Tag Archives: Bourjois

My Foundation Collection (Drugstore & High End)

Makeup, Reviews, Swatches, , , , ,

201506_foundationcollection1

One of my most popular posts was my Drugstore Foundation Roundup from 2013. At the time, I only owned drugstore foundations so it was a fairly inexpensive collection. I’ve now branched out a bit more and have a few new foundations to share.

I know colour matching can be difficult , so here’s a little information about my skin:

  • At MAC, I’m in the NW20/NC20 colour range.
  • My skin is mostly normal. I get a bit dry during the winter and a bit oily during the summer, but I’m never dry like the Sahara nor do I ever turn into a greasepit.
  • My veins appear blue, which means I have a cool undertone.
  • I wear foundation for aesthetic purposes, not to cover up blemishes. I do not have problems with acne. I also don’t wear foundation on a daily basis as I find it can make my skin itchy. (Make Up For Ever’s Smooth Primer helps prevent this.)
  • The inside of my arm (where the shades have been swatched) is infinitely lighter than my face.
  • My face is also not the same colour as my neck (which is lighter), so I don’t even bother trying to match the two since it make me look like I’ve got a pasty face.

Enjoy the comparison swatches and short reviews! There’s a full comparison swatch of every foundation at the very bottom of this post.

Revlon Colorstay foundation
Revlon Colorstay foundation

First up are my Revlon Colorstays. This used to be my absolute favourite foundation, but then they went ahead and changed the formula. The ones that smelled like paint thinner and had an SPF of 6 (the bottle on the left is the old formula) were amazing. The stuff would cover anything and everything and it looked better and better as the day went on. With the new formula, I don’t find the coverage is as longwearing nor does it wear as well throughout the day and that’s been very disappointing.

Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff, 200 Nude and 220 Natural Beige
Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff, 200 Nude and 220 Natural Beige

150 Buff and 200 Nude are in the Combination/Oily variety, whereas 220 Natural Beige is Normal/Dry Skin. If I’m honest, I don’t notice much of a difference between the two varieties.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in 30 Buff
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in 30 Buff

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup is a recent addition to my collection and I got a shade that’s really only going to suit me in the middle of summer when I’m quite tan. Right now it’s wearable, but I have to blend it down my neck quite a bit. To me, this feels very lightweight and is easy to blend into the skin.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in 30 Buff
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in 30 Buff

Definitely too dark for me right now though!

Boots No7 foundations: Instant Radiance and Stay Perfect
Boots No7 foundations: Instant Radiance and Stay Perfect

Oh Boots No7, I love you so, so much. I feel their colour matching technology (that gun thing they put on your face) is incredible and seems to nail my skin colour every time.

On the left is Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla. This is my absolutely FAVOURITE foundation. It’s exactly the kind of coverage I enjoy (light to medium with a somewhat dewy finish) and it feels fantastic. Cool Vanilla works for me when it’s late spring into summer.

On the right is Stay Perfect in Deeply Ivory. This is my late summer into fall foundation. It’s way, WAY too dark for me right now, but it blends in seamlessly when I’ve got more of a tan. The only reason I didn’t pick up another Instant Radiance in this shade is that the Boots at Heathrow didn’t have Instant Radiance on hand. However, Stay Perfect is a gloriously matte foundation that works wonders at keeping me from looking sweaty.

Boots No7: Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla and Stay Perfect in Deeply Ivory
Boots No7: Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla and Stay Perfect in Deeply Ivory

Cool Vanilla is quite pink toned and Deeply Ivory looks (frighteningly) orange, but I assure you it really is a good suit for my tanned skin.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

I’ve done a recent review on Bourjois‘ Healthy Mix Serum foundation so I’ll keep this short. I don’t know a single person that doesn’t like this foundation. It’s a soft (I guess that’s the gel?) liquid foundation that smells absolutely incredible and feels wonderful on the skin. It has a light to medium coverage. They’re considered drug store in the UK/Ireland, but they’re high end here in Canada. Absolutely worth the price tag though.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla

I will say that the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundations do lean yellow and there aren’t an awful lot of shades. If they do suit your skin colouring though, get them!

Illamasqua Skin Base
Illamasqua Skin Base

Illamasqua‘s Skin Base was a panic purchase when I found out that the brand was leaving North America. The texture is very thick, surprisingly so, and yet it doesn’t feel thick on the skin. I have no idea how they managed to do that, but somehow it works. The name is apt too; Skin Base. It does feel like a second layer of skin and probably one of my more comfortable to wear foundations.

Illamasqua Skin Base in shade 6.5
Illamasqua Skin Base in shade 6.5

I have shade 6.5 and it does lean a bit orangey/yellow on me.

it Cosmetics CC+
it Cosmetics CC+

Last up are my it Cosmetics CC+ Creams with SPF 50+. They are hyped out the wazoo on YouTube, so I *had* to try them out. I picked up the shade Fair when I was in the US in April because Light was so incredibly dark. Of course, then I realized Fair was too pale and gotLight as well when I got back to Canada. Right now I’m in between both shades, so I mix them together to get the right tone. (Seriously, can you believe how dark Light is? I was astounded.) I love that there’s a huge amount of SPF in these, but I haven’t tested them enough to see how they perform through sweaty days.

it Cosmetics CC+ in Fair and Light
it Cosmetics CC+ in Fair and Light

I feel these ones have far more neutral colouring than my other foundations which is really, really nice.

All my foundations swatched – click to enlarge
All my foundations swatched – click to enlarge
  1. Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff
  2. Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude
  3. Revlon Colorstay in 220 Natural Beige
  4. Neutrogena Healthy Skin in 30 Buff
  5. Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
  6. Boots No7 Stay Perfect in Deeply Ivory
  7. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
  8. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanilla
  9. Illamasqua Skin Base in 6.5
  10. it Cosmetics CC+ in Fair
  11. it Cosmetics CC+ in Light

My Favourites

I feel you really can’t go wrong with the Boots No7 line or Bourjois‘ Healthy Mix Serums. They’re my favourite foundations to wear by far! How about you? Any top picks? Or anything in this list that you love or hate?

Use Up 2015 – Update!

Miscellaneous, , , , ,

201506_useup2015_update1

In January I rounded up 10 makeup items I wanted to be done with come the end of 2015. Since the month of June marks the halfway point of the year, I wanted to post an update on my progress.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal – Before and After
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal – Before and After

Oh my godddddd THIS… THING. I’m not a powder person as I’ve since discovered since purchasing this one. This thing just won’t go DOWN! I use it roughly twice a week to set my foundation (liberally, I might add) and it just won’t go anywhere! I can see a dent in it but I really have no hope in hell of getting through this damn thing this year.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige – Before and After
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige – Before and After

Well… there’s progress on this Color Tattoo, but not much. In my original post I mentioned that my Color Tattoos are drying out and that I wasn’t sure if this would make it the whole year. It still has some life left in it, but I’ve been having so much fun using my other products that I haven’t really been reaching for this one. This one may very well just get junked at the end of the year.

MAC eyeshadows in Club, Fade, Cork and Print – Before and After
MAC eyeshadows in Club, Fade, Cork and Print – Before and After

Small progress on these ones!

  • I’ve managed to wear down Club a whole lot during the winter but I haven’t dipped into it much lately.
  • Fade, the light blue, got used once for a guest post over on Workaday Beauty, but I noticed the pigmentation was seriously lacking and it was just crumbling to bits. I ended up scraping out the rest of the pan and dumping it. It’s a super old shadow so I think it’s just gone off.
  • Cork‘s been used a wee bit, but not much. Oddly, I have very little use for browns in my day to day looks.
  • Same as Cork, Print has been used a bit, but not much. I really need to get cracking on this one!
Revlon gloss in Papaya
Revlon gloss in Papaya

This gloss is hard to figure out where I stand with it. The gloss is so thick that it sticks to the edges of the tube and never really settles down. I ended up scraping off the side of the tube so I could at least show you some progress… but I really couldn’t say how much is left in there. Maybe 40%? 30%? Hard to tell. However, I’m not that bothered – Revlon’s Papaya is such a lovely shade that it’s fun to wear.

Boots No7 Instant Radiance and two bottles of Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum
Boots No7 Instant Radiance and two bottles of Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

Loads of progress here!

  • Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla – I LOVE this foundation. It’s my absolute favourite out of all the ones I own, but it’s also coming on three years old so I really need to get this finished up. It’s the perfect match for my “spring into summer” skintone so I’ve only really been able to use it throughout May and June so far this year.
  • Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla) – I can no longer pump anything out of 52, so I’m scrapping the sides to use it up. I really don’t want to toss it till I finish it because I love it so much. 51 still has about half and inch left in the bottle but I won’t get to use it again until late fall/winter when I’ve lost most of my summer tan.

That’s it! I’m way behind in a few products and there’s quite a few I really don’t think I’ve got a hope in hell of finishing. That being said, I’m pretty impressed with my foundation usage!

What’s On My Face – Volume 37

Makeup, Tutorials, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Loads of Makeup Geek (no surprise there), MAC and some Colour Pop thrown into the mix this week!

20150513_womf37_look4-1

My absolute favourite YouTuber – Sharon Farrell – does some ridiculously stunning makeup tutorials. She often has neutral makeup, but she knows how to bust out a bright look too. I fell in love with her Desert Sunrise tutorial when she posted it in January, but never got around to trying it out. I finally did, and I loved the results!

20150513_womf37_look4-2

Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Mesmerized through the crease.
  2. Makeup Geek Sin City on the inner third of the lid.
  3. Makeup Geek Roulette on the middle of the lid and on the middle of the lower lash line.
  4. Makeup Geek Caitlin Rose on the outer corner and on the outer half of the lower lash line. The outer corner is also darkened up a bit with Makeup Geek Corrupt.
  5. Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
  6. Inglot Matte 370 on the inner corner with L’Oreal Infallible in Goldmine on top.

I tightlined my inner lash lines with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner and used the same product to line my upper lash line. I applied Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch mascara to my lashes and then added in some individual Ardell lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
  • Blush: MAC Ripe Peach
  • Highlighter: Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo #1

20150513_womf37_look5-1

I pulled out this “traditional” look because I was headed to my cousin’s baby shower and wanted to wear something flattering (the eyeshadows) while still wearing a really bold colour on the lips.

20150513_womf37_look5-2

Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Grandstand all over the lid.
  2. Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear on the outer corner and through the crease.
  3. Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the browbone.

I created the wing with Catrice‘s Dating Joe Black liner and applied Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch mascara to my lashes. I then added in some Bombshell lashes by House of Lashes (my first time wearing House of Lashes… and holy crap I’m in love!).

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
  • Blush: I think it was Hourglass Diffused Heat, but I’m not positive.
  • Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
  • Lips: MAC Relentlessly Red

20150513_womf37_look1-1

A quick re-post for posterity… I did this pastel rainbow look for Workaday Ramblings for April’s guest post.

201504_guestpost_chelle5

Eyes

  1. Too Faced Milk Chocolate through the crease.
  2. MAC Sushi Flower on the inner corner of the lid.
  3. Inglot Matte 334.
  4. MAC Fade.
  5. Sleek Cricket on the outer corner.
  6. MAC Dazzlelight to highlight the brow.

I used MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline to create the wing and then tightlined my upper waterline with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. I coated my lashes with Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanilla
  • Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
  • Blush: essence Pinky Flow
  • Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki
  • Lips: NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair

20150513_womf37_look2-1

Jill of Beauty Vixen was headed off to Mexico, so I helped her out with this look that was inspired by the flag of Mexico.

201504_guestpost_bv_chelle6

Eyes

  • Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the crease.
  • Makeup Geek Whites Lies on the inner half of the lid.
  • MAC Landscape Green pigment on the outer half of the lid.
  • Makeup Geek Bling on the brow bone.

I created the wing with MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline and then tightlined my upper and lower lash lines with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. On my lower lash line I applied MAC‘sStrike While Haute eyeshadow and blended it out the edges with Makeup Geek‘s Creme Brule. On my lashes is Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shade 52 Vanilla
  • Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
  • Blush: essence Life’s a Cherry
  • Highlighter: MAC Whisper of Gilt
  • Lips: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

20150513_womf37_look3-1

Stop the presses! I have been after a neon red eyeshadow for a very long time. A lot of shadows have come close, but have never really quite hit the mark. Then came alongColour Pop‘s Erotic, and suddenly my search is over! Technically it’s a pressed pigment, but that’s never scared me away from using a product on my eyes. Erotic is incredible – it’s a neon red that has tiny specs of orange and pink glitter.

Eyes

So the eye look is easy on this one – the only shadow I’m wearing is Colour Pop‘s Erotic! I then created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and lined my inner rim withUrban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. On my lashes is Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
  • Blush: MAC Warm Soul with Milani‘s Coral Cove on top
  • Highlighter: MAC Whisper of Gilt

 

What’s On My Face – Volume 35

Makeup, Tutorials, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A few randoms, some from my vacation in Florida and one from a guest post last month. Enjoy!

Red and burgundy eyeshadows… I’ll never quit you.

20150415_look2-2

Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

  1. Frappe through the crease.
  2. Showtime all over the lid.
  3. Bitten on the outer corner and through the crease.
  4. Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

I then ran MAC Phone Number eye pencil on the outer corner of my bottom lash line and then ran MUG Bitten over the entire lower lash line. On my lashes is Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla mixed together
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: MAC Sea Me, Hear Me
  • Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight
  • Lips: MAC Mystical

20150415_look5-1

Playing around with my new Milani Bella shadows. “Rouge” is not nearly as red as I hoped it would be.

20150415_look5-2

Eyes

  1. Urban Decay Naked through the crease.
  2. Milani Bella Rouge on the middle of the lid.
  3. Milani Bella Navy on the outer corner.
  4. Milani Bella Copper on the inner corner.
  5. Wet n Wild Brulee on the brow bone.

I then ran MAC‘s Phone Number eye pencil along my lower lash line and brushed Bella Navy on top of it. On my lashes is Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
  • Blush: Hourglass Luminous Flush
  • Highlighter: MAC Whisper of Gilt
  • Lips: Bite Fig

20150415_look3-1

I put this together while on vacation in Florida – it’s one of my favourite combinations from the Too Faced Semi-Sweet palette.

20150415_look3-2

Eyes
(all Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette)

  1. Bon Bon all over the lid.
  2. Peanut Butter through the crease.
  3. Truffled in the outer corner
  4. Coconut Creme on the brow bone.

On my lashes is Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
  • Highlighter: Benefit Watts Up
  • Blush: Astor Feeling Feline (this is a lip product, but I completely forgot to pack my blushes!)
  • Lips: MAC Barbecue

20150415_look4-1

Another vacation one!

20150415_look4-2

Eyes
(all Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette)

  1. Mousse through the crease.
  2. Rum Raisin all over the lid.
  3. Blueberry Swirl on the outer corner.
  4. Coconut Creme on the brow bone.

I used Catrice‘s liquid liner in Dating Joe Black to create the wing and applied Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
  • Blush: MAC Barbecue lipstick (once again… I had no blush with me!)
  • Highlighter: Benefit Watts Up
  • Lips: MAC Barbecue 

20150415_look1-1

I can’t believe how well this look came out! I did this one for Prairie Beauty Love as a guest post for the month of March. Cross posting it here for my own archives!

20150415_look1-2

Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Appletini on the inner two thirds of the lid.
  2. Makeup Geek Shark Bait on the outer third of the lid.
  3. Makeup Geek Envy through the crease and right through to the eyebrow.
  4. Shark Bait was then patted and blended along the upper edge of where Envy was blended through the crease.
  5. On the brow bone is Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean.
  6. On the inner tearduct and on the very outer edge of the eye, I applied Naked Cosmetics‘ pale green from the Ivory stack.

To get the dramatic winged liner, I used Catrice‘s Dating Joe Black liquid liner. Go slowly with this! I then lined my upper and lower water line with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. I applied CoverGirl‘s Clump Crusher mascara to my lashes and threw on a pair of J. Cat lashes in EL13. To amp up the crease, I patted on some Too FacedGlitter Glue and layered on some (super ancient) Tony + Tina silver glitter.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla mixed together
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: Physicians Formula Happy Booster in Natural
  • Lips: Wet n Wild 903C Just Peachy with NYX‘s Butter Gloss in Tiramisu on top

Review: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

Makeup, Reviews, Swatches

201504_bourjois_healthymixserum1

I was first introduced to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum by the wonderful people on YouTube. Beauty guru after beauty guru would rave on and on about the wonders of this gel foundation. When I was in Ireland a few years back (yeah, I’m that late reviewing it) I saw the foundation in Boots and decided to pick it up in two different shades since I wasn’t sure what shad would suit me.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla

The shades I picked up are on the bottom of the range (of which there are really not a lot of shades); 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla. The shades lean decidedly yellow; none of them seemed even remotely pink.

The first thing I noticed with this foundation is the scent – it’s incredible! I can’t pinpoint the smell exactly, but it’s a pleasant fruity scent. For those concerned about the longevity of the scent on their skin; don’t be. It dries down quickly and the scent goes away immediately.

No makeup on my face
No makeup on my face

So here’s the deal with my foundation-free face (above): My skin is slightly darker than my neck, and definitely more pink. I have some redness, but nothing symptomatic of larger problems. I have moles I was born with that don’t bother me and freckles I love. My skin has been rather dry this past winter, but can get a bit on the oily side in the summer, but nothing excessive. When I look for a foundation, I’m essentially looking for something to give me a blank canvas to work from because it makes pictures look so much better. All this to say, I do not have any large problems I’m trying to cover up so I don’t need a full coverage foundation.

Dab it everywhere, then get to patting it in!
Dab it everywhere, then get to patting it in!

My favourite way to apply any and all foundations is with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. Lately I’ve been doing two pumps of 52 Vanilla, with one pump of51 Light Vanilla. (Although on further reflection, judging by the shots below, I should’ve been doing it 50/50.)

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum fully applied
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum fully applied

And here’s the product completely blended in to my skin. You can still see some of my darker freckles, and certainly some of my moles but if you’re that desperate to cover those you could always use a concealer. On me, Healthy Mix Serum is a light to medium coverage foundation that has enough coverage to even out my skin, but still lets me feel like my skin is still my own skin. Unlike with other foundations where I routinely experience itchiness from daily wear, this foundation doesn’t do that. More often than not, I forget I’m wearing anything, and for me that’s a huge relief because I really struggle with the feeling of heavyweight foundations on my skin.

Close up to show texture
Close up to show texture

And here’s a close up shot that will hopefully show you the texture of my skin and the degree of coverage I achieve with one layer of foundation applied. I do experience some product rubbing off throughout the workday as I am prone to touching my skin a lot, or holding a phone to my ear where the receiver will eventually hit my face. I don’t use powder however, so you could probably set it with one to increase the longevity. That being said, this does last an entire work day if you’re not prone to touching your skin. At the end of the day when I take this off, I end up taking a LOT of pigment off on my makeup wipe which tells me that it clung to my skin very well throughout the day.

In short, I love the way this smells, feels and wears. I’m sad that I’m close to finishing these two bottles and will definitely repurchase it once I’ve cleared a few other foundations out of my collection. I do wish they had more shades though, since the range is very, very limited.

Do you have any recommendations for Bourjois products? I’m definitely wanting to explore this brand a bit more!