Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation

Sadly, today I come to you with some disappointing news.  I don't know how to break this, other than; Rimmel's Stay Matte Foundation sucks.  Noone likes a Negative Nancy, but if it stops anyone wasting their money then Nancy I shall be.

I mentioned on my Spending Spree post that I'd bought this and was excited to try it.  I so wanted to love it, and I've given it a fair go this week.  But it's just god-awful.  I hoped it would be wonderful because I love a matte finish, but this is just the driest substance I have ever tried to put on my face.  It's honestly like trying to smear tile grout across your face, well I imagine it is anyway.

As it's so thick you end up using loads of it in comparison to any of Rimmel's other foundations and it's in a squeezy tube, which I think gives you much less control than a pump, although you'd need industrial machinery if you wanted to pump this!

It's so thick that I couldn't use my Real Techniques blending brush to apply it as I usually would, so I had to use my fingers, which gets my back up straight away.  I hate having messy hands, eurgh.
Anyway I persevered and made an attempt to blend it in, but it just isn't really blendable.  It made itself comfy in my pores, sat there and enjoyed the spectacle of me trying to fight back.  It won.

In terms of it's main feature, once applied, I don't feel it stays matte on my t-zone.  I'd say after half an hour my nose starts to become oily, and by the end of the day it wears worse than a regular foundation, leaving patches on my chin and forehead.

I really have nothing positive to say- other than it only costs £5.99, so it wasn't the most costly mistake I've made, but still; annoying.  I love Rimmel as a brand, and they have some brilliant foundations, but sadly this isn't one of them.  Match Perfection and Stay Matte Powder will leave you much more matte by the end of the day.


Have you tried Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation? I'd love to know what you thought of it!

Suzy
xx





 mmy

Sunday Spending Spree

I've been such a Moaning Myrtle this week; if you follow me on twitter you'll have been subjected to my woes all week while I've been in bed with gastric flu. I've felt much better this weekend so I decided to treat myself to a little pick me up:  Yesterday I went wedding dress shopping with my mum (more on that in my wedding series!), and today I went to the Trafford Centre with Adam armed with my list of things I wanted.

Mac Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in NC30

I mentioned on my September wishlist post that I've wanted this for ages and I'm really excited to try it. My skin has been super oily lately and my foundation hasn't been lasting too well so I'm definitely up for trying something different. Currently trying to resist taking off my make up so I can put it on.  So tempted!
This was £21.50 in Selfridges.

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in Light Porcelain

If you have eyes you can't have failed to notice how hard Rimmel have been trying to flog this new foundation; countless tv adverts, magazines, and promotions in Boots/Superdrug.  Normally I resist such determined marketing at all costs, but I'm so taken in by matte products that I had to buy it.  I know.  I'm ashamed of myself too..!
I will potentially live to regret my colour choice, but the Ivory shade came out alarmingly orange on my hand so I went for the lightest shade.  If all else fails it's nearly Halloween!
Stay Matte is £5.99 in Boots and Superdrug.  I bought it as part of Superdrug's 'buy one get one half price' offer.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Peach Glow
Stay Matte Powder was my 'get one half price' in the aforementioned offer.  I honestly haven't used this since I was about 16 so I'm interested to see how it does.  I only bought this because Superdrug were sold out of my favourite power - MUA's Matte Perfect Loose Powder.
Full price this is £3.99. 

VO5 Refresh Me Quick Dry Shampoo

Best dry shampoo ever.  And half price at £1.72...YAY!


MUA Nail Polish In Plum Noir
I posted here about how much I love MUA's £1 nail polishes and I thought this shade was absolutely perfect for autumn.  It's a beautiful rich purple and i'm going to use it with my new favourite topcoat - Barry M's All in One Basecoat, Topcoat & Nail Hardener to give it a bit of extra shine and longevity.

Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction Eau de Toilette 30ml
I've wanted this for about 2 months now, and now I have it I cant stop sniffing myself.  It may pose a problem.  I just smell tooooooo good! It's red plum & freesia and it's a sweet scent but with darker notes that are presumably the 'seduction' aspect of it.  I was really happy that Adam picked this one out of all the ones we tested, because I think it's yummy.  I decided to just buy this one for £11 today since I was buying so many other things, but next time I'm going to go for the 3 for £24 offer and get the body mist and a different eau de toilette too - there's so many amazing scents, I'm currently covered in about 10 different ones because I couldn't stop spraying!

So that's it for my little Sunday spree, I'll update with that I think of the foundations once I've given them a good test!

Have you tried any of these products?


Suzy
xx

 

#TheSOproject WEEK 3: Foundation

This week the Starting Off project is all about Foundation; one of my favourite things to buy! I've tried some absolute stinkers before,both high and low end but im going to keep this post positive and just tell you about my favourites!

As a teenager foundation was something that was quite daunting to me for a few reasons:
1)My mum discouraged me from using it as I didn't need it.  She was, rightly so, trying to protect my skin from becoming clogged up with an unnecessary amount of product.
2) Seeing other girls the same age experimenting with foundation and appearing at school with bright orange, muddy looking faces made me go for a more subtle look. My school was super strict and made us wash off any traces of make up if we were caught out wearing it, so I'd much rather have just worn a little mascara and powder and be undetectable.
3) Liquid foundation is scary: it's messy, not something I wanted to get all over my clothes and hands and I  didn't feel confident I'd be able to apply it without getting the dreaded tide line around my jaw.


My Recommendations

Young skin
Eventually vanity took over  around the age of 16 and I discovered  Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse.For years and years I used this in the shade Ivory, which was the a perfect match for my pale Northern skin. It served me well: it was cheap, lasted fairly well on the skin and was super easy to apply using my pinkies.

I started to find though that once I was working full time rather than dossing around at college or uni, it wasn't holding up too well by the end of the day and it begun to cling to any dry patches I had.

I think its hard to go wrong with this for teenagers just starting out with make up & I'd definitely recommend it. Currently £7.49 from Boots.

Drugstore/pharmacy

 

 

I would recommend Rimmel Match Perfection which I posted in detail about here. It's cheap and cheerful and the foundation I use the most.
Currently £6.99 from Boots.

Higher end foundation

 

My favourite higher end foundation is Clinique Even Better foundation. It gives a medium to high coverage with a moderately glowy finish but holds my persistent oil off pretty much all day. It is also SPF 15, which is really handy, especially for the winter when I prefer not to bother with a separate SPF. I've just finished this but I'll definitely repurchase, for about the 4th time. Clinique provides a generous choice of 25 shades for this foundation so there's no excuse for not having a perfect match!
Currently £24 from Clinique

Mineral Foundation
Mineral foundation is also a really good option, but for me I only crack this out for days at home and good skin days as I am far too lazy to buff and buff and buff to increase the coverage!

The one I'd recommend is Bare Minerals Original Foundation although its not cheap at £25 it does last ages, especially if you buff buff buff!!
It lasts really well throughout the day and it doesn't feel like you're wearing make up, which would be good for teens at school!

 

Application

Although most foundations can be applied by hand I pretty much always use a brush. I don't like to end up with messy hands when I'm about to go out and I like the smooth finish a brush gives.

 I posted here about the brush I use most for foundation: Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I'm yet to find a foundation that this brush doesn't work with!


What foundation would you recommend?  I'd love some ideas for what to try next!


Suzy
xx

 

MUA Review Series #2: Matte Perfect Loose Powder

This week there was a clear candidate for review: the MUA Product I use the most.

Sadly with skin that is oilier than is convenient, I'm never going to be able to slap on some foundation and float off to work for the day looking dewy and ethereal, it's always going to be so-shiny-you-can-almost-see-your-face-in-it come lunchtime.  I've had to powder since about the age of 13 and now aged 25 I think I'm justified in feeling a little short-changed with the skin I have acquired.
I've gone through numerous different powders in search of the best option to keep my make up in place and limit the dreaded shine.  I concluded several years ago that pressed powders are not for me; they don't last long enough before reaching the bottom and cracking (packaging, not face), and I've never liked any I've tried - most notably Rimmel Stay Matte and No7 pressed powder which is that bad it deserves it's own post.

Now although loose powder is despised by my mother and boyfriend alike due to it's messy nature I am happy to overlook this for the finish it gives and the fact it lasts longer than a month before cracking and smearing it's contents over my make-up bag...yes, you again, No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder.
For a while I had an extended dalliance with No7 Perfect Loose Powder: I like both the smooth finish and the sweet little packaging it comes in, but I do not like the price - £10.50.  Think on No7...it's essentially dust to put on your t-zone, and you aren't high end. While I'm on the subject, your mascaras are overpriced too.  There, I said it.

MUA Matte Perfect Loose Powder came into my life rather suddenly and without any prior research. Living life on the edge. Naturally suspicious of anything seeming too cheap to be true, I fully expected to be palming it off onto my freeloading student sister within a week. 
The colour despite purporting to be 'transparent' looked rather too dark for me and I feared orangeface.
As it turns out it really is transparent and it gives a smooth finish as good as any more expensive powder I've used. The staying power is average on me - I first apply around 6.30am and generally need to touch up my t-zone by 11am ish. I've never had a powder that has lasted all day so I'm happy with this. It doesn't give me flatface, or sit in my pores. The main ingredient is talc, so it has the potential to irritate, but I've had no issues.

MUA's description is as follows, and I can't disagree with any of it:
"Make-up Academy’s Matte Perfect Loose Translucent Powder is an extremely lightweight sheer and silky setting powder. This finely milled loose powder fixes your foundation in place, perfect for minimising oiliness and unwanted shine. The micro fine featherweight texture means that it never looks powdery or feels heavy over foundation. It disappears on the skin brightening up your make up whilst keeping it in place throughout the day."

The reason I know it's good is that my head is so easily turned by make up, yet I haven't even looked to buy any different powders. I've used it every day since buying it and I'm now on my 3rd little pot of it. I've recommended it to my sister and friend and they both really like it too. I'd say it lasts around 2 months for me, and that's probably with 2 touch ups during the day.

However, MUA, in case you thought you were completely home and dry, I do have a few gripes; packaging.
1)Firstly, I know it is cheap, but must it look so cheap?! A horrible white lid, with childish pink writing that rubs off rather too easily, is not something I want to get out to touch up in public.
2) Having oily skin, I need my powder to accompany me throughout the day.  As there is nothing to stop the powder coming out, every time I take off the lid there is a messy pool of powder sat looking at me on top of the sifter bit.  Would it really cost that much more to put in a little extra layer to stop that happening?  My aforementioned mother and boyfriend would be most grateful..!

Actually, I thought I had more gripes than that.  2 is pretty good going. Buy it! :)

MUA Matte Perfect Loose Powder is available from Superdrug priced £2.50 and MUA's website at £2.30.

Have you tried this? What are your favourite MUA products? I'd love some more recommendations!

If you missed #1 from my MUA review series you can catch up here.  

Suzy xx

My current favourite foundation: Rimmel Match Perfection

I'm a hard one to please with foundation. I've spent absolute fortunes on the stuff trying to find the right one and have unfortunately fallen for Internet hype on some occasions (I'm looking at you healthy mix serum), leading to a drawer full of expensive mistakes looking mockingly up at me when I open it..!

I have two main problems with finding a foundation to suit:

1) I have oily skin. Companies are pushing dewy-look foundation and if I go down that route we'll have a landslide on my face come lunchtime. Matte foundations dry my skin out and cling to any spots so that's no good either.

2) I have really pale skin. I'm always the palest shade (except in MAC) and even then the palest shade is sometimes too dark, especially with cheaper foundations. Higher end make up counters seem determined that I'm a shade darker and always match me up to their equivalent of shade 2, rather than shade 1, so I've had several expensive purchases I've been unable to use for fear of brightorangeface; lesson learnt!

Then came along a complete whim of a purchase: Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation. It was my '3' in my 3 for 2 in boots and I wasn't expecting it to be brilliant cos it was fairly cheap and I've hated every rimmel foundation I've tried. But I was happily proven wrong and I'm on my 3rd bottle now.

The shade 100 Ivory is perfect for my skin tone and the finish on the skin is lovely; it doesn't 'set' like a matte foundation but its not ridiculously dewy either. It needs powdering to keep it in place, but I do that with any foundation anyway. It doesn't cling to spots or dry patches and it doesn't settle in my fine lines (sob sob :'( ). It's a medium coverage, which is what I want for every day. It has SPF 18 too, which is a nice little bonus.

The lasting power isn't exceptional and by 5 when I'm driving home from work it looks a bit patchy, especially around my mouth where I've been drinking. But I do leave the house at 7am so it's a really long day for any foundation to last. 

Another thing I've found, perhaps disgustingly (don't judge..!) is that I can put another layer on top later on and it doesn't cake at all, it just blends in. Handy for if I get home and have like 10 minutes to get ready before going out for the evening.

 

The higher end product I've used that the  I think the finish is most similar to is Clinique Even Better Foundation, which I also loved, but for £24 I can have 4 of these and I don't think I'd get that past my boyfriend's raised eyebrows!

Even better has a slightly lower SPF, of 15 too, so it can't even really draw me in with that.

Currently available at Boots for £4.99 - bargain!
 

Suzy

Xx

Real Techniques: Core Collection

When contemplating purchasing this kit around 6 months ago, having read review after review, I was led to believe this would be the best kit, with the best brushes. Ever. I hate any degree of hype surrounding a product, but admittedly these are pretty good brushes!

The core collection comes with a 2-in-1 case and stand which contains 4 brushes: contour brush, buffing brush, pointed foundation brush and detailer brush.

The case is lovely quality and nicely padded to protect the brushes and is also handy for holding your brushes upside down after cleaning them.

However, on your average morning getting ready for work it's way too time consuming and fiddly to be bothered (for me, anyway!) to put the brushes back in after use as they don't slide in easily. So whilst I started off with the best of intentions to mother and care for my new brushes, invariably I just chuck them into my cosmetics bag on my way out of the door and they have to fend for themselves along with the rest of my make-up. They seem to be holding up fine so far!

The actual quality of the brushes is really good and they are mostly lovely and soft. I haven't had a single hair fall out of any of the 4, which is impressive after 6 months' use. I love the bright colour of the brushes too and they are really easy to clean.

However, in effect I only use 50% of the brushes. 

The buffing brush I use daily: it applies my foundation wonderfully and blends it in so quickly, leaving a lovely smooth finish. I also use the contour brush every day, but usually for blusher as it's just the right shape. It's good for contouring too but I just think that's a bit overkill when I'm only going to work.

Now, as far as I can see, the other 2 brushes are really fillers in this kit, and haven't got much use out of them since my initial experimentation. 

I can't work out what the detailer brush is for; it's the least soft of all the brushes and I've tried it for concealer and around my eyes but its too sharp for either. Very strange. 

The foundation brush is bizarrely small and the finish it gives isn't worth the time it takes to paint my foundation on! It leaves a streakier finish than the buffing brush and I just can't see why you'd need both in one kit. I'd much rather have seen the powder brush (available individually) within this kit as I don't need to apply foundation twice - so why do I need two things performing the same task?!

This considered, I still think the price is pretty reasonable for this kit. I paid around £16 for mine when feelunique.com had a 20% off promotion on but the prices generally vary from around £17-18 online to £21.99 in Boots and Superdrug. It's great to see them available on the high street but I'm fundamentally tight and would rather pay £5 less and wait for a couple of days!

In the unlikely event the entire kit goes missing from my life, I would definitely repurchase.

Pros:

- lovely soft brushes with no shedding of hairs

- handy little stand/case 

- good value for money

- widely available in store and online

Cons:

- (in my opinion) 2 less useful brushes

- detailer brush a bit harsh