I’m struggling a little at the moment with my skin as pregnancy seems to give me oily skin and breakout’s  rather than the lovely glow that most people refer too. My usual foundations just don’t seem to be working quite as well for me so when I spotted the new Blemish Balm Foundation from 17 I figured I might as well give it a try.

This is an all in one foundation which is meant to target all my problems areas of blemishes, shiny patches and sometimes even a little bit of dry skin. This foundation is meant to give reasonable coverage with a smooth finish and it also offers a little bit of SPF to help protect your skin from any sun (if we actually see any!).

The formulation is a thick liquid with almost a creamy finish. I’ve picked up the light shade which seems to suit my very pale skin quite well. I didn’t fancy doing a close up picture of my pregnancy skin so I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with a couple of swatches on my hand!

The foundation blends really easily and gives a smooth, matt finish. In terms of oil control this seems to keep my shine at bay until late afternoon where as most of my foundations seem to need a lunch time touch up. I’d say this was only a medium coverage and a concealer is definitely needed however it’s perfect to apply quickly in the morning with your fingers. I don’t even need to use a powder to set it.

I picked this up for £4.99 as it currently has £2 off in Boot’s which is an awful lot cheaper than most of the other foundations I own yet it seems to suit all my daily needs at the minute.

I remember seeing a video a while ago where Lisa Eldridge used a little bit of Vichys Dermablend foundation as a concealer and the results look really amazing. I was so tempted to head straight to the shops and buy some however my skin at the time was quite good so I didn’t end up getting it. However good skin only seems to last a little while for me and I’m now back to having frequent break outs so I decide it was certainly time to give this product a try.

I’ve picked up opal which is the lightest colour available in the range. This did look a little too yellowy for my skin tone initially which is the palest of the pale however a quick swatch on my had showed it blended out really easily (I know not where your meant to test a foundation but I can’t help but swatch on my hand!). The foundation feels quite thick but does blend smoothly over your skin.

I don’t think this would suit me as a foundation as the colour doesn’t match my skin tone perfectly and I would find it a little heavy on my skin however as a concealer it works perfectly. The thick, creamy consistency is perfect for covering blemishes and the yellow undertone really seems to help tone down any redness. I;ve been using a little of this on any problem areas under my mineral foundation and it really does help to give a flawless finish. I picked this up for £15.50 in Boots and considering how long this 30ml tube will last as a concealer I think this is well worth the price tag.

I’m always enticed by a new foundation as I think I always hope that this will the perfect foundation for me which covers any blemishes or pores, stops any shine and lasts all day. High hopes I guess so currently I’m still searching for my wonder product. I do have a few foundations I use a lot which do most of what I want however I always keep my eyes open for my wonder product!

I tend to find you get what you pay for with foundations and that the high end products often out perform the high street however that doesn’t stop me buying for the high street ranges. I haven’t bought anything from L’Oreal for a while however the promise of a matte finish which minimises pores was just too much for me to resist. The mousse style of foundation also appeals as it sounded easy to apply. I’ve picked up rose ivory which is the lightest colour in the range.

This foundation glides on quite easily though it does have quite a silicone texture which reminds me a lot of some of the primers I use. It blends easily though coverage I would say was medium because it glides so easily it’s hard to build up a heavy coverage.

I think this makes my skin look quite radiant and the colour suits me perfectly. Texture wise me skin does have a matte finish and this used with a primer does help my skin to remain shine free until at least mid afternoon. My pores unfortunately don’t magically vanish however I’m not sure there is actually a product out there which could do that! L’Oreal Matte Morphose is available from Boots for £10.29.

I’ve been using the new BB cream from Garnier for a couple of weeks now but have been waiting patiently to tell you how much I love it as I know sometimes it can take a few weeks to tell how you skin responds to a new product!

For anyone who has missed out on the hype about Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector it’s one of the new BB creams designed for the European market available in two shades, light and medium. As I have the palest of pale skin tones I’ve been trying the light shade.

I have to say this doesn’t quite contain all the properties as traditional BB creams but it is meant to be a bit more than a tinted moisturiser. Traditional BB creams tend to contain a higher SPF of usually 30 or above where as this only contains SPF 15 and I don’t believe it has an ingredients specifically targeted to prevent blemishes or to help them to heal. That said this is still a product I’ve really enjoyed using.

The cream initially looks like quite a thick foundation when you squeeze it out the tube but it applies really easily and melts into the skin. I felt I should do a quick picture of this on my skin to show how it look, if you click on the picture it will enlarge. I do suffer from blemishes, black heads and pores so my skin definitely needs a certain amount of concealing.

In the picture I’ve just applied the Miracle skin Perfector with a dusting of my Jane Iredale mineral foundation which would be my usual everyday look. I think this cream really seems to make my skin look quite radiant which is quite a feat when running round with a little boy! This is so quick and easy to apply and means I can easily get away with just a little bit of powder to set it.

The only reason I’ve been waiting to do this review is because my skin can b so temperamental and break out thought this cream definitely agrees with my skin as it has never looked so good! Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector is available for £9.99 from Boots and Superdrug.

*pr sample

I love my mineral foundations put usually stick to powder formulations so I was intrigued when I saw The Body Shop information on their new Extra Virgin Mineral Foundations range. The range is made from the ultra fine pigments with cold pressed olive oil and comes in three formulations, cream compact, liquid foundation and loose powder.

I’ve been trying out the liquid foundation* and loose powder* both in shade 202, natural vanilla. I’ve never tried a mineral foundation in aliquid formulation before so that product immediately has me intrigued. The shade itself is a little too dark for me which I think the swatch below on the left shows but I’ve still tried it out, I just looked a little tangoed!

The liquid foundation applies really easily and dried to give a more matte finish. It was very blend able and could be built to give a heavier coverage. It felt lightweight on my skin and lasted a good amount of time with only minimal shininess. I think I’ll be visiting The Body Shop to see if this is available in a lighter shade as It’s such a good product.

The loose powder foundation was very similar in formulation to my BareMineral foundations and the colour was pretty similar as well. The sieve type top was actually really easy to use as I found my brush picked it up through the sieve rather than having to tip it into the lid. The coverage is medium when built up and the finish has a little more of a glow compared with my BareMinerals.

Both the liquid and powder are meant to be the same shade however I think it’s quite clear the powder is a lot lighter and suits my skin tone better. I also think powder versions on mineral make ups tend to be more forgiving colour wise. The liquid foundation is £14 for 30ml and the losse powder is £15 for 14g which is probably about half the price of other ranges and the quality is comparable. I definitely want to try the cream compact version now!

*PR sample – views are my own