Tag: up close and poresonal

Iconic London Blurring Skin Tint . Up Close and Poresonal

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this is an Up Close and Poresonal, my friends! where I do a thorough wear test, show you how the complexion product performs on my face with regular check-ins and no filters (should go without saying, but ’tis what ’tis), and at the end of the day compare the product’s performance against its claims.
I’m the only test subject, so it’s as subjective as it comes, but if you have tastes and concerns similar to mine, maybe you can infer some useful conclusions.

so hop on the video and enjoy a day spent with the Iconic London Super Smoother Blurring Skin Tint.

I have shade Neutral Light – I always advise doing some swatches and tests in store whenever possible and, better yet, getting a sample and try before committing.

At the time of this post, it retails for 30-34€ and you can find it at Feelunique, Cult Beauty and Beauty Bay (always compare prices!)

for reference: my skin is combination/oily, smooth in texture bar the pores, with occasional hormonal breakouts (which have been under control), hyperpigmentation (which I like to cover) and worn like a 43 year old skin can be – so yes, some wrinklage.

I prefer a natural/satin/luminous finish but without feeling too sticky or slide-y, a versatile medium coverage that can be sheered down or built up without caking, and, being an analog human who lives life in the non-digital world, I crave for long-wearing power (10 hours is my gold standard) and fading with dignity instead of a frazzled meltdown. I don’t mind a learning curve nor adjusting some steps to make it perfect, but at the end of the day it has to be worth my time and money, and, more importantly, if it’s not compatible with my sunscreen, it’s the end of the road for us.

Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation

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’tis an Up Close and Poresonal, my friends! where I do a thorough wear test, show you how the complexion product performs on my face with regular check-ins and no filters (should go without saying, but ’tis what ’tis), and at the end of the day compare the product’s performance against its claims.
I’m the only test subject, so it’s as subjective as it comes, but if you have tastes and concerns similar to mine, maybe you can infer some useful conclusions.

for reference: my skin is combination/oily, smooth in texture bar the pores, with occasional hormonal breakouts (which have been mostly under control), hyperpigmentation (which I like to cover) and worn like a 42 year old skin can be – so yes, some wrinklage.

I prefer a natural/satin/luminous finish but without feeling too sticky or slide-y, a versatile medium coverage that can be sheered down or built up without caking, and, being an analog human who lives life in the non-digital world, I crave for long-wearing power (10 hours is my gold standard) and fading with dignity instead of a frazzled break down. I don’t mind a learning curve nor adjusting some steps to make it perfect, but at the end of the day it has to be worth my time and money, and, more importantly, if it’s not compatible with my sunscreen, it’s the end of the road for us.

so hop on the video and enjoy a day spent with the Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation.

I have shade 7, but I always advise doing some swatches and tests in store whenever possible and, even better, getting some samples and try before committing.

At the time of this post, the best price I found for it was £46 (around 52€) at Cult Beauty.

Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder

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the names in these things don’t even leave room for the rest of the title…

this is an Up Close and Poresonal, my friends! where I do a thorough wear test, show you how the complexion product performs on my face with regular check-ins and no filters (should go without saying, but ’tis what ’tis), and at the end of the day compare the product’s performance against its claims.
I’m the only test subject, so it’s as subjective as it comes, but if you have tastes and concerns similar to mine, maybe you can infer some useful conclusions.

more info this way

Make Up Forever HD Skin Foundation – up close and poresonal

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everyone is raving about this foundation, so I had to give it a not-sponsored whirl.

it claims to be a natural-looking, very long-wearing foundation, with medium coverage, buildable up to high, demi-matte finish, meant for normal, combination and oily skins.
it’s calling my name, right? not only do I have the combo-oily skin, I need my foundation to last a long time and I need to adjust coverage depending on how my acne and pigmentation are behaving.

so I went into a Sephora (not all colours were available to try in that store, mind you), shade-matched myself (which was a chore, because the charts they provide were way off in my case, and the foundations do set quite more peach/orange than they look), and brought a tiny sample jar to try it out with all of you. I did a wonderful shade matching job, if I do say so myself, ending up with the shade 1N15.

whenever you can, get samples before committing to the full size. it’s far more economical, kinder on the environment, and saves you from heartbreak and clutter.

this one’s available in 30 shades and in Portugal it retails for around 40€/30ml.

Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation . Up Close and Poresonal

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as a huge fan of foundations and a huge fan of Lisa Eldridge makeup, this was one of the most anticipated launches of the year for me.

as soon as she divulged we could get a set of samples to try free with a purchase from her most recent launch, I dove right in. you can also get the samples for a small amount.

the full size of the foundation is being sort of soft-launched in her pop-up store House of Eldridge in Covent Garden, London (it’s a whimsical mix of makeup museum with her vintage makeup collection on display, makeup store, and jewellery store, with both her lines for sale, and it’s open until the end of the year).

I had to control myself for a few days before being able to try it on camera (needed to be home during the day for a full-day test), so here’s the moment when I get to finally play with it for you:

what I could gather at the time of this post:

  • the sample cards contain 4 shades and you can buy them online or get one for free with a purchase from her online store (at this moment, some are sold out, but they’ll restock soon);
  • the full-sized foundation will cost 44£, around 52€;
  • it’s available in 40 shades, in what seems a very inclusive range – goes up to very dark shades and has olive undertones for lighter shades.

in the video I’m wearing shade 16 – light medium with true olive undertones

*please note that at the time of application I had too close to my face, on the left side of the image, a lamp that has a freaky colour temperature bulb (it said daylight on the packaging, but it’s quite greenish), and it reflected massively on the olive tones of the foundation, making it look like I have a green patch on my face. when I turn my head you can see it’s just that weird light, everything is normal, just bad lighting…

clinique even better clinical serum foundation – UCAP

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geesh, these names make the titles so long and aesthetically unpleasant… dang…

here’s my 11 hour experience with this foundation from Clinique that brings so many claims… I had to check them all against my combination-oily skin with dark spots and acne remnants that need coverage, and some wrinkles that worsen with base products – tough balance, I know, but I also know many of you out there feel the same.

the skincare ingredientes included are nice, but I prefer to rely on skincare to deliver actual effects, and also because an SPF of 20 is hardly enough for my needs (or would hardly be correctly applied, seeing that it is a heavier coverage product which we tend to sheer out). I really believe including SPF in tinted products makes people fall into a false sense of security and risk their skins more… so for me a foundation having sunscreen in it is completely indifferent.

you can easily find Clinique anywhere, but here’s a link for Lookfantastic in case you need it :)

Essence Pretty Natural Foundation – up close and poresonal

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on Instagram, you all voted on this one to go under the microscope today, and, to be honest, I was rooting for this one to end. I mean, the claims!
medium coverage, natural matte finish, long-wearing, hydrating… and a super affordable price? I wanted to put it to the test!

bar my pitiful shade matching, I think you’ll get a thorough first impressions, application and review on this little nugget.

it is available supposedly in 36 shades (at least in the US), in store in Portugal and in most online renowned online shops we only have access to about 10 (shameful!). I found a larger range at Maquibeauty but they only ship I believe to Portugal and Spain.
it turned out practically impossible hard to find an online store with more than the 10 shades (Feelunique, for instance, only has a limited shade range), so I’m leaving you the link to the Essence European website (where they mention only 19 shades… wtf?!) where you have a store finder.

do let me know if you know of a bigger online retailer that has the full shade range and can ship around Europe…

Purito Cica Clearing BB Cream . Up Close and Poresonal

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Oh, I’ve missed doing these videos!
Here’s a “too close to comfort” review of Purito Cica Clearing BB Cream.

Things you may want to know:

  • I have combination skin, going through a more oily phase; over 40, so with wrinkles; acne-prone since I was 12, with breakouts and hyperpigmentation which I tend to prefer to cover;
  • you can buy this product from Yesstyle (it takes a while to ship, if you know of a European retailer that can ship this faster, let us all know!);
  • it’s (at this time) 10,60€ for 30ml;
  • it’s a light to medium coverage foundation, feels like a cream, leaves a luminous to dewy look on the skin, evens out and visually smoothes texture;
  • terrible shade range – 27 (the shade I’m wearing) is the darkest colour;
  • claims to contain moisturising “Cica” extracts to strengthen the skin barrier– it does contain Niacinamide, Panthenol and Centella Asiatica, among other lesser-known ingredients that help with skin barrier and soothing the skin, as well as classic emollient, humectant and moisturising agents, and a cocktail of UV filters (the US website claims SPF 38 PA+++).
  • does not contain fragrance nor essential oils.
other things to consider

Dior Backstage foundation — Up Close and Poresonal

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This one was so raved that, as soon as I test-drived my sample (as I should always do, impulsive buyer me…) I had to make a video on it.

This foundation retails for around 40$, around 40€, or 39£ — for 50ml —, comes in 40 shades with 4 different undertones, it’s not cruelty free and claims highly customisable coverage, a natural finish, and resisting through water and sweat.
It’s widely available in counters worldwide, and I found it online at Selfridges and, of course, Sephora US.