So a few readers have been quizzing me over what I’m going to use makeup wise for our wedding at the end of June and likewise I’ve been quizzing everyone and scouring the internet for ideas. The truth is, I’ve spent all of 2016 so far trying a sample of pretty much every well rated foundation known to womankind. I’ve become a staple in department stores across Dublin, asking the girls on counters how they rate their foundations and leaving with tiny sample sized pots which now litter the house.
There were two standouts in a sea of duds over the past months and it wasn’t that the foundations I tried were rubbish, they were just rubbish on me. Foundations are never straightforward and when you have skin like mine which seems normal enough but is a complete pain in the ass with foundations, you can’t just order products willy nilly and assume they’ll work for you. For the record, my skin is dry but also very prone to oiliness around the t-zone, it has big pores which are very unforgiving with the wrong bases and on top of that, every foundation seems to rub off my face with wild abandon. So I’ve spent this year making cocktails of primers, bases and powders in search of what works. Most dewy foundations looked fantastic at the start of the day (Bobbi Brown Serum Foundation, Dior Star etc.) only to look really oily and all but disappear as the day went on. Others that were of the hard wearing variety (Double Wear, Teint Idole) had the longevity but they looked dry and obvious on, especially as the day went on when they seemed to separate around my t-zone. Finally, there were the complete duds that didn’t even come in a tone that worked for my skin (Chanel, YSL Touche Eclat) which were just too warm and yellow to look natural on me, even in the lightest shades. In the end, my search came down to just two foundations, Dior Forever and MUFE Ultra HD Foundation.
I was sent the MUFE and bought Dior Forever and diligently used both. On more days than not, both looked really good on and I fell for both, but there were little annoyances such as the fact that Dior Forever (which is very long lasting) could look too dry on bad days and was impossible to touch up in the evening without ruining it, while MUFE HD just didn’t have quite enough oil control to really trust in the hot weather. Then, out of the blue, I decided to repurchase my beloved Skin79 BB Cream because I had used up the last one late the year before and hadn’t bought another because I was convinced foundations were my new calling. Then I used it again after a long absence and gave myself an enormous kick up the arse. Sometimes in the makeup world, you always assume the next big product is bigger and better then anything you own and it was only when I used Skin79 Pink again I realised just how damn perfect it was.
Perfection in that is is thick and moisturising on the skin and applies perfectly with a Beauty Blender but also incredibly well with a brush or just with fingers. It skims over pores, it hides dry bits, it sits gracefully on oily bits even on long days. It’s wet on application but it dries down to a soft satin finish and despite being a BB Cream, this is a Korean BB Cream, which means it gives fantastic coverage and is very buildable without looking anything but natural. And a proper BB Cream is built not only to look soft and natural on, but to last in the heat and it’s very admirable, even when I’m sweating working out. And yep it fades a little as the day goes on and lets a teeny bit of oil through but it’s also the only base I can reapply over my existing base and not create an unholy disaster. In short, it’s pretty damn perfect.
The problem was I then had to convince my wonderful MUA doing my wedding makeup that it would be ok for a bridal look despite having an SPF35. So I went for my second trial with Ailbhe Lynch (you can see a trial picture above that I took on my mobile) and she used the Skin79 on me and despite my worries, she actually loved it, enough that she wants to order it for herself. My worries about the SPF were dissolved as she said with a summer wedding and the fact we’re getting a photographer for a half day shoot meant that I didn’t have to worry about my photos having a little flashback as there shouldn’t be any need for a flash. So there you have it, after all that searching and trialling, I have come back home to the best product I’ve ever discovered blogging, Skin79 Pink. This is probably no help for most of you brides to be (and it only comes in one shade), but for one or two who are really struggling, it costs less than €20 off EBay for 40g of product and is hands down amazing. Please just order off a trusted seller and if anyone wants to known mine I’ll happily pass it on.
So ladies, if you’re married or for special events of any kind, what base do you really love?
*No samples, no b******t