Illamasqua Cream Foundation in 210

Recently illamsqua had a super sale on. With free delivery. You know what that means....

After a lot of research and a fingers crossed moment hoping this would match my skin tone, the Illamasqua Cream Foundation was added to my basket and I was £4.50 lighter (Yes, £4.50. A fraction more than a Starbucks and way better than the £23 price tag it wears in Selfridges).

The foundation itself is very thick. I've tried blending it with my fingers, a sponge and a stippling brush and found the stippling brush to be best. Top tip was to moisturise the face then rather sharpish add the foundation to allow blending a lot easier as at first it felt like I was pushing cement around my face. Classy.

Aside from the application issues the foundation itself offers a very high coverage, disguising unsightly redness and freckles however visibly and clingy on patches of dry skin and around the corners of the nose. Once applied (properly) it leaves a lovely matte finish that looks natural, ridiculously smooth and leaves a flawless base for you to start building your colour upon.

On my skin this lasted only a few hours and this is because I kept rubbing at it because of the aforementioned issues. So a bit of a mixed bag really. For what I paid for it.. a bargain. If I'd of paid full price I would be grumpier than Grumpy Cat.

I'm sorry for the lack of swatches but without making my skin look vile- ain't nobody got time for that.

So keep an eye on the website as if you see it cheap, worth it, even if you use as a concealer, if not stay clear! 

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SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint in Medium

SEVENTEEN have really been upping the ante recently, and with their barrage of skin care releases there was bound to be some gems among them. I picked up the phwoarr paint on a whim as I needed a heavier concealer for the eye area. This comes in two shades, Medium and Light, which is very limited and such a shame as for a skin product it limits the market so much. The product itself is nicely packaged with a very helpful mirror in the compact. It is quite sturdy and not too cheap looking so not something I'd be shifty about whipping out in public.

So, how does it perform? It applies VERY thickly. If you have dry skin you are going to want to stay away from this as it will just stick where you don't want it to. I use it after moistirisng and that seems to be the best way to apply. Warm it up on your fingers and dab into the eye area. A brush can be used to blend it but to apply straight out the pan with the brush will make the job harder. Application aside, this is the bees knees. It really does work. It covers my eye bags with some major power and although it is thick, if you blend it properly it doesn't sit on the skin and look obvious.

Finally, the price.

£5.49 here. In all honestly, it's a bit of a steal if using a heavy duty concealer isn't a daily thing. If you want something for everyday use I would recommend something that is easier to apply though as it does take some working in.

You tried it? Let me know!

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Quick review: Stila Illuminating Powder

Get down to Poundland you amazing people. The above, Stila illuminating powder refil in Medium are currently gracing the shelves. I got mine in Nottingham but I know up and down the country they have been appearing!
The powder itself is awesome, as you would expect. It applies well, doesn't create utter mess when a brush goes near it, lasts long and blends well.
Buy it. Buy it NOW. Buy many!!! x

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