Foundations I am Loving

So I am a foundation trollop. I will admit it, I love me some good base. I probably have about nine foundations on the go. It can be drugstore or high end,however in order to make it into my foundation drawer,  it needs to satisfy my little list of criteria: perfect colour, goes on smoothly, doesn't sink into my pores and makes my skin look flawless. No big deal, right?

My current loves include:

• Koh Gen Do  Aqua Foundation
• Dior Skin Air Nude Serum
• YSL Fusion Ink
• Dior Airflash

I have fairly normal skin that can become dehydrated and now with the warmer months approaching my skin can be a little oily. While I haven't tested some of these in the humid summer months, there are others that just rock no matter.

Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation

This little bitch is expensive, we are talking $74 Cdn. Thank God for VIB sales. However, it goes on smoothly, gives me a healthy glow without making me look like an oil slick, contains great skin ingredients and is a perfect colour match.
The down side is its accessibility. It isn't found in Canada and the only way to purchase it, is through Sephora. Although Sephora delivers to Canada, you can't touch it and try your shade. I had to look at swatches and guess. If you live in the States, Koh Gen Do will provide you with samples.

Dior Skin Air Nude Serum

The texture and consistency is part of the new trend that you can find in YSL Infusion Ink. It is extremely liquid and thin but has good coverage. It is a demi matte and my freckles still show. It blends easily and doesn't sink into my pores. I like to use my primer water and my fingers to apply.


Dior Skin AirFlash

I haven't heard much about this aerosol spray foundation and I have had it for about 2 years now. I think it is one of the best foundations out there. Other than the lack of shades, this is kind of the perfect foundation. I always receive compliments when I wear it. I like to use a regular foundation brush and then apply it to the face. Please dear god do not spray it directly from the can to your face. Good way to get it in your hair and eye brows. At $50 Cdn it isn't cheap, but I am generally a pretentious foundation snob who is willing to spend the bucks on a great one.

YSL Fusion Ink

The applicator I can do without; however the formulation and colour I cannot. The texture is extremely similar to Armani Maestro, Dior Air Serum, Maybelline Dream. It goes on easily and I prefer to use my finger to spread and blend. The finish is demi- matte with a medium coverage. Unlike, the Dior foundations, YSL a number of colour except for those with very dark complexions. At $64 Cdn, I would hope companies would be more inclusive.

As you can see, I enjoy expensive foundation and willing to invest in good ones. I aim to have my skin at its best as nothing else will apply properly or look well if I don't.

Review: Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Makeup

I know the beauty world is all a flutter about Giorgio Armani's Maestro Fusion Makeup and I wouldn't be me if I didn't do a review on it.  I enjoy the beauty industry challenging itself with new technology and formulations . This has been seen in recent years by Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua and  Estee Lauder's Invisible Fluid. Both of which are fabulous and make the skin look incredible.  Giorgio Armani has stepped it up with, perhaps, a completely new way of looking at skin.




Maestro Fusion Makeup
Source:http://www.giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com

Let me just preface this review by saying that in the past I have not been impressed with Giorgio Armani foundations. I have owned Face Fabric and Luminous Silk, and those were so full of silicones, I ended up throwing them out.  Drum roll please......Maestro Fusion's first ingredient is Dimethicone

I was able to get my hands on a sample of this "revolutionary complexion perfector", as it is not available in Canada until October 2012 at Holt Renfrew. Why is this so revolutionary?

First of all it does not contain water nor powders. Instead, it is made up of different oils - volatile, semi volatile, non-volatile. These oils evaporate from the skin, leaving a thin layer of skin perfecting pigments.

By now, you normal to oily/oily skinned girls are freaking out with the mere mention of putting oil on your face..... Fear not, certain oils are fantastic for oily skin  and as a combination girl, this did not make me oilier and it actually made my skin feel extremely comfortable. As for the reported weightless feel, the claims are true. The texture is very watery and non-greasy. It blends like a dream and my skin was uniform in colour, but it allowed my freckles to show through.

Using my fingers, as suggested by the SA at Holt Renfrew, I worked the tiniest i.e., three drops, into my skin and patting more of it where I had imperfections. I don't have many issues with my skin, but those that were there, were not covered. Hmmmmm complexion perfector....????

Additionally, I can see those of you with dry skin not enjoying this. As the formulation will probably adhere to any dry patches and through researching other reviews, it did exactly this. However, if you have good skin and want to even it out, this will be a beautiful choice, but at a steep price. 

The down and dirty:

• price: $68 Cdn at Holt Renfrew
• coverage; sheer to medium
• finish: natural with slight sheen
• colours: 12

Cheers,

xo Megs

 

Review: YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat

image source: http://www.yslbeautyus.com

With the huge success of Touche Eclat concealer/highlighter, YSL has launched the new foundation Le Teint Touche Eclat.  As I am a foundation trollop, I had to get my hands on this one.

Image Source: http://www.yslbeautyus.com

YSL describes this foundation as illuminating, dimensional radiance, weightless perfection. It is suppose to target the shadowy areas and highlight the contours, whilst being buildable without the opaque fillers.
The packaging is luxurious and I love the pump. The product itself is lovely. With combination-oily skin, I have to be very careful with the word "radiance" as my face can look like I have been kickboxing within an hour. However, this gave my skin a very slight glow and my face never looked greasy. The coverage was medium but not able to completely cover my lovely red spots. It is definitely buildable without looking or feeling heavy.  Finally, the colour range is great and it's about time. This is where YSL has faltered in the past. This time around, there are choices of cool (BR), neutral(B) and warm tones(BD).
While, I like this foundation, I don't love it and I wanted to love it. Trust me (please see aforementioned use of trollop).  I can't put my finger on it, perhaps it's the price? Or the underwhelming effect on my skin? Either way, I felt meh about it.

The down and dirty:

• price: $60cdn
• coverage: medium buildable
• finish: slightly dewy
• colours: 17 - from the fairest B10 to the darkest B90

Loving Now: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation

Gotta say, this little foundation is worth the hype. I love the coverage - sheer to medium and the finish - semi-matte. It is my skin, only better. I found the perfect colour in Vanilla 52, however others might not be so lucky. It is limited in its shade selection and this is an issue with many mass companies. If you are any higher, then say, NC 35 forget it.  At $27, it is a little pricey for a drugstore foundation, but many mass companies are upping their prices to the point where there isn't much of a price difference between the "high-end" and drugstore brands.

The down and dirty:

• finish: semi-matte
• price $27 cdn found only at Shoppers Drug Mart
• coverage: sheer to medium
• colours: 5 from very fair 51 Vanille Clair to medium 56 Hale Clair