Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Foundation Wand

For the past year or so I've been hearing about Surratt Beauty. For anyone who hasn't heard of it, the brand was founded in 2013 by US makeup artist Troy Surratt. After studying to become a fashion illustrator, he decided to use his artistic skill to become a makeup artist. Over the Years, Troy Surratt worked under the guidance of the legendary Kevyn Aucoin and has since become one of the most sought after and well respected make up artists in the industry. While visiting Japan, he discovered new and innovative materials, textures and products that inspired him to start his own brand. After years of research Surratt found that he wanted to manufacture his products in Japan where they had the best quality materials and attention to detail. 

So now that you know a little bit about the brand, let's talk about what I bought from Surratt Beauty in Sephora in New York. I actually only ended up buying the Surreal Skin Foundation Wand (although had I more time and money I would have bought a lot more, the eyelash curler is next on my list). I'd seen this foundation mentioned countless times by makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes who is a huge fan of the brand and particularly this foundation. I had also seen Lisa Eldridge using it in one of her videos, she also wrote some of her thoughts about it on her website which you can read here. So after being endorsed by two of my favourite makeup artists I had to check it out for myself in Sephora. I colour matched myself to shade 01 (the lightest shade, of course), I tried a little on my face but I didn't buy it that day because I wanted to think about it some more and see the colour in the daylight. On our last day in New York I was doing a dash around Sephora 15 minutes before they closed and I had a list from my sister and I didn't have much time to think about it so I ended up with this in my basket. The reason I was so hesitant to buy this is because it costs $65! Yes, that's right, $65! Not only does it cost that much, that's only for 15ml/0.5oz of product, so half the amount you would usually get from a bottle of foundation. 

I've been dying to write about this foundation for the past couple of months but I wanted to try it out properly and really put it through its paces because of how much it costs. I've never spent that much on a beauty product that I can think of except possibly perfume.

Let's begin with what this foundation is supposed to give you for your hard earned $65. It's medium to full coverage, oil free, long wearing and it comes in 15 shades. It has a built in angled, anti-bacterial brush to make application quick and easy and handy for topping up on the go. The brush apparently only needs to be washed once a month. It's supposed to reduce the appearance of pores and fine lines and is self-setting. It's also formulated without sulphates or parabens. 

I completely agree that the formula is medium to full coverage. You can apply as much or as little of this as you desire by clicking the pen and dispensing the right amount onto the brush. You can see from the photos below that it has evened out my skin tone, and significantly reduced the appearance of my pores and any redness. That's with only one thing layer buffed out with the built in brush. It's easy enough to layer this up if you need more coverage, I don't find that it looks heavy on the skin.

It contains ingredients that help make it anti-bacterial (Phenoxyethanol) which is great for the built in brush and vitamin E to condition the skin and act as an anti-oxidant (Tocopheryl). It also contains a silicone called Cyclopentasiloxane which makes it easy to blend and also can fill in lines to give the skin a temporary plumped look. This is something to bear in mind if you're not a fan of silicones, however I don't find it has that usual silicone feeling at all. 

bare, moisturised skin

foundation and concealer under my eyes

So what did I think of the most expensive foundation I'v ever tried? First off, the packaging is incredibly impressive. It's clear that a great amount of thought and time has gone into developing the packaging of this foundation. The matte into glossy/shimmery case is weighted and feels expensive (whatever that means) but not too heavy that your hand gets tired when you're blending it in. The duo fibre brush is soft but that's where my love of the brush ends. There aren't that many reviews on this foundation online, I watched a few videos and read a few reviews and the majority of them said exactly what I thought. The brush just doesn't do it for me. I love the idea in theory and if you have the time to spend blending and blending it actually gives an amazing full coverage finish but for my face, the brush is far too small. In fact it's marginally bigger than the brush I use for my concealer. I found that the first time I used this I ended up blending and blending and it really annoyed me. I couldn't believe I'd spent so much money on something that was adding so much time to my makeup routine. The first time I used it I applied too much by accident so obviously that added to the problem because it took longer to blend and then it didn't wear as well as I thought it would because there was just far too much foundation on my face. 

The second time I tried it I applied less and that definitely helped but I was still annoyed that it was taking me so long to blend it in and get rid of the streaks. I did like that it was angled as I felt that helped to blend around my nose. Like most of the other reviews I read I have now taken to using it with one of my own brushes. I click the pen and apply the foundation in patches around my face with the built in brush and then blend it out with my own Zoeva face brush which is about three times the size.

Other than the brush issue I've found that this makes my skin look amazing. I do have to powder it in the centre of my face because my t-zone gets quite oily throughout the day but if you have dry skin you could probably leave it without powering. It gives excellent coverage but I like that you can still see my skins texture and my freckles underneath it. It's very lightweight and doesn't feel like I have a full coverage foundation on at all. It wears very well and evenly and the good thing about the wand is that you could bring it out to top it up if necessary but I wouldn't ever do that really, I don't find I need to but if you have oilier skin than me you might want to top it up. 

You don't need to worry about cleaning the brush because it's made in such a way that no water or anything can get into the tube so you can wash away and it won't effect the product inside. They say it only needs to be washed once a month but personally I'd probably wash it more often than that just to make sure that the bristles don't get loaded with too much product and become less effective. 

My final thoughts are that I love the foundation and the packaging but for me, the brush is too small. If it was twice the size I'd be much happier with spending that much money on it. I also don't know what I'm supposed to do once the wand is empty, it would feel strange throwing away something so expensive, I could use the brush for something else after all, like blush or contouring or even concealer. I understand that the expensive price is probably mostly due to the innovative packaging and the brush but I'd really love if I could buy the foundation alone, pay less and use my own brush. Or if the brush came separately and could be reused again and again. I would find it strange if I did like the built in brush to finish the foundation, throw it away and then buy a new one. It would be such a waste. I'd love to know what your thoughts are. As much as I love the formula I just couldn't justify spending another $65 on this because I just don't get the use of the brush which is half the idea of it. I also think it's far too much money to spend on only 15ml of product. 

Surratt Beauty is available online from Sephora, Liberty London, Cult Beauty and Net-a-Porter.

Just to break it down for you price wise. In Sephora I paid $65 for this which ended up working out at around €56. If you buy it from Net-a-porter is costs $65 too, but if you convert the price to buy in Euro, their price is €74, which is significantly more than what it ended up working out at for me. You can buy from Cult Beauty and Liberty London if you're based in the UK and Ireland and it costs £62 on both sites. This works out at €69/$80. Obviously as Surratt Beauty is a US brand, the price is going to be higher for anyone buying from Europe because of the import charges involved. It's something to think about if you are interested in trying out this brand.

All of that being said I'd really love to try more from the brand. Have you tried Surratt Beauty yet? What do you think of this foundation wand?

Emma x

No7 Airbrush Away Foundation

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know I'm a big fan of No7, particularly their foundations. I've written about their Beautifully Matte, Beautifully Matte Light, Superlight and Stay Perfect Foundations all of which I love. I was sent the Airbrush Away Foundation in late 2015 and I've since gone through two bottles of it so I thought it was about time I wrote about it.

Airbrush Away is supposed to give a velvet, yet radiant soft focus finish, blurring the appearance of fine lines and pores. It contains Berryflux Vita, an antioxidant ingredient that improves skin hydration and tone.

It comes in a glass bottle with a dropper (similar to the Lancôme Miracle Air de Teint) so you have to shake it before use. It's a silicone based foundation (it contains dimethicone) so it feels silky and spreads and blends easily. If you don't like silicone primers, you probably won't like this. Although I'm not the biggest fan of silicone primers as I tend to prefer a more hydrating primer, because this is in the form of a foundation I don't mind the silicone feeling at all and I prefer this to using a separate silicone primer like Benefit The Porefessional or L'Oréal Nude Magique Blur Cream.

I have normal/combination skin and although I have no problems with large pores, I do find that this does give that airbrushed look without sitting in my pores or blocking them. It gives medium coverage and a more powdered looking finish at first, but as the day does on I get oily around my t-zone, so I need to use powder or the oiliness is quite noticeable on my nose as it is with most other foundations I use. I don't like using extra powder on top of this foundation because it already has powders in it so I just bring blotting papers with me to use during the day and that does the trick. If you need it to last longer and don't mind looking quite matte, you could powder on top to set it and give extra longevity.

One thing I've noticed about this foundation that you may want to consider is that it's unforgiving on dry skin. I tend to use a hyaluronic acid serum or primer first for best results. Like all the other No7 foundations I've tried this blends into the skin quickly and evenly and doesn't streak. Although it has silicone, it's light in texture and feels comfortable on my skin. The downside I would say is that it's probably best suited to normal skin, if you're not too oily or too dry and you like a medium coverage or if you are conscious of the size of your pores, this is a great option. I find that other than getting a bit oily throughout the day, this lasts on me very well and doesn't sit on my skin or look patchy at all the end of the day. 

Bare skin

You can see in the photos that it has evened out my skin, covered redness and the blemishes on my chin quite well without concealer. You can also see the pores on my nose and cheeks are a lot less noticeable with the foundation on. 

Just No7 Airbrush Away

I tend to wear this on days when I need a bit of extra coverage or if my skin isn't looking it's best and I just want to look a bit more polished. It does have a lot of similarities to the Lancôme Miracle Air de Teint which I absolutely love and I do prefer, but if you want a cheaper alternative, this is a great option. Out of all of the No7 foundations I've tried, this and the Beautifully Matte are my least favourite, only really because of the coverage as I tend to prefer something lighter. However I like having one of them in my collection for nights out when I like more coverage or on bad skin days when I have a breakout and the extra coverage just gives me more confidence. I've gone through two bottles of this and I would definitely repurchase it mostly because I get so many compliments about my skin when I wear it, probably because people are so used to seeing me with lighter coverage.

At €22 it's not cheap but you can always get it with the No7 vouchers and that makes it a bit more affordable. The glass bottle isn't the most travel friendly so I don't take it away with me, Beautifully Matte is better in that sense because it has plastic packaging. It also has more coverage and controls oil better, so there are positives and negatives to both foundations.

If you want a foundation that won't cost a fortune, that gives medium coverage and flawless looking skin and blends in quickly and easily, Airbrush Away is definitely worth trying out. There are 17 shades which is quite good for a "drugstore" brand. However I'm the lightest shade, Calico, and as I've said before I think No7 could do with having a shade lighter than that as I know a lot of Irish woman have even fairer skin than me and find it hard to find a good, inexpensive foundation to match their skin tone.

Have you tried Airbrush Away or any other No7 foundations?

Emma x

Lancôme Miracle Air De Teint

This is actually the only foundation I've ever bought on a whim. When I went to Liverpool back in February I stupidly decided to not bring any foundation with me but instead to buy Estée Lauder Double Wear Light at the airport as I had just run out of it. Of course the inevitable happened and they didn't have any, apparently it isn't stocked in Duty Free anymore. I had to quickly look around and choose a foundation so I had something to use on my trip.

Having never tried a Lancôme foundation I went to that stand first and had a couple of choices in my hand but in the end what sold me on Miracle Air de Teint was that it had the lightest coverage (I like that they have a coverage guide on the front of the box of each of their foundations) and claimed to give the skin a matte glow with blurring technology.

I was immediately intrigued when I read "matte glow creator" on the box, after all who doesn't want their skin glowing but not oily looking? I loved the idea that it was supposed to feel light but also skin perfecting. There were no sales assistants nearby so I decided to shade match myself without even looking up reviews online. I went for the palest shade that was on the stand, which it turns out is actually the third lightest shade but is surprisingly quite a good match for me,  if anything it was possibly ever so slightly too dark on me, but not very noticeably especially once blended out and with the rest of my make up applied.

The only thing that concerned me right before I took it to the checkout was the packaging. It comes in a glass bottle which is not the most ideal packaging for travelling with but it wasn't a huge concern. To apply the foundation, it's recommended you shake it up first. I usually then apply to my fingers with the dropper and pat around my face before blending with my Zoeva Silk Finish Brush (which by the way is an unbelievable brush!). Lancôme recommend blending with your fingers but I find the brush the easiest way to get the best finish.

I was smitten from the first time I used this, because it has a thinner formula, it blended out incredibly easily but you still get a medium coverage. It feels beautifully light on my skin, like velvet. You get such a gorgeous finish from this so quickly, it's such a pleasure to apply, definitely the easiest foundation to blend that I have ever used. It also has a light rosy scent as is the case with most Lancôme products but I don't find it strong enough to be offensive.

I have no idea how it works but Lancôme have used new technology that blurs imperfections in the skin and a powder that is 25 times lighter than that in a normal foundation so it feels lightweight but keeps the skin mattified yet radiant.

What initially seemed completely contradictory somehow works and I think you'll agree after looking at the photos below that my skin does look both matte and glowing.

Bare Moisturised Skin

As you can see my skin has a few more freckles than usual but I think it actually helps to see the true coverage more clearly.  My complexion is even and my pores and blemishes are blurred but you can still see my skin through it which is exactly what I like in a foundation.

Only Foundation

Even though it mattifies my skin, I still powder the centre of my face as my nose always gets oily throughout the day. However it's not completely necessary, especially if you have dry skin. I find it lasts really well all day, it doesn't separate or sit in my pores and it keeps oil under control as well as Double Wear light which I never thought I would find in another foundation. 

I have combination skin so I can suffer with dryness but I haven't found that to be an issue whatsoever. If you have dehydrated or dry skin I think you could definitely wear this, I would just make sure you're using a hydrating serum if you're concerned with it clinging to dry patches on your skin. It also contains SPF 15 so it's been great in the hot weather having a foundation with SPF that keeps my skin a lot more matte than my other foundations. 

Full make up with powder on the T-Zone

It was quite risky of me to pay for a high end foundation that I knew nothing about and shade match myself, but I'm delighted that I did because I'll definitely be repurchasing this once I run out.

I'm also wearing Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette, 24/7 Liquid Eye Liner in Perversion, Afterglow Blush in Score, Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara (which is my current favourite), Clarins Instant Concealer and Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk.

Miracle Air de Teint is available in Boots, Debenhams and Brown Thomas for approximately €39 and at The Loop at Dublin Airport for about €33.15.

Have you tried this or any other of Lancôme's foundations?

Emma x

No7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation

I can't believe it's taken me this long to write about the No7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation. I've been using this foundation for the past year now and I've gone through two bottles of it. I was originally sent one from the lovely people at No7 following my work with them and I have used it almost every day since. 

I had been using the original Stay Perfect Foundation on a daily basis before I got this and I really liked it, but after trying Superlight, I was totally converted. 

I have combination skin so it can be dry, dehydrated and oily through the T-Zone with normal sized pores. To give you a reference I am usually the fairest shade in any given foundation range, I'm a BR20 in YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat and Intensity 01 in Estée Lauder Double Wear Light.

I was matched to the fairest shade in the range, Calico, which is perfect for my skin tone. As you can read on the box below, it is supposed to give you a natural but flawless finish with a weightless feeling on the skin. It's meant to be weather and transfer proof, oil free, contains SPF 15 and Vitamin E to help look after the skin all with a light to medium coverage. 

It ticks the major boxes for me in terms of what I tend to look for and prefer with my foundation choice: Good shade match, skincare elements, light to medium coverage, lightweight easy to blend formula, some form of SPF, long lasting, transfer proof and budget friendly. I'm clearly not asking for much am I?!

I use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply this (which on a side note, can I just say if you don't already own this it's my favourite brush for applying foundation, it literally makes blending so effortless and is so inexpensive). Like Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua you have to shake this up before use as it's water based. The texture is light but not as light as the aforementioned Vitamuiere Aqua, which makes pouring the desired amount from the bottle a lot easier and prevents wasting any of the product. 

This is incredibly easy to work with and blends into my skin so easily which is probably why it quickly became my go to foundation for everyday wear,  it streamlines my make up routine in the morning and gives me precious extra minutes in bed. 

I wouldn't say that there is any scent as such, definitely not an offensive scent anyway. I love that it contains SPF too as I do like to wear sun protection of some kind all year round. I find that it lasts on me very well, I do use a translucent setting powder on the centre of my face as I can become oily especially on my on my nose throughout the day. It still looks great at the end of the day even after I've been running around in work. It doesn't cling to dry patches which I can be prone to, nor does it sit in my pores, it just perfects my skin tone while allowing my natural skin to still be visible. 

The packaging is a huge selling point for me. I love the hard plastic, sturdy bottle and the twist off top which make it durable and perfect for your travel make up bag. 

No make up/ Just the foundation

Above is a close up of the foundation from this post, this photo is unedited apart from perhaps a slight change in the exposure.


My only criticism of this foundation is that it does oxidise slightly which means girls with fairer skin than mine wouldn't be able to wear it. I really think No7 could do with bringing out a shade that is paler than Calico as there are a lot of women who have a lighter skin tone and it would be great to give them a great quality affordable "drugstore" foundation as the very fair skinned ladies often get overlooked when it comes to more affordable brands.

It retails at €18.95 making it a similar price point to brands like L'Oréal, Revlon and Max Factor.

Have you tried this yet? What's your current favourite foundation?

Emma x

Estée Lauder Double Wear Light

I've been meaning to write a post on Estée Lauder's Double Wear Light foundation for about a year and a half now. I talked about it in one of my videos last year but I wanted to do a more in depth review of it since it's my favourite foundation that I've ever tried.  I first discovered it last summer when I was researching foundations to use on my sister for her wedding day.  I settled on this one after reading lots about it and trying it out at the make up counter. Double Wear light is a 15 hour wear foundation and I would completely agree with that. It lasts all day, even through Summer sun and a long work day. It's got SPF 10 too  so it would be great to take on holiday. It is oil free so it doesn't melt on your skin like other foundations can after a few hours wear. 
What I really love about this foundation is that you don't have to worry about it, it really is a "Stay in place" foundation and even though I would class it as medium coverage, it feels so light on my face. One piece of advice I would give is if your skin is a bit dry, use a really good moisturiser first or a primer (I like to use Clarins Beauty Flash Balm sometimes) and apply the foundation with a buffing or stippling brush pretty soon after you've applied your moisturiser because it just makes it easier to blend. My mam has worn this foundation too and she has much much dryer skin than me, but she finds with a serum it works really well.

I don't wear this everyday because it's so long lasting. I like to save it for days when I know I'll be out all day and into the evening. If you're thinking about using this for your wedding day foundation I really can't recommend it highly enough. My sister wore this and I didn't need to touch up her make up once throughout the day. I know some people say that foundations with SPF don't photograph well with a flash, but I've never had any problems with it and in fact I think it looks amazing in photographs, both with and without a flash. It's also fragrance free which I don't really mind, I prefer a foundation to be fragrance free rather than for it to have a scent you don't like. It also comes in a really handy tube and therefore it's very easy to dispense the exact amount you need.



These photos really don't do this foundation justice. You can see here how the foundation looked in my sister's wedding photos. If you're not sure I always recommend asking the sales assistants at the counter about it and perhaps getting a consultation and having your full make up done with the foundation before you decide to buy it. If you do go to a make up counter, know what you are looking for colour wise, do you like your foundation slightly darker than your natural skin tone? Or the exact match of your skin? I would always go for the latter but have unfortunately been pressured into buying a darker shade than I was comfortable wearing, I had no one else to blame really so now if I'm buying a new foundation I make sure to speak my mind and say if I don't like it. Double Wear Light retails for €34 for a 30ml tube.

What do you think? Have you got an all time favourite foundation?

Emma x

YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat

I was getting to the end of my Estée Lauder Invisible Fluid Foundation and as much as I love it (I will do a review soon), I wanted to try out something different. There have been several new releases in the foundation world recently that have sparked my interest including the Urban Decay Naked Skin and the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow or whatever it's called! The one I went for in the end was the YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat. 

This was my first time trying any YSL products. I've never even tried the classic Touche Éclat highlighter. After reading several reviews of this, it sounded like the product for me, according to the insert that came in the packaging "Le Teint Touche Éclat illuminates your complexion, Shadows and imperfections appear reduced while complementing the natural silhouette of the face". It is also "warm and vibrant, highlights the contours of the face for a fresher complexion, full of life". It comes in three shade variations Beige, Golden Beige and Rose Beige with 22 shades in total. 

I was matched to the shade BR20 (Beige Rose 20) which is the second to lightest shade in a rosy beige colour and this is an absolute perfect match for my skin. I don't think I have ever had a foundation match my skin this perfectly! The lady who matched me said that the Beige Rose shades are the best for a more youthful appearance, she was so nice and also offered me and my mam a free make up lesson too.

No make up (and wet hair)

With the foundation applied but no other make up (and if it looks a bit dull compared to the photo above it's because the clouds had covered the sun so the room was darker)

As you can see it just evens out my complexion without covering the skin too much, you can still see my freckles which is a must for me. It has a satin/dewy finish so I would definitely need to powder the centre of my face during summer. I really felt that my skin looked more radiant, I almost didn't apply any of my High Beam when I did the rest of my make up. I used my Real Techniques Stippling brush to apply it and I would consider the coverage to be light to medium. I definitely think you could build the coverage if you needed to in certain areas because the consistency is so light and blendable. 

The packaging it what really makes this foundation worth the money when you compare it to other "high end" foundations including Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua. It comes in a glass bottle so that you can see how much product you have left and it has a pump which I love! For €38 you get 30ml of product which is the exact same as Vitalumiere Aqua and I definitely prefer this. 

My skin is normal/combination so I'm not sure how this would fare for someone with oily skin. I'm sure with an oil free primer and some powder to set the T-zone, it would probably be fine. 

I love this, the only fault that I can see after using it for almost a month now is that as the day goes on my skin does need some blotting, especially in the hotter weather, but I can imagine in Autumn/Winter this will be ideal for making my skin look fresh and luminous! 

Emma x

PS. It's my birthday tomorrow so I'll hopefully have some photos to share with you later in the week!