Foundation… a product I could not live without.
Okay, so that’s maybe a touch dramatic, but in all seriousness, if you were to ask me my top three makeup items? It would be lip balm, mascara, and foundation. Really, that’s all you need (okay, and maybe a brow pencil; can I sneak an extra one in there?).
Anyways, since I love foundation so much, I’m always so happy to get in a new one, especially from a brand that I don’t often get to write about. A few months back, London Drugs sent me a box of fall beauty goodies and a ton of stuff was from Physician’s Formula. Physician’s Formula has really been stepping up their game lately, as it went from a brand that was mores associated with doctors to a line that has a bunch of really cool – and cute – products. Anyways, two of the products in that box was their Spotlight Illuminating Primer and The Healthy Skin foundation.
The Spotlight Illuminating Primer is a universal skin illuminating primer that blurs, corrects, and protects the skin to give you a radiant glow. The formula is enriched with antioxidants and age-defying actives to protect the skin against environmental aggressors (which sees to be a huge trend lately in the beauty world). It also has optical blurring agents and five unique filtering pearls to improve the appearance of skin, leaving you with a radiant and bright complexion.
The first thing you’ll notice when you apply this is how pearlescent it makes your skin look. They weren’t lying when they said “filtering pearls” as it definitely leaves a radiant sheen on your face (almost shimmering like). Since I wouldn’t just wear this product alone, it is nice layered under a foundation, although depending on how much coverage your foundation has, it does tend to lose some of its radiance when your full makeup is applied. If you are looking for that strobing kind of look, then I would definitely recommend trying this out and pairing it with a low to medium coverage foundation.
If you are looking for a lightweight foundation, then you may want to take a look at their The Healthy Foundation (C$19.99 at London Drugs), which is a long-wearing, buildable and breathable foundation that gives you a light-to-medium coverage with a satin finish, plus an SPF 20.
This foundation, available in 16 shades, is perfect for any skin type as it’s comfortable on the skin and features their exclusive brightening complex. Also in the formula is hyaluronic acid to hydrate, brighten, and improve the appearance of skin tone, as well as vitamins A, C, and E to give you a flawless, healthy coverage.
I received the shades LC1 (light-cool 1, the lightest shade) and MW2 (Medium Warm 2). I’ve been wearing LC1 since I am quite pale, and since it is a lighter coverage, I’ve found this suits me nicely. I layer it over the primer to give me a nice coverage with that added boost of glow. To be honest, this foundation reminds me of the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation, both because of the doe foot applicator you use to apply it, as well as the way it looks and feels. The foundation is incredibly lightweight and blends out perfectly to a nice coverage on your skin.
I have pretty clear skin so I did find that it provided me with a nice layer of coverage. It’s definitely more of a daytime foundation for me since it gives me nice skin and is comfortable to wear (you don’t even feel like you’re wearing it, that’s how light it feels on the skin). If you are looking for something easy to wear everyday, I would look into this foundation. Also, to tie the primer back in, since this is so light on the skin, I would look at purchasing the primer to go with it to give you that “glow from within” kinda look that is so coveted right now. Best part is that these products are drugstore, meaning that you often find them on sale (as I’m writing this, the foundation is on sale at London Drugs).
What’s your favourite lightweight foundation?
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There’s thousands of skincare lines out there.
Anti-aging, brightening, acne-clearing… whatever your skincare concerns are, there is a solution for it. Being a blogger, I get the chance to try out so many lines, and when it comes to skincare, I’m always happy to receive new products. I especially love when a line that I’m not familiar with reaches out to try out their stuff, and then I’m happier when I find products that make my skin look and feel amazing.
Introducing Tula. You may have seen this line on Instagram (they have the cutest IG gifs), or you may have heard about them from other bloggers, but influencer-hype aside, their stuff really does work.
Tula products are 100 per cent formulated with probiotics, which is a bacteria known to help balance and calm your stomach, and also promote the look of skin’s natural balance, lock in moisture, and reduce the appearance of inflammation. They don’t include any harmful products like parabens, phthalates, sodium laurel sulphates, etc. Instead, you’ll find superfood all-stars like probiotics (to strengthen, calm, and soothe), blueberry (antioxidant), turmeric (anti-inflammatory), watermelon (hydrator), glycolic acid (resurfaces and brightens), rice protein (tone and texture), and more.
The brand was awesome and sent me a variety of different skincare products to try out. I actually brought a number of these along with me to Toronto at the beginning of July and was surprised by how much I loved this skincare line. Usually with travel, my skin doesn’t feel so top-notch, but this stuff really helped with keeping my face moisturized and luminous. As a result, I instantly grabbed it once I finished up my Drunk Elephant skincare items and couldn’t wait to fully lather my face in it every morning and night.
The first product I use is the Purifying Cleanser (C$35), which is a refreshing probiotic cleanser that cleans your skin deep into the pores to remove impurities and condition skin. It’s perfect for all skin types and I love using it with my FOREO Luna or Clarisonic for an even deeper clean. I also have a mini of this (which I gave out in my Miami gift bags), which is in my travel bag. The full-size is 200 ml, which is a great size as you’ll get tons of use out of it. The star ingredients in this cleanser are lactic acid to naturally clean and exfoliate the skin; chicory root, which is a natural anti-inflammatory prebiotic to help boost the appearance of firmer skin; turmeric root, which helps reduce the signs of inflammation; blueberries, which help protect skin from free-radical attacks; and probiotics to hydrate and lock in moisture.
After your cleanser, try the Pro-Glycolic 10% pH Resurfacing Gel (C$42), is an alcohol-free toner for all skin types that uses probiotics, glycolic acid, and beetroot extract to gently exfoliate skin, leaving it smooth, hydrated and even. The pro-glycolic complex is a proprietary blend of 100 per cent natural lactobacillus probiotics and glycolic acid to help tone and exfoliate the skin. It also removes excess oil and debris.
After toner, I always use an undereye cream and then a serum. The Illuminating Serum (C$98) , is a lightweight serum that targets the appearance of dark spots, hyper pigmentation, and dull skin. This serum helps to reveal a more youthful glow and a brightened complexion thanks to vitamin E; citrus extracts and pearlescent pigments to visibly brighten the skin; safflower oil to hydrate and leave skin soft and supple, chicory root to boost the appearance of firmer skin, and probiotics.
As for moisturizers, I’ve been loving the Hydrating Day & Night Cream (C$65), which gives dull skin deep hydrating. This cream nourishes skin and contains probiotics and superfoods like rice nutripeptides and watermelon fruit extract to give your skin an even, glowing, and youthful-looking complexion. The thing I really love about this moisturizer is the fact that it glides on skin, feels comfortable, and a little goes a long way.
If you prefer a gel moisturizer, then try out the Aqua Infusion Oil-Free Cream (C$64), which quenches skin, leaving it hydrated, dewy, and revived thanks to its weightless, oil-free texture. This moisturizer also have hydra plant complex to lock in moisture for instant, 72-hour hydration; fermented rice water to help pores appear smaller; and organic prickly pear extract to reduce the look of irritation and redness.
Tula also has a number of other skincare products available and you can find them all on their official site, Tula.com. If you’re interested in trying out a few products, they have some kits available, such as the Three-Step Balanced Skin Bundle, which has the cleanser, toner, and day and night moisturizer for C$124 (reg. price for all three would cost C$142). If you are looking for a new skincare line, I highly recommend checking out Tula. I find the prices to be reasonable (skincare is typically on the more expensive side in general), and the ingredients they use in their products really are top-notch.
Tula actually also started shipping to Canada as of this year, and since I’m such a fan of the brand, they hooked me up with a promo code for my readers. Score 20 per cent off your purchase with code SHAYNA.
What do you look for when buying skincare?
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Well, they say that diamonds are a girls’ best friend, and when it comes to cosmetics lately, this definitely seems to be the case.
I chatted on Friday about Fenty Beauty’s newest one-year anniversary diamond collection, and today I’m taking a look at the Rodial Diamond Concealer. This concealer, available in five shades is new this year and is a fluid-cream concealer, which leaves you with a flawless finish. It both covers and neutralizes blemishes and dark circles for skin that radiates and glows.
Like the name suggests, it has diamond core powder in it to create a flattering, youthful appearance for skin. It also contains sea fennel extract to help boost collagen production to smooth and firm fine lines, as well as vitamin E to protect skin from damaging free-radicals, while also repairing and hydrating the skin.
I received Shade 20, which has a yellow undertone for light skin. I found this fit my skin perfectly, whether I was my usual pale complexion or my self-tanned self. I actually brought this along with me to Miami and couldn’t help by notice how effortlessly flawless my skin looked when I applied it. The product goes on skin via a doe-foot applicator and the coverage is medium to full. It also absorbs wonderfully into the skin without feeling heavy or cakey. The formula is super moisturizing and helps to reduce the look of dark circles, redness, shadows, you name it.
This concealer retails for C$60 and can be found at Saks Fifth Avenue. Yes, the price is steep, but you can feel the difference with this concealer; it definitely feels more luxurious. The only complaint I have with this is I wish there were more colours. I have light skin, so this problem doesn’t apply to me, but with five colours, all tailored to lighter skin, if you have a darker complexion, you may have trouble finding a shade that fits.
I know that Rodial is also sold at Shoppers Beauty Boutique, so I hope this start stocking this one soon. Like the name suggests, it’s definitely luminous, creamy, and will make your skin look like a million bucks ;).
What’s your favourite concealer?
Please note, I was sent these products from PR. All opinions are my own.
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