Barely-there Bases

The older I get, the more ridiculous a full face of slap looks on me. Less is definitely more these days and luckily there seems to be a whole raft of products out there to help me cheat a good skin day. I have an obsession with bases (amongst my many other obsessions) - foundations, BB creams, CC creams, tinted moisturisers, tinted serums .... basically if there is a new product released that fits one of these categories I find it pretty hard not to invest and give it a go. 

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops

I picked up this ingenious product in New York earlier this year, and I must say, I struggled with the application at first. It has taken a fair bit of experimentation to get the quantity and consistency right. This is marketed as a product of pure pigment which you can add to your existing skincare. You only need to apply the teeniest, tiniest amount (1-2 drops maximum) otherwise you have way too much product to try and rub in. I find for my skin, it works best if I apply a face oil first and then pat this in using my fingers. I also picked up the Cover FX Mattifying Primer and it does go on nicely over this as well. I really love the packaging and the full range of 24 shades would be a fabulous investment for my pro-kit. I use shade P40. Available at Sephora in Australia!

RMS Beauty "Un" Cover-Up

This is a fabulous little pot of goodness which is a concealer, but can also be using as a very sheer foundation. It has a coconut oil base so it just melts into the skin. I am shade 22 and I apply it with my fingers. Definitely a great option for an Australian summer. Available at Mecca Cosmetica.

RMS Beauty 'Un' Cover Up shown here with RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum

This range is marketed as 'No Makeup Skincare' which is perfect for someone like me who suffers from hormonal break-outs and likes a bit of coverage even if i'm only heading to the gym. I have oily/combination skin so I apply this straight onto a clean face. It is a two-in-one product so I don't need a moisturiser underneath. It has a fairly watery consistency but it is very easy to blend with your fingers when you dot the product around your face first, just shake well prior to application. It is a one-shade-fits-most system and as the product is so sheer, it would work for most caucasian skins. Available at Mecca Cosmetica.

Chanel's Ace of Base

While in Paris earlier this month I visited the Chanel counter in Galeries Lafayette. I had read lots of positive reviews on their new foundation, Perfection Lumière Velvet, and loved the sound of its smoothing effects. I have combination skin which gets shiny in the t-zone during the day so I thought that given this foundation has a matte finish it would be perfect for me.

The sales assistant had other ideas and despite my enquires, she just kept pointing me in the direction of the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. I couldn't be bothered arguing, so I just went with it and walked away happily swishing my Chanel bag. 

I also picked up Le Blanc de Chanel which is their sheer illuminating base, because ... well why not! I do like to purchase the matching base to a foundation as you know the formulas will work well together. The texture of this is really lovely. It is quite nourishing and thicker than I first thought as you massage it onto your skin, and it smells as good as you would expect any Chanel product to smell. The illumination is subtle which is good for someone in my 30+ age bracket, enough to give you a healthy glow but not so much to make you look glittery or shimmery. 

The foundation is extremely sheer which, to be honest I first thought wouldn't give me nearly enough coverage. I was wrong! When used in combination with the base, it glides on and covers everything that needs covering whilst still maintaining natural looking skin. I did build up a second layer on my problem areas but really, I was surprised that it covered so well for such a seemingly sheer liquid! The bottle is light and perfectly sized for travel which is an added bonus.

Vitalumiere Aqua - I take shade 30 beige

As I said on Instagram, I am late coming to the party but at least now i'm here! I am still seeing amazing reviews on the Perfection Lumière Velvet, I just need to find a sales assistant who will actually let me buy it!

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua costs £32.00 here and Le Blanc de Chanel costs £31.00 here.

By Terry in Paris

As you know last week I was in Paris, the makeup addict's shangri-la. Aside from running riot in Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, I also made a special pilgrimage to the By Terry store in the oh so beautiful Galerie Véro-Dodat. It is located just off Rue St Honoré near the Palais Royale and if you going to Paris, it is worth a look. 

Makeup, makeup everywhere!

The original By Terry store is within the arcade and is now used as a laboratory. The makeup is now sold in a larger store within the same arcade. The eye shadows you see above are made in the laboratory you see below!

The original shop front, now a laboratory

I went in on a mission. I had been wanting to try the new Terrybly Densiliss foundation even since it was launched a few months back. I had myself colour matched, and while I was there, was given a beautiful mini-makeover by one of the fabulous By Terry makeup artists. I had been on the streets shopping since 8.30am so I was in need of this. 

The foundation is good. I really like the texture - it reminds me a little of the Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation, but it seems to give more coverage and less glow, which is what I need having combination skin. The packaging is great as it comes in a nicely sized glass bottle with a pump dispenser which is always good for travelling. I was matched to the colour 5 - Medium Peach.  

Once that was covered, I picked up a couple of extras such as the infamous Baume de Rose which is a heavenly rose-scented lip balm. Anyone who knows me will attest to my obsession with lip balms. I'm so in awe of it that I haven't even opened it yet. 

L-R: Terrybly Densiliss foundation, Touch-Expert Advanced Concealer, Ore de Rose Blush Prestidge and Baume de Rose lip balm.

I also found that one of my favourite ever products, the Rose de Rose liquid blush came in a 24 carat pink gold version - AND IT WAS HALF-PRICE! I'm not even making that up in case my husband is reading this. It is the truth. 

I was so very well looked after and once I told the lovely staff that I had made a special trip to see them, I was given lots of lovely samples and goodies to try ... and quite frankly, you know what that means. More By Terry will most certainly be making its way into my collection. I can't wait!

Lots and lots of lovely samples

By Terry is available in both the UK and Australia. In the UK you can see the range at Space NK, and in Australia it is available at Mecca Cosmetica. 

I will be travelling to Sydney this week so communication may not be as regular as I take a well-earned Christmas break for the next month. 

Mineral Makeup - Bellápierre

I touched on Bellápierre the other day in my foundation wardrobe post (which you can read here) but wanted to go into a little more detail. 

I don't have a good track record with loose powdered mineral makeup. I first tried it a few years back while I was going through a bad skin period. I had a consultation at my local beautician's with a Bare Minerals rep and bought their foundation and kabuki brush. As I used it, it seemed to just highlight all the imperfections in my skin. I didn't enjoy the buffing technique or the results that I yielded and then one day the lid of the jar malfunctioned and I lost half the powder down the sink. I hadn't gone near it since then. 

I was introduced to Bellápierre by the lovely Amanda Bell at The Session School. I was sceptical given my last dealings with mineral makeup, but as the day progressed I was impressed. This was such a better quality of powder consisting of pure pigment (no talc or nasties) which can be applied in a variety of ways - the aforementioned buffing it into the skin, adding it to moisturiser to make your own liquid foundation, using it with a makeup base to create a concealer consistency and more.

Here is the look Amanda Bell created using Bellápierre at The Session School

I was lucky enough to work on a fashion parade recently which was sponsored by Bellápierre and we were given a range of their products to use on the day and to keep after the show. Impressed once again after using the products, I decided it was worth incorporating them into my personal makeup routine. I must admit, the thought of having loose pigments flying around my predominantly white bedroom scared me but so far so good. The container seems sturdier than the Bare Minerals one so i'm confident I will have better luck with Bellápierre. I do find the quickest and easiest method for me is to buff it on after using the Bellápierre primer. I do this by tapping a small amount of the powder into the lid, swirling my brush into it, tapping off the excess and then applying it to the face in a circular motion. This method for me doesn't give a full coverage, but it gives enough to keep things looking natural, which is the look i'm after when i'm just going about my daily routine.

The backstage Bellápierre supply ....

I really love the blush in 'Desert Rose' which I have been using on my cheeks and also sweeping across my eyelids. The shimmer stacks are also amazing as you get 9 colours and they can be mixed and used in such a number of ways. I also saw some shimmer stacks heavily reduced in TK Maxx the other day so it is worth keeping your eyes out. 

Featuring blush in desert rose and foundation in ivory ... and some of their mini travel brushes which are a delight!

You can buy Bellápierre online here in the UK and here in Australia.

My Foundation Wardrobe

There are some new and really interesting foundations on the market (hello By Terry, Terrybly Densiliss). I don't need any new foundation but I want. So in a bid to remind myself why i'm not allowed to add to my foundation wardrobe, here is a run down of the foundations I currently own.

Chantecaille Future Skin

This is the only foundation I have ever repurchased! It is an oil-free gel foundation which is great for my combination skin. I love the texture of a gel foundation and find this goes on best with hands instead of a brush.  I used to be 'Nude' in colour but have become 'Vanilla' since moving to the UK. There is a range of 10 shades so there should be match for most. My only gripe is that it comes in a pot so its' not ideal for travelling, but a positive to the pot is that you can control how much product you dispense and you know you can access every last drop. At £58.00 / $105 AUD it is certainly at the luxury end of the spectrum, but my god it is good. You can pick it up here in the UK and here in Australia.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 

This is also a gel formula foundation - I told you like a good gel formula!  It is radiance-boosting, anti-fatigue and claims to blend instantly and flawlessly. For the money (£10.99 / $32 AUD) it is a really good light coverage foundation. I have colour 52 Vanilla which is a touch too pale for me, however the next colour up was a little too dark. Limited 5 colour choices is one of the down sides to a cheaper product. I use this for low key days when I have nothing exciting happening. It is a good back up foundation. You can pick this up here in the UK and here in Australia.

 YSL Le Tient Touche Éclat Foundation

An illuminating foundation based around the iconic Le Touche Éclat highlighting pen. This certainly gives you a lovely glow. Sometimes I do find it a little too oil-enhancing on my t-zone, but used in the right conditions in cooler weather, it is lovely. Great packaging for travel too. I am colour B40 and there are an impressive 22 colours in the range. £29.00 / $78 AUD, you can buy this here in the UK and here in Australia.

By Terry Sheer Expert Perfecting Fluid Foundation 

Oh By Terry! I really, really do love their products. This is so light it is verging on being a tinted moisturiser. The colour is an absolute perfect match for my skin (No 8. Intense Beige) so it just blends in flawlessly for me. All her products have the most delicious smell too. I have never been disappointed with anything from the range that I have purchased, my main problem is knowing when to stop. £44 / $89 AUD here in the UK and here in Australia.

In Shade 02 Ivory

Bellápierre Mineral Foundation

I had a bad experience with mineral makeup a few years back so I was hesitant to go there again however I was introduced to 

Bellápierre makeup when I did my course at The Session School and was very impressed. To be honest, I don't love the process of buffing powder in to my skin, but I do find this gives a nice even coverage. You need to prep the skin correctly and I find the Bella Pierre primer underneath is a must. There are 10 colours in the range and it is very easy to mix them together to create a bespoke shade. If mineral makeup is your thing and you want pure pigment without any added nasties, then you should give this a try. £34.99 / $79.95 AUD, you can buy this here in the UK and here in Australia.

I am also really keen to try Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua and Georgio Armarni's Luminous Silk - but not until I use up some of my existing supply. 

Match My Makeup

I have discovered a gem of a website that helps you to match your foundation shade to shades in other ranges. Match My Makeup. Could you just imagine how much awesome online makeup shopping this will facilitate? Imagine the scenario - you read a great article on Georgio Armarni's foundation and would love to jump online and buy it except that you don't know what shade of foundation you are. The tiny little example colours shown on the website do not help you in the slightest. If you go to matchmymakeup.com and complete their little 3 step online form they will tell you your corresponding shade so you can purchase with confidence. It is brilliant. 

So how can they do this? They have an actual colour-reading machine as well as a team of mathematicians, scientists and makeup artists that manually test the products. Rae Morris, the Queen of Australian makeup artists is one of the names behind this site which is certainly reassuring.

When I first looked at the site  a few months back I was slightly disappointed as some of the brands I use such as Chantecaille and Bourjois were not listed as options, but this has recently changed. They are also adding more and more brands as the weeks progress so I think the site is only going to get better and better.

Does it actually work? I did a little test match using my Bourjois Healthy Mix in 52. Vanilla as an example and was given 45 possible matches! Some of the matches were other products that I own, so I know the colours are matches that work on me. 

So what do you guys think? Do you think you will be using this site?