Lumene CC Cream

I usually hate low-budget foundations. Most of them are only available in shades too dark for my snow white skin and when applied they just look and feel awful. I just hate them. When Lumene launched their CC cream, however, I got very curious.

I guess the CC creams are a sequel to the BB creams. Whereas the BB is just a tinted day cream, the CC cream provides with more coverage without taking away any of its ancestor's skin caring abilities.

My regular work makeup look.

The CC creams by Lumene are available in three shades; Light, Medium and Deep, which are all indeed very light (Yay, good for me!).
To be honest I was actually surprised when I tried this foundation on and it "melted" into the skin, resulting in a flawless finish that looks like - well - skin, rather than a crappy drugstore foundation.

The main drawback is probably that you will have that "glow" on your skin which you might not appreciate too much if you've got oily/combination skin.

Looks like skin: 4/5
Feels like skin: 4/5
Longevity: 5/5
Price: 139 SEK (≈ $21)
Suitable for: Someone who don't want to spend a fortune on a decent foundation.

Honestly, this foundation is great so if you have the chance to try it out then do so!

Thank you for reading! :)

Bare Minerals READY Compact Foundation

It has already been released in some places in the world but here in Sweden the launch isn't until mid-April. I'm talking about the READY Foundation by bare Minerals, which is indeed cause for great excitement.

For those of you who have used bare Minerals you are familiar with their "loose powder" foundations and I'm pretty sure that many of you have wished for a compact  version which would be much easier to handle. I definitely have! And now our prayers have been answered. :)

But don't be fooled, the READY foundation is not simply one of bare Minerals's previous foundations that they have pressed into compact form. This is a completely new innovation in which carefully chosen minerals have been pressed together with cold-pressed rose-hip oil to gain a unique product which provides a quick means to achieve perfect coverage and that hydrates the skin during the day. The foundation is long-lasting and after 12 hours the hydration level in the skin has increased by 108%. Fantastic, huh? :)

Along with this new foundation a new brush is launched, which is well suited for the special application technique that allows the foundation to spread properly across the skin. The brush is called Precision Face Brush and is without doubt the best foundation brush I've ever tried. The bristles are made of nylon and the dense, flat surface allows you to buff the foundation into the skin and achieve the most beautiful finish! of course you can use this brush with your old bare Minerals foundations as well!

Bare Minerals Precision Face Brush

This foundation is applied in long, smooth strokes across the face and immediately gives coverage. You don't have to work it into the skin the same way you do with the original or matte foundations, which saves you a couple of extra minutes in the morning.

The shade I'm using is called R130 (the lightest with a warm undertone)

At first I thought that READY foundation would be unsuitable for my oily t-zone but, honestly, it works better than the matte foundation to keep the shiny-ness in check all day. I guess that says more about my skin than it does about the foundation though - I'm obviously shiny because my skin needs moisturizing. After only using READY a couple of times my skin already feels healthier!

And for the drawbacks, there are very few. The only thing that I have to complain about is that it is very easy to "overdose" this foundation, so you have to be really careful not to apply too much!

But honestly, this foundation is a great friend that you definitely want to have in your life! (and makeup bag...)

Thanks for reading!

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

I've been trying out Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation for a while now and I must say I absolutely love it! I am using the shade 02.

The Skin Base foundation is inspired by the super-hyped BB creams, that  are supposed to be a miracle, all-in-one product.

So how wonderful is Illamasqua Skin Base foundation?

It certainly softens the skin and provides a great coverage. I have problem with large pores but they are barely visible after a round with this foundation, which is something no foundation has ever helped me with before. Other foundations also tend to cause my skin to break out, but not this one.

One thing that you should be aware of before buying this foundation though, is that a regular foundation brush, like Sigma F60, is hard to use when applying SB. I didn't find this very disturbing though since I already have a routine to first apply the foundation with the Sigma F60 brush and then buff it into my skin with a Sigma F50 duo fibre brush to get rid of any "stripes".

I have a lot of problems with redness and as you can see this foundation gets rid of that as well as pores. :) When I had powdered my skin it was so smooth that the camera had a hard time focusing on it!

So let's make a list...

Suitable for: All skin types

Finish: Natural

Coverage: Medium - Full (Buildable)

Colors availabe: 26 different shades, from white to dark brown

Amount: 30 ml 1 FL OZ. The bottle looks tiny but, trust me, you need a ridiculously small amount to cover your face!

Price: £27 at www.illamasqua.com

Will buy again? Most certainly!

Was there anything I didn't like about this foundation? Yes, one thing, but that's a problem I haven't been able to solve with any foundation or primer I've tried yet. The skin on my nose gets dry and "flakey" whenever I use foundation or primer, and this foundation is no exception for that.

This foundation will definitely get top marks from me! :)

Have any of you guys tried Illamasqua Skin Base foundation and what did you think of it?

I hope this review has been helpful for those of you out there having thoughts about trying Illamasqua Skin Base foundation! Thank you so much for reading and hope to see you soon! :)