My Number One Foundation?

Sorry for the clickbaity title, although it may not be too far from the truth!*

Although I haven't tried that many foundations, out of every single one I have tried I think I've found my favourite, and one that I'm happy to keep using until I feel like trying something new. It trumps even Bourjois' Healthy Mix Foundation and 123 Perfect Colour Correcting cream (reviewed here), as well as YSL's Touche Eclat Foundation (all three of these I still really like and would use). I've also recently repurchased it - something I never usually do with foundations.

Revlon's ColorStay Foundation is one that I'd heard great things about for years from various YouTubers and bloggers, but decided to put to the back of mind to try sometime. I ended up deciding to buy it in December last year, as my No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation (reviewed here) was running out and I needed a new foundation to suit my oily skin (as the aforementioned Bourjois and YSL ones are very good, but don't give me enough coverage or oil control when my skin is breaking out). I think it was also on offer at the time for £3 less than the usual £12.99 in Superdrug, which was a nice extra. 

Something I really like about this foundation is that it comes in two different forms depending on your skin type - normal to dry and combination to oily. When I was swatching the foundation in store back in December, I was trying to decide between the palest shade (which is what I usually am) and the second-palest. The swatch for the lightest shade, Ivory, came up very light - so I took a slight risk and got the next one, Buff. It's perfect for my skintone and it's great to see a foundation offer a good range of shades (13 in all) including one for truly porcelain skin.

But what I find unbeatable about Revlon ColorStay Foundation, compared to other foundations I've tried, is its staying power. Once it's on, it stays put all day - even though:

1. I might be sweating profusely due to a heatwave (sorry, TMI)

2. I have a bad habit of touching my face during the day (especially at work)

3. I rarely use primer or setting powder.

Of course, it does wear off a bit due to these things, as would any foundation, but it still stands to reason that with most foundations, there would be little to no product left on my face at the end of a long, hot day, whereas with this one, it lasts extremely well.

Shade 150 (Buff) swatched

It's also worth noting that it's not a good idea to apply several blobs of this foundation on your face and then blend in - it sets very quickly, so it's better to do a section at a time. Also, it has SPF 15, which means it's ideal for daytime wear - but not so much for nights out if flash photography is involved.

Aside from its great shade match, finish and staying power, this foundation honestly makes me feel a lot better about my face on those really bad skin days. It gives me fantastic coverage and a natural, 'velvet-matte finish' (as Revlon describe). Its packaging isn't anything too fancy, but has a pump dispenser and allows me to see how much product I have left, which I like.

Are there any negatives? Well, I do think it is a bit pricey for a drugstore foundation, at £12.99. However for me it's worth every penny because I'm extremely happy with it overall. I also think that every now and then if I have a dry area on my face (which isn't often) it can look a little bit cakey in that area. So obviously it's a good idea to stick to the normal/dry version if you get dry patches. It also has a relatively strong foundation-y smell, although this doesn't put me off using it at all.

Final thoughts - if you're looking for a new foundation for oily/combination skin that lasts all day, gives you great coverage and looks natural, I'd really recommend Revlon ColorStay. If the £12.99 price tag is a bit steep for you, there are plenty of offers to look out for at Boots/Superdrug throughout the year - for example 3 for 2 offers or a £3 off offer. 

Have you tried this foundation? What's your number one foundation right now? 

*I didn't want to say 'Holy Grail' because idk, it seems a bit cheesy haha

Review: Bourjois 123 Perfect Colour Correcting Cream

Hello! So...guess who's back, back again. I can't believe it's been three months since I last posted here. ('I have a few posts in mind' I said, before disappearing again...) But here I am, with a review of a 'colour correcting cream' (basically foundation) I've been trying recently. Bourjois 123 Perfect Colour Correcting Cream constantly receives positive reviews, and despite not really needing a new foundation, I gave in to the hype and decided to try it. Bourjois in general seems like a great high street/drugstore choice for foundations - I've mentioned before how I love the original Healthy Mix Foundation and have used up loads of it. I have heard that they're owned by the same company who owns Chanel, whose foundations are supposed to be pretty good, so maybe we're actually getting pretty much the same products in different packaging?

Anyway, like the Healthy Mix Foundation, it claims to contain '3 colour correcting pigments':

Apricot for radiance

Melon for hydration

Apple to protect your youth

The Boots website also says that 'it is also enriched with crystalline pigments to even out the complexion while letting in the natural light for that healthy looking glow.'

I don't really know what they're on about with colour correcting and crystalline pigments, but I can definitely agree that it makes your skin look radiant and healthy. As someone with blemish-prone skin I was concerned it wouldn't give me enough coverage, but it definitely gives you a decent amount - not too light but not full on either.

This foundation is gorgeous - it never looks cakey or unnatural, it just makes your skin still look like skin, but better. I've found that it looks a bit nicer blended in with my fingers than with a brush. It has an oil-free formula, which is great for people with combination to oily skin.

Another thing I've noticed about this product is how well it lasts - I have somewhat oily skin but the foundation stays on even after a long and possibly hot day, and even without a primer or powder. It doesn't really give any claims about longevity apart from that it will give you 24 hour hydration...which is tricky, because no one wears their foundation that long! But I have been impressed with the staying power - it may even stay on longer than my No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation (reviewed here) which claims to last 14 hours. 

As usual with Bourjois foundations, the shades on offer have a yellow undertone.

A swatch of the ivory shade

Luckily this doesn't translate into looking like a Simpsons character when you apply it. My shade (ivory) is the lightest and is unfortunately probably going to be too dark for any super pale ladies - I'm hoping I'll be able to get away with it in the winter, but for now it's perfect. I've already worn this foundation loads and can see myself reaching for it a lot more, although on days where my skin is looking particularly awful and I need a higher coverage I'll still use the No7 Beautifully Matte.

Overall, this is a great base for summer - lightweight, with SPF 15 (though you'll probably want to apply a higher factor on your face on really hot days) and natural-looking. Definitely worth the hype in my opinion.

Bourjois 123 Perfect Colour Correcting Cream is £9.99 from Boots/Superdrug and is often on offer with a '3 for 2 on Bourjois' deal. I got mine in a 2 for £14 deal along with Bourjois Volume Glamour Push Up Waterproof mascara.

Hope this was helpful for anyone thinking of buying this foundation! :)

Sabrina xx

Night Out Makeup

Hey everyone! So I went out in Stafford on Saturday and I quite liked how my makeup turned out, so I thought I'd write a post on it! This post turned out a longer than I thought it was going to be...

I forgot to include the Porefessional sample in this photo so let's pretend it's there too haha

I had moisturised my skin with the Avene Cleanance MAT Mattifying Emulsion, letting it sink in for a while before I primed my skin with Benefit's Porefessional, which I have a few sample sizes of (one was with a gift set, another with a magazine.) I don't think I like it enough to purchase the full size one when my samples run out - it's a nice product but I don't think it makes much difference on my pores and I feel like the siliconey formula is quite dupeable on the high street. However my makeup did last quite well despite me getting all sweaty in a nightclub - I'm not sure whether it's down to this, my foundation, my powder or just the combination of all three!

For foundation I went with the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation, which is the only high end foundation I own. This contains no SPF so it's ideal for night time makeup. When I bought it my skin was more normal and less blemish prone so because it's quite glowy and my skin became oily I was put off using it a bit. When I applied it last night though I really liked it - it blended beautifully when I used the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. Its coverage was light to medium but buildable without becoming cakey, as I did need to apply a little more than I normally would because of the amount of blemishes I have. (Quick foundation tip: obviously you can start applying it wherever you want on your face, but if you have an area that you think needs more coverage then you might like to start applying your foundation there.) I think I have the lightest shade and it matches me perfectly.

I did still powder it with MAC Blot Powder as although the dewy-ness of this foundation is nice, my oily skin means my face risks looking shiny as the night goes on. Again I have the lightest shade although this powder has barely any colour as it's not intended to add any more coverage! I have very much hit pan but I'm not sure I'd repurchase as it is expensive at £20.50.

I went for a neutral eye look because of how bright my lipstick (MAC's Show Orchid) is. So I blended together the MAC eyeshadows in Satin Taupe and Patina, which I've raved about before here.

Left: Patina Right: Satin Taupe

Swatched in the same order

I also applied Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Stag which came with the Naked on the Run kit. I rarely wear eyeliner but this one is great - a flattering dark brown with a lovely smooth formula. It also stays put for a long time, as the name suggests!

This lipstick is one of my all time favourites:

MAC's Show Orchid lipstick

For mascara, I used two - I used the Seventeen Falsifeye HD Mascara first because it's great for length, then I topped it up with Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara. As much as I like the 17 mascara I think I prefer the Maybelline one as it's better for volume and it also seems to hold a curl longer. I did a full review of the Maybelline mascara here.

I had some spots to conceal so Collection Ultimate Wear Concealer did the job, whilst I applied NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla (review here) under my eyes along with MAC Prep and Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose to brighten the area. I also applied the highlighter on both brow bones and my cupid's bow.

Top - Soap and Glory Glow All Out, Bottom left: Mac's Blot Powder, Bottom right: Benefit Bella Bamba

For a mix of highlight and blush (because of how pale I am this product is like a blush on me!) I used Soap and Glory Glow All Out Luminizing Face Powder (review here) at the top of my cheekbones and then applied Benefit's Bella Bamba Blush to the apples of my cheeks - I love this blush but haven't wanted to rave about it on here because it's sadly been discontinued! Benefit should definitely bring it back. As you can see the packaging has faded as I've owned and used it since Christmas 2011!

I used the L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper in Dark Brunette, which is a ridiculously easy way to tidy up your brows, as I'm not fussed about properly attempting to fill them in.

The finished look. I feel like I look a bit evil in this photo lol.

As for my nails, it didn't really match my outfit but my current NOTW is Rimmel's 60 Seconds in Pulsating:

I really like this colour! I wouldn't say it dries in 60 seconds but I think it does dry slightly sooner than normal. (I can't find this online but I'm fairly sure it will still be in stores, if I'm wrong then I'm sorry!) I've had this for about five years and it's still going strong and applying well, and there's some gorgeous shades in this line!

Also if you're wondering (after my last post) if I've used the Nice and Easy Root Touch Up Kit yet - nope! I'm waiting for the right time; I didn't want to use it on Saturday in case it went wrong and I also don't want to use it before Thursday as I have a job interview that day! But I will give it a go soon and report back. :)

Hope you liked this post, and thanks for reading!
Sabrina xx

Review: No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation

Hey everyone! I thought I'd share my thoughts on No7's Beautifully Matte Foundation, which I bought at the beginning of April. This post is probably going to be quite long but I'm aiming to make it as thorough as I can!

This foundation doesn't get an awful lot of hype in the beauty world - but neither do many of No7's products. I do think No7 is a bit overpriced, but they do have some great products. It does get mostly positive reviews on Makeupalley and Boots.com though.

The No7 sales assistant used the Foundation Match Service device to match me to Calico, the lightest shade (big surprise) which matches me quite well but would be too dark if you're extremely pale. There are 14 shades to choose from which I think is pretty good.

Other things to mention:

• It's hypo-allergic
• It has an SPF of 15
• It has medium to full coverage
• It has a matte finish, as the name suggests!

I don't like to look or feel caked in makeup so I don't usually go for full coverage foundations, however this one usually feels light on the skin.

 I like how this foundation is less likely to aggravate any breakouts as No7 say "salicylic acid had been included in the formula to help unblock pores and improve the condition of the skin throughout wear." I also own the Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream which contains 2% salicylic acid. The only thing with this is it means you can't apply either of these products very close to your eyes, or it may sting. 

Calico swatched.

It claims to keep you shine free for up to 14 hours (or 12 hours according to the website) which is quite tame considering there's a 25 Hour Foundation (by Rimmel) and the L'oreal Foundation I almost bought, Infallible Matte, promises a matte result for up to 24 hours. I don't know who wears their makeup that long but I think the staying power's quite good. I wouldn't say my skin is extremely oily and this foundation wears well for around 7 or 8 hours before I start to feel a bit shiny on my forehead.

I like to apply it over the Beautiful Skin Day Cream for Normal/Oily Skin (reviewed here) and use the Real Techniques Buffing Brush (from the Core Collection) to apply and blend. For testing it for this review I used no primer or powder. Although this has fairly high coverage I definitely still needed some concealer for those dark circles and blemishes...

Before, so no makeup:

After (just foundation):

Here's a comparison how my 'problem area' (i.e. where I always seem to break out) looked before and after applying this foundation, so you can have a closer look at the coverage it gives. That's right, I lost my mind and put pictures of my spots on the internet (my skin is quite rubbish at the moment.) Oh well!

^ As you can see it hasn't done much when it comes to covering the three active spots near my jawline, but it has done quite well at covering red marks which are healing old spots.

Here's how the foundation looks along with the rest of my makeup:

It might just be the lighting but if I wasn't avoiding powder for the purposes of this review I would definitely have powdered my T-zone with MAC's Blot Powder as I feel like my nose and forehead look a bit shiny.

In case you're wondering, the rest of the makeup I'm wearing is:

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara (reviewed here) applied over Seventeen Falsifye HD Mascara
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla under the eyes (reviewed here)
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair for spots
MAC Prep and Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose under the eyes and on the brow bone
MAC Satin Taupe eyeshadow with a bit of Patina at the crease
L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper in Dark Brunette
NARS Gaiety blush
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder Sunny (I never use bronzer but I thought I'd give this a go - not sure if you can tell I'm wearing it?!)
Seventeen Mirror Shine Lipstick in Belle (I've raved about this lipstick before but I don't think I've actually shown how it looks on the lips until now!)

Overall, I quite like this foundation, though I don't think it's 'holy grail' at the same time. The coverage is good, but what I think I like most about it is how natural it looks, as it doesn't feel heavy or cakey at all.

You can buy this foundation only at Boots for £13.50, but look out for the £3 off No7 Makeup vouchers! There is currently a free gift offer when you buy two No7 products. There's also a 'Save £5 when you spend £35 on selected fragrance, No7 & premium beauty' offer which is only online.

Have you tried this foundation? What's your favourite foundation?

Sabrina xx

High Street Haul: Boots, New Look and Superdrug!

Hi everyone, hope you all had a great Easter! Today I have a haul post to share, because I went to Boots, New Look and Superdrug, and stuff just happened...

I actually only got a few things from Superdrug so I'll start with those. I got two Barry M nail polishes from Superdrug as the £3.99 ones are currently on offer for 2 for £6 and I wanted to get a more expensive product for free when I took advantage of the 3 for 2 offer in Boots.

As I've said before, I do have too many nail polishes - but in my defence these two are both very unique in my collection, as I don't think I had any yellows at all before I bought this one!

I picked up one of the new Quick Dry polishes in Stop the Clock, which is a really pretty and summery pastel yellow. I'm not sure if this will go that well with my skin tone but I love the colour so it's worth the risk. I'm also looking forward to seeing if it does dry quickly as it promises!

The other colour I got was Almond in the 'Gelly Hi-shine' range which Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup said was an amazing dupe for Nails Inc's Porchester Square in this blog post. I don't normally go for this kind of taupe shade but I thought this would be a great work-appropriate neutral which is something a bit different from the light, natural pinks I usually go for when I think of more formal nail looks. I've tried a few shades from the Gelly range and they've all been great, and I love Barry M polishes in general!

Moving on to Boots, I went in knowing I was going to get the L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper, as Renata from Speaking Beauty wrote that it was a great dupe for Benefit's Gimme Brow, which I've tried at a Benefit counter - it looked great, but it's too overpriced for me at £18.50. L'oreal's offering is £5.99, but I got it free with the 3 for 2 offer and it's the first eyebrow product I've ever bought! They had no tester for the darker shade but I tested the lighter one and knew it would be too light so I got the darker one - I have dark blonde hair so I just hope my eyebrows don't clash too much with my hair colour.

'Dark Brunette' swatched

I quite like it so far! It's a welcome new addition to my everyday makeup as it definitely makes my eyebrows look more polished. I had a look at the even cheaper (£3.99) Rimmel version of the eyebrow mascara type product (Brow This Way) but the brush was shorter and larger so I wasn't sure about it. I like the brush of the L'oreal one, it's quite long yet small and it makes me feel like I know what I'm doing when I do my brows haha.

Before and After

But seriously, this kind of brow product did seem best for me as an eyebrow product beginner because I just don't know how to fill in my brows with products like Benefit's Brow Zings and the mascara-like brush does it all in one go so it's pretty effortless. I also wasn't sure if my eyebrows even need much filling in as they're quite thick already!

I also went in thinking I was probably going to buy the No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation - I had a sample of it and quite liked it, but I also noticed that L'oreal had a new foundation aimed at oily skin - Infallible Matte Foundation, which at the time of posting is on offer for £6.99.
It looked intriguing - it promises to stay on for 24 hours which is a slightly pointless claim considering that no one keeps their foundation on for 24 hours! In the end I went for the No7 Foundation as it has SPF which is great for daytime wear (I can use my Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation for night time wear to avoid flashback in any flash photography) and looking on Makeupalley on my phone I could see that the No7 foundation had a higher rating/more positive reviews than the L'oreal one. I would still love to try that L'oreal foundation sometime though! I have never tried a foundation from either L'oreal or No7.

Side note: am I the only one who checks the overall rating of a product on Boots.com and Makeupalley whilst browsing in Boots or Superdrug?! I just don't want to take the risk of blindly buying a product without checking any reviews or ratings first, and I might even return a product unused if I did buy it blindly and then find that it has extremely negative reviews!

The final product I got in the 3 for 2 was the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara, £7.99, which I've heard great things about on blogs. I've used it a few times now and I like it so far apart from that it's a little clumpy, but I'll let you know how I get on and probably do a full review soon!

I went to New Look just to see if they had any nice work appropriate pieces other than the usual white shirts and black trousers. I bought this dress with a contrast collar. It is a little short (I'm 5'9) so I'd probably wear it with tights. The only size 8 they had in this had foundation marks around the collar so I got 10% off and it's non-returnable. It is £19.99 normally and looking online it's currently on offer for £14.99 which is slightly annoying, but nevermind.

They also had a black version but no size 8s, I tried on the 6 and it was way too tight, so that made the decision for me on which colour to get!

Lastly I didn't intend to buy a bag and I haven't bought a new one in ages, but I fell in love with this one - it is such a classic style but in a gorgeous, unique colour, which I couldn't help but notice is very similar to the nail polish I bought earlier that day, Barry M's Almond.

The rose quilted design is very pretty and it's a good size - not too large or small, and I really like the adjustable strap. It was also very reasonably priced at £12.99!  I'm not sure if it goes that well with my new grey dress, but it doesn't clash either. Overall, everything about this bag is gorgeous, and I think it's suitable for finishing off both formal and casual outfits.

Thanks for reading!
Sabrina xx

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My Everyday Makeup!

Hi again! So I thought I'd share my everyday makeup look, although technically I don't wear makeup every day - but you get what I mean ;) I usually like to change a few things round each time I wear makeup though (blush, lip colour) and I rarely wear eyeliner during the day.

I'm also trying out a couple of new products at the moment - I got a sample of the No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation at a counter as I don't own any matte foundations, which can be tricky when my skin is being particularly oily, so I thought I'd try this one out. At £13.50 though I think I'd probably like to wait for the next £5 off No7 vouchers to come out if I decide to buy it! 

I have only used it a few times but so far I quite like it, it mattifies and gives decent coverage without looking cakey. The lightest shade, Calico, is just about light enough for me. I've been trying it out without using a primer or a powder as I like to see how long it can last on its own - and so far it's been pretty good (No7 say that it stays on for up to 12 hours - I haven't worn it that long to say so far but it has lasted a good 8 hours or so.) I also like how it has an SPF of 15 and is hypo-allergenic. I might do a proper review of this sometime, especially as so far I'm definitely considering buying it :)

I think foundation with SPF is great for the daytime so before I started trying this one I was typically using Rimmel's Match Perfection Foundation which I have in the lightest shade again (Porcelain) - it is super pale so a good winter foundation.

I'm also trying out the Seventeen Perk and Paint Eyeliner Duo which I bought along with the Seventeen Falsifeye HD Mascara in a 'buy one get one half price' offer on Seventeen products. I also had a voucher to get 300 Advantage Card points for buying any 17 product (am I the only one who likes to build up their points using the points boosting vouchers they send in the post about every couple of months?)

17 Perk and Paint Eyeliner Duo Swatched

I haven't seen much talk about this on blogs but it seems good so far! Like I said I don't normally wear eyeliner during the day but I like that I have a black liner on the other end of the brightening pencil as it's handy for if I do decide to wear eyeliner. I'm definitely more intrigued by the 'eye brightener' side though as it seems like it could be a great dupe for Benefit's Eye Bright (which I don't own but have heard good things about) In the makeup picture below I just wore the brighening pencil on my waterlines - it's a great choice for if you tend to have reddish waterlines when you're tired!

Here I am makeup free:

I like to keep my everyday makeup quite natural, as you can see: 

Products used:

MUA Clear Mascara for my eyebrows

Seventeen Falsifye HD Mascara - sometimes I like to apply loads of this

Seventeen Perk and Paint Eyeliner Duo

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Clinique Chubby Stick in Wopping Watermelon (sample size I got free with a magazine)

Sleek Rose Gold Blush

No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation

I also applied my foundation with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush and my blush was applied with the Real Techniques Blush Brush.

Just a random thought: recently it's occurred to me that I might be a bit of an unusual beauty blogger in terms of how I don't really use anything on my eyebrows. I tend to just pluck my brows to keep their shape every week or so and then occasionally use a clear mascara from MUA (which only cost me a pound from Superdrug) to brush through them if I think they look a bit unkempt but other than that I leave them au natural. In some photos I think my eyebrows look fine just as they are but in others I feel like they need filling in or tidying, in fact my friend Emily has filled them in for me a couple of times for nights out but I usually think they look a little strange (even though they are tidier and she does a good job!) probably because I'm not used to them looking like that! 

Anyway I'm thinking about buying an eyebrow product such as the Sleek Eyebrow Stylist, I'm not completely sure how to use brow products though and I don't want my brows to look weird. If you have any recommendations or tips on doing your brows then please let me know! (Or I could just google it of course, haha)

Thanks for reading!

Sabrina xx