I went a little shopping happy in Boots a few weekends ago while the 3 for 2 make-up offer was on and got a few new products to try out, mainly because I'm getting so frustrated with my super shiny skin that I can't seem to tame but also kind of because I'd just been paid and wanted to do some spending. Oops.
I was in need of a new foundation and decided to stray from my usual preference of full coverage liquids and try a mattifying brand by 17 called Miracle Matt Foundation. I went for the palest shade available which turned out to be a little orangey for me, but I pretty much always have this problem as I have a lot of pink in my skin tone. The foundation itself is very thick and when I pumped some out my immediate reaction was that it looked just like acrylic paint, when I applied it I immediately saw a difference in that my skin looked matt and shine free. This effect lasted a good 6 hours with the mattifying powder over the top which is advertised as translucent but did lighten the look of my skin some what.
Unfortunately the foundation just didn't offer the coverage that I need as I have a few red patches and usually a good few blemishes so I went and bought another bottle of my regular foundation. I am still using the Miracle Matt Loose Powder every day though, it keeps my face matt for much longer than my usual powder and helps match my foundation to my skin tone more as it pales it up a little more.
I also tried out 17's Stay Time 18 Hour Concealer which is great. Excellent coverage and it stays in place all day without slipping or shifting like some long lasting concealers can. I'll definitely be buying more when this runs out.
I also got two creams to try on my face to try and prevent spots and again to control the shine on my t-zone. The Sudocrem was a suggestion from my manager at work who has use it for years and oh my gosh it is my favourite new find. After just two nights of applying it before going to bed I have noticed such a difference. I have far fewer spots and any that were appearing and would usually take a few days to go away have been and gone much much faster. I also tried using it like a primer today which worked pretty darn well, my make-up stayed perfect much longer than with no primer at all but not quite as long as if I had used one of my expensive - for £2.55 per tub that I'm sure will last a good few months you can afford to give it a try!
I also tried Boots' own Botanics brand mattifying day cream. This smells lovely and citrussy and has a creamy silky texture that sinks right into the skin and feels nice and fresh, not heavy like many day creams can. I will warn you now - do NOT get any of this stuff in your eye by accident or you will seeeeriously regret it! I'm sure you're all much more careful than silly old me though and won't have that issue! Although I saw an immediate matt effect, under my make-up as I would usually wear day cream this didn't last more than a couple of hours so I probably won't get any more and will just stick with my usual moisturiser.
And finally I grabbed a pretty pink blusher and lipstick - after dying my hair partially pink that is the only colour I want to wear at the minute! The blusher is really well pigmented so just a little of it will give good colour pay off and it is a nice bluey pink - a lot of the time I find pink blushes to be too red but this was perfect.
The lipstick takes me conveniently on to my fabulous shopping tip! Did you know that the Boots Advantage Card machines in the stores not only show you your points balance but also give you a selection of special offers you can print then and there to use on that day's purchases? OK I'm probably late to the party on this one but I looooove that you can do this. You get a variety covering different product ranges like hair care, skin care, make-up, health etc and also some standards that cover all products. I printed off a coupon for 150 points on a £15 spend and another that gave you 100 points when buying any lipstick or mascara which I used with the above lipstick by Natural Collection. I went for a nice bright pink with a touch of nude which is called Pink Mallow. It's nice and creamy in texture and has great lasting power - for £1.99 it was an absolute bargain!
Do you guys have any fabulous new beauty finds to share?