top five thursday: high end foundations

Hey guys!

Guess what time it is again? Oh yes.. It's Top Five Thursday - my most favourite blogging day of the week. Loving going through all my collection and finding the top five of everything - I find so many old faithfuls that have just been sitting there waiting for me to show them some love.


If you are a regular viewer here, you may remember that my first ever post for this series was on my top five drugstore foundations - so it seemed only fitting that at some point I would do my top five high end foundations! For those of you who are new to my blog, I'm a serial foundation junkie. Seriously. It's getting ridiculous - I own so many, that I don't see how I'm ever going to finish even one of them.


This post will be a little different to my previous editions. I do own quite a few high end foundations. However, I'm really only impressed by four of the ones that I own. I didn't see the point in adding another foundation just for the sake of the 'top five', as the point of this is to not put them in an order - but rather talk about which ones I use frequently and would recommend to others. So, todays post is really a Top Four. I really do adore each one of these foundations, and all for different reasons.

Read on to see what I think of them individually!


Products pictured (l-r) - Laura Mercier Silk Crème Foundation, Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation, MAC Face and Body Foundation, Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

1. Laura Mercier Silk Crème Foundation

Words cannot describe the love I have for this foundation. I would probably wear it more often if it wasn't so expensive to replace. This foundation is absolutely full coverage, probably the best coverage foundation that I own. It is thick and creamy, and I really only need about a pea sized amount to cover my whole face to achieve full coverage. I usually wear this when I have a special event, not only because of the coverage, but also because of the luminous finish it gives. For such a creamy foundation, it really looks healthy and radiant on my skin when I wear it. Love this foundation so much, and I really would like to try the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser as well. Let me know if you have tried this in the comments below! I did buy this overseas, and I'm fairly certain it's not available in any major retailers here in Australia. But you can find it at www.adorebeauty.com.au for $59AU with free shipping within Australia.

Wearing Laura Mercier Silk Crème Foundation

2. Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

So you've heard me talk all about the Urban Decay Naked palettes and how much I love them - now meet the foundation that goes hand in hand with their Naked line! I really really like this as an everyday foundation. It is so lightweight in texture and really easy to blend into your skin. The colour selection is fantastic too - although the colour I picked up is a little light for me, personally, so I usually wear this on the days where I am not as self-tanned. It has a light to medium coverage that is so easy built up, and I find it to cover really well. It's not as long lasting as I would like, but putting a primer underneath and powder on top does help the longevity! Sadly, Urban Decay is not available in Australian stores, online or otherwise (boo, hiss), but www.beautybay.com does stock it for $56.10AU with free shipping.

3. MAC Face and Body Foundation

I have had quite a few go-to foundations in my time. Allow me to introduce another. This is one of my favourite all time foundations - it is super lightweight, has a light coverage that can be built up and it stays put all day. Rain, hail or sunshine, rest assured this will not budge off your face until you are ready to remove it. I used to wear this to work all the time, especially on good skin days. I would always get so many compliments, saying how great my skin looked every single time I wore it. I'm not saying that you need it - but I'm not going to say you don't either. It's not often that I like a light coverage foundation, as I definitely prefer more medium to full foundations, but this the exception to the rule. I have the baby version, which has 50mLs in it, and it has lasted me ages. But there is a bigger version available which contains 120mLs. This foundation is available at any MAC Counter, or from www.maccosmetics.com.au and the 50mL retails for $49AU, and the 120mL for $60AU. 

4. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

A cult favourite. And for good reason. This makes my skin look like different skin (if that makes sense). I honestly have no real problems with my skin in general, but this literally makes it look so good that I could do promotional work for NARS (seriously, are y'all hiring?). I adore this stuff, it is a lightweight formula with a solid medium coverage. I wouldn't say it can really be built up, but I don't find that I need to. I don't wear this nearly as much as I should, mainly due to its price tag, but if it wasn't so expensive I would be wearing it almost everyday. Everyone who has normal to dry skin should buy into the hype of this foundation - it really is all that. To the girls with more oily combination skin, Sheer Glow has a sister named Sheer Matte. I would recommend you pop into your local Sephora or Mecca (whichever country you're from) and try a sample. I highly doubt it will disappoint! NARS is available in Mecca Cosmetica here in Australia, and this foundation retails for $68AU. You can either go instore, or access their website here www.meccacosmetica.com.au .

Wearing the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

And that's it :) my Top Five (four) high end foundations! Was there anything on this post that you wouldn't have included? What other high end foundations do I need to try?

If you have any suggestions for next weeks Top Five Thursday, please let me know!

Until next time babes!

xxxx

Click here to read my Top Five drugstore foundations

Click here to read last weeks edition of Top Five Thursday

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner

my NAKED palette go to eye look

Hey guys!

Today, I want to share with you my go to eyeshadow look. I wear this if I'm not sure what I want to do with my eyes, or if I really don't have the time to decide. This is just a really easy and achievable look that goes with any look and occasion - I have worn it everywhere, from weddings to dates to just going on a casual coffee outing with the girls.

The palette I use to achieve this look is the Urban Decay Naked palette. Of all the palettes I own, this is my favourite - the shades are all so easy to work with and are of such good quality. Obviously, you can find dupes for this palette everywhere - for us Aussies, the Chi Chi Nudes palette is an extremely close dupe - so you don't necessarily need to spend the money on this palette to achieve the same look.

This is the finished look! A reminder that all my photos are taken with natural light, which is why the lighting can differ from photo to photo. Also, it can wash out the intensity of the colour a little, so please bear that in mind.

The first thing I do is prime my eyelids using the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Inked in Pink. These are my favourite products to use as bases, because not only do they stop your eyeshadow from creasing, but they also intensify the colour. I put this all over my eyelid, stopping just before where my crease starts.

After that, I take Buck from the Naked palette on a blending brush, and blend out the edges of the Colour Tattoo. I really focus this colour to be the darkest in my crease and out v, but also blend it above my crease and towards my browbone.

I then pick up the colour Sin on a flat eyeshadow brush, and press it densely over my lid. This is a gorgeous light, shimmery pink that really opens up your eyes. I really focus most of the colour on the inner part of my eye, really packing it on the first half of my eyelid.

Once that step is completed, I take a little bit of the shade Naked on a clean blending brush and blend out the edges of Buck a little more. I also took Virgin on a pencil brush and highlighted my brow bone and inner corner.

I then took the L'Oreal Superliner Blockbuster, and lined my eyelid from the centre out. This was actually my first time using this, and I actually thought that it was kohl liner, not a felt tip (can you tell this was an impulse buy?). Normally, when I do this look, I will take a kohl liner and do the same thing, but then take a smudge brush and blend it out. I had already started using this before I realised it was a felt tip, but really, it doesn't matter which you use.

Once that was all complete, I took Naked and Buck mixed together on a pencil brush and blended it under my lower lash line about two-thirds of the way in. I then took Sin again, and placed this on the inner part of the lower lash line. I then went over my lashes again with my mascara and lined my water line with a nude eyeliner.

And this is the finished look!

So there you have it! I just love how simple this eyeshadow look is - but it is also so effective. It really opens up my eyes, and compliments my eye colour as well! For the purpose of this post, I paired this with a soft bronzed look (lightly bronzed where my contours would be), with a peach-pink blush and a little highlighter for an added glow. I also put a nude-pink colour on my lips. But I have paired this with a more dramatic  and intense contour/blush combination, and it still looks just as beautiful.

Do you own the Naked palette? What are your colours of choice?

Until next time...

xxxx

Other products used in this look:

Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Primer

Bourjois CC Cream in #32

Revlon Photoready Skinlights in 001 Bare Light

Bourjois CC Eye Cream in Ivory

Revlon Colorstay Eyebrown Pencil in Blonde

MAC MSF's in Light & Medium Deep

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso

TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Inked in Pink

Urban Decay Naked Palette - Virgin, Sin, Naked and Buck

L'Oreal Superliner Blockbuster Felt Tip Liner

Rimmel Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in Black

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Native

Sigma brushes

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner

rave review: hurraw! lip balms

Hey guys!

I'm going to start this post by saying I rarely post a review on a brand or product without researching them  thoroughly and trialling their products for an appropriate amount of time (unless it's a first impression). But these arrived on my doorstop yesterday, and not only am I seriously impressed with the product, but to say I'm impressed with the brand itself is the understatement of the century!

Of course, I heard about the Hurraw! Lip Balms through Youtuber Shaaanxo, and decided that I would order some to try out. I adore lip balms, and I've been basically married to my Nivea Lip Butter since last July, so I figured it was time for a change. I ordered six balms (don't judge me, I go through lip balms like water) off the Hurraw! Balm website, with the prices ranging between $4.29-3.79US. The next day, I was sent a shipping notification, which is normal. Usually, packages from the US take 2+ weeks to arrive in Australia, regardless of how quick they are shipped. So, I expected to get them 3-4 weeks after they had sent them. So imagine my surprise when they show up yesterday, completely WITHIN the two week bracket.

These were all the items that were included in a completely sealed, travel friendly box sleeve. You can see the balms are completely protected within the brown paper wrapping! With them, I received a personalised postcard, a leaflet about Hurraw! and their brand, as well as two little mini bags, with their logo on them. Oh, and imagine my sheer delight when I opened the lip balm packaging and saw a seventh lip balm completely free of charge.

Close ups of the bags and the personalised postcard! How cute are those bags!

This is the information that is on the leaflet about Hurraw! and their balms:

"Hurraw! started with pure intent; aspiring to create the perfect lip balm.

Certified vegan! Highest quality raw ingredients! Handcrafted in small batches! Premium fresh pressed oils! Certified organic ingredients! No preservatives! Non-toxic! Gluten free! Natural flavours & colours! Oval tube fits perfectly in your pocket!"

I love that these are vegan and organic balms - you can rest assured that they are 100% good for your lips, as they don't contain any ingredients that are going to harm them. It really does impress me that they include these things in with your parcel. This demonstrates that they really care about their customers, and having them know how much time, effort and trouble that has gone into these making these.

The balms I got are:

Moon Balm

Vanilla Bean

Coconut

Green Tea

Chocolate

Coffee

and Grapefruit (free!)

These guys honestly made my day. Off the top of my head, I can't even think of a brand that would include one of their products, free of charge, plus a personalised note! Talk about great customer service! I am so impressed that I am ordering more later this week, because a brand that cares this much about their customers and their views deserves my money (plus, I need more. I can't help it, it's a sickness). I highly recommend them, and not only because of their great service. They're well-priced, especially for an organic product, and the international shipping price is so reasonable. You are better off shopping there than paying $5AU+ for a sub-par lip balm on the Australian market.

As I said, I can't really give a proper, informed review of the balms themselves. It wouldn't feel right, because I have only used them a handful of times and that is not fair to write home a review of them just because I am so impressed with the brand. However, my first impressions of them is that they go on really smoothly, and I can feel how moisturising they are! And they smell amazing. Seriously. They smell sososo good, and not in the processed way some lip balms smell (think Lip Smackers - no hate, but they really do smell sugary). These really smell natural and exactly like their proclaimed flavour. I don't notice a taste, but that could change with different flavours. Plus, the oval shape of the balm makes it really easy to apply onto your lips. If you would like to see a follow up review of the balms themselves, please let me know!

The only thing I regret is not ordering more with this round! I'm desperate to try the Earl Grey and Pitta Balms, but that just means I'll have to order more ;)

Overall - visit their website www.hurrawbalm.com and have a look around. They have so many great flavours to choose from, plus lip treatments as well. And, if you are feeling so inclined, make an order. I promise you this is one purchase you really won't regret. I know I say that a lot here on this blog, but it's not just the balms that have persuaded me - it's the brand and its staff themselves.

Have you tried these lip balms? Whats your take on them? Are there any flavours that you would recommend?

Until next time babes...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner

comparison: my bourjois foundations!

Hey guys!

I am a serial foundation junkie. If makeup was ever a crime, this would be my run in with the law. I can never decide on what foundations are my favourite! I'm always on the lookout for something better, and I'll honestly try anything that comes on the market. I always ask myself 'Bek, do you really need this? I'm sure you have a million others just sitting in your drawer waiting for you to give them some love.' Spoiler alert: my sensible mind never wins. I am now the proud owner of 31 foundations, all claiming to do different things for my appearance.

I have had a love affair with Bourjois products this month - but in particular with their foundations. I had always heard the rave reviews on their face products, but had never got around to actually purchasing any. Last month, I was searching through the ASOS website and saw that their Bourjois range was on sale. Because the price of Bourjois products in Australia is quite high, I jumped at the chance to buy two foundations and also a second bottle of their Happy Light Luminous Primer (I swear by this). They didn't have one foundation in particular though - and this happened to be the one I was really after. So, I bit the bullet and brought it in Priceline, thinking that I could do this post after I had trialled them.

Before I really get started on the post, I'll give a quick background on my skin and what I typically look for in a foundation. I have normal skin that leans a little dry, and I usually prefer medium to full coverage foundations due to the fact that I have redness that I like to cover up. I love dewy foundations, as I like my skin to look radiant, healthy and glowing. All three foundations that I picked up promised to do this, and having been switching between these three for about a month now, I thought it was time to tell you my views on them! These are all quite pricey in Australia, with the prices between $29-32AU. Hopefully, this post will shed some light on which you would like to try first!

Products pictured (l-r): Bourjois Healthy Mix Radiance Reveal Foundation, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serm Foundation, Bourjois Happy Light Foundation

Bourjois Healthy Mix Radiance Reveal Foundation

I really like this foundation! I find it has a more medium-full coverage, which is great for when my skin is looking a little worse for wear. I love that this doesn't look cakey anywhere on my face, yet still covers all my imperfections well. I tend to wear this on the days where my skin really isn't looking great, because it really just gives me an overall radiant and healthy complexion (just like its name). I do have one small complaint however. This foundation claims to last for up to 16 hours. I mean, I haven't worn it for 16 hours (does anyone?), but I do find that this does wear off quite easily. My foundation does tend to wear off in my t-zone over time - which is why I always set that area with a powder. But on my chin, around my mouth and nose.. This just doesn't hold as well as other foundations. But, I still really the finish and the coverage despite that! It just means more touch ups. This retails for $32AU in Priceline stores, or online for us Aussies.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

You guys are probably sick of seeing this on my blog, but I have to mention it. I have been singing the praises of this foundation since I brought it. This was the one that I couldn't find on ASOS and, as such, resorted to paying the full price in Priceline. And I do not regret it one bit. I'm guessing this is the reformulated version of the original Healthy Mix, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Speaking as a foundation junkie, this is seriously my most reached for foundation - ever. It exceeded all my expectations, and the only time I don't wear it is when I need a fuller coverage. It just has the most beautiful finish, is super lightweight and does not cake whatsoever. AND, it lasts all day! Unlike the original Healthy Mix, I definitely believe that this would last the full 16 hours it claims to. I would say it a has light to medium coverage, but it is buildable. It just looks like my skin, but better.  Another thing is it smells amaaaaazing. Like really refreshing and fruity! On a serious note, I cannot live without this foundation in my life and I recommend the heck out of it. I will be repurchasing the second I run out! This retails for $32AU in Priceline stores

Bourjois Happy Light Foundation

I expected to love this foundation. The primer that goes along with it is quite possibly my most favourite primer ever. But, I guess the love affair had to hit a speed bump at some point. I really don't like this foundation. When researching online, all reviews said to buy a shade lighter than you usually buy (for reference, in the above foundations I am 32 Light Beige), as the shades for this foundation run quite dark. That was my first mistake.. This foundation has pink undertones. Because of that, I cannot wear it as it doesn't match the rest of my body. Other than that, I find it to be really cakey on my face, especially between my eyebrows and nose. I have to say, this surprised me, because the formula is quite liquidy and feels lightweight. Also, I do not see the luminous finish that this promises. Just overall, I am disappointed. I would put it down to the mismatch of colour, and try it again, but the other parts of my experience show that it just doesn't deliver what it promises (in my opinion). This retails for $29AU in Priceline stores.

Swatches (l-r): Bourjois Healthy Mix Radiance Reveal Foundation, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation, Bourjois Happy Light Foundation

Swatches blended out

So, the love affair continues for at least two of these foundations. I'm also trying the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream at the moment, and am loving it so far! I really think that Bourjois is a fantastic brand, and although I didn't love the Happy Light foundation as much as I thought I would, that doesn't mean that it won't work for you. But, as my favourite, I have to recommend everyone and their dog picks up the Healthy Mix Serum - seriously, I really doubt you'll regret it.

Do you love these foundations as well? What other products have you loved from Bourjois? Is there anything I desperately need to add to my collection?

Until next time...

xxxx