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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Now, I haven't done a favourites post for quite a while, ashamedly. So here are my favourites from November!
Costa Coffee Orange Hot Chocolate
I'm not normally a regular drinker of hot chocolate, but this is amazing! When you first take a sip of this, it's just like normal hot chocolate but after a couple of seconds you get this whopping orange kick!
So, at just over £3, it's quite expensive... But it's a gorgeous wintery treat!! And it's nearly Christmas, so you're well within your rights to: A.) eat and drink as much chocolate as possible and B.) treat yourself. So there.
You can pick this lovely drink up at Costa Coffee. You can't order it to be delivered to your house, unfortunately...
Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 110
I am really getting into my lipsticks at the moment and this is one that I recently picked up in Boots. I was looking for shade 111, because I read somewhere that it's a fantastic Mac Ruby Woo dupe, but they didn't have it, so I picked this one up instead.
For saying it's a matte lipstick, it's not drying, which makes it perfect for this time of year! It's also so much cheaper than Mac Ruby Woo (about £10 cheaper...) so I would definitely recommend this one for those of you on a budget!
Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick costs £5.49 from Boots; which you can buy by clicking here.
VO5 Nourish My Shine Bedazzling Oil Heat Protector
Oh my goodness, why have I only just discovered this?! It's brilliant! I bought it a few weeks ago and I've used it pretty much every day since. It was a lifesaver when I was on my BBC work placement because I spent quite a lot of time outside, and this stopped my hair from descending into a frizzy mess.
You spray it on your hair before blow drying and it adds shine, but also conditions as well as being a heat protector! It's a jack of all trades, this one.
You spray it on your hair before blow drying and it adds shine, but also conditions as well as being a heat protector! It's a jack of all trades, this one.
This costs £4.99 and you can buy it from Boots by clicking here.
Zoella Beauty Body Lotion
Everybody's been raving about the Zoella Beauty range since it came out in September, and I must admit that I bought a couple of goodies on the day they were released (yes, I'm a saddo, I know...)
I've been meaning to write about them for ages. Literally. Sorry.
I love this body lotion. For starters, it smells wonderful. Secondly, it lasts all day on your skin. It's not overbearing or greasy; but it's still really moisturising. This would also make a brilliant stocking filler for someone!
I've been meaning to write about them for ages. Literally. Sorry.
I love this body lotion. For starters, it smells wonderful. Secondly, it lasts all day on your skin. It's not overbearing or greasy; but it's still really moisturising. This would also make a brilliant stocking filler for someone!
It costs £5 and you can buy it from Feel Unique by clicking here.
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara
I must admit that I didn't like this to begin with (back in those halcyon days where I shunned natural-looking lashes and went around with ones like spider legs instead...) but recently I've been using this as my every day mascara.
It's perfect for creating a fantastic day look. It's not over the top, but it's definitely enough to give your lashes lift and volume. It's nothing too showy, but it's just a great 'traditional' mascara.
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara costs £7.99 from Boots, which you can buy by clicking here!
I am going to be writing about my top 2014 favourites very soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
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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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Ooooh. How exciting is this? Not very, you could argue... But please don't. I'm going to take you through my top five all time favourite products! Surely you're at least a little excited now...?
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
I buy the lightest shade which is 1 Fair. I mainly use it to conceal the dark circles under my eyes, and I'll let you into a secret: The older I get, the more of this I seem to get through. It's quite depressing really.
This miracle product retails for £4.19, but Boots have it on offer every now and again. The fact that it's quite often out of stock is a testament to how good this is (and how much everybody already knows about it...)
It also covers up spots wonderfully and seems to last pretty much all day. I don't know where I'd be without it.
Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara
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| I'm getting better at balancing mascara, aren't I? |
I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I love this mascara. It gives my eyelashes a dramatic lift and volume to make my eyes noticeable, without making them look too 'spidery'. I normally use Black/Brown because I have blue eyes and I don't want to emphasise them too much for daytime wear. However, the Black is great too.
Granted, at £10.99, it's quite expensive for a high street mascara. However, I'll also let you into another secret, Fragrance Direct are selling it for £7.99... You can thank me later...
Max Factor also offer waterproof and 24 hour versions* of this mascara, but I still tend to opt for the bog-standard one.
*Who's wearing mascara for 24 hours in one go anyway?
Vitapointe Leave-In Conditioner
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| I really need to buy some more, don't I? |
It costs £2.09 or £2.29, depending on where you shop. You can use this during the day, but I prefer to use it at night as a 'hair mask'. It's a white cream that smells quite 'soapy' to me and it just makes your hair look a lot healthier whilst making it feel softer too.
If you suffer from frizzy hair, this is such a great product to tame it with! It's so understated, but it's honestly a brilliant product and it won't break the bank either!
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Body Lotion
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| Yellow, gooey bliss in a bottle. |
It's bright yellow, super-nourishing and smells gorgeous; quite chocolatey. As someone who's quite picky when it comes to body lotion, I'm always after a good all-round product and this is probably my favourite 'cheaper' one. One problem is that it's quite difficult to get out of the bottle towards the end, because it's just so gloopy.
It's also supposed to be quite good at reducing the appearance of stretch marks and it's much cheaper than other alternatives which boast about having mark-reducing qualities.
The price normally ranges from about £4-£6, depending on what size bottle you buy.
Anatomicals Body Washes
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| Sud the Lot of You... |
I'm a huge fan of Anatomicals. With their tagline: 'We only want you for your body', they're a comical brand who don't really take themselves too seriously.
I have a bit of an obsession with their body washes, which I use every day. I've built up quite a collection of them over the past year or so, from 'Sud the Lot of You' and 'You Should Be So Mucky (Mucky, Mucky, Mucky)' to 'Shower to the People'.
They put a great deal of effort in to ensure that the names are funny and the packaging is littered with jokes too. All of the body washes that I've tried smell amazing and they also lather up really well too.
A little goes a long way and a bottle costs between £2 and £3. You can buy them from ASOS, Superdrug and selected Morrisons stores, I believe.
Have you tried any of the above products? Do you love them as much as I do?
Thanks for reading!
Katie
x
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.
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| 30 Porcelain. I thought Porcelain was really white? Not... Orange? |
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| 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.
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| 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
x
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