.
  
  

    Pros - 

• I love the texture of this, it has a lovely lightweight formula and skins into the skin quickly, leaving my skin feeling soft and throughly moisturised. My skin felt hydrated and soft all day, without feeling like there is any product on my face at all. 
• I also think considering it's a tinted moisturiser it has great coverage - more than I expected. It evened out my skin well and covered some redness, although it won't cover any blemishes at all. 
• Throughout the day I found it wore really well and at around 5.30pm when I look in the mirror I don't feel horrified, my skin still looks even and bright. 
• As I will be mostly using this in Summer the fact it has SPF 30 is a huge huge plus, I was wearing this on holiday in Morocco and my face didn't burn in the slightest and it didn't slide off my face at all in the heat!

     Cons - 

• You can see in the photos above Finland has slight yellow undertones and isn't actually all that light considering this is the lightest shade in the range. I don't personally find the shade a con as I think its pretty perfect for me but I know it will be too dark and yellow toned for a lot of pale ladies. I do however think its great that although they may not have the lightest shade spot on there are 8 or 9 shades, which is a great range for a tinted moisturiser.    
• I do love the classic NARS packaging (apart from the fingerprints all over) however I would personally prefer a pump and I like to be able to see how much product I have left. Saying that I'd rather have the product for cheaper than pay extra for pump packaging.
• Also again not a con for me but when Elaine tried it, it really didn't flatter her skin at all it looked too dewy and oily on her  - even though it is oil free, so I wouldn't advise this at all for oily skin. 
• Finally it is £27 which for a tinted moisturiser I do feel is on the pricy side - although it is 50ml and the Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser is £33 for 40ml

Will I repurchase - 
DEFINITELY although I would also like to see how this compares to Liz Earl Skin Tint and the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser. Overall I am really impressed with this, as I have very dry skin, this is perfect for summer as it keeps me moisturised all day and gives me the health dewy glow I've been after without compromising on its lasting ability. I also think the colour is a great match for me and all the cons I could think of with this product weren't personally cons for me. Finally although I LOVE this product I'm not too sure on the claim that it will 'reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots', as I haven't noticed any difference - but I always take claims like these on foundations with a huge pinch of salt.

Have you tried this, what did you think? 

Rachel

Not So Favourites

Bit of a random post but I wanted to let you know which of the products I have bought and have decided to give away or stop using and the reason why, I always get new makeup or beauty products on a whim love them in the shop then get home and realise they aren't for me, I've lost count of the things that I have given to Rachel! So here are a few of the recent ones!

Aveda Shampure Shampoo and Conditioner

I normally love Aveda products especially their gorgeous scent, they are pretty pricey for a shampoo and conditioner so they are normally presents. I like this shampoo but I found that I was using it less and less, as my hair seemed to get greasy more quickly than normal so I would have to wash my hair each day or use a lot of dry shampoo to eventually just tie my hair up. I think this is better for people with normal to thick hair which isn't mine, so Rachel got this!

Simple Moisturising Face Wash

I love the Simple range, and I bought this over the winter as my skin was feeling a bit raw from the cold, but I haven't really used it as I find it's a bit thick for my skin type and I could never be sure I had washed it off 100%. It does leave your skin feeling lovely and would recommend it to people with dry skin (so Rachel's getting this). 
I now use the Simple foaming face wash and love it!  

Clarins Day and Night Moisturiser
I got the sample sizes of these moisturisers in the Febraury (I think) Glossybox, everyone seems to rave about Clairns, but I found that these moisturisers were too thick for me and I only used them a couple of times and gave them to Rachel, and she wasn't that impressed with them either.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation Shade 51 & Healthy Mix Foundation Shade 52

I bought the healthy mix serum foundation first and initially loved it but found that it seemed to white out all the colour in my face so thought I would just get the next shade up... simple right... wrong, it was far too dark and even too dark for Rachel! Despite the colour disaster I'm not that impressed with either foundation the coverage at the start of the day is good but by the end of the day at work it had completely gone and my face was really shiny. I know that the claim is 16 hour raidiance not 16 hour coverage but 8 hours would have been good! 

17 Matte Foundation in shade Natural

I talked about this in a Boots haul a few posts ago so I won't go on about it. I haven't really used it since I bought it and tried it out for a couple of weeks, it's that bit too dark for me but the main reason I don't think to use it is the sticky consistency I just find it hard work to put on, and if I don't spend time on it I end up with streaks. 

L'Oreal Magique BB Cream in shade Fair

I loved this when I first got it, and I still really like it, but after using it for a couple of weeks I have just seem to have stopped picking it up, because I just never think to put it on. I love the 'nude' feel that you get from this BB cream but I have to admit the light shade is far from that and the lack of coverage isn't good for me at the minute as my skin is awful.

This product is definitely for people who dont like wearing foundation and even find BB creams like Garnier or No7 too much. I really like this product but I am debating whether to keep it for the summer or give it away to a friend with darker skin...

As you may have guessed from the amount of foundations I have abandoned I have trouble getting the right foundation, I have oily skin but I am also pale, but a pinky pale so find that when I get the lighter shades they take away all the colour I have and I look a bit ill! So when I think I have the perfect shade in the shop it very rarely is when I get home... 


We will be doing a drugstore foundation review soon!

Do you have any products that you have abandoned recently?

Elaine

No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation & Shine Free Makeup Base Review

I was in Boots the other day and had a No7 voucher burning a hole in my pocket, so I wanted to have a look at their foundations, my skin is really awful at the minute and I haven't got a foundation that has the right sort of coverage and shine control I need, so I was interested in No7's Beautifully Matte Foundation which is normally £13.50. The first thing I noticed was that the palest colour they had in this range was porcelain 02 but in other ranges they have a paler shade called Alabaster so I don't why they don't do it in this range... I was asking the Boots lady about this foundation and she very kindly gave me a sample to try out, and I had mentioned my problem oily skin and how I find it difficult to get the right foundation and she got me a sample of their Shine Free Makeup Base too, so I was very pleased.

So I tried out the foundation and I was impressed by the coverage which I would say was a good medium, although it may not be the best if you have dry patches as I think this foundation would highlight this. The shine control was good, and it did control my oily skin longer than a normal foundation but I would say I had a shiny nose and cheeks by lunchtime, but I was still pleased with the results. I had read reviews on the Boots website about it having an odd smell but I didn't notice anything. 

I would rush out and buy this as with my No7 voucher it would only cost £8.50 BUT porcelain is too dark for me, I do have pale skin but I don't think it's extremely pale, so I think if you have really pale skin you would really struggle with this, I have used darker foundation before and spent time blending to make it work but I wanted a foundation I didnt have to do this. I'm really disappointed especially as I know they have a paler colour in other ranges. 

So the hunt for a decent matte foundation goes on, I have heard Revlon Colour stay is good, has anyone tried it?

I was looking forward to trying out this make up base if I'm honest I wasn't expecting much as I am normally disappointed by products like this but I really liked it. It has a really surprising thick consistency so you only need to use a little bit at a time to blend it out, so this wont be for everyone. It did really help my skin so I think combined with a good foundation this would be great, it normally costs £11 but with the voucher it will be £6, so I think I'm going to go out and get the full size.

I will definitely be asking for samples more often, it was really helpful to try out the product first and it saved me £8.50 as I would have bought that foundation then wouldn't have used it as it was too dark.

Elaine 

Boots Haul

Boots have currently got all 17 makeup on 3 for 2 so I couldn't resist getting a few things! I've had them for a while so I've tested them out already.

£5.99

I'd heard really good things about 17's Miracle Matte foundation so I was really looking forward to trying it out, unfortunately I bought Natural which looked fine in the shop but was too dark for me when I got home (I'm rubbish at picking the right foundation for my skin tone!) but I hate wasting product so I've been using it anyway but blending it out as much as I can which is really difficult as this is a very sticky foundation. I wouldn't recommend putting this on with your fingers as when I did I had streaky marks on my face and I didn't realise, it's a foundation to spend more time putting on which means I haven't been wearing it everyday for work just weekends really. 

I have found that it really works at a matte foundation I'm really impressed, I haven't needed to apply any powder when I use this which has never happened with any liquid foundation I've used before, I would be rushing out to buy the fair toned version but I want a foundation with a but more coverage as although it has all day shine control (which it does) I wouldn't say it has good coverage, so I'm going to keep a hold of this until the summer.

I really wish there were more matte foundations out there like this!

£4.59

 17's Mirror Shine lipstick in Bee-Hive, I've heard a few bloggers rave about this and I love this range of lipsticks so thought I would give it a go... and I love it I have worn it everyday since I bought it, it's a really nice mix of nude and pink colours, perfect for during the day or a perfect match if you have a really smokey eye at night. It's exactly the type of colour I have been after, it has a really nice glossy/moisturising look and feel without being sticky.

Sorry I tried to get a good picture of the colour but it kept coming up as a browny colour which it isn't.

£5.99

I adore the Spring Birghts Spring Fling compact, it is soo cute and I love the vintage packaging, apart from the front of the compact itself, when you take it out of the box the compact itself looks very cheap, it would have been nice to have the design of the box on the compact too. But apart from that I love it and the colours are really pigmented!

So after I had bought all of these I got a £5 voucher for No7 and I already had one, so this is what I bought with my vouchers.

Lipliner in Fiery Red

And No7 Nourishing Nail and Cuticle Care.

17 have also got an offer on for Boots Card holders, if you buy any 17 product you get a Hide and Chic Brightening Concealor, subject to availability, valid until 20th March. All you have to do is print a voucher from the boots card kiosks.

Elaine

Get a dewy look without buying another foundation

If you have oily skin like I do, you will be used to always gravitating towards matte foundations and pressed powder, I always wanted to get a more glowing or radiant look but whenever I buy a foundation that promises this I always get an even more oily T zone and it's just not worth the 'sweaty' look.

So instead of getting a new foundation I use the foundation that I already have and mix it with a liquid highlighter, I use Benefit's High Beam or Moon Beam, there are loads of cheaper alternatives on the high street, I think mememe has a copy of High Beam. Although you are buying another item this will be dual purpose instead of buying a foundation you might not use much.

I put the normal amount of foundation on the back of my hand and mix it with a smaller amount of highlighter as you don't need much because it goes a long way.

I love doing this on a night out, or if I think I look tired, and people have commented about how good my skin looks. You could also do this with BB creams or moisturisers if you don't like a heavy feel on you skin.