BB Cream or Tinted Moisturiser?

This is the Question of the Moment - which way to go?

I've used TMs in the past, with success. But I'm liking what I hear about BBs.  Decisions, decisions.

As I said elsewhere - in Foundation Files I think - I'm currently using a mineral powder. Problem is, with my pigmentation, unless I really go to town (well, my version thereof) I can't get the coverage I need. So I need more.

I'm leaning to a BB cream. TMs are all well and good, but their main goal is moisturising. And with my oil & cream concoction, I don't need more moisture. Odds are, if I went to a TM, it'd slide off, because I am not going to give up the one for the other - I love what my moisturiser is doing for me, and I don't see the point in using that 99% of the time, and a TM every now and again. The risk of my skin going 'Ack!' is too great. Mess not with what is working.

A lot of BBs are meant to moisturise as well. Some have added ingredients to boost the skin (so do TMs). But they are also meant for covering blemishes, so theoretically, they should do what I need more than a TM.

For BBs, Choice tells me Natio (Aussie, cruelty free, cheap) or Garnier (not Aussie, perhaps not cruelty free, cheap) are the way to go. Palmers (not Aussie, (aybe cruelty free, cheap) also rated well, although it appears it was a bit 'thin'. Natio's fragrance was a concern for some testers. The Olay one is also supposedly quite good. Maybe Mud from Woolies (really cheap) as a trial is the best starting point - I can get it, play with it here on the station, work out the pros and cons, then head out into the real world. Or not.

One thing though, that really irks me is this: many BBs and TMs do not have Broad Spectrum SPF, most have an SPF of 15+ only, and WTH is wrong with these companies? We're in Australia - skin cancer capital of the world!!! Don't believe me? According to the Cancer Council of Australia, we have 2 to 3 times the rate of skin cancers of the UK, US and Canada. So where's the SPF Broad Spectrum?

I should point out here that I know the SPF in makeup is not enough to protect your face anyway (need to reapply regularly for that), but still, a lot of people think they are doing a good thing for their skin buying a product with SPF, and these products are  - telling fibs by omission.

I'll report back on what I decided, what I purchased (probably Woolies, I can have that in less than 2 weeks, the rest will be 4 at least), and how I go.

Planning My Purchases

So I have 2 trips coming up - 1 in July to the Sunshine Coast (driving) and one to Tassie in October (flying from BNE). Both will be full-on once we hit the ground; limited time + family = come home for a holiday/to relax.

As I will be in an area with fully-stocked chemists in July, I plan a few minor purchases including a serum. I am looking at a lactic acid one; my skin can be reactive, so I have to be careful. Specifically, this one from The Ordinary....

Great reviews, and a very, very good price (less than $15). I don't want to spend a lot on a serum, in case it doesn't work, or sends my skin off the deep end.


I also plan to buy a mask, or 3. Or 10. Ok, so probably one (space remains an issue I need to be aware of). I'll probably just buy a chemisty/supermarkety one - Neutrogena or something. Because I am in ever-changing climatic conditions I need an all-rounder. Or 2 - one for moisture, one for clearing out the crap/tightening. I'm thinking these:

Both have great reviews, are reasonably priced, and are small enough that I won't worry about them going off (again, climatic concerns rather than lack of use).


The other great thing with all 3 products is that they are available at national retailers and online. Accessibility is important when you don't know where you will be month to month.

In October, I go through 2 major airports BNE and Melbourne. Shopping options there include MAC and Mecca. Tassie is not-so-hot for shopping. So maybe I will save my pennies and buy myself a nice eyeliner or two? Probably at Mecca - they have Urban Decay. I fell in love with their 24/7 pencils when I tried them in the States (killed off 2 already). There are 38 shades to choose from!!!! Just have to remember to stay neutral; brights are pretty, but I just about never wear them... So far I like Corrupt, Roach, Smog, Hustle and Mushroom. Or I could go cheaper, for something like 16 Brand?

Or maybe something really luxurious like L'Occitane? Oh yes! I had a hand cream from them once, it was so very, very nice.

Sigh - so many decisions..........

The Foundation Files

Foundation has long been the Achilles heel of my cosmetic journey. I have struggled with it for as long as I can remember; formulations change, but the results rarely do.

My skin has, as I mentioned in another post, gone from uber-oily to desert dry. I have developed fine lines and pigmentation patches as I have aged. So those are issues I need to address now, just to keep it interesting.

I've tried liquids, creams, cream to powders, sticks, mousse, pressed powders, mineral powders (loose & pressed), tinted moisturisers. I have yet to try: BB creams, airbrush or cushion foundation.

I've applied with fingers, sponges in every conceivable shape and texture including silicon (with and without handles), puff-type things, rollers, a variety of brushes and a weird towel-type thing (found online, shipped from Hong Kong).

I've run the gamut of oil-free, matte, oil, based. I've gone for minimal coverage, medium coverage and heavy coverage options. High-end and low end. In the middle too. Some have worked better than others. But I always have the same problems. Every. damn. time. The only difference is how long it takes to get these issues, and whether or not I can take a break, and get it resolved that way.


One of three things happens with every foundation I have tried.

It fades/vanishes in patches. We're not talking a bit less polished at the end of the day. We're talking a on-my-face-when-I-left-the-house-and-patchy-2-hours-later kind of deal.

The colour changes. It looks great in the bottle. The SA does a test, I wander around for 5-10 minutes, or get the whole shebang done; a full face. I look and feel fantastic. I walk out of the shop (usually with both the foundation and high hopes). I wander home, look in the mirror and I am an oompah-loompah. It's gone orange! Or brown. Or patchy. Or a combination of all three. Back it goes.

It goes cakey. This is probably the most frustrating, as it takes the longest to occur. This is the one I have had the least, as it tends only to happen with heavy coverage products.

One reason I have trouble, I think, is that I have struck a few SAs who don't follow what I am saying. They'll haul out a dark shade, say 'This is the one'. I'll say 'Errr... no' and they'll get huffy.  This has happened on numerous occasions.  It gives me the irrits. The rest is just my skin/system. It is what it is - cranky as all get-out, and unlikely to change.

Of all the foundations I have tried, the pressed powder mineral is probably the most stable. I still have the fade issues, but I can carry the compact to counter those. The colour-change is still a challenge, so I have 2 shades. I test the day before, at home, and see what happens.

I'd love to be able to wear those gorgeous dewy looking foundations I see on others, but I somehow think I am likely to remain cursed. So for now, and the forseeable future, I will stick with my pressed minerals, and keep hoping that one day, my system will settle down, and my skin along with it. Imagine the fun I could have if that happened!

Les Meteorites

Look at all that pretty!!! How could anyone not want that on their dresser?

Now, I know I said elsewhere I am not ever going to buy a highlighter; but these aren't highlighters- they are Meteorites. They illuminate rather than highlight, and their actual job is to correct. I think.

To be totally honest, I don't really care. I just like the pretty. I have read that they smell incredible; that would be an added bonus to the pretty packaging, and the pretty inside the packaging.

Now, these babies are expensive no matter where in the world you live, but by all accounts they are worth it. If you can bring yourself to actually use them - which is where I would fall down; they are too pretty to disturb!




If I were to purchase, I'd get beads, rather than a palette. Ok, let's be honest; if I was rich, I'd get beads and palettes.  And as many different packaging designs as I could lay hands on. Because, as we know, I am all about the pretty! And Guerlain does pretty so very well...

Wishlist Post - Updated 16 June 2018

The idea of this blog is to put together, in one place, all the stuff I have loved, or would like to try. And so, I'm going to start here and now (this is probably the first post of many);

Makeup
Guerlain Meteorites - preferably the balls, not the palette. Because they are prettier.
Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick - had this decades ago, need a re-test.
Rihanna's Fenty Makeup - reviews have been good, and the colours look good
Wet 'n' Wild Colour Icon Baked Blush - I don't use blush, but it's embossed with a hummingbird!

How could I not want these?!

E.L.F. Gold Eyeshadow Palette (Sunset) - I'd actually use this
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencils - all 38 shades (did I mention that e/l is my weakness?!)
MAC Powerpoint e/l pencils - same deal as UD
MAC Fluidline & Chromaline - this stuff is brilliant!
MAC Extra Dimension e/s in Sea Worship
Harlotte lipstick - I loved the original formula
Pixi Weylie Hoang Dimensional Eye Creator Kit - never heard of the brand, but damn! this is purty...


Hair (This will be a short, sweet list)
Prose Customisable shampoo & conditioner - they actually make bespoke hair care!! Want it NOW!


Skin
Anything and everything Clarins
Ditto Ole Henriksen
Fresh Rose Mask - real rose petals? Yes please!
Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mineral-Rich Atomic Heat Mask - for the name alone
Elizabeth Arden Ceramides - adored these when I tried them way back when

Ceramides - so very, very good

Fragrance (This list will grow and grow and grow... I'll never try/use any of them, but I can dream)

Irish Leather - for the name! I blame Brando.
Lolita Lempicka Original - loved this, would have to sniff again.
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Ylang et Vanille -  I used to have this, loved it
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Cherry Blossom - love cherry blossom
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Tiare Mimosa
Shalimar - loved this, would have to sniff again. It changed from the one Nan had, wasn't as good.
LouLou Blue - same deal as the Lempicka
Pure Poison   - as above. But I love the bottle.

 

Shiny!

Clinique Aromatics Elixir - my memory says this smelled like honey
Clinique Aromatics Elixir Black Cherry - it might smell like cherries - love the scent of cherries
L'Artisan Mure et Musc - From memory I loved this. Blackberries spring to mind - gourmandy??
Dior Dune - worth a re-sniff, memory says 'Yes!'
Estee Lauder Pleasures - memory says heavy floral...
Hanae Mori - been on the list for years....
Lanvin Arpege - my sister used this, and as I recall, I quite liked it
Chopard Wish - sounds nice, and the bottle is pretty. I *think* I tried this a long time ago...


Products/Brands I'll Avoid
Benefit - never seen anything that made me want to buy
Highlighters - overused & wrongly used by so many. Why people, why?!

Highlighters - case in point...

Liquid e/l - no, just no. Too hard basket...
Any gourmand scent, except some vanillas (and maybe the Mure et Musc) - not my thing
Red lipstick
Anything Kat von D - love her aesthetic, not so her anti-vax stance. Principles before pretties.
Chanel fragrances - too heavy
Any celebrity fragrances - as I said in my opening post, every one in a line smells the same to me
D&G Light Blue fragrance - hurt my sinuses
Mugler Angel - too sweet (and it's foody)
Arden Green Tea, Blue Grass or Sunflowers - smelt like cat pee on me & took days to wash/fade off
Calvin Klein fragrances - never met one I liked
Moschino fragrances - same deal, but I adore the Olive Oyl-style bottles they often use

What's not to love?

Clinique Happy - not so much
St Laurent Baby Doll - sickly sweet
Lip gloss - any and all. Sticky, shiny & fady for the most part. Not my thing at all.

How could I not want these?

Keeping it Personal...

When it comes to makeup/skincare shopping - heck, any kind of shopping, except groceries - I am an 'in person where possible' shopper. A bit of a challenge, living in the middle of nowhere (if you're interested, Google 'Roma, Qld', then put yourself 3 hours of bad road SW - that's me - nothing here but 'roo & red dust).

A 'good' section of red dirt... even the locals drive out only when they absolutely have to.

The proliferation of beauty retailers, blogs and YouTubers has, theoretically, made purchasing sight-unseen (or unfelt) easier; you can log in, check out what others have to say about  a product, and shop around the globe for the best price. But I am still not convinced. No-one out there has my skin, and even I, who live in it 24/7/365, can't always predict how things will go.

Environmental factors play a HUGE part in how my skin behaves. Cold weather - drier skin. Heat and dust - breakouts (I really need to get on top of that this summer, if we don't get a Wet Season). Humidity - my skin is generally fine, but my hair goes to Hades. The internal environment also plays havoc: sudden high stress means big, sore whiteheads on my chin and nose. Sustained stress means my skin will start to look 'tired' quickly.

I also like the personal touch - talking to an actual person. Having a chance to read their body language; I want to deal with someone who gives a damn. And I want them to see my skin. I know most SAs aren't trained cosmeticians or beauticians, but they will have brand knowledge. Which, combined with my knowledge of my skin, lifestyle and preferences should see us getting it close to right.

The same applies to makeup; I do not like glitter or lots of sparkle. A light shimmer is fine. And while swatches can give an idea of these factors and the colour (is that swatch 1 swipe, or 3?), there's no skin-feel, or hint of lasting-power, and what works on someone pale won't work on me. Heck, what works on my sister often won't work on me!

 Way too glittery for me...

So I like to shop in person as much as I can. My idea of heaven would be a week in a Melbourne or Sydney (with unlimited funds, and equal amounts of storage space at home), hitting Sephora (only in Sydney I think), David Jones & Myer. And anywhere else that sold skincare and makeup; chemists, supermarkets, specialist shops. Testing products, collecting samples and just playing generally.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

As a beauty-obsessed broke girl in my late teens and early 20's (in the late 80's and early 90's), there were a few products that were always on my radar. Clarins as a brand had always been there (Nan may have been a dirt farmer's wife, but she knew her luxury brands, even if she couldn't afford them), and BFB had cult status in the beauty industry. It was right up there with Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream (which I've never tried) and ceramides (loved these when I tried a sample, way back when).

Even now, as the 21st century heads into it's twenties, BFB is still raved about by beauty babes. I have read reviews that say it is an 'outdated product'. These make me laugh - BFB was launched in Australia in 1980, and it's still going strong; AHAs, BHAs, various oils, nightingale poo, skincare in a pill have all had their day. Currently, it's serums and masks that deposit nutrients into your skin. Oh, and meteorite ingredients - yup, skincare made from space rocks. BFB makes no claims to be 'cool' 'new' 'exciting' but it still holds a solid market share, just as it has since its inception. Why? Because, outdated or not - this stuff rocks.

I'm not sure how it does its magic, and I don't care; all I care about is the results. If I have an event, or a big day coming up, I smother my face in BFB before bed, and the next day my skin feels smoother and tighter and looks brighter. I've read that other people use it under their daily makeup, like a primer. My skin is - cranky - so I tend to just stick with 'the usual suspects' (moisturiser & sunscreen) when I wear makeup.

The other thing I really like about this product is that it's not expensive - $65 for 50 ml SOUNDS like a lot, but for the amount I use, and how I feel afterwards, it's worth every cent. Plus, as will all good things, a little goes a long way.

Long live Beauty Flash Balm!

What It's All About

This is my beauty file blog; the place I will list all the pretty things I would love to try/own. Skincare, makeup & fragrances specifically. I'll probably also share beauty and fashion related posts from other blogs, such as Beautifully Glossy, J's Everyday Fashion, Kendi Everyday,  We Heart This and Modly Chic.

I've been using skincare for as long as I can remember (Nan's influence, she used Pear's soap and a moisturiser), sunscreen since I was a teen (Mum), my first fragrance I remember was Avon, and in a bottle the shape of a horse; my first 'grown up' fragrance was Nuance by Coty. My first makeup after Mum's green & blue (very powdery) eyeshadow was at 16, an eyeshadow & lip colour palette.
My lifestyle these days (currently on a cattle station in SW Qld) pretty well precludes me from having the collection I'd like; small space, constantly moving. I cannot wear fragrance; my husband has, among other things, emphysema and other breathing difficulties. Anything fragranced is out. But, I can dream about and look at the pretties, and I do.

The idea for this came to me from a book. A biography. Of Marlon Brando. He wrote about his experience when he worked with a renowned stage actress who wore Russian Leather (she was 'older' and tried to seduce him). I had to find out what Russian Leather was, hit up Google, found a newer version, then something called Irish Leather, then an old favourite, the original Lolita Lempicka. And I was gone!

When it comes to makeup and fragrances, I am a bit of a magpie; if the bottle is pretty, I have to investigate. Hence the Lempicka. Other old favourites include Shalimar (Nan's 'special occassion' fragrance), Pure Poison (shiny!), Angel (for the bottle, not a fan of gourmands, except some vanillas) and LouLou Blue (not as 'harsh' as the original).

I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of  celebrity fragrances. They all smell much the same to me; Britney's fragrances all smell the same, no matter what 'notes' they have, ditto J Lo & Beyonce. Another thing I have never liked is the cheap dupes - the $15 pharmacy versions - they smell alchoholy to me.

Cosmetics, on the other hand, I will take however I can get. I don't like bronzers or anything glittery/shimmery, rarely use rouge (I flush naturally anyway), have never mastered liquid eyeliner, and am yet to find a lipstick formula (or colour) I love; ditto a foundation formula (currently using a Youngblood mineral powder). Pencil eyeliners are my big weakness, closely followed by eyeliners. Guerlain Meteorites (pictured) are my ultimate cosmetic dream - I've lusted after them for decades, even though I'm not 100% sure what to do with them...

The thing that I am least likely to go bonkers for is the most important - skincare. I love me a good mask; I'd have a million if I could. And I'd use them all.

I love Clarins and Ole Henriksen, but my current routine is way to the other end of the luxury scale: homemade soap at night, followed by a home blend of sorbolene cream, olive oil, rice bran oil and grapeseed oil. My eye area gets treated with a blend of those three oils. Mornings, a facewasher as hot as I can handle, the sorbolene/oil blend, and sunscreen (currently Aldi). A weekly mask, often homemade, exfoliate manually once or twice a week (an exfoliating mitt used gently), and that's me.

So, that's what this blog is; a wishlist of all the things I'd love to have, if I ever had the money and space to have them, and the inclination to use them.  And that's where I fall down; the inclination. Well, the money and the inclination, but even if I had unlimited funds, I'd still lack the inclination. Let's face it, I'm a lazy magpie....