Monday 8 April 2013

Luxury vs Highstreet:- War of the Dewy Foundations

With a renewed vigour for blogging, I thought I should donate a bit of blog time on the different techniques and products I use on my face (mostly for my base) and why I use them. Yes, I am trying to throw a bit of direction into my blog posts but hopefully you are able to pick something up from this.

Although I'm probably one of the worst people to come to when it comes to reviewing foundations as I don't really care about how much the foundation covers or what type of coverage it has. As long as it's a good colour match to my skin and doesn't feel like I've buffed a layer of Play-doh on my face, I'm a happy chap.

Over my little blog break, I ran out of my foundations and decided to pick up a luxury foundation and a highstreet foundation, just because I wanted to know how they compare. I haven't used highstreet foundation for almost 5 years so I was interested to know if it's improved or if I should turn my back on any kind of highstreet base and be content.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Benares

I always forget that you can buy cosmetics from ASOS. Maybe I've been subconsciously programmed to only buy cosmetics over the counter and not online but buying cosmetics online is never a 1st option for me, it's more like the 4th option after I've visited all the counters in a 2 mile radius.
I normally get Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Trinidad but I wanted to take a bit of a gamble and see if the same foundation but in a shade up would work for me. Luckily it did because I didn't want to waste £30.50.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation (RRP £30.50) are one of the best foundations to go after if you are looking for a low maintenance dewy finish. It's my foundation of choice as it doesn't have any spf in it so I never get that weird-ghost like finish every time a camera flash goes of and it works well with my studio lighting. The Benares Foundation has a brightening, non-comedogenic (doesn't clog pores) and hydrating formula with a light to medium coverage which can be built to minimise skin discolouration.
Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Benares
This foundation doesn't come with a pump but you can purchase one from your nearest NARS counter . . .if they have it in stock (which they almost never have)

Maybelline's Fit Me Foundation in 355

With a SPF factor of 18, the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 355 (RRP £7.99) has a light, gel-based formula that glides seamlessly over the skin, covering minor imperfections. Packaging wise, it is quite clear that this is the cheaper of the two foundation. The stickers that have been plastered on the Fit Me bottle actually cheapens the sleek, tall bottle. The fact that this comes with a steady. black pump shows that Maybelline are on the ball, and I was very pleased to see that when I popped the bottle open.
Originally I thought that this foundation was going to be too thick and orange but it seems highstreet foundations for dark skin has come a long way since the last time I decided tried them out. It matched my complexion almost perfectly.
Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 355 Coconut
My only criticism on the Fit Me Foundation's formula (which is not evident in this picture), is that it leans a bit too closely to shiny rather than dewy. A sweep of translucent powder would definitely sort the shine but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with oily skin.

Overall I do prefer the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation but I can see myself using the Fit Me Foundation when my SPF moisture runs out or as a work day substitute. I do think (although I might just be reaching) that the NARS Sheer Glow has a better brightening effect than the Fit Me foundation as the skin shade on my jaw looks dark in the picture above compared with the Nars Sheer Glow picture.