Samantha's Secret | Chanel Perfection Lumiere

Since Chanel discontinued their infamous Matt Lumiere and Pro Lumiere, this foundation 'Perfection Lumiere' was brought out as the replacement to both. It was met with slight indifference, with some indignant that it could ever replace their favourite Chanel foundations.

I have been trying this foundation for about a week. I had a sample and since I am getting on with Project Sample I thought I would trial it until it runs out. Now I'm really sad that it has as I will of course have to now go out and buy the full size!!

At first I was unimpressed, I found it hard to blend, a little too matte for my liking and the smell is quite overpowering. When I switched from a foundation brush to a Real Techniques stippling brush, I started to enjoy it a lot more. It does set quickly so you need to blend it quickly to avoid streaks and then it will set to  a medium coverage, lightly powdered finish.

I have combination/normal skin and generally go for a 'dewy' foundation such as Rimmel Wake Me Up (review here). A couple of weeks ago though, the weather here in Britain was rather hot and I felt I looked less 'dewy' and more 'oily'. I have been really loving having a more matte finish, I think that it lasts longer on my skin and can look a lot more polished. While it sounds odd, it does brighten your complexion even while semi-matte, hence the 'Lumiere' title. It also claims to be 'long-wear' which is definitely the case - for me anyway since it is matte- having moved onto this from more luminous foundations.

 I can suffer from dry patches around my nose, but this foundation did not cling to them or show them up. I do always moisturise before foundation though, and have been using a heavy-duty Oilatum moisturiser prior, as a mask to combat dryness - so if you do suffer from dryness I'm unsure if this foundation would dry your skin out too much. Some days I love the fresh scent, sometimes I find it really irritating, but it only lasts for as long as you are blending, you won't smell it all day! (It's a bit like bubble bath?! Not unlike the scent of Chanel skincare products.)

Photo from: Chanel.com

In general I think it's a great foundation, perhaps even better than Vitalumiere Aqua, though I would say it is more suited to the winter months than Aqua for the summer. It is also one of those foundations that I would say it requires good skin, as the coverage is not full and it sets to a powderish finish which I can't imagine would look great on blemishes. Perfection Lumiere sells for £36 and you can find it on the Debenhams website here.

Garnier BB Cream

In the beauty world there has been a bit of a hype surrounding the new phenomena of 'BB Creams'. Supposedly your moisturiser, SPF and foundation all in one go, it sounds too good to be true... there is plenty of choice around though with most high-street/drugstore brands all having a go at it.

I got sent this tiny cute little package from Garnier with three samples of their BB cream.

I was a little skeptical if I'm honest, but I was pleasantly surprised. The 'cream' came out quite pigmented which I wasn't expecting. When blending it in it was really moisturising and yet still gave coverage. I like quite a sheer, natural base (Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, Bourjois etc) so this is not for you if you wear a full coverage foundation. I'm not sure if I would wear this alone, it gave a slightly greasy finish to my skin and I would like a teeeeny bit more coverage but it works as an excellent base underneath all my foundations as a moisturiser and primer.

I'd like to pick up the new Maybelline BB to see how it compares. To get your free sample of BB Cream go to https://secure.garnier.co.uk/_en/_gb/BB-cream/samples/form.aspx. Have you tryed any BB creams - what do you think and which do you recommend?!

Please follow guys and let me know about your blogs aswell - I read all beauty/fashion blogs and love seeing what other people are buying and trying out! I hope to do a giveaway when I reach 20 followers which would be amazing.

Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' - does it?!

Rimmel Wake Me Up has had a bit of a buzz surrounding it in the blogging world - as there usually is when a cheap drugstore product is released that rivals our favourite make-up brands.
I have got hold of it and have been able to try it out for a couple of weeks and will share my thoughts with it in this post.

Rimmel Wake Me Up - True Ivory

Wake Me Up claims to have an 'anti fatigue effect' and to give a radiant glow. It has an SPF of 15 which is perfect for everyday use.
It comes in a different glass bottle with a tall orange lid with the Rimmel crown. The applicator inside is a long stick attached to the lid - a bit strange in my opinion since it doesn't even have a spatula on the end? I would prefer a pump applicator but this works fine since I just dot it straight on from the stick. You get quite a lot of product attached to this thing and you have to be careful when you put it back in the bottle or it will ooze down the side - neat freak nightmare.

EDIT: I recently had a whooshing feeling of realisation during one of Zoellas videos that I was being an utter RETARD and unscrewing the lid to reveal the tube that the PUMP is attached to! If you only pop off the orange lid you will find a very handy pump, and if you were a normal person you would have discovered this immediately after buying and not a month after using. Haha !!! Feel free to tell me what a numpty I am. That's cool.

Stick applicator

The coverage is medium but its definitely buildable, it is so lovely to blend - although initially feeling thick on the skin it will blend out and a little goes a long way with this. I got the shade 103 True Ivory (the second lightest) which is a tiny bit too dark but will be perfect for summer. I have dry/combination and it does not cling to dry patches, is really comfortable to wear and feels hydrating. I dont think it would be suitable for oily skin, as with all foundations that claim to give 'radiant glow' or you suspect will be dewy, it will probably slide off unless you have a great primer that you trust. The effect is a natural, yet dewy look and your complexion appears bright and awake - does what it says on the tin!!

The thing everyone seems to be commenting on is the glitter that can clearly be seen on the outside of the bottle. This doesn't actually show up on the face - you wont look like a glitterball however with a pocket mirror in natural daylight you can see fine glitter particles here and there - This must be what gives the luminous effect.

I think overall for a drugstore foundation, the quality of this is excellent, it has a slight fresh scent which some will HATE (and perhaps is not for sensitive skin), but its nice to see a foundation in cool packaging, a nice tall glass bottle that you can have on your dresser instead of the usual plastic. Wake Me Up retails for £8.99 for 30ml, you can buy it in Boots here ... 3 for 2!!
My usual favourite drugstore foundations are Bourjois Healthy Mix and 10 Hour Sleep Effect. I cant wait to use the new 123 Perfect!
I would be really interested to try the Wake Me Up concealer - if it is as brightening as this foundation it will be excellent for under eyes. Has anyone else tryed this foundation - or better still the concealer?!