As soon as you hear the words double wear, you immediately think of the heavy, full-coverage foundation from Estee Lauder. The one that gets the notoriously bad rep as being cakey and almost paint-like, but which actually gives a beautiful finish that's long-lasting and can look natural-ish, if you blend, blend, blend. Whilst the original base may hog the limelight, there is another star of the show within the same line of foundations - Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation. I've been reaching for this underrated product non-stop recently, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on it.
I love the look of matte skin with certain makeup looks, but often sheen-free foundations leave my dehydrated skin looking like a dull prune. So, when I heard about the Maybelline Dream Velvet Soft-Matte Hydrating Foundation, I thought it had the potential to offer the perfect balance between a flat finish and hydrated feel.
One of my favourite things to do when shopping at the weekend, is to raid Boots and hunt down any makeup products I haven't spotted or tried before. Most recently, I picked up a foundation from a brand that always seems to sneakily add products to their stands without me noticing - Bourjois. Maybe I just hadn't been paying attention when the Nude Sensation Foundation was released, but I added it straight to my basket when I saw 'blur effect' written on the label...
For the most part, I prefer to use light to medium-coverage foundations as a base and heavier concealers in small areas. Sometimes, though, there are occasions when only a full-on foundation will do. If my skin is having a meltdown, I'm feeling rubbish or I just fancy going all out with my glam routine after watching a few episodes of KUWTK, I'll reach for a foundation with a bit more oomph.
Gone are the days when high-coverage formulas meant a cement-like, cakey finish that was so obviously unnatural and felt suffocating to wear. Now, the market is flooded with countless options that can hide a multitude of skin issues, without feeling like a mask. Here are my top three must-haves.
It's been a while since I've put together a current favourites post. Unintentionally, there had been a lull in the amount of beauty buying I'd done and, apart from the usual suspects which I repeatedly rave about, I didn't try anything new that I was blown over by. Standard procedure resumed recently, though, with my purse seeing a bit more action and my beauty drawers being raided to rediscover neglected products.
Who wants to waste any precious minutes of a chilled Sunday, by spending hours in front of the mirror, piling on a tonne of makeup? Not me. Unless I'm having a make-up free day, wearing my comfiest pjs and embarking on a Netflix marathon, then I want fuss-free, five minute routine, full of products that do all the hard work for me. But, I have a few rules. No liquid foundation. No contouring. No bold lipsticks. All I want is a fresh complexion, bright, defined eyes and a flush of colour on the cheeks and lips.
Finding a foundation that ticks all the boxes is no easy task. I'm the first to admit that I'm incredibly picky; my perfect base needs to feels weightless, look flawless, yet appear natural and luminous. Tall order, right? Many of my fleeting, foundation flings have run their course, but my demanding self always return to one - Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation.
At this time of year, makeup is all about fresh colours, healthy-looking skin and highlighted features. But, sometimes we aren't graced with a naturally luminous complexion and our skin needs a little help in the radiance department. I've got a small arsenal of products that I whip out whenever my face is looking dull, so I can achieve that much sought-after glow.
After wearing thicker foundations, darker eyeshadows and berry lips for the past, six months, I'm so excited to pare my makeup back and give myself a fresher, glowing look. Spring makeup is all about radiant skin, rosy cheeks and some brighter hues and I've found a great selection of affordable products to deliver just that.
Creating makeup that is actively good for the skin, bareMinerals has a whole range of cosmetics that harness the natural power of minerals. Out of them all, the brand is primarily known for their loose, powder foundations. After trying their original formula years ago and being impressed, I had since overlooked their products and I thought it was about time to rekindle our relationship. On a shopping trip with my gorgeous Mum, we both picked up the bareMinerals Get Started Complexion Bundle Kit and I've given it a thorough test-run.
May was all about brightening and lightening, for me. I've been really concentrating on getting my skin looking as good as possible, ready for Summer, by tweaking both my skincare and makeup routines. Of late, my makeup looks have mostly consisted of a flawless, but natural-looking base, bright eyes and a defined lip, which these products have helped me to achieve.
Ok, so we've had my first instalment of holy-grail base makeup staples, which focused on some of my favourite heavy-duty base products. For this follow-up post, it's time to dilute everything down and take a look at the lighter items that I consistently go back to. Whilst I really enjoy going all out and achieving that absolutely flawless, Kimmy K base sometimes, I like to let my skin breathe and still shine through, for the majority. Unnecessary lashings of industrial strength foundation, concealer and powder only suffocate our skin if worn daily. Even if hounded by seemingly never-ending cycles of blemishes, chances are that the majority of skin is beautiful and only minor areas need slightly more coverage. I'm sure we've all been there, though - we apply our foundation and concealer and it looks good. But, a niggling thought tells us that another, tiny pump will suddenly transform our complexion, making it as pixel-perfect as Miranda Kerr's. Step outside into proper daylight and oh no! Skin looks dry, caked and Miranda has aged about thirty years since you last looked in the mirror. Time to tone it down a notch.
Whilst many, many beauty products come and go, there are always some that we feel lost without. I know I have a selection that I must have a backup of, just in case that beloved 'long-lasting, dewy, but good coverage, that doesn't cake' foundation runs out unexpectedly, or that perfect bronzer that sculpts my cheekbones just that little bit better than any other, is dropped and smashes into irreparable oblivion. And don't even mention the nightmare of the dreaded D word. Yeah, those products.
I thought I'd give you a run down of the beauty items that consistently grace the chaos that is my staple stash, starting with the make-up base products (primer, foundation, concealer and powder), that I'm forever loyal to. As I'm just a tad obsessed with complexion products and I have so many that I regularly wear, I decided to split this post into two parts. This first edit features the more long lasting, heavier duty staples in my core makeup collection. Part two will consist of the lighter, sheerer, base products that make up my essentials inventory, so watch out for that coming up soon, too!
When I first picked up Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, I loved it and, since then, we've had a rocky relationship. When my skin is good, it's definitely up there as one of my all time favourites. But, if my complexion is a little dry in areas and needs a good dose of moisture, this isn't my number one choice. At the moment, however, I'm hooked!
I'm a bit late with my favourites once again this month, so I hope you guys aren't too bored of these posts just yet! I seem to have been craaaazy busy lately, so I've been reaching for products that have done a great job, quickly but effectively.
So, I thought I'd share with you the contents of my makeup bag, telling you about and showing you what I'm currently using religiously. I often forget about just how great the staples that I have in my various routines are, as I'm always searching for products which might top them. With new products constantly coming out, various collections being released and the sudden surges of hype about another must-have, my poor, little selection of holy grail products get a bit neglected. I'm sure I'm not the only culprit of that, am I?
Now that my skin has passed its oily phase and is on the drier side, I like to opt for foundations that still give me great coverage, but also boost radiance and have more of a moisturising texture. Clinique's Even Better Foundation gives me the exact finish I want and it's now one of my absolute favourites.
So, today, I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite drugstore makeup items. These cheap and cheerful products have replaced some of the high-end products that I've been loyal to for years, proving that more expensive items aren't necessarily better. Although, saying that, it seems that the drugstore brands are upping their prices and some products, especially foundation and mascara, aren't too much cheaper than some premium versions.
