The Glueless Scr4pbook.

I have slowly been getting used to using a slightly lighter base and just using a bit more concealer where needed, since I love a good full coverage concealer (Mac Pro Longwear and Nars Radiant Creamy being the 2 main favourites), it's nice to let at least some natural skin show through. Here's what I have been reaching for (and loving)...

I have had a few tinted moisturisers for a while now, the Nars Radiant Tinted Moisturiser  is nice for a light natural coverage, leaves the skin glowing but not shiny, definitely needs setting in place and a full coverage concealer for the under eye area but its super hydrating and smells good too. The Jouer Matte Moisture Tint is, as you guessed, a more matter alternative with slightly heavier coverage I would say medium, it still feels light on the skin and doesn't cake because of the great moisturising properties, although it is pricey I think its very worth it. I have also recently got in on the BB cream act, I first tried the Vichy Idealia BB Cream which has a radiant finish thanks to the tiny little glitter (undetectable don't worry) particles, it's a little hard to blend but the finish is totally worth it, I would say a light to medium coverage  as it is buildable, recently though Vichy brought out the Vichy Normaderm BB Cream  which is more of a matte finish, it still looks like skin but dries to a semi powder finish, the coverage on this is more like a medium and can be built up too, I can actually get a way with wearing this without concealer on good days which I love. Honourable mention goes to the Rimmel BB Matte (I forgot to picture it above but I have done a full review here) which is a great high street alternative with amazing coverage and a natural finish.

How do you keep your base looking natural?

Vichy Normaderm BB Clear (£16/ 40ml)

A couple of months ago I decided to try my first ever BB cream, I chose the Vichy Idealia one because I trust the brand and figured even if I didn't like the coverage at least I could rely on the skincare benefits... I loved it, and so this month I decided to try the new Normaderm BB cream, here are my thoughts.

This is designed to be a matte alternative to the Idealia one and you can notice straight away once squeezing the products out how different it is, there are no reflective particles at all, it pretty much just looks like foundation. This only comes in 2 shades (light & medium) which is pretty disappointing because it limits who can actually buy it but luckily the Light shade works great for me. Application is seamless, it blends perfectly and is really quick to apply unlike the Idealia which does take a bit of working into the skin, works equally well with a brush or sponge (I'm not a great fan of fingers) but I do prefer the finish with a sponge though as I just find it more natural. Even though this is supposedly a 'matte' version, it's not completely matte, not flat or cakey looking, it's really natural on the skin and doesn't cling to dry patches either which is always a plus. The coverage is a good medium I would say but it's also buildable, I can get away with only using concealer under my eyes (and I am a huge fan of concealer so that is saying something), it covers blemishes and redness really well which I was impressed by. It also feels weightless on the skin and lasts for 6-8 hours on a normal working day before it starts to wear away. Overall I love this BB cream, I have been using it all month.

Have you tried it?

Vichy Idealia BB Cream (40ml/ £22) Shade Light

This is the first BB cream I tried and it totally converted me, I thought I had actually already posted a review on this so when I realised I hadn't I thought I had better get it done, here we go…

Packaging wise I am very happy, ultra thin tube which is perfect to stick in your handbag and easy to store, also the product is not too runny, sometimes companies don't think about the consistency of the product when deciding on the packaging (Rimmel BB matte for example). I used around a pea sized amount and found that was probably just perfect, I found this very hard to blend to an even finish in the beginning, it seemed to be very time consuming but in the end I discovered applying with a flat top kabuki brush and then blending with a damp sponge to be the trick, although this does seem a bit tedious for a product that I associate with quick application. The finish however does make it all worth it in the end, dewy, fresh and youthful without looking too sleek and shiny. The coverage is about medium, most redness is covered but I did need a bit of concealer under the eyes and for extra coverage on blemishes. It lasts on the skin all day but definitely tends to get a bit too dewy (I have oily skin, remember) around the middle of the day so I would have a powder at hand. Overall it looks and feels lovely on the skin and I'm really pleased with it.

Have you tried this BB cream yet?