by Chrissy Iley
I noticed my face was getting clammy. The brighter the sun, the sweatier the face. Blobs of foundation would separate and curl among sweaty patches on my cheek, nose, and forehead. I was powdering myself up so hard I looked like a vampiric mannequin. And then I remembered Oxygenetix Oxygenating Foundation (£45.00).
It had described itself as the world`s most breathable foundation. I read how Emmy nominated celebrity make-up artist Patty Bunch said, `Once my actors who have a sensitivity to other foundations have tried Oxygenetix they wont go on camera without it.’
Its special formulation of skin loving ingredients, vitamin E, grape seed extract, green tea, hyaluronic acid and salix alba extract and glycerine mean that it wraps your face like a gentle mask, giving you the magic of full coverage but your skin can breathe through it.
You don’t feel clammy, you don’t feel sweaty. The beauty of it is that it doesn’t smudge, it camouflages any sunburn, redness and brown spots, yet it does not rub off on clothing. You can actually feel that it does not clog your pores.
It comes in 14 different shades; I was very happy with ivory, the second lightest, and it still has enough coverage.
It is a powerful foundation. It was originally developed to heal and conceal skin imperfections after cosmetic procedures, such as laser and peels, so it actually helps the healing process of a number of skin conditions. It’s just enough matte, just enough glowy on the face.
It was actually test driven on Hollywood`s biggest A listers – it was the foundation that worked and lasted up to 20 hours on set.
If you are wearing normal foundation for that length of time your skin would be clammy and dehydrated and you would feel claustrophobic. Not so with this.
One of the patent pending pro-healing ingredients is called ceravitae, a super-charged oxygen complex that promotes collagen cell production and connective tissue growth in aging and wounded skin. It is gel based in natural Aloe Barbadensis, which means it is soothing your skin as well as smoothing it.
It can stay on for hours even in humid environments without turning patchy . After my normal foundation started to streak off my face as soon as I hit humidity I turned lovingly to the oxygenating foundation and found it quite miraculous.
Oxygenetix founder and president is Barry Knapp. He was born with make-up in his blood. The son of the US`s leading hair colourist, Rene Knapp, he learned about colour from his mother and then he ventured into make up.
It was always his ambition to come up with a foundation that heals while it conceals.
Peels and lasers are now commonplace – they started as a celebrity only fad but now so many women and men are turning to them rather than conventional, more invasive cosmetic procedures. The only problem with them is that they make your face a beacon of redness and you would not want to leave the house for a week. Hence the Oxygenetix foundation was created.
You might imagine that it would be thick and heavy; it is quite the opposite. It has the perfect lightness of touch yet a little goes a long way to give powerful coverage with the illusion of sheer coverage. Since I discovered it, it has been with me at all times.