I've been having a few problems with my foundation of late. I've happily had success with Benefit's Hello Flawless! that I got hold of at the weekend, however when I collected it the original purpose of my shopping trip was for Prescriptives (what can I say - I got distracted!) :-P
I switched formulas two months ago from Mary Kay's Normal to Dry skins formula to Combination to Oily formula. This was because after a huge improvement in finding the right skincare products for my skin, it had returned from dry and sensitive back to what it used to be - combination.
As my Normal to Dry foundation was compensating for dry skin and providing hydration where I didn't need it I chose to go for the Combination to Oily formula which was great at keeping oil at bay all day! One problem - although I was using exactly the same shade for some mad reason, in the new formula the shade appears too red on my skin. I tried bumping up a shade to a more olive-y tone to complement the olive undertones in my skin but no, too orange.
I decided I'd had enough and had been eyeing up Prescriptives for a good month. I'd been reading interesting reviews and had visited their website. Their products are non-comedogenic (great!) and the MU Artists at the counter really listen to what you're looking for and find out the perfect match ideal for your skin. You can even go the extra mile and have your foundation custom made right in front of you!
I've often walked past Prescriptives' counter in House of Fraser. The poor girls very rarely get a visit from anyone, which is worrying because they do have great customer service and what they essentially offer is a really unique approach to makeup. I think the unfortunate thing for the counter at my House of Fraser is that it's right opposite MAC - with its bright posters, colourful collections and music it's hard to not want to wander over there instead.
But that doesn't mean to say Prescriptives isn't worth the time of day. Their products are a little more expensive but no more so than Estee Lauder or Dior for that matter. But what you pay for is their approach in making makeup unique for you and your skin, providing a personalised service so that you get everything out of makeup that you want and need, because everyone's different! Hence the name, essentially your makeup is 'prescribed' to you based on assessments of your skin.
I came away with Flawless Skin foundation, which retails at £28. The packaging is very nice, simple but a lot like Clinique's packaging. It comes in a 30ml frosted glass bottle so it's quite heavy - if you don't mind carrying that sort of thing round in your handbag then great but if you do I suggest getting hold of a cheap dispenser tube/bottle so you can transfer some into that for on the go!
Flawless Skin claims to works to "protect against sun damage and external assaults" - as it contains SPF 15, another bonus! It goes on to say it "achieves a flawless finish while working 'undercover' to provide your skin with superior skincare protection and boosts skin's own internal defenses against damaging environmental assaults...This lightweight, long-wearing foundation provides natural-looking medium to full coverage for all skin types. Available in 30 shades. Oil free."
I thought when I explained my skin type to the MUA I'd end up with Virtual Matte - their foundation for oilier skins. However Flawless Skin is ideal for combination skins like mine because it's oil-free so doesn't add oil to where there's already plenty but also manages to keep other drier areas hydrated.
Once we determined what formula I'd be having the MUA got to work on "Colorprinting" me - this is the method used by Prescriptives to determine your skin tone and which family it sits in: Yellow/Orange, Red/Orange, Red or Blue/Red. I'm Red/Orange. I have undertones of olive within my skin but I also have rosy cheeks and a hint of red in my skin so I need a foundation that will bring out that peachiness that I have.
Once she Colorprinted me and showed me to make sure I was happy with her conclusion she got to work applying the foundation. She tried two of the lightest shades and it turned out I was Vanilla. I've been using the foundation since, and I save it for weekends and nights out as it's my HG foundation so I don't want to get through it too quickly.
It's fantastic, you need very little - probably not much more than a 5 pence piece-sized drop on the back of your hand so despite the cost I can see this foundation lasting a long while! Then take your foundation brush or stippling brush and get to work. It's very easy to put on, distributes nicely across the skin and blends in beautifully. It makes my skin feel very fresh and dewy and it's the PERFECT shade to my skin colour - no more 'mask' of foundation which I hate - a beautifully clean match.
It also lasts all day and doesn't slide off my face in my T Zone but keeps my skin looking matte but not dull. It's great, in fact I'd almost say that Flawless Skin isn't a bad name because the finish is very natural and it almost looks like my own skin just without the odd blemish - a more even tone all over! I can see this being my ultimate favourite product for months to come...
If you live in the UK you can't buy Prescriptives online but you can find them in any House of Fraser and also QVC.
Visit their website
here.
Image Source
Image courtesy of Prescriptives.com
I can't keep up with this - more bad news from the makeup and beauty industry! I read today that Estee Lauder are closing down their global Prescriptives brand. Estee Lauder's CEO and President Fabrizio Freda announced on the website that this has been due to the fact that the brand's "long term business model is no longer viable given the current market environment”.
