Vichy Dermablend

Just after my birthday in April I had a monumental breakout leaving me with very red, sore, bumpy - and extremely unattractive - skin, mainly around my chin area.  I know this was down to a huge hormonal surge due to my ongoing peri-menopausal symptoms (read about it here) & it was really leaving me feeling very depressed & self-conscious.  Without going on some very heavy-duty acne treatments, which I didn't want to do, I knew I was going to have to give my skincare routine & makeup a huge shakeup so I really couldn't have been contacted at a better time by the lovely folk at Vichy.

They asked me if I'd be interested in trying their Dermablend Corrective Foundation & their new Liftactiv Supreme moisturiser, and knowing the benefits of the Dermablend range, I took them up on their very kind offer!  After choosing my shade & skin type from the options on their website, I received a parcel from them a few days later & discovered they'd also very kindly enclosed a Dermablend Corrector Stick to me to try.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Dermablend range, it is known & well-loved for it's fantastic camouflaging abilities, covering skin imperfections such as scarring, redness, uneven skintone etc. without leaving your skin feeling like it's been totally caked in thick, heavy makeup.  The SPF 35 foundation has a medium consistency & blended evenly.  The website recommends to apply using fingertips or a damp sponge, although I'd like to try it with a Beauty Blender too so that's next on my list to order!  It's easily buildable should you require more coverage but for me, I only used a very small amount for my entire face & neck.  I chose the lightest shade Opal, which was just a tad on the pale side for me, especially as I now have a hint of a tan on my face but I will buy another one in a slightly deeper shade - it's just that good!

The SPF 30 corrector stick, as you can see comes in a twist-up bullet & has a much thicker consistency, but the coverage is seriously unbelievable with this!! I had at the time of photographing, a big red bump on my chest & I very lightly patted the teeniest amount of this over the top with my fingertip & it just vanished with absolutely no hint of redness to be seen.  And it did not shift or melt away all day, amazing, really!  You can see this with the before & after shots I've taken.

As I have rosacea & acne scarring, I am the perfect candidate for trying this & showing it to you because I am truly very impressed with these products!  Unfortunately (for me, that is!!) this means that I have to be completely bare skinned & makeup free for all the world to see which is some feat seeing as I haven't been seen in public sans maquillage since 1990!!!  But to be totally fair to the product & to show it's coverage honestly, here are my totally untouched before & after shots, redness,  lumps, bumps & all!!

Completely bare skin, eeeek!

With a very light application of Dermablend foundation, no other makeup

Dermablend foundation & corrective stick, blush, eye makeup & nude lip balm

Muuuuch happier!!  (I was also testing my new Eyeko liquid eyeliner pen, review to come!)

Such a happy camper aren't I, I honestly don't feel as miserable as I look here!!  But look how it's completely evened out any redness & even though a couple of bumps can still be seen on my chin, the coverage is amazing!!  It's so highly pigmented, you really do need the tiniest of amounts so the tube will last for ages, you can't fail to be impressed!

What do you think?!  Is anyone else a fan to the Vichy Dermablend range?  Keep an eye out for my review of the Liftactiv Supreme, coming very soon!!

I blame the babysitter!

I remember the day so well - our usual babysitter Jane had turned up to look after me & my sister & as she walked in, she handed us a bag of things to share out between ourselves.  In this bag was a huge collection of makeup that she was clearing out & my 8 year old self squealed with excitement!  We spent a happy couple of hours sharing out the goodies but the one item I really, really wanted - and that I hoped my sister wouldn't call dibs on first! - was a bright red lipstick from Estée Lauder.  I did end up with the lipstick & this was the day my love of makeup & beauty products began!

From that day on, I would take my crimped-hair self into town & my pocket money was spent in the local chemist buying all sorts of garish electric blue mascara & the only lipstick that made the whitest of teeth look like they were being subjected to 60 fags a day, Twilight Teaser (it was the 80s after all!), tiny cans of Insett hairspray that would leave my hair hard enough to take an eye out & the ubiquitous pink bottles of Impulse - I loved it all & just wanted to look like Madonna.......or Boy George, ahem!

Photo from Amazon

Photo from Sali Hughes Beauty

Now, 31 years later, I can't walk past Boots or Debenhams without going in & perusing the makeup aisles first.  I just love makeup - there, I've said it!  I love the whole artistry about it & how even the simplest of swipes with a mascara brush makes me feel sooooo much better.  If we have a big night out planned, 9 times out of 10 I'm not so much bothered about what I wear, but about what 'face' I'll be doing & do I complement or clash the nails?!  In fact, I've been known to choose my outfit after choosing what makeup I want to wear first! It's my favourite part of getting ready, whether for a night out or doing the school run & it would be extremely rare to catch me outside my home sans maquillage.

I don't see a problem with this whatsoever.....but for some bizarre reason, other people do seem to have a problem with this & this really upsets me.  For starters, it's nobody's business if I want to wear red lipstick when I drop my son at school at 8.50am & secondly, I would never judge anyone for not wanting to wear makeup so I cannot fathom why someone would feel that they can judge me for doing so.  

One of oldest friends always asks why I wear 'so much' makeup everyday, that I don't need it blah de blah but the truth is, I wear it because I love it & I feel more like 'me' with it on.  At a size 16, I am larger than I'd like to be & more often than not, feel extremely body conscious so I love to make an effort with my makeup, it just makes me feel so much better about myself - is this wrong...or too vain?   And can I just state for the record, that a regular day for me consists of foundation (I have acne scarring & pigmentation that I'm just not comfortable baring to the world!), blusher, mascara & lipstick or lip balm & takes me 4 minutes to apply in the morning - I know this because I timed myself this morning!  It's part of my morning routine the same as jumping in the shower or brushing my teeth & is not something I can see myself foregoing anytime soon.  (Obviously, lounging by the pool somewhere hot would be the exception to this rule!!)

So opinions, is it really such a bad thing to do something that makes you happy every day?  Maybe I'm reading too much into things & my hormones are rearing their ugly heads again!  Is anyone else a makeup lover like me?!