L'Oreal Paris Infallible Matte Foundation £7.99

I must admit other than my (Bourjois) cc cream I haven't worn a drugstore foundation in about 5 years for no reason other than the more high end ones I have converted to just perform better than the drugstore ones I have tried. When L'Oreal released their Infallible Matte foundation and the blogosphere went ablaze with reviews I said to myself I wasn't going to buy it but when i was in Superdrug picking up some essentials I ended up going against what I had said, chucked it in my basket and asked myself if so many girls could be wrong about this foundation.

So a little background on my skin, it's oily/combination and I have some light acne scarring (although no new breakout's) so you'd think this would be ideal for my skin type as it offers a matte finish which still has some life to it, right? Wrong. This is probably the thickest foundation I have ever used, it sets so quickly that you barely have time to blend it properly and it did not feel like it offered the natural finish it proclaims to. I enjoyed the primer, it has a silicone, gel kinda feel to it which I'm used to after using similar formulas and it did reduce the shine on my skin slightly. I like to apply my foundation with my fingers and then blend with a damp Beauty Blender, the most annoying thing that I found about this foundation was that it just lifted off with the slightest touch of my sponge so a second layer is a no-no and applying concealer under my eyes and trying to blend out just made the whole situation worse. I ended up taking the whole lot off and applying my regular foundation. I picked the shade 'Vanilla' which seemed a good match for me inshore however on it looks so red, I honestly looked like I was holding my breath!

Can't say I'm hugely surprised or disappointed in this foundation, this is the reason I stopped buying drugstore foundations all those years ago, they really are like marmite. Have you tried this foundation, did you find you had similar issues?

NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder

NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder £26.50

You may have seen a recent post of mine in which I proclaimed my love for Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream but having oily skin I was struggling with quite a bit of shine (not the CC creams fault, it's a hydrating formula and I have over oily skin) and the setting powder I was using just wasn't cutting it. I have stayed away from powders since my teens, all the ones I have tried have left me with a chalky finish and taken away the glow of my foundation underneath, all but this one.

Everything about this product screams quality right from the signature NARS packaging to the formula itself. Initially when I swiped my brush over the powder it seemed hard and that my brush wasn't picking anything up only when I brushed the formula over my face could I see the effect. The powder is so finely milled that you struggle to see it on your brush and is traceless on your skin. Although this powder sets my makeup and reduces shine it leaves a luminous finish and not at all chalky. The product comes in a handy little pouch with a small sponge type applicator for touch-ups on the go. I may have not used a setting powder in years but I know I have found my holy grail powder here.

NARS is a relatively new brand to me, do you have any recommendations? 

Favourite Spring Base | Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream | rrp £9.99

After a nursing my skin back to health after a really bad bout of acne two years ago I have happily stepped away from the foundation and gravitated towards lighter bases. After reading so many great reviews on this CC cream but never having my skin in the place to try it this was my first choice for a lighter base.

Bourjois CC cream contains 3 colour correcting pigments to help level out skin tone, apricot for anti-fatigue, green for anti-redness and white for anti-dark spots. The formula is quite runny and I was not expecting it to give the level of coverage it does, one layer eliminates the redness I suffer from on my cheeks and evens out my tone.

I still apply concealer under my eyes as they are quite dark and find I have to set with a little powder as my skin can get quite oily in this warmer weather but I absolutely love the finish, it's so glowy and light. I like to apply with my fingers and then blend with a damp Beauty Blender and the result is so natural you can barely tell I'm wearing anything. The only thing I will say is that the shade I bought (Light) will be a problem for people with fair skin, I'm using fake tan at the moment meaning it's a perfect match but I definitely wouldn't get away with this in the winter as it's quite dark.

I'm definitely a convert. I can get just as much longevity from this CC cream as from any foundation I own and the coverage is better than some of the higher-end foundations in my stash.

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation | Gobi | Review

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation | Gobi | RRP £31

The blogosphere erupted with rave reviews when this foundation was released and every girl and her dog rushed out to buy it, a little late to the party I know but I purchased it a few weeks ago and feel I should give an honest review of this 'miracle foundation'.

Ok so firstly despite being called 'Sheer Glow' the foundation is not sheer, but described by many a reviewer as a medium-buildable foundation. Unless in my years of foundation application experience I am missing something, I did not find this foundation was build-able. Despite many saying one layer covers scars and blemishes I found it provided little coverage and when I tried to go back over my face for a second layer the foundation just moved around and looked patchy.

Although this foundation is recommended for normal, normal-dry and dry skin types I found this foundation to stick to dry areas I never even knew I had! I have normal/combination skin at times, this foundation after a few hours of wear separates and leaves me looking like an oil slick.

The shade Gobi is absolutely perfect for me (I usually wear MAC NC15) but unfortunately this foundation in my books is a huge disappointment. After trying various combinations of primers, finishing powders and tools for application I just can't get the results that so many people have raved about.

Have your tried NARS Sheer Glow? What are your thoughts?

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in Ivory Swatch and Review

After seeing the glowing complexion of one of my favourite Instagrammers and asking which foundation she was wearing I rushed out and purchased Rimmel's Match Perfection foundation rrp £6.99 and I have to say it's a pretty good foundation!

Match Perfection is a medium buildable foundation that leaves you with a luminous, glowy finish. I went for the shade Ivory which I will say isn't as pale as I thought it would be, not a great match for me being as it's the winter but come spring when the tanning products come back out it will be a great match.

I did find I had to powder my nose and chin a little but I have quite oily skin so that was a given. I like the fact it contains an SPF of 18 and the bottle contains a pump making dispensing it so much easier. The formula is quite fluid and doesn't set really quickly which means you have time to apply and blend. I found the best results came from using my Beauty Blender, it really did leave a lovely finish. If like me you suffer from blemishes and scars you will need a touch of concealer but the foundation does a surprisingly good job on its own.

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Soft Ivory Swatch and Review

After reading tons of blog posts and reviews on Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation a few weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and splurge my hard earned £34 on it and here's my thought's on it...

The foundation itself, as you can see, is housed in a handy tube and you get a generous 35ml of product. 

The colour guide on  the back of the tube doesn't completely match the shade of the product itself as some other ladies had said it did with their shade, I was expecting Soft Ivory to be a tad more yellow toned than it is, but it's not a bad match for my pale skin at this time of the year.

Ok, so onto the foundation itself. Now I have moderately blemished skin, not a constant flurry of acne but quite a few acne scars on my chin and jawline and the most appealing aspect of this foundation were the claims of being medium-full coverage, at best I would say this foundation is medium coverage and doesn't have the build-ability I had heard it does. As for the claims of 'blendable formula that glides on easily' I couldn't agree less, even using Laura Mercier's Foundation Primer and trying to apply the foundation with either my Beauty Blender, Buffing brush or fingers I still couldn't get an even finish. When I did get a satisfactory finish it only lasted for an hour or so, it certainly didn't live up to its claims of being 'long-wearing and a fresh look that lasts all day' after 3 hours the foundation separated and left my skin looking oily and blotchy.

I really wanted to love this foundation and I've tried everything I can to get a half decent finish but it just does not live up to my MAC Studio Fix Fluid and I feel absolutely gutted at parting with £34 for a foundation that will just lay in a drawer.