What I Bought #2

Monki Shirt, NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, NARS Duo Eyeshadow, Topshop Lipstick & Illamasqua Cream Pigment.

You know them shopping trips where you absolutely are over the moon with your purchases? This was definitely one of them! We are reaching the end of April (crazily!) and my pay day is on Friday so I thought I'd treat myself. This shirt was actually the first thing I saw when I walked in Monki and I couldn't have fallen more in love! The collar is so adorable and the colour is definitely my thing. 

I needed a foundation for when I'm a bit more tanned so opted for the highly raved about Sheer Glow, my friend walked out of the shop wearing it and it looked truly stunning so I'm so excited to start using it. The duo is one I've wanted for a while (post coming soon) as NARS eyeshadow is without a doubt the best. The other 2 bits were things I lusted over ages ago and fell in love with again whilst having a play with at the counters.

I'm really happy with my purchases and literally cannot wait to wear all of them. Successful shopping trips are definitely my favorite. 

Hope you're well!

Caterina xo

Flawless Base Products

Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer, Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation, Bobbi Brown Corrector, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit & Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder.

Without a shadow of a doubt my favorite thing in make up is base. I eyes and lips too but to me base makes or breaks your make up. These are a few products I've accumulated over the past months which I find really do work for me. I have oily/combo skin and I find these products keep my skin looking flawless and fresh all day long.

Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer: I will be doing a full review of this product in due course however for now I'll say this really has improved the longevity of my make up. I love how it allows my foundation to go on so much smoother too.

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation: I did a full review of this before Christmas and what can I say? I LOVE IT. It makes the skin look like silk and covers all my nasty bits without need for concealer. I also find this works great even without primer.

Bobbi Brown Corrector: This and the concealer are my bad ass dark circle fighting combo. It really does make them vanish. I love how smoothly it applies too.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit: I did a full review of this a couple of months back and I really do enjoy using it. I use shade Porcelain which is a bit light for me! However I like that it's that bit lighter as it really lifts my under eyes. I use the pressed powder to set it too, to eliminate creasing.

Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder: I LOVE this product. The powder is so soft to touch, even softer than MUFE HD and if you've felt that you'll know it is as soft as hell! It eradicates any shine and keeps my make up set all day.

I love the results these products are giving me and can't see myself straying away for a while. What are your must haves for a flawless base?

Lots of love, Caterina xo

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation £25.00 @ Illamasqua

I lusted after this foundation when I first saw it applied on the skin at my MUSE London course. I was lucky enough to be given a sample prior to it's release and I really enjoyed using it. Then came the (rather tragic) day when the sample ran out. I kind of forgot about it until some of my favorite bloggers started talking it up.

I popped over to a counter at Selfridges a few weeks ago and got matched up with shade no.5 which is absolutely bang on my skin tone! No.5 has a warm pink undertone to it so it's fabulous with my pinky toned skin. The first thing I noticed when applying this foundation is how much it looks like silk on the skin, the finish is really something special. It's not completely matte but would be great for those slightly more oily skinned ones, like me! I would say it's semi matte with a bit of a silky glow. I do wear primer or mattifying moisturizer underneath like I do with all my foundations which may help with it's staying power. I work 9-5 Monday-Friday so I like to have a really good lasting foundation and this does the trick perfectly! It doesn't seem to budge too much, I will admit I do get a bit of shine to the ol' T-Zone area but nothing crazily greasy! The coverage of the foundation is definitely on the fuller side, it covers any imperfections I may have so nicely that I don't feel I need concealer (apart from under my eyes) when I use this, which is a real winner for me.

I am aware it is more on the pricey side but I do think its worth it. I would like to mention how much I love the design of the tube, it really does give you the control to dispense the perfect amount of the product without having "Oh see thats way too much" moments! Plus you need the tiniest bit of the product for your whole face, unless your going for mega full coverage. 

All in all I think it's worth every penny and I would re purchase. I must stress how much you NEED to get matched at a counter for this product, the shade range is mental and caters to every bodies tone whether it's neutral, pink or olive/red! So you may think your a shade 3 but you could in fact be 6! Always try before your buy, Illamasqua do really nice decent sample sizes that come in easily dispensable tubes.