Foundation Review | Vanity Claire

ClaireMarch 14, 2018

Makeup Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick | Review & Swatches

It’s no secret that I’m not exactly quick when it comes to getting on board with trends. Whether it’s a must-have accessory or the latest Netflix craze, I usually get round to trying things about six months later than the masses (bakerboy hats and The Sinner, I’m looking at you both).

However, CHECK THIS OUT. Little Miss Lol-What-Gucci-Belt? has got her hands on the current most-hyped product, Makeup Revolution’s Fast Base Foundation Stick – and before it’s even landed properly in store yet. *Smug smile* View Full Post

ClaireMarch 2, 2017

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation | Review

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ClaireJune 12, 2014

Makeup Revolution: The One Foundation | Review

As y’all no doubt know by now, we love cheap stuff and can never resist giving purse-friendly makeup a go – even if just out of morbid curiosity to see whether we break out in scales. Anywho, Makeup Revolution are most definitely the hot young things on the cheap makeup market right now, and I placed a sizeable order with them about a month ago. One thing I decided to throw in my online basket on a whim was The One Foundation, which boasts an impressive range of 16 shades and is uber affordable at only £4.

Packaging wise, the first thing I noticed was that this obviously bears more than a passing resemblance to MAC’s Face and Body. Brave, Makeup Rev, brave. The other thing that caught my attention was how teeny tiny the bottle is. ‘WHAT IS THIS?’ my brain yelled, ‘A FOUNDATION FOR ANTS?’* However, once I check the volume against my other foundations I realised it really wasn’t much less at all, and so the Borrower-esque appearance is more just down to lack of excessive packaging and pump etc.

*(I’ve definitely used that joke before on here, but I feel it’s still got some life left)

As I mentioned, the shade range is undeniably impressive, and one of main selling points on the website is that there is “ONE shade for everyone”. This is definitely something to be applauded, as I know lots of pale chicas struggle to find shades light enough, and similarly dark-skinned girls are seriously lacking in options when it comes to high street makeup. I opted for Shade 7, but probably should have gone for 9 as this is a little too pale for me when I’ve got a layer of fake tan on (hence why you just get to enjoy some fun hand swatches in this post, soz). On the plus side, it’s a yellow based shade which suits me much more than pinky-toned foundations.

The first thing to note about this foundation is that it’s really watery. Shaking before pouring any out is an absolute must, otherwise you get a literally clear liquid with random particles of foundation in. When mixed it still comes out very thin though, so you have to act quite quickly before it just absorbs into your hand or brush. Needless to say, when I first saw this I really wasn’t too impressed, and my hopes for The One plummeted faster than James Franco’s sex appeal after that 17-year-old scandal.

Partially Blended

HOWEVER, you know what dear readers? The foundation actually kind of impressed me. It’s marketed as full coverage, which I would say is definitely not the case. It applies quite sheer on the face, but is definitely buildable. After two layers I was quite happy to see most of my blemishes covered, and the finish is as matte as promised.

Fully Blended

I’ve worn this to work a couple of times and I will say that the staying power isn’t super amazing and by the end of the working day I would need some serious touch ups (ooer). So in that respect it’s definitely not a foundation for days when your makeup needs to last, but I think it’s well suited for those days where you’re just popping out to run a few errands or want to go quite natural looking without actually going natural (perish the thought). It’s also a good summer foundation, especially for girls who don’t struggle with their skin and like quite a light finish. If I had to sum up my views with some sort of physical sign of approval, then it doesn’t get a full round of applause and a celebratory fist pump from me, but it does get a pleasant nod of approval.

Have any of you tried The One yet? You can click here to read our other Makeup Revolution reviews.

ClaireJanuary 18, 2014

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Even Finish Foundation Review.

So…for those of you who have fallen off your chairs because I bought something that didn’t cost around 50p, I am very sorry and I hope you haven’t hurt yourselves too badly.

It’s no secret that I like a bargain. In fact, Claire and I have written lots of posts here on Stylingo about super cheap makeup (MUA’s Matte Perfect Shine Foundation, for example, which costed a wild £2). I think that if you can get something cheaply, you definitely should and there is very little better than finding a bargain. Apart from Jennifer Lawrence. However, I do think there are some things you should spend money on and as MUA’s £2 foundation has demonstrated, foundation is definitely one of them.

With this in mind, I headed over to Selfridges last week and decided that enough was enough. Some of you excellent people recommended Bobbi Brown’s Long Wear Even Finish Foundation and I trust your recommendations wholeheartedly – so I went to get matched by the lovely gals at the Bobbi Brown counter. After an alarming time of nearly having my eyebrows wiped off and looking like a lunatic for the rest of the afternoon, we went with shade 3 Beige.

I have to say, I am in love. This is hands down the best foundation I have ever used. It’s oil free, so suits my skin type (which is combination/oily, ew) really well. This also helps with the application – it’s so easy to apply and feels super fresh/lightweight. It contains glycerin and shea butter, which apparently means that it’s wonderful and hydrating, as well as being generally great. According to the Bobbi Brown website, it lasts for up to 12 hours in humid conditions and also is SPF 15.

Another big NAY HUGE must for my foundation is coverage. I don’t have the best skin, so I prefer to have foundation that covers any nasties and unevenness. I was a bit way of this foundation at the start, because it’s marketed as a medium – full coverage foundation. Usually, I will always go with full and never really bother with something that would only offer medium coverage. However, I needn’t have worried my tiny little head about this. The Long Wear foundation actually gives great coverage and you don’t need a lot of product to achieve a good level of “where have my features gone”. I’ve been using about two pumps, which is unheard of in my makeup routine. It’s also totally buildable, so if I’m having a day where I literally want to cover everything in a wonderful foundation-y mask, I can do just that.

This is a bit of a weird thing to comment on, but Bobbi Brown’s Long Wear Even Finish foundation also has an excellent smell. If you’ve read my Dermalogica Skin Perfect Primer review, you may have seen that I said it smelled a bit like trees. This foundation also smells like trees, which somehow makes you feel like you are at one with nature.

Now lets get to the real nub and gist of the matter. It’s called Long Wear, but how long does it actually last? I’ve been wearing it for the past week, mainly to work (where my face is put to the test of sitting in front of a computer every day), and I have to say that it’s been lasting very well. If I’m totally honest, it probably lasts as long as Rimmel’s 25 Hour foundation, which is the best foundation I’ve used in terms of staying power. Saying that, with a few powders during the day, Bobbi Brown’s Long Wear can and has lasted me from about 8am-9pm. 13 hours isn’t so bad, AM I RIGHT?

And this is how it looks on my face, with a full face of makeup. I’ve got Bobbi Brown’s Tinted Eye Brightener on too, which I’ll be reviewing soon! (Spoiler alert: it is amaaaaaazing and I want to marry it).

The only downside in my opinion is the price. At £30, it’s definitely not the cheapest foundation on the market and while I’d like to repurchase this every time I needed some new foundation, I’m pretty sure I’ll only be doing so when I’m feeling rich or its my birthday.

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ClaireNovember 19, 2013

MUA Matte Perfect Shine Control Foundation | Review & Swatches

Well, it has happened. I always wondered when I would end up becoming a Jeremy Kyle level of tramp and it appears to be the month of November.

Claire and I decided to do some online shopping at work (er, big surprise there) and ‘invested’ in some bits and bobs makeup-wise from MUA. Read about what we bought here and for a more detailed review of the Pro-Brow Eyebrow Kit, have a clicky here. Out of sheer curiosity, I bought MUA’s Matte Perfect Shine Control Foundation. Which you can buy for £2. That’s right. You can buy foundation for as much as two steak bakes from Greggs.

I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t expecting much. I do like MUA products, but I have found that some of them have a few drawbacks – which obviously you’d expect when things are cheaper than Katie Price’s face (ooo-er, I’m such a bitch). So, when our parcel of excitement arrived, I thought it would be a fun experiment to give this foundation a whirl rather than it become a permanent fixture in my makeup bag.

And guess what chums… it was actually really good.

In a slightly weird move on MUA’s part, the foundation only comes in two shades: fair and almond. I really love how MUA include swatches in their product information, which is super useful when choosing shades. The almond colour looked really orange (even for me), so I opted for ‘fair’ thinking I could always bronze up if the dreaded pale-face-orange-body issue occured.

As you can see, it is quite a light shade but it works well on days that I haven’t tanned and I’m using my Bourjois Bronzing Primer underneath on days that I have oranged up to darken things a bit.

I thought that the consistency would be quite watery and a bit pathetic – with no promises of full coverage, I thought it would be more of a BB Cream sort of product. How wrong I was. It’s really thick and I’d say it’s most likely oil based, which is something I prefer with a foundation. The coverage is amazing – I’d say on a par with Estee Lauder’s Double Wear and Rimmel’s Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation, both of which are my go-to base products. It goes on very nicely and you don’t think for a minute that it only cost £2 when applying. For those who prefer a dewy look, it has a lovely finish and only needs a light dusting of powder on the t-zone. I prefer a more matte look, so I tend to go for all over powder, but it still looks grand.

The staying power is also surprisingly good. I wore this to work, to the gym and still came home with makeup on my face (PARDON ME?!). It’s very impressive.

As always, I do have some issues with it (I am an old woman now and enjoy complaining as well as tense games of Scrabble. Deal with it). The product promises to “keep the shine at bay all day”, but unfortunately it doesn’t quite do that. I always wear a primer and find I need to powder by midday when wearing MUA’s Matte Perfect Shine Control regardless. SAYING THAT. The only time I don’t need to powder is if I wear Double Wear, so I feel I can overlook MUA’s false promises. I have a discoball face that loves to pester me with it’s shiny nose, so it’s not unusual for me to have to touch up during the day. Rather than shine control and mattifying, I’d say this foundation is better for full coverage and lasting – still really good but

And this is what it looks like on my face – NOT BAD, JA? JA.

What do you think? Have any of you used MUA’s Matte Perfect Shine Control Foundation?

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ClaireAugust 30, 2013

Estee Lauder Double Wear: Review

I have pretty much been using the same foundation for about 4 years: Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour in Soft Beige. I really love it, I find it has a good heavy coverage, stays on for ages (albeit not quite 25 hours…) and it’s also hugely cheap (usually around £6.99). I’m a gal who is not a fan of change, particularly when it comes to makeup. So using a new foundation hasn’t really occurred to me until recently. I think it’s part of my ‘I am now a grown up, it’s time to stop being ridiculous’ phase (which has included buying a pair of brown shoes and saying ‘indeed’ a lot) and part of that phase is using better makeup products.

I decided on my new grown up adventure to ask our lovely Twitter followers what foundation I should get for heavy coverage, and the general consensus was that Estee Lauder’s Double Wear is one of the best around. I definitely trust you lot when it comes to makeup recommendations, so I swiftly got to my nearest Selfridges to get involved with the Double Wear hype.

I was colour matched by a lovely lady called Charley and we decided to go for a colour that was a bit warmer than my actual skintone because I fake tan a lot and no one wants the whole pale-face-orange-body situation. I ended up buying the ‘Dawn’ shade, which blends well with my St Moriz colour but can also be lightened up with a bit of concealer in strategic places if necessary.

Excuse my HORRIBLY freckly skin but that is just how my hand rolls.

I won’t go into too much detail, but the product is quite a bit ‘runnier’ than the Rimmel foundation and is also LOADS less oily, mainly because it doesn’t contain any oil (surprise there, eh?!). I’ve found that this means I use a lot less because it glides on quite a lot easier than my usual foundation. It also feels really light, which is excellent – heavy coverage with a light feeling is something I’m definitely not used to! I feel like I have lost about 2 pounds from my face.

Staying-wise, I’ve been pretty pleased with how it keeps throughout the day. Being totally honest, I don’t think it performs any better than the Rimmel Lasting Finish product. Set with powder, they both are on a par. What I do like is that the Estee Lauder Double Wear is lighter, matches better with my skin tone and also has a smoother finish than the Rimmel product.

Higher end makeup is something I want to get more into, and this is an excellent starting point! I would most defs reccomend it to anyone who likes ~~to trowel on their foundation~~ a heavy coverage.

What do you guys think? Anyone else given the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation a whirl?