Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

You can't avoid reviews on the Bourjois Healthy Mix range. I've already written a review on the Healthy Mix Serum and was curious to try the regular Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, so at around £10, I thought I'd see how it stacked up against it's serum sibling.

Again, I picked shade No. 52 Vanilla, this suited my skin in the Healthy Mix Serum Foundation and rather than swatch again, I just picked the same shade. When I bought this it was the depths of December and if shade 51 had been available, I probably would have chosen it instead. My one bugbear about the shade range is all the lighter shades have a slight yellow undertone, not ideal for me. The formula is light and quite fluid, though not at all runny. I find it easy to work with and blend into the skin, generally using a buffing or stippling brush. It's buildable, though I find one pump of this foundation is enough for my whole face. The finish is somewhere between a matte and satin, when blended well it gives a flawless finish and isn't at all 'cakey'. Its moisturising and I don't feel it sitting on my skin. There's a list of fruity ingredients, it wasn't a selling point for me and I'm not sure I believe all their claims, but they give the formula a nice fruity scent, which is pretty short lived. It gives a nice evenness to the skin tone and for me, covers any redness in my skin. You can see how good the coverage is in the pics, my lovely blotchy red hand has been transformed. The staying power isn't fantastic - nowhere near the 16hrs claim on the packaging, though I feel it gets me through the working day, with a teensy bit of powder on the t-zone at lunchtime. I find a spritz of setting spray works better as a setting agent than a powder, I use my Eau Thermale Avène.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with this foundation. There's a very fine line of preference between this and the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation. If I had to pick one, I think it would be the gel based Serum. It gives a slightly more dewy finish and just seems to last a bit longer on my skin. Definitely a good budget purchase - if you haven't already, give it a go!

Garnier Miracle Skin Protector: BB Cream for Combination to Oily Skin

I picked this up by complete accident. Having used the infamous Garnier Skin Naturals BB Cream, I stupidly thought they'd just revamped the packaging and without reading, chucked this in my basket in the manner of a girl who knows exactly what she wants. When I did take the time to read the words on the tube, I realised that this BB cream was for combination to oily skin types – hence the difference in packaging. Not the one I'd bought before. But as it happens, this was a rather fortunate mistake for me, in the end that is.

I definitely don't have oily skin, but I do have the most atypical combination skin – throughout the day I see the shine creep into all the wrong places, especially t-zone area, in particular on my forehead, nose and chin. If I have the time or inclination, I do dust with a bit if powder at lunchtime. And then of course, there are the dreaded dry patches - nicely highlighted by using the wrong products. So as I'm the combi type, it tried using this anyway, I'd bought it and thought I at least had to give it a go.

Two things I noticed immediately were the colour and the consistency. It's much a much lighter shade than the original 'light' bb cream – in my opinion, much more suited to fairer skin (I have included a comparison) Consistency wise – it's much more of a liquid than a cream. I applied as I did the previous BB cream I had bought from Garnier, with fingers to the whole face. Wrong. A whole face was totally OTT, I was ghostly-pale and the mattifying properties clearly did not achieve a glowy look, more one-dimensional. However, as mentioned above, this spur of the moment purchase was not all bad. I watched a recent Lisa Eldridge tutorial where she used this product in a rather genius way . . . as a base and only on the areas where the shine creeps in. The result is fantastic, totally eliminating the lunchtime shine. Have you learnt any good tips from the make-up masters? Please share!

Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation

You may have noticed – I have a bit of an obsession with foundations. I feel if my skin looks good, then then everything else is just a finishing touch. That in mind, I buy way too many and am always searching for the perfect one. I purchased MAC Studio Sculpt a few months ago, it was pay day, I found myself in the MAC store and left with this in a shopping bag. Oops. I have a lot of light / medium coverage foundations, I'm not an Estée Lauder Double Wear kind of girl, my skin just can't take it. Saying that, I was looking for a new foundation with a higher coverage than i normally opt for as I was suffering a bit of hormonal breakout. I read a few reviews on Studio Sculpt and had to try it out.

Having previously asked for a sample of Studio Sculpt from MAC, I was colour matched with NC20 - not as alabaster as I'd like in February, but I'd say the best match in this line for my skin tone. This first thing I noticed about this foundation is the consistency - it's a lot thicker and more creamy than I would normally go for. I don't need a lot, just a pea-sized amount will suffice for my whole face. I find the only way to apply this is by using a buffing brush - in order not to look 'cakey', you do need to spend a bit of time really buffing this well into the skin, the result is a flawless, satin finish. It's definitely a medium to full coverage and quite moisturising – it is buildable, though I don't find I need to layer as I get enough coverage with just a small amount. I can feel it on my skin, but I would expect that with a foundation that claims it's water resistant and long-lasting. I find I get a full days wear, it's still in tact at the end of the day - even in places where my skin tends to get shiny, mostly on my chin and nose, this improves even more when I use a light translucent powder. Being a fair-skinned celt, an SPF is a necessity for me, this foundation has SPF 15. If you are looking for good medium to full coverage foundation, I would give this a go! Do you have any recommendations?

L'Oreal Paris: Lumi Magique Light Infusing Foundation & Pure Light Primer

As I am sure with most beauty lovers, I get carried away with new and much-hyped products, forgetting that sometimes I don't give my older products a fair chance and pushing them, in a rather unloved fashion to the back of a drawer. These two have been tarred with that brush and whilst having a tidy up, I found them cowering at the back of that very same drawer (cue melancholic violins). Anyway, I wheeled them out and set them somewhere I could not ignore them, giving both a bit of a second chance hoping they'd wow me.

When I first tried this foundation I wasn't overly impressed, more to do with the shade than the actual product. I bought it in the height of summer, whilst my Celtic complexion will never allow me to be a bronzed goddess, I think it's fair to say I had a bit more colour in my cheeks (that or just a few more freckles), I was somewhere between two of the shades in the rather limited 7 available. I picked C1 Rose Pearl (NB colour in pic not great representation of true shade -sorry!), which at the time made me look rather rather deprived of Vitamin D or any form of daylight for that matter. Now, in gloomy February when I have next to no colour about me and I need all the help I can get when it comes to luminosity, this porcelain shade is perfect. It's a very liquid consistency and you only need a little product, it feels nice and light on the skin. I apply using my fingers then lightly buff into the skin with a brush. The finish is dewy and gives me a lovely fresh-faced glow. I personally don't find it very moisturising, I do find I need to use a moisturising primer before applying, it just seems to sit better on my skin when it's well-hydrated. I can imagine it looking a bit chalky on those with very dry skin. It lasts relatively well, definitely needs a light dusting of translucent powder to set, and I would have to reapply lightly after work if I were going out. In all, a good budget buy if you can find shade that's a good match for your skin tone.

Now, for the primer. L'Oreal's Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer certainly adds Luminosity to the skin. I'm all for a radiant glow, however, I do find it a bit much when used under the Lumi Magique foundation. Again, It's a liquid formula and a little goes along way. It's very white and very iridescent. I wouldn't wear this on its own - firstly, I find it a bit icy in hue, secondly, I look rather too luminous, making my skin just look shiny. Saying that, it's a great highlighter when applied to the tops of the cheek bones or under the eyebrows. I have also used mixed a pump or two with foundation, when I want a more dewy finish than the foundation I'm using achieves on it's own. I'm not mad about this and I'm not sure I'd repurchase, but it is a handy product to have, even if it is stashed at the back of a drawer.

Top Two High End Foundations: Nars Sheer Glow & Clarins Skin Illusion

Having already written a post on my two high street foundations, I thought I'd follow this up with a post on my top two high end favourites. I'll hold my hands up, I'm a complete foundations junkie - I'll willingly try almost anything that gets a mention in a blog, and so,I found these two gems.

Nars Sheer Glow: Light 4, Deauville
This is my absolute go-to foundation when I want to feel better about myself - it gives my skin the most amazing finish - dewy, glowy, need I bang on? This much raved about foundation gives a medium coverage, that's buildable and not at all cakey. I usually apply this with my fingers - I've tried using a brush, though find it soaks up a bit too much product. The hydrating formula sits weightlessly on the skin and covers over imperfections like redness or hyper-pigmentation, giving a light-reflecting satin finish that lasts a good 6 hours, slightly longer if I set with a loose powder. I can't praise this foundation enough, if you fancy spending on a foundation, look no further - this is the one.

Clarins Skin Illusion: 107 Beige
I was brought up on Clarins, my mum is a massive devotee of the brand and I used to "borrow" her collection of products as a teenager. So, with my inherited fondness of this make, I've tried a few of their foundations in my time. My all time favourite was their discontinued True Comfort foundation, in a quest to find a replacement, I stumbled across this beaut. This is a light and silky formula that gives a gorgeous perfecting, healthy-looking, satin finish to the skin. It just about sees me through the whole day, with a little powder on the t-zone at lunchtime. It feels hydrating on the skin and gives me that radiant glow we're all searching for. Before I finish - I can't fail to mention the fragrance when applying this, I can't quite put my finger on it but it's certainly fruity, though I can't say I notice it linger. This is a definite star in the Clarins line-up, definitely worth a go.

Do you have any top foundation recommendations?

Top Two High Street Foundations: Rimmel Match Perfection & Bourjois Healthy Mix serum

I'll be honest, I've always been a bit of a snob when it comes to foundation, tending to spend a bit more rather than less. However, since starting to read so many beauty blogs, I've realised there are some great products out there for a fraction of the price, that are used and trusted by those who really know their stuff. Realising that I can save a few pennies is always good, so here are my high street favourites:

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation: No. 102 Light Nude
This Rimmel purchase took me back a few years, the first foundation I ever bought was from this brand, in fact, as was most of my make up back then. I read a huge number of raving reviews on Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation and so gave it a whirl. I was sorely disappointed, the finish was lovely and I was impressed, my skin, on the other hand, was not as I found it reduced me to a bit of a spotty mess. It was with hesitation I decided I'd give the Match Perfection a go. I waited for the breakout, and waited, and was pleasantly surprised when not a single spot raised its ugly head. The finish is lovely, it's dewy enough to give me a fresh-faced look, but not super-shiny, for me it's similar to MAC's Studio Sculpt. The formula is thicker than expected, but easy to work into the skin - I use a buffing brush and find it blends well and gives a medium coverage and lasts a good 6 hours, slightly longer if use a primer though I'd prefer the finish without.

I chose shade 102 Light Beige, which was the most suitable out of the 11 shades available, its a touch too dark for me in the dead of winter, but in summer when i have a bit more colour in my cheeks, it's almost perfect. Rimmel claims this foundation has 'Advanced Smart-Tone Technology' that is supposed to help the foundation adapt to your skin colour for an 'undetectable' finish. I'm not sure if this is the case or not, but it's certainly earned me a fair few compliments on my skin and I'd say its great, affordable, everyday foundation that I will definitely repurchase.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation: No. 52 Vanilla
This foundation had so much hype, it seems it was almost rude not to try it. Given the endless number of amazing reviews this product had behind it, I had very high hopes for it.

My first impressions weren't as great as i had hoped. I bought it on the hop, having a particularly bad skin day and needing a quick fix before I headed for drinks after work. Though, giving it a second chance and applying with a brush rather than my fingers, I began to get what everyone was raving about. It gives a flawless, natural finish, that's glowy and fresh. It's gel based formula is light and easy to blend and build coverage. It feels moisturising and light on the skin, lasting most of the day - though I definitely have to set with powder, especially on the t-zone. I bought shade 52, Vanilla, which is perfect for my skin tone - to be honest, it doesn't really look like I'm wearing make up at all. Another definite repurchase for me!

What are your favourite high street bargain beauty buys?