Don't want to look tangoed? Here are my top three really pale foundations.
Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation - Porcelain
Type of Skin - Normal/Oily
This is the perfect pale foundation for you if you've got oilier or spot-prone skin. It's non-comedogenic, so it won't clog your pores; causing more spots and it's also got anti-bacterial properties. I wrote a full review of this foundation last year, which you can read here if you want to know more.
When applying this, I just pop a bit of Collection Lasting Perfection concealer on blemishes and red patches before buffing this over the top with a kabuki brush. It offers quite a light coverage, although you can build it up without it going too 'cakey'.
When applying this, I just pop a bit of Collection Lasting Perfection concealer on blemishes and red patches before buffing this over the top with a kabuki brush. It offers quite a light coverage, although you can build it up without it going too 'cakey'.
MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation - NC15
Type of Skin - Dry/Sensitive
This is the pricier of the three, costing a hefty £25 for a 40ml tube. Having said that, I've had this for months and there's still loads left. You only need a pea-sized amount to cover your face and the coverage that it gives is excellent.
Studio Sculpt is probably one of the only foundations that I've tried where my skin feels moisturised and soft after washing it off at the end of the day. I'm really impressed with it, the only thing that I'm not that keen on is the smell, but you soon get used to it.
You can buy this from any MAC Cosmetics shop or their website.
You can buy this from any MAC Cosmetics shop or their website.
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - Light Porcelain
Type of Skin - Normal/Dry.
This is the cheapest of the three at £8.99, but it's often on offer on ASOS for slightly less. I wrote a full review of this last year, where I was slightly harsh and you can read that here.
I've adopted this as my 'main' foundation; the one I go to when my skin's not really playing up in any way. It claims to have an 'anti-fatigue effect' and gives you a 'radiant glow'. I can vouch for the fact that it does give a radiant finish; which you might need to tone down with a bit of powder, especially if your skin tends to get oily patches.
Rimmel also brought out a concealer to accompany this foundation, although there isn't a shade light enough to match the foundation. That's a bit silly, isn't it?
I've adopted this as my 'main' foundation; the one I go to when my skin's not really playing up in any way. It claims to have an 'anti-fatigue effect' and gives you a 'radiant glow'. I can vouch for the fact that it does give a radiant finish; which you might need to tone down with a bit of powder, especially if your skin tends to get oily patches.
Rimmel also brought out a concealer to accompany this foundation, although there isn't a shade light enough to match the foundation. That's a bit silly, isn't it?
Have you tried any foundations that are great for really pale skin? If so, let me know!
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It's Foundation Friday again! So here are my thoughts on Loreal's True Match!
Loreal have brought this foundation out in loads of different shades. I've been using the lightest, N1 Ivory, which can you see pictured above!
It tends to give medium to heavy coverage. Although, it's still a tad too dark for my deathly pallor. As you can see from the picture, it is noticeably darker. Having said that, I am really pale, so this shouldn't be an issue for most people.
The staying power of this foundation is pretty impressive. I normally have to touch up my foundation during the day, but this stays put! It doesn't really get oily on my skin either. A lot of foundations do, so I normally carry blotting papers around with me just in case! I wouldn't recommend this to people with really dry skin though, as it can be a little drying.
True Match has a high SPF, which is good! But perhaps not if you're wearing it on a night out, as there's probably going to be a bit of flashback.
Loreal claims that this is 'Super-blendable'. It is quite easy to blend in. I've been using my trusty Real Techniques Face Sponge, but it also applies really well with a brush or your fingers too! It does seem to settle quickly on my skin though, so you do have to blend it quite quickly. It's also quite watery, but not so much that it'll run off the back of your hand when you're applying it.
Price-wise, it's not the cheapest of high street foundations, but I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a good quality foundation on a budget.
If you fancy trying this, you can buy it from Boots for £9.99 by clicking here!
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Formerly my favourite foundation.
Every Friday in January will be Foundation Friday on Katie Writes. (How exciting!) So, I'm going to kick things off with a review of one of Max Factor's foundation stalwarts.
I use the palest colour, 100 Fair, which as you can see, is still way too dark for my deathly pallor. It's got quite a red undertone to it too (which you can't really see in the photos), so it's great if you've got a yellow-ish tone of skin.
I used to use this every day religiously for years. In fact, I only really stopped using it regularly last year. The reason why I stopped using it regularly? Because I finally realised it was too dark for me. In fact, I kind of knew all along, it's just I'd never stumbled across a paler foundation that I liked as much; so I lived for ages in 'orange-face denial'.
It gives quite a matte finish, but I'd definitely recommend that you keep some blotting papers handy if you're out of the house all day, just in case. It can get a little shiny in places after a few hours of wear.
The coverage is medium to heavy, depending on how much you apply. I normally apply this with my fingers as opposed to a brush or sponge, I find it tends to look better that way. As for its name 'Lasting Performance', it does last a good few hours, but you will need to touch it up if you're planning on wearing it well into the evening.
The coverage is medium to heavy, depending on how much you apply. I normally apply this with my fingers as opposed to a brush or sponge, I find it tends to look better that way. As for its name 'Lasting Performance', it does last a good few hours, but you will need to touch it up if you're planning on wearing it well into the evening.
I've read elsewhere that it's a dupe for the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, but I've never tried that before, so unfortunately I can't draw a comparison there!
Price-wise, it's not the cheapest high street foundation but it's not really expensive either. This retails for £9.99, but I've often found it in discount stores or on markets for £7.99!
All in all, it's a good foundation, but it's definitely not made for really pale people!
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This week, I've been on a work placement (with the BBC) so I thought I'd take you through the skincare and makeup products that I've used whilst being a busy BBC bee. Ha.
I've opted for a fairly natural, light look that's absolutely ideal for work or school. Working 40 hours this week has meant that everything's been a bit of a rush, so I've spent less time on my makeup than normal. All of the skincare and makeup products that I've used are high street/drugstore brands, so this look won't be expensive to recreate. Obviously it's catered for my exceptionally needy skin and pale skin tone; so alter it accordingly to suit your skin.
♥ Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser with Muslin Cloth,
♥ Olay Day Fluid for Sensitive Skin,
♥ Carmex Cherry flavour lip balm,
♥ Boots Simply Sensitive Eye Cream (Optional).
Base:
♥ Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer (Optional),
♥ Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 001 Light Porcelain,
♥ Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair,
♥ Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent,
♥ Real Techniques Expert Face Sponge (Optional).
Contouring:
♥ Boots Natural Collection Bronzer,
♥ Rimmel Mono Blusher in 010 Live Pink,
Eyes:
♥ Max Factor Wild Shadow eyeshadow pencil,
♥ Rimmel brown kohl eyeliner,
♥ Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara in Brown/Black.
Firstly, I start by cleansing my face with the hot cloth cleanser, using the warm muslin cloth to gently exfoliate my skin and then rinse with cold water. If you're in a hurry, skip toner and go straight to moisturiser; I'm currently using the Olay one pictured above. If you've got time dab a little eye cream under your eyes.
If you want your makeup to have extra staying power throughout the day, add some primer. The best high street one I've stumbled across is Rimmel's Fix and Perfect.
I then dampen my Real Techniques sponge slightly and add about one pump of Wake Me Up foundation over my face; add a little more if you want a heavier coverage. If you're after a really light coverage, swap the foundation for a BB Cream or CC cream instead. Pop some concealer under your eyes and over any blemishes and then seal in place with a light dusting of powder.
To simply do a little bit of contouring, suck your cheeks in and add some bronzer into the part where your cheeks are indented. Apply in a 'three' motion around your face (forehead, under cheeks and jawline. Apply some blusher onto the apples of your cheeks too.
Finally, for your eyes, add some of the Max Factor pencil over your lids. I'm using this lovely pink colour, but if you fancy being a bit more Autumnal, use a brown shade instead. Line your upper lash line with a little bit of kohl eyeliner and apply a couple of coats of mascara... And you're done!
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Ooh, I suppose you could call this Foundation Friday, couldn't you? If you like alliteration as much as me...
You lucky lot. Two foundation reviews in as many days! I bought this a few months ago from Superdrug, but felt that even the Normal/Dry skin one was quite drying on my skin, so it was retired to the 'redundant makeup shelf'. I rescued it the other week and decided to trial it especially for you lovely readers.
For starters the formula is quite gloopy. You really have to work it into your skin to get good coverage and you have to be quick while applying it, or else it gets streaky... I applied this with my lifesaver AKA. the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.
The foundation comes with a screw lid, without a pump dispenser, so you literally have to pour it out onto the back of your hand. Which is, of course, potentially messy and you run the risk of suffering from spillages and wasting the product if too much comes out at once. It's not ideal, is it?
However, it is REALLY long-lasting. Revlon claims that it lasts for 24 hours, but I don't wear my foundation for that long so can't confirm this. Who does?!
The product comes in two types: Normal/Dry and Normal/Oily. I'm using the former rather than the latter. Revlon are catering for essentially what are two different markets with the same product. Aren't they clever?
There are a great range of shades! You know what I'm like, constantly moaning about how cosmetics companies fail to deliver adequate products for super-pale people... So it's great that Revlon, like Rimmel, are leading the way of drugstore brands catering for really pale skin. I've been using 110 Ivory; the lightest shade, of course...
You definitely don't need a primer to give this foundation extra staying power, but may need one to mask the appearance of fine lines - which it can sink into a little. So, if you suffer from the odd wrinkle here and there, it's maybe better to pop some primer on underneath to stop it sinking in to those fine lines.
I've found that the product offers medium to heavy coverage. It can sometimes feel a bit too heavy on my skin. I like my skin to be able to breathe properly under foundation and this is sometimes a bit too much for me. Which aptly brings me to my next point...
I'm not sure if this causes spots... Or if it's just coincidence that I've had breakouts the last two times that I've used this. I really don't know, but if you do suffer from quite bad acne, it might be better to look for something a bit 'lighter'.
The only definite problem that I've experienced with this foundation is unfortunately a big one. It seems to have aggravated my eczema. If you've never read my blog before, I'm a bit weird and suffer from eczema on my eyelids... This basically means that I have to be careful with regards to beauty products. I have noticed tightness around that area and after wearing it I had to crack out the hydrocortisone cream for the first time in months.*
*Dear Reader, do not put hydrocortisone cream on your face... You're not supposed to! The only reason I do is because the doctor told me to... And doctors scare me... So I do what they say.
The finish, with a light dusting of ELF HD Powder on top, is a matte one. I've even had compliments on how good my skin looks when wearing this foundation! In addition to this, it doesn't really oxidise or get ridiculously oily on my skin (in certain oilier areas) after a few hours... A huge bonus and saves me from dragging blotting papers around with me everywhere, just in case the dreaded shininess occurs!
You can pick this up for £12.99. So it's quite good value, but is hitting the top end of the high street foundation price range.
Advantages:
The finish, with a light dusting of ELF HD Powder on top, is a matte one. I've even had compliments on how good my skin looks when wearing this foundation! In addition to this, it doesn't really oxidise or get ridiculously oily on my skin (in certain oilier areas) after a few hours... A huge bonus and saves me from dragging blotting papers around with me everywhere, just in case the dreaded shininess occurs!
You can pick this up for £12.99. So it's quite good value, but is hitting the top end of the high street foundation price range.
I would honestly recommend this to anyone, as long as you don't have problem skin. It's a really fantastic, but very overlooked, foundation.
So, to recap...
- Shades for those with deathly pallors!
- SPF 20,
- Long-lasting,
- Leaves a lovely matte finish.
Disadvantages:
- Potentially drying,
- Quite heavy on skin,
- Lid could equate to spillages and messiness,
- Potentially spot-causing.
I've heard so many great things about this foundation. I've seen loads of blogs lauding it and YouTubers raving about it. So, with all the hype about this product, I was keen to try it out for myself... But did it live up to my high expectations?
To answer the above question, 'Yes and no', but mainly no... I bought this quite a few months back, I tried it once. It made me look orange. I put it aside on the 'redundant makeup shelf' and left it well alone; for fear of being mistaken for a satsuma should I leave the house wearing it.
I have obviously used it a handful of times since, but every time I catch a glimpse of that orange mug of mine, I regret not using something more 'deathly-pale'. It looks orange straight away; not like it's oxidising on my skin after application. It's just way too dark, I'm not exaggerating. You only have to look at that picture above for proof.
I tried 'No. 51 Vanille Clair', which is the lightest shade on offer. I'll be honest, being exceptionally pale does not make it easy to buy any foundation or concealer products; but I swear some cosmetics companies take the mickey a bit. 'Ivory' and 'Porcelain' are still normally bright orange...
There are so many foundations out there that I would love to try that are just too dark for me. This, unfortunately, is one of those. I heard such great things about it and it didn't look too orange on my hand under the bright lights of Boots, so I thought I'd take a risk...
...It kind of backfired, because as I'm sat writing this whilst wearing the foundation, I look like I've just waltzed off the set of TOWIE: the irradiant orange hue to my face is quite hard to miss. (I took my dog for a walk like this too. The milkman saw me... Hopefully he didn't think I'm the lovechild of David Dickinson and Gemma Collins).
I do like this foundation. It's feels moisturising on my skin, without looking too oily or shiny. That's a hard balance to find and Bourjois have done it very well with this product. I just wish that they made it in lighter shades. I daren't use this foundation without having fake-tanned myself up to the eyeballs; or else I have the dreaded 'orange-face-white-everything-else' look going on, which really isn't good.
On the plus side, it looks quite natural (in texture) and it feels quite light and airy on my skin, despite it giving quite good coverage. It's easy to blend into skin with just your fingers, although I'm sure it'd work just as well with a brush or sponge. It's quite 'liquid-y', so you've got time to really work it into your skin before it dries, unlike some other thicker foundations.
Bourjois boast that this product has fruit in it and if fruit's good for you dietary needs, it's got to be good plastered all over your face too, right...?
I would recommend this product to anyone who isn't ghostly pale or has really dry or really oily skin. That narrows down the market a little, but I'm sure Bourjois still make shedloads of money from this otherwise great foundation.
Advantages:
- Skin-Loving ingredients,
- Readily available in high-street stores,
- Moisturising without being oily,
- Relatively cheap at £9.99
Disadvantages:
- Way too orange for me (which I'm honestly disappointed about),
- Too small a range of shades to cater for everyone,
- Scented - Which may irritate particularly sensitive skin,
- Potentially clings to dry skin patches.
I remarked upon the fact that it was a tad too dark for my very pale skin. I also remarked that it would be SO good if Max Factor created a lighter shade, and lo and behold, my prayers were soon answered.
I stumbled across a new lighter shade of this foundation on Fragrance Direct (a budget beauty and fragrance website, for those who aren't aware); which was 30 Porcelain. You'd think though, wouldn't you, that this would be ever so slightly lighter? However, to me, it doesn't really appear to be.
 |
| 30 Porcelain. I thought Porcelain was really white? Not... Orange? |
 |
| 40 Light Ivory. It doesn't look Ivory-coloured, does it? |
I'm gutted. I applied it yesterday and realised quite quickly that I looked like I'd been tangoed... Just the same as with the Light Ivory. If you compare the two pots, they look like the same shade, or at least, uncannily similar.
Boots and Superdrug don't sell the new Porcelain shade, which puzzles me. As I said before, I really like this foundation and I would seriously consider adopting it as my main foundation if Max Factor got their act together and created noticeably lighter shades.
 |
| Left: 40 Light Ivory, on the Right: 30 Porcelain. |
The foundation normally retails for £9.99 and when I bought it last week, Fragrance Direct were selling it for £5.99. I really like the texture and finish of this foundation, so I thought by finding a 'paler' shade which might actually match my almost deathly pallor, I'd struck lucky. Perhaps not, eh?
Have you bought this foundation? Have you found the two shades to be the same? If so, drop me a comment!
Thanks for reading!
Katie
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