EilidhOnline

What it claims: Born This Way is an oil-free foundation that masterfully diffuses the line between makeup and skin. For coverage so undetectable, you can't see the makeup and you can't see the imperfections - all that's left is naturally radiant skin that looks like you were Born This Way.

So I guess I could class this as a 'YouTube Made Me Buy It' everyone seemed to be raving about this foundation and I found it a little difficult at first to find people who feel the same as I do. I'm not saying its all bad I just think this foundation doesn't suit my skin type. My skin is dehydrated however I do get a bit of an oily t-zone which is where the biggest problem seems to be.

I'll start from the beginning (I appologise for the lack of pictures of me wearing the foundation but I will try and take them next time I wear it)

If you are like me and live in the UK you are probably already aware that the availability of Too Faced products is a bit limited especially in stores. I purchased mine from Debenhams so I could have a look at the shades but there was no one working at the counter and I'm not an expert so I just took a guess. The first one I purchased was the shade 'Vanilla' I found it was the closest to my skin tone but when applying a full face at home I noticed it a tad too warm for my pale skin but once all my make-up was complete it blended ok. I used the foundation for about a month then gave up on it. I recently decided to give it another go but went and bought the lighter shade 'Ivory' which it turns out is a bit too yellow for me but I thought I could mix the two shades together and it looks ok(ish)

I know over is the US there are a lot more shades so I know there is probably one out there for me but I don't want to just guess online.

This foundation has a lovely light texture and doesn't smell to overpowering. the only word I can use to describe it is almost powdery instead of creamy but it is not drying. This foundation I find quite odd in a good and bad way... I do not like how this looks when I first apply it which if your like me really puts a downer on applying the rest of your make up,  however after about half an hour I look in the mirror and it looks beautiful, natural and glowing! Strange right?

And if it would stay looking like that the rest of the day I would wear this all the time. Unfortunately for me this just isn't the case!

Now like I said before this may just be down to my skin type but I need to put in both the pros and the cons. 

I find this foundation is awful for transferring! If I were to lightly touch my face I can see it coming off on my finger. I use the Too Faced Hangover primer, always set my foundation with powder and have tried different setting sprays too. Nothing seems to help after only a few hours whenever I wear this my skin looks awful! You would think I was wearing the make-up from the night before. 

There is never any left on or around my nose it just disappears and I am usually left very patchy around my mouth and cheeks. I just go from healthy glow to oil slick and the only way to correct it would be to remove all the foundation and re-apply. This foundation is oil free which I thought would mean it would be great for oily skin but from my experience I can't help but think someone with oily skin would have no trace of this foundation left by the end of the day.

This foundation cost me £29 here in the UK which is the typical price for a higher end foundation however unless I can find my perfect shade somewhere and find out the best way to wear it I doubt I will be buying it again.

I am really disappointed this doesn't work for me and must admit I am a bit jealous of those who have no problems with it. I really wanted to love this foundation and wish it would stay looking flawless all day. I will keep trying with different product though.. maybe I'll find a way to make it work.

Too Faced is a brand I love and use a few of their products almost every day so if you haven't looked into it yet I definitely recommend it even if all that involves is you walking up to the make up stand and smelling their Chocolate Bar eye-shadow palette. YUM!

Thanks for Reading

Eilidh x 

So I guess contouring has been an obsession for a lot of women out there this year (probably a lot to do with those Kardashian's) and it was something that took me a while to get into. I have very fair skin so was always worried it would never work for me. Contouring for me consisted of very little Benefit Hula bronzer on my cheekbones then a little bit of Mac soft & gentle to highlight... Very basic and probably not very noticeable. 

Last month I was in debenhams picking up some Too Faced Born This Way foundation and the lady at the counter was opening up boxes with new stock they had just got in so of course I asked if there was anything exciting. She then pulled out this palette and let me have swatch of the colours. It was exactly the kind of this I'd been looking for as a contouring amateur.

The palette cost £32 at debenhams so I decided to treat myself!

In the palette you get 4 different shades and to be honest I only really use the light cocoa and medium cocoa. There is a mirror in the top of the palette, also a cute little contour buki brush which is lovely and soft it also works very well.

The first this I fell in love with was the smell of the powders! Too Faced have used cocoa powder in this palette which they do with a few of there other powder products and it smells amazing. It's a very slight smell of chocolate so not sickly or overpowering and once it's on your face you don't really smell it but I'm a sucker for something a bit different. 

All the shades are soft and silky in texture easy to apply, easy to blend and buildable. 3 of the shades are matte and the pop of light shade has a sparkly finish.

I use the light cocoa shade under my eyes, in the middle of my forehead and down my nose to set my concealer then use the medium cocoa around my hairline and under my cheekbones.

I feel the medium cocoa is a perfect shade for contour as it has a cool tone to it (natural shadows on your face would tend to be cool) however I don't find the dark cocoa much darker in colour I just find it has warmer tones... This shade hasn't worked as a contour for me but I do love it as a bronzer.

As for the pop of light shade.. this shade just doesn't work for me I feel the flakes of glitter in the powder are too large to give a natural highlight. I will be sticking with my Mac Soft & Gentle as it really is a must have for me. But this shade would probably work as a lovely eye shadow colour so I'll make sure to put it to good use.

There is quite a handy guide in with the palette which I think is a great idea, although I think we've probably all seen enough about contouring online these days to be aware of how it's done.

I am really happy with my purchase, this palette may not be suited for everyone and may not be right for those who are experts at the contouring thing but for someone like me who wants it to be straightforward without taking too long this is perfect. 

I love how well the powders apply to my skin and how they feel, they last well and look natural (which was very important to me) I was also impressed with the quality of the brush that came with the palette however I have been using a Real Techniques Bold Metals 300 brush as I find it a lot easier. Also the guide that comes with it is a great touch and I found it helpful. I think I will definitely be replacing this when I run out.

Thanks for Reading

Eilidh x