L'oreal Infallible Pro Matte Foundation - A Review!

When I first saw the world raving about the L'oreal Infallible Pro Matte Foundation, I didn't want to touch it with a bargepole. With my skin being mostly dry, anything matte can be entirely unforgiving and cling to texture ad dry patches. But with every new review, my curiosity level was out of hand. Finally, i just gave in and bought ordered it on Amazon. I've been using it on and off for a good 2 months now and I really think I can talk about it in depth.
I have the shade 108 Caramel Beige and I have to say it's a spot on colour match. And what's better is it's a wonderful yellow based foundation. I always have a problem with foundations when they aren't too yellow, but this one is just perfect! In terms of texture, it's similar to a thick cream and is very pigmented. A little goes a long way with this one.
I like applying it either with my fingers as a light layer to even out my skintone on low maintenance makeup days or with a beauty blender on days when I want more coverage.
While yes, it does have a tendency to cling to dry patches on my skin - I always make sure to double moisturise these days. So it doesn't sit as heavy as it would if I didn't double moisturise.
In terms of longetivity, it's pretty good. I find that it fades pretty fast around my T-Zone which is the oiliest part of my face (Something I find a bit strange for a matte foundation). Around 5-6 hours and it fades considerably - but this depends on the primer underneath it.

As a whole, I would say this is a good solid foundation, in terms of it's coverage, colour match and staying power. While it didn't knock my socks off or even come close to my now favourite NARS Sheer Glow, it's a very good daytime alternative.

Have you tried this foundation? What do you think?

P.S. I know I've been irregular when it comes to blogging, but part of my 2016 resolution is to be more regular and blog more often. Also, incase you guys didn't know, I got engaged to my boyfriend on the 22nd of December, 2015. We're going to be getting married this year, so a little side project is going to be makeup for my wedding, what to use etc. Would you be interested in that journey with me? 

The Foundation that isn't.

This is probably the base product I forget about most easily. For some reason, MAC Face and Body never really is my first choice on myself because it requires me to conceal a lot more than a fuller coverage foundation, but if you want your foundation to look more skin like, and you don't have too much to conceal, this is the answer to your prayers.

Firstly, it is more on the dewy side - so those of you looking for a matte foundation may want to skip this one (unless you powder the crap out of it). It gives you a very light coverage that is build able, and tends to stay put. A little note - it also happens to be water proof.
However, the application with this foundation is what can make or break it.
If you buff it on with a brush, chances are it won't really do much to your skin, probably won't stay put either.
If you use a sponge, since it is water based - the sponge will soak up most of the product.
I would suggest using your fingers in circular motions, once it becomes slightly paste like, give it a moment and let it set. Once it does that, it will not budge.
I've used this on the face and the body and it gives the most luminescent complexion, giving the skin the illusion of being healthy and plump.

I would say it is better for dry skins because of how water based it is, but you never know, it could work on some oily skins as well. Makeup totally depends on the person, not the product.

FYI, I use a C3 around the centre of my face and a C5 around the perimeters to give myself a very highlighted base... followed by a shit ton of concealer.

All in all, I would say if you're a makeup lover, Face and Body should definitely be a part of your collection.

Do you own this? What are your thoughts?

The Base Everyone Talks About

The Makeup Forever HD Foundation has got non stop rave reviews in the beauty community. It has also been featured on most 'Holy Grail' product lists that I've seen. Naturally, I've been curious.
While I was here, since it was only available in Mumbai and Delhi and it costs INR 3600, I kept my distance. But then, I decided to add it to my kit.
I have it in three shades, and 153 is the perfect match for me - its so wonderfully yellow (dare I say, almost as perfect as my Armani LSF) and I have used it on every kind of skin you can think of. I've found it sits best on oily/combination skin, but on my mildly dehydrated and acne prone skin, it sinks in and gives me a very natural looking finish.
The coverage of this thing is phenomenal. The picture above is me wearing only the foundation wearing no concealer whatsoever. So you can see how well it covers all my scarring.
In terms of longevity, it wears so well, I find that it looks even better after a few hours - which I didn't think was possible.


Overall, I love it. I love it so so so much that I didn't think it was possible. Infact, this may be rivaling my favorite Armani LSF.

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?

P.S. This will be a part of a series I've been creating on my blog called 'The Foundation Files'. Anything base related will be found here = )

I'm BACK! + theBalm Tinted Moistureiser Review!

Guess who? Yep! After almost 2 months, I'm back!

Quick little story for ya - I moved to London, which most of you know, to start studying makeup for film, television, fashion and theatre. So far there has been a lot of hair, which I love, surprisingly, but also tons and tons of makeup, which I will post about soon. But somehow along the way, I lost interest in the makeup/blogging world. You see, when you're dealing with actual makeup for Television and Film and even everyday life on a day to day basis, it really makes you rethink this whole beauty blogging world. Because a lot of the people seem to be here for to make money and push products for the sake of it, and to me, that took the fun out of blogging... because, there really is no miracle foundation that will fix every problem you have or that one primer that will fill out your pores, its a combination of things, its always going to be, and there is no wonder product no matter how good the very edited campaign pictures may look or the blogger/ article may claim... but now that I've had some time to think about it, I still want the world to know my take on the product, so I'm back.. with a cheeky little review. I know, Shock horror! I maybe a bit slow getting back into things, but if you're still reading after this break, thank you, and stay tuned!

So, imagine my surprise when my flatmate walks into my room one day and thrusts a box at me and says "its too light for me, you try it". Ofcourse I had no idea what she was talking about. theBalm is not a company I'm very familiar with.. I know of their highlighters and eyeshadow palettes, but bases? I never even thought to try them. But here I was, holding a shiney new tube of theBalm Shelter tinted moisturizer SPF 18 in Medium/Dark which I naturally slapped on almost instantly. Fair warning, for everyone who is yellow undertoned, this looks scarily pink when you first apply it onto your face. Heck, it made me look very grey - which considering is the general colour of winter, not a good look, BUT after a few minutes, it sunk in and started looking pretty good, even if I say so myself. In terms of coverage it a light to medium, good enough to cover my hyper pigmentation, but not great with my acne scarring, so naturally, if you have spots and scars like me you'll need concealer over it. But I just add a bit of my MAC Studio Fix Powder over it to cover those nasty scars, and I, pretty much good to go.
Its glowey, so if you're looking for something matte - stay far far away, but it lasts pretty much all day long and makes me feel like I have nothing on (go figure - tinted moisturizer). So I would say, though I didn't pay for it initially, I would definitely be repurchasing this.

FYI, it costs GBP 17.50 and can be found at feel unique that ships internationally!

Have you heard of/tried this? What are your thoughts? 

A Foundation Conundrum

The Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation is supposed to be a gel based foundation with a light-medium coverage that goes over areas of texture and colour and glide over it, while providing radiance and hydrating your skin. Atleast it claims to do all of that.
After using this for close to a month, I've been debating on writing a post about it, because honestly, I don't know what I feel about it. Hence, the conundrum.
For starters, I find it doesn't really glide over my skin the way I presumed something that claimed it was 'gel based' would. It was streaky and patchy, and I really needed to buff it in to stop that from happening.
Secondly, since I needed to buff it into areas where I had texture and pigmentation, I couldn't really build it up to anything more than a light layer - which is great if you have perfect skin, with my skin however, NOPE. Just doesn't work. So it was a bit of a fail on the coverage front.
Third, I found that it just sat on my skin, without sinking in, adding to my need to buff it or use a sponge - which honestly speaking is a huge bother in the morning when I'd rather just sleep that extra ten minutes I take to get this to sink into my skin. Ugh.

But, all is not lost. I really do like how radiant my skin looks when I wear it. And it stays put all day long without much fading. Also, colour match (I have 55) is pretty decent as far as budget foundations are concerned.

So... have you had this problem? Not sure if you like or dislike a product? Well, join the club, and help me make a decision! 

A New Base Love

You know how I've always wanted to try the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation? Well, I never did because I could never figure out what I shade I would be or how to get it shipped to me because of how expensive it was! Well, imagine my utter surprise and glee to see that our Makeup Kit for school included 4 shades of this foundation. I was even more surprised to see that both Barcelona and Syracuse (the two shades of foundation I was confused between) were a part of the 4 we were given.
I'm currently inbetween the two, but if I were to buy myself one of them, right now, I'd lean towards Syracuse, but come winter I'll be using Barcelona.

The foundation has a medium coverage with a satin finish. It isn't dewy, it isn't shiney, its just.. as the name suggest a glow.
I've been using it everyday for 2 weeks now. On various skintones and types and I thought I would give you a round up of this little wonder.
It costs GBP 31 (Around INR 3000). The range of colours is ridiculously large and has both warm and cool undertones.
The coverage is medium, but buildable to full, which I have done, and it never goes cakey or thick looking. It really sinks well into the skin without emphasizing texture of settling into lines.
No matter what your skin type is, it seems to last fairly long and doesn't fade till the 8 hour mark, which is great in a foundation.
It doesn't have SPF to it photographs like a dream, which is always a good thing!

I have to say, I am very impressed by this, and by the looks of it, it may become a kit staple for me.
Have you tried this? What do you think?

P.S Keep your eyes peeled for a quick 'what I've learnt so far' post!

The 'Holy Grail' Base Product

I'm not entire sure how many times I've mentioned this foundation while running this blog, but I'm guessing atleast once a week? Its probably my most mentioned product in my time writing this blog... yes, you guessed right - the Chanel Vita Lumier Aqua is what I could consider my 'holy grail' foundation. Bear in mind, there is no other product I consider holy grail uptil now, its a big deal people.
To put it simply, it is very easily the base I realize I cannot live without. Now that I'm onto my second bottle of this stuff, let me give you a full indepth review of this wondrous product.
For starters, Its Chanel, which by default makes it a luxury item that may make you tear upon hearing the price (INR 3000 *sob*). But its everything you'd want from a foundation that you shell out a boat load of money for.
The smell? Like Roses, classic Chanel.
The packaging? Travel friendly, light and simple.
The coverage? Light-medium to medium full if you want to build it up, never cakey or heavy looking, sinks in like a dream and looks gorgeous. FYI, its water based so you have to give it a good ol' shake before using it.
The colour match? I'm B50 which matches me as well as one foundation can, but the shade range is a little bit more on the smaller side.
The finish? Like skin, but healthy and glowy and beautiful!
How long does it last? Well, despite using it about 3 times a week on average, I've used the same bottle for over a year, so if you really think about it, its really worth the money you pay. Also, the pigment is so great that a little really does go a long way.
On the skin, it lasts all day on me, no problem at all.

Its lightweight, its easy to use and blend, stays put all day long and looks lovely on my acne prone dry skin. Honestly speaking, there is nothing I don't like about this foundation, I would say... RUN to your local Chanel store and try it. It will be love at first whiff/usage, I assure you.

That Effortless Foundation

Do you find liquid foundations to be a bit of a pain? Not worth the effort it takes to buff in into the skin? Don't like the feeling? Not easy for on-the-go?
Whatever your gripe maybe with regular liquid foundations, this product is basically the answer to them all!
I completely forgot I even owned it until my recent Project 10 Pan - but once I started using I wondered what made me forget about it to begin with. Its everything you need for a quick 'sweep and go', also, you chuck it into your bags and you've got touch ups throughout the day covered.
The MAC Studio Fix Powder + Foundation is finely milled and silky soft with a matte finish, but after about 10 minutes your natural skin does come through. I use it with an Illuminating Primer or my Strobe Cream, and with both, it works wonderfully. It works really well on people with oily skin, because it stays put. And on someone with Dehydrated Combination Skin like myself, it manages to glide over my dry patches without emphasizing them or getting stuck around them.
Its a medium coverage if you use it with a buffing brush - like I do. But it can also be sweeped on with a fluffy brush for just a veil of matte and hardly any coverage at all. If I build it up, it easily goes upto full coverage. Oddly enough, no matter how much I layer - it never looks too matte of cakey or even like I'm wearing full coverage. There's just something about the formula.
The one pictured is NC43.5 which is too dark for me, but I can make it work. I have repurchased it already in NC42 which matches me perfectly. Oh, and for the record, it currently costs INR 1990. (Ugh, stupid price increases)

Do you own this? What are your thoughts?

Foundation Combinations

First off, Happy Friday the 13th! Lets hope nothing horrific happens to anyone.
The topic of todays post is something I've been doing for months now, for special occasions or just on day when I want to feel particularly pretty, but I realized I've never written about it. Mixing Foundations.
Originally, I used to mix different colours to find the perfect match... but on one such occasion (22nd Birthday lunch, post here) I decided to try mixing foundations for texture. So, I love my Armani Luminous Silk, if you haven't heard me rave about it enough, I recently did a post all about it. You see, it really is perfect, but sometimes, when my skin is having a bad day, it can feel a bit heavy. When I'm breaking out and I have to go out, I tend to use my Chanel VitaLumiere Aqua, being light but still covering everything, so at random, I mixed the two, and the way it made my skin look... no words can express. Btw, it can be seen in action here.
When the two mix, somehow, they manage to look super glowy and skin like, even more so than when either is worn alone.. it gives me the weightless feeling of the Chanel, with the blurring properties of the Armani.
And depending on the day/occasion I can customize my mix.
Bottom line --> Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation + Chanel VitaLumiere Aqua = flawless skin.

Have you tried mixing two of your favorite foundations? How did it work out for you?

THAT Foundation

As you read this, I'll be in Delhi, hopefully shopping till I drop - and hopefully present me will remember to pack this with me so future me won't reread this when its published and regret not having it. Pffft. Confusing, non?
You know that foundation that everyone claims is perfect - which seems inconceivable, because nothing could really do it all. Cover everything, rids you the need for concealer, doesn't leave your face too matte that it looks like a flat surface, but doesn't make it too glowey (is there such a thing?) that you feel the need to powder? This is THAT Foundation.
Incase you haven't gathered from the picture yet, I'm talking about the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 7.5. Before I get into anything else, let me say that the colour match that this provides is unparalleled. Yellow based, but not too yellow, not too light or dark, doesn't oxidize - its just the perfect colour. While we're talking shade range, this has something like 22 shades, which in insane. .5's being a bit more yellow and whole numbers being more neutral.
In terms of longevity, this lasts ages and ages on me, even without a primer underneath. Close to 10 hours on last count. It faded a little bit at the 9 hour mark.
As far as dealing with various textures goes, it has this uncanny ability to glide over dry patches and blemishes almost as if it had a gel like texture. One pump is more than enough to cover the face and the neck. I'm not going to tell you how awesome and sleek the packaging is, because you can see that for yourself.
It doesn't have SPF which is a good thing in my opinion, and going by the price, it most definitely is an evening or "special event" base. So really, you don't want that SPF induced white cast, do you?
I would consider this medium to full coverage - just the perfect balance between enough coverage but not mask like.
It truly is THAT Foundation - its too perfect to be true, but hey ho, it is.

Do you own this? If not, you must.

P.S. Next post will show you this foundation in action. Keep your eyes peeled. 

First Impressions - Bourjois Happy Light Foundation

I don't think I've ever seen a "First Impression" blogpost before, if you have, let me know? I love watching these videos on youtube, but somehow I just cannot ever think of starting my own Youtube Channel - so I thought I'd just do a post.
If you know me, you know my taste wanders to the higher end cosmetic brands when it comes to Base Makeup. But lately, I have been finding a fair few gems in the more "budget" makeup brands.. such as the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams (post here) or the MUG Eyeshadows (Here, here, here and here), but the one thing I haven't really found is a good foundation. Now you also know much I love my base products - be it illuminators/ primer/ highlighters/ foundation/ concealers/ bronzers.. the one product over the last month or so that has been a stand out for me was the Bourjois Happy Light Illuminating Primer. I found myself reaching for it practically everyday since I got it - needless to say I was curious about the foundation from the same range.
Colour Match - I have never found a good shade match in drugstore foundations, for whatever reason, and when I saw that they had only 5 shades in the Happy Light range, I was not confident. I thought I'd probably be matched to the darkest shade in the range - 54, but the sales girl insisted that I try 53, which at first looked too light for me; but it blended into my skin so beautifully and ended up looking exactly like my skin - but better.
Packaging wise - it comes in a glass bottle (which means not great to travel with; you probably can travel with it, not a big deal for me) with a coral/pink pump (Hygenic, easy and perfect! It should be mandatory for all foundations to come in either a tube or with a pump) - its so pretty! I'm usually someone who hates anything but monochrome packaging, but who can resist this?
Also, I'd like to point out that this doesn't seem to have SPF in it. Atleast I can't see it on the bottle. A lot of people seem to find the lack of SPF a bad thing - but I really love when foundations don't have SPF (If my beloved Chanel VA didn't have SPF 15, it really would be the perfect foundation) because I can use it at night/when the flash is on and I can look glowy and natural sans the disgusting white cast. During the day, I'd just use it over my regular Sunscreen (Neutrogena SPF 50+).

Makeup - Bourjois Happy Light Fondation in 53, Bobbi Brown Corrector in Dark Bisque, Chanel Loose Powder (under the eyes), Inglot 357 Matte to contour, Anastasia DipBrow Pomade, Eyes - Makeup Geek e/s in Cocoa Bear, Galaxy and Corrupt, Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara, Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry

Bourjois Happy Light Foundation is suited for dryer skins, I have gathered - it provides "8 hours of hydration" according to the bottle - which is something someone like me, who has dehydrated skin really yearns for.
As you can see from the first to second picture above, all I need is one pump to cover my face and blend it into my neck. The texture is a little on the runny side (not as runny as Face and Body though) and it glides onto the skin pretty easily. As I said earlier it did look a bit too light but it blended in with my skin really well. Coverage wise I'd say its sheer-medium. Dabbing a little more product over certain areas really gave me the coverage I needed; it also imparts the most healthy looking glow to the skin which looks so natural and really lovely. I also feel the need to mention that it does have a slight fragrance - but nothing that lingers.
For reference,I didn't powder any part of my face except the undereye area to see how the foundation wears on its own.
If you're someone who doesn't like the feeling of foundation on your skin - you might like this, as I just couldn't feel it. Is that why its called "Happy Light?" Hmm.

Incase you were wondering - I had eaten, and with that went away my lipstick - entirely. Sigh

As you can see - after about 4 hours it settles into the skin a little more - everything still looks pretty great - not a bit of wear in sight. I thought my skin was looking pretty darn good.

I didn't bother reapplying the lip colour for some reason - oh yeah, I just forgot

So this is after a little more than 10 hours. It looked a lot more worn at this point, and had started disappearing around my scarring - you can also see that my undereye concealer seems to have faded a fair bit; but after 10 hours, it was totally expected.
There was no clinging to dry patches, no oxidizing, and most importantly, not once through the day did it look like I was wearing a ton of makeup - I was even complimented on my "glowing skin". Really, if that doesn't tell you how this foundation seems to have performed, I don't know what else can.

So my first impression of this foundation would be - LOVE. Its so light and covers everything I need covering while making my skin look healthy and really fresh - I can see this becoming a summer staple. Just one little point though - I'd suggest getting one or two shades lighter than you normally do - just because the Happy Light range seems to run more yellow and darker than its Healthy mix counterpart. Oh, and it costs INR 1495 for 30ml.

Do you like these First Impression posts? Should I make this a regular feature? What are your thoughts on Happy Light?

P.S. Have you noticed my new blogging schedule? I post Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:30am IST.