Tinted SPF

Like most makeup junkies I am always looking for the best foundation, tinted cream or SPF. Below is my roundup of all the best I have tried so far. Just for reference, I have oily skin, so all of the below won’t necessarily work for someone with dry skin.

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+

This foundation very hyped and for good reason. (Well, it probably isn’t a foundation, more CC / tinted cream. The coverage is that of a foundation. Let’s just call it an all-in-one/hybrid. ) The finish is amazing, not matte, but not too glowy for oily skin. Pores seem to disappear and you are left with glowy healthy skin. This is probably my number 1 foundation of all time.

The colour range is average. I initially bought the shade light, but it was still too dark and got fair.

Dior Diorskin Forever SPF 35

Probably the best luxury makeup brand, other than Chanel, that is actually worth spending on. I have never tried a Dior foundation that I did not love.

Dior recently reformulated the Forever foundation and you now get a “normal” Forever and a glow one. I have tried the glow version and I love it too. This one is the old version and I love it.

On oily skin, this foundation holds up really well. More of a matte finish. Dior is standard when it comes to colours. If you are very pale or very dark you might not find a match.

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LA MER The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation SPF20

One word of advice – this one is expensive. Excellent high-end foundation. The finish is satin. Staying power is very well for my oily skin. The colour range is, however, terrible. I get that SA is probably very difficult to determine which colours to sell, so why not just sell all of them. I doubt that the colour range is this bad overseas.

Heliocare Color Gel-cream Light SPF 50

This is not a foundation, but the coverage is excellent so I added it to the list. I adore Heliocare sunscreens. In my opinion, they have the best sunscreens on the market.

Expect light coverage, very glowy skin. Excellent for weekends when you just want to slap on something easy for some coverage. This one is going on holiday with me.

Lisa Eldrige actually has a Youtube video using this sunscreen as a foundation. Well… if Lisa uses it then it should be good.

SMASHBOX Studio Skin Full Coverage 24 Hour Foundation

If you are looking for full coverage this is the foundation. I first heard about the foundation on Youtube from Tati (GlamLifeGuru). Side note – I adore her channel and honest reviews. In my opinion, she gives a foundation a yes, then it is good. Luckily Smashbox is one of the brands that actually bring its entire range to SA, not like others who only bring some of the product.

This foundation comes in a lot of shades. You should be able to find your match. They have so many shades that I actually struggled to find the correct one.

Expect full coverage, pore minimising and oil control with this foundation. I sometimes add a little mac face and body to just sheer it out a bit as I don’t like full coverage that much.

Let me know in the comments what your favourite foundation is.

Review: Lamelle Recharge CE

Lamelle Recharge CE

Lamelle is a South African skincare brand. To be honest I did not know much about them until I started buying skincare from Dermastore. Lamelle is primarily stocked at skin care clinics/salons.

The Recharge RE is a vitamin C, 20% pure ascorbic acid combined with 1% alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E) in a water-free base. Vitamin C is unstable vitamin and needs to be “housed” in something else to stabilise it, like an oil etc. If it is not housed it will simply put, go off.

The percentage of active ingredient is good to start with, but if your skin is very sensitive perhaps start with a lower percentage. The Clinique fresh press is around 10% and at an excellent price point. My skin can tolerate this cream. I actually only felt it tingle the first time I used it.

The texture is a bit grainy. It doesn’t look when you dispense it from the tube. A lot of vitamin C’s can be grainy. I would apply the RE cream and then my normal moisturiser over it. The texture seems to go away after application of the moisturiser. I do think that the texture can be off-putting for some people.

Vitamin C is a skin brightener and most importantly an antioxidant. If you are not sure what an antioxidant does for your skin go and watch this video. Just like the apple in the video, your skin gets affected by pollution etc in the air. In short, an antioxidant helps protect your skin.

To be honest I cannot with 100% certainty say that this vitamin C has had any benefit for my skin. However, I do believe that it still functions as an antioxidant and the effect thereof cannot necessarily be seen by the naked eye.

I purchased the product during January of this year and only now finished the tube. I used it most mornings. Would I repurchase it? Currently no, I do believe my skin can handle a stronger percentage of vitamin C and therefore I will be looking for something with a higher percentage. Lamelle does have a 30% vitamin C too, but I was not overall impressed with this one, so I think I will opt for a different brand.

New years resolutions

Ugh that damn title, so old and boring. I have never made New Year’s resolutions. Why make them only in the New Year, when you can pretty much make a resolution when it suits you.

I did, however, decide that I need to take my skincare more seriously and invest in good products and devices. It just happened to be financially in a position to do it now. Thanks, December bonus. So no more wasting money on skincare that does not work, harmful/irritating ingredients.

I already invested in a Foreo Luna Go on black Friday last year. Upped my sunscreen game with the Helio Sunscreen (see my review here).

I have done some research into products that I want in my routine – good retinol, Vitamin C and good night cream. I have opted to go for Lamelle, purchased on Dermastore. It was reasonably priced and had the studies to back it up. I have opted to go for the following: Lamelle Recharge CE Cream, Lamelle RA 3.0 and Lamelle Dermaheal Cellular Repair Cream. Going for a lower percentage of actives and will then up it if I think (and hopefully see) it is making a difference. You don’t want to go all guns blazing with a high percentage. This will just result in your skin (barrier) being damaged and then you have to do some serious maintenance.

I wish we had an online store like Dermastore a long time ago. I don’t like going to a salon to purchase skincare (which they keep being locked glass doors). It is way too intimidating and weird if you don’t use their service (i.e. facials etc).

So let’s hope that I can finally see better skin in 2019! I will be doing a review on the products I purchased soon.

Heliocare 360° Gel Oil-free SPF 50 – review

This sunscreen is no ordinary sunscreen. It is all that a sunscreen should be, but more, it even has anti-aging benefits.

Heliocare has Fernblock technology. It is an extract from a fern grown in Central America. This technology gives the following protection: DNA, antioxidant, immune system and photo-aging prevention. You can read more about this on their website. As I said, it packs a punch for a sunscreen.

I have very oily skin and finding a sunscreen that keeps me matte all day long and that provides good protection is a high order.

I know some people don’t like the typical sunscreen smell. I absolutely love it. This sunscreen however does not have the usual sunscreen smell, the smell actually reminds me of oranges. It is very faint and does not linger.

The cream has a yellowish colour, but it does not leave any yellow residue on your skin. It sinks in beautifully.

I have wore it under makeup numerous times and I cannot say that it has affected the application or wear of my foundation at all.

In short I think this is the best sunscreen I have tried and believe me I have tried a lot.

Currently you can find Heliocare 360° Gel Oil-free SPF 50 on Dermastore and at selected Sorbet salons.