Tried & Tested – Glowing Foundations

Recently I have been on the hunt for a really great foundation, I have been an avid user of Dior Forever foundation, for well forever! But I started to feel that it was drying out my skin and also the colour wasn’t quite right as much as I thought it was, so I’ve been dabbling with a few including the GloMinerals Luxe Foundation which you may have read my review of recently. This month I have three new ones to share with you. So a quick heads up my skin is pretty combination, with a few dry skin spots on the forehead and round the nose, so I was looking for something that didn’t dry my skin out, created a glowing BB cream type look but provided more coverage than a BB can offer and also lasted all day, which is a big challenge and why I have stuck with my Dior foundation for so long. The mission began!

First up I tested out NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation £28, I tried this in LIGHT 2 which is the colour Mont Blanc. This foundation comes in a cute compact complete with mirror and sponge which is perfect for carrying around your bag for touch ups. The colour first of all was a perfect match so I was really pleased about that. It went on really smooth and felt quite moisturising and provided a slight luminosity which I also liked. The only thing about this one is the coverage isn’t as high as I’d like, I’d have to apply maybe two layers to build it up to what I wanted. I’m also worried about how quickly it will run out, as the compact is pretty small and it also doesn’t include SPF. This foundation however actually works really, really well as a concealer under the eyes!

Next up was Bare Minerals Brand New Pure Brightening Serum Foundation SPF20 £26. I was really excited to try this foundation as it’s a brand new launch from Bare Minerals and its their first foundation to be a foundation and skincare serum in one! It’s said to have a really natural finish and provide a brightening glow. I applied the foundation using the Bare Minerals Perfecting Face Brush £24 which is contoured to provide no mess, which you definitely need for this foundation.

I found it difficult to get out the bottle, when you squeeze it, it doesn’t come out that easily and would much prefer a pump. The colour I went for was Bare Shell 02, which was a great colour for me. I like something a little darker than my skin tone ever so slightly, otherwise if I go too pale I feel like it draws my face in. The colours of this foundation are brilliant, there is so many to choose from, so you should definitely find a match. I found it went on really easily and spread out too. The coverage was really good and the glow was lovely. However for me it seemed to cling to all my dry areas which wasn’t great and this was after I had applied primer. I think if you don’t have very dry areas will really love this one, but for me it wasn’t quite right.

Lastly I got myself some samples of MAC’s Mineralize Moisture Foundation SPF 15 £28. This foundation was recommended to me by a make-up artist I met recently at an event and I am so glad she did! She suggested the mineralize foundation in NC25 and she was spot on with the colour. I tried out the NC25 and the NC20 but the NC25 was a much better colour for me. This foundation got me so excited, I probably should have realised it would have been perfect for me by the ‘moisture’ in the title, as it really feels very moisturising and has such a glow to it, it really looks like a BB cream but with amazing coverage! It evens out my skin tone so well, hides spots and looks really good when filming my YouTube videos. I am so super happy I have found a foundation I really like. I had sort of stayed away from MAC as I used to use their foundations before and found them so drying, so I’m glad I gave it a try. I can’t wait to get this in the full size. If you have dry skin, this is a must!