Estée Lauder Invisible Fluid Make up

Apologies for the scratched-off writing on the bottle, I put it in my make-up bag once and it came off straight away! Not very nice in photos I know, sorry once again!

I bought this foundation because, again, I wanted one without SPF, and one for when I am St-Tropez-Dark-Lotion'ed up to the max! I actually went to the EL counter and got matched for this one, I wanted one that was a shade darker than the foundation I had on at the time. I got home, however, poured a bit onto my hand, and was like OH BALLS THAT IS DARK! Everything always seems lighter in that harsh department store lighting! After my initial shock, I've found that if I mix it with my Illasmasqua Skin Base, as mentioned in my previous post, it actually makes a really nice colour! Not too dark, not too light, just right! And SPF free too so no ghost face! Love the colour in photos!

I tried this once on my face on its own, I'd just bought it and had a super early (3.30am) Megabus to London one morning so I put it on at 3am, so in my defence there was no daylight! I looked at it on the bus and it looked alright, but as soon as I got to London my friend was like "WHAT THE ****"!!!!! Looked at it in her house, and balls, it was FAR too dark! On the plus side, one of her guy friends thought I was turkish, which I enjoyed, but it literally makes me change race, so can't wear it on its own!

I would definitely recommend this to be mixed with Illasmasqua Skin Base, it has a lovely finish. It's not matte or dewy, but in the middle which I really like! I will buy this again to mix, and I also might try this in a shade lighter next time to wear alone, as I feel like I can't give it a fair test in the shade that I have!

Do you have any non-SPF foundation recommendations for me to try please?

XOXO

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

I couldn't wait to try this foundation after reading about it on Laura and Lily's blogs. I had high hopes, especially after reading about its "full coverage".

First reaction - I was disappointed! Nowhere near as thick or covering as I'd expected, and actually I find it works best if I mix it with my Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Make-Up. I bought the shade "10" from the Debenhams website after comparing to my usual NC30 on Temptalia, but in hindsight, I think this would be a good colour if I wanted a foundation for my non-tanned skin, but for (normal) tanned days, it is far too light.

I was really surprsied at the size of the bottle when it arrived, I expected it to be a lot bigger, even though it is the standard 30ml size. One of my issues with this product is that I find it an absolute nightmare to squeeze out of the bottle. I haven't read this issue on any other reviews though, so I think this may just be me being weird!

It is a good foundation, but personally I find I only like it if I mix it. The fact that it is SPF free was one of the aspects that attracted me to it initially as I am sick of "ghost face" in photos. My problem is that there is only one illasmasqua counter in the whole of Wales, and it is an hour and a half from me which is a bit of a pain. I think I will be repurchasing this foundation when it runs out, as I really enjoy the coverage and finish I get from it when mixed. I think I will also buy a different, darker shade for every day and see if that sways me at all or makes a difference, as I really want to love this foundation!