All about that base - foundation routine

In 2014 Meghan Trainor sang that it was all about that bass, bout that bass, no treble, and, even though that song is terrible, when it comes to make up I’m inclined to agree. Honestly, for me a good base forms the foundation (badum chhh... I’m not even sorry!) of my make up.

Now I don't wanna bang on about my hormonal skin anymore than I already do BUT I'm going too. My skin... what a journey we've been on! A horrible, hormonal, acne-filled journey. Although it's actually looking pretty good at the moment - thanks to a lot of anti-biotics and my GP finally taking my skin concerns seriously -  but not that long ago it was awful!  I actually saw pictures from when I was in Florida last June and almost cried at how bad it was, and layering on foundation to cover it only made it look worse. Then I came across this video by Lisa Eldridge, and it really helped. It was, genuinely, the answer to my prayers. So naturally I bought all the products mentioned in the video, because I'm very suggestible (seriously, I’m the person advertising was invented for!) Luckily Lisa Eldridge is a total Queen and everything she recommended is now a firm favourite of mine.

La Roche Posay Cicaplast Pro Recovery Skincare -  £10.50 (on offer, usually £14) at lookfantastic

To prime my skin I use this little beauty, which isn’t actually a primer at all.  Cicaplast is an intense recovery treatment that treats severely dry, chapped and flaking skin.  It’s designed to aid the skin’s recovery and soothe irritation following a chemical peel, but I use it as a primer for three reasons: 1. Lisa told me too -  I told you I was suggestible! 2. It’s actually  amazing. 3. It gives my parched and sensitive chops some much needed hydration and TLC. It has a non-sticky gel texture that absorbs into the skin almost instantly, and is formulated with a ‘mineral complex’ including zinc, copper and manganese which have anti-bacterial properties. Like I said, I like this a lot, it’s really moisturising, stops bacteria from adhering to the skin, which prevents spots forming, and provides a good base for make up, as well as actually making my make up last that little bit longer. It’s quite the nifty little multi-tasker, and for that reason I love it. 

Clinique Airbrush Concealer in Fair Cream - £18.45 at John Lewis

Clinique’s Airbrush Concealer is an under eye brightener, similar to YSL’s Touché Eclat. It has a light formula which is designed to reflect light and illuminate the under eye area and conceal dark circles. It claims to offer light to medium coverage but I’d only really use it to cover the severe baggage under my eyes rather than as an actual concealer. It is nice though, it applies smoothly and doesn’t crease, cake or bunch. It  just makes my eyes look brighter and more awake. Having said all of that, I recently finished this and whilst I did really like it I don’t think I’ll be buying it again. Concealers are one of those things, like mascaras and pencil eyeliners, that the high-street/drug store does really well, so you don’t need to spend huge amounts of money to get something decent. Collection actually does a pretty solid dupe, and it costs something ridiculous like £5. 

Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation in 15 Opal - £15 (on offer, usually £20) at Boots

Vichy’s Dermablend Foundation was one of  my favourite beauty discoveries from last year, it is seriously amazing, especially for those of us with tricky skin. It’s designed specifically for problem skin types and covers everything from acne to scarring and roseacea. I tend to use it as a concealer, rather than all over the face, but it literally covers everything, and leaves my very flawed skin looking flawless. It’s also really comfortable to wear and has a super lightweight liquid formula (are you seeing a pattern here?) that lets the skin breathe, while delivering very high, buildable coverage. I absolutely love it. I only have one gripe with it, the shade range, which isn’t great. It features 11 shades, but eight of them are for paler skin tones, with six of them being really similar, and there are only two options for darker skin types. If they would only diversify their shade range a bit more than it’d be damn near perfect. 

Clinique Redness Solutions SPF 15 make up in 02 Calming Fair - £23.80 at lookfantastic  

Redness Solutions is designed to colour correct the skin and camouflage any redness, which is perfect for hiding particularly juicy spots. Once again it has a very liquid texture, similar to Chanel’s Vitalumiére Aqua foundation. The coverage is more light to medium, and it gives a really natural looking base. The formula itself is oil-free, so needs shaking before use, and it contains probiotic technology that is designed to strengthen the skin’s  protective barrier. It’s  a really, really nice foundation. I actually repurchased it today, that’s how much I like it. 

What are your favourite base products? Anything I’m missing out on? x