By Chrissy Iley
It’s always exciting to try a new foundation. It gives you a new face, or at least a new mask of life or a new life. As we evolve as women we have different needs, different foundation goals and we observe different trends. You can’t help but to notice the bare faced trend or the nearly bare faced trend but that comes with a whole plethora of anxieties. I can do bare faced after I’ve had an exquisite facial where I’m all plumped and toned and glowing. I can do bare faced when I’m in bed, well sometimes…. But on the whole, having skin that’s even toned, blotch free, sun damage free, red patch free and spot free is the way to go.
I think foundation is the one make up item you change least. Once you find one that’s the right colour and the right texture you tend to stick with it unless there’s a big trend change or a big change in your face. For instance, I can remember I would only use YSL’s ivory throughout my entire goth phase which some might argue never ended. But basically my youth was all about the pale face. Later on I wanted rosy glow. Later on I had a Lancome phase. It was really thick and I think I was at my most vulnerable. Then it was Nars’s Montblanc. It was medium to full coverage but getting thinner. Then I was I can do tinted moisturiser. And I was Omorovicza girl who just did their tinted moisturiser one colour suits all. But one colour doesn’t really suit all and although I knew this was good for my skin, it just wasn’t quite enough coverage.
Oxygenetics in Pearl is and I think always will be my all-time favourite foundation. You can sleep in it and it feels like a night cream. Its coverage is excellent, it leaves you flawless and it’s good for you. However it is on the opaque side so I was very excited to see Exuviance Cover Blend skin caring foundation with an SPF of 20.
Along the same lines of a foundation that cares it feels good to the skin and it gives a light to medium coverage with great staying power. It’s the perfect summer foundation. You can layer it to build it up if you feel you need more colour or cover. You apply it 30 minutes before going out in the sun and it really does protect from damage. I say this from a sweaty Californian summer. I like its texture and I like the way it goes on. Not too matt, not too juicy but it seems to do a little plumpy thing that advocates flawlessness.
Also for summer travel it’s perfect to have a foundation that does everything. It’s both concealing and it’s skin care and it’s sunscreen. It’s heaped with antioxidant rich ingredients (Poly Hydroxy Acid, Gloconolatone) that has been clinically proven, promotes cell turnover and enhances elasticity. And even softens lines.
I like that word tone because that’s what it seems to do – tone up and tune up the skin with an absolutely flawless presence. It’s also fortified with lactobionic acid to pump up the skin’s natural defence against free radicals and the environmental damage that can be caused by city life, polluted life or life in general.
It comes in 10 shades and while I love Cover Blend’s perfect work ethic and the lovely, smooth flawless skin it provides, I think the shade I chose was a little yellowy but for £35.50 a product that does so much, I’m definitely going to go back and try Bisque which is the palest shade because even if you take the girl out of goth, you can never take the goth out of the girl. From neostrata.co.