Face of the Day #05

I used to hardly ever wear lipstick, especially any loud, bright shades. They're just such high maintenance and not only do I end up with lipstick marks everywhere, the constant reapplication needed to keep bright lipstick looking good is just too much of a faff. However, my recent purchase of the bright orange L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire has changed everything (at least for now). I've never had so many compliments on my make-up as when I wear this lipstick. So I thought, sod it, if I have to deal with orange marks on my straws and more frequent trips to the bathroom to reapply, that's just a sacrifice I'm going to have to make. To balance out the bright lips I've kept it a bit more plain on the eyes with another new purchase, the much hyped up Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Rich Russet.

FACE/BASE

As you can see by the severely squished tube of Laura Mercier oil-free Tinted Moisturizer, there really wasn't much left when I did this look and by the time I'm typing up this post, it's sadly served its purpose and there's not another drop that I can squeeze out. For concealer I stuck with my trusted Seventeen phwoarr Paint - I don't think I'll ever buy any other concealer again (yes, that's a big, big statement right there). For cheeks I stippled on some Bourjois Cream Blush in 03 Rose Tendre - for a drugstore formula, this blush is pretty much unbeatable, even though the packaging does get a bit manky with time and almost all the writing wore off on mine already. For setting, I stuck with another old faithful, the Rimmel Stay Matte powder, dusted just along the T-Zone.

EYES

As my lips were pretty bright with this look, I kept the eye make-up a bit more simple with a slick of the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Rich Russet. I just applied it straight to the lids with the wand, then waited for it to dry for a few seconds and eventually just smudged out the edges with my finger. You can use a brush for that if you want, but I find that fingers work just as well, if not better, as they don't absorb any product. While the Shadow Paint sets, I topped up my brows a little with my recent re-discovery, the Benefit Brow Zings in Medium. To top it all off, I applied one coat of the Bourjois Elastic Mascara on top and bottom lashes. I really love this mascara, but sadly it's starting to run a little low now, so it's going to be time to move on to a different one, soon.

LIPS

On to the star of the show, the L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire by Color Riche in Tangerine Sonate. The main reason I don't mind faffing about with topping up my lip colour all the time is because this gloss/balm/lipstick hybrid does it all in one go for you. One slick and you've got colour and shine right on your lips - no need for two or three different products. At the same time it somehow manages not to be sticky at all, so no awkward hair in mouth situations there.

Review: Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer

When it comes to foundation and base products I can be very picky. I don't normally own more than two foundations at the same time (an everyday one and an "off-duty" one), but the ones I do own I always use up till the last drop. I like to make sure they're amazing quality and don't mind paying a little extra for a make-up product I'll be using pretty much every day, no matter what look I'm going for.

After reading plenty of rave reviews about this one in particular, it was only a matter of time till I caved and made my way to Selfridges to get myself a tube off the Laura Mercier counter. Not only is this my first foray into Laura Mercier beauty products, it's also my first ever tinted moisturiser (BB creams don't count), so I opted for the oil free version, as that gives a little more coverage and was more akin to the light, airy foundations I normally use.

I was matched to the shade "Porcelain", unsurprisingly the lightest of all shades. I'd say it's actually a touch too pale for me, but once blended in, it matches quite well. Either way I prefer my foundation to be a bit lighter rather than too dark. It's easy to warm up your complexion with a touch of bronzer and the right blush, while a base that's too dark is hard to put right.

For those who just want to know whether or not this product is worth the hype: Well, yes, I can definitely see why everyone loves it. It actually comes out quite thick, but once it's on the skin it feels feather light. No sweaty face underneath a crusty mask of foundation.

The coverage is quite light, but don't let that put you off if you don't have perfect skin (because trust me, I don't either!). It's like it's got some sort of magic ability to detect all redness, pigmentation or imperfections in your skin and tone them down significantly, while letting your natural skin shine through where it looks good. Not entirely sure how that works... but it works!

Now, even though it says "Tinted Moisturizer", I always apply a separate moisturiser underneath and use this in place of a foundation. Even on my normal/combination skin I feel like it wouldn't quite be nourishing enough on its own. If, however, your skin is particularly oily or you're in a pinch, skipping moisturiser underneath should be just fine.

In the swatch picture above you can see it just as it comes out of the tube on the left, and then blended in on the right. You can clearly see the kind of luminous sheen it gives to the skin, though I find that the effect is a lot less prominent on the face - probably because you wouldn't use anywhere near as much product as I've done in the photo!

At £33 a tube I don't think I'll be repurchasing right away. Yes, I do love this product and it's lasted me about 4 months which isn't too bad, but I'm quite keen on trying some high street foundations and see if they can keep up with my beloved high end formulas. I'd also say that if I'm going to shell out that much money, then my all-time favourite, Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua is still a touch better than this, as it offers smoother coverage, but I would highly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a natural and "lit-from-within" finish.

Monthly Favourites: August 2013

1) Laura Mercier Oil-free Tinted Moisturiser

I've seen people rave and go on about these for so long that eventually I just caved and had to give it a go for myself - and I have to admit, it's a pretty awesome product! My skin is behaving pretty well at the moment, so I don't need anything with massive amounts of coverage and this tinted moisturiser just fits the bill perfectly. It just seems to smooth things out a little bit, while feeling light as a feather and leaving a natural, healthy glow. My one bug bear (aside from the price!) is that seeing as it's oil free it could do with being a little more mattifying - it seems to leave my face extremely shiny, but that could just be down to the hot weather in all fairness.

2) Models Own nail polish in Luis Lemon

Another Models Own polish in my monthly favourites! I'm seriously obsessed with them - the formula never fails me and the shade selection is just amazing. During the last month of summer I've particularly been loving this neon yellow to put a spring in my step. It's phenomenal for a night out as well, as it literally glows in black light! You can read a post I wrote about this nail polish here.

3) Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl in Nude

I'd been hunting for a nude eye liner for months about a year ago, until I finally gave up and forgot all about it. Then I went out to do some beauty shopping with a friend when we stumbled across these and though I wasn't that fussed anymore I thought I'd give it a go. Great decision! The formula of this pencil is just amazing - soft, creamy, pigmented and stays on the waterline for at least 5 hours. The nude shade is perfect for a wide-eyed, healthy look, but without being quite as harsh and obvious as a white pencil.

4) Artdeco Clear Lash & Brow Gel

Apologies about the tube looking a little manky - unfortunately that's what tends to happen with clear brow mascaras when you apply them over brow pencil or powder. Aesthetics aside, however, this does an amazing job of keeping my brows in place ALL DAY LONG. Literally, they won't budge until I give them a swipe with make-up remover. For somebody whose brows always seem to have a mind of their own this is an absolute god send - it just makes me look so much more groomed than brows that are all over the place. Bear in mind, that it does make them a bit crispy and glossy, but to me that's not necessarily a downside.

5) Benefit They're Real Mascara

I'll admit that I was anything but blown away by this mascara when I first tried it and I'd even go as far as saying that I felt that I'd wasted my money a little. Yes, it makes lashes look really long and it's not too bad for curling, but somehow it was just missing a little bit of oomph. However, slowly but surely, this is really growing on me. There's just something about the brush that makes it grip literally every single one of your eyelashes. Nowadays, when I want a little more impact I just apply two or three layers and it works brilliantly, without a single clump in sight.