How to create a flawless face

Most of us have suffered from spots at some point in our life. Now that I'm a little older, I'm lucky that my skin has really cleared up and I feel confident in wearing no make-up. However, when I'm going out I like the 'flawless face' look where I have a sort of blank canvas to build up a look. In order to create a flawless face, I like to conceal blemishes and use a light or yellow based concealer under the my eyes to hide any dark circles I may have. These are the few products I use to create a flawless look ready to apply the rest of my make-up.

First off I like to apply a moisturiser all over my face to make my foundation glide across my skin more easily and provide a base for my foundation. I then use The Body Shop's Pore Minimiser to close/fill any open pores to make my foundation look even more flawless.

As I suffer from oily skin, I usually stick to matte foundations which have a medium to full coverage such as Revlon's Colourstay Foundation for oily/combination skin (I use shade 'Sand Beige'). I use a stippling or buffing brush to blend my foundation such as Real Techniques Stippling Brush. 

I then apply a light or yellow based concealer under my eyes to high any dark circles. If the dark circles won't cover, I'll apply YSL Touche eclat in 1.5 over the top as it is a very yellow based concealer it will counteract the darkness under my eyes. I often blend my concealer with a beauty blender or my fingers depending on how I'm feeling that day. I will then apply concealer to any blemishes I may have. I often find using a concealer which is the same colour as my foundation works best to hide blemishes. I use Maybelline's FIT ME concealer in '10' and I will blend with my finger or the pointed end of a beauty blender.

I will then finish off by using a big fluffy brush to sweep a powder over my face. I use Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 'Transparent' as it sets my foundation and keeps my face matte all day. I also find it helps reduce the transfer of my foundation to clothes. 

What products are your favourite to use to create a 'flawless face'?

Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook

NEW | L'oreal Infallible 24hr-Matte Foundation

L'oreal Infallible 24 hour-Matte is a new mattifying, long-lasting foundation which has been launched for spring 2015. The foundation claims to be a lightweight matte finish which is non-cakey and lasts for 24 hours. The foundation is available in 6 six shades. I picked up '20 Sand', which to be honest is slightly too dark for my skin but after testing this foundation I do really like it so I will probably be going back to pick up a lighter shade. It is definitely a matte finish which is great if you have oily skin. It feels very lightweight and smooth on the skin compared to other matte foundations I have tried which can feel heavy and cakey especially if you apply too much - however this is not the case. The foundation also claims to be long lasting. I totally agree! I wore it for near enough 12 hours and only then did I need to touch up slightly. However, 24 hours? I don't know anyone who wears their foundation for 24 hours so whether or not it lasts that long, I can't say. All in all this foundation is definitely one of my new favourites and is retailing currently at Superdrug for £7.99 and £6.99 at Boots. 

Have you tried L'oreal Infallible 24hr-Matte Foundation? What are your thoughts? Let me know below.

Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook

Mini Christmas Haul

I'm not a fan of the word 'Haul' as I think it suggests that I have bought loads of things, which in this instance is not the case. However, when I went Christmas shopping on Monday with my sister in Cardiff I did pick up a few things for myself (naughty!). Not everything in the post is beauty related but I thought I'd write about them anyway. I took about 3 trips into Superdrug during the day, I'm not a good decision maker.

Revlon ColourStay Foundation in '180 Sand Beige' - I have wanted to try out Revlon ColourStay foundation for a long time but always forgot about it when I ran out of my Garnier BB cream and therefore never got around to it. ColourStay is separated into two categories, for oily/combination skin (me), and Normal/Dry. I swatched a colour which I thought was close to my Garnier BB cream and lucky enough the second shade I swatched was a close match to my skin. The Colourstay foundation claims to be a matte, 24 hour long lasting foundation and I agree. When applying the formula to my skin, I used the Real Techniques expert face brush and it felt quite thick but blended well into a matte finish. I wore it all day, for around 9/10 hours and it was still matte with a lovely finish and had not oxidised or separated on my face. It has great long lasting power and I think it is a great foundation for £12.49 (30ml). The only downside to this foundation is that although it has glass packaging which I appreciate it does not come with a pump and therefore it is quite difficult to gauge how much to pour onto the back of your hand without producing a lot of wasted product.

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in '205 Elusive' (no available link at Superdrug.com) - I was lucky enough to get this product free on an offer they had in Superdrug (spend £10 on Revlon and get a free Colourburst Balm). I had been wanting another matte balm after I bought '245 Audacious' a lovely bright orange back in the summer. I decided to go with Elusive as it is a soft wearable pink which I thought would be a great everyday colour. I love that they provide a matte finish, which aren't drying on lips and they have the added bonus of smelling minty fresh! These matte balms normally retail at £7.99 each.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm in '110 Make me Blush' - I picked up another of these balms after originally trying another of Rimmel's lasting finish balms called 'Rumour Has It'. I really like the finish of these colour sticks as they provide a slight glossy look and feel very moisturising. These balms retail at £5.99.

Real Techniques Shading Brush By Sam and Nic Chapman (£6.99) - I had yet to buy an eye brush from real Techniques (I own their powder brush, stippling brush, blush brush and expert face brush) and seen as though they were offering 3 for 2 in Superdrug I thought I would treat my sister with the shading brush and blending sponge at the same time. I'm yet to use the eye shading brush but if it is anything like the other real Techniques brushes I have used it will be fantastic quality which produces fantastic results.

Lush Reindeer Rock Soap (£3.10 for 100g) - I adore lush cosmetics and whilst in the Cardiff store I picked up a Karma Bubble Bar (£3.25 each) as I adore that scent and then was drawn towards the soaps as I love smelling them all. I came across this soap which I think smells of sweeties and the vimto drink. I used it in the shower this morning for the first time and I just can't get over how amazing it smells. I definitely recommend trying it if you haven't already!

So, they are a few things I picked up whilst I was shopping in Cardiff. Not all beauty but I think its always nice to see what other people have bought when they go shopping. Hope you enjoyed my post and let me know if you have tried any of these products and what you think. I'd be interested to know what your favourite soap from lush is too?

Emma x