Must have make-up!

Where to start?

Foundation!

It's not for everyone, but I do love a bit of mineral foundation. It's quick, easy, buildable and gives me a flawless finish. 

I used to use Loreal True Match mineral powder which was great. It's something like £14 max, and used to last me about 3-4 months a pot. I might go back to that one at some point, even just to wear daily and then use my Laura Mercier (my mineral foundation of choice) for going out. The Loreal mineral foundation does the job but the Laura Mercier gives a slight glow to the skin which gives you that airbrushed finish :)

I've tried a lot of mineral foundations. Since trying them, I've gone off the feel of liquid foundation on my skin and have found that you just can't beat the coverage of minerals. Mineral foundations have a few benefits... 

Non-comedogenic (none pore blocking)

Made of natural elements which help clear the skin of toxins

Water-resistant

Buildable

Stable- longer shelf life

I'll review a few.

The Collection 2000 Perfecting Minerals. Retails at around £5 which is the cheapest of the lot, and is actually surprisingly good! I've used this as an everyday foundation and it really works. I'd recommend this- it does the job. It is supposed to give the skin a 'luminous glow' which I didn't notice massively but who wants an overly-glowy face? 

The Revlon Colour Stay isn't great... No where near as much coverage as the usual mineral foundation which was a little disappointing. I think I bought this for about £12. It's a very fluffy formula which made me doubt it straight away. When looking at a mineral foundation it can't look too fluffy, it just won't sit or stay on the skin. You need something with a little more weight to it that will adhere to the skin well and is able to be buffed in without buffing off. 

Bare Minerals. £22. This brand has a massive following. Not sure why. The foundation's formula is lovely, colours are pretty good but for me, it takes too much work to apply. This doesn't seem to go on quite as seamlessly as others, and requires a hell of a lot of buffing. It's okay and does eventually do the job but it's average in my opinion, and you can get a better result from the Collection 2000! 

The Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation is my personal preference. Retails at £30 (the price is justified) and does everything a foundation should do. I get the most compliments when wearing this, and it lasts a long time. This one comes in a compact too rather than just the loose version, which is handy for travel or if you're just lazy like me and can't be doing with any mess. There are crushed pearls in the powder which I think is what makes it so perfect as the pearls buff onto the skin in such a way that your skin is left looking luminous, but not overly, and flawless. The only thing I'd say about it is that it's far better when applied with a stiffer brush. Something with quite strong bristles which are packed compactly together bring this foundation to it's full potential. I used to apply it with a finishing brush but you get AMAZING coverage with one like I've just described. Try the Laura Mercier Face Brush or the By Terry Cheek Brush (amazing for any foundation, liquid- even better). Both of these really buff the product onto the skin well. I'll do a detailed review on brushes at some point and I'm sure the By Terry will be mentioned again!