Make Up Forever Face & Body

You're most likely more familiar with the very well talked about MAC Face & Body and how many people rave about it - Check Christabel's post here. But have you heard/read about the MUFE Face & Body? This is my go to Holy Grail product for  'I woke up like this' face.

When I was on holiday in Singapore over Christmas 2013, I decided to pop in Sephora and the MUFE Makeup Artist, Amanda, in ION was there to assist me. She matched my skin to shade Alabaster Beige (32) which on the Sephora site says it is suitable for Light skin with yellow undertones. She applied it on my skin with a flat foundation brush and immediately I fell in love it. 

Alabaster Beige 32 
My hand is tanner than my face!

Smashbox Foundation Brush #13
£24.00 RRP

The foundation claims to be :

'Waterproof, ultra-light, water-based gel contains no emulsifiers and provides a totally natural, satin finish. Ideal for normal skin-types as well as for fine lines and large pores. Gives skin a uniform tone without accentuating imperfections' - Sephora

I vouch that it is ultra-light which is perfect for mature skin and for problematic skin. I love that the finish is super natural and leaves a thin layer of powder on the skin. Perfect for the humidity and heat! It also unifies the skin tone which can be seen in the picture below.

Before (L) and After (R)
1.5 pump

This is straight from my phone with no editing and with natural light against my face. You can see that my forehead has clearly caught the sun and my eye bags are showing. My skin on the left was prepped with my usually skincare and left to sink in for 10-15mins before application of the foundation. I applied it with the brush and applied a second layer of product just under my eyes to help cover my bags. As you can see it really unifies my skin and looks very natural. The foundation has a sheer - medium coverage if you let dry for 3mins and layer the product. 

Close-Up
Sheer Natural finish allowing freckles to show through
(Sorry for the terrible brow grooming!)

Finished Look
 Eyebrows & Mascara
*Products below

I have used the MAC F&B foundation before and if I had to choose between MAC (£21.50 for 50ml) and MUFE F&B (£29.95 for 50ml), I would definitely stick with MUFE despite it costing a little more than MAC. 

The fact that it finishes with a light powder finish means I get to walk out of the house without the worry of my T-Zone looking shiny. It locks in moisture into my skin and feels like I haven't got anything on at all. Provides a beautiful healthy glow and a very smooth touch finish unlike the MAC which I feel has a light tacky feeling. It is also incredibly long-lasting. It's a great face base contender for the 'No Makeup' Makeup look and I would imagine it gives a nice finish on the body and legs too! Oh, and it comes with a pump.

The cons is that it is pricy to begin with. Comes in a glass bottle which obviously means its a pain to lug it around on holiday. Asides from that, I really can't think of anything negative about this. 

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler | Lancomê Hypnôse Doll Eyes (WP) |
&Other stories Eyelash Brush | Shu Uemura Hard 9 in Sound Black |
MAC Pro Chromographic Pencil in NW25/NC30.

Definitely would recommend this product to try if you have the opportunity! The MUFE Face & Body is available to try in person at Guru Makeup Emporium on High Street Kensington, London. 

Have any of you tried this product before? Or, any other product recommendations quite similar to the above product? Do let us know in the comment box below!




Note:

I used the MAC Pro Chromographic Pencil as a concealer/highlighter under my eye brows to accentuate the shape of my unruly brows. No concealer was used to cover my under eyes or any other imperfections - just the layering of the foundation. 

Accent Colour: Pink

Frequently of late, I've been very lazy with makeup however when I do decide to put on a face I find myself reaching for the accent colour approach. I don't even know if that is a thing but I'm making it a thing here. I am currently in South East Asia (SEA) at the moment and when I travelled from London back home, I broke my journey in Thailand and found myself some handsome purchases!

NARS Cosmetic in SEA, I find, are priced very reasonable and not too far from the USD price. So when I saw it scattered around department stores in Bangkok, I could not resist myself. When I was there, I purchased NARS X Guy Bourdin Blush in Cœur Battant and NARS Satin Lip pencil in Yu. I also picked up a MAC Pro Chromographic Pencil Crayon Multi-Usages in NW25/NC30. 

Nars x Guy Bourdin Cœur Battant
(Limited Edition, Matte Finish, Fuschia, Cool Tone)

Nars Satin Lip Pencil Yu
(Permanent Collection, Satin Finis, Blue Based Medium Pink,
Cool Tone)

I am not a big fan of soft pinks as I find it very difficult to pull off and does not reflect my personality at all. However, if it is bright and bold. I'm all over it. I prepped my skin with a simple base of MUFE Face & Body and Nars Radiant Concealer. Then, I started to softly bronzed my face with Nars Casino and with a light hand apply the Nars Cœur Battant on the highest point my cheekbones in a slant focusing the pigment more on the outer part.

Accent Colour: PINK

I've been enjoying a minimalist approach to my eye make up frequently of late. It's a simple curl and loading it up with either a lengthening or a volumizing mascara. Today I chose to go for a Natural Volumizing finish with Maxfactor False Lash Effect (waterproof). The best tip I've learnt from a makeup artist (from the Liberty Nars Counter) was to tie a look in by dusting the blush you used on your eye outer 'V' of your crease. And that is exactly what I did in the look above. I finished the look with a light dust of Mac Select Sheer Pressed powder on the T-Zone.

Products used to achieve the look *

Since learning that great tip from the Nars MUA, I've been more meticulous about items that I buy and trying to create more cohesive looks using one accent colour. This look is so easy to achieve with the brights and I will definitely be sporting this kinda a look for quite a while! 

* NARS Casino Bronzer | MUFE Face & Body in Alabaster Beige (32) | NARS Radiant Concealer in Ginger | Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof | Eyeko Brow Gel | Mac Select Sheer Pressed in NC40 | NARS Cœur Battant Blush | Tom Ford Eyebrow Pencil in Espresso | Mac Chromographic pencil in NW25/NC30 | NARS Satin Lip Pencil in YU.

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My Skin, but better!

Oh hai, I'm Bob.

If you're a daily reader of Christabel's blog, you've probably seen/read of me in her most recent posts here and there. She's been trying to get me to start my own beauty blog but I have terrible commitment issues and am very shy to do so. 

However, spur of the moment kind of thing, Christabel has kindly invited me to guest blog here to test the water and hopefully to give her readers a diversity of products as I have the complete opposite skin type to Christabel. Thus, bringing me into my introduction and first beauty post.

My skin type:

• Autumn/Winter - Dry & Dehydrated
• Spring/Summer - Normal & Dehydrated 

As my skin is dehydrated all year round, one of my main concerns is that my face can look quite dull. My go to product to brighten and even out my skin is the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. I also have a thing for tinted moisturisers - especially ones you can build up the coverage. 

A little goes a long way

A pea size amount of product is enough for a sheer coverage all over the face and it will even out my skin tone and make it  look radiant, even and perfect - like I've just stepped out of the shower. It does not clog up the skin at all and feels super comfortable when you layer the product for more coverage. It still feels like you are wearing nothing on your face! 

When I don't have a tan (winter skin tone), I am St Moritz (Medium 1), as shown below:

Paris, France | February 2014
FOTD: Nars St. Moritz, one layer blended with fingers

At the moment, I use an even amount of St Moritz and Cuba mixed together to achieve my ideal shade. And when I progress into my tanned skin, I can blend Cuba (Medium 3) all over my skin quite comfortably. I don't normally powder my skin when I use this product as I like the dewy finish and powder tends to dry my skin out. 

NARS Cuba: This is all you need.

Tanned skin with no products

 NARS Cuba applied w/ fingers

The product is oil-free & non-comedogenic yet enough hydration making it ideal for any skin-type through out the year. It is a tinted moisturiser that delivers moisture unlike other tinted moisturiser, in my opinion. It does not leave a tacky feeling after application like Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturiser. 

Packaging is sleek, lightweight and very travel friendly. 

SPF 30 PA+++ 

Might look very pigmented but blends out like a dream! - Don't be intimidated.

If you are prone to shininess, I would definitely powder the skin as the optical brighteners in the product may accentuate that. 

Overall, a great product to invest if you're looking for a flexible tinted moisturiser!

Are you a tinted moisturiser junkie? Hit me up with your favourites down below.