Luxury Makeup

Current Foundation Collection 2017

- Vicki 12 Comments
CURRENT FOUNDATION COLLECTION 2017

CURRENT FOUNDATION COLLECTION 2017

Over the past few months I’ve been having a huge clear out out my makeup and skincare, so it feels a more manageable. I thought I would share my current foundation collection with you, I have 7 foundation products which I adore and reach for on a regular basis. I think I have covered all bases, with a nice powder, a BB Cream,  a great SPF skin tint, two luxury foundations with different finishes and an amazing foundation that covers redness and blemishes with ease!

YSL Touche Éclat Le Teint Foundation 

This is one of my absolute favourite highend foundations, its such a treat to have it in my collection. I have the shade B30 Almond and that is a great match for me over the Summer so I’ve been trying to get my wear from it whilst my skin is a little more tanned.

I would say it gives me a good medium to full coverage and I love the radiant finish it makes my skin look really refreshed and healthy. I also think that this looks better as it settles in throughout the day. Its lightweight formula means it doesn’t look or feel heavy. A little product goes a long way, just take your time to blend it well and it will make your skin look flawless.

It contains Vitamin E which protects against free radicals and also has SPF 22 to provide sun protection. So it is a fantastic all-rounder.

bareMinerals Bareskin Perfecting Veil Finishing Powder

This isn’t exactly a foundation but on lazy days I do use it on its own, just to even out my skin tone and give me a hint of colour, but If you like to have that flawless, smooth finish to your makeup then this Mineral Veil makes the best finishing powder.

It gives your skin a little added coverage with an illuminated (not glittery) finish. its gorgeous and so lightweight. This helps keep my oily t zone in check and makes my makeup look like I have made an extra special effort. It doesn’t look like much in the pan but don’t be fooled, its understated but just finishes your look off by giving it that soft focus, flawless effect. This is a really great product to have in your handbag to refresh your makeup out & about.

My favourite foundations

favourite makeup foundations

GOSH Primer Plus Skin Adaptor

I would compare this to a tinted moisturiser, it gives you a nice amount of coverage whilst feeling hydrating and lightweight on the skin. It is one of those products that adapts to your skin tone to give you a healthy, even-toned glow, the product comes out of the tube looking white but once you apply it to your skin it actually changes to a flesh colour – it is beauty magic! I tend not to use it as primer but instead of a foundation as an everyday base. It gives me enough coverage and if I need a little more I use the bareMinerals finishing powder and they make a lovely combo.

This primer is formulated with a combination of anti-pollution ingredients and oak extract to keep the skin hydrated and protected so it is a great product to keep your skin looking fresh, radiant and the perfect product to combat the rising effects of free radicals and pollution on our skin. I really, really like this and it is nice to have something in my skincare regime that helps protect my skin from things like pollution which can cause premature aging.

My favourite foundations of 2017

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation 

This foundation comes in a whopping 40 shades, I like that it has a lightweight formula which can easily be built up to give you that gorgeous full coverage finish. It is easy to go from a medium to a full coverage without applying too much product or having that heavy-looking finish. It has a semi matte, velvety smooth finish that never looks flat. It leaves your skin looking radiant and very healthy but don’t think because it is full coverage that it will look cakey because that is 100% not the case, you can tailor this foundation to your needs by building up the coverage when / where necessary. I love this foundation for special occasions because the coverage is perfect and it has serious staying power.

Tropic Tinted Skin Shade SPF50

This is a tinted facial sunscreen and it’s water-resistant, SPF50 mineral sunscreen, it provides broad spectrum UVA and UVB sun protection whilst also giving your skin a healthy natural tint. I have the Light / Medium shade and have been enjoying using this alone as my base for a couple of weeks. It gives my skin a beautiful touch of colour and a healthy glow. It also evens out my skin tone but still lets my freckles show through which I like. It feels comfortable on my skin, is very easy to apply, blend (I use my fingers) and to top up throughout the day.

It is the perfect product for creating a lightweight, fresh Summer look and perfect for taking with you on holiday. I really like that this product gives you the benefits of high SPF protection, a nice subtle coverage and contains lovely skincare ingredients too. It simply ticks all the boxes for me.

Erborian BB Cream

I used to wear a lot of BB Cream but this Erborian one is my favourite and the only one I have kept. The whole premise of a BB cream was to combine the effects of skincare with a light coverage and most BB Creams don’t actually have any skincare benefits to boast of, but this Korean one has some fantastic skin benefits including:-

  • Ginseng: stimulating, toning and energising
  • Licorice and Ginger: anti-inflammatory, firming and anti-oxidant
  • Titanium Dioxide: solar filter

It hydrates and protects the skin whilst also evening out skin tone, concealing blemishes and giving a nice light coverage. It is the perfect everyday base and I always pack this in my holiday makeup because it has SPF25 in too!

Foundations I'm Currently Using

Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction Foundation

I love how creamy this is and such fantastic coverage. It is lovely to blend and I would say it gives a decent medium coverage but you are able to build up to more of a full coverage if you like. It covers everything!, all my blemish scars, redness and uneven dark patches. This takes care of them all with ease. It does feel quite thick at first but I like to apply it with a damp beauty sponge so that I get that really nice even, lightweight coverage. This oil free formula gives the skin a semi matte finish and offers SPF25 protection.

If you have oily skin but like quite a high coverage, flawless finish foundation, this Vichy offering should be top of your list. It does contains salicylic acid so it is also a great base if you suffer from acne or have blemish prone skin. This tube is lasting me forever because you need such a small amount.

How many foundations do you have open at any one time?

*This post contains PR samples

YSL Beauty Travel Minis

- Vicki 6 Comments
YSL Products in Travel Miniatures

YSL Products in Travel Miniatures

OK so not much gets me more excited than beauty minis, I know it is an exciting life I lead but you have to admit they’re just so flipping cute. When this bag of YSL Travel Minis * arrived on my doorstep I was ecstatic. I have a birthday trip booked for September and this set will be perfect to take with me, so I am saving everything for that.

For me when I was growing up, YSL was so well-known for its Black Opium scent, it is such a cult perfume and I’m sure everyone knows at least one person that wears it. Well included in my oh so sweet bag of minis is that iconic Black Opium fragrance and also their latest addition to the Opium family, Black Opium Floral Shock.

YSL Beauty Gift Sets

Black Opium Floral Shock Eau de Parfum 

I would say it is a modern more youthful twist on an iconic scent. Not only have YSL updated the scent but the pretty black glitter encrusted bottle has also had a revamp. The bottle is just as luxurious as the classic version but it now has subtle frosted pretty pink hues but it still looks just as glam rock!

  • Top notes – Bergamot Essence, Pear Accord, Freesia Accord
  • Heart notes – Orange Blossom Absolute, Golden Gardenia Accord, Solar-floral accord
  • Base notes – Coffee Accord, Sandalwood Accord, Vanilla

The fresh mix of fruity and floral scents work really well together and the addition of coffee is unusual but gives the scent a warmth that is quite sexy, while the vanilla and sandalwood offer both sweetness and luxury. I am in love with it and I think if you find the original a little too heavy and heady, this Floral Shock version will feel more fresh and youthful but still with that edginess you expect from YSL Opium.

YSL Beauty Travel Gift-Set

YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer Blurring & Illuminating Primer

This is a lightweight primer with a nice gel consistency, formulated to smooth and blur pores and wrinkles which I have to say is a pretty accurate description. It is such a nice base for your foundation and is enriched with four nourishing oils—corn oil, apricot kernel oil, passiflora oil, and rice bran oil—to leave skin feeling incredibly soft without a greasy residue.

Not only does it help give your skin a soft focus finish but it also has subtle, tiny golden shimmer flecks which gives your skin luminosity and radiance. This is such a good product for people like me whose makeup tends to start looking a little dull after a while or whose makeup sinks into their fine lines. This is a really good primer for a special event or night out as it keeps your makeup looking fresh, flawless and in place for hours.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick

How sweet is this mini YSL Lipstick! The packaging is beautiful and has the YSL logo embossed on their iconic gold packaging. The shade is 52 Rosy Coral and it is a vibrant pink, it’s a lovely flattering shade and it brightens up any makeup look. It’s the perfect Summer holiday shade. It’s a lovely lightweight, hydrating formula which feels very comfortable on the lips and has an easy to wear satin finish. I also really like that the Rouge Pur Couture range has SPF15. I’ve never tried a YSL lipstick before so this is a very exciting addition to my makeup stash. With this in my makeup bag I feel like a sophisticated woman who has her shit together.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick Swatch

YSL Top Secrets Lip Perfector

This is a product I’ve also never tried from YSL. It is a 3 in 1 product and can be used as a primer, lip treatment or a lipbalm. It has a really comfortable non greasy formula and it gives the lips a nice glossy finish. It is clear and works well both under your lip colour as a nice smooth base which helps prolong the wear time of your lipstick or on top to give it a subtle glossy finish. I am for sure taking this away with me to Amsterdam as my fancy lipbalm!

What are your favourite mini products and do you have a drawer full of them just incase you need them for a trip?

To shop for your own YSL Minis and Gifts head to www.yslbeauty.co.uk

*This post contains PR samples

YSL Beauty Brow Wardrobe

- Vicki 1 Comment
YSL Beauty Brow Wardrobe

YSL Beauty Brow Wardrobe

YSL Eyebrow Products

YSL Beauty Brow Wardrobe

I’m very excited to introduce you to some fantastic new releases from YSL Beauty, they have added four new products to their brow range and created the YSL Brow Wardrobe. Everyone has their individual way of filling in their brows whether you prefer a simple look or a very bold brow I think you will find at least one product from the YSL brow range that you will love.

Couture Brow Palette in 02 Medium to Dark

This comes in that class signature gold YSL packaging which looks and feels luxurious and it has a very handy mirror so it’s a fantastic palette to take with you in your makeup bag. It also comes with just the cutest mini YSL tweezers and a brow brush which despite their teeny tiny size work very well to tidy up any stray brow hairs.

So cuteness aside you also get 3 powder shades which are nicely pigmented and blend beautifully. You can use them individually or mix them together to create your perfect brow shade. The powders are easy to blend and work with and have great staying power. For me powder gives you the option to be quite precise and also have the flexibility to create a soft look or build it up for a more bold brow. This is a beautiful product and a stand out from this collection.

Dessin Des Sourcil (Eyebrow Pencil) in 04

This dual ended precision brow pencil comes in four shades & has a fab brow spoolie on one end and a pencil on the other. I found the pencil quite hard but the colour worked well and looked natural. I would say that a pencil allows you to get very precise strokes and if you wanted to just fill in your brows quickly with minimal fuss then a pencil is ideal & also great to travel with. Out of the four products this is the one I use the least but that is because I’m so used to using a powder that I find using a pencil quite awkward.

Luxury Makeup From YSL

NEW YSL Eyebrow Products

Couture Brow Marker in 02 Dark Brown

I have never tried a brow product like this before, it looks like a chunky marker pen with a angled felt tip style nib. After a few attempts I found this worked best for me for filling in a few sparse patches and also to outline the shape of my brows. It isn’t too pigmented which means you can achieve a natural look though your brow but a big plus point for me is, once you apply this there is no budging it (YSL promise 12 hour wear). Initially I thought the large nib would be quite hard to use but after a few goes I’m pleased to report I’ve become a dab hand and I’m able to get quite a nice sharp, defined look. I almost wrote this product off but I am converted to the Brow Marker & recommend giving it a go.

The only downside is this Couture Brow Marker only comes in two shades, light brown & dark brown and the lightest shade is not very light at all.

YSL Couture Brow Shaper Mascara

Couture Brow Mascara in 01 Glazed Brown

Out of the four products this tinted brow mascara is without a doubt the product I’ve used the most. This adds a nice amount of colour and texture to your brows and I also like that you can use it alone for an effortless look or on top of your powder to set your brows and add a little more colour. The brush is a fantastic size and shape, it allows you to put just the right amount of product through your bows without getting it everywhere. It’s gel consistency doesn’t give you the dreaded crispy brow and it’s buildable formula means you can go as natural or dramatic as you like. It is a fantastic product to add to your collection.

YSL Couture Brow Wardrobe

I feel like brows products have had such a resurgence since Cara Delevingne reminded everyone full brows are OK and I’m totally cool with that because my brows are a little unruly and naturally super thick.

What brow product do you like to use the most? Also let me know if any of the new YSL Brow products have caught your eye.

All of the YSL Brow Wardrobe products are available now from yslbeauty.co.uk

* This post contains PR Samples

New Lancome Matte Shaker

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Lancome Matte Shaker

Lancome Matte Shaker

Lancome Matte Shaker*

I wasn’t bowled over by the original Lancome Shaker’s simply because I just didn’t find myself reaching for them. I wasn’t excited to wear them and the colours I had were quite sheer. Now fast forward to the new Matte offering and it is a whole different ball game. These are pigmented, bold and OMG they have serious staying power.

So the idea is you shake these like a cocktail shaker so the cushion applicator soaks up the product – the more you shake the more product ends up on the sponge (so bare that in mind). So once you have shaken to your hearts content you then apply the liquid lipstick using the cute, handy cushion applicator (nub) which is pretty effortless to use. It gives you precision application and the formula is easy to work with, it dries down to feel lightweight, comfortable and gives the lips that on trend matte finish.

Lancome Matte Shaker Lip-Colour

Lancome describe the formula as ‘feeling like a second skin’ and I agree with them. Being someone that tends to shy away from matte finishes because they’re more often than not uncomfortable and dry on the lips but these Matte Shakers have changed my opinion & I have been enjoying wearing them.

‘A water-in-oil emulsion that’s formulated with a patented Ultra Thin Film technology to deliver weightless texture and a second-skin feel without sacrificing intense color payoff. And it has Vitamin E for comfortable, non-drying wear.’

The Matte Shaker comes in 7 beautiful shades

Magic Orange – vibrant orange
Beige Vintage – nude beige
Energy Peach – nude peach
Red’y in 5 – warm red
Kiss Me Cherie – brick red
Pink Power – magenta
Yummy Pink – bright pink

Lancome Matte Shaker Swatches

Kiss Me Chérie / Yummy Pink 

The two shades I have are beautiful, bold and pigmented and you’re able to build up the colour to be super intense. Once you apply these there is no shifting them and they have incredible staying power. Even after eating and drinking the colour is still there and not patchy. I’m beyond impressed and I am going to get one of the more everyday shades, I have my eye on the Beige Vintage Shade.

The Matte Shaker’s are available now nationwide and at www.lancome.co.uk for £19.50

  • This post contains PR samples