Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Bamboo Beige Review

I was in the market for a new high end foundation; one for those special occasions and one that I can always count on to make my skin look amazing. As I do before buying any new product (high end or drugstore for that matter) I took to Google and began searching for the best high end foundations that fit my ideal criteria of having high coverage that is not matte. I narrowed it down to two popular choices - NARS Sheer Glow and Laura Mercier Silk Creme. I went with the latter for the reason that the Laura Mercier offering has a much higher coverage. Sold!

After getting colour matched I happily walked out of Space NK desperate to go home and try it. I picked up the shade "Bamboo Beige" which is described as a warm golden beige for light to medium skin tones and it matches perfectly. For reference, I typically wear Mac NC25 or Esteé Lauder Double Wear in Desert Beige. I looked online and saw that it is the fourth darkest shade. For a high end foundation they only offer ten shades which isn't that impressive.

I have been trialing this foundation over the past two weeks and I really am mixed about what I think of it. The coverage is great - near enough full coverage that literally creates a flawless canvas - and you only need a little to cover the entire face. As it is a cream formula, hence the name, it does make the texture extremely thick and, in a way, uncomfortable. I would say that is it slightly heavier that Double Wear by Esteé Lauder (...and that is saying something!) Fuller coverage foundations have more pigments than lower coverage foundations so I can understand the reason why it feels heavier on the skin. So let's dismiss the thickness of the foundation and move onto finish.

One of the USP's that encouraged me to choose this foundation over the Sheer Glow offering was for the luminous finish it apparently gives. And it is really pretty and for a high coverage foundation it is impressive how much light it gives to the complexion. Unfortunately, it clings to dry skin like crazy. Like I said before, I research into new products and read the foundation suits people with combination to oily skin. I have combination skin and, despite moisturising and using Hydraluron before application, I still found this foundation so drying on areas where I suffer from blemishes. Around the blemishes it was extremely drying - almost flakey! - and just did not look pretty. I was a little confused as full coverage foundations are *primarily* targeted towards those who want to cover up imperfections and, in my experience, the extreme thick texture of this foundation, highlighted any dry areas on the face, thus making any blemishes more obvious.

Thankfully, the product did not break me out which tends to happen when I switch up my foundations. I do think this is one of those products I will completely adore in a few months and one that needs a little more persevering and trial and error. Perhaps due to the weather I am not a fan and in the summer it may be a joy to use. I'll probably do a follow up post in a few months! Currently I am browsing the Space NK website, hovering over the "add to basket" on the NARS Sheer Glow...

PS. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and successfully braved the Boxing Day sales if you did go. Have a great new year!

Winter Lip Care

I love the winter season. Wearing thick wooly jumpers with a hundred layers, the white hot chocolates at Starbucks in the classic red cups, opening the advent calendar every morning and all the prep leading up to the big day. One thing I don't like, however, is the weather. The cold seriously takes it's toll on my skin during the December month whereby no amount of moisturiser or specially formulated moisture-increasing treatment will keep my skin hydrated. And with someone who generally deals with combination skin, it is a little disconcerting! For skin, I use Hydraluron followed by Clinique Dramatically Different moisturising lotion and Garnier moisture renew. For lips, I have several favourite products that work absolute wonders during the winter.

Lip scrubs are a must in the winter to get rid of all the nasty dead skin cells collected. Afterwards your lips feel so much softer and make any further lipstick application appear more even and, well, nicer. My favourite for the job is by Lush and tastes like strawberry candy. I have a few favourite lip treatments. During the day I love to apply the Nivea Lip Butter in caramel cream as it just tastes so nice. I also carry around the original Carmex and for a little bit of colour I adore the vast selection of Baby Lips by Maybelline. For a lip balm they are fairly pigmented and give a wash of colour. Pictured is my favourite out of the punch, pink punch. During the evenings and before I go to bed, I always apply a thick layer of Blistex Intense Moisturiser. I have to be honest here; it tastes really bad - almost clinical, if you know what I mean - and feels slightly weird on. However, it is possibly the most hydrating and moisturising lip treatment I have tried and works wonders over night. It does leave a white cast to the lips as it is so thick, so I wouldn't suggest wearing this during the day! 

So there we have it. This will probably be my last post before Christmas so I hope you all have a wonderful day. I can't wait to stay inside, watch Christmassy films and eat loads of yummy foods. Enjoy your day, stay safe and merry Christmas! :)

Beauty Reward Cards

With under a fortnight to go, I'm sure the majority of us have already started our Christmas shopping. Shopping this time of year is always exciting - buying for others is so much fun but it can also be terribly expensive especially if there are many people you need to buy for. For the females in my life I tend to buy either clothes (if I know them well enough to know their sizes and their style of course) or beauty/skincare related gifts! My favourite places to shop for this criteria are Boots and Space NK as they have such a vast selection on offer. Saving money can be so easy with rewards cards. When you buy a product you get points which add up to real money which you can spend on anything you want. Here are my favourite programmes to join...

N.dulge: This is the rewards scheme for Space NK for which every £1 you spent in store or online gives you one point. When you reach 100 points (aka spending £100) you receive a £5 incentive that you can spend on anything you want. The more points you earn, the better the programme becomes and you have the opportunity to join the luxe programme if you spend enough within the first twelve months. It's 100% free, and so worth it - especially with the amazing gift sets they offer this time of month, you'll be racking up the points in no time.

Boots advantage card: I believe this is my most used rewards card. For every £1 you spend, you collect 4 points. Then the points turn into real money that you can use in store and online. So for example, if you have 1000 points, that means you have £10 to spend on whatever you wish. You'll be surprised how quickly the points add up. Boots normally have special discounts around this time of year to collect even more points, so definitely sign up!

NUS Extra: Not for everyone, but if you're a student in the UK, you should definately concider siging up to this programme. It costs £10 so sign up and you need proof of being a student (obvs), but then you get so many insane discounts on so many brands it's unreal. You can get discounts for up to 30% in stores such as Urban Outfitters, Topshop, River Island, Superdrug, Office, Zara as well as restaurants and many other places. It lasts for one year before you renew, and you end up saving hundreds of pounds. It is seriously worth it if you are a student, especially in university.

So, they are my favourites and I highly recommend you sign up. They're (mostly) free anyway!

Topshop Lip Crayon in Coy

Whilst in Topshop the other day I thought I'd go over and check out their makeup range. I have never tried of the products before, but I have read many reviews in which most people highly rate the products they've tried. After a little research, I decided I would try one of the lip crayons. I went for the most popular shade "coy" - a vivid coral based pink.

It is incredibly bright. Personally I adore the colour - it literally reminds me of summer. In my opinion it definitely is not an everyday winter shade as it does look a little neon once applied (no joke), but for a night out and particularly for in summer, it will look amazing.

However, I hate the formula. I did read on some blogs that said it was drying. But not that drying. Even though I exfoliated and moisturised my lips before, it still looked incredibly drying and cakey. It felt so uncomfortable to wear I had to remove it instantly which is such a shame because the colour is so unique.

Thumbs down.

November Beauty Favourites

A slightly late monthly favourites, but it's better late than never, right?

Starting of with the beauty favourites, I have been using the Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot powder every single day. I purchased it a while back but found it way too matte. But now, paired with a light reflecting foundation, it keeps oils at bay for the majority of the day and I really do like it. As drugstore powders go, it is definitely one of my favourites. On my eyes I have been lining my waterline using Facinating Eye Kohl by Mac. It is basically just a white eyeliner, but it lasts all day and really opens up the eyes giving a more awake appearance. Rubenesque paint pot also by Mac is another favourite this month. On skin with a slight tan, the bronze undertones accentuate the colour and just looks amazing. Paint pots act as a great base by increasing the longevity of eyeshadows. 

Ever since I bought the Flair for Finery cremesheen lipglass I have been using it religiously on top of one of my favourite lipsticks, Angel. Both by Mac, both super wearable. Together they make the perfect pink based nude lip combination.

The primer I have been using everyday has been the L'Oreal Lumi Magique pure light primer which has become undoubtably my favourite primer to date. It is incredibly lightweight, feels amazing on the skin and literally brings the skin to life by creating a light reflecting radiance. I love pairing the primer with a matte foundation as it completely transforms the look - read this! It is just as good as the Laura Mercier offering.

My two skincare favourites this month have been Hydraluron (no surprise there) and a rediscovery in the La Roche Effaclar Mat moisturiser. I have dedicated a whole blog post on why I adore Hydraluron and why I think everyone should own it, so check that out. The La Roche Posay Effeclar Mat offering is a product I purchased a long time ago but when I first tried it, I was not a fan. Fast forward several months and I really do believe this helps control oils throughout the day and reduces sebum production - I only use this on my t-zone and use my Clinique moisturiser all over the face. I've really been enjoying pairing them together.

So there we have it. Normally in my monthly favourites post I include music, fashion and general favourites, yet it is already the 6th of December and I have other things to post. My December favourites will be jam packed though...