Sunday 3 October 2010

Guest Review from @SalsaAmy: I'm picking up good foundations


Leanne and Nic have generously invited me to guest on their fabulous blog about my search for the perfect foundation. (***Thank you Ames for being our first Guest Blogger!***)

It all started when I went on a mission to update my eye make up (it’s all a little monochrome at present), got distracted with free foundation samples and started to tweet about it!

I’m never seen in public without foundation so it’s pretty important part of my daily kit and I’ve used the same daily foundation for the last six or so years. It’s pretty good, tried and tested, but tends to have vacated my face by the end of the day especially if I go dancing (which I do, lots). I use Estee Lauder Double Wear when the foundation does need to look good all day but my skin can’t handle it every day. Hence the search for the perfect daily foundation.

My current foundation: Max Factor Lasting Performance
Colour: Honey Beige – matches my skin tone very well in the summer – slightly orange in the winter.
Type: liquid
Positives: It looks amazing when it first goes on, matches my concealer and powder perfectly and I have one and a half containers to use up.
Staying power: By the end of the day it’s slid, it’s patchy and my skin looks and feels greasy – never ever a look I wish to rock. Oh, and it claims not to come off on your clothes?!? Humm, no, not true.


Sample 1: Estee Lauder Double wear light
Colour: I wasn’t hopeful for this foundation as they only do three shades. I got number 2 which I generally write off as too light for my olive skin but surprisingly it matches pretty well! Matched my concealer and powder well too. I have slight reservations about how it would fare on my summer skin.
Type: Liquid
Positives: This foundation glides on like a dream! It’s a pretty light formula (should have guessed that from the name) and you can put layers of the stuff on without it looking blotchy! Comes out a little dewy for me but I managed to adapt with my powder.
Staying power: I was impressed! The claim is 15 hours but I did that and I played badminton then went to ballet class and it still stayed put! Good job EL!
Verdict: I would definitely purchase. It’s very, very good. Might just get them to mix me a new shade though?!?


Sample 2: Max Factor Xperience
Colour: This sample wasn’t really matched to my skin tone. When I first put it on it looked really orange and I was quite sure someone would comment. My concealer didn’t blend at all so there was a slight reverse panda effect happening also.
Type: Liquid
Positives: It claims to be weightless and I agree. It does go on very well but I was nervous about layering it given the colour issues – I really couldn’t risk going orange for the day – so the coverage wasn’t good.
Staying power: I’m pleased to report no slippage but it must have faded pretty well towards the end of the day.
Verdict: My Xperience wasn’t great – maybe the Xperience would be improved by the correct colour matching? Or if the formula was a little heavier, but then I guess it wouldn’t be weightless… I wasn’t sold on it.


Sample 3: Max Factor Miracle Touch
Colour: I chose the ‘Golden’ colour of the two on offer in the sample. It was a very good match and matched the concealer and powder well too.
Type: some moussey odd thing…
Positives: A miracle did occur – I managed to get the moussey odd stuff out of the pot and on to my face with no spillage but once I’d gotten it on to my face spreading it about was almost as problematic! Me no likey the mousse.
Staying power: I did a very hot LBT class on my way home tonight, I don’t think there’s much foundation left to speak of let alone in the place I left it!
Verdict: No, I couldn't, I wouldn’t purchase the odd moussey stuff, because it was mousse and it was odd.


So my conclusion is to savour every drop of the Double Wear Light sample and save up while I finish off the stock pile of Lasting Performance! Maybe I might venture out and collect a few more samples – do you have one to recommend or warn about? Tell us in the comments.


Thanks for listening,
Amy (@SalsaAmy)

PS Foundation etiquette – is it acceptable to have more than two foundations, say like expensive one perfect for long days or long nights, a light one for every days and a cheap old thing that really doesn’t matter?!

8 comments:

  1. Thankyou for this Amy - I think foundation/base/TM is the hardest thing to get right and it really is a journey. I spent the whole of one weekend going up to my son and OH asking them again if I had pink or yellow undertones to my skin and were my veins blue or green? Not so daft as it sounds, my OH teaches Art and my son is studying Art and did my portrait over the summer (dire experience but that is another story). I am in love, yes in love with my NARS Sheer Glow, I cannot believe a foundation can make my skin look so amazing) sorry to bang on. Thanks for sharing. Jan

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  2. I've been looking at Nars Sheer Glow Jan. Is it really that good? How much was it?

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  3. Thank you Amy, great review. The Double Wear Light sounds interesting. Clarins have an 'Everlasting foundation' which I hear is evry good - not too sure whatthe colours are like though? It might be worth asking for a sample?

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  4. Great reviews.. I agree NARS sheer glow is fabby.. I wore mine today.
    Leanne it's around £30.

    My all time fave is Guerlain Lingerie de peau, wow that is an amazing foundation, for me even better than Nars sheer glow.

    I have review it on my blog as I love it so..

    But yes foundation is so individual and hard to get right..

    x

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  5. Thank you girls for your lovely comments! I'm not done with the experiment yet so I will definitely try out the NARS one!
    @Nicola I may pass up the Clarins option - I had a VERY bad experience with Clarins before my 30th party - Leanne may remember the horror story! I now stick to skin care products only from them - no make up!

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  6. Tee-hee-hee! Oh Ames, I remember it well!! ;-)

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  7. Oh no Amy! That sounds awful - also sounds like a story I need to hear! ;0)

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  8. It was hideous - three of us had make up done in House of Fraser, Swindon. Ruth and I by Clarins (at £20 each) and Laurel by YSL (for free). Laurel's looked amazing. I looked like I'd seen a ghost - seriously, I have olive skin and had a sun tan and she turned me a strange shade of grey, while Ruth, who is a classic English rose, was orange. Utterly rubbish! Needless to say we didn't go out like that!

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