The New Healthy Mix

I'm pretty sure I could count on less than one hand the amount of lower end 'drugstore' foundations that I actually get along with. I'm no snob when it comes to make up but premium brands are always the ones I turn to with confidence for a flawless base.

Bourjois's Healthy Mix however, I have always been quite loyal to through all three of it's variations; Original, Serum and now the new Radiance Revealed. The original healthy mix was a light/medium coverage that could be built up well. It had a satin finish with a slight amount of radiance. The new formulation is very, very similar, so much so I can't really tell the difference, not even in the colour (which I am 51 for reference). The packaging has been given a sleek update and it now sits in a glass bottle as apposed to plastic. Bourjois claim to have enhanced the formula rather than completely changed it to now incorporate a whole lot more 'fruit therapy' goodness for added radiance and hydration. The products still contains that same fruity scent, but no more so than before.

The only downfall (and I can safely say this applies to all the variations) is the lasting time, which for my combination skin is usually around four or five hours before I notice a lot of shine on my t-zone. That being said though, Healthy Mix is still one of my go to foundations for a light feeling base that gives my skin a polished finish. For a budget foundation, I don't really think you can go wrong here and especially now that the colour range has been increased to eight different shades which is rare for a drugstore brand, there should be something for everyone.

Have you tired the new formulation? How do you think it compares?


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Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Beauty Balm

Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Beauty Balm
I'll admit that I haven't been swept up in the BB phenomenon that's been taking over the beauty industry so far this year. It seems like every brand out there has jumped on the bandwagon and the whole original concept of BB Creams has been lost amid a sea of glorified tinted moisturisers. When I first saw the Dr Jart brand appear on shelves a few months ago my initial thoughts were "oh God not another one". However, after reading some quite worthy reviews and discovering this was in fact one of the leading brands in Korea, the land of BB, I really had to give it a go.

There are four in the range, catering to different skin types and concerns. I went for the Water Fuse which claims to be an Oil-free yet hydrating product, keeping the skins water levels balanced for a dewy, fresh look and protected with SPF 25. I think the main problem with other BB Creams is that most tend to be far too greasy and for my oily/combination skin. I found though that this product did live up to it's claim, giving a radiant finish without leaving skin overly shiny or uncomfortable at all.

Now, I'm a girl that likes a good full coverage, don't get me wrong, but recently my skin seems to have calmed down and I think (touch wood) I might finally be out of that annoying late-teen phase of life where I don't quite suffer from spots but always have the odd patch of redness and a few pimples. Growing old does have some advantages.. The formula is understandably quite sheer which I've actually been enjoying, although the coverage is quite buildable enabling you to get a reasonably flawless finish.

The one drawback I've found is that the product only comes in one colour. It is slightly darker than my pale skin, but I find if I blend this in well and make sure I take it down the neck it's very wearable. Unfortunately though I think anyone with very fair or dark skin would struggle with this.

All in all I actually really like this product and have been using it quite a lot lately. Shockingly enough I'm actually favouring this over my coveted Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation at the moment. I think I'll get a lot of use out of it in the coming weeks too as I love the contrast between fresh clean skin and a rich smokey eye, something I tend to wear a lot more in Autumn and despite it's £18 price tag I really would recommend this to someone looking for a light coverage base.


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Current Foundation Favourite

Benefit High Beam £18.50 & Rimmel Wake Me Up Founation £8.99
When it comes to foundation, I have to admit I've become a bit of a snob and only tend to head to the premium counters for new purchases. Recently though Rimmel Wake Me Up has had so much hype I couldn't resist any longer! At £8.99, its probably the least expensive foundation I own and I've actually really liked using it over the last week.

I tried this on its own to begin with and found that it gave my skin a really fresh glow, while at the same time being quite a satin finish and not dewy and 'wet' looking as I expected. This is down to the tiny particles of mineral pearls which you can just about make out in the bottle. It's pretty similar in principle to Revlon's Photoready foundation but the pigments are no way near as large and glittery as they're actually unnoticeable on the skin. Its quite a creamy formula which works really well buffed in with a flat top brush and I've even found it smooths out my skin quite a bit. The coverage is medium at first, but very easily buildable to give a flawless finish.

All in all I'm really impressed with this 'drug store' foundation and have found myself reaching for it on a daily basis. The only bad things I'd have to say about it are the staying power, which doesn't quite get me through a full day at work without a top up, and the colour range! Obviously a brand like Rimmel are only going to make room for the most popular colours on their shelves but I wish there would be a better colour choice for the paler minority! This shade Ivory is the lightest they offer and it's still a little dark for me.

What I've found makes this foundation really amazing however, is Benefit's High Beam. I've been loving using the L'Oreal Lumi Magique Primer that I mentioned in my March Favourites, so much so that I've used it all up! Having yet to repurchase it (which I still very much intend to do) I dug out my old bottle of High Beam which is pretty much an identical pink version. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with this product as I've always thought it was beautiful but never really mastered putting a cream highlighter on top of foundation. I've never actually used it all over as a base though so I popped it all over before using Wake Me Up and wow, the glow this combination gives is really amazing!

Has anyone else tried this primer/foundation combo?

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Estée Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup

ESTÉE LAUDER INVISIBLE FLUID MAKEUP - £27
I've waited quite a long time to review this product since buying it over two weeks ago as I wasn't quite sure I was ready to give it a rave straight away. Estée Lauder have moved out of their comfort zone of fuller coverage foundations and created this lightweight yet still perfect looking formula.

If your looking for comparisons, I think it's very similar to the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and even Jemma Kidd's Light As Air at a stretch. All three of these are foundations which despite having a thinner, almost watery consistency give excellent coverage. This won't quite measure up for those who favour Double Wear or other very full coverage foundations but for something which lets your skin breath and feels as though you're barely wearing make up it's really impressed me.

It applies beautifully and is really easily blended into the skin. I bought the Real Techniques Core Collection along with this just so I could use the Buffing Brush to apply it. I think these two make a perfect combination as the soft bristles glide this over the skin effortlessly. The staying power is great. Although I do find that I get a little break through oiliness towards the end of the day, that's easily fixed with a swirl of powder. I think the thing that stands out to me most though about this product is the glow that it gives. It makes skin look so healthy and radiant without verging into greasy or shiny at all.

I really have loved using this foundation and think it's going to be a great one for summer when I don't want to feel anything on my face but still want to look pretty much flawless. I think this has deffinitly made it into my top five favourite foundations, and we all know I'm a bit of a hoarder!

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Face Atelier Ultra Foundation

Sigma Round Top Synthetic Kabuki F82, Face Atelier Ultra Foundation #1 Porcelain
Despite owning more foundations than most would think humanly possible, I've recently found myself in a bit of a rut, not having a favorite that I automatically go to everyday. I love my Estée Lauder Double Wear, but its too heavy for a long day at work. Illamasqua Skin Base gives such a beautiful finish but mine's completely the wrong colour, and my most recent purchase, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua just wasn't cutting it with the coverage. So one night on a whim I decided to order Face Atelier Ultra, a foundation thats been sitting in the back of my mind for well over a year now.

I think Face Atelier is a pretty unheard of brand. I only managed to find it online which isn't exactly the best place to match yourself to the perfect colour. Luckily being white as a ghost I always need the palest shade so it was an easy choice. The foundation itself is an absolute dream. To me it's the perfect combination of all the greats out there. It's lightweight but full coverage, and dewey but long lasting. It really does feel just like skin.

I also ordered the Sigma round topped kabuki which has now become my favorite foundation brush. I've used flat top brushes in the past, which I still love, but this rounded one makes it a lot easier to get into all the little nooks of the face, whilst still giving a completely flawless finish.

I think the true test of how much I like this foundation is the fact that I haven't strayed away from using it for over two weeks now, something pretty much unheard of! Its a little bit pricy at £32, but you can order samples from the website for next to nothing, which I really recommend!

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