Maybelline dream satin liquid *review*

'Air whipped foundation, air-brush finish'

I love this foundation! If you've read some of my other foundation posts then you'll know that I go for a medium/full coverage most of the time as I have blemishes and scarring from previous acne. I've had this foundation before and it's great! I tend to use a more 'matte' foundation for work, as I want my skin to stay shine free for most of the day, so I use Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse or 24hr Superstay. This one however, is great for general use like going out with friends in the day time and stuff like that. I feel it gives a natural look, doesn't look cakey and gives my skin coverage and really makes my skin have an overall 'fresh' look. 


This product retails at around £8 and I feel that this product is worth it!

Features of this product: 


I have this one in Ivory 010 and feel it's a pretty good match for my skin, it doesn't look orangey which most foundations look on me (even the lightest ones!) I have the 24h Superstay in 021 Nude and this definitely looks orangey unless I blend it really well! 
- good packaging, like the pump which makes it easy to dispense right amount
- good consistency, not too thick, glides on and easy to blend
- like the colour match of Ivory... I usually stay away from the very lightest shades, but this has worked well! 


Here's a picture of all the foundations I'm currently in the midst of trying.... I'm overall impressed with all of my Maybelline foundations for different reasons. I reckon I have one for every occasion! The Rimmel one is far too thick and greasy... so I might get rid of that one. Max Factor second skin I'm finding to be too thin at the moment, it's not enough coverage and tends to feel like it's sliding off my face an hour or so in to wearing it, so I don't find myself reaching for this one much. Dream Matte Mousse.... kind of a love hate thing going on with this one at the moment. I love the finish it gives to my skin, but it definitely grabs on to any patches of dry skin I might have, and any blemishes that I'm trying to 'dry up'. Still love it though..... and then one I've not really tried enough to make a fair comment on is the Pure Mineral Foundation by Maybelline in 04 Vanilla Rose. I've used this foundation once, and the result I thought was pretty good. It definitely made my skin look flawless, but it takes quite a long time to apply (I guess I'd get used to it and speed up the process...) I definitely need to try this one a bit more and I'll write a review on that :)
From left:
Maybelline 24h Superstay in 021 Nude
Max Factor Second Skin in 070 Natural
Maybelline Pure Mineral in 04 Vanilla Rose
Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in 021 Nude
Rimmel Lasting Finish 25h in 100 Ivory


That's it for now.... I have a little stash of foundations, so I really do have a few to pick and choose from. I usually wear a few different ones each week, depending on the state of my skin and where I'm going that day.


Hope this has been somewhat useful to you.... and if you've got any comments I'd love to hear from you 
Lucyx

Foundation Review

I judge foundations by a couple of things.....

- staying power
- coverage
-hydration
-colour match

These are the main things I go for in a foundation as I am combination skin, prone to acne. I need the full coverage for this, but also have to be careful about clogging pores. I did a review a while back on Rimmel 25 hour foundation. I loved this foundation at the time, but now it's getting warmer, I'm finding that it gets far too greasy throughout the day. 


Products I've been using recently:

                                                  Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in CAMEO.


As long as I prep my skin the night and morning before using this foundation, then it is a great one for acne/oily skin which I've been experiencing recently. By prepping I mean exfoliate, use a night moisturiser and another good moisturiser before applying in the morning. You can definitely build this foundation up for a full coverage, just make sure that you blend it in to the skin well otherwise it can appear flaky and patchy. This is another reason why a good moisturiser (or primer) before application is a good idea, so that you can blend easily! You can set this foundation with any powder, but I have been using the Dream Matte Powder from Maybelline and it's really good at setting the foundation, and you can stay shine free for hours! I just take the Dream Matte Powder with me during the day to touch up on any oily parts (such as the T-zone). I'm really loving this at the moment as I said, I've been experiencing oily skin (I think it's due to working in an air conditioned environment with no natural air). 

Maybelline Superstay 24H Foundation in 021 NUDE


I have used this foundation before, liked it, but I think I had the wrong shade, as I found it too pale for my skin (even though I am fair!) I like to have a warming colour, not orangey or obvious, just not porcelain white! I've gone back to this foundation as I remembered how it stayed put even through a day of work (approx 8 hours). The texture is quite thick, very creamy, and it blends well. I find that if I don't use very much though, it is hard to blend, so I make sure I have enough on the skin to blend out evenly (one to one and a half pumps should do the whole face). I really love this foundation, it's super thick, so it covers most of my bumps, blemishes and scars, but it's not at all oily so it doesn't clog my pores and make things worse! I find that if I use it with the dream matte powder and Collection 2000 concealer, this can give a really airbrushed look!


I've found this really helpful swatch of the 24h foundation on Google. It's from sasquatchswatch.blogspot.com and could really help you decide which colour you should go for! 

Max Factor Second Skin Foundation in 070 Natural


I've been looking for something similar to the Clinique Moisture Surge tinted moisturiser as it's getting hotter. A heavy foundation can clog the skin during the summer for me so I wanted something lighter. If you read my review of the Clinique Tinted Moisturiser then you will know that I found it to be okay, but as you might think from a tinted moisturiser, it didn't give me the coverage that I need. It's great if you use a really good concealer and lots of powder, but it's still on the sheer side for me.


I decided to try this Max Factor foundation as it looked promising in giving me the light foundation, with a good coverage. I've used it today 1/8/2011 and it stood my test of work. Surprisingly it didn't make my skin as oily as it has been recently, which was what I expected. The coverage is good, I put one layer on, and then applied some more to my problem areas. It gave quite a dewy finish, which is nice but I prefer a matte look for work (to stop the oil really...) but perhaps this dewy finish would be good for a summers day away from work! :) I used Rimmel Stay Matte concealer in 040 Soft beige, and this concealer is great after this foundation, as it's mattifying, and as the max factor foundation isn't too heavy, it's needed to cover those blemishes. I will keep trying this foundation for a week or two more, and let you know how I'm getting on :)


If there are any foundations you think I should try, for combination dry/oily skin, then please feel free to let me know by commenting below or tweeting me @xbeautybee 


Thanks! Lucy 

Favourite winter must-haves!

My winter must-haves

One word springs to mind, DRY! Whether it's your hands, face, legs, feet or even hair! 

What do I use to keep myself feeling great and moisturised during the winter months?

                                                  All over body moisturiser:
                                                                Palmer's Cocoa butter! 
This stuff is amazing for my skin. You can use it all over (apart from the face as it's quite thick) it's good for moisturising very dry areas such as knees, feet and elbows! It smells really good, but if you don't like a strong smelling lotion then you can get a fragrance free version! It doesn't sink in SO quickly that it fails to provide you with the moisture you need, but it also doesn't linger too long on the skin! Just give it a couple of minutes to dry before putting jeans/any tight clothes on :) I put this on after showering to prevent my skin drying out!

                                             Facial moisturisers/routine

Clinique dramatically different moisturising lotion*
This is one of my daily essentials, I use it as part of my 3-step skincare regime. *I use the lotion because I have dry combination skin, if you have oily skin, then it is recommended that you use the Gel. If I don't moisturise, then my skin becomes flaky and red, and blemishes occur. 

 E45 Cream

I use this in place of my Clinique moisturiser if my skin is extremely flaky and dry during the winter months! It's really handy to carry around, you can also use it as a general lotion for your hands, feet, legs etc :) (plus it's really cheap!)

      

Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream

I've just discovered this product, thanks to recommendations from @sharan23 & @becomingfab (twitter) I've only used it a few times, but the results have been amazing already! It really does buff away the dead skin cells, revealing fresh new skin. Plus, as it's a cream, it leaves you feeling moisturised and not tight like some exfoliators!

(full review coming soon)

                                           Hand & nail lotion

Soap & Glory Hand Food

This product is great to carry in your handbag, so you can use it whenever you feel your hands getting chapped! This product has that great Soap & Glory smell, and I just feel great using it! (sometimes use it on my feet too, if I have no Cocoa Butter to hand!)

So there you are, some of my favourite winter skincare products! I will be doing a Lipcare review soon, as I have a few products in that area to talk about :)

Thank you for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment!

Below, a list of places you can buy these products 

& average prices!

• Palmer's Cocoa Butter (around £3.49) Boots, Superdrug, Bodycare
• Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion (RRP £15-£27 various sizes) Boots, Selfridges, Debenhams, House of Fraser
• E45 Cream (round £2) Boots, Superdrug, Bodycare, most Supermarkets
• Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream (£16.50) Boots, Selfridges, Debenhams, House of Fraser
• Soap & Glory Hand Food (£2.30-£4.75 50/125ml) Boots