REVIEW: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

When you’re drinking your coffee for a morning pick me up, do you ever wish it would also awaken your skin at the same time?

I’m quite a huge Rimmel London fan, and recently have read several great reviews on their Wake Me Up foundation. So, when my mum gave me a $1 off coupon for any Rimmel product, I knew it was fate giving me a nudge. I wasted no time, and headed on over to my local Wal-Mart to take the plunge. This product has quickly become my go-to summer foundation, and I will tell you why!

It is long lasting, so I don’t need to worry about it slipping around on my face or melting off with the heat of the day. Also, it gives a beautiful glow and healthy appearance to the skin, which illuminates the face and adds dimension. Now, it does have shimmer, which is something I usually try to avoid, but the shimmer is so fine and not overly obvious that I don’t find it to be a problem. In fact, I quite like it.

The coverage is light to medium (and buildable), so it’s not heavy or cakey on the face. As for the smell, it has a nice fruity scent that isn’t too overpowering and doesn’t last long after application. And finally, my favourite part, the packaging is so cute! It comes in a curved glass bottle, with an agreeable pump, meaning the more you press down the more foundation comes out, so you get to decide exactly how much you want to use. And the lid and pump are ORANGE!

One thing to know about this product is if you have oily skin you will need to powder: because the foundation creates radiant skin, it will cause your skin to appear slightly on the oily side. I like to pair it with my Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder, to balance out between a glowy and a matte look. And if it’s really hot out, I’ll lightly reapply the powder every few hours or so.

I’ve been really impressed with this product, and will certainly repurchase once I finish my first bottle. Well done, Rimmel!

What’s your favourite summer foundation?

x B

REVIEW: Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation

Last month I began my blogging journey with The Hunt for Perfect Skin , and now the hunt continues with: Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation 16hr!

As you may have guessed from my previous posts, I have oily, acne prone skin. So not only do I want a foundation that will hide scars and spots, but that will keep oils at bay, and not induce further breakouts.

Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation is specifically designed for my skin type, as it has a full, long-lasting coverage, and a matte finish. The coverage is so good that I use it as both a foundation and a concealer; it hides all my flaws giving me a nice big confidence boost! Apparently it can even cover tattoos, however, since I don’t have any, I’m not speaking from personal experience. But having said this, the coverage isn’t cakey or uncomfortable to wear (as long as you don’t over apply). While having a matte finish, it still looks natural, and even adds a touch of brightness to the face, without looking too glowy.

Unfortunately this foundation only comes in a range of 5 shades, and they’re all on the darker side, so  I don’t know if I’ll be able to wear it in the winter when my skin is lighter. I have the second lightest shade, 25- Nude, and it’s just a tad too dark, but it looks fine as long as I blend it down my neck. Also, I would not recommend this foundation to people with dry to normal skin, as it tends to cling to dry patches of skin. Even with my oily skin type, I need to make sure I’ve properly exfoliated and moisturized before applying it, because it will cling to and highlight dry areas.

As for application, because it’s so highly pigmented, a little goes a long way. However, because the formula is made to reduce oils, it can be hard to spread. I’ve tried using my hands when applying, because it warms the foundation up making it easier to spread around. But lately I’ve been using my Real Techniques buffing brush for the all over application and then my Real Techniques detailer brush for concealing, and I’ve found that this works really well. Also, after application, I always set it with powder, otherwise the foundation will slide all around. Apart from getting a a little shiny, this foundation lasts all day!

So what’s the verdict? Overall, I really love this foundation, and it’s perfect when you’re needing to control oily skin, and want that extra amount of coverage.I’ll definitely be repurchasing this product!

Have you tried this foundation? If so, what did you think?

x B

Real Techniques Brushes

During busy periods in the school year, when I don’t have time to shop until my heart’s content, I write lists of items I’m dying to purchase so that I can temporarily put my mind at ease and focus on studying. So, now that school is out for the summer, I finally have time for lots and lots of SHOPPING! And my first  item to be crossed off my fairly long wish list: Real Techniques Core Collection brush set.

I’ve been eyeing Real Techniques brushes for a while now, ever since I saw Tanya Burr using them in her YouTube tutorials.  Her makeup always looks so lovely! I was planning on ordering a set online because I didn’t realize I could buy them  in Canada. So you can imagine it was a very happy shopping excursion when I stumbled across these brushes at my local Walmart. I bought the Core Collection, which includes a buffing brush, contour brush, pointed foundation brush, detailer brush, and case to hold the brushes. The set cost around $18, which averages out to less than $5 a brush. What a steal! So far I’ve used these brushes every day since I bought them, and I’ve been very impressed. My experience with inexpensive brushes is that the bristles tend to fall out on my face, but these brushes don’t do that at all.

I use the buffing brush for liquid foundation (can be used for powder too), the detailer brush for concealing blemishes, and the contour brush for bronzer and highlighter. One thing I really like about the contour brush is that it doesn’t collect a whole lot of product, so you don’t end up with really dark, over-the-top bronzer. So far I haven’t used the pointed foundation brush yet, and I doubt that I ever will since I’ve never been a fan of the paint brush style foundation brushes. My favourite brush from the whole set would have to be the buffing brush! Its synthetic bristles are short and dense, and do a great job of blending the foundation into the skin for a flawlessly smooth look.

Overall, these brushes are great value, and I’m already scoping out my next Real Techniques purchase!

What brand of brushes do you love to use?

x B