Shu Uemura Face Powder Sheer in 7YR Light

Some beauty products are much harder to review than others, and, for me, one of the hardest of all is loose powders. I suffer from an oily T zone so the ideal powder product will instantly mattify whilst offering some sort of long lasting oil control over that area. Realistically speaking however, it would be naive of me to assume this can be achieved with merely one product, and because the results powders give - whether loose or pressed - depend so highly on which other base products they are used in conjunction with (primer, foundation or even moisturiser) I find it can be extremely difficult to judge some areas of its performance (ie oil control). Having said all that, I do rate Shu Uemura's Face Powder Sheer very highly, and, for what it's worth, I would absolutely recommend it to others. 7YR Light has a wonderfully smooth finely milled texture, doesn't cake up regardless of how much one applies, feels incredibly light on the skin and is genuinely translucent. Most importantly of all it doesn't make me look flat - which some powders are guilty of - and yet still manages to give a natural matte glow to my skin. A powder puff is also provided with the powder, and the overall packaging of the product is unoffensive and well thought out out; I much prefer the use of netting to holes in a plastic sifter. Price per gram wise, it is on the more expensive side, but I find a jar will last for more or less two years with daily use (not to mention the puff alone costs £5).

Price: £25.50/20g

Ingredients: Talc, Silica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Dimthicone, Boron Nitride, Zinc Laurate, Alumina, Diphenyl Dimethicone / Vinyl Diphenyl Dimethicone / Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Dimethicone / Methicone Copolymer, Mineral Oil, Aluminum Dimyristate, Methicone, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben [+/- May Contain: CI 77891, CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 77491]

Bourjois Bio Detox Organic Foundation

Bourjois base makeup has always been a range I rate very highly, and I have featured a few of them on the blog before. Bio Detox Organic is their latest invention, and with stats like '98.8% of the total ingredients are from natural origin' and '21.9% of the total ingredients from Organic Farming', it is certainly their most impressive sounding foundation. A-Level Biology made me none the wiser as to how the addition of chlorophyll would benefit my skin, but whatever its purpose may be, it does contribute to the overall theme of the foundation. I was excited to try this as soon as I read some early reviews by bloggers who received samples from PR events, but I was left somewhat disappointed when I finally managed to get my hands on it. The first time I used the foundation, what struck me was how difficult it was to blend. The foundation has a paste like consistency, and needs to be used quickly as it almost starts to congeal as soon as it is pumped out of the bottle. It can easily look cakey if not blended properly too.

If I wasn't a beauty blogger I would have probably discarded or passed the foundation on, but, for the sake of giving a more thorough review, I forced myself to use this foundation for over three weeks, and fortunately - as I became more efficient in applying the product - I grew to like it more and more. The matte finish and the medium coverage is exactly to my preference, and on my oily skin the lasting power is far superior to any of the other Bourjois foundations I own. Despite the texture, it doesn't feel heavy on the face once applied, but it does seem to transfer quite easily so I make sure to set it with a light dusting of translucent powder. I probably wouldn't recommend this foundation to others, but I do urge those who have bought it (and disliked it) to give it a longer trial.

Price: £10.99/30ml

Ingredients: Aqua/Water, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water*, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Silica, Glycerin, Alcohol*, Octyldodecanol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Glyceryl Stearate, Laruyl Laurate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Hull Powder, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystarate, Hordeum Vulgare Extract*, Sodium Zanthan Gum, Parfum, Cellulose Gum, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Phytate, Potassium Sorbate, Benzyl Salicylate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Dextrin, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Limonene [+/- may contain: Mica, CI 77007, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI77499, CI77891]
*Ingredients from organic farming.


As the foundation has almost no slip, I find it can be difficult to blend evenly and leave unattractive streaks on the skin. After applying the foundation (I like to use fingers, but any method would be fine) I go over everything with a dry sponge. I wouldn't recommend using any sort of dampened tools to apply the foundation; I don't know why but it does not work at all. On the left is my normal skin, and on the right is with the foundation applied. My skin is in fairly good condition right now (*touch wood*) so my camera couldn't really capture major differences, but I hope it does show the matte finish of the foundation at the very least. I used the shade 52 Vanilla here on my yellow-olive NC20-25 skin, but it is just a smidge too pink for me. i think perhaps 53 Light Beige would be a better match.

Sleek Glo Face & Body Highlighter in Peach Shimmer

Glo is a shimmery bronzing powder designed to create 'a healthy sunkissed glow'. The black plastic case and panoramic mirror packaging is along the same line as Sleek's other products, but there is a brush included here for those that wish to touch up on the go (though honestly speaking it does feel a little too scratchy to use). The design of the product itself is similar to a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick; there are five strips of different colours in the Peach Shimmer palette - ranging from a shimmery champagne yellow to a shimmery warm medium brown - to be used blended together to create a somewhat frosty peach highlight. The texture and pigmentation is pretty good considering the product is under £5, and I would be happy to recommend it to anyone darker than a MAC NC/NW20 looking for a cheap highlighter. Peach Shimmer doesn't migrate too much around once applied to the face either, and as long as I concentrate the product exactly where I want it, it doesn't affect my oily T zone or my large pores. I have never had an occasion to wear highlighters on my body, but this can also be used on the body for those that do. It is not quite as finely milled as my more expensive choices, but it is one of the better budget priced highlighters around.

Price: £4.99/9g

Ingredients: Talc, Mica, Pro Pylparaben, Methylparaben, Nylon-12, Dimethicone, Mica/Tianium Dioxide, Mica Titaniu M Dioxide Tin Oxide, CI 77499, CI 45410, CI 77491, CI 77492

Suqqu Liquid Foundation Aqua

Asian brands make the best bases for my colouring (olive-yellow) and skin type (oily t-zone, normal elsewhere) but they can be difficult to test in person - or even to get hold of - for those not living in Asia. One of my favourite foundations is the Liquid Foundation Aqua made by Suqqu (pronounced soo-koo), a Japanese brand which is only available in a handful of countries across the world. I cannot believe it has taken me this long to blog about Suqqu, but they make some amazing products. For those in the UK, Suqqu has counters in London and Birmingham Selfridges, and the Edinburgh based store DollyLeo Apothecary also stock a small range from the line. Suqqu products can also be purchased worldwide from Mihoko, Ichibankao and DollyLeo online stores. They have recently revamped their entire line but I don't know whether this particular foundation has been/is going to be discontinued in the process. Aqua has been discontinued, and will be replaced by the new Frame Fix foundation.

Price: £38/24ml

Ingredients: Water, Cyclomethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Phenyl Trimethicone, Ethlhexyl Methioxycinnamate, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Maltitol, Mineral Oil, Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone Copolyol, Magnesium Sulfate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tribehenin, BHT, Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer, Silk Powder, Tocopherol, Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract, Gardenia Florida Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Methylparaben, [+/- May Contain: CI 77491, CI 77482, CI 77499, Talc]




The packaging is okay; simple, sleek, but nothing revolutionary. The foundation comes in a frosted glass base with a plastic lid. I am disappointed by the lack of a pump, but thankfully the opening is fairly small and thus easier to control. Also included with the foundation is a dense diamond shaped sponge and a pouch to store it in.


I used two layers of foundation in the pictures above (left), and it still looks like my skin - only much more even. The foundation has a wonderfully light and natural looking finish which I adore, and reminds me a little of Giorgio Armani's Lasting Silk Foundation - but more suited for oily skin, and without the high alcohol content. I do still get oily on my t-zone, and I need to blot one or twice throughout the day, but the foundation itself stays intact on my face all day without needing to be touched up. It is a somewhat drying foundation (due to the water content) and may not suit those with dry, or noticeably flaky, skin. There are only six shades in this range, and I use 15, the second lightest shade, which is best suited for a yellow NC20 complexion. I imagine those lighter than NC/NW15 or darker than NC/NW35 will struggle to find a suitable match.