When a HG is no longer a HG

You know the story I'm sure. You'd finally found your HG foundation, swearing to be faithful for ever more. Until one day, you strayed.

My HG, until recently was Make Up Forever's HD foundation in 115, it was easy to apply, the colour match seemed spot on and life was good. Until summer weather rendered my HG a dud. It happened like this, the weather got warmer and as it did, my HD HG started to float on the surface of my skin. No matter how well I applied it, working it into the skin and spritzing like a mad woman, nothing could bring it back from the brink. The final straw was when my sister (how honest they are;D) commented on it saying "isn't it time you bought a new foundation? That one doesn't do much for you". The horror... Suddenly HD MUFE was a HG no more.

So, a visit to the MAC counter the following weekend was scheduled. On the appointed day I, along with my sister for constructive criticism and my boyfriend for support approached the counter rather gingerly. At this point, I should point out that for years, MAC and their assistants have put me off a little. It was a combination of the mad eyeshadow combos their staff wore and the mind boggling array of colour options. If I could see what I wanted, it was fine, but if I had to ask, I wouldn’t.

The moment arrived and I was approached by a friendly assistant, who patiently listened to my requirements. I listed my needs, saying:

'I have combo-sensitive skin, prone to occasional breakouts. I need a match colour wise and something that stays put once on, medium coverage/ buildable.'

That done, she brought me over to their 'Pro-Long wear' range. This is where it kind of got confusing. I had calculated, that based on the fact that my sister has pretty much the same undertones as myself, but is 1 shade darker and given that from my understanding of their system, if you're cool you need a NW and if you're warm you need an NC, as they say they work with the colour spectrum or something like that. I was expecting that I would be matched to a NW15. However, 'Pro-Long wear' has no NW15, just NC15.

At this point I was worried, but the girl sat me down and assured me that I would see it as a MUA was about to apply it for me. This, I have had done before, but in the past they would remove some of your makeup and then apply the foundation in a patch. This time, they took it all of (bar the eyes) and slapped on the foundation very casually. Now, I was expected to make a decision, in the middle of the shop and under the yellow lights they always seem to have. I turned to sis and boyfriend for an honest opinion, they thought I looked, well... pale!

Oh dear, what to do? I asked the MUA about the NC and NW 20 and was told, 'no, not for you, it would be too dark and would only make you look older' (not one I have heard before, but guess now that I'm in the early 30s, just, I'll have to get used to it). When I voiced the concern about being pale, they whipped out a bronzer. Now I was faced with a dilemma, so I did what anyone should do under the circumstances and said I would need to think about it.

Did I leave and live with the foundation for a whole day? Not on your Nelly, couldn't do that, I was in shopping mode MUST BUY MAKEUP! Anyway, to make what is already a long story shorter, I have been living with my 'pro-Long wear' for almost 2 weeks now, in addition to a Bobbi Brown bronzer (there's an equally long story there). Reviews shall follow; I’ve been suffering from a breakout, so it wouldn’t be fair, though I will certainly be able to comment on the foundation’s ability to cover blemishes, which is infinitely better than MUFE HD’s. Point 1 to MAC.

Benefit Hello Flawless - Hello Flaws

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Recently in a moment of madness I ordered hello flawless compact foundation from Benefit Cosmetics. What drove me to do it? Well, so many sites don't deliver to Portugal and this one did, plus there seemed to be some good reviews for this foundation. It was described as having customizable coverage and looked great online. The website recommended the lightest shade for me 'me, vain?: neutral champagne'. So, I placed my order and waited. The delivery was pretty fast and I was excited to try this as soon as it arrived. Now, the lighting in my bathroom is not the best, it's your usual artificial light affair, but it usually serves its purpose. I applied as instructed, using the sponge for a little more coverage and then the brush to apply in areas that didn't need so much. On leaving the house I thought I looked a little pale, but perhaps it was my imagination, so I thought. I got to work, looked in the mirror and OMG, I looked like Casper the friendly ghost's paler not so dead friend.

I lived with this for a day or two, what can I say, but I really wanted to like this product and was trying to convince myself it wasn't the foundation. However, in the end I gave up the ghost, so to speak (sorry about that). I was not prepared to admit defeat yet and so back to the Benefit site I went and ordered the next colour in the range 'Shades: never settle: fair petal'. Again, I waited and then experimented, the colour was so much better, but there was still something amiss. My skin felt strange! 

Now, I am usually quite assertive with cosmetics and if I don't like it that's it, but I was going through a strange phase at that point having been let down by a few products in a row and didn't want to add another to the list. However, after giving hello flawless a 2 week run, my skin started to get all dry and flaky. It also itched slightly, so there was obviously something in the foundation that irritated my sensitive skin. That was the final straw. 

Please, don't get me wrong, this might be fantastic for some people and I believe Benefit has an excellent returns policy, even accepting return on products that have been slightly used. However, I was a little slow in getting back to them and  I ended up giving both foundations to my Mum, she seems to like them, but she has got more robust skin than me. She's not a cosmetics lover and so, loves the 1 step approach, which this foundation has. She doesn't need primer or powder and it looks good on her, further evidence that what doesn't work for one person can be just the ticket for another. 

I guess the moral of the story really is try before you buy. Besides the chances of the colour not looking good, it's also advisable to test a product before using it on the face. I had a slight reaction, but some people get much more severe reactions than I do.

Mineral Foundation versus Liquid Foundation

Having used Clinique Superbalanced Foundation with relatively good results for many years, I was on the lookout for a new all purpose foundation. A colleague of mine had tried mineral foundations and loved them. So, off I went to do a bit of research and procured some for myself. Now, at that time there was nowhere in the area that stocked these mysterious products, so I resorted to ordering over the net. I should mention at this point that my skin type is combination and it's a little sensitive.
The first one I tried was Glo minerals, but after trying, I came to the conclusion that the result was not very flattering on my skin as the appearance seemed chalky and the colours were either too pink or too yellow. This was followed by Bare minerals, which had a much nicer finish. The colour I chose (light) was very natural, the application process could not have been quicker or easier, you literally just buff into the skin using very small amounts. The version I used was the original, which gave a slight sheen to the skin, this was in fact quite flattering. In addition, it had a built in SPF 15. I have been informed they have since launched a matte version also, but some have observed there may be a slight difference in the colour between the original and matte. Coverage with this product I would estimate to being between light to medium, depending on application. This seemed to be the answer and I used Bare minerals for about a year. However, skin changes with the seasons and dare I say it, with age. My skin started to dry out, particularly around the tip of my nose. It became flaky and no amount of moisturizer helped. To add to the problem, mineral foundations only emphasized the dryness. Disaster!
Devastated I went back to the internet and spent weeks researching new foundations, the pro, the cons etc. I decided to return to liquid foundations and eventually settled on Make Up For Ever HD foundation.

I must say, it isn't the cheapest. However, it has sorted out my skin. I've been using it for almost the same length of time I used the minerals and no problems. To be honest my skin has never been better. A small amount goes a very long way and I am a once a day application girl. I do not believe in having to reapply in the afternoon. This lasts all day with minimum shininess and believe me when I say I am prone to shininess. The colour selection is quite amazing, I don't think I have ever seen so many, so there is certainly a match for you (I'm 135-vanilla). I've experimented with using with the same brand primer and without and both had good results, primer giving a little more longevity, but not a huge difference. The cover could be described as medium to full, without being mask like and is best applied with a good foundation brush and then lightly buffed.
To sum up, I have come to the conclusion that for my skin type and considering what I expect from a foundation, liquid is usually better for me. However, I have occasionally used minerals since and find for those summer, I'm not wearing any makeup days when skin is naturally oilier, it is great. A quick dusting to mask imperfections without looking made up and I am good to go. For the rest of the year and for work/going out when I want to look polished, the HD foundation is inevitably what I reach for every time on those days/nights.