It's no secret La Roche-Posay is my number one bae when it comes to skincare. Their dry skin targeted products are my life saviours during the colder months of the year, and I have yet to find a product of theirs that doesn't agree with me. Effeclar Duo(+) Unifiant is their newest invention. A hybrid between the oh-so popular spot treatment Effeclar Duo and a BB cream promises instant coverage for your face while battling imperfections in the depths of your skin. 

It's especially suitable for problematic skin types. It's supposed to reduce spots, redness and discoloration, as well as clear pores and improve the texture of the skin. I've always had problems with redness on my cheeks, and as of right now, I can't say I've noticed any improvements after using this product, but I did notice it helped massively with the breakouts I've been getting on my chin for the past six months. A lot less of them developed into proper, visible spots during THAT time of the month, and the ones that did come through dried up and healed way faster.  

The application couldn't be easier. I apply it with my hands and find that it sinks in very quickly. The texture is light, doesn't feel like anything on your skin, but provides some coverage. It's not a replacement for foundation, as it doesn't cover bigger imperfections, but it evens out the skin tone and is the perfect 'no makeup makeup' solution for the lazy days. Now that it's cold outside, my skin went super dry, so I can't comment on the supposed oil controling properties, but it's said to have a mattifying effect and function well even as a primer. 

The tube contains 40 ml of product and comes in two shades - light and medium. Not the tube, the actual product, obviously. I was sent 'medium', which is a bit too dark for me, so unless you're tanned, I would recommend you to stick to the lighter version. Right... I think that's it from me today. I feel like I forgot to mention a whole bunch of things, because I haven't written a skincare review in a hot minute, but I hope I covered all the basics. If you have any additional questions, though, feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I'll make sure to answer them, as always. 

I can be a bit of a one trick pony when it comes to my foundation and my eyebrows. Nine times out of ten, I'll reach for the same products and use the same techniques, but hey, you know what they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Since I'm planning to film quite a few makeup tutorials in the upcoming months and don't want to start every video with the exact same five-minute-long process, I thought I would film this foundation and brow routine now, and skip the same-old-same-old parts in my future videos. Does it sound like a good deal?

I know a lot of ladies who are interested in learning more about makeup but don't have the time, money or desire to enroll in makeup school like I did a couple of years ago. When they ask me where to go to learn the basics, YouTube is of course my instant response. After all, you can find a tutorial for virtually any makeup look on there, but a large portion of them keeps coming back to me, saying everything is too advanced for them. And I get it. When a mascara and a lipstick are the only two items of makeup you can name, the world of contouring, smokey eyes and baking can be a little bit intimidating... 

That's why I decided to start a brand new YouTube series - Makeup Masterclass. I call it an online makeup school, perfect for complete makeup newbies as well as those who just want to learn some 'top secret' professional makeup tricks. We'll be starting with the absolute basics, going step by step towards more advanced techniques. I've been working really hard on these videos and I sincerely hope you guys will find them helpful. If you do like what you see, you'd make me the happiest if you shared the videos with some of your friends who might also find them useful!

Today we'll be covering the topic of foundation - what types of foundations we know, which one is most appropriate for your skin type, how to find the perfect shade, and which tools and techniques to use for a truly flawless application. There's three lengthy videos to go through, so make sure to grab some snacks and a cup of tea before you start clicking those play buttons below! :)

Vichy is one of the leading skincare brands in the world and currenty my second favourite right after La Roche-Posay. I've been enjoying using quite a few of their products recently and have a whole bunch of reviews coming up for you in the next few months. 

Today I'll be sharing my thoughts on their Teint Ideal Fluid Illuminating Foundation. It comes in a lovely glass bottle (pump included) and promises natural results for up to 14 hours. It is designed for normal to combination skin, has SPF 20, is paraben-free, hypoallergenic, and therefore appropriate for sensitive skin. To make my 'trying it on for the very first time' experience a little bit more fun, I decided to do it in front of the camera and shared my initial throughts with you in the video below. Make sure you watch it before you go on to read the rest of the review, otherwise you might miss some important points. 

I tried out the foundation a couple more times after the video was filmed, and my initial impression hasn't changed much. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for dry skin, as it clings to dry patches like nobody's business. Unfortunatelly, it really doesn't work for me right now, but I will hold on to it in hopes of taking it with me on a tropical vacation one day. I wish I had it with me last year when I when I went to Bali (travel posts & vlogs here). It would be perfect for my tanned, dry-patch-free skin and the humid weather! It is super light-weight, to the point you don't even know you're wearing foundation, easy to blend, and gives a natural, glowy coverage. The perfect summer foundation if you ask me. As long as you don't have dry skin! Or a super oily one. I could see it being a tad problematic in that case as well, since it's not matte and doesn't last long on oily areas. Some powder or a re-application should solve the problem, though. 

Have you tried any Vichy foundations? Maybe this one or the Teint Ideal Illuminating Cream one? I have a feeling the latter would suit my dry skin better. Also, have any of you used Vichy Dermablend? I've been hearing the coverage is insane and have been thinking about potentially buying it for my make-up kit. 

You don't see a whole lot of foundation reviews on my blog because I tend to wear the same base day after day. For the past few years, my foundation of choice was Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, which I still like, but I've been thinking about getting something with a bit more coverage, especially for filming, as Healthy Mix Serum doesn't cover a whole lot. I've been eyeing Nars Sheer Glow for at least a year now due to its popularity amongst the British bloggers, but I kept putting off the purchase because I wasn't sure about the shade. Nars isn't sold in Slovenia, so I could never get matched, and spending so much money on a foundation that might end up looking orange on me was a big no-no for me. So I waited and waited...until I moved to London and finally took the plunge. After trying it on first, of course. 

So, my thoughts? I like it. It's not perfect, but it gives me what I've been looking for, which is medium coverage and a skin-like finish. It is not ideal for the dry skin I have, because it does cling to dry patches, so I have to make sure my skin is properly exfoliated before I put it on. Also, I've noticed it loves to settle into fine lines, so I'm thinking about finally purchasing a beauty blender to use with this foundation. I have a feeling they would work great together. Dry skin problems aside, the formula itself is great to work with. It's lightweight and can be buffed into skin very easily. You just have to work quickly and not let foundation sit on you while you're trying to find your brush. Always happens to me.

As far as the wear goes, it depends on the skin type you have. Generally, all foundations stay on my skin for pretty much all day long, but I've been having a very oily T-zone for the past few months - just my luck - which is where this foundation needs some buffing in throughout the day. I don't re-apply it. I just take a brush I use in the morning to put it on and make a few swirls around my nose and my chin. 

Now let's have a few words about the packaging and the shade range. The foundation comes in a sleek glass packaging and has NO pump, though you can purchase it separately. I decided to give it a go without one first and it's working out perfectly fine for me as of now. And as far as the shade range goes, it's one of the best I've seen, so I'm sure you can find a match for yourself. They cover everything from pink and yellow undertones to light and dark shades. I opted for Deauville.

I haven't written a proper beauty review in what it feels like ages, so please forgive me if I missed any major points. If you have any more questions, though, I would be happy to answer them in the comment section below. Buying a new foundation is always a pain in the ass and you can never have too much information. 

My 'base makeup' routine is pretty much identical nine times out of ten, so instead of showing you the same process over and over again in every single makeup tutorial that I do, I decided to film a separate video, telling you which tools I normally use, and showing you how exactly I apply my foundations, correctors, concealers and powders to cover up imperfections and even out my skin complexion.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation is probably the most raved about foundation of this summer. Every review that I have read was positive, and when I noticed that people describe it as dewy and great for dry skin, I knew that I had to try it.

The foundation comes in a sturdy glass packaging with a pump, which is definitely welcoming. I still don't know why some companies keep coming out with foundations without pumps. It makes the application extremely messy and the amount of product that gets poured out is ridiculous.

My favourite thing about the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation is that it feels extremely light on my skin, but still offers a decent amount of coverage, which I would describe as medium and buildable. When you observe the foundation in the bottle, you can see that it contains tiny shimmers, but once you apply it, the shimmers are not visible at all. Your face does look quite dewy, though, so I think this is where the invisible shimmers do their magic. In terms of durability, the foundation stays on my dry skin all day long. However, I do have to powder my T-zone if I'm going out in the sun, because the foundations starts to melt off there once my skin gets oily. And now one last thing - dry patches. Dry patches are definitely my main skin problem and I cannot seem to find a foundation that wouldn't cling to them. This one is no different. But I did figure out what I need to do to minimize this problem. I need to stay away from brushes and apply my foundation with a wet sponge.

Just to give you an idea how the foundation looks on my skin, I decided to show you the before and after photos. On the left, you can see my makeupless face, and on the right, you can see me wearing the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. All in all, I think that this is the best foundation I've tried so far. It is very similar to the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, which I was using before, but slightly better. Unfortunatelly, the shade selection is rather poor and on a darker side. I have mine in 'Ivory', which I think is the lightest shade. Right now it is perfect for my yellow toned and slightly tanned skin, but once my tan starts to fade off, I don't think I'll be able to wear it anymore...

1) Crest 3D White Whitestrips Professional Effects: I've been hearing about the Crest whitestrips for ages and have always wanted to try them out, but I never knew which ones to get. I remember people saying that some of them are really harsh and make your teeth hurt, and since these whitestrips are not the cheapest, I really didn't want to risk buying the wrong ones. Last week, though, there were two girls on youtube praising the Professional Effects ones, so I'll take this as a sign and order some! 

2) Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation: I just ran out of my foundation, so I need to get a new one as soon as possible. A lot of bloggers and youtubers have been talking about the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation recently and they all seem to agree that it is amazing and great for dry skin. I'm seriously thinking about buying it. The only problem is that I don't know which shade to get, as I can only get it online. Do any of you maybe own the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation as well as the Bourjois Healthy Mix one in Vanilla or Light Vanilla? The shade comparison would really help me out... 

3) TonCase Phone Case: I've started thinking about changing up my phone case as soon as the winter was over, because my current one doesn't look particulary summery. It's cute and everything, but I'm looking forward to putting it aside until next winter. Now, I am one of those people who don't own an iPhone, so you can imagine how hard it is for me to find a pretty phone case. It's mission impossible, I'm telling you! The ones that I've found on ebay are either very similar to my current one or just plain boring. However, I did remember to check Etsy after months of browsing through ebay, and guess what? They have SO many cute ones on there! And not just for iPhones, woohoo! The one that you can see in the photo is a personal favourite of mine. It's just so me!

4) Persun Geometric Matching Shoulder Bag: Maaan, why couldn't I see that bag before buying this one to have it as my LA carry-on bag?! The one that I got looks like a beach bag and I'm really not loving it. This one, however, seems very chic and it is also big enough. I don't want to spend $50 on it now that I already have a bag, but it's so much prettier! What should I do?

5) Diorskin Nude BB Creme: I am desperate to try this one out! I promised to myself that I won't be spending a lot of money on foundations, because there are some great drugstore ones out there, but when it comes to BB creams, the story is completely different. I just can't find a cheaper one that would work for me. I'm not saying that I am sure this Dior one would be perfect for me, but since a lot of people with similar dry-to-combination skin type have been loving it, I would love to give it a try myself. I now just have to figure out if there's any way for me to get a tester or something at one of our drugstores. There's no way I'm buying such an expensive BB cream without making sure that it really does work for me first. 

6) Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum: I've been using the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (review here) for a really long time now, but I've recently heard that the serum version is even better for dry skin. I'll definitely be getting it before or after I try out the Wake Me Up Foundation. Has anyone maybe tried both? Which one do you prefer?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Don't forget to check out my current advertiser, http://www.thebestmakeupproducts.com/, a website with articles about make-up tips and other beauty related subjects.

Beauty Blender has been one of those things I've been dying to try out for ages, but I just couldn't justify the price - it costs about 19€. Luckily, I didn't buy it right before Christmas as I'd been contemplating to, because I think I've found a pretty good and a lot cheaper dupe. Now I'm not going to say that this sponge is just as good as the Beauty Blender, because I obviously haven't tried the beauty blender, but it works fantastic for me, so I'm glad I haven't made that splurge. 

In case you have no idea what I'm currently talking about, both Beauty Blender and the thing I'm going to talk about today - Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge - are make-up sponges used to apply foundation. But they are not your normal, triangular looking sponges that you normally see at a drugstore. To use them properly, you have to wet them under under a tap, squeeze out the excess water and then apply your foundation using the damp sponge. I apply my foundation by putting some of it on my hand, dipping the pointy part of the sponge in it and then tapping it on my face. After I put it on my face, I turn the sponge around and use the flat part to blend it in with the same tapping motion. I'll be publishing my 'Get Ready With Me' video in a couple of days, so you will be able to see how exactly I do it. 

As I have said, I use the sponge to apply my (liquid) foundation and I also started using it for my concealer. I'm seriously impressed with how it works. You can see how it makes my skin look like in the above photo (I'm wearing Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - full review here). It doesn't make my foundation look cakey and gives me the most natural look. I don't know how to explain it, but it sort of makes the foundation less thick and therefore more natural looking. The foundation does end up being a bit more sheer, though, but if you need more coverage, you can totally build it up. Right now, I prefer using it over all of my foundation brushes, even my favorite Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki Brush. You can get the Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge here for only 7€, which makes it three times cheaper than the Beauty Blender. So, who else is in love with this amazing invention?

During the colder months, I get some really dry patches on my cheeks, which  tend to look even worse when I apply foundation. I've been using Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua for more than a year now, but it unfortunately just doesn't work for me right now, so I've asked girls on twitter which foundation do they think would work best for my dry skin. Most girls sugested me the Bourjous Healthy Mix foundation and all I can say is THANK YOU! All of the drugstore foundations I've tried before were rubbish, so my expectations weren't too high, but holy crap! This foundation is awesome!

The best thing about it is that it doesn't cling to my dry patches, of course. But this is not everything. It also beautifully evens out my skin, gives it a healthy glow and blends perfectly. It's not even noticable that you're wearing it. Even my hair stylist said the other day that my skin looked gorgeous and I don't think she was aware of me having foundation on, haha. Anyway, I would say the foundation gives you medium coverage without looking cakey and stays on throughout the whole day. Oh, and the bottle also has a pump and therefore makes the application mess-free. Overall, I think this foundation is perfect for dry skin. I would definitely recommend it to you, as it's great value for money!

P.S. In case anyone's wondering, I have it in the shade 52 Vanilla, which works really well for my skin with a slight yellow undertone. You can see how it looks on me in my latest 'outfit of the day' post. 

Deja recently tagged me to do the 20$ make-up challenge, which means that I had to do my full face make-up with products worth less than 20$ (=16.30€). And let me tell you, this was way more difficult than it sounds. First of all, make-up in my country is much more expensive than it is in the USA, so you don't have a large selection of cheap products. Essence is probably the only brand that has cheap products which are not horrible. Secondly, I discovered that most make-up products I use are pretty darn expensive, so they were out of the question. The only thing that I could do was go to the store and try to find cheap products for this challenge, but I didn't want to spend my money on products which I would never use again, so what I did was try to find the cheapest products in my sister's make-up storage (except for the concealer and the eyeshadow duo - those are mine). Oh, and lastly, the brushes are also included in the 20$ mark, so I couldn't use  them either. 

Anyway, here are the products I've used:

♥ Essence's Clear & Matt Foundation €2.50

♥ Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Concealer €5.30 (avaliable here)

♥ Catrice's The Giant Mascara €5

♥ Essence's Stay With Me Lipgloss €2.5

♥ Elf's Duo Creme Eyeshadow €1.9

The sum up of the prices is 17,20 €, which is 1 euro above the price point, but considering the fact that I worked with the things I already have at home, I think that's good. Right?

First, I put on some Essence's foundation. With my hands. I really missed my Sigma stippling brush, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with this foundation. It wasn't patchy and the coverage was comparable to the Garnier BB Cream. The next product was concealer. I could use a cheaper one, but the Collection 2000 one is the only one I've found that somewhat covers my terrible under under eye circles, so I just went with that one. 

For my eyes, I first used Elf's Cream Eyeshadow Duo that I ordered from the UK about a year ago I think, but I've never used it before this challenge. And I'll probably never use it again, because it sucks. Big time. Not only is it extremely sticky, but it is also unblendable, smudgy, and creases like hell. Now the mascara. I've used my sister's Catrice's mascara which she loves, but I didn't find it very good. It clumped my lashes and I got it all over my lid, which doesn't usually happen to me. I also really missed my eyelash curler. I got so used to using it and I would definitely recommend one to every single one of you if you don't own it yet. It's a miracle product! Oh, and I was also really bummed I couldn't fill in my eyebrows. That makes the biggest difference to my face. 

The last thing I used was Essence's lip gloss. I usually go for a lipstick instead of a lipgloss because I don't like my lips to be sticky, but this one was quite nice. I really liked the color too!

Here are the before and after photos, so that you can see the transformation. What do you think? 

I'd been going back and forth whether to buy this foundation or not for a few months back in spring. I had heard many good reviews on youtube, but the price was way too high for me. Luckily, my mother got sick of my to-buy-or-not-to-buy questions and decided to buy it for me. :)

I had never had luck with my foundations. They either weren't the right color or made my skin look patchy, so I was really hoping this one would be good. And it is! The color I got it in is completely matching my skin tone (I tried it on my face at the departmen store before buying it), my dry patches now finally look like normal skin; it is long lasting; has a light to medium coverage but is also buildable; gives my skin an airbrushed effect; and  I don't even feel like I'm wearing any foundation. All in all, I think this is the best foundation for me and I'll definitely be repurchasing it despite the price. The only thing I have to warn you about is that you need to shake it really hard before using it; otherwise it will be very watery. 

Price: 35€ for 30ml

Avaliable here & here & here

AVON'S UCR CARNATION LIPSTICK

I don't have much to say about this lipstick. I really like the color of it and it's also quite moisturizing. Otherwise, it's just a normal lipstick, nothing special.

Price: I believe it was about 9€, but the Avon prices vary all the time...

Avaliable here

CHINA GLAZE'S SKYSCRAPER NAIL POLISH

This color is so pretty that words can't even describe it! But I have to be honest. This is one of my all time favorite nail polishes just because of the color. Why? It chips like crazy! It lasts a day and then my nails look like a hamster has been chewing on them, lol. Oh, and it's also really hard to get it off. I  actually just peel it off, because it would probably take me a day if I wanted to remove it with aceton. 

Price: depends on the country (I got it for 11€, but you can get it for $2.75 in the USA

Avaliable here