Name: Hydro Tense Foundation
Brand: Layla
Size: 30ml
Price: €16,02

From Layla’s website:
Fresh and hydrating, Hydro Tense is a foundation that gives a 12h pefection to the complexion. His soft and delicate texture offers skin a natural and longlasting result to skin and make it look visibly younger

What I liked:
- light coverage evens out skintone and covers redness
- natural dewy finish
- fine lines temporarily look reduced
- makes skin soft to the touch
- longlasting
- has SPF
- the packaging

What I didn’t like:
- not many shades available
- if you’re looking for heavy and full coverage, this is not for you
- those with oily skin may not like the dewy finish this foundation provides
- doesn’t offer complete UVA protection

Among the products Layla Cosmetics kindly sent me for consideration, there were three bottles of their Hydro Tense Foundation. Unfortunately, all the shades turned out to be way too dark for me, but I still tested the lightest one on days when I didn’t have to go out just so that I could write a review. See how much I love you, my dear readers? Overall, Hydro Tense foundation is available in only six shades so not everyone will be able to find their match. But if you do and are looking for a sheer, natural foundation, check this out.

Hydro Tense has a soft and creamy texture that applies like a dream and provides light to medium coverage that evens out the skintone perfectly while covering redness and very small imperfections. The result is very natural and it feels like I’m not wearing anything at all. However, this foundation isn’t full coverage so if you have lots of blemishes or more serious imperfections, this alone won’t be enough to cover them. It has a dewy finish that gives a really nice sheen to skin keeping it from looking dull which I really love, but if you have oily skin and prefer matte foundations, this will not suitable for you.

(from left to right: n.3, n.5 and n.6)

In addition, it makes my skin silky soft to the touch and as for fines lines and wrinkles, their appearance looks reduced but of course the results are only temporary and they are still there once you remove the foundation. You don’t have to worry about it fading during the day though as it lasts for hours and hours. Of course by dinner time it starts to fade a bit but overall I’m impressed by how long this stays put on the skin.

Hydro Tense claims to protect skin against UVA and UVB rays and that’s true but to an extent. It contains Ethylhexyl Dimethyl PABA, which protects against UVB rays and Benzophenone-3 (also known as Oxybenzone), which protects from UVB and some, not all, UVA rays. So, I wouldn’t say this offers full spectrum protection but since I wear sunscreen underneath it’s not a concern for me. Besides, at least this foundation offers some UVA protection, unlike most products on the market which only contain sunscreen agents that protect against UVB rays.

The foundation is packaged in a glass bottle which is see-through so you can see exactly how much is still left in it. It comes with a pump that oozes out just the right amount you need so none gets wasted. In addition, this kind of packaging also makes application sanitary. The only problem I see with the bottle is that’s not really practical to carry around as I’m afraid it could broke.

Available at: Layla counters

Summary
Layla Hydro Tense Foundation, available in 6 shades, provides light to medium coverage that cover redness and minor blemishes, has a dewy finish, looks natural on and lasts almost all day. In addition, it makes skin soft and smooth, temporarily reduces the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines and offers some UV protection. However, this is not full spectrum and if you’re looking for something that gives full coverage or have oily skin, you won’t like this.

Rating: 4/5

Name: Luce Shimmering Foundation With Smoothing Filler
Brand: Layla
Size: 25ml
Price: €16.90

From Layla’s website:
A light texture and medium coverage, it is the right product for women that want luminosity from a foundation.

What I liked:
- lightweight texture, applies easily
- medium coverage, evens out skintone and covers redness
- natural dewy finish
- fine lines look temporarily reduced
- longlasting

What I didn’t like:
- not many shades available
- packaging is very unpractical

Don’t you hate it when a great product is housed in a very unpractical packaging? It kinda ruins it for you, doesn’t it? Layla Luce Shimmering Foundation With Smoothing Filler (what a mouthful! We’ll call it only Luce, which means Light in Italian, from now on) is one such product. But you probably figured that out when you saw the picture above. It’s such a weird packaging for a foundation and I wonder, what where they thinking?

The cap of the foundation has a spatula and, truth be told, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to use it. Surely, applying the foundation directly with the spatula wouldn’t work, so no point in even trying. I’m guessing the spatula is supposed to pick up the amount of product you need for application in a hygienic way so that you don’t have to dip your fingers (a foundation brush doesn’t fit in the opening anyway) inside to take out the foundation.

Still, a normal bottle with a pump dispenser would have been just as effective and a lot more practical. Also, it would have made you waste less product as the spatula picks up too much of it anyway. I find that the best way to use it is by picking up the amount of product I need from the spatula with a clean foundation brush (you could use your fingers as well but a clean brush will avoid bacteria contamination) and applying it on my face. It’s a bit of a hassle really but at least the product itself is real good.

Luce has a very liquidy texture that makes it really easy to apply it and blend it into in the skin, and it is also lightweight so it feels like you have nothing on. Yet, it provides medium coverage, evening out the skintone and covering redness and small imperfections, and a dewy finish. I was afraid at first that this luminosity would emphasize my oily t-zone but that didn’t happen. Instead, the glow is very natural and subtle. It really looks like your skin is radiant from within.

This glow is provided by the luminous mini pigments that also have another function: they help masking fine lines and imperfections, giving the appearance of smoother skin. Of course, the effects are only temporary and will disappear as you take off your foundation at night. And you don’t have to worry about your foundation sliding off your face and having to retouch throughout the day as it easily stays put from morning to night.

Now, if only they would change the packaging…

Available at: http://shop.laylacosmetics.it/

Summary
Layla Luce Shimmering Foundation With Smoothing Filler has a lightweight, liquidy formula that’s easy to apply providing medium coverage and a natural glow that last for the entire day. I really love this foundation but I had to bring the rating down because of the packaging. It comes with a spatula that can’t be used for application and picks up too much product anyway (and the foundation isn’t that cheap so you don’t want to waste it). It’s just too unpractical imo.

Rating: 3.5/5

Name: Creme To Powder Foundation Tester Kit
Brand: Sleek
Size: 8g/0.28oz
Price: €2,00

From Sleek’s website:
Oil-Free Crème to Powder is a full coverage smooth concealing foundation that leaves you with a flawless and matte powder finish.

What I liked:
– handy to try several foundation shades at a time and find your match
– medium coverage
– evens out the skintone and cover small imperfections and redness
– mette finish
– thick texture feels light on
– easy to blend with fingers or sponge
– keeps shine at bay for a few hours
– longlasting
– the price

What I didn’t like:
– slightly creases around the eyes
– texture can be hard to blend with a brush
– if you like a glowy finish or full coverage, this is not for you

Buying foundation online is always tricky as you’ll never know if the color you picked will be a good match for you or if you’ll just end up wasting money on something that you won’t be able to use. So, I think it’s great when makeup companies come up with little and inexpensive kits that will allow you to try a few shades at a time to see which one better suits your skintone and test if you like the texture, coverage, etc.

So when I saw Sleek Creme To Powder Foundation Tester Kit, I just had to try it. There are 4 kits available – Light, Light/Medium, Medium/Dark and Dark – and each one contains 5 shades. I got the one in Light which includes Shell, Sand, Calico, Bamboo and Latte, and even if I was almost sure that the lightest one would still be too dark for my pale skin and I definitely wouldn’t have any use for the other 4, I ordered it anyway. Afterall, you never know what shade is gonna match you and if you wanna try something, wasting €2,00 is better than wasting €14,00 (the full size price), isn’t it?

As I feared, Shell is slightly darker and too yellow for my skintone but I still wore it a couple of times to write this review. Although I think I may try to use the shades in this kit to contour as it’s so hard to find a matte bronzer or contouring powder that’s not too dark for me. Also, there’s not enough of each shade to be worn for a few weeks so I couldn’t test if this stuff breaks out my skin or not. Therefore, this is more a reflection of my first impressions with the foundation than a proper review. And my first impressions were definitely very positive.

Creme To Powder Foundation has quite a thick consistency, although once on my skin it doesn’t feel heavy at all. On the contrary, it feels like I have nothing on. It is also very easy to blend if you use your fingers or a sponge, but with a brush, it might take some work. I was also worried such a tick foundation might crease, but it only did slightly around my eyes (which was easy to fix) and nowhere else.

As for the coverage, I would say it is medium with one layer. It evens out the skintone really well, covering redness and minor imperfections, leaving your face looking naturally flawless with a matte finish. However, if you’re looking for a full coverage foundation that will cover scars and other serious imperfections, or simply want something that will give your skin a dewy finish, this isn’t really for you.

I didn’t find the texture drying on my face, but then I always moisturize prior to foundation application so that may be why. You might have different results but I was very pleased with it. And I was also pleased that, although it didn’t keep oil at bay for the whole day, it did so for several hours and I didn’t have to use a blotting paper often throughout the day.

Another plus about this foundation is the staying power. I suggest you set it with a setting powder anyway, but even if you don’t, it won’t slip off your face but will last all day until you decide to take it all off with a good bilayer remover if you want to remove it quickly. And did I mention this has no scent? I so love that my nose doesn’t have to put up with strong, sweet or chemical smells when I wear this!

Summary
Overall, Sleek Creme to Powder foundation Tester Kit is a handy and inexpensive way to try a foundation that most people can only buy online. It has a thick texture that’s easy to blend, feels light on and offers medium coverage with a matte finish. It does a great job at evening out the skintone and lasts all day. However, it slightly creases around the eyes some people may prefer something with a fuller coverage or different finish.

Rating: 4/5

Name: Mineral Mix Cover & Finish Foundation
Brand: Senna
Size: loose foundation 7g/ pressed foundation 1.75g
Price: $38.00

From Senna’s website:
A special milling process gives this mineral foundation a supremely silky smooth texture that glides onto the skin. The neutral color range looks fresh and clear. Natural minerals supply the dewy soft light reflection needed to diminish lines, wrinkles and flaws while also providing chemical-free sun protection. Completely covers blemishes, discolorations, redness, even rosacea and is gentle enough for the most sensitive, problem-prone skin.

What I liked:
– 2 in 1 product
– medium coverage with natural finish
– hides redness and small blemishes
– long-lasting
– the packaging

What I didn’t like:
– just like any other mineral foundation, application can get messy
– doesn’t control oil production very well
– the price

Among the products Senna sent me for consideration late last year, there was their popular Senna Mineral Mix Cover & Finish Foundation, a loose and powder foundation in one product! How handy is that? Usually, when I get a new product, I get down to testing it right away but because I was sent the completely wrong shade for me, I neglected it for a while. Still, I liked the concept too much not to give it a go, so finally here’s the review.

Available in only 5 shades, I have Medium which includes a loose foundation in a golden beige shade and a pressed powder in natural tan beige. And even though on my pale skin they look kinda orange, it is the most natural orange shade I have ever got from a foundation (which says a lot because having used drugstore foundations for years, my skin has been all kinds of unattractive orange/brown shades!). If you have medium dark skin and Medium matches your coloring, you will get a very natural finish.

To apply the foundation, dip your kabuki brush in the loose mineral foundation at the bottom of the jar. The jar has a sifter to minimize messiness but that doesn’t mean that you won’t get powder flying around everywhere if you’re not careful. I find the loose powder to give light to medium coverage, esp once you’ve applied the pressed powder on top. The pressed powder is also useful to deepen the color until it exactly matches your skintone.

The foundation evens out  skintone and hides redness and small blemishes very well, but it’s not full coverage so I don’t think it will cover serious imperfections. The powder glides on smoothly and makes skin silky soft and looking natural. Throughout the day, the only retouching I had to do was to blot away some oil a few times because, even though the foundation lasted all day on me, it doesn’t control oil production too well and every few hours those ugly shiny patches appear on my t-zone.

The foundation contains Mica, a mineral used to give skin some sparkle and shine and Zinc Oxide, which is a mineral that offers some sun protection but because it is a powder it doesn’t adhere well to the skin and is easy to remove so you shouldn’t rely solely on this but use a sunscreen as well. Also, it contains Borom Nitride which has absorbing properties. But as mentioned above, it didn’t work too well on me.

However, this is not a pure mineral foundation. Mineral Mix also contains Dimethicone, a silicone that imparts a silky feel to skin and parabens as preservatives. This doesn’t bother me cos the ingredients aren’t bad for the skin and I love the idea of a 2 in 1 foundation that provides medium but natural coverage, but if you’re looking for something that only contains minerals, this isn’t it.

Summary
Overall, I love Senna Mineral Mix Cover & Finish Foundation. It contains both a loose and pressed mineral foundation that gives medium coverage to hide small imperfections and adjust the color to your skintone. It looks very natural on the skin and is longlasting. I just wish it came in more shades and that it controlled oil production better. And it is on the pricey side too.

Rating: 4/5

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Hello ladies,

fancy a trip down memory lane to see what we were talking about this time last year?  Yes? Good. Let’s get started then and enjoy!

7 ways to wash your hair: did you know that, apart from using regular or dry shampoos, there are other ways to wash your hair? Find out what they are, as well as their pros and cons.

Dark circles: causes and cures: dark circles are ugly-looking areas of pigmentation under your eyes. Find out what causes them and what you can do to remove or hide them.

Interview with Toma from Makeup Masala: last February I’ve had the pleasure to interview Toma from Makeup Masala about her blog, online shop and beauty habits. Click on the link to find out more about this sweet lady.

The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Foundation SPF 25: a pure mineral makeup foundation that provides light to medium coverage with a natural and long-lasting finish.

22 beautiful uses for vaseline: vaseline is one of my beauty staples. This inexpensive product is very versatile: it moisturizes skin, removes makeup and it can even be used to make your own cream blush.

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Have you ever got a foundation that’s too dark for you?

That happens to me all the time. My skin is so pale that most foundations, esp drugstore ones, are too dark for me. Finding a shade that matches my skin is so hard that sometimes I have no option but to purchase one that is slightly darker than  my skintone. *sighs*

But you don’t need to be pale to get the wrong foundation. The lights in the shops can be deceiving (always test foundation outside a shop in broad daylight) and you can end up buying the wrong shade or now that’s winter, the tan you had this summer has faded and your foundation doesn’t match your skin anymore.

But there’s no need to throw it in the bin. There are a few ways to put your dark foundation to good use:

Mix and match

If you have a foundation that’s too light for you lying around, you can darken it by mixing it with a few drops of the darker foundation. In alternative, you can also mix a foundation that’s too dark with your lotion to create a tinted moisturizer. It’s easy to do: just add a few drops at a time until you get a shade that matches your skintone.

Lighten it up with powder

Once you applied a foundation that’s too dark for you, you can apply a lighter pressed powder (a powder foundation will do the trick too) over it to lighten it up and even out the skintone. After all, you need to set the foundation with powder anyway, so why not use it to tone down the color so that it will match your skin as well?

Contour

If your foundation is one or two shades darker, you can use it to contour your face. Contouring with liquid products is easier than doing it with powders, lasts longer and looks very natural. Just apply the foundation on any part of the face you want to shape (nose, jawline, hollows of the cheeks, temples, around the hairline) and blend well to soften any harsh lines.

Swap it

If you really don’t want the foundation, you can always swap it with a friend or with some other beauty addicts online. There are many beauty forums on the internet where people can swap items that don’t suit them and get something they’re actually gonna use in return. But as I showed you above, a darker foundation can turn out to be very useful, so consider carefully how you can make it work for you before getting rid of it.

Have you got any more tips on how to use a foundation that’s too dark?

Name: Teint Singulier Sheer Powdercreme Veil
Brand: Yves Saint Laurent
Size: 40ml
Price: €29,30

From the packaging:
A creme that transforms into a soft powder veil. Perfects and evens out the complexion like a second skin, for a sheer, natural finish.

What I liked:
– sheer coverage
– the texture
– makes skin silky smooth
– semi-matte, natural finish
– evens out the skintone
– long-lasting

What I didn’t like:
– not many shades available
– can enhance dry spots if skin isn’t moisturized before application
– doesn’t cover imperfections
– makes you look white in pictures
– strong scent
– the packaging
– the price

During the holidays I ran out of foundation so I went to my local beauty store to get some. I wanted to try something new and after testing a few products I decided to buy YSL Teint Singulier Sheer Powdercreme Veil Foundation (what a mouthful! So, we’ll call it Sheer Powdercreme Veil from now on and that’s still too long! lol).

I believe this foundation is available in 9 shades, but I’m not completely sure as the color selection at my counter is limited. The shade I have is no.5 and is quite light, although a bit too pink for me. Still, it’s a good match, considering that most foundations are too dark for my pale skin and make me look orange.

(I know no.5 looks way too dark and off for me, but once spread, it’s actually a pretty close match.)

Apart from the relatively good color match, the thing that convinced me to buy Sheer Powdercreme Veil was its fantastic and luxurious texture. It has a creamy consistency that feels so super silky and smooth on the skin. Most foundations and creams I used made my skin very soft, but never like this! I can’t stop touching my face when I’m wearing this and yet it is so light I feel like I don’t have anything on my skin.

It is easy to apply and goes on smoothly, provided that your face is well moisturized. I find that if I don’t apply my moisturizer a few minutes before applying Sheer Powdercreme Veil, then the foundation flakes up and enhances all my dry patches! Not a nice look! For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend this foundation to anyone with dry skin.

Just like the name suggests, Sheer Powdercreme Veil is just a veil that provides sheer coverage with a semi-matte, powdery finish that looks very natural and stays put for most of the day. It evens out the skintone, but won’t cover imperfections or redness so if your skin is not in good condition to start with, you’d better try something else.

Also, if you’re going to have your picture taken, Sheer Powdercreme Veil is not the right foundation to wear. It reflects light like no other, meaning that you’re gonna look like Casper the ghost in photos taken with flash photography. I already look like that anyway, but still it’s something to consider before splurging on this foundation.

(See the white cast? It looks very natural in real life, but in photos, it’s white and ugly.)

The packaging could use some work too. I think the white tube looks quite cheap and it gets dirty very easily. I would have expected something more elegant from a high-end brand honestly, but I love the texture of this foundation so much, I don’t really care about that or the other small faults this has.

Summary
I’m giving YSL Sheer Powder Foundation a 4 simply because it has the best texture I’ve ever come across in a foundation, it’s super amazing. It is creamy and light and makes skin soooo soft! It has a sheer coverage with a powdery finish that evens out the skintone but won’t cover imperfections. It lasts almost all day, but has a strong scent, doesn’t look good in pictures and can enhance dry patches if skin isn’t well moisturized.

Rating: 4/5