The Beauty Hall's Big Foundation Survey!

Ladies, it's time for a rant. It's not often that I feel like having a good moan, but tonight is one of those nights, and it's one thing in particular that's getting on my nerves: foundation shades, and notably, how hard it is to find one that matches my skintone.

So, let me give you the back story. Firstly, my skin is pale. It's the kind of pale that often renders me a glowing white shape under flash photography; the kind of tone that would make Snow White look like she'd spent a healthy summer on a yacht in St Tropez. Yep, that pale! Over the past two months, I've been stealthily swatching and sampling various brands, both high and low end, and the results are dire.

Looking at the vast majority of 'designer' brands, even the lightest shades are too warm for my skin tone, with NARS and Illamasqua supplying the only shades that vaguely match. And popping into my local branch of Boots to grab at bottle for under £10? Forget about it. I knew I wouldn't be the only one, so I spoke to friends to find out about their experiences. The results confirmed my suspicions, and each of the girls I asked had a similar story to tell: pale girls, Asian girls, black girls whose various skin tones never seemed to be the ones replicated in those pretty beauty counter bottles. They came to the unanimous conclusion that chemist/drugstore brands just didn't carry anything suitable, and many - including me - couldn't even find a close match with brands that sell foundations for upwards of £25. I know we can't all expect to find a perfect match with every company, but how can it be that, in this day and age, many of us don't see our beauty represented on the counters across the world?

We shared stories about how the palest amongst us have been matched with warm beige shades, told by the MUA that 'this will warm your skin tone', when the rest of our bodies are lily white and we didn't ask for our skin tone to be changed. Darker skinned friends had been offered shades that were too light, or had the wrong undertone, which left them feeling annoyed that they hadn't been listened to, and frustrated that so many brands were still getting it wrong.

I've very recently had a great experience with NARS, buying their two palest shades after the MUA showed me the quantities to mix to preserve my naturally pink undertone, whilst keeping the shade as light as possible. Much better than the Chanel MUA who said, 'you should conceal the pink tone to your skin so you have a neutral base to work with.' Judging by her orange face, she wasn't really an advocate of natural beauty, but it's not the greatest strategy for making your potential customers feel good.

So, I've created a little survey as I want to know what your experience is. It would be fantastic if you would take five minutes to complete the survey by clicking through to the link at the end of the page. Please invite as many people as you can to complete this, as I think it's so important that the beauty world understands the needs of so many of its customers. We want to spend our money, but you've got to supply us with the right products!

To complete the survey, click on the following link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GG7VM56

Image courtesy of sheknows.com

The NARS Pure Matte Challenge!

Finally, I have some time to post, and boy, do I have a lot to write about. Over the past week, I've bought Shu Uemura's Nourishing Hair Oil, Liz Earle light moisturiser, Rimmel's new lash growth mascara, Lancome's Teint Miracle foundation and a lovely capsule wardrobe for my trip to Rome next week: yey for shopping! So, that's the abridged version, and a little summary of the reviews you can expect over the next few days. Anyway, onto today's review: NARS Pure Matte lipstick! I was lucky enough to be invited to the Pure Matte launch at Selfridges, Oxford Street, and treated to a gorgeous application of my chosen shade from the range.

There are six shades in the collection, which is exclusive to Selfridges nationwide until 2nd October. The lipsticks are priced at £18.


From left to right: Volga, Vesuvio, Bangkok, Terre De Feu, Tonkin, Tashkent.

Above, I'm wearing Vesuvio, which is the most fantastically intense red I've ever seen! I also bought NARS' lipliner in Jungle Red as such a striking, heavily pigmented colour is bound to be prone to a bit of bleeding: never a good look. The liners are £14, but dupes will be readily available on the high street, although Jungle Red is outrageously beautiful and I am very glad I bought it!

Now, I make no secret of the fact that I have never been a lover of matte lips. I generally like my lips to be well moisturised and to always have a little slip. The thought of the heavy powder formulations that are so common in matte lipsticks has always made me reach for the Vaseline! For this reason, I decided to undertake the NARS Pure Matte 8 Hour Challenge! If I can manage to get through an entire day wearing a matte lippy, it's definitely got some decent credentials.

The product contains vitamin E, acai oil and a host of other nourishing elements, and I have to say, it really made a difference. It was 3.5 hours before I had to reapply, and that was only because I'd eaten a sandwich and transfered most of it onto the bread - not very appetising, I have to say!

However, look at my Starbucks straw below: only the tiniest bit had transfered from my lips!

Overall, I'm really impressed with this product, but then, I didn't expect anything less from NARS. I retouched my lipstick 3 times throughout the course of the day and got a comfortable 8 hours wear. The next day, my lips were a little dryer than normal, but nothing that a little more lip balm didn't fix. As for the colour, it's *phenomenal*. It's so pigmented, so intense, and really beautiful. If you're looking for an entry product to matte lipstick, or if you've had a bad matte experience, I'd take yourself to Selfridges and give these lipsticks a whirl. Although the range is currently small, there are more shades to be added, and the colours the six shades are so wearable, I'm sure there's something for everyone.

Will any of you be trying the NARS range?

NARS Pure Matte 8 Hour Challenge!

This is me after the NARS Pure Matte blogger event last week with my very red lips: isn't that the most fantastically intense colour you've ever seen?!

So here's the background: I've never been a big fan of matte lipsticks. So often, they feel heavy, dry and cakey, and show up every imperfection. When I got the invitation from NARS, I was excited and intrigued to try the product as I knew that, if it had the NARS name on it, it would invariably be a fabulous addition to their already stunning range. The above photo was taken 3.5hrs after it was applied: the colour was still intense and the application remained flawless. However, it's time to put this lippy through it's paces and so (drumroll please!) tomorrow I will be updating you on the NARS Pure Matte 8 Hour Challenge that I undertook today! I applied it first thing this morning and then went about my day: eating, drinking, talking incessantly, as well as catching a nasty air-conditioned train back to London. Let me tell you, the results are GOOD!

How do you feel about a matte lip? Is this a product you've bought or are considering investing in?

A Random Collection of Thoughts

Hi everyone, and a warm welcome to my new followers!

For those of you in the UK, I hope you've all had a lovely bank holiday weekend. Mine has been so completely hectic that I'm not sure which way is up this morning! I have so much work to get on with that the blog may be a little neglected for the next few days, but I promise that I will be back on top of things at the weekend.

So, here's a very quick round-up of things that have been buzzing around my head over the weekend!

Contouring: Since having my make up done at Giorgio Armani a couple of years ago, I have been trying to recreate the same incredible angles that the MUA managed to sculpt, but have been struggling with products that just aren't fit for the job. Too much sparkle, too dark, too light: you name it, and my contours have suffered for it. Yesterday, I decided to pop into MAC in Soho to remedy the problem, and was astonished when Tenderling was suggested as my perfect shade. I'd always opted for browner tones, but considering I am pink toned and pale, this makes perfect sense. Expect a long overdue FOTD soon!

Steaming: I haven't steamed at all this weekend and let's just say I will never be missing a day again! Considering my lapse, I will be reporting on my steaming project at the weekend, but I am missing the lovely clear skin that had started to emerge!

NARS: I have been invited to the NARS Pure Matte Lipstick launch on Thursday to be colour matched to my perfect lippie shade, which I am very excited about. I own about 30 lipsticks which are all variations on the same theme, so I'm secretly hoping that I've got it all wrong and that I'll be introduced to a whole new range of colours! I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Liz Earle haircare launch: Regular readers will know that I am in love with this range, which launches in the Liz Earle stores and online on 2nd September, and in John Lewis stores nationwide on 6th. If you can't wait to get your hands on the gorgeous shampoo and conditioner, then you can pre-order online by clicking here. Please let me know if any of you try it as I would love to hear your feedback!

Holidays: I am going to Rome in just over two weeks, and then to southern Spain at the beginning of October and I really can't wait. Work has been so manic that I am just desperate for some downtime, involving delicious food, and I hope, lots of sun! Expect some holiday diet and beauty-related posts in the coming weeks (despite the fact that it's practically the end of the holiday season!)

Thanks for being patient with me, and normal service will resume very soon, I promise!