My perfect base

I thought I'd show you the concoction of foundations I'm using at the moment to get my current perfect base. Mixing it up is working really well for me right now, even if it is a little bit of a palaver and a little painful for the purse!

I firstly apply MAC face and body really lightly all over my face. This is quite a sheer, low coverage foundation, almost like a tinted moisturiser (in fact, I've used some tinted moisturisers that have more coverage than this). I don't want to end up looking like I actually have face full of foundation  (even though I do), so this is a really good start just to even out my skin tone. 

Next I take the Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick and with my fingertips, dab a little over the centre of my face, and on any blemishes. Essentially I suppose I'm using this as a concealer, and for a little more coverage, in a discreet way! (I've reviewed the foundtion sticks here incase you're interested!)

Next I take the tiniest amount of Chanel Vitalumiere in a slightly darker shade than the others (like the shade I'd wear if I'd had a hot summery holiday), and apply this with a small foundation brush just around the edges of my face, my jaw-line and my forehead. This gives my foundation a little more depth to it. 

Finally, the famous YSL Touche Eclat. This I just pop underneath my eyes and across my cheekbones, for an illuminated  awake effect.I blogged about it in more depth over on a guest post on Kayleighs blog here, and also on my own blog  yesterday here just incase you missed it.

Have you ever used any of these foundations? 

Which foundations do you like to use to create your perfect base? 

I'm having a lazy blogging day today :) Some of you might be interested to know that my husband very kindly bought me a new camera (spoilt little lady, thank you!) So I'll be back on my Youtube channel very shortly, just have to get over my camera phobia all over again :s 

So ladies, NYE has rolled around again, I can't believe it! Is it just me or has this year gone crazily fast?!
So much has changed for me this year, & I have to say (without getting too sentimental & smooshy on you all) this year has definitely been the best of my life. I've never been so happy, & I'm already looking forward to everything 2013 has to bring.

Anyhooo, I thought I'd jump on the beauty blogger bandwagon today and do a little round up of  a couple of my favourite make-up bits from this year. I've used some really lovely products this year, so it was hard to pick, & these are just a handful...

1. Nars Illuminator in Copacabana- I got this beautiful highlighter for Christmas, & I know it's only been a few days but I absolutely love it and wish I'd come across it sooner. The perfect pink shimmery skin brightener, I've been wearing it every day since I got it. Full review here.

2. Nars Eyeshadow in Isolde-  Without a doubt the most pigmented eye-shadow I've ever used, their duos are simply gorgeous. I used this on a model for my make-up artist website, stunning. Full review here.

3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation- I'm not sure if  I've actually ever reviewed this foundation, I know I've mensioned it in a couple of my Youtube videos before though. This is the foundation that I always go back to after branching out and trying others. I think it will always be my all time favourite, I get so many compliments on my skin when I wear this. It's leightweight but with flawless coverage, and smells nice too.

4. Topshop lipstick in infared- This is just so creamy, long lasting and stunning. What I love about this, is that it's perfect for any occasion, day or night. It doesn't dry my lips out like MAC and some other brands. Full review here.

Have you tried any of my favourites? What have your favourites been this year?
Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Youtube#10 Natural foundation tutorial

Hey there guys, hope you've all had great weekends? 
I can eat properly again now, so I'm very happy about that, I actually have a couple of restaurant reviews prepared for this week, so look out for those :)
I just thought I'd post up my latest video in case you miss it over on my Youtube channel, I hope you like it. I must admit, I did feel like a bit of an idiot filming myself in the mirror! Let me know if it helps any of you.

Bobbi Brown foundation sticks

I've been meaning to review this product for a little while now, I never thought I'd stray from my beloved Chanel foundation, but Bobbi Brown is the brand that have done it for me this time.

Being a huge fan of liquid foundation, I didn't think I would like using a stick based foundation at all, I guess I just thought it would look thick and cakey. Well, I was totally 100% wrong on that one! Meet my new favourite go-to.

It's the kind of foundation that makes your skin look flawless without actually looking like you're wearing it, that's what we're all searching for right? I apply mine with a nice big foundation brush, you hardly need any product to get a good coverage, they are easy to blend and  extremely buildable too. 

Oh, I've also been tripling them up as concealers too (which they are totally amazing for), and mixing them in with a moisturiser to make tinted moisturiser when I'm having a rare good skin day.

Yes, they are rather pricey at £28 each, but these are total gems. I can't recommend them enough!

Have you tried Bobbi Brown foundation sticks? What's your current 'go-to' foundation? 

p.s sorry for the lack of photo of the product on my face, i know it's annoying, but I'm still looking kinda mangey from being ill for so long!

Mac Face and Body Foundation

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a make-up nerd.

I don’t believe in products that just talk the talk. No matter what the brand, I'm not easily sold, unless it works.
I've  strayed from my comfort zone and give Mac Face and Body foundation a whirl.

I honestly think I'm the only lady in blog-land who isn’t crazy about this?

The first thing is that I noticed is that that it smelt like sweeties, fruit salad to be exact…yum.
The consistency is VERY watery (well, duh, it's a water based foundation).
On application it felt strangely quite sticky on my skin, and I found it hard to blend. Maybe I should have used a brush. I had to apply two layers to get any kind of coverage.
I was a little happier with it once it had settled, and it left a kind of nice dewy luminous finish.
As the day went on I found it settled in my dry patches, and just didn't look great at all, sob. It doesn’t offer any sun protection either, which most foundations tend to do. 


I would say this is low to medium coverage, but buildable.
Personally I like quite a lot of coverage, so this was a little too natural looking for me.
It would be great if you have minimal skin issues and no blemishes, and I certainly felt like my skin could breathe whilst wearing this.  

The packaging is rather big and bluky, which is fine if you're going to leave it at home, but I like to carry my foundation around with me in my handbag, so this isn't the best for me.
I do like the nozzle on the bottle, nice and sanitary so it can't slip back in once you've touched it. The twist on cap is always a trustworthy bet too, no spillages.

Although I would still class MAC as being high-end make up, the price tag of this particular foundation are a little friendlier, £25.50 for 120mls... this helps justify the price.

Overall I would recommend this foundation for those of you who have mostly blemish free skin, are looking for a nice light summer foundation, or if you like tinted moisturizers.