Showing posts with label Foundation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foundation. Show all posts

Saturday, 28 August 2010

Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation.

When Illamasqua first launched, their foundations were one of the first things I purchased, being the total foundation junkie that I am. I actually purchased the cream version first of all, and I love that, so I went back for more. The rich liquid foundation is a real stand by for nights out, and for days when I don't want my makeup to budge an inch. I also love it for bad skin days - The rich liquid gives absolutely the fullest coverage I have ever seen from a liquid foundation, and I have even used it in place of a concealer when needed. It's a versatile product too, and can be mixed with a moisturiser or a lighter foundation for a lighter look. 

Their light foundation on the other hand has always left me feeling a little undecided. I loved the look it gave, however I hated the fact that it separated like a demon. I could have shaken the bottle til kingdom come, and sometimes separation would still occur. It was like an unreliable boyfriend, always leaving me wanting more, but also feeling like there was so much more potential there...

So Illamasqua were also obviously aware of this problem, and they decided to reformulate the product. I've had this for a good couple of months now, and I have been using it regularly.

So as well as a reformulation, the colours in the range have also been reviewed, and this now comes in various shades, with neutral, pink and golden undertones. This is no bad thing - some of the older shades had a slight grey tinge to them, and in my opinion the new shades are a little bit easier to choose from. The online swatches are very good too, obviously I would always recommend going to a counter for a foundation match if you can, but the website has images of people wearing the foundation so you can select the skintone most similar to yours.

I was sent the shade 135, which is designed for light skin with golden undertones.

As you can see, the design of the bottle has not changed. Its handy to be able to see the colour through the bottle as well, especially if you are using these in a makeup kit, and need to mix shades. Product is dispensed through a nozzle, so it's hygienic too.

The shade range itself seems pretty comprehensive to me - darker shades are covered as well as lighter shades, which is always good to see - there are not many ranges that do this. The shade I was sent for reviewing suits my skintone very well, but I'm pretty sure that there are a couple of others in the range too that I could use to good effect - I'd describe my skintone as neutral but the golden tone in 135 works well on me, and I'd expect 133 (light neutral), or even 140 (medium golden) to work on my skin if I was tanned.

The real acid test though, is whether the old separation issue has been resolved...
I'm pleased to say - and offer the photographic evidence above, that it has! The foundation looks the same now as it did on the day it arrived, there has been no change in consistency, and I haven't had to shake it up for hours on end before I use it. In fact I don't have to shake it full stop.

The foundation offers a fairly light coverage - its great if you have fairly decent skin that just needs a little bit of evening out, although I do use this when I have breakouts, and just supplement with concealer - I don't really like the feel of a full coverage on my skin when I have blemishes - I sometimes just feel like heavy foundations look fine on but feel like they are clogging my skin up even more when it is already upset... does that make sense to anyone else apart from me?

So how does this look on the skin? I think as with most foundations, this will vary according to your skin type - on oilier skins, this will look dewier, and on drier skins it will look more satin or matte.  I personally have dry-combination skin at the moment (it seems to change at different times of year!), and this gives a satin effect on my skin, ie neither matte nor dewy, but very natural looking...

Above - skin before. I've even bravely showed a little blemish here too so you can see how much blemish coverage this offers...
Above - the skin after application.

For some reason, my skin looks a different colour in the two pictures. I think the light might have changed in between taking the first and second pics, because the foundation did not change the colour of my skin! Crazy ass camera - nothing to do with my skills, or lack of on the photography front I'm sure *looks embarassed*.

The important thing to look at though, is the coverage and look of the foundation - its a foundation you can still "see the skin" through, so looks very natural, but it also does a good job of unifying the skintone.  As I have already mentioned, It has given me a satin finish.

This foundation lasts well on my skin too - I do set with powder in the centre of the face, as I do with all foundations, and this lasts throughout the working day for me. This has actually become a foundation I reach for pretty regularly, for everyday use - I don't like to look too heavily made up for work, but there are days when my skin looks dog rough, and this gives me a bit of pep, without looking like I have a full face of makeup on... But basically if you are looking for a full coverage look, this may not be for you!

Because the foundation is SPF free, it photographs well, but obviously you'd need to apply your SPF separately to protect the skin from the sun...

Verdict - great if you don't need a lot of coverage, evens out the skin tone and offers light coverage. May work better for less oily skin types.

Disclaimer - this product was sent by Illamasqua for review purposes. I am not paid for my review, and neither am I obliged to say positive or negative things about products sent to me for this purpose. My reviews are always honest, and based on my own experiences with a product. Please consider your own needs and skin type before purchasing. As always I would always encourage you to read as many reviews of this product on other sites as possible.

Thursday, 21 January 2010

Revlon Colourstay Mineral Mousse

I purchased this foundation with my own sweet dollar (or to be more precise, UK sterling) recently at Boots... I've been intrigued by the Revlon colourstay line, since I first started to hear raves about the colourstay liquid foundation.

 
So when I saw this gracing the shelves, I decided that maybe this would be worth a try - The mineral thing always appeals to me, with dry skin which somehow also manages to breakout occasionally, but with the flexibility of a mousse/liquid formula... This was on special offer in Boots - I think it was approx £10.00, but may retail for a couple of quid more at full price... You get 30mls of the product, and it contains SPF20, which a pretty good SPF level for a drugstore range - most mineral powders run at around SPF15.
More pics and review after the jump!

Tuesday, 3 November 2009

Max Factor Second Skin Foundation

The latest drugstore foundation on the block is this offering from Max Factor. As a foundation junkie, I often purchase these new drugstore foundies, and then one use later I've remembered why I like high end foundation - the drugstore versions don't usually last well, and I can rarely get a decent colour match. I'd all but given up on drugstore foundation, but seeing raves on BritishBeautyBlogger, as well as HollyYMBB's you tube video made me want to try a slice of the action.

I hot-footed it down to Superdrug where this is on offer at the moment for £9.99 - similar offers are on in Boots and Tesco's at the moment, it normally costs about £14 I believe, and you get 30mls in a bottle

Max Factor claim this is "virtually undetectable even to the professionals. Now Second Skin uses clever multi-tonal pigment technology to smooth over and blend flawlessly into your own natural complexion in seconds. No lines, no traces and perfect in any light; so no-one will ever know it's not all you..."

Packaging wise, this comes in a glass bottle with a hygenic pump (Question - if Drugstore brands can do this, why can't NARS et al?), and looks like this - sorry for the google images, I forgot to take a shot of the product and my batteies are flat now...


So far so good, but the problem is that the foundation only comes in five shades - and definitely won't work, colour wise, on dark or black skin. I was lucky enough to find a decent match - lightest shade (surprise surprise), shade 40, Creamy Ivory, is a really good match for me, it adds a very slight touch of warmth, but this is good - stops me looking corpse like.

I've been applying it with my fingers which is my current favourite method of applying liquid foundation (mainly because washing foundation brushes is a pain, but also because it usually gives streak-free results). I use about two or three pumps for the whole face. which works well for me. It results in a very natural looking low to medium coverage...


Left - skin without foundation; Right - skin with foundation applied.

The foundation gives really really natural looking results - a "my skin but better" type of look, feels very light on the skin and evens out the skin-tone really well. It's easy to work with - I personally think the finger method works really really well with this foundation, and helps it to blend in with the skin.

Obviously coverage wise, its not going to work if you have a lot of blemishes or very uneven pigmentation, so bear that in mind when deciding if its for you. I have combination/dry skin, and this feels comfortable on my skin - not too drying and not too oil provoking. I'm not sure how well this would work on oily or very dry skin, so check other reviews too if that applies to you.

It lasts well too for a drugstore foundation - I set it in the t-zone with a light dusting of loose powder and it lasts around 8 hours on me - I have to touch up with powder in the t-zone every 3-4 hours, but this is fairly standard for me.

The Max Factor website is currently offering free samples to try, which is well worth a looksie!
Have you tried this? How did you get on with it?

hope this helps!

MizzWorthy xxx

Wednesday, 7 October 2009

Laura Mercier Moisturising Foundation...


I really do hate to admit it after the pushy, erm critical service I recieved at the Laura Mercier counter the other night at the selfridges event, but I tried this for the first time today at work, and I have to begrudgingly admit this stayed on well and looked good all shift... In short first impression is that this is good.

I wore it over my Illamasqua Matt Primer, and set with a light sweep of my ELF complexion perfection and it was good - I will keep looking for faults though lol...Obviously this formula is moisturising s would not work too well on oily skins...

One thing I will say is that the sponges that were forced on me I also picked up were a bit of a pain - applying foundation using a sponge might look great, but i's time consuming and I can get just as good a result using either my fingers or a brush using a lot less product - and at £31 a bottle this is a good thing...

Anyone else used this?

MizzWorthy xxx

Thursday, 16 July 2009

Foundation Reviews - RMK and Jemma Kidd

RMK Creamy Foundation


I've been wanting to get my hands on RMK's creamy foundation for a long time now, especially after seeing how good it looks in Pixiwoo's fab videos... So I decided to treat myself to it last Thursday whilst attending a Selfridges beauty event...

(Oh, and while we are on the subject of the Selfridges beauty event - I was very disappointed with my goodie bag this time around - just loads of perfume samples - I was not happy when I opened it, especially after the last event where we all got a free clarins lip gloss!)

Anyway, back to the foundation - RMK is the best selling high end makeup brand in Japan, and was created by makeup artist Rumiko. I think that being designed by a makeup artist has definitely created a high quality brand - I have tried several of the items from their skincare range too and have been impressed by a lot of that too...

This cost me approx £28 for a 30g jar, and comes in a square glass container, emblazoned with RMK's usual homage to makeup lust - "Choose Me; Take Me; Open Up". It comes with a small spatula to get the product out of the jar hygenically (Although you could easily loose this, it must be said!)
In consistency, this foundation is similar to whipped cream - i.e. its thicker than a liquid, however it's not as solid as a mouse type foundation. I find one scoop using the spatula is more than adequate to cover my face, and I have been applying with my flat illamasqua foundation brush (similar to a MAC 190).



I have to say, this is one of the nicest foundations I've come across in a long time - it blends like a dream, and provides medium to full coverage. Without powder it gives the skin a lovely dewiness, and a glow, without looking oily, and when set with powder it still has a lovely glow, only less so (depending how heavy you go with the powder obviously!)



There is a fairly good colour range - but those with very dark and very pale skin may not be able to find a colour match. The range comes in yellow undertones and pinky undertones (but nowhere near as pink as MACs range...) - I purchased the shade 201, which is the palest pinky undertoned shade, and it's a lovely match for me.



I would say this one is suitable for normal to drier skin types - those with oilier skin, or who prefer a matte finish might prefer a lighter/less moist formula - also some people might find it too high coverage in the summer, and it might loose points for some as it has no SPF (I personally don't believe that the SPF in most cosmetics is worth a button anyway - you'd have to apply half a bottle to get the level of protection they promise!)



For me though, this is worth every penny, and a definite re-purchase - love it!



Jemma Kidd Pro - "Skin Rescue Bio-Complex Veil" with SPF 15
I recently picked this up after watching a few reviews on you tube which piqued my interest in the brand - having loved her foundation brush number 10 I decided this had to be worth a try! That said, I almost choked as I handed over £31.31 for this at Space NK!



The product makes a lot of claims - "A revolutionary 'all in one' moisturiser, prep, primer, illuminator and tint. Age defying botanical complexes and active peptides protect and repair skin. SPF15 for Added protection"... Designed to be used under or instead of foundation either with a brush or fingers. Limited colour range - Pink and yellow undertones, but only a couple of shades for each one.

The packaging is nicely designed - a hybrid between a tube and a pump, so its hygienic to use. You get 35mls so slightly more than the standard 30mls.... As for the product itself, some days I think its amazing, other days I think its a just ok... On good skin days, this looks great on, and just evens out the skintone and gives you that "my own skin but better" look... on bad skin days it doesn't seem to do much as it is very low coverage alone.

The product feels nice on the skin, and has that "slippy" feel you only really get from silicone based products (dimethicone being the second ingredient listed!) - that'll be why this is also recommended as a primer then!

I usually wear this with a light dusting of transclucent powder over the top, and it doesn't "ball up" on the skin like some silicone based products I have tried, which is a bonus. It lasts reasonably well - about 5 hours or so while I'm at work.

Overall, this product hasn't made a massive impression on me really, and I doubt I'd repurchase at this price... Would recommend this for people with good skin who want it look even better, but forget it for problem or oily skin types in my opinion.

Anyone else used either of these? Any recommendations on how I can work the Jemma Kidd product - at that price I'll have to use it up lol!

MizzWorthy x

Sunday, 18 January 2009

New MAC foundation?

Hi everyone,

Bought the Feb edition of Elle magazine, because it has an article about new beauty products of 2009....

Well I am very excited now because the first thing the article mentions is a foundation coming out by MAC, called 'Studio Sculpt' which is a full coverage foundation with a 'creamy gel like' consistency.

There is also a matching concealer coming out!

I have done a little investigating and there is a bit of a buzz on specktra about it, but can't find any info re launch dates in the UK etc...

Anyone know anything?

Can't wait to review this when it comes out!

MizzWorthy xx

Sunday, 11 January 2009

MAC Foundation Review No. 3: Mineralize Satinfinish SPF 15.

Ok, so next in my series of reviews. Once again I'm going to be adding a few of the views I've picked up on through makeup alley reviews, so as to give you a balanced idea of what to expect from this foundation.

So the foundation costs £18.60 for 30ml here in the UK. MAC describe the foundation on the website in the following way ;

"A fluid foundation that blends the natural light-reflecting properties of micro-minerals with a smooth satin finish. Provides a low-to-medium buildable coverage with a skin-flattering, slightly luminous look. Helps make your skin appear, radiant, healthy, re- energized. Contains vitamins A, C and E to help nurture and condition the skin. Provides everyday broad spectrum UVA/UVB SPF 15 sun protection. Long-wearing. Good for all skins. Especially suitable for normal-dry skins."

The vitamins and mineral content of this foundation are responsible for giving this foundation its described skin friendly qualities. I think that of all the MAC foundations I have tried this is the one which I feel least effects my skin (having said that though, my skin doesn't really react badly to a lot of makeup). As with all liquid foundation though, careful removal and cleansing of the skin is an important factor in reducing breakouts and maintaining healthy skin. This foundation got very mixed reviews on makeup alley, with only 50% of people stating that they would repurchase.

The foundation has been around for a couple of years now and appears to be the replacement for MAC's hyper real foundation which is now discontinued. (I recently emailed MAC to ask if they still sold Hyper real in pro stores and was advised that I should try this instead...) Hyper real was often criticised for being too shimmery to use for daytime, and this appears to be MAC's attempt at a more subtle dewy effect foundation which will work outside of a nightclub...

The packaging of this foundation seems to be very well designed in comparison to some of MACs other liquid foundation (possibly due to this being a more recently launched product..), in that it comes with a pump integrated into the cap, so unlike with eg studio fix fluid you don't have to pay separately for a pump. This is also a benefit in terms of hygiene and helping the foundation to last longer. It's in a frosted glass bottle and the pump cap is actually well designed as well - the pump twists to lock, making it usable for travel etc.

As far as colour goes, the foundation comes in 18 shades, with both the NC and NW ranges reasonably well covered. The foundation runs fairly true to colour in that not many people have found it too dark/light compared with their other MAC foundations.

I bought this foundation in NW20, which is slightly the wrong colour for me - too pink, so I recently swapped it with a friend for some other products, but I did use it for some time and so I'll be basing this review on my experiences with it rather than with the colour match (for reference I gave it to Happy1234 who has posted a picture of herself wearing it, if you want to get an idea of how it looks!). I do intend to repurchase it in the right colour soon...

The foundation has a thickish creamy texture and can be applied to the skin using fingers or a brush. I wouldn't recommend a sponge for it as it would probably soak too much of the foundation up. I find it quite easy to blend. It gives coverage up to a medium level (I sometimes need to use a concealer under it with a blemish ir to hide dark circles...), so probably wouldn't be suitable for problem or blemished skins. I found the foundation lasted well on me, easily for an evening out, but probably would need a touchup on oily areas if I was wearing it through the day. It does last longer if set with powder - MSF Natural seems to work well without dulling the finish down. You can of course play about with the finish by adding strobe cream or using different powder/not using powder at all...

The foundation is not drying, in fact it feels quite light and moist really on my skin, which is combination/dry, but not particularly blemish prone. A lot of the negative reviews on makeup alley seem to be from people with oily or blemish prone skin. The main problem seems to be that the foundation becomes very shiny on oily skin and looks greasy. So it's one to avoid if you have oily skin.

The foundation does give the skin a dewy finish. It doesn't seem to stray too far with this into 'shiny' territory, just gives the skin a nice luminosity. Of course, this is my experience with my skin - other people feel that it makes them look too shiny, but again this depends on the skin type you have and also on the look you want. It looks good in photographs as well on me, and despite the light luminosity it gives/light reflecting properties it has, I don't find it gives me the 'white out' effect I have had with other luminizing foundations which contain SPF.

I'd always recommend checking the skin type recommendations for a foundation before you buy, so as to avoid disappointment!

Hope this has been useful for some of you, and as usual I'd love to ge any comments/experiences from you all about this foundation...

Love Mizzworthy xxx

Sunday, 4 January 2009

MAC Foundation Review No. 1: Studio Tech



Hi everyone, I've mentioned on here that I have a few of the MAC foundations, and was asked to do a review of them by Happy1234. Well I'm happy to oblige, but I'm sure you all know by now how I like to go on a lot/give a lot of information in my reviews! So rather than reviewing all the foundations in one go, I'll do them one by one, and all feedback/comments as usual will be greatfully received!


First of all, I'll describe the packaging and say a little bit about the colour system that MAC use for their foundations. I have also looked at a lot of feedback and reviews on the makeup alley website about this, so I'll try to present a rounded view of the product so you can decide whether or not you think it might work for you.

MAC organise the colours for this foundation into warm or cool. Cool foundations are more yellow based, while warm colours are more pink/red based. So the NC group are neutral cool - ie yellow/olive based colours, while NW(Neutral Warm) are more pink toned. NC or NW is then followed by a number - the higher the number the more dark the foundation. For reference I am an NC20 in this foundation.

Ok, so Studio Tech is a cream foundation, which comes in a compact. When you open the compact there is a mirror in the lid, and the foundation is below this. It is housed in a sealed foiled section, which keeps it hygienic until you want to start using it. Under the foundation, there is another compartment which contains a flat, round cosmetic sponge. I personally don't use the sponge as I find it soaks up products which means you end up wasting a lot (and in the UK, this costs £21.53 for 10g), I also find you get a much more controlled and airbrushed application using a brush (I use a 109). A lot of the reviewers on make up alley also seem to find this method works well for them, some use a flat foundation brush, others prefer a stippling brush like the 187. Sponges are also breeding grounds for germs, and repeated use of one sponge will cause breakouts etc if you are prone...


The foundation is a blend of water, emollients and powder, it does NOT dry to a powder finish - you would need to set it with a powder to achieve that look. It is buildable, and can be used to give light to full coverage. I find that the coverage can also be blended, ie, I apply the basic level of coverage I want, and can then add extra coverage wherever I need it and blend out the areas of differing coverage really easily. I usually dust it over with mineral skin finish natural powder to set it. I find that this will last for around 4-5 hours. I usually need retouching around the t-zone first, but I find it lasts long enough for an evening out without needing a retouch.

I also find that this being a cream foundation. It tends to 'cling' onto my blusher better - blush usually just disappears on me, because I'm pale so can't put too much on. With this foundation I blend my blusher in (usually I'll use a cream blush with this), prior to dusting over MSF, and I find it works really well. Due to the good coverage I get from it, I usually don't need to use a lot of concealer.

I'd say this foundation would work better for drier skins - a lot of the makeup alley reviews by people with oily/combination skin are more negative, and state that they find the foundation disappears quicker and causes them to break out, so I'd use with caution should you have oilier skin types or be prone to breakouts. In addition, some people with very dry skin feel that this really highlights dry areas - I have dryish skin and don't find this a problem as long as I make sure I moisturise well.

As much as I love this foundation, I don't think I could use it every day, and I can see why some people wouldn't like it, but I love it! This is my HG foundation for evenings! I also wear this at weekends sometimes, and is probably the one I'd take away with me for a weekend as I feel it's possibly the most versatile foundation I currently own. I can get a light dewy look by using it without powder and build it right up to a full on flawless perfectly 'done' face.

Another point about this foundation is that it has a texture which is almost 'skin like', and also photographs really well - the pictures on here in the rocker eye entry were taken while I was wearing this foundation.

Well I hope that this was useful and has answered some questions about this foundation, but feel free if you have any questions about it to post a comment and I'll try my best to answer it.

Also, does anyone else use this? What do others think of it?

Next review will be for studio fix fluid. I will also be reviewing mineralise satinfinish spf15, full coverage and mineralise loose powder foundation. If anyone has a particular request about any mac foundation, or a question that you want me to address in my review then just let me know and I'll do my best

Mizzworthy xxx

Saturday, 3 January 2009

Singing the Praises of the MAC 109...

Ok, so when I first bought this brush I didn't really get what youtubers and other reviewers were raving about in regards to using this with foundation. I'm holding my hands up, and I admit I was WRONG... so very very wrong... I applied my studio fix with this today, and also my studio tech with it the other day, and the results were very impressive. I did find that the brush shedded a few hairs, but I'm only talking about like two all together, and it's only been washed once (I always wash new brushes before using them - you don't know who's been fondling them in the shop lol)

I particularly liked the way I could use this brush to build up coverage on the less desirable, blotchy bits of my face, which would be a little more difficult with the 187 because it has a larger head to it, and herefore covers larger areas than the 109. I'm still glad I have the 187 though and will continue to make good use of it. I'll use it for foundation applications on days when I have better skin/ am in a rush, powder and creme blush applications...

I actually discussed the use of the 109 with the MUA at MAC prior to buying it, and she said that while it does give great results it's made of natural hair and as such will probably absorb more product than the 187, so people using this might go through more product. She also said that it might not last as long as a 187 as people tend to press the 109 into the skin too hard and this damages the hairs making them prone to breaking. Conversely the longer white hairs on the 187 are synthetic and so they don't absorb product and are less prone to breakage. So it seems the key is to treat this brush kindly, condition it after washing, and don't press too hard into the face - In fact I actually found that a lighter touch with this gave better results...

Hope this helps...

What are your favourite foundation brushes?

Mizzworthy xxx

Wednesday, 31 December 2008

More MAC Haulage and Foundation Dilemma...

I must have been a very good girl this year, as Santa brought me (amongst other things) £50 in MAC vouchers - YAY! (Other makeup I got was from Bare Escentuals - I got the rocker eye kit and the Gold Gossamer set, and also a Buxom gloss in the shade Dolly - Reviews of all to come!)

So anyway, I went to the MAC store in Liverpool yesterday. My current makeup obsession is getting flawless skin, and playing around with different foundation looks, so I'm trying to build up my collection of foundations etc, and I had my eyes on a couple from MAC. I know a lot of people have bad reactions/breakouts with MAC foundations, I don't seem to be affected by this, but I don't usually wear liquid foundation every day - I usually wear mineral foundation for work or just casual looks. I do like to go for it some times though - nights out and special occasions. Anyway, I'm going off the point as usual. So to cut a long story short I recently got studio tech in NC20. I previously had it in NW20, which initially looked ok but I started to notice it was getting too pink on me. When I went yesterday I asked to be matched for studio fix fluid, and also full coverage foundation. I told the MUA I'd recently been matched for NC20 in the studio fix. She said that the other foundations were usually a close match shade wise and painted them both on with a 190 type brush. In studio fix fluid, NC20 made me look like a Simpsons character, while NC15 made me look like a ghost. The MUA suggested that I should try NW's, NW20 and NW15 both looked good but I went for NW15, as I thought it looked slightly more natural, I also like the fact that my skin is quite pale, I don't want to look tanned or anything, just flawless...

So we soldiered on to the full coverage - wierdly in this I matched NW20 the best.

Anyway, I was trying the studio fix fluid at home again today - initially it looked perfect, I really like the finish of this foundation. Then about half an hour later - I noiced a very slight pink look around my jaw. It seems to match my skin perfectly in the middle of my face - but look slightly pink around the jaw, probably no one else would notice, and I don't know if I'm being too picky. My boyfriend said it looked fine, but please bear in mind that this was after he commented "oh, I didn't realise you had makeup on...".

I think my skin is really awkward to match. I have both golden and pinky tones on my face and body. My neck is really pale in comparison to my face too...

I'm wondering if anyone else has used the full coverage foundation. I'm worried in case it runs dark and looks even more pink on my jaw. I'm not sure whether to keep it or take it back and get an NC colour... Oh dilemma!

Anyway, I also got the much coveted 109 brush. I tried it with my foundation today. It is really good, but I think might work better with a creamier foundation as studio fix seems to set too quickly to get the full benefit of the blending abilities of this brush, so I'll carry on using my 187 with this foundation. I'm glad I got the brush though... I also got fluidline in blacktrack, as I never had this before ( I know, I can't believe it either!), and a pan for my shadow palette in humid, which is a gorgeous green shade...

Oh and on the subject of MAC - I am NEVER going to that store in the school holidays again. It was full of adolescents in groups competing to be the loudest and shrieking at each other about lipglosses. One of them managed to throw a whole pot of loose powder over some other poor customer. The MUA's looked really pissed off, and I don't blame them. Also this guy came in who obviously liked to wear makeup, and most of them were just really rude and staring and sniggering about him. I was mortified on their behalf! Anyway I got out alive... with sanity intact... just about xxxx xxx xxxx