The Search For My Holy Grail Foundation Pt Deux: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation Shade: 71

Hello poppers!

So I thought I'd do a review of a 'drugstore' foundation. I don't know why I refer to them as that...it's a foundation you can get in a normal cheap-ish high street shop such as Superdrug, but thats what its referred to in american blogs, so i'm following suit. And why not?

So here is my review for Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, in the palest shade - 71.

"16 hours perfectly glowing perfection and toned skin"

Swatch of shade 71 - a very pale yellow

Shade 71 blended

This is foundation that I use as a daily go to item. For years I refused to believe anything you could buy from Superdrug could possibly perform any goodness on my skin, but how wrong I was! This foundation is G R E A T. Seriously! It's less than a tenner, and it covers all redness (apart from a tiny bit on my ruddy cheeks) yet lets my freckles shine through. You can layer it for more coverage if needed, and it really does LAST! It doesn't seem to clog pores, and although it isn't infallible, its pretty damn impressive for a foundation that gives you such a beautiful, healthy, non greasy glow to your skin whilst covering your open pores and evening your complexion out into a nice, smooth, healthy looking base for you to apply your make up on. I don't use this to DJ, as my experience is if you're going to sweat BUCKETS, this will melt off, but what do you expect, it's a dewy foundation that works on oily skin, but it's not made of genius juice from heaven, which it would have to be to stay on skin as slick heavy as mine.

So it's a MASSIVE thumbs up from me for this foundation. I highly recommend both dry, and oily skinned ladies to give this a go. It really is fabulous for the price.

The Search For My Holy Grail Foundation Pt Une: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk: Shade 2

Hello, this is my first review! I'm rather nervous, but i'm rolling with it. If only one person reads this then....i'll probably be upset actually, but i'm a valiant being, i'll cope. Anyways. On with the facts.

I own A LOT of foundations. Around the 30 plus mark, and my oily combination skin with redness and a tendency to sweat buckets when I get slightly warm means I need a foundation that is industrial in its brilliance. Well, this may be the first foundation that comes near to being perfect for me. Read on my friends!

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in Shade 2

Swatch of shade 2

Shade 2 blended. Looks rather yellow but my hands are quite red in general (please note my Petit Bateau/Kitsune Maison tee in the background, I love it!)

First up. As i've mentioned before, I am pale as they come. I've had make up artists so frustrated they've ended up trying to match foundation to my freckles as the shades available were nearer in colour to them than my actual skin tone. Giorgio Armani thankfully have a huge range of shades, with Shade 2 being the palest in this formulation (Face Fabric comes in shade 1, and it deathly pale, but also a rotten formula for oily skin sadly). They have a pinkish tone and a yellow tone for pale ladies too. This is the product write up (taken from www.giorgioarmanibeauty.co.uk).

"Capture the glow of perfect skin with Luminous silk foundation, an oil-free fluid with exclusive Micro-fil™ technology. So weightless, it redefines foundation. Its hydrating fluid glides on seamlessly with a silky texture and all-day, buildable coverage (from sheer to medium). All skin types."

Well, for once, this product pretty much does what it says on the tin. I wouldn't say it makes you glow in a 'dewy' fashion, it kills every bit of shine on your skin, without being overly drying or falling into fine lines. You can build coverage, but in all honesty, you don't need to. My skin can be raging red, but one coat of this, applied with the wonderful Giorgio Armani Beauty Blender Brush basically kills all my redness, evens my skin tone, gives my face a dimensional quality without looking like an oil slick, and lasts the distance. It does need reapplying around my nose area after a few hours, but every single foundation on earth needs that for my evil nose of oily misery. If I have a couple of blemishes, I can pop a little concealer on and I look absolutely flawless. By five am after a night of work, my foundation has worn slightly, but mostly, my face is intact, and thats something I value greatly when the lights come up!

Another huge plus, is you can add more to this foundation during the night, and it will not cake or flake. I don't get that horrid scaly muck around my nose where the foundation has collected. No, this stuff is smooth, like a criminal. I have to say though, Sheer is NOT a word I'd associate with this coverage. My skin and sheer don't get on unless i'm having a particularly good skin day. This is medium to full for certain, and almost comparable to Estee Lauder double wear in its uneven skin tone covering abilities.

The only way this foundation could be better would to have a more neutral shade available for pale ladies.

I hope you enjoyed my first review. Next up, Nars Sheer Matte Foundation in Mont Blanc.

You Are Welcome

Hello campers!

So I just thought i'd welcome any lost souls that come across my blog with a first post to explain what this blog is and who I am. So yes, hello, I am El, and i'm a make up addict. I wanted to start this as I spend such a ridiculous amount of time and money trying to find the perfect products (i'm like the Heston Blumenthal of the cosmetic world minus the bone marrow in a bap) and thought I'd find a use for all the information I have to help you, hopefully.

I am not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, I am average looking, I have oily skin, large pores, and am as pale as paper with uneven skin tone and a tendency to break out and go red in a very unforgiving fashion. So many beauty blogs I see are written by beautiful girls with perfect skin who don't actually need make up to make them feel able to leave the house with dignity intact. I need make up. Very much so.

The other side to me is that I am also a full time DJ and club promoter in london. My world is basically ruled by the world of electro/indie etc and i'm fully immersed in it. This is hopefully going to be a nice distraction from that. Also, with my make up, it needs to be good as my job is hot, sweaty, grimy and I am up all night. Therefore you can trust my reviews if they say the product does the trick, because my road tests are tough going.

So yes. Welcome to my regular rambles on products. First up is going to be my most recent foundation purchase - Giorgio Armani - Luminous Silk in shade 2.