Makeup | Fenty Foundations Comparison and Review

 

I was looking through some old draft posts not so long ago and found this one that I started a few years ago and never got round to posting! Ironically, one of the foundations I had reviewed is now discontinued and they have since brought out more new ones! Anyway, I thought I would still update and post this with my round up and review. The Pro Filt’r Soft Matte foundation was the first product from the brand that I tried in 2017 – and since then I have repurchased many times as well as fallen in love with a lot of their other products!

 

Starting with my favourite, the Fenty Beauty PRO FILT’R Soft Matte Longwear Foundation RRP $54 CAD | £34, this comes in 50 shades (I am shade 150) and is described as a soft matte longwear foundation that’s a buildable, medium to full coverage that fights heat, sweat and shine. Despite offering good coverage, it feels liquid-y and lightweight to me and does a great job of covering blemishes. I found that when my skin was a bit oilier than it is now this lasted for about 6 hours before I needed to powder again but now its more on the normal/combo side I don’t need it. It leaves my skin looking very perfected, doesn’t settle into fine lines, and lasts well. It doesn’t quite beat Estee Lauder Double Wear for me (I don’t think anything will) as I find it to just last a little longer on my skin but it’s a really nice alternative for when I want something different and the finish is beautiful! The price has creeped up steadily since I first got this like with all cosmetics unfortunately so I would definitely wait for a 20% off offer and take advantage! See my full review here!

 

I picked up the Fenty Beauty Eaze Drops Blurring Skin Tint RRP $49 CAD | £29 (shade 2) when my skin cleared up after Roaccutane as I wanted to try a lighter coverage base. These are a pretty big departure from my normal full coverage foundation buys as they have such light coverage! Coming in 25 shades that again correspond to your shade match in the foundations, this is a tinted moisturiser that evens out skin tone and offers a no makeup makeup look! It says they are buildable light to medium but I would say these are definitely on the light side of coverage especially if you are used to full foundation. However, these are so perfecting and really do blur the skin and even out my complexion and with the rest of my makeup on top I am super happy with the coverage they give! They have been a welcome addition to my makeup bag especially for weekends when I don’t have any major plans but still want some coverage and I use this base a lot when I go hiking as it wears well when I sweat. They last all day on my skin and don’t settle into fine lines and the shade 2 is perfect for my fair skin and maybe just a touch lighter than the 150 shade I am in the Soft Matte foundation! 

 

The Fenty Beauty PRO FILT’R Hydrating foundation (shade 150) has since been discontinued and replaced with the Soft’Lit Naturally Luminous Hydrating Longwear Foundation which I haven’t tried. Since I was already a fan of the matte foundation, when I was on Roaccutane, I picked up the sister hydrating version. Again, it ahd 50 shades that correspond with the matte version, and offered the same buildable full to medium coverage this time with a natural finish rather than matte and it was geared more to normal/dry skin types. This really brought the glow to my skin while it was its driest and I know I would have hated it had my skin been oily! Even with powder it never completely “set” for me so there is a tendency for some transfer though I wouldn’t say it wore off easily either. While my skin was normal/dry this lasted through the day for me and made me look so healthy and dewy however it wouldn’t have been a repurchase for me as like I mentioned, my skin is more normal/combo now and I can imagine it would wear off more! So, you could say I am glad they discontinued this one and not the Soft Matte!

 

Overall, the Soft Matte foundation is my favourite and the Eaze Drops have pleasantly surprised me! I have already repurchased the Soft Matte multiple times!

 

Have you tried any Fenty foundations? Let me know what you thought!

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me on

Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

 

 

 

Skincare | Murad Review and Favourite Products

I’m back today with a little roundup of Murad, a brand I was introduced to just before Christmas as part of their influencer ambassador programme – the Skin Wellness Squad! Founded in 1989 by Dr Howard Murad, Murad believe skincare is healthcare and selfcare and their products are science backed high-performance technologies and formulas. I have quite a few products here from different ranges so let’s get into it! 

 

 

The Environmental Shield is part of their brightening range and targets dark spots and uneven tones. This, along with fine lines and aging is currently my biggest skincare concern. Since finishing up my third course of Roaccutane a year ago, my skin has thankfully *touch wood* stayed clear this time! I have noticed a huge difference in stubborn spots of pigmentation since introducing the Vita-C Glycolic Brightening Serum RRP £74* into my routine. It really is a powerhouse antioxidant serum and after struggling with Vitamin C formulas that help brighten but don’t do much for specific areas of pigmentation this has been a welcome addition! The inclusion of glycolic acid gently exfoliates and helps ensure effective Vitamin C (in the form of L-ascorbic acid) delivery and the serum itself absorbs quickly, makes my skin look brighter and more even and over time I have noticed my attention being drawn less and less to the stubborn pigmentation I thought was never going to shift! I LOVE this serum!

 

Next up, the Vita-C Triple Exfoliating Facial RRP £67* and I know physical exfoliants can sometimes be a source of contention in the skincare world but personally, I am a big fan! As well as being a physical exfoliant, this also combines chemical (glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids) and enzymatic exfoliants to slough off dead skin cells and smooth skin. It contains Vitamin C too and on rubbing into the skin it changes colour from orange to while to let you know you can stop scrubbing! This isn’t as gentle as some scrubs I’ve tried but it’s in no way harsh either! I usually leave on my skin for 10 minutes after scrubbing before washing off and I am left with smooth, brighter skin that is primed for the rest of my routine! 

 

Lastly, from this range at least, is the City Skin Age Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 RRP £60*. This is a mineral sunscreen that shields against digital blue light damage, UVA, UVB & pollution. The formula is lightweight and has a peachy tint that is easily worked into the skin leaving no white cast (I have pale skin for reference). It sits well over the rest of my skincare as well as under makeup and I love that its SPF 50, my skin feels protected and the formula is beautiful, no difficulty rubbing in or pilling either!

 

 

The purple products are from the Hydration range and perfect for sensitive skin. The standout for me from this line is the Intense Recovery Cream RRP £69* and I already featured it a few months ago in this post! This is the ultimate comfort blanket for stressed out, dehydrated, sensitive skin and I am obsessed! It contains shea better, macadamia oil and microalgae extract to provide deep moisturisation and smooth the look of stress lines as well as reducing redness and irritation. My skin was really playing up at the start of the year, I think from a mixture of retinol products, the weather and working from home all day in central heating. It was red, inflamed, itchy and flaky and this came to the rescue thankfully! It feels instantly soothing on stressed skin and is so comforting! It reduced my redness as well as hydrating my skin and getting it back to normal and as you can see, I have been making my way through it quickly! It feels like more of a balm than a cream and it melts into skin keeping it hydrated and protected overnight. I also used this in the day under makeup and was pleasantly surprised how well it sat under makeup given it is so balmy, a must have for sensitive skin! 

 

Sticking with moisturisers and the Nutrient-Charged Water Gel RRP £55* is another favourite. It’s oil-free, lightweight and instantly hydrates, plumps and locks in moisture.

It’s made up of five vitamins (B and E), five minerals (silicon, iron, zinc, copper and magnesium) and five peptides to smooth skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines, improve tone and texture and restore the skins barrier. A little goes a long way with this one and like it promises, my skin feels and looks plump, smooth and hydrated, fine lines are less visible and it provides a lovely base for makeup, working well with the City Skin SPF!

The Revitalixir Recovery Serum RRP £75* contains these spheres which hopefully you can see in the photos and works for the eyes as well as the face! It’s a blend of niacinamide, caffeine, neuropeptide, paracress and cannabis sativa seed oil which helps smooth skin, calming and depuffing it and the illuminating pearls help hydrate! The scent of this is so familiar and nostalgic to me but I have no idea why as I had never tried it before, but it is very comforting! This is a nice serum but I am not blown away by it! 

 

The Resurgence line is for anti-aging and targeting line and wrinkles as well as lifting and firming. Starting with the Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream RRP £73*, this is actually one of the products I have been reacting to as mentioned above - along with the Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6. I used both of those products with no issues a handful of times before Christmas but they both separately caused reactions around January/Feburary, and it took me a while to realise what was causing the reaction as I hadn’t had issues before! I have started reintroducing the Murad back into my routine over the last four weeks and have been sandwiching with the Revitalixir serum and a little intense recovery cream on top and no reactions so far so I do think it was down to my skin being extra sensitive in winter rather than the product itself!

 

I love the packaging of this with the pump ensuring you get the correct amount of product each time. The formula contains a fast-acting retinoid, a time-released retinol and a retinol booster as well as niacinamide to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and strengthen the skins barrier. I’ll update this more as I use it for longer but since my sensitive skin issues have subsided this has left me with plump skin in the morning! My mum also has this and really enjoys it for her more mature skin also finding it plumping and targeting her fine lines and wrinkles.

Lastly, the Targeted Wrinkle Corrector RRP £70* and this is a nifty little treatment to diminish the look of wrinkles by working like a filler flooding lines with hyaluronic acid to plump and smooth. At 31, I am more concerned with fine lines than deep set wrinkles, so the effects are not so drastic for me! This is a nice little extra though if you are concerned with deeper set lines and a nice alternative to filler. Like I said, it contains hyaluronic acid, squalane to prevent moisture loss and hexapeptide to boost elasticity. Application is pretty important too – I used this without reading the directions and put it on right before applying my makeup which resulted in my foundation sticking to the places, I had applied it very obviously lol. The best way is to apply after cleansing and toning but before serum, moisturiser and SPF. It has a lovely cooling applicator but I find the best way to apply is with my finger by tapping into the areas I am using it on such as my elevens, forehead and smile lines. Used in this way it doesn’t affect my makeup and makes my skin look smoother. While working instantly it also it a preventative product too!

 

While the products are pricey, for me the stand outs are worth it (Vita-C Glycolic Brightening Serum, City Skin Age Defence Broad Spectrum SPF 50, Intense Recovery Cream and Nutrient Charged Water Gel) and if you shop around you can usually find a 20% off offer or pick up a set of minis to try! As well as their own website, they are also available from Space NK, Look Fantastic and Cult Beauty among others!

 

Have you tried anything from Murad before? What’s your favourite product?

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me on

Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

Current Skincare | Serums and SPF’s #1

I’m back with another current skincare post and this time I’ve branched out from cleansers and toners to serums and SPF’s!  Now, this isn’t quite all the serums I’m using at the minute but it’s the three I am using most consistently and the only SPF’s I have open. It’s probably going to be a ramble so let’s get to it!

 

As a huge fan of Dermalogica products I was super excited about trying the Dermalogica Powerbright Dark Spot Serum* RRP £89 out especially as I received it right towards the end of my Roaccutane treatment. As a reminder, you can’t use retinol or acids while on the drug as it makes your skin so sensitive and those ingredients are normally my go to’s when trying to fade dark spots so I was excited to use this. It has an impressive name and impressive claims to start fading spots in a week and help them diminish over time while brightening and boosting skins luminosity. While I enjoy the lightweight formula of this serum, unfortunately I have not seen huge changes in my pigmentation since using it and considering the claims and price, I was expecting more! My skin does look brighter and more even overall with use but I was really hoping this would help target some dark spots I have from leftover acne and they just haven’t shifted. One of the serums main ingredients is niacinamide which usually works wonders for me but not this time! Like I said, a nice formulation overall and a good one for sensitive skin (though be aware of citrus oils in there too) but at this price the payoff is not good enough for my expectations! 

 

 

Sticking with Dermalogica, their Smart Response Serum* RRP £130 has impressed me much more! This is a smart serum that responds to your skins changing needs to hydrate, firm, brighten and soothe depending on what it feels you require. It really is a joy to use from the heavyweight bottle to the rich (but never greasy) serum! It almost doesn’t feel like you even need to follow with moisturiser and it instantly calms skin. With consistent use twice a day my skin has felt hydrated, brighter, soft and plump and my fine lines look less noticeable. Ingredients wise, it contains glycerin (hydration), niacinamide and hydrolyzed wheat flour (brightening), japanese cornelia cherry (soothes and reduces redness) and mannose-6-phosphate (smooths and firms). The price is eye watering but Look Fantastic’s many 20% off codes work on it and I think if you are streamlining your routine or want to cut out a few steps with multiple serums this is a one stop shop and well worth it!

 

Sticking with serums, though this is more a bi-phase oil hybrid, the Lumene Nordic-C Arctic Berry Oil-Cocktail* RRP £29.90 (for a 30m full size) is a great little hydrating product! I always err on the side of caution with oils as they are usually strictly an overnight product for me but with my skin being more normal rather than oily these days and this being very lightweight it’s been working well for me. Shake before use and the Arctic cloudberry, Nordic cranberry and fatty acids make my skin glow while keeping it bright and hydrated all day long. It sits well under moisturiser and doesn’t make my foundation disintegrate despite being an oil and I can see anyone with drier skin than me loving this too! 

 

Moving onto SPF now and the Vichy Capital Soleil UV-Age Daily SPF 50* RRP £21 has quickly moved to the top of my SPF list with its lightweight fluid texture! This is an SPF 50 offering UVA and UVB protection that corrects photo-ageing signs such as wrinkles and dark spots caused by daily UV exposure. It's formulated with 1% Vitamin E, 4% peptides complex, 2% niacinamide, and 10% Vichy volcanic mineralizing water and probiotic fractions and really has been a dream to use! I was concerned on reading the full ingredients list as alcohol denat is high up there and I previously haven’t got on with SPF’s containing high amounts (though I get on with it in my overnight acids) but apart from a slight “active” feeling on application which soon disappears it hasn’t been a problem for me! If you have *very* sensitive skin it might not be the one for you though. Aside from that, this has no white cast (I have pale skin for reference), it absorbs easily and sits very well under makeup with no pilling in sight – hallelujah! I used this when I was dog sitting recently too and put it on for my early morning dog walks where it didn’t melt off into my eyes or sting them either! As it’s a French pharmacy item its usually on a nice little offer too! Can’t recommend this enough! I'm annoyed at myself for losing the cap of this, it's in my tiny bedroom somewhere but I can't find it!

 

Finally, the Hello Sunday The Everyday One Face Moisturiser SPF 30 RRP £15 and I really wanted to love this one but it’s fallen short for me unfortunately. Like the Vichy, this protects against UVA and UVB rays and they also have an SPF 50 version. It contains hyaluronic acid, panthenol and allantoin and is hydrating enough that you don’t need to use a separate moisturiser underneath! It’s a very lightweight cream and leaves no white cast for me either but takes a little more rubbing in that the Vichy. The issue I have with this is that 9 times out of 10 I will get some pilling either while rubbing it in or when I am blending my foundation on top. Pilling is my number one pet peeve in skincare and it’s been a while since a product has done this on me! On the occasions this hasn’t pilled it’s a nice product but I just don’t trust it now. I am not sure what it’s reacting with and it is better when I simplify my routine (and I mean literally toner, serum and this) but I like some extra layers sometimes. I’m not a fan of the pump either, it can sometimes squirt out way further than intended and is a pain! Overall, though I have heard some great things about the other products in Hello Sunday’s SPF line up this was a miss for me!

I’d love to know if you have tried any of the above products and what you thought! Let me know what your favourite serum or SPF is at the minute!

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me on

Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

Makeup Review | Fenty Beauty Slip Shine Sheer Shiny Lipstick in Retro Rose

Wow, what a mouthful! As soon as I saw the latest addition to Rihanna’s makeup line being advertised, I knew I would be picking up one (although there are about four other shades I want too!). A sheer, shiny, nourishing lipstick? I’m in! 

I picked up the shade Retro Rose which is described as a dusty pink and is a perfect my lips but better shade for me. It’s creamy to apply, feels super comfortable on the lips as it’s so moisturising and though it’s sheer it’s buildable to a deeper shade. It’s got a very subtle vanilla scent and it also contains pomegranate butter to condition and smooth lips. 

What I am most impressed with however is how long this lasts on my lips. Most sheer lipstick/balm hybrids wear off quickly but this stays put for hours before I even contemplate topping up and lasts through copious amounts of tea! It has a very small amount of glitter in it but this isn’t noticeable or chunky at all and doesn’t leave a grit behind!

The packaging is sturdy with a satisfactory click when closing and I love the outer casing, it doesn’t look like anything else I have! This is my first Fenty Beauty lip product but I already love their Sun Stalk’r Bronzer which you can read about here and I also just repurchased the Pro Filt’r foundation again too! I really hope she comes out with powder blushers soon too as the cream ones look beautiful but it’s not my favourite formulation!

l-r: NARS Afterglow lip balm in Dolce Vita, Fenty Slip Shine in Retro Rose, Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Lips in Pillow Talk, Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer shine balm in Rose

I’ve included swatches here too with a few other lip balms so you can see the shade and I’d say the Slip Shine is most comparable to Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Lips in Pillow Talk in my collection – both are beautifully comfortable and longlasting though, yes, expensive! But yanno treat yo self! 

I managed to pick mine up from Boots when they had 15% off but they are normally priced at £19 or $22 and available from Boots, Harvey Nichols or Fenty Beauty!

P.S. I finally got a new phone so expect photos in portrait mode for the foreseeable bahahaha

Danielle xx

If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me on

Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter