Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation

I decided to try a new foundation as I was need of a new one and went for Perfection Lumiere by Chanel. I much prefer a liquid foundation to a cream one as I find that a liquid sits better on my skin. It does get dry, so a cream one always goes patchy on me.

The packaging is great as it comes in a good sized bottle with a pump, allowing you to take as much as you need out.

The coverage is medium to full and I find the best way to apply this one is with a flat foundation brush. Different foundations, I've found apply better in different ways. With this one I've found that the brush does make it go on a lot better. I'm not a fan of beauty blenders and buffing this one in is no good either. I do like a full coverage so this one is great for me.

The finish is matte, although I do sort of prefer a dewy finish. To make it more dewy I did mix my illuminator in with it to give it a bit of a glow. The color I got in this one is called 20 - Beige. It's just the right color for me and doesn't make me look at all orange. I do hate it when paler foundations end up being too dark and making me look like Madge Harvey from Benidorm. Seriously that woman is just too orange.

This did manage to stay on my skin for around 12 - 13 hours before it did start to go patchy. Throughout the day it did look nice on, but later on I wasn't really fussed on it when it went patchy. If you are an all day foundation wearer like me and love to wear foundation into the evening, I would suggest reapplying it to give a fresh look.

While this is a good foundation, I wouldn't say it was the best I've tried. I will continue to use it, but i'm not sure if I would re buy it.

Dior Forever Foundation

Not so long ago I got invited to a Dior blogger event in Cardiff which was about the new spring collection as well as the re launch of their Forever Foundation. I've been needing a new foundation for some time so I used the event as a good opportunity to try the new foundation.

After having bad experiences with foundations I haven't tried before - drug store and expensive, I do tend to be a bit wary of trying a new one. My last bad experience with an expensive foundation was Illamasqua's Skin Base. I have however tried Dior's foundations before and have found them to be excellent. Dior Nude is my number one foundation for wearing in hot weather and I have tried Star a couple of times too.

I have heard that is one has no flashback to it, even though it has SPF 35. It's really unheard of to find a foundation that can claim that and I was really interested to see if it is actually true. 

At Dior they have this really interesting way of color matching foundation. When trying to find the perfect match for your skin tone they use this device that looks like a phone, put it against your skin and it tells you what color you need to go for. I think it's pretty cool and definitely an interesting way of color matching. In this foundation I went for 020 which is the next one up from the palest.

Packaging

The packaging deserves a fantastic review alone. It comes in a good sized bottle with a pump. For me having a pump is a must as you can take as little or as much as you like. It also allows for zero mess. I personally hate squeeze bottle foundations. Sure they may be great at first but after a while it can get quite difficult to get the product out, especially if you have used a bit of it. Aching hands are not great. All of the Dior foundations I have tried before have almost identical packaging. With the exception of their airbrush foundation which obviously comes in a spray format. 

The Foundation

For a liquid foundation, the formula is just right. It isn't too runny and isn't too thick either. I love my full coverage and this foundation allows me to get that quite easily. For those of you who like sheer and natural a light application of this will get you that too. 

My favorite way to apply this is with a brush. I'm really not getting the whole beauty blender thing as you can never beat a brush. By buffing it in the skin I am able to get that flawless glowing look that looks absolutely amazing. Even though I have full coverage with this one, it doesnt feel at all heavy or cakey.

I do have dry skin too so I really hate it when I find a foundation that clings to dry areas and does nothing for my skin. When I was putting this one on it did sort of have a cooling effect on my skin and did feel hydrating. I get a similar sort of feeling when applying Nude.

It really is long lasting too and stays on pretty much all day. I did go a bit shiny throughout the day, but it wasn't a big deal and by applying some powder it sorted it out just fine.

I'm really happy with the color match too. Even though 020 isn't the palest, I find it's just right for me and doesn't look at all orange. With many brands if I go darker than the palest I look like Madge Harvey from Benidorm. As much as I love the character of Madge, I really don't want to look like her.

I've left the best for last and that is about the flashback, well I should say the lack of it. Wearing this foundation I took a few photos with a flash and I didn't see that ghosting effect that many foundations with SPF in do. It seems like this foundation really doesnt have flashback in it. Bonus.

Overall I just love this foundation. I really like using it and will be putting it on my must have foundation lists. 

Dior Diorskin Nude Foundation

I've always found the best foundation for wearing in hot and humid weather is Dior's Diorskin Nude Foundation. It comes in a decent sized bottle costing £32.00. The packaging is great too because it's hardwearing and comes with a pump, meaning you only take out what you need.

The foundation comes in a range of different colours for all different skin tones. The shade I got is 010 which is the palest one they do. It's not super pale or too dark that it looks orange. I always like to add a bit of bronzer if I want to look darker.

The formula is a liquid one, I always prefer liquids to creams or powders, they blend so much easier into my skin. When applying it, it has this really nice sort of texture that feels so light and hydrating. Applying this foundation is like a dream. One application gives a light coverage, although it is definitely buildable for people like me who like a full coverage.

Now for the best bit about this product. For summer this is my must have product, especially if you go to hot and humid countries. I've worn this foundation in Florida and Greece and it has always stayed on all day, no melting at all. I've found other foundations such as MAC and Illamasqua do not last as long as this one does in that sort of weather. 

With this product, my skin feels healthy and has a nice glow to it when wearing it. My favourite way to apply it is with a brush. Sponge or fingers don't work as well with this foundation, or so I found.

I still had to powder through the day when wearing this product but not continuously as I have had to do with other foundations. 

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Estee Lauder Double Wear Camouflage Foundation

I love full coverage foundation. Sheer doesn't do it for me, having to spend ages building the colour up and then even more time with a concealer. This is why I love Estee Lauder's Double Wear Camouflage Foundation.

I've used this foundation before and can't say enough how amazing it is. I've heard people rave about the Double Wear range and I can see why.

This foundation comes in tube packaging which I like. It's easy to squeeze out the product and you can control how much you want to come out. It comes in a range of different colors.

It seems that Estee Lauder have discontinued the color I am used to using - Creamy Ivory. This one is called Creamy Vanilla. I assumed it was going to be similar but I was wrong. I should have really have gotten color matched, but didn't as I thought it would be about the same color. Creamy Vanilla is a bit dark for me and I would say about 2-3 shades darker. I have no idea why Estee Lauder have done this. Creamy Ivory was my exact color. I now have no color for myself in this foundation.

The color may be completely wrong now, but the coverage and quality hasn't changed. I only need a small amount to cover my face, and I really mean a small amount. It's surprising how little goes a long way. I'm guessing cause it is such high coverage you hardly need any. When I blended it all in I didn't even need a concealer. That's how amazing this foundation is.

It may be a camouflage foundation, but it doesn't feel at all cakey on my skin. Illamasqua's Rich Liquid Foundation offers a similar amount of coverage but it doesn't last longer than an hour, feels drying and creases. MAC Studio Fix is full coverage but no where near enough as this Estee Lauder one. I find the MAC one feels very cakey, is hard to blend and doesn't have a good finish to it.

The finish on this one is amazing. It evens out my skin tone and makes my face look awesome. It doesn't crease either, which I'm happy about.

I don't need camouflage coverage, I have no acne or severe redness that camouflage covers. I just love my full coverage and wouldn't have it any other way. I also don't need to blend the foundation with my fingers around the nose like I need to with other foundations. I love not having to use concealer either.

It's also long lasting too and stays on all day. I do need to apply powder throughout the day but I don't need to do it a lot cause I don't go super shiny. 

Apart from the color being completely wrong, I still love the coverage and feel of this foundation.