HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERFECT FOUNDATION

Dr.Jart+ Regenerating BB Beauty Balm SPF30 [one shade],  Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream SPF25 [02 medium], Rodial BB Venom Skin Tint SPF15 [Capri], Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF15 [Natural 4], MAC Matchmaster Foundation SPF15 [3.0], MAC Studio Face and Body [C3]

  Colour & Texture

Clockwise starting at 11: Dr.Jart+, Clarins, Rodial, Bobbi Brown, MAC, MAC Studio

[all shades info under the image above]

There is nothing wrong with mixing up a foundation to create your own perfect shade and/or finish. I have been mixing up my foundations for years, some of them are couple of shades too light, some have too much pink or yellow undertones and others are frankly way too dark. Even if you get consulted by a beauty counter "make-up artist", which by the way most of my foundation purchased that way were the wrong shade as I'd learn later after I get home and try it on. So you end up with a bunch of foundation bottles sitting there looking out of place. Be the creator of your own perfect custom made foundation, use one or two pumps of one foundation with less, more or equal amount of another and see what you can end up with.

Sometimes however you may find that the shade is more or less matching but the texture and finish is either too shiny, too matte, or has too much/too little coverage. This issue is also rectifiable. If mixing two foundations doesn't cut it, try mixing a foundation with a BB cream, it works wonders as I have recently discovered by trying to finish a too dark foundation that also is a touch too heavy on my skin. Classically BB creams are marketed as a stand-alone product or a primer for foundation, but truthfully speaking I love mixing a BB with a foundation and apply it that way, rather than layering it. 

My favourite mix up at the moment is Rodial BB Venom Skin Tint in Capri + MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 3.0 [only god knows why I was matched with this shade, which is at least 2-3 shades darker than needed to be]. Also keep in mind that some foundations work better when applied with a brush, whilst others need to be warmed up and therefore a finger-application is more suitable, so don't give up on a foundation just yet, you may discover that sometimes a foundation mixed yourself can be better than a ready bought from the shelf!

LOVE

On-Trend: Glowy Spring Skin with Clarins!

Falsies: Eylure Naturalites, Winged style to elongate the eye.

Clarins Opalescence Face & Blush Powder, Multi-Blush in 02 Candy, Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base in 02 Champagne, and Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 05 Candy Shimmer

Clarins Opalescence Face & Blush Powder

[Limited Edition] 

Hey Beauty Lovers! One of the biggest beauty trends this season is the glowy complexion. This beauty look is focused on the illuminated skin, which looks super chic with a pretty pink cheek and a black eyeliner. To create the perfect glowy skin I applied the Clarins Instant Light Radiant Boosting Complexion Base in 02 Champagne all over the face, which illuminates and corrects skin tone. Then I went over with my regular foundation and set it with Clarins Skin Illusion in 108 Sand, which is a loose powder mineral foundation that I'm currently addicted to. 

To warm up the complexion I applied Opalescence Face & Blush Powder. This limited edition bronzer and blush in one is very gentle so it's perfect for a natural fresh looking skin. As a blush I used the Clarins Multi-Blush in 02 Candy, a super pretty spring pink. It's a Cream Blush, which can be worn on cheeks and lips. Once it sets it lasts long, and has a very pretty texture. And finally on the lips I went for the good old Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. The shade 05 Candy Shimmer is one of the newer additions, it looks super pretty together with the Candy Cream Blush.

LOVE

Clarins Instant Concealer Review!

Hey Beauty Lovers! I discovered a new concealer that is great for under the eyes. Under my eyes I like a lightweight concealer that also has good coverage to conceal darkness. Clarins Instant Concealer has a beautifully smoothing formula and medium to full coverage. It does a great job concealing dark circles and also brightens the under eye area decreasing the look of tiered eyes. I really love the texture, it has that silicone base feeling, which makes it glide beautifully on the skin. The shade I'm wearing is 01, which is yellowy-beige. A little goes a long way, use this concealer sparingly as it is super pigmented and you only need a tiny dot under each eye.

LOVE

Clarins Extra-Comfort Anti-Pollution Cleansing Cream Review!

Hey Beauty Lovers! This is the new Clarins Extra-Comfort Anti-Pollution Cleansing Cream, which I have been jolly enjoying. This cleanser is suitable for all skin types including those of us that are combo/oily. Basically what it does is detoxifies the skin epidermis from the polluted urban environment that we experience daily, especially in big cities like London! It's a fabulous cleanser for those girls who are super busy yet want to look beautiful and take care of their skin. Moringa extract helps to purify the skin, while mango and Shea have nourishing properties.

This Cleansing Cream also can be used on the eyes, so it makes a great all over cleanser. I prefer using it with a muslin cloth, I begin by taking off make-up with a regular make-up remover. On the night when I need a deeper cleanse I like to wash my face with a warm muslin cloth, which helps to open the pores. Then I massage a small amount of the cleanser and then rinse it off with warm water and the muslin cloth. The muslin cloth is optional, I prefer it because it helps to exfoliate the skin further. It's the perfect way to end a log day by taking off every little trace of make-up, leaving the skin feel beautifully fresh and nourished. And the scent is lovely too!

LOVE

Top Five Lipbalms: Nuxe, Bliss, Cowshed, Clarins, Avene!

Hey Beauts! Although I'm a lipstick girl through and through, I do gravitate towards lipbalms during the fall. Lips tend to get dehydrated when it gets really cold and need extra love & care... Going through my lipbalm collection I picked the ones that I enjoy wearing most for one reason or another, but all of them are really lightweight and super moisturising!

Nuxe Nutri-Protecting Lip Care SPF15 in 01 Natural Crystal - a pretty shimmery natural nude lip shade, nourishing, protecting and enhancing lipbalm that tastes of mangos! Comes in other three shades: pink, red, and chocolate.

Bliss Fabulips Softening Lip Balm - it's a clear stick lip balm which I tend to put on while I'm doing my make-up so that by the time I get to my lips they will be nicely moisturised but non-greasy for the lipstick to go on beautifully. The scent is sweet vanilla with a citrus hint.

Cowshed Lippy Cow Natural Lip Balm - also a clear but liquid lip balm, super lightweight. It's an oldie but goodie, out of them all it lasts less but the scent is so delicious that I can't resist from topping it up ever so often. It has essential oils of linden blossom, rose geranium and ylang ylang.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 04 Petal Shimmer - I believe this is one of the newest shade additions to this lip balm range, available in other five shades, every single one is very pretty and natural. Petal Shimmer is a gorgeous rosy subtle pink. I love wearing these Clarins lipbalm all year round, they are like addictive candy, you want one in every colour! It's beautifying and plumping without that tingling effect. 

And last but by no means least is the Avene Cold Cream Lip Cream - it's a new lip care product that works magic in no time. It heals the most severely dehydrated and chapped lips almost immediately. When my lips are beyond dry I apply a generous coat and leave it for a couple of minute, then simply with a q-tip I make sure to thoroughly rub the dead skin off, et voilà! The rest of the day lips are guaranteed to look beautifully luscious and totally irresistible!

LOVE

Fall 2013 Beauty Look with Clarins!

 Clarins Mineral Eyeshadow in 13 Dark Chocolate

& Clarins Long-Lasting Eye Pencil With Brush and Sharpener in 01 Intense Black

 Clarins Rouge Prodige Lipstick in 111 Raspberry Sorbet

Clarins Long-Lasting Eye Pencil With Brush and Sharpener in 01 Intense Black

& Clarins Rouge Prodige Lipstick in 111 Raspberry Sorbet

Hey Beauties! There is something about a berry toned lip during the autumn, which I like to wear with a smokey eye, of course... To create this look I started prepping my eyelids with the new Clarins Instant Light Eye Perfecting Base. It has a silicone-like texture, which goes on smoothly and provides a beautiful base for the eyeshadow to sit on, making it last longer. It's tinted, so it's a concealer kind of a shade. Then I used only one eyeshadow all over for a quick and easy smokey eye. Clarins Mineral Eyeshadow in 13 Dark Chocolate is a pretty brown with a reddish shimmer, it can be used dry or wet for more intensity. 

Next I used the new Clarins Crayon Kohl in 01 Intense Black. I particularly love the perfect smudging brush that it comes with. It's an eyeliner that definitely moves, so I find it works best when really smudged and blended with the eyeshadow. And for the berry lip I went with new shade of Clarins Rouge Prodige in 111 Raspberry Sorbet, which is from the Autumn 2013 Collection. Raspberry Sorbet is a very pretty berry shade, perfect for the fall season. It can be worn sheer or it can be build up to a rich berry tone.

LOVE   

Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream + Skin Illusion Mineral Powder!

Clarins Skin Illusion Mineral Powder Foundation in 108 Sand

and

Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream in 02 Medium

Hey Beauties! This is a nice foundation combo if you want to create a natural lightweight finish. Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream in 02 Medium on its own is a little too dark for my skin tone at the moment, if you are very fair I'd recommend the 01 shade. However, set with Clarins Skin Illusion Mineral Loose Powder Foundation in 108 Sand the BB cream looks perfect. If you don't know what BB cream is, it's basically skincare and foundation at once, quite often with a not very strong coverage, so it either can be used in place of tinted moisturiser, base, or SPF. Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream has a light coverage, it helps to create a more even skin tone and gives you a great base for a mineral foundation. But if you have acne scars or other visible imperfections then you will need to use a concealer. You can of course use the BB cream on its own if you have dry or normal skin type, but I have a combination skin so I always need to set it with a mineral foundation.

Clarins Skin Illusion Loose Powder Foundation is beautiful product to use on its own or as a setting powder. The fine milled Minerals & Plant Extracts create the ultra-fine silky texture, for a natural and flawless skin. It can be built up from light to a medium coverage. This mineral foundation  has illuminating properties, although it is meant to give you a matte finish the skin will still look beautifully radiant and perfectly even, so it is great for all skin types. On my combination skin I had to retouch the powder foundation after a couple of hours, as my skin started to look a bit too glowy. The packaging is stunning, it comes with a great quality pop out kabuki brush, which you have to push out and click back in place. It does look stunning on the vanity table! Both the BB cream and mineral foundation have a gorgeous rose scent.

LOVE

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Petal Shimmer + Candy Shimmer!

Hey Beauties! Here are two new additions to my Clarins collection. Couple of summers ago I was totally obsessed with the Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in 03 Nude Shimmer and it was the only lip product I have used for a month non stop. It's just such an easy and effortless lip product that instantly makes your lips look beautiful. I love the texture it's not sticky, wears beautifully, you can reapply it while on the go [literally] don't even need a mirror! Although they all have 'shimmer' attached to their shade names it is not about crazy sparkles or anything like that, it's super natural but it does have a beautifying sheen to it, which ultimately makes the lips look natural yet plump and delicious. Speaking of which, the scent reminds me of sweets, like toffee or something. 04 Petal Shimmer is a super cute baby pink and 05 Candy Shimmer is like an English rose pink.

LOVE

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gel Review & Swatches!

 Shades: 01 Crystal Pink [bottom] & 02 Crystal Plum [top]

These new Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gels are a great plumping lip product. Translucent texture that just gives you enough flush of a colour keeping your lips looking natural yet voluptuous and pretty. Most gel like textured lip glosses tend to be sticky, but these are very lightweight and definitely non-sticky! This Lip Gel comes in two shades as featured above: 01 Crystal Pink is a luscious coral pink and 02 Crystal Plum is a delicious burgundy plum. Speaking of delicious, they are induced with a rather delightful blackcurrant scent!

LOVE

Inspired by Lisa Eldridge's Classic Smokey Eye!

 This is my Instagram pic so the colours are a bit different...

You can see the swatches from top left to right:  

Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush in 4, Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner in Black,  

MAC Paints in Sublime Nature,and bottom two from L to R  

Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Taupe and Hot Stone

I'm a huge fan of Lisa Eldridge's work and so happy to see her doing beauty looks again. Her latest creation is the Classic Smokey Eye, to see her vid click here! I decided to recreate this look especially because I already had Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Taupe, which I haven't touched in ages. This Classic Smokey Eye is all about greyish brown shades, shades that naturally don't suit me, I prefer warm browns on me so I was really intrigues how this look would work on me. And I ended up loving it! This is why beauty is all about experimenting and being brave, I highly recommend to try this look, it has honestly become one of my staple looks!! 

I followed the exact techniques that Lisa Eldridge shows in her video, but used all the products I already have in my make-up collection. So do watch the vid of how to do this look, and I will just list the products I used otherwise this blogpost would be insanely long... 

Base [in the order I used the products]: 

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Light 4 Deauville, Liz Earle Light Reflecting Concealer in Medium 02 [just under the eyes], Collection 2000 Concealer in Light 2 [everything is rubbed off of mine, I still got the original one, best cheapest concealer ever - to conceal spots etc, not for under eyes], bareMinerals Matte SPF15 Foundation in Light W15 [all over to set the foundation],  Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer [doesn't seem to have a shade number, might have rubbed off - I always finish off my make-up with this concealer under the eyes], Aerin Illuminating Powder in Pretty Bronze [I love to contour under my cheek-bones with it, I even prefer it to Nars Laguna!], and finally Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush in 4 [I bust this baby out during summer, the prettiest bronzy natural blush I can think off]

Eyes:

Soap&Glory Archery Brow Tint & Precision Shaping Pencil in Love Is Blonde [I love the name as much as the pencil it self, I find the tint end a bit too hard but omg(!) is the precision shaping end amazing!! I will have to do blogpost about it separately it's that good, basically gives you the sexiest blode brow], MAC Paints in Sublime Nature [all over as a base], Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Taupe 4 [as the main eyeshadow], Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Hot Stone 56 [as the darker shade, very similar to what Lisa Eldridge used, a greyish dark brown], Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner in Black [one of my favourite black eyeliners, very intense and creamy so it's great for smudging, once it sets it stays put forever], before I apply mascara I always curl my lashes, it has become a religion - I use Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers, Avon SuperExtend Extreme Mascara in Black has proved to be a great companion [doesn't seem to ever end or dry out, love it!]

Lips:

And lastly for the lips I decided to keep it nice and simple as this looks requires lots and lots of blending, so I went for Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 03, I was obsessed with it couple of summers ago, and might go back to it this summer, these lipglosses are super simple to use, not sticky which is a major plus point and they just somehow make your lips look very pretty and natural! 

Hope you like this look, I certainly loved wearing it! The cool browns I usually try to avoid wearing changed my mind, thank you Lisa xox

LOVE

Bronzed Summer Beauty Look with Clarins Splendours Collection!

I was meaning to write about the beautiful Clarins Splendours Summer Bronzing Compact and Splendours Colour Quartet & Liner Eye Palette [both are Limited Edition from the Summer 2013 Collection] for a while. Some of you already might have seen my Instagram pics of the more natural look I wore at first and the slightly more smokey eye that I'm wearing in these pics! I thought the first look I created didn't showcase this eyeshadow palette beautifully enough, so I then created a more smokey look that features the true bronzed summer beauty look! The packaging is stunning, like something straight out of Da Vinci Code, really intricate and decadent.

For this look I have used the eyeliner and the eyeshadows [all accept the nude shade in the bottom right]. To make a bronzy eye make-up look more intense I used MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist as a base. Then I applied the copper shade [top left] all over the lid, and the brown [bottom left] just in the outer v, for more depth but you can still see the copper eyeshadow beautifully coming through. The lightest shade I used as the highlighter on the brow-bone, and the eyeliner [a dark matte brown] I applied over the top lash line, and lower blending it a little with both the brown and copper, also applying the eyeliner on the waterline [I used the angle brush that comes in the palette]. This eyeliner has a smooth texture, so you can smudge it and blend it before it sets, it stays put!

And then of course to finish off the classic bronzed summer look I contoured my cheeks with the Splendours Summer Bronzing Compact, taking it on the temples, cheeks, and also where the sun hits. The shimmery centre I prefer to apply separately with a finger as with a brush the rest of the matte bronzer gets mixed with the shimmers, which you may not necessarily want. So I just dab my finger into it and then gently apply it just over the cheek-bone, for the glowy highlighted effect. Both the bronzer and eyeshadow palette are perfect for a natural summer look, that creates enough warmth for a glowy pretty look.

LOVE

Clarins Instant Eye Make-Up Remover!

As I really got into wearing fake eyelashes lately, I found I needed something a little stronger that would easily get off even the sticky lash glue sitting above my lashes or sometimes even in between, which can be tricky to get off with a regular eye make-up remover unless you don't mind loosing a few of your own lashes. This one is really greasy and oily which makes it glide over all water resistant eye products with such a great ease, taking off every bit of everything without damaging your eyelashes or the gentle eye area! As it is oil based it does leave a lot of residue, so I just go over it with a regular make-up remover. I wouldn't use it every day as it is so oily, but on occasions when I need a little more help with removing heavy eye make-up this one does a fantastic job! 

LOVE

New Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm!

Wearing: Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm in 06 Crystal Mandarin

The shade I'm wearing: 06 Crystal Mandarin

 

The beautiful shimmer/sheen in the 08 shade came out beautifully, 

all of the four shades have a beautiful sheen, but most predominant in 08 and 09.

05 Crystal Rose - pink with fuchsia sheen; 06 Crystal Mandarin - orange with gold/red sheen;

07 Crystal Gold Plum - plum with gold/bronze sheen; 08 Crystal Berry - berry with purple sheen

In the same order as pictured above...

The 06 and o7 shades are warm-toned and 05 and 08 cool-toned.

I'm super excited to share these, what must be the most beautiful lip balms in existence, I'm not even exaggerating! I know it's a major statement coming from someone who loves all things beauty related, but I'm really obsessed with the new lip balms, Clarins packaging is a class of it's own, even their lip balms look like something from a bondette vanity. Love it! I also love the coloured bottoms, if you are a beauty collector this will be great for storing them upside down! 

But the best part of course are the lip balms themselves, as you can see they don't look very ordinary. Basically it's a lipbalm and lipstick in one. In the middle of the clear balm bullet is the colour, so when applied the two mix creating that soothing lipbalm with great pigmentation! They look and feel beautiful, and like a try lipbalm you just want to keep reapplying it throughout the day. And they smell so good, literally a strawberry heaven. 

The Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm comes in these four beautiful shades. They all have shimmer and sheen in them to give you that perfect full lip! Sofar I wore the 05 and 06 shades and they are really flattering and feel super moisturising. I know I will be wearing these throughout the summer, they are just very easy, super pretty, and just gorj!

LOVE