Made with makeup

My skin is constantly changing depending on the weather outside and recently, I’ve been trying different foundations just for during the day at work, so nothing too heavy.

I bought the “Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup” foundationfrom  debenhams for £21.50 just for a change and to give it a try. I hadn’t used a clinique foundation for a long, long time, so I was curious to see what it would be like.

This foundation claims to reduce redness, which made me want it more to be honest because it is hard to find a light weight foundation and cover my rosey cheeks at the same time. It also claims to give your skin that natural look but just with a better “real skin” kind of finish.

My thoughts?

This is a really good foundation and yes, it does do what it claims to do. For me though, the coverage just isn’t what I wanted from it. It does feel lovely on the skin though, really does feel just like a moisturiser and so lightweight. I would say that this foundation could be a build-able coverage to a certain extent but I wouldn’t want to use too much, as it would take away from everything the foundation does, which is give lovely, real looking skin. If you don’t like your foundation to feel like, well, a foundation, you will love this as it really does just improve the look of your skin. I think I’ll keep this away for the more summer days when less really is more!

Natalie :) xoxox

Recently, the weather has been drying out my already pretty dry skin and the foundation I was using just wasn’t working the way it would normally, so it was time for a little change. I had been hunting for a good foundation that would make my skin feel nourished, as well as giving a good coverage and a nice finish. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation was the foundation I decided to give a go. Usually, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to my foundations but after reading quite a few reviews on this, it seemed worth a try!

It comes in at £10.99, which is a bargain for what you get to be honest. I got this in shade 51, pretty pale but with a slight yellow undertone to it. This foundation sits amazing on my skin, doesn’t dry out my problem areas and just feels really light on the skin (going from Illamasqua rich liquid to to this foundation, it feels so different as anyone that has tried Illamasqua will understand!) and seems to give a really nice, dewy finish. The only thing that I would like from this foundation would be a little more coverage but that’s only because I have rosey cheeks that always manage to pop through but with a little concealer on top, it works the trick! If you suffer from dry skin when the weather is a little bit harsher and have been looking for a foundation that will help your skin, this is it! I 

I would say this foundation could be used on any skin type really but if you have really oily skin, I would avoid this as it might not hold so long on your face. I can put this on at 7am and it still looks fresh when I get home at 6pm, so for me, it does the trick for an every day foundation at a good high street price!

Let me know your thoughts if you have tried this!

Natalie :) xoxoxoxo

So every bride on their big day wants to feel flawless and fabulous and that is why I’m going to tell you some make up products that will keep you in looking fresh all day long! On your wedding day, you want make up that will last the duration of the day/night, keep you looking glamorous without you having to worry that it has all came off.  It’s always difficult when you’re trying to choose what make up look you want for that one special day of your life that you will always remember but what is even more difficult is trying to find the perfect products that fit the bill. It’s important that the cosmetics you choose are long lasting, long wearing and looks like it has just been applied all day long.

Here are some products that I think every bride needs on that one special day to make you feel like the perfect bride.

FOUNDATIONS

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (£26.50) is one of the best foundations in the cosmetic market. This make up is very suitable and recommended for your big day as it is a medium/ buildable coverage, it lasts up to 15 hours, it has amazing staying power, doesn’t smudge, so you remain flawless all day long (so that is one less worry) and feels lightweight on your skin so you don’t feel to caked!

Other foundations I would recommend are: Illamasqua rich liquid foundation (amazing coverage, long lasting and feels light on the skin) and mac studio fix foundation, again really great coverage, lasts all day long and feels great on the skin!

EYELINERS

Most brides rely on liquid eyeliner to give that dramatic edge, which is why I am recommending Estee Lauder Double Wear Liquid Eyeliner Zero smudge (£19.00). This eyeliner has the best staying power out of all the liquid eyeliners I have tried, with staying power of 15 hours. It is zero smudge and its super fine felt tip applicator makes it easy to give that defined line.

Other eyeliners I would recommend are: Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner as it is long wearing and comes in so many different shades to suit everyone!

LIPSTICKS

Once again, you want a lipstick that keeps its colour, stays in place without the need to re-apply and that is why I am recommending mac pro long wearing lipcreme to you.  It is a lightweight texture, beautifully and creamy on your lips, comes in so many different shades and lasts up to 12 hours, which is just what you need!

Other lipsticks I would recommend are: Maybelline super stay 24 colour, max factor lip stain and Benefits benetint that stains the lip and keeps in the colour.

Whatever products you choose, just make sure that they have good staying power, lasts for more than 5 hours and can keep you looking fresh all day long, after all, you will be looking at the photos for the rest of your life!!!

Hello :)!

Okay, so through running this blog, I am constantly getting questions from pale complexioned girls like myself that just cannot seem to find a foundation to match their skin tone! Whether it is going into a beauty store and the girls at the counter seem to think you want to look darker (what ever happened to pale and interesting, eh?) or the local high street foundations just aren’t cutting it, I know the feeling and that is why I want to just tell you about something that might be of interest or not heard about! 

Dainty Dolls is a make up range that is run by Nicola Roberts (those of you who aren’t familiar with that name - she is in Girls Aloud - which are/were a girl group here in the UK), who as a red headed, pale complexioned woman, has been through all the same foundation drama that a lot of us probably have. She was fed up of make up artists constantly making her ORANGE and never having anything that complimented her skin tone. 

She created a cosmetic range that has everything from foundations to lipsticks but with this, I just really want to focus on the foundations and powders!

I would say that all these products would suit a MAC NC/NW 10 up to 20, they are designed for a really pale complexion!

Here I have picked out:

Dainty Doll Liquid Foundation - Gives a satin finish to the skin, blends beautifully and is of a build-able coverage - 4 shades!

Dainty Doll Mineral Powder Foundation - This is a lovely mineral powder foundation, a great applicator brush, so easy to use and blends beautifully - 4 shades!

Dainty Doll Concealer - Dries down to a powder finish, Applies beautifully, very sheer finish, Not a creamy concealer so it doesn’t crease as much - 4 shades!

Dainty Doll Click Pen - Again, a really great product for a pale complexion, really good for highlighting because it is such light colours as well as hiding all those little problem areas - 4 shades!

 I know you can purchase these products from boots in the UK, Harrords and Asos.com, I had a little look and can’t seem to find if these products are available in other countries but have a little look and you might find out!!

I think this is an amazing range, perfect for us girls (&guys) with pale complexions and I’m glad that the person behind the product knows what it is like and how difficult it really is to find a foundation ect to match a pale complexion!

Let me know if any of you guys have tried out the range & tell me your thoughts! 

Natalie :) xoxox

Some days you don’t feel the need for alot of foundation and other days, you just want to hide all the little imperfections on the skin & for those bad days, I have my top 2 foundations that will hide pretty much every little imperfection!

1. Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

One of my old favourites. This foundation is heavy and thick, it stays in place for upto 15 hours and leaves the skin fully covered so you can get on with your day without worrying if your foundation needs touched up. It feels lightweight on the skin, which for the formula of the foundation is great! Comes in an excellent range of colours - me being the lightest as usual - 1c1 shell. I think this will always be one of my favs!

2. Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation

Ahhhh, I cannot describe how much I love this foundation, my top right now for definite. This foundation will literally cover anything! It provides long lasting coverage without feeling too cakey on the skin. The only thing I would say about this foundation is that it dries super fast, so as soon as it is applied to the skin, get blending! The colour range in the foundation is amazing and Illamasqua also do a white foundation - so if you have a colour which isn’t quite your colour, you can mix to get that perfect shade. I didn’t have to mix anything to get my perfect shade, which is 120. This also lasts so long, I’ve had my tube since December and it’s still half full (I use it everyday!).

What’s your fav foundation right now that works for your skin? :)

Starting with the ones that are at the highest priced in the market:

Foundations at reasonable prices that will not break the bank and still do a great job:

Benefit - A highly respected makeup company all over the world, so I’m sure it is of no suprise when I say that the play stick is one of the best foundations I have tried.
The Benefit Play stick comes in a number of different colours for each type of skin tone. The product has fantastic coverage for any little blemishes, freckles or rosey cheeks. It is easy to apply and amazing for sensitive skin which I have problems with. The play stick actually helped my skin, as it has added tea tree oil. Brilliant!

Okay, so you are probably thinking surly there must be some bad points to this product? You’re correct. My problems with this product was the price, at £25.00, it is not the cheapest of foundations in the market. Another down side I found with this product is that it does not always sink into the skin as much as I would have liked.

This foundation would be most suitable for anyone with oliy skin or average skin. If you have very bad dry skin, this product would not be suitable as It can tend to stick to the dry areas.