REVIEW: YSL LE TEINT ENCRE DE PEAU FUSION INK FOUNDATION REVIEW - SHADE BR20

I am a massive sucker for a clever marketing campaign, and when I heard that YSL were releasing a lightweight, yet high coverage foundation, that had the lasting power of Estee Lauder Doublewear, yet the lightness of Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation, and that there was some mythical crazy waiting list for this stuff, I was obsessed. Like I always am. First up, let me say, whatever waiting list the marketing guys talked about, there was zero wait for this in my part of london. I actually got it early, and no one else had bought it, or was on any sort of list. As Public Enemy say, don't believe the hype. Not calling YSL liars of course, but there's some damn creative marketing talk at work here!

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation - BR20

So what else do they say about this foundation that makes it such a jizz-worthy marketing talk dreamboat....

What it is:

A revolutionary, fine-as-ink foundation with broad spectrum SPF 18 that perfects the skin while it wears weightlessly for 24 hours. 

What it does:

Get all-day comfort, broad spectrum sun protection, and a soft-matte finish with this featherweight foundation that suits every skin type. Its innovative hybrid stain technology provides a lightweight yet high-coverage formula, and its exclusive extendable polymers offer buildable coverage that lasts for a flawless finish. 

Special sweat and sebum-controlling agents allow for 24-hour of coverage—even through humidity or heat, and its sensorial and volatile dry oil complex allows it to set in seconds. Formulated with pure-micro-coated pigments, it delivers lasting, radiant color, and the face-zoning applicator allows you to perfectly apply it to the face for precise, easy-to-use application that’s never cakey or heavy.

So what do I say....

Well....here's the thing. When I was testing this, I had one other foundation in mind, in regards to the claims made by this foundation, and that was Estee Lauder Doublewear. The reason is, Doublewear is used by thousands of women as their holy grail. Personally I dislike it hugely, as the finish is somewhere close to corpse paint, totally flat, lacking in dimension, and just....unreal. Saying that, it's a fantastic formula, as this foundation has taken me through dj gigs and sweaty concerts and festivals from morning till night, and it sticks like glue and you can rely on it like no other foundation that claims to be lasting. Swings and roundabouts.....so to speak.

So does YSL Fusion Ink match up longevity wise. No, it doesn't, it will rub off, there will be elements of wear that become apparent as your day goes on, because ultimately, the two foundations are hugely different beasts.

Fusion Ink is a lovely foundation, but it's not a substitute for the major coverage and longevity of Doublewear, so don't expect the same. It is a very thin formula, and it dries in seconds, but provides a very decent level of coverage in one layer. If you need more coverage in places, just dab the wand over those areas and work the foundation in using a buffing brush in circular motions. I have tried with and without primer and I would say, if you are oily like me, you do need to use primer, because it keeps off the shine that does eventually break through, and will, if you rub your nose or blow it, transfer and wear off. However, if you get caught in a shower or sweat, and don't rub your face, this stuff stays put quite wonderfully, and unlike doublewear, you have a velvety matte finish that has an ethereal glow, blurs imperfections quite successfully and does last, even if you might need a little touch up with powder towards the end of the day.

So, it's good, it's great, but it's not perfect and it's not infallible, but what it does bring is a very decent coverage, a light as air feel, and a beautiful matte finish that lasts longer than your average matte foundation. I recommend you take advantage of their seven day free trial to see whether you like it or not, given that it's an expensive item at £30, you want to know you're not just doing what I do, which is get blinded by the flashing lights of 'NEW ITEM!!! BEST THING EVER!!! YOU WILL LOOK LIKE CARA IN MINUTES!!!' then go home and cry yourself to sleep because you can't pay your rent.

This does happen. Every month. I rule.

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation - BR 20 - Swatch and blended

So there it is on my arm. Yes the photos is blurry and crappy, but you don't come here for my obsessive efforts at being the worlds best blogger i'd wager. I like to think of myself as the John Bender of the blogging world, as in, I pretend I don't care, but I obviously do, but that still doesn't mean I give a toss enough to buy a camera. 

The Breakfast Club - Bender = AMAZE

You will notice in the swatch, btw, that BR20, which is the palest of all the Beige Rose shades, is a bit dark. I tried B10, and looked alarmingly yellow, whereas Beige Rose, is less yellow, but leans A LOT more yellow than my YSL Teint Touch Eclat foundation, which is a perfect match, but crap on my skin. Honestly, total crap, I look like i've been rubbing sunflower oil on my face. Nil points! This though, it does a pretty great job, and although it won't fix a broken heart, it goes some way to making you look less you've been crying all night....

*sadface*

If you'd like to be part of the YSL Fusion Ink party, you can pick it up direct from YSL here , or House of Fraser, Boots or Debenhams for £30.50.

REVIEW (and first impressions) : Make Up Atelier HD Foundation

So, anyone that knows anything about me (that would be NONE of you, because no one actually knows who I am) would know that I love Goss make up artist. I LOVE HIM. I used to obsessively watch the Pixiwoo videos, but as they got more commercial and less exciting (although Sam never fails to excite me with her creative tutorials) I found myself running to the joys of Goss, and his wry humour, coupled with social anxiety, makes him the more adorably addictive of the you tube make up vloggers. When he said he'd found 'the best foundation ever made' I knew I had to eventually check it out.

So, first steps first, given that there are no Make Up Atelier Paris stockists in england, so therefore no way of checking colours, I found the fantastic and budget friendly option on their website of being sent sample jars in various colours, which subsequently is deducted from the price of the foundation you eventually decide on. Needlessly generous no? So I dived in and received this....

And for a sample that is just to check colour, it's pretty generous! I chose the shade Pale Beige, but there is a massive range of shades from pale yellow to deep brown, so there should be something for everyone. 

So what do Make Up Atelier Paris have to say about this foundation??

A new generation of invisible makeup developed for HD for a natural skin finish.  A fluid foundation with silicone resin film and micronized pigments.  The makeup is versatile from sheer to full coverage whilst appearing invisible on the skin.  Sweatproof and water resistant suitable for young or mature skin that is dry, normal and combination.  Apply with a brush, sponge or airbrush. 

So that sounds pretty much a catch all bit of promo doesn't it? Could it possibly be true?

Well. Yeah!

So last night I was dj'ing, with a streaming cold, in extremes of temperature surrounded by smoke. I needed a foundation that was going to last through sweat, cold and potential rain on the way there. The second I put this on my face, I WAS SOLD.

Sorry for blurry photos, I just.....couldn't be bothered. Ha. You get the idea though right??

So back to the review. What are the points and features of this foundation that makes me wee with joy!?

Coverage: This covers, somehow, despite being airy light, and it covers VERY WELL. If you need extra coverage, it's supremely buildable, and it doesn't change the texture or finish at all. This won't cake, or enhance pores, or dry spots. My redness was covered easily and totally. There wasn't one thing I could complain about.

Longevity: It lasts until you want it off. Okay, it couldn't stand up below my nose which was being constantly blown and wiped all night, but I wouldn't expect anything to, apart from double wear, and we all know that double wear, although bulletproof, gives a mask like deathly finish and looks bad in photos. I even splashed my face with water and this stuff didn't budge AN INCH. I cannot tell you how awesome it is. Well, I can, but still, AWESOME!!

Finish: Like great skin. Not dewy, but not matte, just naturally luminous and beautiful. It's really the most natural foundation i've ever used, it's amazing. 

Pale beige swatched and rubbed in. 

I can't recommend this enough. I own ALL FOUNDATIONS EVER, but this, this is a gem. The nearest I could liken it to would be MUFE Face and Body, but this actually covers ten times better, and lasts much longer. It's amazing.

You can purchase Make Up Atelier Paris HD Foundation for £21 at their webstore - HERE

REVIEW - Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Make Up

If there's one thing, in this dark, miserable murky thing we called life that is guaranteed to make things feel a bit better, it's make up. Right now i'm stuck in bed, nursing my broken soul, and hurting migrainey head, by looking at a pile of shiny make up treats. Someone I adore recently went to america, and the upside of this was that I got to ask her for something that I can't obtain over here, that was cheap in dollars, but priceless to me. I decided on this.

Revlon Colorstay Whipped in Shade Ivory

So what do Revlon have to say....

"-Buildable to full coverage for flawless skin
-Soft, matte finish all day long
-Withstands heat and humidity – great for summer
-Comes in 16 beautiful shades"

Top removed. Excuse the messy lid, it's been used obvously!

So what's this guy like in action? Well, the texture is something I enjoyed. It's a light airy gel-like texture, silicone-y in the extreme. I haven't had experience in this sort of texture before, as the only other foundation i've tried that is similar is Laura Mercier's Creme Smooth Foundation, which is a thick, heavily moisturising anti ageing formula which holds no long wear or whipped claims. Therefore I can't really compare it to anything other than the other super long wear foundations i've tried, like the traditional Colourstay or Estee Lauder Double Wear. These were my findings.

Pros

Coverage is light to medium, and certainly buildable

It DOES stay, definitely, not 24 hours, but it does stay and you can sweat happily in it, good for a night out at a sweaty gig etc

No SPF, so no flashback in photos

Applies easily, smoothly, and quickly, and blends really well

Allows skin to show through, whilst removing redness and smaller flaws, giving an even complexion

Great colour for pale skins. Ivory runs much more neutral than traditional Colourstay which I found to be ridiculously pink. 

Feather light, doesn't feel like you're wearing much on your face and controls oil reasonably well

Cons

More matte than I'd wish it to be, was hoping for more dimension

Settles in pores a little in places around mouth and nose

Tends to go a little cakey after a few hours wear

Does wear off a little in places

If you wear primer, it sinks into your pores

If you don't wear primer, after four hours, your face is covered in product gathering ABOVE your pores, which is something that happens to me when I don't wear primer. ANNOYING.

So, sadly, this isn't perfect. On the other hand, i'd say it's a winner as far as drugstore foundations go. I'm really happy i've been able to get my hands on it and test it out, and i'm glad I have it in my collection. I would use it as a day to day foundation, or if i'm going to be out in the hot sweaty weather all day and need something to cover redness and even me out properly that won't leave me an oily red mess by the end of the day. 

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Make Up - Shade IVORY

Swatch blended out

If you do want to purchase this, i'm afraid you're going to have to pop over an ocean or get a kindly american friend to pop some in the post for you. I asked Revlon and they say they have no plans to bring this out in the UK in the near future. Perhaps join me in whining at Revlon USA about this in an e mail, and have a moan about the Colorstay Aqua Make Up too. Why should us brits miss out damn them!?

NEW FROM THE USA! Revlon Colourstay Whipped Mousse Foundation

Just a quickie, I can barely contain my excitement. Revlon have released a new version of colourstay exclusively to the USA and my dearest homie has brought me back some and on first impressions. IT IS AMAZING.

Reviews, swatches etc coming soon!!!

REVIEW - Best eyeshadow primers for oily lids

Hi there. Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. I am personally jealous of the entire country right now, as i'm stuck in the house with the worst bronchitis I have ever experienced. I have a headache, my whole body hurts and i'm wheezing constantly and going hot and cold. Nurse! Bring tinctures!

On the flipside it means I can do a review mega post of the many many eyeshadow primers I have used in my time. I have MEGA oily ultra hooded lids, which means when my eyes are open you can see virtually no eyelid, which, in turn means if I haven't primed I will get transference and smudging everywhere, as well as my eyeshadow moving and fading like a mofo. I cannot survive without primer, I JUST CANNOT!

So lets get going, first, with the most obvious of all the eyeshadow primers...

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden

So what are the claims?

"Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion is Urban Decay’s bestselling, world famous eye makeup primer in a brand new, easy to use squeezy tube.

Get vibrant, crease-free colour that lasts over 24 hours with these legendary primers. Coveted by makeup artists and makeup junkies alike, Eyeshadow Primer Potion enhances your existing eye shadows – once you’ve tried it, you’ll never want to live without it!"

Well, this is a toughie for me, because this is universally applauded as the BEST THING EVER by EVERYONE, but sadly it's not the best one i've used by far. There are great things about it. As you can see, this isn't the original version, but the tinted version, and for the purpose of evening out lids and giving you a nice base to apply shadow too, it's totally awesome, and saves you having to apply a nude eyeshadow on top. It also helps the colour of your eyeshadow appear more vibrant, 

On the downside, it only keeps eyeshadow uncreased and bright on my lids for about four hours, and I tend to need it to last a lot longer. If this is being used for a normal work day though, i'd say it'll do the trick and then some. 

This is available from department store stockists and stand alone boutiques across the country, or you can pick it up online for the price of £15 here at Beauty Bay

Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer

So this is a different type of product, or at least, it is dressed as one, lets see what they say.....

"This dual-action power primer works 360° around the eyes to make concealers AND eyeshadows STAY PUT. Concealers don’t crease, eyeshadows stay vibrant and true…you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!

Comes in a neutral nude shade that is universally flattering and a custom airless pump that is sooo easy to use - just a dab'll do ya! Sodium Hyaluronate hydrates and fills in fine lines. Vitamins C & E help fight signs of aging."

The idea of using eyeshadow primer under the eye isn't actually a new one, i've been using various ones under my eyes for years, but this is the first one i've seen on the market that actually shows people that it's an option for them to use it for this pretty wonderful method. For more info on how to do this see the wonderful Gossmakeupartist below

How to stop your concealer creasing - Goss Make Up Artist - You Tube

The thing about this primer is, for an eyeshadow primer, I don't actually find it 'that' great, it doesn't keep things vibrant for more than four hours and there is significant creasing in that time. Also, being picky, the amount of product it spurts out is very hard to control and for that price, you want to be keeping every ml you can safe! It's other purpose, however, is something it DOES awesomely at, and it is light and airy enough to place under corrector and concealer to keep it locked down on there without it creasing and making you look scary and ancient. 

This is available again, at all department stores and stand alone Benefit boutiques, as well as online. Find it here at John Lewis for £20.50

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Lets have the blurb then kids...

"What It Is: 

Your full coverage insurance policy against all fading, creasing and smudging. Our skin-soothing formula evens out skin tone and smoothes fine lines to create a perfect canvas for shadows. Color is intensified and locked down until you take it off. 

More To Love: 

• Unique Binders: Volatiles lock down eye shadow pigments for amazingly long wear. 
• Versatility: Use with powder or cream eye shadow products. 
• Fights Fading: Anti-creasing formula holds eye products in place by securing a barrier between the oils of your skin and your makeup. 
• Concentrated: The size of a rain drop covers the entire lid."

This is another of the MEGA HYPE eyeshadow primers, and one that I made a point of scouring shops high and low for because I thought it was going to be a life changer. Firstly, the blurb, it's winning me over right now, even though I have actually used it and it's not changed my life much at all. So lets answer its claims one by one - 

Unique Binders - It does make eyeshadow last longer, this is indeed true, but it's not as vibrant as other primers results, and it went patchy on me after a few hours. 

Versatility - Yeah, well, you can't really argue with that, but most people do use cream shadows as primers anyway, so i'm not sure why this is a good feature.

Fights Fading - Well, it does for a bit, given that my eyelids could fade anything within twenty minutes, so three or so hours will do for me, but I do get creasing and fading and my eyelid isn't evened out particularly

Concentrated - Yeah, it is, but more of these things are so...y'know, shrug.

So again, it doesn't actually achieve on my mega oily lids what it should. If you don't have mega oily hooded lids this could probably do the trick totally, but for me, it was a bit of a fail given what I needed from it.

To purchase, you can pop into a flagship Boots store, or go to good old ASOS here and get it for £17.00

Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper

BLURB!!!!

"Specifically formulated to withstand heat, moisture and oily eyelids.  Intensifies eye shadow colour, is moisture resistant and prevents creasing.  apply thinly with fingertip, remove using a waterproof eye makeup remover."

Short and sweet! So these claims are ones that get me VERY excited. Waterproof is something that makes me excited, as does the word 'Intensify'. So does it perform???

Kind of! Not totally. It's loved by many many make up addicts, and I do love it myself, and it's cheaper and good value, but it's not quite the dream it claims to be, for me anyway.

It does keep eyeshadow on, it does make it water resistant, and it does make colour pop. However it does also crease, and it can stay sticky for a long time, and despite Lime Crime instructing you to put your eyeshadow on it whilst it's wet, but when i've tried that i've ended up with messy brushes and creases everywhere, and also, my eyelids sticking to my browbone.

Thats not to say this isn't a good product. It is. I know Lime Crime have had much controversy surrounding the owner of the company, but frankly, a good product is a good product, especially when it's cheaper! (I sound so soulless, I generally am not, but I think mistakes in life can be made and I REALLY like their lipstick). 

If you'd like to line the pockets of Lime Crime, you can find this product on Love Make Up here for £13

Nars Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Go on Nars..talk at us about stuff....

"No smudging, creasing or caking. This lightweight eye primer is the insider trick of the trade, creating a seamless canvas that keeps cream and powder color looking brilliant, fresh and just-applied all day long. A polymer and mineral-powder blend establishes a firm grip on color ensuring hours and hours of gorgeous wear. Fortified with a special deep-sea extract and an antioxidant rice extract, the Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base dries on contact and keeps the delicate eyelid smooth and prepared for color application."

You want results??? THIS IS THE GUY. Seriously, nothing I have EVER used comes close to the results that this gives me. I am on my third tube and I love it so much. It makes colour vibrant as it should be, it does not crease, it does not budge, and it does not fade! You can splash your face with water and it'll stick. It really is THAT awesome. 

MUA Pro Base Eye Primer

What's up MUA? 

"If you’ve never used an Eye Primer before, now is the time to invest. Basically, it smoothes the eye lid ready for eye shadow to be applied. It also creates a base, helping the eye shadow last all night long - no more creases! You can sleep all day and party all night with the help of the Eye Primer from MUA, just pop it on the top of your eye lid, pat it in gently and apply your eye shadow directly on top of it."

To finish off i've gone with something for you girls on a budget out there who cannot afford to be spending the best part of twenty quid on keeping your eyeshadow on. MUA is a brand I adore, they give you options for an amazingly cheap price, and they're all pretty effective, and what more could you ask for really?? NOT A LOT.

Does this work? Yeah, it does. It's not impeccable, it doesn't keep eyeshadow crease free ALL day, but for a good part of the day, around the same amount as the benefit primer does, and it gives you a nice smooth base to work with as long as you let your eye dry down before you apply the make up, otherwise you end up with creases. It does the trick though, and the best bit? See below...

You can purchase this Pro Base Eye Primer for the CRACKING price of £2.50 from any Superdrug, or direct from MUA's website HERE

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed my primer run down. Please feel free to give feedback if you think i've been wrong!