Gifts From Far Away Lands…

Bonjourno! As you may or may not know my parents went away to Rome last weekend and, ever prepared and knowing I was looking after/being taxi driver for my sister, I had a list. A list you say? A list of cosmetics.

A quick google of Italian makeup showed Kiko as the most prevalent from what I could tell so I had a look at their website (very nice and easy to use) and noted down a few bits that appealed to me. Then promptly lost the list and had to try and remember it when my Mum rang me from the shop.

Onwards and upwards…

L-R Eyebrow Marker, Shiny Pearl Lipstick, Water Blush, Skin Evolution Foundation, Nail Lacquers

This is just a quick look and swatches, I haven’t used the foundation yet as I’m waiting until Bobbi Brown finally dies and I’ve only tried one polish.

This is the Eyebrow Marker in 02, the middle shade of three I think. The nib is pretty firm and it isn’t that pigmented making it great for brows. I’ve used this once and it gave a natural finish, I think you’d struggle to go overboard with this unlike my Urban Decay Brow Box. This was €5.90

Shiny Pearl Lipstick in 190 Baby Pink. This is very subtle, just a tint of colour and glitter/shimmer. It’s very pretty and natural, nice for days when I want a bright blush. It does leave a little bit of glitter behind but nothing that a bit of balm won’t dispense of and it feels nice on, not drying. This was €5.90

Water Blush cheek stain in 02 Mandarin Fizz. This is again very subtle at first but buildable and it blends well. This is a goodie for days when I want bright lips like Vegas Volt. This was €6.90

As I said I haven’t tried this yet but the colour match looks promising which is a great start for me! The packaging is nice and the foundation colour matches the top of the packaging, though I haven’t seen the other colours to know if it matches to all or if it is standard. This was €12.90

Couldn’t miss out on any exotic polishes could I? This is L-R 335, 343 and 267. I have 323 on now so look out for that, 2 days wear and no chipping is promising and two coats to opaque! These were €3.90 each.

I also had a lipgloss on my list that wasn’t in stock but all in all I’m happy with these from my experiences so far.

No Flash

Flash

Brow Marker, Shiny Pearl Lipstick, Water Blush and Skin Evolution Foundation.

I haven’t properly compared my products to the swatches on the website but they are what I expected so they can’t have been that awful. I did think Nail Lacquer 267 would be lighter but I am still delighted with the colour so don’t care that much.

I included prices as they aren’t shown on the website so although I was expecting similar prices to Boots I couldn’t be sure. I think they are pretty much on a par with chemist prices these days, I thought €12.90 for the foundation was a bit steep at first but they are coming up £13 in Boots and Superdrug these days aren’t they?

Anyway I will report in a few weeks how I get on, if it’s good I’ve already checked that there’s a store in Paris for my holiday in the summer!

What do you think? Have you tried many foreign cosmetics? Any that you’d recommend? I’m off to France, the Netherlands and Germany this summer so and only know of Essence and ArtDeco, is there any others you know that I can try? I can’t wait for a Sephora!!!!!!

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation

Argh I need to work on these blog titles! I know people use song titles and stuff but I get crazy songs stuck in my head that no one else needs to be reminded of!

I’ve been trying to do a kind of project 10 pan but without choosing ten products to use up, just by using ten items before buying any more! This is close to running out so I thought I’d share my thoughts before it dies it’s death.

I have this in the shade 0 Porcelain which is a pretty good match, Bobbi Brown foundations are all yellow toned which though I am not, it suits me and looks like my skin, funnily enough. The packaging is good, a heavy glass bottle with a great pump that has never failed me, though this should be expected for the price!

They say ‘A truly modern foundation that offers invisible, weightless coverage that looks like skin, not makeup. This long-wearing formula evens tone, minimises the appearances of pores, conceals imperfections and offers broad spectrum UV protection.’

When I visited the Bobbi Brown counter in my local John Lewis I said I wanted light to medium coverage that was long-lasting. This provides a light coverage at first but that can be built to medium without looking cakey. I apply either with my fingers or the Cosmopolitan beauty blender thing, I have used this with a few brushes before but none of them gave me a smooth even coverage, this can go a bit streaky if it isn’t well blended and it does dry quickly, though not as quickly as ColorStay. I apply one layer all over my face to even out my skintone and cover any blemishes/scarring, then apply another layer just over my forehead, nose and chin. It covers everything but doesn’t look fake or doll-like, pretty natural coverage.

As for long-lasting…I don’t know if I entirely agree. I wear this fairly often as I have to mix my other foundations at the moment while this I can slap on and go. Even set with powder you can guarantee it won’t be on my nose or chin by lunchtime nor anywhere else by the end of the day and that’s with a primer. For this reason I try not to wear it if I’m going out all day or if I want to look my best but for work and things it’s fine. However for £30 I would want more than a foundation I’m happy to wear to work but little else.

It says on the Bobbi Brown website that this is suitable for normal/combination/combination dry skin. I have normal/combination/oily skin and this doesn’t accentuate any oily or dry patches. It is water based and oil-free so be careful when pumping it out as it you need to catch it on the back of your hand!

I don’t have any on-face pictures as the coverage is so light it didn’t really look like anything but I have some swatches comparing with other foundations.

You can see it is slightly paler than Bourjois 51, Collection 2000 Vanilla and Revlon Buff, I mix these with Revlon PhotoReady in Ivory if I want to wear one of these in the winter.

I do like this foundation, it has been somewhat of a staple. However for £29 I would not repurchase, I have other foundations that would do the job just as well and probably last longer on me. If you have money to burn and have normal/combination skin and aren’t that bothered about coverage then give it a shot, there is a brilliant colour range, something to suit everyone.

Have you tried this? Or any other Bobbi Brown foundations? I haven’t tried anything else from the brand aside from the corrector/concealer (meh) and the gel eyeliner which I love and use regularly. I’d repurchase that in a second!