Garnier BB cream - finally!

I am so excited!

After reading copious amounts of reviews on how amazing the Garnier BB cream is, I am finally going to get my hands on it! You see, it is not available in South Africa yet. When a product is released in the UK, it usually takes a while to come here. I was just going to wait until that day finally arrived, but luckily I haven’t had to. My parents have just arrived in the UK on holiday and my mother has bought me the Garnier BB cream on a three for two special. Yay! So hopefully it will be just as amazing as all the reviews say it to be because when my parents return in a few weeks, I will have three tubes of the stuff (my sister will probably want to try one too, so actually only two). Anyways, so I am really excited and will let you know my thoughts when the stuff arrives J

Lv M xx

Two of my must-have products

Yesterday I posted a blog about the foundations that I currently use. I also want to mention two other products that I use in conjunction with my foundation, and these are:

From left to right:
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (oil-free)
Clinique City Block , SPF 25, oil-free daily face protector

I tend to wear my Clinique City Block every day, under my foundation. It is an oil-free daily face protector as it has an SPF of 25. I know most of my foundations have an SPF in them, but I don’t tend to put foundation all over my face, only on the areas that need it. So I use my sun cream to make sure my whole face is protected. Apparently wrinkles are 90% environment (sun damage) and 10% genetic, and while I can’t do anything about my genetics, I can do something about the amount of sun damage my face gets. 

I also really like the Clinique City Block because it acts like a tinted moisturiser in that the cream is foundation-coloured, and gives you a light coverage. I don’t tend to wear it on its own, but it does even out my complexion to some degree, which means I tend to wear less foundation over it, which I like.

I have been using this product for years now and I don’t plan to stop. I might however consider looking at the City Block with a higher SPF because my skin is now more susceptible to sun damage (blog about this at a later stage).

The other product which I like to use is my Smashbox Photo Primer, which is an oil-free foundation primer. I really love this product because it tends to make my foundation last longer and also helps that my skin doesn’t become as oily during the day. I have definitely noticed a difference in that I don’t have to reapply powder during the day as much as I usually would have to.

Lv M xx

My foundations

As a trained make-up artist, I love to try out new foundations. I have rather oily skin and am always on the lookout for a foundation that will stay put throughout the day and not slide off, give me good coverage but not look caked on, and not leave me looking like an oil slick. I have yet to find a foundation that scores 10 out of 10 for all of these categories. If you can recommend a foundation that you think is great for oily skin, then please let me know.

I used to use Bobbi Brown Luminous foundation. It used to work for me when my skin was more normal/a little bit oily, but then my skin became even oilier and I couldn't use it anymore because I would become an oil slick far too easily. For those of you who have more dry/normal skin, then I would suggest you give it a try. It is on the more expensive side, but it truly is a lovely foundation. It gave me such great coverage without looking caked on and felt lovely to the touch. Another really good thing about Bobbi Brown foundations is that they have a yellow undertone whilst most foundations have a pink undertone. This is good because most of us have a yellow undertone in our skin and not a pink undertone, so I try to stay away from foundations that are too 'pink' (maybelline is one of them).

Here are the foundations that I now currently use: 

From left to right:
Max Factor  Facefinity Compact (03 Natural)
MAC Studio Fix Fluid (NW20)
Revlon ColorStay Stay Active (004 Natural Beige)
Revlon New Complexion (05 Natural Beige)

All of the above are oil-free which is a must for any foundation that I use. Just a few comments on these foundations:

Max Factor Facefinity Compact:

This provides a light to medium coverage so it is perfect for when my skin is having one of it's better looking days and I don't want much coverage. It evens out my complexion and gives a lovely satin finish, just like the box says. I do find that I need to reapply this during the day as it starts to wear off a bit, but the great part is that it is like a liquid foundation and powder in one, so I just use this and there is no need to apply powder afterwards.I find this a huge plus because it means I don't tend to become oily during the day. I do think that the shade that I use (no. 03 natural) is a tad too dark for me. Another huge drawing card of this product is that I can keep it in my bag without any worry of it messing. The packaging is very convenient. 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid:

I love, love, love this foundation! The colour (NW20) is perfect because it was matched properly at the MAC store and it has a yellow undertone which I like. It gives a medium to heavy coverage so I tend to only use it at night because I like a lighter coverage during the day, but it is perfect for my bad skin days because it covers all! It is oil-free and has an SPF of 15 (sun protection is very important to me). I do find that I need to reapply my powder during the day because this does become a bit oily on my face. However, I find I need to do that with all liquid foundations. This is one of my fav foundations.

Revlon Colorstay Stay Active:

A friend who uses this foundation recommended it to me. I like it but I do not feel like there is anything special about it. It is oil-free and has an SPF of 25, but I find that my skin really gets oily with this foundation. I don't really use this foundation anymore because soon after buying it, Revlon brought out...

Revlon New Complexion:

I really like this foundation and it is the one I use on a daily basis. The colour suits my skin and it provides a light to medium (and heavier if you layer it) coverage which is perfect for the daytime. My skin becomes slightly oily during the day so I do need to touch up with powder, but as I mentioned, I need to do that with all foundations. When compared to my MAC foundation, I do notice a slight pink undertone, but it is so slight that I do not mind. 

So those are my foundations at the moment. I am always keen to try out others, so if you have any that you can recommend to someone with oily skin, then please let me know. I am keen to try out the foam and mousse foundations. I also used to use a Clinique foundation way back when which I really liked, so I think I may try Clinique again. Anyone use any of their foundations and can recommend?

I look forward to hearing what foundations you use and what you like/don't like.

Lv M xx