Foundation Issues...

Ever since I started wearing makeup - wow, that was a long time ago! - I've really struggled to find my perfect foundation shade. Even at the age of 20, I've tried foundations from a huge variety of makeup brands, high street and high end.

The issue that I'm having is that I have very fair skin - which is hard enough to match already, but my fair skin is also very yellow toned. For some reason, makeup brands just seem to think that fair skinned people are all pink! It's so frustrating - if the foundation I use has even a little too much pink in it, my face looks quite ashy and lifeless.

I recently purchased my second MAC foundation, which is the Pro Longwear in NC15 (the first being Face and Body - yes, still too pink). Looking at the foundation in the bottle, it is definitely on the yellow side, but it's just not fair enough. Even holding the bottle next to my skin, it just looks orange.

Does anyone else have this problem? I'm assuming that I'm not the only fair, warm toned person here, right?

If you have any suggestions of brands, shades, etc that I could try, please leave me a comment - it would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

Bee x

Battle of the: Face Primers!

Today's post is going to be covering the topic of face primers. For me, a primer isn't something that I use on a daily basis. I tend to use them when going out at night, or if I know that I'm going to be wearing makeup all day long.

In the last year, my skin has changed from being dry, to very oily, which means that I've had to completely rethink my base makeup routine to make it last on my skin. I've tried many primers, but I am still yet to find my holy grail (though I doubt the perfect primer for me would even exist!).

The primers that I have been trying out over the last few months are: MAC's Matte Creme, Hourglass' Veil Primer, Smashbox's Colour Correcting Photo Finish Primer (Purple tone), and Maybelline's Baby Skin. All of these primers have that silicone-slip feeling, which is just my personal preference. I like primers that make my foundation glide on smoothly and last all day.

MAC Matte - £15

This primer is the thickest of the four, which takes more work to blend. I also have to be careful when applying the product, as it is pretty easy to apply a thick layer. If used correctly, it feels great on the skin - slightly heavier than other primers, but still nice. It does what it says on the packaging, it is definitely mattifying when applied, though I can't say that it keeps my skin matte all day (no primer can so far). 

Overall, I'd say that this primer would be best for someone with skin texture issues. It is great for filling in pores and light acne scarring!

Rating: 3.5/5

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer - £52

I have the sample size of this product, which I received with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. In the bottle, the product is a translucent white, but blends in completely clear on the skin. While it still feels like silicone, it is definitely thinner than others - I barely have to use any product at all! It feels great on the skin, foundation goes on beautifully over it, and wears well. So far this is my favourite of these four primers, but I'm not sure I can justify the price for the full size.

Rating: 4.5/5

Smashbox Photo Finish Colour Correcting Primer (Balance) - £25

I picked this up in Boots for £12.50 on clearance, which makes me wonder if this shade is being discontinued. I like this primer, but not for the colour correcting aspect. I don't really find that the tint makes a difference to how my skin looks, especially after foundation. It's a good smoothing product, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a good oil controlling primer. It feels thicker than the Hourglass primer, but thinner than MAC's.

Rating: 3/5

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser - £7.99

Last but not least, is the cheapest of the lot. I'd compare this primer to MAC's. To me, they are almost identical! MAC's is possibly slightly more mattifying, but they feel very similar in texture. I wouldn't call this a lightweight primer like the packaging suggests, but it does help with makeup application. Definitely worth it for the price!

Rating: 4/5

If you have any suggestions for good primers, please leave me a comment!

Bee x

Daily Face!

These are some of the products that I have been using daily for the last few weeks. I definitely tend to change my makeup look everyday, but here are my basics! I haven't included a lip product, because that is always changing.

1. Urban Decay's Naked Skin Foundation in 1.0. I have a review posted on this product, linked here. This has become my everyday foundation, and I love everything about it. It feels light, matches my skin, and covers everything it needs to!

2. MAC's Studio Fix in NC15. Another recent purchase. This is a powder foundation, but I just use a light layer with a Real Techinques brush, and it helps to keep the shine away. If you want more coverage, simply apply a bit more.

3. Illamasqua's Powder Blush in Create. I use this product as a Contour/Blush/Bronzer all in one. In the pan it looks like a very dark terracotta, almost orange shade, but on my skin it just works! Use these blushes with a very light hand, they're incredibly pigmented.

4. MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. This has been my favourite highlighter for a long time now, I have a hard time using anything else. Looks quite peachy and dark in the pan, but it's a light shimmery champagne shade.

5. Beauty UK's High Brow - All in one brow definition kit, and BDellium Tools 735 brow brush. I recently ran out of my Ash Brown shade in my very well loved HD brows palette. I've heard ThePersianBabe raving about this kit on youtube, so I decided to give it a go instead. For £3.99 it's a great substitute, but I will always love HD Brows! I purchased the brush at IMATS, it is perfect for brows.

6. Maybelline's Eraser Eye Concealer. Love the product, hate the packaging. Covers dark circles and minor redness well, without being thick. The packaging is broken, but thankfully product still comes out.

7. Lorac's Pro Palette. Just posted a review on this product, linked here. The perfect netural palette with matte and shimmers.

8. Lorac's Behind the Scenes Eye Primer. Prevents eye makeup from creasing, due to oily lids!

9. Maybelline's Define a lash Volume Mascara, Waterproof. Not in love with this one, but I'm going to use it up. I always purchase waterproof mascaras, as I find they hold a curl best. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know!

10. Real Techniques Brushes. Super soft brushes, good price, created by one of my favourite youtubers. These 2 aren't the only brushes I use, but I love them all!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Liquid Makeup

Today's post is something I am really excited about! As I mentioned previously, I love Urban Decay - always have, always will - and I've been wanting to try this product out since it was released, but have always been put off by the "light coverage" description that it has been given. I have quite a lot of issues in terms of scars, redness, and all that fun stuff, so light coverage is something I tend to stay away from.

Eventually I gave in and purchased their Naked Skin Liquid Makeup. As with all Urban Decay products, the packaging is gorgeous, though quite impractical due to the size and extra plastic. The pump is very nice, controllable and hasn't gotten too messy so far!

The shade I got is 1.0, which is the lightest yellow-toned shade. Shades ending in .0 are yellow toned, and .5 are pink. This shade matches me very well, which is surprising as I am very fair skinned. I would say that this foundation is actually medium coverage, but feels like a light coverage foundation. It covers everything necessary for me, and it feels lovely.

The foundation itself is very thin and watery. It can get messy, but I like this because it makes it very easy to blend a very thin layer over the skin, and therefore does not look cakey at all! I have very oily skin with the occasional dry patch, and this doesn't enhance either of those skin issues. I do have to set it with powder - I use a very light layer of MAC Studio Fix - but it lasts all day on me, which is perfect!

Overall, this foundation has become my new favourite, and I will definitely be taking this on holiday to Tenerife next week!

Available on Debenhams for £27