Tried and tested: Autumn foundations, Sensitive skin cleansers, Lip balms
This foundation is touted as unique because it is the product of a liquid and powder cooked together for 15 hours (powder foundations are traditionally dry formulas pressed into pans) to a “slurry” texture. It does feel wonderfully soft and blends seamlessly to a matte finish. The formula has oil-controlling ingredients and provides medium coverage.
Lauder does not often release foundations (as distinct from CC, BB and tinted moisturising creams), but the existent offering (and Double Wear Stay-in-Place in particular) has a diverse and diehard following. I predict Perfectionist will be an even bigger hit for the brand, which based the formula on the excellent Perfectionist [CP+R] Serum and enhanced it with flaw-blurring pigments and SPF25. Three products in one! Available in 22 natural-looking shades.
Chanel’s Vitalumière Aqua Fresh Cream is one of my favourite foundations and I was excited to try the powder alternative. This foundation comes with a mini Kabuki brush (the most fun tool to apply powder with). The finish is satiny and looks expensive (which this is, especially for the amount of product provided). SPF15 is not adequate for all-day UV protection.
“Infallible” means long-wearing in L’Oréal-ese. This foundation provides medium-to-full coverage and blends easily to a matte finish. However, it felt tacky and a little uncomfortable on my skin. It lasted very well but I felt heavily made up and very conscious of my face all day. The amount of vitamins in the formula is inadequate to provide skin with the benefits the brand claims. **
This cleanser seems like a bargain and contains several fragrant extracts (including the herbal “Phytototal” complex that Ziaja claims can fight the causes of spider veins) that can irritate any skin type.
This cleanser has a good, water-soluble base and some proven skin-soothing ingredients. It would be ideal for any skin type were it not for the many added fragrant plant extracts that could cause irritation. They prevent it from being at all calming for sensitive types.
This is expensive for a cleanser but I cannot fault the formula, especially if your skin is sensitive and dry. It is fragrance-free and contains plant extracts with proven benefits for all skin types. The formula removes makeup quickly and efficiently. This is well-suited to rosacea-prone skin. ****
Clinique does two exceptional cleansers for this skin type. Take the Day Off Cleansing Milk is great but I am recommending Comforting Cream because it feels nicer. This luxurious lotion is fragrance and irritant-free, practically packaged and easy to remove. *****
This is a fun, hygienically-packaged and affordable product that keeps lips feeling soft and provides a touch of colour in a variety of funky shades (plus a sheer mint option). Unfortunately, all options lack sun protection and contain fragrance chemicals that can cause irritation.
Few lipsticks or glosses contain sun protection (probably because sunscreen ingredients can alter the brilliance and colour of these often richly-pigmented products). Daily use of balms or moisturisers beneath them is very important, especially if you play outdoor sports. MooGoo’s fragrance-free, antioxidant and emollient-rich balm is ideal.
This balm contains lots of fantastic emollients and proven antioxidants, all kept clean and stable by the twist-up tube. Like all Burt’s Bees balms available in Ireland, however, the formula contains potentially irritating fragrance ingredients and no sun protection. Irritation encourages collagen breakdown, which you definitely do not want in this area!
Daily dips into this schoolbag staple are extremely unhygienic. Even if you bought the tube version (which keeps the ingredients clean and intact), this balm is high in menthol and contains other fragrances that can irritate lips’ delicate skin and make it more vulnerable to environmental damage.
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