Yep, you read that right. During the 40% off event at The Body Shop (Using code: 19806) I swapped out all of my regular make up and beauty products for their environmentally friendly fair trade products and here are my thoughts:
First to be switched was CHANEL LE BLANC DE CHANEL Multi-Use Illuminating Base. Usually £35 for a bottle. I’ve been using and recommending this for ages. It’s absolutely perfect if, like me, you’re Casper the friendly ghost pale. I was reluctant to go without it to be honest, but go without I did.
I replaced it with All-In-One Instablur™ Universal, which has a strange silicon texture until it melts on your fingertips. It has 5 skin-enhancing beauty benefits and Community Trade marula oil. I apply it as a perfecting base before foundation but you can also wear alone to blur imperfections and mattify the skin. It’s a shine-controlling, blemish-hiding, pore-concealing, complexion-perfector that delivers. And at £15 a tube, £9 after discount. I’m going to be stocking up, it genuinely does such a good job. I think I’m going to be switching to this one.
Next to be replaced was my GUERLAIN Terracotta Bronzing Powder, usually £36.50 for 10g. Now, I’ve held a special place in my heart for this bronzer for a while because it was one of the first ones I found to not have any sparkly bits in it and just be a bronzer. Don’t get me wrong, I love sparkly bits, but I want to add my own sparkly bits. Not swirl some bronzer on my face and somehow manage to look like an extra from Twilight. I’m also a fan of its range of shades, including some that look beautiful of very pale skin. Which, let’s face it, is ridiculously hard to find in a bronzer.
So, I wasn’t holding out much hope for Honey Bronze™ Bronzing Powder, (£14.00 or £8.40 after voucher code). It had a lot to live up to, but, I actually love this too. If you thought you were too pale for bronzer, you have to try this in shade 01. It gives a perfect healthy glow, flattering on everyone and absolutely no glitter. Again, at a fourth of the price of GUERLAIN Terracotta Bronzing Powder, I’m sticking with this one for the foreseeable. There is just not remotely enough difference between the two products to warrant spending four times the price.
Next, I’ll turn to highlighters, my favourite. Laura Mercier’s Face Illuminator Powder at £32 for 9g has been a Holy Grail product for me. This is so so pigmented and comes with a mirror which is always fab. It’s expensive but it does deliver.
I was really hoping for a successful dupe from The Body Shop on this one, so bought the Honey Bronze™ Highlighting Dome, £9 (or £5.40 after code). Now, it’s nice and creamy and it smells delicious, but it doesn’t feel as build able as Laura Mercier’s Face Illuminator Powder. However the shade does appear a lot more natural, less angelic ethereal and more healthy glow. So, it entirely depends on the look you are going for. But for £5.40? You can’t really go wrong. I think it looks beautiful as a eyeshadow, like a more muted version of Half Baked in the Naked 2 palette.
Up until a couple of years ago, I had always been a Double Wear kind of girl. But then my skin started to age a little and make up trends changed so I wanted something more moisturising that had a dewy finish. I switched over to Lancôme Teint Miracle Bare Skin Perfection Foundation SPF15, £31.50 for 30ml and I’ve been super happy with it ever since. Absolutely no complaints.
So, I was dubious of The Body Shop’s Fresh Nude Foundation, (£15 or £9 during event) and I’m not sure why but I’m always more suspect of foundations, I don’t tend to shop around too much for them. As soon as I find one I like, I cling on to it for dear life and hope that they don’t discontinue or reformulate it. Especially if it’s in one their ghostly pale shades that I know I won’t be able to find anywhere else. It’s actually the first thing that impressed me about the Fresh Nude Foundation, all of the shades. And do you know what? For the first time I wasn’t colour matched with their lightest shade. I’m actually a 020 Bali Vanilla which is 4 shades in, that just shows the spectrum of shades that are available. I urge everyone to try out this foundation, it’s so light that it feels like I have nothing on my skin but yet it still manages to last all day and into the night. It’s perfect, everything you could possibly want from a foundation for £9!
