Upgrading my face..

So recently I've been suffering really badly with my oh so lovely dry skin, which sometimes is just the devil. But really I had to approach the 'flakes' as hideous as that sounds and find some solution to make my skin look decent!               
                 So I'd really tried to find myself a good foundation which gives a more dewy finish, as I find it doesn't extenuate the dry patches on my face as much as a matte finish does. I've never really got along with 'Drugstore' foundations so was really hitting above the £25 mark with how much I was spending and wanted it to be worth the dollar.

                I came across the company NARS, after religiously following Made in Chelsea throughout the series and Millie continuously mentioning the make up brand, so thought I'd see what they had to offer. The NARS foundation I thought would be most suitable for my skin type was the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation which claims to give 'A glowing, satin-finish with sheer and buildable coverage. Replete with skincare benefits and the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, skin is hydrated, more luminous, softer and smoother.' Naturally I'm shade 'Light 6' and they're right with the coverage being buildable as it provides a medium coverage dewy finish for me when I apply it at my own discretion. I find it does actually decrease the visibility of the dry patches, and what I find helps a lot is the NARS 'Pro Prime' as a base layer under the foundation, I was given it as a tester from the lovely lay behind the NARS counter in Westfield and am drying to get myself a full tube!

                However, with the Summer months coming up, the fake tan is starting to make itself more apparent in my daily routine. Because I was given such a light shade with the NARS, I felt I needed to purchase another foundation because simply adding my Benefit 'Hoola' on top was not cutting it, and a paler face compared to the neck and chest is one of my absolute pet hates!

              So I decided to purchase the new L'Oreal foundation; 'Lumi Magique Light Infusing Foundation'. I'd seen lots of bloggers raving about the product saying it gave a really lovely dewy finish, and as that's the look I'm going for at the moment I thought I should give it a try.

THANK GOD I DID. It is the godsend of all 'Drugstore' foundations. I bought it in the shade 'Rose Sand C5' and I use it whenever I've freshly applied my tan, and mix it with my NARS when my tan is beginning to fade. What I love about it is the fact the staying power is brilliant, I've put it on before I go to work and then 7/8 hours later I'll go to touch up before a night out and really I don't need to that much because it's stayed excellently, and coming in at about £10.99 compared to NARS £29.99 it might just turn into my everyday foundation once my NARS Sheer Glow has run out..

I've also been upgrading my concealer and powder as well, my recent trip to MAC introduced me to the 'Select Cover Up Concealer' in the shade NW25 and 'Studio Careblend Powder' in the shade 'Medium/Dark' however it's not very dark at all! I've always loved MAC and will always go back there for my concealers and powders.

Finally I've got my hands on the Real Techniques Stippling Brush by Samantha Chapman. I have been DYING to get my hands on some of her brushes and it is beautiful, creating a flawless finish with my foundation which I just adore! So now I'm after Real Techniques Core Collection, and with my birthday coming up it may be on my 'Birthday List'... at the top...

Sophie x