Finding and selecting the perfect foundation for ones' self has been a long, suffering and some what costly battle. I finally grew tired of using the wrong brand, the wrong shade, the wrong consistency and waged war on the cosmetics stands of House of Fraser department store yesterday.
After admitting to myself that i can no longer grace the streets in my orange, glittery Clinque (gasp) or completely dry out my skin with my Lancome, i decided once and for all i must search high a low for a simple, thin liquid foundation that will matte my t-zone with a luminous (non-greasy) glow, not too hard right?
There are so many questions and decisions one must make in purchasing the correct foundation: the shade? the application? a satin, luminous result or a matte airbrushed finish? too cakey? too runny? too thick to blend? is it mineral? does it have SPF? is it oil - free? The list is ever on-going and quite frankly, i couldn't tell you what a satin or silky finish is, or how to judge what medium coverage is compared to what i use! Clearly, finding the perfect foundation suited to your own skin and shade is an art.
It started at the tender age of 16 where i purchased my first liquid foundation which happened to be Clinque's Superfit in Petal, which was a slight few shades darker than my skin tone but not too noticeable. As i didn't really need that much coverage, a small pea sized blob mixed with moisturiser was enough to keep my unruly skin at bay, even though it wore off by lunch time. This foundation was perfect for my age, very lightweight as promiced, however it hasn't enough coverage to wear at present.
Then i progressed on to the Lancome Adaptive, which the assistant assured me that this foundation mattified my t-zone while moisturising the other parts of my face, which sounds a bit too good to be true? This product did in-fact give me a natural, even finish which was easy to apply; it just completely dried out my skin which made it look dull. It also didn't help that the sales assistant gave me the lightest shade and that i have spend a good six months looking pale with dried out skin; looking like i have some kind of illness. Perfect.
With life-less, dull skin i headed back to the Clinque counter to be given the complete opposite product, Super Moisture foundation was a lovely shade of satsuma orange for my pale colourings. Not only did it ease my dry skin, it made it appear radiant, even much so i actually sparkled from the glitter in the foundation. Rank. However, i only realised this after purchasing the foundation without looking in natural light, lesson truly learnt. This product did however have a good use for shimmer whilst on holiday or in the summer months.
Since then, i've been backwards and forwards between the Clinque Superfit (with lashings of powder as i can't seem to apply it without added moisturiser) or Lancome Adaptive (with layers on peachy bronzer, to bring my vampire skin to life). So off to House of Fraser i went.
I took along a friend for moral support and to make sure i wasn't persuaded into buying more than what i wanted or something completely wrong for me. First off i hit up Chanel, which i trusted to be a good brand because a) it is Chanel darling and b) it should be for that bloody price. The sales assistant applied Chanel Naturally Luminous Fluid, which retails at £28.00. It offers a light, natural coverage that adds radiance, she then colour matched me and told me to go check the colour in true day light. But before i left i admitted that i wasn't really keen on using a foundation in a pot, in concern of hygiene. The foundation also seemed quite thick and hard to blend, but maybe thats because i'm used to a runny Lancome or Clinque. I also came to realise in daylight, that the swatch she placed on my skin was an olive colour - very, very dark for my skin!
Then i progressed to Mac, where a young sales assistant sucked her teeth at me and asked what i wanted; so off i prattled when she promptly turned and walked off. When she returned, she pushed me down into a free seat and sprayed my face with Mac Fix It spray before painting my face quite liberally with foundation. She then turned my head towards the mirror, where i saw a perfect, well blended light coverage foundation on my skin. I was quite shocked that she managed to find such a good match as well as blending it just right to kind my imperfections. The assistant explained to me that Studio Fix Fluid is alot lighter than Studio Fix Foundation aswell as oil free; meaning no breakouts or caky-ness. And a fraction of the price, compared to Chanel, at £19.00. Pretty pleased with the results and a successful colour check in the middle of East Croydon high-street, i bought myself a bottle.
So fingers crossed, that my Mac Studio Fix Fluid really does live up to my standards. All i need to learn now, is the art of applying foundation with a brush!
Clinque Superfit, Lancome Adaptive, Clinque Super Moisturiser, Chanel Naturally Luminous Fluid, Mac Studio Fluid Fix.
