Foundation time

Do you hear that sound? It’s foundation o’clock.

A couple of years ago I went from using a compact foundation (powder) to the liquid version. To be honest, I was overwhelmed by the amount of foundations that existed in this world. I started my search for the perfect foundation. Now two years and many brands later, I think I’m pretty close to a perfect foundation. Let me guide you through my foundation-history (Is that even a real thing?)

1. Lancôme – Teint Idole silky mat : Nope, just don’t. A rooky mistake, I admit.

2. Clinique – Superbalanced make-up : Not right for my skin, made it more oily than it was and didn’t last that long.

3.  Yves Saint Laurent – Le Teint Touche Éclat BR40. I scored a sample in Harrods, London and I bought my first bottle in Dubai because I was really convinced. It gives you a nice natural feeling on your skin and a minimum of coverage. You can easily layer it for more coverage if you’d like. While there are a lot of different teints available, I never really found the best teint. So I started mixing this foundation with number 4.

4.  Clinique – Anti Blemish Solution foundation 02 : The combination of number 3 & 4 made a pretty good coverage and color for my skin. The Clinique one made sure my skin didn’t scream OILY and the YSL made it more balanced.

5. Yves Saint Laurent – Fusion Ink Foundation BR20 : During lunch break I “accidentally” got lost in a cosmetics shop. One of the employees asked me if I wanted to try some YSL make-up and I said NO WAY. Ok, REWIND, of course I said YES. She tried the new foundation from YSL on my skin and I knew I discovered my new favourite. It feels and looks so natural. It becomes one with your skin with a bit more coverage than the Teint Touche Éclat. It has a mattifying effect and stays on your skin for a really long time. You could easily use it during your work-out while it controls the sweating as well. Hello new discovery, I like you, don’t go away EVER, please. 🙂

While looking for a foundation is a hard task, always make sure you find the perfect color for your skin. Take your time for it, ask for samples (my favourite thing to do) and relax. One day you’ll meet the number one, or your number five. 🙂

Good luck!
Do you have any favourite foundations you can’t live without?

Judith

 

Skin care – Basics

While skin care is a long time passion and interest for me, I tend to forget that for some people it is not. The basics that for me feel natural, are new to others, so I often get the questions: WHAT, WHERE, HOW and WHO? *panic mode*

It doesn´t matter if you use Nivea, Dior of La Mer as skin care (there are some differences, but I just want to make a point). The most important thing is that you DO take care of your skin. Remember that the skin is your largest organ and you just have to care of it. There´s no excuse. Nope, nope, nope!

BASICS
Every skin is unique and has it´s own identity. There are five skin types:
1) Dry skin.
2) Normal skin: the lucky ones. 😉
3) Combination skin: a combo of oily (often on the T-zone: forehead-nose-chin area) and dry skin
4) Oily skin: That´s me. Not sure if I should use a 🙂 or 😦 smiley.
5) Sensitive skin: irritates really quickly and is often dry, but it doesn´t have to be.

When you are looking for skin care , you should keep in mind your skin type. Remember: identity… Take some time to determine your skin type, if in doubt, ask for advice.

There are 4 basic steps you need to follow when you take care of your skin.

1) Cleanser: Can you imagine how much dirt gets into your pores when you just go out? It´s better not to think about it so just cleanse your face every morning and evening. Use a cream cleanser or a milk for dry skin. An oily combination skin is better with a gel cleanser. I use a Clarisonic, a skin cleaning tool, to do the hard work (review to follow).
2) Toner:  I think the importance of this step is sort of underestimated. I love to use a toner, because it´s refreshing and it removes the extra dirt that is left after the first step.
3) Serum: Not a necessary step but can be nice as an extra treatment for your skin to address specific points of attention like age spots, wrinkles, pimples, oiliness, large pores,…
4) A lotion/cream/oil: Excitement. That´s exactly the feeling you should get when you try on a lotion or cream.  It should get you as well as your skin, excited. Make sure to use an extra hydrating one during the night, while this is the time when your skin, too, can rest.

Budget: I spend the most money on the 3th and 4th step.
Extra: In addition to these 4 steps, I use a scrub and a mask twice a week. You don´t have to, but I can recommend it. It´s I-look-like-a-scary-monster-with-the-mask-but-I-don´t-care me time. Makes sense?

Any feedback?
❤ Judith

Lush – Ocean Salt Cleanser

Here it is… the first post on this blog. *Excited*

For people who try to avoid salt, this might not be the perfect cleanser. I know salt is not really healthy, but hey Ben&Jerry’s isn’t either but it makes things more exciting every now and then. This Lush Ocean Salt Cleanser is full of salt (sea salt), which makes it perfect for cleaning your face intensively. It takes away all the dirt and -as you’ll feel afterwards- all dead skin. While it’s a bit harsh for my combination-oily skin to use it daily, I use it twice a week as a scrub as a part of my night routine. While using this scrub, you smell the sea and it will take you back to your best holiday memories. What else are you looking for in a scrub. Sweet and salty dreams are guaranteed. 😉

Besides the sea salt, there is also some bio lime to clear your pores and advocado butter to soften your skin. I would recommend to use a good hydrating night cream/oil to finish the routine. Spoiling your skin is the keyword here. I use the Vanishing Cream from Lush or the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate/oil. Both of them take care of the skin and make sure it gets enough power during the night, so you can rock the day.

Hope you liked this first post.

Will be continued.

❤ Judith