Actually Honest - skin care and make up reviews

[Base2019]

Thankyou, i have ordered some of the spf you recommended so i cant wait to try that with my airbrush flawless foundation.
Yeah it was the nars sheer glow one i was thinking about getting, but i have sooooo many foundations to use up and i cant justify buying yet another foundation at the moment. One of my absolute favourite foundations of all time is the Maybeline Urban dream cover foundation, its just amazing and performs like a high end foundation. Also i love the L'oreal true match foundation and i think that also looks like a higher end foundation. The drugstore in general has really upped its game over the past couple of years , and although i love my luxury makeup i also love finding dupes and hidden gems from the drugstore

Ahh I hope you love the image spf as much as I do it’s unreal!!!

Oooh I’ve heard a lot of people mentioning the urban dream cover foundation, I need to try it. Like you I have loads to use up first though I wish they would bring back testers too, it’s so hard to pick a shade by looking through the bottle lol xxxx

 

[bluelagoona]

I have been using the ordinary retinol which i have loved but feel its time for a stronger retinol, can anyone recommend what to move on to next?

 

[Sticky One]

I got the ordinary buffet + copper and been using well over a month and see no difference in my skin I don’t think my skin is terrible but I was expecting something amazing to happen

 

[coconochanel]

So i am gutted and could cry! I ordered some more Charlotte Tilbury flawless foundation as i had run out. It arrived, and i put it on and it looks tit! It seperated on my forehead, nose and chin. And generally looks cakey and like a cheap drugstore type foundation! I wonder if they have changed formula as it never used to do this to me, and i havent changed my skincare or primer. So i wonder if they have changed anything in it.

On the plus side, The Charlotte Tilbury contour wand is amazing! It is the perfect neutral 'contour colour'. Im quite funny when it comes to contour as i hate using the warm bronzer type products for contour, and the CT wand is perfect imo.

What colour contour wand do you use?

 

[orla1989]

I’ve really dry skin that breaks out sometimes, I’ve found what has worked incredible for me is this. It’s super cheap and I use it as a night moisturizer and daily moisture. It also helps my breakouts! I know my daily skin routine is not the best but I am lazy plus have good enough genes. I am 30

 

[Clairer86]

What colour contour wand do you use?

I have got the fair-medium contour wand. Its bloody brilliant and a tiny amount goes such a long way.

Has anyone got the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter? I have been meaning to buy it for weeks now but i just cant decide between shade 3 or 4. And due to the price of it, i cant afford to not get the correct shade because i wont be able to just buy another.

 

[kittypaws]

I have got the fair-medium contour wand. Its bloody brilliant and a tiny amount goes such a long way.

Has anyone got the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter? I have been meaning to buy it for weeks now but i just cant decide between shade 3 or 4. And due to the price of it, i cant afford to not get the correct shade because i wont be able to just buy another.

Yeah I’ve got it in shade 2 I think. Have you looked at swatches on google images? That always helps me. But also I find her website brilliant because it tells you what shade to go for based on what other shades you have on other products

 

[FlipFlop0706]

Hi everybody! What a great thread.

I’m rubbish at looking after my skin so after a bit of advise from you all please!

I’ve got quite noticeable open pores across my nose and cheeks alongside redness in my cheeks. Forehead has dryness especially after I’ve had my brows waxed but rest of my face doesn’t seem to be oily or dry. I’m in my thirties and only just getting into make up but everything I try as foundation sits in my pores and therefore looks crap! Not sure if my redness is due to my skin or just general health as I have a circulatory disorder and social anxiety which makes me flush pretty much all the time!!

any advice would be much appreciated! Hoping to try and improve my skin to see if my redness is because I’m not looking after my skin or whether it’s my social anxiety causing it to flare up!

 

[OutrageouslyScarlet]

Any day cream recommendations? I don’t really have a budget for reference but favourite was the old liz Earle dry/sensitive cream which criminally has been replaced and it’s rubbish. I have fairly dry skin I’m 31 so asp happy to try anti ageing. Any ideas welcome

 

[Aude]

Hi everybody! What a great thread.

I’m rubbish at looking after my skin so after a bit of advise from you all please!

I’ve got quite noticeable open pores across my nose and cheeks alongside redness in my cheeks. Forehead has dryness especially after I’ve had my brows waxed but rest of my face doesn’t seem to be oily or dry. I’m in my thirties and only just getting into make up but everything I try as foundation sits in my pores and therefore looks crap! Not sure if my redness is due to my skin or just general health as I have a circulatory disorder and social anxiety which makes me flush pretty much all the time!!

any advice would be much appreciated! Hoping to try and improve my skin to see if my redness is because I’m not looking after my skin or whether it’s my social anxiety causing it to flare up!

I'm sorry I can't give much advice on this because I've never had a particular problem with redness. My general advice though would be to treat your skin gently and always wear a sunscreen in the day. Would it be worth keeping a diary of when your skin flares up to see whether there's any pattern to when it does?

Also, do you think foundation is necessary? I think it often can sit in the pores (and in wrinkles on older skin) and just look like foundation rather than better skin. I think you can still enjoy and get benefit from make-up for the eyes, mouth and cheeks without trying to create a perfect canvas. Or maybe just a bit of concealer. There are primers that are supposed to provide a good base for foundation but I've never found one that doesn't sink into my pores after a little while.

If you're just getting into make-up, I'd strongly recommend Lisa Eldridge's videos. If you don't know her, she's a brilliant make-up artist who does video tutorials on all sorts of make-up looks and addressing different concerns.

 

[no-no]

Any day cream recommendations? I don’t really have a budget for reference but favourite was the old liz Earle dry/sensitive cream which criminally has been replaced and it’s rubbish. I have fairly dry skin I’m 31 so asp happy to try anti ageing. Any ideas welcome

Elemis pro-collagen definition day cream is nice and makes my skin feel nourished. I only ever buy off QVC in the bundles.

Has anyone used the Murad Blemish Control cleanser? Jesus Christ, it’s given me a chemical peel. Granted, I should’ve applied to damp skin, but I only used it for three days and haven’t been able to touch my face for the past two as it’s red raw.

 

[Shineyshine]

Hi everybody! What a great thread.

I’m rubbish at looking after my skin so after a bit of advise from you all please!

I’ve got quite noticeable open pores across my nose and cheeks alongside redness in my cheeks. Forehead has dryness especially after I’ve had my brows waxed but rest of my face doesn’t seem to be oily or dry. I’m in my thirties and only just getting into make up but everything I try as foundation sits in my pores and therefore looks crap! Not sure if my redness is due to my skin or just general health as I have a circulatory disorder and social anxiety which makes me flush pretty much all the time!!

any advice would be much appreciated! Hoping to try and improve my skin to see if my redness is because I’m not looking after my skin or whether it’s my social anxiety causing it to flare up!

I think @Aude has given you some great advice.

I get occasional redness, I don’t think it’s rosacea, more that my skin is sensitised to certain things. I’ve found over the years that the less products I try to layer on, the better my skin behaves. I use a very gentle cleanser (Avene is good) that I splash off with cool water, an inexpensive no fuss moisturiser (I’m using QV cream at the moment) and spf (Altruist and LRP are good). Rarely use a base product, if I do I prefer something that’s a lighter texture e.g. a bb or cc cream, and only apply it in the places where I want some coverage of redness, not my whole face.

You said you’re just getting into makeup. I would second Lisa Eldridge for makeup tutorials, she’s absolutely amazing! Also, Katie Jane Hughes is on Instagram and is another lovely MUA - she’s really good at showing how to use minimal base product just in the areas where you want a little bit a coverage, so letting your skin still show through.

 

[FlipFlop0706]

Thank you @Aude and @Shineyshine I always figured that foundation would cover up my redness but BB cream seems the better solution as my redness is only over my cheeks really. Probably overkill and counterintuitive to slap foundation all over my face!

Off to binge watch Lisa Eldridge now! Thank you!

 

[SummerLeaves2004]

So i am gutted and could cry! I ordered some more Charlotte Tilbury flawless foundation as i had run out. It arrived, and i put it on and it looks tit! It seperated on my forehead, nose and chin. And generally looks cakey and like a cheap drugstore type foundation! I wonder if they have changed formula as it never used to do this to me, and i havent changed my skincare or primer. So i wonder if they have changed anything in it.

On the plus side, The Charlotte Tilbury contour wand is amazing! It is the perfect neutral 'contour colour'. Im quite funny when it comes to contour as i hate using the warm bronzer type products for contour, and the CT wand is perfect imo.

I couldn't agree more! The Charlotte Tilbury foundation is absolutely tit. I have bought two of them and they are awful. I am an absolute make up junkie and it is by far the worst foundation I have used since my teens! (And that was 20 years ago!)

I like Urban Decay All Nighter (full coverage),
MAC Studio Fix is an old favourite,
Tom Ford is good for a splurge,
Nars has a lovely finish,
Primark foundation is also fab for a cheaper alternative, heavy coverage foundation.

Best beauty tip ever is SPF - EVERY DAY

 

[Sheabutter]

I no longer have hang nails since switching to Moroccan Oil’s cleansing soap bar. It lasts a long time making it 100% worth the exorbitant cost. The only draw back is how creamy it is. It is a mess to store. If anyone already uses this product (or decides to try it out) please share how you preserve the darn thing!!

 

[Sheeeet]

I no longer have hang nails since switching to Moroccan Oil’s cleansing soap bar. It lasts a long time making it 100% worth the exorbitant cost. The only draw back is how creamy it is. It is a mess to store. If anyone already uses this product (or decides to try it out) please share how you preserve the darn thing!!

I'm not sure what kind of texture your bar is when dry, but I use olive oil soap for hand washing which 'melts' if left wet on a soap dish, so bought 2 of these from B&M for about £1 each to store the soaps on. They work! The soap dries quickly and no more melting. Not very glam, though.

The image is from Amazon, but they cost nearly £5 there. Google 'Silicone scrubbing brush'

 

[Clairer86]

I couldn't agree more! The Charlotte Tilbury foundation is absolutely tit. I have bought two of them and they are awful. I am an absolute make up junkie and it is by far the worst foundation I have used since my teens! (And that was 20 years ago!)

I like Urban Decay All Nighter (full coverage),
MAC Studio Fix is an old favourite,
Tom Ford is good for a splurge,
Nars has a lovely finish,
Primark foundation is also fab for a cheaper alternative, heavy coverage foundation.

Best beauty tip ever is SPF - EVERY DAY

You sound just like me-im 35 in a week and ive been wearing makeup since i was about 12/13. I honestly thought i was just unlucky with my CT foundation, i have tried it again with a different primer and spf, and it once again separated on my nose and chin. And i felt really self conscious of it and not comfortable at all, which is strange for me because i love face/base makeup and when i put on my base makeup i usually feel really happy and confident! But it made me think about my skin, ive always had pretty good skin, never really get spots-maybe 1 or 2 when its my period, but ive always been lucky. Therefore my skin care has always been quite slap dash because i honestly didnt know if i was dry or oily, or even combination skin type. But after researching how the foundation separated on me it seems like i have a bit of oily/combo skin, so i have bought some skin care geared around that so hopefully that will make a difference. I havent worn it since due to the weather so it will be interesting to see how it wears the next time i put it on. Im pretty gutted because ive been eyeing up the NARS foundation for years and ive just never got around to buying it and i really wish i had bought that instead.

I did buy the hollywood flawless filter from Charlotte Tilbury-shade 3, and it arrived yesterday. I put it on just to try it out and it looks nice, but i cant help feeling like its not as 'amazing' as everyone makes it out to be. I dont know what i was expecting but i was abit underwhelmed tbh! I mean its nice and everything, but im sure you will be able to get a similar product from the drugstore for half the price! But i did only use it on my skin, i never used it under foundation or mixed in with foundation so i will be interested to see what happens when i mix it in with the CT airbrush flawless foundation.

To be totally honest, i feel like the drugstore has some lovely foundations! Dont get me wrong, Estee Lauder double wear will always be my favourite full coverage. But i love the maybeline Urban Dream cover-its only light to medium coverage but its perfect for me, and it always looks so nice. I also love the true match, and the infalliable foundations as well.

I did try and have a sort out of all my makeup last night and ive got a disgusting amount of makeup tbh, its like im a youtuber but without the 'beauty room' they all have. I make so many impulse buys when i really dont need to.

Do you have any Huda products? I dont, and for some reason its one of the brands where i dont want to buy anything from. I dont know why, but its never appealed to me. I havent got any of Jamie Genievieve 'vieve' products either- but thats because i refuse to pay high end for such a new company when in my mind she is no different to youtubers like sophdoeslife and roxx etc, and i find it quite arrogant of her to assume she is high end just because she herslef likes high end makeup. I would much rather spend money on established brands like MAC and Benefit and even ABH.

 

[coconochanel]

I recently tried the YSL touche eclat foundation and I really liked it.

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

I just bought polyglutamic acid from Superdrug, I went in to get some of their niacinamide and zinc as I’d run out of my stuff from The Ordinary but as it was the only thing I needed and I was passing Superdrug I thought I’d give theirs a try, then there was an offer so I picked polyglutamic acid up as well. I’m really liking polyglutamic acid! Although I don’t know if it has the potential to be as ‘bad’ for skin as hyaluronic acid can? It supposedly does the same thing but is way better at it; which might mean my skin will eventually hate me for using it.

Im interested in tranexamic acid as well. I only know it as a painkiller for heavy periods rather than a skincare product. Anyone got any advice? I’ve dialled my regime down a little, no retinol and no vit c at the moment (I do wear SPF daily but I guess I worry my application might not be good enough and there has been a lot of sun recently!)

 

[12055584]

Can anybody recommend blackhead (nose area) treatment? Tried and tested. I keep seeing these masks that seem to pull them all out but the websites never look legit & always seems too good to be true