alternative base

Last year was when I discovered the beauty of matte foundation. Ever since the havoc my skin experienced in 2011, it was hard to find a base that would stay put on my oily/combination skin that at the same time would give enough coverage for my blemishes. Matte foundation did the job, in my case it's the Revlon Colorstay Foundation, which I first bought at 50% discount from Chemist Warehouse.

I guess I am past that breakout phase (crossing my fingers) and now, save for a few blemishes that pop up every once in a while, I'm pretty happy with how my skin's behaving. I'm also beginning to notice how heavy full-coverage foundations feel on the face. Unfortunately, I hoarded some Revlon Colorstay at Duty Free before I boarded my flight from Manila last January. So I'm kind of stuck with them. But recently (and slowly) I've started to break away from heavy liquid matte foundation with these:

Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream & Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation

I bought the Kiehl's BB cream when I was in the Philippines last December and had a not-so-good first impression of it. But despite the oiliness I experienced on my T-zone when I first tried this, it also gave me a dewy effect off my cheeks and for that reason, I've been using it whenever I go out on weekends - saves me time because I only need to apply my Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF 30 on my forehead, as this already has SPF 50.

And then there's Tarte. Everything Estee said about this foundation is true. I'm not really into powder foundation, or any foundation I need a brush for. But I got interested in this because I'm kind of over liquid foundation by now. Sometimes I feel that it gives you this unfinished look, like you need a setting powder on top or something (that I obviously don't have and won't bother applying especially when it's hard enough for me to catch the bus or train to work). And I guess it's not easy for powder to feel heavy on the skin, so for that I was willing to buy a brush. There's a brush that goes with this (as mentioned in my wishlist) but I found it too expensive so I just bought an ordinary mineral powder brush. Mine's not excellent but it's okay for now. Seeing that I'm likely to buy this foundation again in the future, I'd probably buy the airbuki brush with it next time.

So as Estee said, at first you don't feel like anything's happening as you apply this, but by the end of it you'd see an improvement on your skin tone/texture. I'm actually amazed by the finished product because it still looks like skin (quoting Estee again). :) I won't say it's full coverage but it does hide some redness or blemishes. It's important to apply a moisturizer before this  - I once skipped it and it emphasized some dryness around old blemishes. It lasts a while I'd say, and it feels like you're not wearing anything on your face, which for me is what I like most about it. 

I got the shade light-medium-neutral - I found it really easy to select the right colour for me using their shade finder.

I'm pretty happy using a combination of my Kiehl's BB cream and Tarte airbrush mineral foundation and I'd definitely give my liquid foundation a break (once in a while - can't afford not to use it as I still have 2 bottles!).

Next time I'll probably write about my new skincare products, when I can divulge more about my life lately. I've kind of revised my skincare routine due to some ingredients I can't risk using at the moment. ;)

xx