The Perfect Primers for a Flawless Face

Well prepped skin is one of the most important factors for a smooth foundation application – allowing a good morning moisturiser time to sink in is a great first step to a flawless look (and I have to admit it’s one I sometimes forget to do pre-coffee) If I know I have a long day ahead or that I want my makeup to last longer than usual, I have an arsenal of primers in my everyday makeup drawer to reach for.

Quite often I will pull out my Face of Australia Face Base Primer for day time use – it’s a renowned dupe for the pricier Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer*, and having compared it to the travel size NP I have in my stash I have to agree with that claim! They basically feel just like a light moisturiser and sinks in really quickly without feeling velvety like a silicone based primer. My sister has pretty dry skin and uses this when she wears foundation, and she loves how easy it is to apply and that it doesn’t break her out.

Until quite recently I was apprehensive about using silicone-heavy primers, but the pores around my nose and in between my brows have been annoying me lately so I was excited to try the Smashbox Photo Finish Color-Correcting Primer sample that I received at Sephora on our honeymoon. A thick green paste in texture, this acts like ‘spak filler’ to put it bluntly and I’ve been vigilant about double-cleansing when I wear it so it hasn’t clogged my pores or broken me out at this stage.

Last but not least is an unlikely primer in the form of the Dermalogica Oil-Free Matte SPF30 sunscreen*, which smells citrusy fresh and is something I wore all year round to protect my skin from sun damage. It leaves the skin matte without taking away any moisture from the skin and I found that my foundation sat so much nicer when I wore this underneath – a great incentive to wear sunscreen daily, no?

Now that we’ve spoken about priming the skin, I’m off to sink a coffee to prime my brain for the day…

Emma x

*Products mentioned were provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat // First Impressions, Photos, Brightening Guide

The majority of beauty lovers I know all favour a glowy, radiant finish with their foundations, even if their skin type is on the oily side. I've read quite a bit about Priceline style offerings, such as the Rimmel Wake Me Up and the Bourjois range, but the mac daddy of them all has to be the luxurious Le Teint Touche Eclat from my favourite beauty brand, Yves Saint Laurent.

Rather than basing this on a shimmer type of illumination, YSL followed in the footsteps of their best-selling Touche Eclat Radiant Touch highlighting pen and made the foundation glowy without sparkle. I like this because it means it can be worn day or night, and appears nicer in photographs than shimmery bases. In the few times I've worn this, I find it lights up my whole face and I can't help but smile when I see the effect. Now would be the perfect time to show you a picture of this, but the shade YSL provided me with is quite dark and I'd rather not show you the face I've been walking around the house with!

The coverage is medium and buildable, in my opinion, and the glow is instant! I personally like to powder my forehead when I wear these sorts of bases, in case people mistake the gorgeous gleam for the not-so-gorgeous type. Since I have only worn this around the house, I can't vouch for wear time or anything like that, but it feels quite lightweight on and I like the way it makes my skin appear.

I've had the Touche Eclat pen for quite a while, and my favourite place to use it is under my eyes each morning. I am lucky to not suffer from very dark circles under my eyes, but I think everyone needs a little pep up under their eyes to look really awake. I never get enough sleep (who does!) and find that this is a subtle touch that makes a world of difference to my overall look every day.

Demonstrated on the model are just some of the ways the Touche Eclat radiant touch pen can be used to highlight the features of your face. As I said I love to use this under my eyes, but the cupids bow and along my cheekbones are other places I love to pop this.

 

Both the foundation and brightener have the YSL watermelon-like smell which I adore, but if you're not familiar with it and are sensitive to scented products make sure you check it is okay for your senses!

 

YSL are holding a terrific competition which gives you the chance to win a full size Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation as well as the original Touche Eclat pen, so hop over here and fill out the super simple form to get your hands on these products!

 

After filling that out, be sure to download your voucher for a free sample of this new foundation, and be sure to leave a comment below letting me know what you think of it.

 

What sort of foundation do you normally buy?

Have you tried the famous Touche Eclat from YSL?

 

*This post was sponsored by YSL but my opinions are my own and not affected by this.