My current foundations - this may be a long post.........

Realisation dawned this morning, as I had to wade through a collection of tubes and bottles in varying states of emptiness and move several bottles out of the way to reach the one that I wanted – I have LOTS of foundation.  Quite possibly more than one human could ever possibly need, especially all at the same time.  What the yellow rubbery fuck is wrong with me?

In my defense, they are all slightly different shades, and slightly different formulas, therefore they serve different purposes and fulfill different needs at different times of the year.

Hmmmm……. How many times can one person use the word “different” in one sentence in a forlorn and rather pathetic attempt to persuade yourself that you actually mean it? To be honest, I know I’ve got too many, and that I do occasionally get suckered in to hype as I try to find my Holy Grail. But I love buying new foundations – testing them in the shop, finding some natural light, browsing for other stuff while waiting to see if they oxidize……… it’s a ritual that I adore and will never get bored of. In the meantime, the collection grows.

So, for those of you out there that are relatively fair-skinned, with neutral to cool undertones, here are the foundations that work for me.

From left to right:

Lancome Teint Miracle in 010 Ivory

Nars Sheer Glow in Mont Blanc

Estee Lauder Double Wear in 1C1 Cool Bone

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation in 15 Opal

MAC Face and Body in N1

Revlon Colourstay (normal/dry skin) in 150 Buff

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in Intensity 01

Diorskin Nude in 020

 

I may have mentioned this before (!) but I have dry skin. Frequently, this turns into very dry skin. Occasionally, this turns into oh-my-god-my-face-is-so-tight-I-think-it’s-going-to-rip skin. With that in mind, I usually go for hydrating formulations (or at least, ones that don’t suck moisture out of my already parched skin). Therefore I don’t suffer much with oxidizing – in fact, hardly ever, as I don’t have much oil on my face to turn things orange. Foundation also normally lasts a relatively long time on me unless I have been sleeping at my desk that day and it’s ended up on my sleeves……. So bear in mind your mileage may vary.

Here are some arm swatches, taken in different lighting so you can get a feel for the range of tones between the brands:

L-R: Lancome Teint Miracle (010), NARS Sheer Glow (Mont Blanc), EL Double Wear (1C1), Vichy Dermablend (15 Opal), MAC F&B (N1), Revlon Colourstay (150 Buff), EL Double Wear Light (01), Diorskin Nude (020)

 

Both the Lancome Teint Miracle and the Diorskin Nude are very neutral, almost ashy. This is great when I feel as though my skin is a bit pinker than normal, which it does occasionally, seemingly entirely randomly. The are lovely and hydrating with a dewy finish, but consequently they don’t last long – about six hours – unless I powder over the top. Defeats the object really. Love them both, though, and these are both repeat purchases.

The Estee Lauder Double Wear doesn’t see much action, unless I’m having a spectacularly good skin day, or if I know in advance that no one will be getting within fifteen feet of me.  This stuff has a tendency to flake off my face if I don’t meticulously prep first – shame really, because the coverage is awesome and it lasts FOREVER. The Double Wear Light is better for my skin, and is easier to apply (a job for fingers rather than blending with a brush) but doesn’t last quite as long – I normally get eight hours before it starts to disappear. Both of them are a little peachy in tone so they brighten up the skin nicely if I'm having a sallow-and-tired day.

The Vichy Dermablend is one I use as a concealer rather than all over – the pigment is so concentrated it would look like a mask on me if I tried to use it in the normal way. I would imagine this is the stuff for you if you have scars or marks that you want to hide. A few dots under the eyes is all I need to minimize dark circles, but I only tend to use it on days where I think my skin couldn’t cope with the heavier formula of MAC Studio Finish concealer.

I bought the Revlon Colourstay entirely because of the beauty blogging hype (damn you MakeupGeek!). I must say though, for a “drugstore” foundation, this one lives up to its reputation (this is my third bottle, and I will need a new one soon). Great coverage (on a par with Double Wear) but not quite as flake-inducing.

MAC Face and Body tends to be my summer foundation as it is a little darker than my winter skin (bordering on peachy, similar to the Estee Lauders), but I have recently found myself turning to it even in the cooler weather – my skin is going through a rough patch (literally) so needs something a bit kinder to skin, and Mac F&B is it. Although the coverage is initially quite sheer, it can be layered easily - for shits and giggles one day, I tried several layers just to see what would happen – I managed to get to five layers, and the coverage increased with every “coat” but showed genuinely hardly any sign of caking. It contains some kind of film-former which means it miraculously “sets” on the skin (whether you are using it on your face or elsewhere) and I tend to get a good eight hours of wear out of it even without powder.

Lastly, NARS Sheer Glow. Possibly my all-time favourite as it is the best all-rounder – the best colour match to my skin tone as it is so pinky-peach, so it melts invisibly into my skin and gives me a genuine “no make-up” look, but evens everything out beautifully. It can be layered a little bit, but I would stop at two layers because three can start to look mask-like. My only gripe is that the staying power isn’t great – I tend to have to touch it up a little at lunch (five hours of wear).

Next on the list is Bobbi Brown’s Repair Foundation, although I am not overly taken with the concept of dipping my fingers into a jar – I could put up with that if it's as soothing on the skin as the blurb would suggest. For the sake of my poor wallet though, it will have to wait until next payday…………

Jen

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Estee Lauder Double Wear Light - my summer best friend

Well, we have officially reached the summer dilemma – foundation or tinted moisturiser?

It’s the age-old problem, isn’t it. The British summer comes around (albeit for two weeks), the thermometers rise to the giddy heights of *gulp* 23 degrees, and even the most relaxed and cool amongst us will have the dreaded………….. sweat patches. Now, thankfully I don’t suffer that badly – forehead and under the bottom lip, mostly – but on certain days when it is hot AND you’ve got no deodorant left because you forgot to go to Boots AND the cat has been sick on the carpet AND you didn’t do any ironing over the weekend so have only got winter shirts you can wear AND you’re running late for work AND the fan is in the loft AND the stupid next door neighbours have decided to have a barbecue just as you've put your washing out……… before you know it, you are…….. glowing, somewhat.

Fret ye not, fellow perspirers!!!!!! I HAVE A SOLUTION.

Firstly, calm the fudge down. There’s no point rushing round like a Tazmanian devil when it’s so hot even Lawrence of Arabia would need a bit of a sit down.

Secondly, try some of this. Estee Lauder Double Wear Light.

Is it a tinted moisturiser? Is it a foundation? Well, actually it’s a foundation – a lighter, less heavy-coverage version of their critically acclaimed Double Wear (which for me might as well be called Can’t Wear, because it clogs up pores I didn’t even know I had and takes about two years to get rid off at the end of the day. But I suppose that’s its selling point, really).

From the Estee Lauder website:

“15-hour wear, light as air—long-wear makeup is now lightweight makeup.

Makeup That Keeps Up

·       Fresh, natural, comfortable.

·       Goes on sheer, leaves skin free to breathe all day.

·       Controls oil.

·       Resists smudging and won't "melt" off through heat and humidity.

For a look that stays vibrant and fresh whether it's a workday, a workout or a weekend. Smooth it on once and don't think twice about it.”

Now, normally I don’t mind putting on foundation. I know some ladies find it a chore that they would rather avoid, but I actually really like the ritual of applying and blending. It’s therapeutic, yano. But sometimes, usually at the weekend, I just can’t muster up the enthusiasm to wash all of my brushes and put it on properly, and on those days this Double Wear Light really comes into its own. You can apply this stuff with your fingers as slap-dash as you like, and it still manages to make your skin look more even, plump and gorgeous.

So, what do you get?

Well, the coverage ain’t up to “normal” Double Wear standards. But, it definitely evens out skin-tone and manages to cover up most of my old spot scars, with just a touch of concealer needed on a few little tiny places here and there. Nothing, but nothing, will cover up the dark circles underneath my eyes – but I’ve become resigned to this over a period of several years so wasn’t too surprised to find that this stuff doesn’t, either.

BUT, it gives better coverage (and staying power) than a tinted moisturiser, without being any more difficult to apply.  And, more importantly, it comes from the Double Wear family so also manages to last the distance on an average British summer’s day.

For those of you of a sensitive disposition, look away now – thar be some pics of bare skin acomin’.

NB: I wear Intensity 1.0, which is nowhere near as light as it looks on the Estee Lauder website. My skin is currently hovering around the NW15-20 mark.

I love squeezy tubes - hygienic, and easy to dispense just the right amount. Although you can't really see from this pic, it also contains SPF 10. Not enough to skip your normal sunscreen, but a nice addition nonetheless.

 

 

It isn't QUITE as orange as these swatches may lead you to believe - but you definitely have to limit yourself to a maximum of two layers before your inner Oompa Loompa starts to shine through

Left - bare skin (just a thin layer of Clarins Beauty Flash Balm); Right -  one (generous) layer of Double Wear Light, with a light dusting of NARS loose powder in Flesh

Conclusion: a lighter make-up base that doesn’t aquaplane round your face on top of the layer of sweat, while still giving slightly better coverage than your average tinted moisturiser. WIN WIN.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light can be bought from their website (amongst other places) for the princely sum of £26.50.

What do you think? Will you be loving it or leaving it this summer?

Jen

My Browns of York experience

Mr. S and I recently took a trip to York – not, I confess, to soak up any culture that might be lying about but rather to buy things cheaply. Yep, we went to the McArthur Glen outlet.

I came out a bit shell shocked, after having found NOTHING I wanted in the Cosmetics Company outlet shop, but thankfully hubby took pity on my plight and bought me a gorgeous Paul Smith bag that I have been lemming after for ages.

Anyway, determined not to come home without some form of beauty product, we wandered into York town centre and happened across Browns, a decent-sized department store type thing, and I of course immediately gravitated towards the twinkly lighting of the cosmetic counters.

I needed some Double Wear Light, so I toddled over to the Estee Lauder counter to buy me a top-up of this fabulous not-quite-foundation. And there was where I encountered the lovely Marie.

Now if you have read my previous post about Rouge Coco Mademoiselle you will realise that I am not traditionally a big fan of makeup counter assistants. I rethought that prejudice a little in a recent Boots trip, but Marie was the icing on the cake. A petite little thing, she could not have been more lovely.

There was a Gift With Purchase promo on - I’m guessing it’s on everywhere? – and Marie pointed this out to me because she “didn’t want me to miss out” on £45 worth of free stuff. So I mooched round the counter a bit, and picked up their Double Wear liquid eyeliner in Black, so that I could qualify for the promo. Her little face dropped, as she then informed me that they had just run out of that particular product. But – and this is where I was pleasantly impressed – she took my details, let me have the GWP anyway, and said they would post out the eyeliner as soon as their next shipment came in. She then gave me a card with her contact details on, as well as those of her colleague, in case I wanted to get in touch in the meantime. Throughout the transaction she was very polite, extremely helpful, appeared knowledgeable, and also seemed to be enjoying her job.

Now I imagine quite a few of you are currently thinking, “Yeah – and?”………….. and if you are lucky enough to come from a place where this sort of customer service is the norm, then I envy you. None of the assistants I have ever spoken to before have been a patch on this lady – and I was beginning to seriously believe that good customer service on makeup counters was a myth.

But now……….. MYTH = BUSTED.

Thank you, Marie, for re-instilling me with a little bit of faith in humanity.

Jen

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