REVIEW - Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation in shade Porcelain

This is currently my everyday foundation. I love it. Love love love it. 

This was my first mineral foundation which I bought after reading that it was great for pale shades. So I went for their palest shade, porcelain. The great thing about Lily Lolo is that you can buy a sample size of their foundations really cheaply to make sure you get the right shade. I went straight for the palest though as I know there isn't much point for me to go a shade darker! I also purchased their concealer in shade blondie as I didn't have a powder concealer (I mean, who would really), a sample pot of the finishing powder and some green corrector powder for my red cheeks. A bit of a blow out really, but hey, you're allowed to sometimes. 

Before I apply any of the products, I moisturise really well and make sure it has really sunk in. Then I put the green corrector powder on which is AMAZING. I was a little sceptical reading the comments on their website because they were all so positive I just assumed they had been carefully screened before being posted. However, this is pretty much a red cheek eraser powder. I am so impressed with how it covers my red cheeks. Obviously, it doesn't hide them completely, but I would say it is 90% reduced. And it has lasted me a good year of wearing it everyday.

The concealer is a great pale shade. Concealers are very hard to find in shades lighter than orange, but this is fantastic. The coverage is not as good as your typical liquid concealer, but it is great at reducing under eye circles and covering spots. I also put a light dusting over my green powder on my cheeks just to get a little more coverage. 

The actual foundation is fantastic. The shade porcelain is a damn good match to my skin colour and the coverage is light to medium, but with the green powder and concealer, I would say medium to full. The tricky part can be the application because if you're not careful you can end up with powder every where. But with a little practice it becomes much easier. This isn't like a powder foundation I've used before, it is so finely milled (ground? whatever) that it just looks like your skin. No one will be able to tell you are wearing foundation, it really does just look like your own skin just better. Initially, before I bought this, I thought a powder foundation would dry out my skin but this doesn't at all. There is no tightness or anything, in fact it feels like you are not wearing anything on your skin at all. It also does not stick to any dry patches you might have. The other great thing about the foundation is that you get a huge pot of the stuff. I can hardly see a dent in what I've used and I've had it almost a year and use way more product than they recommend. So it's really good value for money.

One point to add though is that if you want your foundation to last I would recommend getting the finishing powder as well. I used up my sample and thought, well, what difference will it actually make. A huge difference, that's what. Without the finishing powder, it will only last about 4 hours before it starts to fall off a bit. With the finishing powder, it will last all day no problem. So just bare that in mind. 

Overall, this is simply a great set of products that I really recommend you try.

REVIEW - Dr Jart+ Regenerating Beauty Balm

Strictly speaking, this is not a foundation but I'm including it anyway because BB creams are the absolute worst for pale shades. This is literally the only one I have found that isn't some strange orange colour.  I bought this a while ago after reading some good things about this BB cream. There are 3 others in the range: waterfuse, premium beauty and platinum beauty. Each one only comes in one shade. I went for the regenerating version because it supposedly reduces redness and I have the most ridiculous red cheeks. A little on the expensive side but with such good reviews I decided to give it a go, especially as most of the negative comments seemed to be that the colour was very very pale. 

Well there were no samples to try in the shop so I took a gamble and bought it. When I opened it back at home I noticed just how dark it is! I put it on the same way I would put on foundation and it looked really dark on my skin. I was so dissapointed because I thought I'd bought another product I would not actually be able to wear. So after a couple more attempts I left it at the bottom of my makeup drawer. 

However, a few weeks ago I was clearing out my products and I thought I'd give it another go. This time I really rubbed it, much more like you would with a moisturiser rather than with a foundation. Again it still looked pretty dark on my skin. Not orange or yellow, just darker than my natural shade. But, after about 15 minutes or so, I looked back in the mirror and it seemed to have blended out much more evenly with my skin tone, if that makes sense. I decided to keep it on and kept glancing in my mirror throughout the day and it continued to look great. So if you do try it and it looks kind of dark on you, just wait a while and it might even out a bit!

So a little more information. It has a very very dewy finish which does settle down after a while but stays pretty dewy throughout the day so some people may want to powder over the top. Personally I have very dry skin so this kept my face very moisturised and didn't show any of my dry patches which I was really happy about. And yes, I do think it reduced my red cheeks a little. The coverage is light to medium, so it is never going to hide my red cheeks completely, but I do think it sort of balances them out a lot more than most light/medium coverage foundations do. I still moisturise before using this product but I don't apply any primer or concealer. I also love that it has spf30 so it is great for summer time as my usual moisturiser only has spf15.

Personally, I think the product is a bit pricey, but they are half price at the moment in the shops, so if you were thinking of trying out a BB cream that does actually work, and comes in a reasonable pale shade to boot, I'd definitely give this one a go. 

REVIEW - Dainty Doll Liquid Foundation in shade "001 very light"

So ... the Dainty Doll makeup range. This was certainly makeup that had great promise, but with every purchase I made (bar one), I was left feeling very disappointed. I will focus on this liquid foundation today but I may post on the concealers/mineral powder/blusher that I have also bought another day.

When I first heard about this makeup that was specifically designed for people with extremely pale skin, I was quite excited. Then when I found out you could only buy at Harrods, and at what I thought was for a lot of money, I was quite annoyed. However, a few months later I discovered that they had started to sell Dainty Doll at boots so I decided I would try some of the products out, even though the prices were still pretty high. Firstly, I tried the powder foundation, which I did like. I really liked it. I bought shade 001 very light, which was almost white and a good match for my skin but there were 2 main problems with it which is why I don't have it any more in my collection so I can't photograph it for you. The first problem was the price. I can't remember the exact price I paid for it now (and as far as I'm aware you can no longer buy it in shops) but it was around the £22 mark. Which I don't think is too bad if it's a great product, but the amount of powder you got for your £22 was tiny. The packaging misleads you to believe the whole tube is powder, when in fact only the visible section is powder. As I said, I liked this powder, but I literally used it all up in about 4 weeks, if that. 

The second problem with the powder was the packaging. It came with a brush which was quite frankly, cheap looking and scratchy. The powder is supposed to be dispensed through the centre of the brush, but this doesn't work. To actually get the product out I had to carefully unscrew the tube each time and dip my powder brush in. Worked reasonably well until one day and I dropped it all. Was not impressed. I would never re-purchase it because every time I used it it just made me angry :P

Well, onto the liquid foundation (!). I was, again, very excited to try this when it came out. It was a similar price to the powder foundation, about £24 if I remember (as comparison, same price as MAC studio sculpt) so this was quite an investment. In contrast to the powder though, you got a standard 30ml for your money. I bought it in the same shade 001 very light, but in all honesty, this is perhaps even too light for me. I won't lie, it is pretty much white. And I'm not even sure what the undertone is, but it's not exactly skin-toned if that makes sense. It's as if they just made up a shade as pale as they could without actually testing it to see if it would match the skin tones of real people. 

Initially, I did like it but I think I was just trying to convince myself I hadn't made another big mistake. The formulation is quite think and creamy, but paradoxically the coverage is light at best, and definitely not buildable. It doesn't matter how many layers you put on, the coverage does not get thicker. The shade is lighter than my skin, but not by much and if the coverage was there it might be ok. But, it seems to make my red cheeks stand out even more, so for me this simply wasn't good enough. I've probably used it half a dozen times. Then I had a stroke of genius and realised I could probably use it as a mixer for my other foundations to lighten them up a bit. Does not work. For some reason, it seemed to turn any other foundation a sort of grey colour rather than lighter, and made it un-usable. Another issue with this foundation, as with many cheap "hydrating" foundations, is that it is quite sticky and doesn't really set properly. Again, paradoxically, it seems to stick to any dry patches and makes them flaky. For an expensive foundation, it is more similar to the very cheapest of the cheap "drugstore" types that you can buy for £3 to £4. I was not impressed to say the least. 

But I have kept it in the hope that one day I may be able to use it for something. What for, who knows. Perhaps I just don't want to throw away £24, even though it is fairly useless. I guess I wouldn't be so annoyed if it had just been a regular "drugstore" price, rather than premium price because this product is definitly not premium quality. I suppose the idea behind the pricing was that there wouldn't be many people buying it. I think if they had got their pricing and packaging right, this brand would still be in the shops today.

Thankyou for reading, feel free to leave a comment below

xx

REVIEW - Max Factor Ageless Elixir 2in1 Foundation and Serum in shade "40 Light Ivory"

If Max Factor brought this foundation out in an actual pale shade, instead of an almost pale shade, this would be one of my favourite foundations. I fell in love with it at the shop and bought it even though I knew at the time it would be a little dark for me. Life as a foundation-a-holic  I’m  afraid. I do still wear this as I think it I can just about get away with it, but only just. And that is in the summer when I have a (little) more colour. Even so I would generally have to use it on my neck as well so that it's not so noticeble. (Please remember though I am ridiculous pale and for many of you pale-ites out there this may be a good match).

The formulation of this product is amazing and not similar to anything else that I’ve tried. It is so smooth and silky and just blends so nicely onto the skin. I would normally use the stippling brush and then blend with my fingers. You can really understand why it is called a 2in1 foundation and serum, and, unlike many 2in1 products, I think it does a great job of both. One thing that may put some people off is it does have a very distinct almost fruity smell. I generally dislike any sort of scent in my products and actively try to buy scent-free or perfume-free products. Having said that, I do actually like the smell of this foundation. You can only really smell it as you apply it but it is quite pleasant and not off-putting. Although I have to wonder why Max Factor thought a foundation would need a scent . . . but there we go. The packaging isn't bad, a cheap looking plastic tube, but it does have a pump and the real plus is that you can see how much you have left. The pump also pushes the product up towards the top so you won't end up with 1/4 product left at the bottom you can't get to. 

It is a great foundation at a sort of standard "drugstore" price, but there are usually offers on. I think if I used this everyday it would probably last about a couple of months which I guess isn't too bad. The serum part of the foundation is particularly good at covering fine lines and blurring out imperfections. It has a great sort of airbrush quality to it that I really like. Personally  I would still use a primer underneath but I do have very dry skin, I would say the overwhelming majority of people would not need to use any sort of primer with this. When I do use this foundation, it lasts in the 6-8 hours category before starting to wear off which for a "drugstore" foundation I think is very reasonable. The shade “light ivory” is a decent stab at a pale shade of foundation and if you have light skin, instead of deathly pale like myself, it may be worth a look. 

Thankyou for reading, feel free to add any comments :)

xx

REVIEW - The Body Shop Ultra Smooth Face Base in shade 01

This is sadly no longer sold in The Body Shop stores. I remember this being the first foundation I ever bought and loved it. About a year ago I happened to find it on ebay , even after forgetting what this foundation was even called. As soon as it arrived in the post I remembered why I had loved it so much all those years ago. It is a super super soft gel like consistency that just smooths out onto the skin and feels amazing. The shade 01 is a fantastic yellow based shade which is so super super pale that it is a great match for my skin. However, the downside to this foundation is that it rubs off VERY easily and doesn’t really set so you have to use powder and, if you have it, a setting spray. Even then, it can still be a little on the sticky side. Definitely one to avoid for oily skin types but for more drier skin types it’s not bad. Another bad point is that if you put too much on, it can look a little mask-like. You need to just apply in small layers and really blend it in. 

Even though you can no longer buy this from The Body Shop, I included it anyway as it does sometimes appear on ebay. For a few pounds it may be worth having a look at because the 01 shade is so pale, and if you’re as pale as me, just getting a foundation pale enough is most of the trouble. But remember you will need to set this with powder. 

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a comment :)

xx

REVIEW - MAC Studio Sculpt foundation in shade NC15

I have not actually bought this foundation but I’ve had a few samples. If you ever do go to a MAC counter, the sample sizes are generous and will last a good couple of weeks so you can get a really great test of how it works with your skin so I would definitely recommend getting a sample first if you are thinking about splashing out.

Personally, I do really like this foundation. It’s very moisturising, so it’s great for dry skin, and it has a beautiful dewy finish. However, I have not bought it because the palest shade, NC15, is just too yellow for my skin. I wish they would do this foundation in the NC10 shade because that is a much better match for my colour. But they don’t and , I could not bring myself to get it because I thought the colour was too noticeable. Perhaps it’s just me being a bit too self-conscious, but when I was wearing this I felt like I had to put it on all my neck too and I think with the right foundation you shouldn’t need to do that. Having skin as pale as mine, I know that sometimes it is better to add colour to your face to avoid looking a bit like a vampire, but I felt that the NC15 shade simply is too yellow for me to get away with. Which is quite disappointing as, like I said, this is a great foundation that complimented my dry skin well and it kept hydrated all day without being sticky or rubbing off. I would apply this with a stippling brush which I think gives the best finish. It’s fairly pricey, as you would expect with MAC, but it isn’t extortionate and the product will last for a long time. It is claimed this is full coverage but I would say medium coverage at best on my skin. 

Thanks for reading, feel free to add any comments :)

xx

REVIEW - Autograph (M&S) Smooth Matte Mousse in shade Ivory

I found this foundation by pure accident as I was walking through Marks and Spencer to get to the shop on the other side. I noticed this new makeup section as I walked through and this caught my eye. A super pale foundation, from M&S? indeed. This is one of the palest “drugstore” foundations that I have come across. I have to admit, the colour is a little more pink than I normally get because I tend to go for yellow based foundations, but it does actually blend in well with my skin tone.

I had a look at their whole range of foundations because this one, the one that had caught my eye for being so pale, is a matte foundation aimed at people with oily skin. So I looked at the other foundations aimed more at dry/combination skin types in the same shade “Ivory” but to my disappointment, they were all much darker than the ivory shade of matte mousse. How annoying is it when companies call their foundations the same shade but they don’t match?! Anyway, it was £9.50 so I decided to take a gamble and by the matte mousse foundation. I’m glad I did. To make this foundation work with my dry skin, there’s a few steps I take. Firstly, I will exfoliate my skin, taking care in particularly dry areas of my face, and then moisturise really really well. Then I will put a small amount of Vaseline on areas that dry out the most, such as around the nose and along my hairline. Then I apply a good primer followed by buffing in this foundation with a stippling brush.  I find this works well for the majority of the day and only after about 6 hours or so I will I start to see my skin drying out on my forehead /nose/hairline. This was my everyday foundation for a good few months until very recently and I still use it from time to time. 

I love this mousse foundation. The coverage is claimed to be medium, but I would say more medium to full. It covers my red cheeks almost completely and the finish, although matte, is velvety soft and as long as I use the primer, doesn’t dry out my skin too much but there are some noticeable dry patches at the end of a long day and  I do notice that it oxidies a little. Having said that, if I am going out in the evening I would usually re-apply my foundation from scratch so this isn't usually a big problem for me, but if you don't have the opportunity to do that then it can be a bit annoying. 

However, another great thing about this foundation is it does last one pot will last you a long time as you only need a very small amount to get great coverage. I usually just slightly dip my stippling brush into the pot once or twice and after using it probably around the 50+ times mark I’m only half way through the pot. You can see from the photos below.  I do like the packaging, it's quite plain but the glass pot makes it feel more high-end, and the fact the top opens big enough so you can just dip your brush in is a definite plus for me. 

So to sum up, it is a great colour, if a little pink, and it is suited to more oily skin types. For pale girls with more oily/combination skin, this is definitely one to try. If you have more drier skin, it is a bit more hassle but doable. It might be worth having a look at other M&S foundations because the ivory shades are still pale and might be more suitable for you.I do like this foundation, but is not ideal because I have dry skin and so takes a bit of time to get right. However, if I do run out I will definitely re-purchase this as a great everyday foundation.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to post a comment :)

xx