Current Foundation Favourite - Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

Hi everyone! I thought I would share with you my new favourite foundation. This foundation may not seem like a surprise, as many other bloggers favourite this foundation too and rightly so, because I have been reaching for this constantly since I got it. I first heard about this foundation from Fleur on her YouTube channel Fleurdeforce and it made her skin look beautiful without looking like she was wearing foundation at all and this is exactly what I was looking for! I went to the Chanel counter in town and got myself a sample of this foundation and absolutely loved it but the price put me off purchasing the full size. That was last year and I finally gave in and brought the full size product a few weeks ago at £32 as I loved it that much.

This foundation comes in a small plastic bottle which is great for travelling, although for the price that you pay for it you would want something a little more luxurious for your money which one of the downsides to it.

This consistency of this foundation is water based which gives it a light runny texture. I love how this foundation looks and feels on my skin as it is so light you cannot feel it sitting on top of the skin. It is quite hydrating whilst providing a medium coverage. You can also layer it to build it up to full coverage and even by doing this it still doesn't look or feel heavy. I find that this foundation covers up red blotches and pigmentation with ease and it really does feel like a second layer of skin.

Before each use, you need to give the bottle a good shake as some of the product can separate because of the water based consistency. I find that this foundation is best applied with finger tips as it blends easily and sinks perfectly into the skin leaving no streaks. It can also be applied with a brush depending on personal preference but as this foundation is so light and liquidy, a makeup brush would soak up most of the product which would waste it.

This foundation has an SPF 15 which is always good if you are going out into the sun as you will be protected but I would always use a separate SPF to be on the safe side. I have the colour 30B which runs quite yellow so it is perfect for my skin tone but there are 8 other shades of this foundation that also include pink undertones too. Another downside to this foundation is that the shade range isn't very wide as it only covers light skin tones to medium, so any darker than NC40 may not be able to find a suitable match.
When blended into this skin, it gives a lovey sheen and makes you look quite radiant and healthy looking. despite the SPF I have worn this on a night out where flash photography has been used and I haven't had a problem with looking like a ghost in pictures! so this is fine to use with flash photography which is a bonus. 

I will definitely be repurchasing this foundation when I run out as I cant imagine finding another foundation like this. I would definitely recommend that you get a sample of this foundation to try it first just because it is expensive and I wouldn't want you all wasting your money if it doesn't work for you!

Hope you are all well! What is your current favourite foundation?

Joselin 

xxx

Happy 1st Birthday The Cosmetic Crave!

Photo Source

I am a bit late in posting this but on the 27th of July I created my blog and uploaded my first ever post! which you can read it Here.

Blogging had been a huge learning experience for me and I have discovered a lot of new things from makeup products, career opportunities and meeting new people! Over the year I have noticed my views and comments grow and the same people on each post commenting and supporting me throughout! So thank everybody for all of your kind comments, they are much appreciated. I am looking forward to many more years of blogging and hopefully it will just get better and I can carry on creating more posts for everyone to enjoy reading!


HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY THE COSMETIC CRAVE!

Joselin

xxx

Oskia London Get Up And Glow!

...Radiance, Energy & Protection Booster

If many of you are like me and would love to wake up all fresh and glowy every single morning but instead, often find yourselves waking up with tired dull skin that needs a bit of life injected back into it. I first heard about this product from the wonderful Ruth Crilly at AModelRecommends who always has amazing skin! So when I saw her mention this product I instantly became attracted to the 'Get Up and Glow' part, because really I would love to 'Get Up And Glow' and be out the door in a flash. Ive watched videos of Ruth apply this and it instantly made her skin glow and look a lot tighter and firmer so I didn't hesitate to put this on my wish list!

Instead of me writing everything that Oskia claims about this product I have taken Photos of the box which explains all of the active ingredients contained in the product.

(Click to enlarge)

Firstly, this product is very lightweight and spreads easily on the skin which means you only need one pump of this for the whole face and neck. I would say the consistency is more like a serum than a cream which allows the ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin. It also contains Hylauronic acid which is said to hydrate the skin as it boosts the skins natural hylauronic acid levels and to maintain optimum levels of moisture. I wouldn't say that this serum is as hydrating as it claims to be because I didn't find it  very moisturising on my normal to dry skin. If you have very dry skin you wouldn't want to rely solemnly on this for moisture. If you have oily skin, I think this would be perfect for you because it hydrates and gives you that glow, whilst also having a mattifying tightening effect.

Now that the sun has came out in the UK I am able to use this serum on its own underneath makeup, as my skin is more normal than dry in the hot weather, but in winter I would definitely need to follow up with a moisturiser after as my skin is a lot dryer.

The consistency of this product is not oily and feels more like a gel. It has a wonderful fresh natural smell, not at all chemically or synthetic. The product contains small particles of light reflective pigments that give you that subtle glow once it is on the skin. The amount of glow that you get from this product is not as much as id hoped it would be, especially if you put a moisturiser or foundation on top of this product as I find that the 'glow' practically disappears once these are applied. This is a big downside to a product that has the claim 'Get Up And Glow' as you would need to use this on its own without any moisturiser or foundation to see the subtle glow that it gives, which I'm sure many of us wouldn't do!

 

I would not recommend this product for the illumination side of things, as there are much better products out there that will give you a better glow than this. There are other benefits to using this product as the active ingredients in this are high potency which means that the best and most important ingredients are very concentrated so you know that it is definitely going to do something! I am no skincare expert so I'm not going to start babbling on about ingredients and what their benefits are, but since using this product my skin does feel a lot smoother and brighter. I also find that this works well as a primer underneath foundation because when I wear this before a night out my skin looks flawless and helps my foundation to last.

Overall Oskia London is a great brand and I have previously tried their 'Micro Exfoliating Balm'' which I absolutely loved and have reviewed it Here. Their products are by no means on the cheap side of skincare as they are pretty high end. They are able combine innovative science with nature and ensure that all of the nasty ingredients that a lot of us react to are left out. All of you skincare experts will know how impressive ingredients list of this product is, so I guess that justified the price tag.

The price of this Serum is £64.50 and you can purchase it at Zuneta.com. This is a nice serum that does not cause my skin any reactions, and even though I feel that it is doing something good for my skin, I haven't seen anything mind blowing from this product to justify paying £64.50 again for it. 

Joselin

xxx

Loreal Professionnel Super Dust Volume and Texturising Powder

Transform into your super hero alter-ego with L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni.Art Super Style Heroes Super Dust, reworkable POW'der for volume with a matte finish.
These Hair dust type products have become quite popular for adding that tousled voluminous look to dull everyday hair. When I was sent this product I was quite happy as I have never tried a hair powder before apart from the Batiste XL volume dry shampoo which works in a similar way to this.

Sometimes when I have just washed my hair it becomes to silky and flat to hold any kind of hair style so this is perfect to add some texture and volume to my hair when I am going out.
My hair is already quite thick but because of how long it is, it can loose volume and become weighed down, so this is perfect for adding body to my hair without feeling like I am using too much product.

The powder is very light and disappears into the hair once it is rubbed in, it doesn't leave a grayish tint like many hair powders or dry shampoos. The product is easy and simple to use and it has saved me from flat dull hair days since I received it! You simply just lift up pieces of hair and tap a little bit of the powder into the roots and massage it in. Keep doing this to all of the areas that you feel need a little bit of a lift. To add texture and to achieve that 'bed head' look, just tip some of the powder into the palm of your hand and scrunch it into the lengths of your hair for a beachy effect.

My everyday hair before using this product, I don't use any other products in my hair apart from Kerastase Ciment thermique heat defence

After using the product, as you can see it has given the top of my hair some crazy volume.
I used quite a bit of product because my hair is thick but you can play around with the amount of powder that you use to get the effect that you want.

This volume lasts all day and you can push your hair up at the roots with your fingers during the day to add more volume if you need too. This product does make your roots and hair feel dry so if you have brittle dry hair, I would not recommend that you use this! You may also find that this product is a little difficult to wash out as you can feel it in your hair if you use a lot of it, so I wouldn't use this on a daily basis.

Overall This product is great if you quickly need to add some style, volume and texture to your hair if it is looking dull or too soft after washing.

Price: £10.70 at FeelUnique
The cheapest I have found it is £7.40 Here

Hope you have all had a nice weekend and be sure to expect some lovely weather next week for all of us living in the UK! What are your plans? BBQ for definite! I am also going to be at Global Gathering weekend in Stratford this weekend too!

Joselin

xxx

Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder Review!

Hello lovelies! Hope all is well :)
Here today I have the 'Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre Fini Naturel' but to keep things nice and simple we shall call it 'Chanel Loose powder'. I have the shade '30 Natural translucent 2'. I'm not really a powder kinda gal as I have normal to dry skin which can sometimes become oily in the T-zone but nothing that really concerns me. I thought I would try a loose powder to set my makeup and add a little bit more coverage to my tinted moisturiser or light foundation if i needed it. Chanel does carry this powder in various other shades but I decided to go with this one as it is more neutral becasue I didn't want anything to warm that would change the colour of my foundation or tinted moisturiser. This powder doesn't offer a lot of coverage, so if that is what you are looking for then I don't think it would be for you. The colour of this powder is perfect for anyone around NC20 to NC30 skin and blends seamlessly into the skin without the dreaded cake face look.

The powder is very finely milled and doesn't sit on top of the skin or settle in any lines. You also get a lovely Chanel powder puff with this product, but I seem to have miss placed mine as I just tend to use a brush to blot across the T-zone and then a quick swipe across the rest of my face to set my makeup. I cannot compare this to any other powders as I don't really use them because I was always afraid of it showing up my dry patches and looking to powdery or chalky. This does not show up at all on the skin, yet it adds a tiny bit of coverage and takes away any shine whilst still allowing the skin to naturally shine through with the semi matte finish.
I also cannot comment on how well this does on oilier skin types as this powder is not very heavy and does let some of your natural oils come through throughout the day, but not enough to leave you looking like a grease slick but more in a glowy way. Chanel does not claim that this powder is for oil control but I have read reviews from others who do have oilier skin, that this should last a good 6 hours before needing to re apply.

You receive 30 grams of product so I would suspect that this would last you a very long time, over a year in fact with daily use as you really don't need to use a lot. I was clumsy and managed to spill quite a lot of product one day which is what I hate about loose powder products because I will always manage to spill them! Here is a photo:

:(!

I absolutely love this powder as it is everything that I expected from a Chanel powder, the look, feel and even the SMELL of this powder is just lovely and I will definitely repurchase this. Unless like every other beauty addict out there, I decide I want to try something new!
The price of this powder is on the higher end side of most loose powders at £34 ouch! but this will last you over a year even when used everyday, so in my opinion it is worth the investment as you don't want to be using cheap powders with 'Talc' on your skin!

This powder s definitely a winner!
You can get it from Debenhams, Selfridges, boots and most beauty department stores.

Has anyone else tried this or any other loose powders?
Ps - It is a good idea that you keep the little powder puff in the tub at all times as it stops any excess powder from coming out of the top when it is in your makeup bag and resulting in a spilled mess when opening it like I did!

Joselin

xxx