Having joined the ranks of commuters to the job Mecca that is Dublin, during our annual fortnight long heatwave, I’ve gained a new appreciation for base products that REALLY stick around. Leaving the house with a gorgeous, dewy glow unfortunately morphs into a sweaty, melty mess by the time I hit the lab, and no one wants to see that. I looked good leaving the house, I swear boss. Here’s my favourite products to help you be more professional Polly than sweaty Betty.
Blended Swatch of Shiseido UV Protective Liquid Foundation SPF 30 in Light Ivory
This product flew well under the radar for me, and it seriously deserves the spotlight. Shiseido UV Protective Liquid Foundation is a feather-light fluid foundation, that needs merely a dot or two for full on coverage. And once it’s on, it’s on. Being water resistant this baby won’t be leaving your face till you do a good ol’ oil cleanse in the evening. Most full coverage, long-wear foundations leave you with an uncomfortable mask-like feeling, but not this one. It feels like you’re wearing nothing at all (stupid sexy Flanders). And if full, budgeproof, feather-light coverage weren’t enough, it also has SPF 30. Commuters, walkers, cyclists you need this.
Blended Swatch of Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H in 010 Beige Porcelaine
If you don’t quite need full coverage and superglue like adherance, but still need a base that will cover and perfect and stick around, Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H is for you. This is my go-to foundation for days when I know I need to look my best, and is what I wear on camera for YouTube. A medium-full coverage that blends seamlessly, hides imperfections and sets to a velvet finish. I don’t know how else to describe it other than it makes me look my best and sticks around on oily skin and blemishes. Holy grail.
Blended Swatch of Max Factor FaceFinity All Day Primer
Many bloggers reckon that a primer beneath your foundation will help it last longer. By and large I agree, but it depends on the type of primer you choose. While the thick, siliconey primers are great for filling in pores and fine lines, I find that they can create a bit too much slip for foundation to last longer than 4 hours and through hard wear. Max Factor FaceFinity All Day Primer is the answer to this. Forgoing the cushiony effect of thick silicone, it merely acts like an adhesive to help your foundation adhere to the skin, rather than floating on a layer above it. Amazing stuff.
Blended Swatch of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
For those of us who need a little more help achieving alabaster skin, a touch of concealer is a must. However it can be hard to find the right balance between heavy, cakey coverage and light perfection that just doesn’t last. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer is the answer to this dilemma. Coverage is excellent (it makes my Rudolf nose disappear) yet it never appears cakey. It also manages to brighten and illuminate, despite setting to a budge-proof finish. This one is strictly not for under the eyes tough, as it dries a touch too much and will make dry under eyes look crepey. For the rest of the face though this is holy grail.
Blended Swatch of Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder
What use is it painting your face perfectly if your powder just doesn’t set all that hard work enough to last the day? Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder is a very fine powder that looks white in the pot, but applies fine and transparent, blending to a velvet matte finish. Thanks to micronized (very very small particles) powder, it grabs foundation and locks it in place, ensuring it will not budge until you remove it, yet never looks powdery. If you just can’t part with your natural, glowy foundation (Bourjois Healthy Mix *sigh*), simply top it with this and it will last the day. Once I’ve set my foundation with this, I like to mist it with a little setting spray to really lock it in and return a bit of glow to the face.
So there you have it, the base products that help to keep my mug covered, even faced with sweat, wind and rain. Have you got any others to recommend?
Tags: base, concealer, favourites, foundation, Holy Grail, Lancome, longwear, makeup, Max Factor, NARS, powder, primer, Shiseido, Skincare, Vichy
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