For instance, just yesterday I managed to get Izaak to lift his dirty clothes off his bedroom floor and put them in the laundry basket………

….but what we really want to find is our miracle/ holy grail foundation. Right ladies? The one that makes us look flawless but radiant and stays put all day.

Enter Lancome Teint Miracle.

This is Lancome’s latest offering and if you’re anything like me the ridiculously gorgeous promo shots of Julia Roberts wearing the foundation will have had you practically running to a counter.

I picked mine up in my local chemist and the lady that served me was lovely, albeit a little too chatty. For instance she seemed to think a good selling technique was to tell me how airbrushed the lovely Julia is in the advert. No shit. I ain’t stupid lady but do you REALLY think that will endear customers to purchase.

Anywho… she could have told me it contained snot and I was still for buying. Such is the beauty hype madness.

I was matched to Shade 2. When I say matched, it isn’t a perfect match by a long shot but Shade 1 was like chalk and I know I can make this shade work by pulling it down the neck. In fact when I Zen Tan it may be slightly too light… rambling…

Let’s get to it. Application on bare face. Zero eyebrows, mascara, concealer. Just the foundation.

Before

My problems would be pigmentation. I have a bit of sun damage/ freckles and also darkening around my mouth, under eyes and nose.

After

As you can see it hasn’t done a bad job in evening out my problem areas. However straight away it hits you how yellow toned this foundation is. I’ve went from pale to slightly jaundiced.

As far as application goes I found it a very runny consistency and 2 pumps was not enough to cover my freckles. It required a generous third pump and a second layer on those areas. It did however build well without streaking or balling.

A point to note would be that this smells quite strongly of alcohol and sets super fast, you’ll need to be quick with your blending (edit: although it does blend well!). It also caked on my acne and exaggerated dry patches. Not ideal. However once it’s set it doesn’t budge so this will fare well as a work or holiday foundation.

Yellow much...?

Under close inspection my own skin is still very much visible so overall this foundation adds colour but not a lot of coverage. I get hormonal break outs but by no means have bad skin, so this foundation could potentially suit someone like me for every day wear.

However if you have problem skin and like a heavier coverage I think you would be very unhappy with this foundation. You’d need to use a lot of product to get the cover you want and I think you would still find that all it was doing was drawing attention to your acne. I actually saw Victoria Beckham tweeting about her love for it and I know that she suffers from adult acne, so I can only assume that her make-up artist is topping it up with a hell of a lot of concealer!

In summary, this foundation will suit oily to normal skins with little to no blemishes. I think it would fare particularly well on more mature combination skin due to it’s light coverage and intend to test that suspicion out on my 59 year old Mum next. I think it’s extremely overpriced at £25 and the shade choice is poor for us pale people.

So no miracle for me I’m afraid. Another one bites the dust!

xo

It’s started today, I’ve entered the “non spread zone”.
This is a period of around 4 -5 days before my time of the month where my foundation does this weird thing of just sitting on my skin and becoming an absolute nightmare to blend.

Am I alone in this phenomenon?

My skin looks normal enough, I maintain the same skin care routine, don’t use anything different product wise but applying make-up becomes a headache. Application is streaky and uneven. When I do eventually get my foundation looking reasonable and go to add finishing powder or bronzer it looks hideously obvious, dry & talcy.

Help!

It’s half term in Northern Ireland, hence the lack of posting on here.

My eight yr old and four yr old are demanding my attention and I have very important jobs to keep me busy, such as RE-building Tidmouth sheds which was demolished in some kind of train disaster and change Wii batteries every 3 minutes (this gets expensive).

I also sell AVON part time and it was delivered yesterday, takes a bit of organisation sorting all the customers orders, and the hair serum that exploded in transit covering a complete order was just a joy to discover……..

Today I’ve been out and about delivering and now I’m just about to sit down to a well deserved cuppa

Lunch is also in the oven, baked potato with cream cheese and chives, side of coleslaw goes without saying! I am starting to notice a real difference in my clothes, especially my every day coat which is less like a straight-jacket. It’s really spurring me on. I have a mountain of size 12 jeans in the loft that I am determined to get into with the next month. I keep setting myself little achievable goals like that as I reach each stage. It seems to be working

I’m having a bit of a skin issue at the moment in regards to foundation but I’ll get a post up on that at some stage over the next few days.

Whatever you’re doing this weekend I hope you all have a great time, @cimota and I will be sitting in and avoiding the over-priced restaurants this year. The local chinese takeaway seems like a more recession friendly alternative… I know, I know, I’m such a romantic

Have fun & Happy Valentines Day

xox

Until I started watching Pixiwoo’s channel on YouTube a few months ago I had never really even considered Chanel Foundation. Her constant use of its many variations piqued my interest and I bought the Pro Lumiére as being someone who likes the full coverage I thought this would be the one for me.

I used it a few times but actually found it quite hard to work with and blend. It felt overly heavy, more so than my favourite mask foundation Estee Lauder Double Wear. To my mind this is an on location foundation, Pro being the operative word, this foundation makes skin look a dream through a lens, it is by no means a “natural” finish.

After about a month I think I had used it 4 times tops and I swapped it out, tbh thought that was the end of my adventures with Chanel.

That was until my good chum @karenquinn treated herself to Chanel Vita lumiére foundation, she wore it out and simply glowed, much like the effect I get from MUFE HD. I vowed to pick it up next time I was flush (that stage is still yet to arrive…). In the meantime while chatting to kelanjo19 over AIM we got to talking about our wish list products and possible swaps. Stored under her bed kelanjo19 had a almost full bottle of the Chanel Mat Lumiére! It was too light for her, me being the pasty girl I am jumped at the swap and it arrived last week.

This I <3

Shade is 30 Cendre Intensity 1.5 and suits my NC15 – 20 skin perfectly.

You don’t need a lot of product to obtain a full coverage face with this, I love the matt finish, very flattering, gives that flawless look I adore. You do need to work quickly with your brush though as once this sets it aint going anywhere until you get out the make-up remover. Another reason I love it, transfer rate is practically nil.

To my mind I wouldn’t particularly want to see a 16yr old sporting Chanel’s foundations. They are full coverage and as such give you a blank canvas, they cover the bad as well as the good. Which at almost 30 I’m not complaining about, but for a youthful skinned teenager I feel would simply be a shame. Why cover that up?

Bad points are that its pricey, not an issue for some, but at £40 I have to really love something. Luckily with this I do, however I’m waiting it out until someone purchases Vita lumiére for me as I can’t justify it right now. I love the look of it but I am also 110% sure that MUFE HD works for me on the luminous front so its a lot more likely that I’ll re-purchase it again if I have some spare readies

My advice in regards to Chanel is make the most of a counter appointment at your local House of Fraser etc. Try them on, ask for samples, be sure. They definitely aren’t for everyone! xox

So I’ve had my Make Up Forever HD Foundation for a month now and in that time I’ve used it about 12 times I would hazard to guess. That’s a lot for me tbh as I tend to mix it up quite a bit as I’m always trialing something!

Kelanjo19 from Youtube was asking what I think of it and I thought maybe others might be considering buying it so I’m doing this little review.

Mine was a Christmas Gift but I know it was bought at Sephora and cost $40, so this is a high end foundation, equivalent UK price to the likes of Chanel Pro Lumiére.

The colour I got was 117 which is perfect for my winter NC15 skin tone. I went by the reviews on Sephora to find my shade and I’m glad I did. Left to my own devices I’d have ordered one of the two lightest shades, they would have been way too light. My advice if buying from the UK is to go a few shades darker than you think you will need!

Colour appears darker here as no flash

Initially I was surprised by the consistency, its not overly runny but certainly not as heavy as something like Estee Lauder Double Wear, and I think in my head because of the claims this foundation was making in regards to HD, I expected it would have to be mask like in its properties. It’s not at all, its much like the consistency of MAC’s Select SPF 15 foundation IMO. Pretty lightweight.

The bottle is a pump action, and I am not sure whether its just a flawed one, but my pump is a bit poo. The action isn’t very smooth and it has its own little mind about how much it will dispence at a time, however I’ve learnt to work with it.

Coverage is marketed as medium – full. I don’t agree with this, it’s more light – medium. Which is normally not enough for me. However this feels really nice on the skin and gives enough coverage that even I (who loves full coverage) feel secure and confident that it is covering well. It really does even out the skin, but most of all what I notice with it is that it gives a lightening/ brightening effect, much like MAC strobe cream (but minus the greasiness). Its the No1 foundation I wear where I receive compliments, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been wearing it at home/ work and people have said how well I look. This foundation makes you look healthy. It does this while letting your own personal warmth come through, such as when I flush. A thumbs up for working with our good bits!

It gets a thumbs down in regards to transfer, it never fully sets, which is why I think it looks so luminous on the skin, however if you have a job where you are on the phone all day this won’t work for you, you’ll have a mucky telephone and a foundation free cheek.

One other problem is that you need to avoid putting this stuff over your eye lids, with most foundations I sweep it all over the face, including lids and it can make a good base, however because HD doesn’t set fully, I have discovered that even with UDPP the residue of the HD WILL cause your eyeshadow to crease within a VERY short space of time. Leave it away from the eyes and this problem is erradicated.

In summary I really really like it, and I will definitely re-purchase it for everyday wear, but I’m afraid its still full coverage for events and going out partying, I’m pretty sure MUFE HD is up to the job for you spring chickens but I just love the super airbrushed look now I’m near 30

I think I’ve covered most aspects of MUFE HD but if you have any other questions just leave it in the comment box and I’d be delighted to see if I can answer it for you!

xox

I’ve been after the ultimate foundation brush for myself for quite a while.
I normally use the MAC 190 at college, but although I like it for working on other people, I actually prefer using it as a concealer brush as the head isn’t overly big. I think the 189 would actually be a lot better as a foundation brush purely because of its larger dimensions.

So I thought I would like to try the MAC 187 which is the circular brush but at £27.40 I wanted to 100% sure I’d like that type of brush, and so I purchased a much cheaper dupe, the GOSH round foundation brush, I think it was around £8. I’ve used this for around 2 months now, the fall out is HORRENDOUS on this brush but with GOSH I think you very much get what you pay for.

However it did let me see how I would like the 187, and what I discovered was I liked the circular buffing motion this style of brush gives, however I missed the density in bristles of the 190. I simply felt the splayed, sparser bristles weren’t conducive to good application in areas such as under the eyes or around the nose. Ideally I wanted a brush with the round shape but much fuller/ larger in size.

I give you the LY34. From a range by Louise Young who is herself a highly acclaimed Professional Make-up Artist. With 20 years experience working in film, fashion, television and theatre she knows what works!

I totally heart this brush and at £22 its a complete bargain. The hair is synthetic but it is the softest I have ever felt, handmade in the UK using protected kiln dried birch or beech for the handles. It is amazing!!

Size wise this is how it stacks up against the others (excuse the dirty GOSH, it is for the bin!)

LY34, 190, GOSH 187

So, if you’re after a new foundation brush I can highly recommend this one, if you’re not but you are thinking about other make-up brush purchases I’d suggest thinking outside the MAC box and checking out what else is available, you might just be surprised and save some money to boot

You can purchase the LY34 here

Ok, lets talk mineral make-up, more specifically mineral foundation.

I LOVE the idea of it, light weight but with good coverage, easy to apply, better for your skin. Who wouldn’t?

Every time Bare Escentuals have a showcase on QVC I’m there, glued, staring at the screen in wonder at the transformations. It looks so easy, weightless, flawless.

So when the Body Shop joined the mineral bandwagon a few months back I finally purchased. At the time, they didn’t offer a mineral concealer in the range, not sure if this is still the case, so in the demo I have used L’Oreal Correcteur Mineral in 20. The Body Shop’s Nature’s Minerals Foundation SPF25 in 03 and their Minerals Cheek Colour in 01 Pink Quartz (a raspberry colour).

Now, brace yourself, below is a picture of me completely make-up free. I was in two minds about posting it, lets face it, we’re all pretty insecure when it comes to our slap free faces, but I thought it would be helpful to see that we really do ALL look a bit shite without SOME make-up

Enlarge at your peril!!

Is it a ghost?.... boo!

My problem is mostly in skin tone rather than any actual skin condition. I am pale but not in that beautiful English rose way, more a transluscent, partially jaundiced way lol. In the way where people say “You look a bit peaky, have you not been well love?”. When in fact I’ve never felt better. My natural self looks ill!

My undereye and lids are discoloured, as is my nose, they take the most concealing. I also have quite a few broken veins and pigmentation from sun bed use. Although saying that I fully realise I am not doing badly for almost 30 *cries at thought*, thats probably mostly genetics, my mum has quite good skin. The only acne I really get is hormonal and clears with little bother.

Now, getting back to the mineral foundation, I used L’Oreal Concealer first, brushing it into my under eyes, nose and chin area.

I then used the Body Shop’s large kabuki to apply the foundation is a circular buffing motion. It is buildable and so I coated my face twice. Finally I took the mineral blush and buffed it into the apples of my cheeks (a light hand is needed as its v pigmented).

End result, minus eye make-up, mascara & lip products

The result is very subtle, and herein lies my major problem with mineral make-up. Its too subtle for me really. You can clearly still see my under eye circles. It has evened my skin tone out but the coverage is just too thin to cover problem areas.

The blush is really very nice, gives a beautiful flush. However it is very “sparkly” and not really for every day use IMO.

It is also a messy application. With liquid foundation I squeeze a bit onto the back of my hand and use a brush to apply. Close the lid, wash my hands, job done.

With this, the sieve type layer in the pot that distributes product, just lets too much away. You have to transfer some into the lid and work it into the kabuki, tapping off the excess. Its impossible not to have spillage, and no matter how much you tap off you still end up with a cloud of fall out when you go to apply to the face.

Mineral Foundation also hates moisturiser, for obvious caking reasons. However I for one like to moisturise/ prime directly before applying my face. It just makes everything feel nicer. When I apply this my skin feels a bit tight.

Don’t get me wrong, I will use it, perfect for applying on a day when I’m just doing the school run or the weekly shop, but for events I will be always be a liquid foundation girl. The coverage is far far superior.

Let me know about your experiences with Mineral Foundation please, perhaps its just the Body Shop’s version that doesn’t perform fantastically? xox