Best Matte Powder - Estee Lauder Double Wear

After searching for a matte powder that gives great coverage without caking as well as a long lasting finish Estee Lauder's 'Double Wear Long Lasting Powder' works wonders!
It creates a soft matte finish, controls excess oil & shine without drying the skin as well as minimising pores. It will set your make-up perfectly & the powder won't change colour either as it wears, plus it stays put - even increasing the wear of cheek colour as well.
Generally for oily to combination skin, it's perfect for keeping a fresh matte look all day without constant shine touch ups!
A little pricey, but it does last well so well worth it (£22.50).

Perfect Skin All Day - Rimmel's New Lasting Finish Foundation

Rimmel's latest offering 'Lasting Finish 16Hr Foundation' promises to go the distance from day to night giving you fresh flawless skin all the way - perfect for partying straight after work on a Friday! It is a light weight liquid with added minerals to keep the skin looking healthy & is also non transferable onto clothes. Users have been giving it the thumbs up so far, with many saying it's one of the best foundations they have tried in a long time, in fact quite a few swapping their Estee Lauder Double Wear for this cheaper alternative saying that is gives a fantastic coverage but also feels very light on the skin. Many others also found that there was no need for concealer either & over all it made their skin look a lot more toned, plus it was easy to blend & it really did last all day. On the down side though the lightest shade 'Ivory' (comes in 5) is a little too dark for paler skin tones, but over all it seems to be a winner! (£5.99)

New From Clinique - Superfit Makeup

Clinique have just re-released their new & improved 'Superfit Makeup', it maintains a long lasting matt finish & abosrbs oil without drying out the skin, this is achieved through their new 'Aerogel' technology that has been added to the foundation to improve it's performance. It gives a natural coverage & feels comfortable to wear, allowing the skin to breathe & look fresh all day long with super lastability, you can even wear it to the gym!
£18.50.

Best Foundations For Dry Skin

Dry skin sufferers can find it had to find the right foundation, most liquids can draw attention to the dry skin & create an uneven patch effect to the finish. Here are some top products that have been tried & tested and come up trumps for dry skin!

Firstly before applying your foundation it is best of course to use a good moisturiser, these are two of the best moisturisers I found to try out for dry skin, the Body Shop's Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream (£7.50) as well as Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (from £15), but also apply a Primer to create an even base for your foundation which will also help prevent patches, try Laura Mercier's Primer (£27) or Mac's Prep & Prime Primer (£16).
Id Bare Escentuals (£17) came top of the list for dry skin, it covers evenly & as it is gentle on the skin can help with dryness as well as giving a healthy glow to the finish.
Maybelline Dream Matte Mouse (£6.99) is another winner & creates a light weight finish that doesn't cake or draw attention to any dry areas.
Finally Mac Moistureblend Foundation (£20.50) this is a compact foundation that provides excellent moisture to dry skin & gives a smooth even finish.

Best Long Lasting Foundation - Revlon Colorstay

This week I went on the look out for the best long lasting foundation & this one defintely came up trumps as the most widely used foundation for staying power!
There are 2 types, one for Combination/Oily Skin & another for Normal/Dry Skin (11.99), it has their secret ingrediant 'Softflex' which keeps it light on the skin as well as looking freshly applied for 16 hours, so after applying in the morning it should survive all the at the office as well as a trip to the gym!

New to the range is the Colorstay Mineral Foundation (12.99), again it's lightweight with a flawless finish & is a loose powder foundation, said to be great for your skin!

Dewy Skin & Spring Colours

Dewy fresh skin is one of Spring's hottest looks this year, here are some great tips on how to sport the look yourself!! Firstly moisturise your skin & use a good rich moisturiser for this, then apply a light foundation, take a bristle brush & 'fluff' the foundation in circular motions this will create a soft & almost airbrushed effect, best brush for this, try Mac's 'Duo Fibre Brush' (£28).
Next step in achieving your dewy glow is in the blush, opt for a cream blusher which will give a sheen to your skin with a flush of colour, try Mac's BlushCreme, apply to the apple of your cheeks (soft fleshy part you'll find when you smile) & blend upwards across the cheekbone, lightly blending outwards to give a soft finish. For the soft 'pink' look that is the colour for this season go for Mac's 'Brit Wit' or if a more bronzed effect is what you're after go for their 'Fancy Ray'. Finish this off by setting lightly with translucent powder along your t-zone, then match your dewy finish with your favourite eye make-up & glossy lips!

If you're looking for a fresh spring selection of colours then look no further than your nearest Bobbi Brown counter, this year's Limited Edition Palate 'Pink Raspberry Collection' (£40) has everything you need for this season's pink obsession! It has cool neutral shades for eyes & pink raspberries for lips & cheeks, also the best thing is every shade is said to be flattering to all skin tones!

MAC & BOBBI BROWN MAKE-UP AT GREAT PRICES!

Wedding Day Make-Up - Getting Your Foundation Right.

Bridal make-up should look as natural as possible, don't opt for a look you would not normally go for, you want to look yourself, for example if you're not used to wearing much make-up something quite bold or a high coverage may make you feel uncomfortable.
The best place to start is with the foundation of course & in order to keep it in tact all day long is to apply a primer underneath, this holds the foundation in place by providing a good base on the skin, also for an even & long lasting finish use a foundation brush & sponge (the brush applies the foundation & then the sponge is used to blend).
If you don't want a high coverage go for a tinted moisturiser which will give a very natural effect & will just even out the skin tone.
There are many different foundation types though, liquid foundation generally provides quite a light coverage, the best type to look for is a light matte finish as you want to minimse any shine for your photos. If you require a heavier coverage then cream foundations that have a thicker consistency & are a good option, again a matte finish is best. It's definitely worth experimenting with a few different products, shop around the different cosmetic counters & ask for samples, they'll be happy to provide you with some, then you can try out a few different products without committing to buying any first.
When testing a foundation to see if it's right for you, place a little along your jaw line & blend, don't test on your hand as the skin on your hand will different to that on your face!

Always apply foundation to clean moisturised skin & blend well (pay particular attention over the jaw line & hairline), making sure you have an even coverage. You can apply foundation to only a few areas if required, such as under the eyes, along the
T-zone & cheeks, as long as it is blended well & the colour is a good match then it will give a 'barely there' natural look.
If your worst nightmare occurs & a spot (or two..!) appears, then make sure you have a good concealer in your make-up bag. Concealers with a wax consistency provide a much better coverage than a cream, use a small brush (even a lip brush can
double up for this - providing it's clean!), using small dabbing motions place the concealer on gently until the redness disappears, it is best to apply the concealer after your foundation as if you apply it before hand the foundation can rub it away. Maybe try to apply it around the spot to cover the redness rather than the actual spot itself as some can have a lot of dry skin & can flake or even 'weep'a little.

For under the eyes a light consistency concealer is required, wax will be too heavy & too much coverage under the eyes can crease & accentuate any fine lines, also you should never drag the skin under the eye when applying concealer so gently dab & blend from the inner corners. Try to avoid light reflecting under-eye concealers too as these can reflect the camera flash & cause a 'white ring' effect around the eye area in your photographs. A light cream concealer a shade lighter than your foundation will do, however if you have problems with dark circles use a colour corrector, a little pink corrector concelear mixed with some of your foundation will cover up the dark areas as pink combats grey.
Just as this colour corrector works, if you have a lot of red pigmentation on your cheeks for example, a green corrector will balance this out under your foundation.

All foundation is best set with a little translucent powder, many people prefer not to wear any but a little should always be used just to take away any shine & make the foundation last as well, particularly over the t-zone. The powder should not
change the colour or effect of the foundation though, just give a light natural matte finish which can even work along side a 'dewy' style make-up providing the T-Zone is set.