Liquid -Christian Dior - Diorskin Nude Hydrating Makeup SPF 10 [DISCONTINUED]
paigeturner 1/24/2013 3:56:00 PM
Firstly, I have combination, sensitive and acne-prone skin and have tried a multitude of foundation, this being the latest one that I just couldn't resist (despite having found what is probably my HG, Shiseido Sun Protection Fluid, see my other reviews)! PROS - I got this is 010, which is the lightest colour and it's a pretty good match for my NC15 skin - medium, buildable coverage which you can layer without getting cakey - a beautiful, luminous, dewy finish which is very fresh-faced - easy to apply; can use fingers if you like, though I perfer my Real Techinques brush CONS - the last power isn't too great. With a dusting of power, I was shiny within a few hours - it's not transfer-resistant (beware when hugging boys!) - it's rather expensive, £32? - most importantly, IT BROKE ME OUT. My skin was practically perfect, then when I got this it clogged up my pores so badly (depsite my squeaky-clean routine) and didn't give me large red blemishes, but lots of little whitish raised bumps all over my cheeks and my skin. Conclusively, it's a good foundation with a beautiful finish (hence the quite high rating), but it doesn't have great-lasting power, it's quite expensive and it breaks me out, so it's a definite no-no for me. Maybe it would would better if you had normal skin which wasn't as acne-prone as mine :(
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Liquid -Shiseido - Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF 42 PA+++
paigeturner 12/2/2012 1:16:00 PM
For reference, my skin type is sensitive, combination and acne-prone with fading pink acne scarring.I am usually the lightest/2nd lightest in most foundation brands and in MAC terms, slightly lighter than a NC15 (which is a tad too dark).
First off, the positives. Generally, I LOVE this foundation! It comes in a little blue bottle which you HAVE to shake befor using, to mix up the foundation and the sunscreen and it comes out of a plastic nozzle which is brilliant as it minimises on mess, especially as the consistency of the foundation is very liquidy.
I applied using the Real Techiques Expert Face Brush, which I stippled onto my skin rather than buffing, as the buffing can leave it a little streaky. To ensure a perfect, smooth application, I used the sponge which came which the foundation to pat over my face. I did try using just the sponge to apply, but it soaked up so much foundation and gave a super sheer cover, whereas I favour slightly heavier coverage for my acne scars. The finish isn't shimmery, but neither is it matte - it's a kind of luminous almost dewy finish, very fresh! It looks so natural, but can be layered to reach the desired coverage. I do have to use concealor for my darkest acne scars, but the overall finish is perfect, natural, fresh skin.
The lasting power is unbelievable - I set with Clinique's loose powder and this didn't budge from my 8-hour shift on a shop floor. It didn't settle into pores, didn't create little pools of oil on top of my skin and didn't slide off my face. I removed this with first with Bioderma and cotton pads, and then Clinique's Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm which is absolutely necessary. You NEED to use an oil-based cleanser to remove this, otherwise it is very likely you will break out.
Now, onto the negatives. The colour selection is truly awful - in the UK, it starts at SP40 and I have no idea why Shisedo think that super fair people don't reside in the British Isles. Anyway, so I was matched to SP50 which is very similar to SP40 in terms of "lightness", but SP50 is more neutral/pink whereasSP40 is very yellow. When I first apply it, it's a little bit too dark but acceptable. However, it does oxidise a little and eventually turns just that smidgen too dark. It wouldn't give me second glances in the street, but I know that it's too dark. To remedy this, I've ordered the shade SP20 to mix with SP50...I love this foundation that much!
Also, having such a high SPF, this isn't for photographs as it will leave a white cast in photographs. The only other gripe I have is that it can cling a little to dry patches (ie. a healing blemish), so make sure your skin is well prepped and moisturised.
I thinking I may have found my HG, and I don't say that lightly. I've spent years and hundreds of £££'s trying to find that perfect foundation (Clinique, Dior, Chanel, Revlon, Rimmel, Bourjois, Shu Umera, Pixi, No.7, Lancome, Estee Lauder, Lily Lolo, Laura Mercier etc.) and I think that may be it!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Avene - skin recovery cream (US name: cream for intolerant skin)
paigeturner 11/28/2012 6:20:00 PM
Firstly, a comment about my skin - I have the worst skin possible! It's sensitive, combination-oily, extremely acne-prone and where I have blemishes, dry and patchy. I bought this to calm my skin down after it had become irritated, red and super dry in patches. In the UK it cost arounds £12.50, which I think it's quite reasonable for such a little miracle cream! After just two applications, my skin was soothed and calm, with all dry patches magically erased. I applied this in the evening, as it is extremely moisturising but yet, not greasy. When I applied my makeup in the morning, it literally looked perfect with no nasty patchy bits, or any flaking. PROS - moisturising without being greasy - hypoallergenic - designed for senstive skin - seems to be great for most skin types oily/dry - solves dry patches - soothes troubles and irritated skin CONS - none that I can think of! This cream is designed to be used as a recovery cream and hence, not for prolonged everyday use! I used it for one week straight to "fix" my skin, and now I just use it once a week/fornightly to keep my skin looking refreshed and radiant. A definite repurchase, and now a staple in my skincare.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -Pixi - illuminating tint & conceal
paigeturner 5/8/2011 4:58:00 PM
I absolutely love this product. It's my staple for the summer and however much I stray from this in a quest to find something else, I always go back to this. I have oil, sensitive skin with some red marks from acne. I'm a NC10/15 in MAC terms, and always use the lightest shades on foundation, so I use no.1, Light Glow. It's a touch too dark for me in winter, but in summer, it's perfect. PROS: - Beautiful, natural finish. - Really is 'illuminating' without being oily - Sheer coverage, but covers acne marks. - Lasts a good 8 hours. - Doesn't accentuate dry patches. - Perfect no-makeup makeup! You really can't tell I've got it on. CONS: - Quite expensive (£23.50) but not as much as some other high end and worse foundations I've tried! - The concealor in the cap can be a little cakey and is certainly too drying for under the eye. Pefectly fine for spots, if all you want to take is this combo-tube on a weekend away or something/emergencies. - Limited colour range, darker skintones will not find anything! Only 4 shades. Overally, this is definite my favourite TM out of the ones I've tried (Laura Mercier, Stila, MAC, Clinque). Forever permanent residence in my makeup bag!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Illamasqua - Light Foundation
paigeturner 3/15/2011 7:14:00 PM
I bought this the other week, on a whim, just to try a new foundation. I deliberately avoided the Rich Liquid because I didn't want cakey...hmm, maybe I should've bothered. The Light Foundation is a lightweight foundation which offers light-medium coverage. PROS - perfect colour match (LF133 and I'm a MAC nc10 if that existed, the lightest colours in most foundations, Bourjois 71, Dior 010 etc.) - Lovely looking bottle - It did even out my skintone (didn't cover my most recent acne marks, but it's not meant to do that. That's what concealor is for) - Gorgeous inital finish that's dewy, not shiny on my combination skin CONS - After two hours, it had gone cakey looking. - Clung to my dry patches and gave me fine lines (I'm 19!! And I wear suncreen everyday. I don't have fine lines!) - Difficult to apply; it went quite streaky with whatever brush I used (normal foundation, flat top ELF brush, kabuki, sponge), I ended up having to blend out with my fingers. - £21.50, which isn't as bad as some others but still not good for a foundation which I'm finding incredibly hard to use. I'm going to try again when my skin is in better shape at I am completely blemish free and thus, have no dry patches, and is more balanced. I will update but for now, it's not for me.
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Liquid -Bourjois - 10hr Sleep Effect
paigeturner 4/28/2010 1:48:00 PM
I absolutely rate this foundation. I am a complete foundation junkie, have have spent so much money trying to find one that is perfect for my acne-prone, sensitive, combination, scarred skin. This is actually the cheapest foundation I've bought, retailing at around £9, and it's one of my definiate favourites. I have it in the lightest colour, 71, which is a perfect match for my NC15-20 skin. The coverage is light-medium, and I apply use E.L.F's studio line powder brush, and I apply two very sheer layers to get the coverage I want. It covers my pinky acne scars and leaves a dewy finish. Being an oily skinned girl, I always set with MAC's Prep+Prime Finishing powder (HG) and I'm fine for my 10hour shift. It doesn't settle into pores, looks so natural and not all cakey and most importantly, does not break me out! The only gripe I have is the pump, which is my favourite application bottle type, but on my particular bottle, it's quite hard to pump a decent amount out, but that's no biggie. A definiate repurchase.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -MAC - Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
paigeturner 3/27/2010 8:58:00 PM
I LOVE this stuff. I bought it after reading reviews on here, and I'm so glad I did! This stuff is a white, extremley finely milled powder that's suitable for any skintone. I have senstive combination skin and this soaks up the shine on my t-zone without emphasising my dry patched on my cheeks. because it's so finely milled, you'd have to put on half a pot on your face before it gets cakey and it just give you an airbrushed look. I apply using a large fluffly powder brush. If I'm going out all night, I'll buff it in using a small kabuki. Just a little point, next time I buy one (tomorrow, hopefully) I am not going to rip back the cover and just pierce a few small holes in it because it tips out into the lid like nobodys business! anyway, I love this product, and...dare I say it, a HG for me!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Revlon - PhotoReady Makeup
paigeturner 3/27/2010 8:07:00 PM
I have sensitive, combination acne-prone skin with MASSIVE pores and acne scarring to cover. i have 002 Vanilla (I'm a nc15-nc20) and it's a tiny bit too light but the next shade down, 003 Shell, seemed alot more orange and oxidised on my hand as I walked around the store trying to not buy ANOTHER foundation (failure on that part, obviously!) I would say that it gives medium-full coverage (my acne scars were fully covered and I only need a teeny tab of concealor for one nast bugger on my cheek which I got from the Olay moisturiser, euurgh). It looks really really natural though, and it's not obvious youre wearing loadsa makeup. The sparkles really aren't that noticeable, especially in bleak old England, and simply look pretty and it just gives a flawless look. However, if I don't use a primer, then it does settle into my pores, so I have to make sure I'm not missing that step! Also, I set it with powder (but I do that with every foundation anyway), and I would recommend you do that if you have oily skin anywhere. This isn't my HG, but I'm perfectly happy to use this. I may repurchase, unless I've found my HG by the time I use this up. Edit: for those in the UK, I found mine in a Boots store about two weeks ago, but it's not avaliable in Superdrug yet (I know, I work in one). It was £12.99.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Bourjois - Healthy Mix Foundation
paigeturner 3/27/2010 8:02:00 PM
I have mixed feelings about this product. I have senstive, combination acne-prone skin with massive pores, as well as red acne scarring. To make life easier, I shall do a list. Pros: - excellent medium coverage that is relatively buildable - glowy, healthy look that doesn't look oily, even on oily areas - not too expensive (on offer £6.99, fullprive £9.99 I think) - smells yummy! - colour match was good for me, ladies of lighter colour there is a good selection CONS: - though the coverage is buildable,you have to be careful or it will look cakey - its really transferable; you hug your man and your face WILL come off on his shirt (and I use a setting powder!) - it made me breakout BIGTIME. - ladies of darker colours, the selection isVERY poor :( if I had nothing else to use, I would use it, but otherwise, I not going to repurchase it.
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Toners -Neal's Yard - Rosewater
paigeturner 3/27/2010 7:55:00 PM
I really like this! I have sensitive, combination skin acne-prone, with dry patches and an oily t-zone, and HUGE pores. I use this after cleansing with the Rose cleanser, before my Rose Mallow moisturiser (can you tell I'm totally hooked on the Rose line?) and it leaved my skin so refreshed and just leaves my skin feeling BALANCED - not too tight and dry and certainly not oily. my huge pores close up and become tiny; I use this in the morning before my make-up and if I skip it, my pores become so much more visible. I simply dab a little on some cotton wool pads and wipe all over my face. I will definiately repurchase.
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Moisturizers -Neal's Yard - Rose Mallow moisturiser
paigeturner 3/27/2010 7:49:00 PM
I have combination, very acne-prone skin, with large pores and oily t-zone, and dry spots from my blemishes (lovely, isn't it?). i was enticed by Neal Yard's by a 20%discount coupon in a magazine, and plus, had read loadsa blog entries about Neal's Yard products and wanted to give them a try. The sales assistant was lovely, and recommended this moisturiser for my skin type. I really love the smelll; rose but not too overpowering. it gives the perfect amount of moisture, smooths my flaky bits and doesnt make me oil. it just balances my skin. I use this in the morning and evening with no problems, and I've had no breakouts from this product. I love it! My only gripe is the fact it comes in a jar (a pretty blue glass jar tho) so it isnt THE most hygenic thing in the world, but I always make sure I have clean hands when I'm putting them near my face anyway, so not really an issue. I'd definiately repurchase!
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Liquid -Estee Lauder - Double Wear 
paigeturner 2/20/2010 3:38:00 PM
oh. i wanted to love this product so much; i scoured the pages and pages of these reviews and finally convinced myself that i needed a 14th foundation to add to my collection. big mistake, huge. first off, the colour match is a little too pink for me but that i can deal with (kinda). the bottle looks quite old fashioned, but classy (ill give them that) and DOES NOT COME WITH A PUMP. so irritating and unhygenic; particularly annoying as the consistency of the foundation is more runny that colourstay, for example, so it swooshes out! admittedly, it looks great when i put it on intially; good coverage and a fairly matte finish, but after a couple of hours, it had settled "on top" of my skin, if you know what i mean. it looked terrible and cakey and patchy and REPULSIVE. ive never had a foundation look so bad; i wore it to an eight hour shift and was so embarrased when i looked in the mirror on my break; i looked a mess! i wanted to love this, but couldn't. will definately not repurchase, especially at around £26; im so peeved im now stuck with a useless bottle of expensive foundation (im so jealous of you americans and wonderful returns policy!)
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - Matte Lipstick Really Red
paigeturner 2/7/2010 7:34:00 PM
this is THE perfect pin-up red. I find it really difficult to find reds that don't either make me look like a clown, or that dont go really dark because of my already pigmented lips. this revlon matte lipstick has quite a creamy consistency despite it being matte - tho because of that, I always apply a lipbalm the night after ive worn it to make sure my lips stay moisturised. it wears really well and doesnt feather horribly - I'm just so impressed by how gorgeous the colour is for me and how nice it looks! its not too bad price wise - I think I paid around £6. I will definiately repurchase. EDIT: I added a p[icture of me wearing it so you can see the gorgeous redness of it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -E.L.F. - Mineral Infused Face Primer
paigeturner 2/4/2010 2:54:00 PM
I love this product! I have the most acne prone, sensitive skin ever and EVERYTHING breaks me out, so I have to be very careful. This doesn't, and it makes your makeup gliiiide on so smoothly! I can't really comment on whether it tones down redness of anything, or if it helps to keep foundation put all day cause I use either Estee Lauder Double Wear or Colourstay which stay put all day, but it makes the application so quick and nice and SMOOTH. I love the gel-like consistency and one pump is enough for the entire face - the pump bottle is also really hygenic aswell. I dont even mind the packaging; for £6 I'd definiately repurchase!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Laura Mercier - Silk Creme Foundation
paigeturner 1/18/2010 7:54:00 AM
Now, I am a foundation addict. I currently have a MAC, Dior, Shu Urmera (sp?), NARS, Pixi, Revlon, LM TM in my make-up box. However, this LM silk creme foundation is always a staple and if I don't have it in my makeup box I panick abit. I have oily skin, and when I first wanted to try this years ago the MU didn't wanted to give it to me, but I insisted because of the great coverage. I have acne-prone skin that always has a few angry red blemishes and red acne marks and this covers them perfectly with no extra going over areas that are worse! It doesn't give a matte finish, but rather glowy and fresh looking. I do have to set this with powder otherwise it tend to slide of my face after a few hours, and it isn't the most long-lasting foundation. For example, I'll put it on 10am and by 6pm it's faded abit (but still looks good). If I wanted to go out for drinks or a night out, I'd definiately have to reapply again, but I think I'd always redo my makeup before a night out anyway. So in conclusion, a staple in my makeup bag!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No