This morning felt particularly chilly for an outdoor walk and made me wonder if I'm ever ready for winters. My dry skin hates how harsh Calgary weather can be and let me tell you that no matter how much water I drink, it can not overcome the dryness of my skin. I need a makeup primer for days when the wind and the weather are not on my side. I particularly enjoy using the Guerlain L'Essentiel Primer and the High Perfection Foundation for days when my skin isn't looking its best and today is one of those days. Though this is designed to be an everyday, matte finish foundation, I apply this only on days when I am heading out to meet someone. I rarely do a full face foundation, since everything rubs off on the mask, unless (drumroll please) I am in a restaurant where I am guaranteed to be without mask and get photographed as well.
As I was getting ready, I was gently reminded of how wonderful this combination of products is for me and decided to write this blogpost, so I can share exactly how I feel after using this foundation and primer which I have been using for almost two months now. For more pictures, swatches and review, keep reading...
GUERLAIN L'essential High Perfection Foundation 24 Hr Wear
Formulated with 96% naturally derived ingredients and a beautiful fragrance that screams luxury, this foundation has a lightweight texture that easily blends on skin resulting in a beautiful 'my skin but better' finish. Its definitely a daily wear foundation for me, that can go from day to night, thanks to the buildable coverage.
Initially, I felt that the texture is too airy and light to cover all imperfections but I was pleasantly surprised that it even covers my dark circles. I also felt that the foundation alone minimizes the look of pores and applying it over the Guerlain L'Essentiel primers as a base, seals the deal for a poreless skin. I absolutely love how easily it blends on skin and never looks patchy.
If you love fragrance in your makeup and skincare, like I do, then this will not disappoint. The luxurious scent comes from white almond top note, followed by white tea and sandalwood as middle notes and a musk and tonka bean notes at its base.
I really can't find anything in this foundation that I don't like and after using this for two months, I can happily recommend this to you for a natural matte finish look that lasts all day. I haven't worn this for 24hrs straight, because, firstly, out of my 16 hours of waking time, I wear makeup for probably 5-6 hours and that too if I am lucky enough to be showing my face to anyone. And having worn it during the day and the night and even been photographed in this foundation, I feel confident that this will have a permanent spot in my foundation rotation.
If you are looking for a fuss free, great quality foundation, that blends well, looks like skin and lasts well on skin then this is the one for you!
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| There was a white sticker on 'SPF 15' on the bottle indicating that its not SPF 15.. I took it off to see what's hiding and couldn't put it back on |
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| This bottle is an artwork that I love looking at..the frosted bottle seems like two balls balancing one another - magnifique! |
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| Ingredients for L'essential High Perfection Foundation |
GUERLAIN L'essential Pore Minimizer Shine Control Primer
This shine control primer is also formulated with 97% naturally derived ingredients and works more like a skincare serum to minimize the look of pores. I am usually not interested in primers because I abhor the silicon feel of most primers, but this is different!
It's like a serum that smoothes out skin and prepares it for the foundation. It also promises to minimize pores and improve skin texture with continued use and that is what motivated me to apply this religiously before the foundation.
To apply this primer, Guerlain recommends dispensing two drops on your fingertips and gently warming up the formula between your fingers before applying. I find it very tricking to dispense two drops using the dropper, because its a bit viscous and either I get half dropper or a quarter of the dropper on my hand.
Then I apply the warmed up primer on my face and massage lightly into skin, starting at the centre of my face and working outwards and finishing off by gently tapping the face with finger tips to energize the skin. This only take about a minute or less, so it's not too much to do everyday. I actually love massaging my face and anything else that helps my skin stay fresh and firm.
This primer has the same scent as the L'essential foundation, so I know that my skin will smell great. It does a great job in mattefying skin while also keeping it looking fresh all day.
Whenever I try on a new primer, I apply it to only one half of my face and then apply foundation to both sides to see the difference on my face. I can gladly confirm that the side with the primer appeared remarkably poreless in comparison.
If there is one thing I would like changed, is the dropper on this bottle. It is so hard to use, as it almost never dispenses the right amount of primer. I wish it would come in a pump bottle like the foundation so I can get sufficient product out to work with.
GUERLAIN Retractable Foundation Brush
SWATCHES OF GUERLAIN L'ESSENTIEL FOUNDATION & PRIMER
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| Ingredients for L'Essentiel Pore Minimizer Primer |
GUERLAIN Retractable Foundation Brush
When I saw this brush I immediately thought this is made for travel, because its a small retractable brush that seemed to fit nicely in a handbag, but I found myself completely wrong when I started using this to apply my foundation.
On Guerlain's website there is a full foundation routine that begins with a massage using this brush to awaken the skin followed by the primer and the foundation. I love how Guerlain focuses on face massage because face has muscles the same way as the rest of our body but how many times do we really care to stimulate them? I love how every little thing we do for our skin can result in a gorgeous outcome over the years.
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| How to use the Retractable Brush |
From the swatch below you can ascertain the texture of the primer and the foundation. The shade 35N is a good match for my face, although my arms have tanned slightly more this summer, it still looks pretty good. I will add comparison swatches to this post soon.
Overall, I love this foundation routine because it focuses on the health of my skin and results in a flawless finish every time. Guerlain L'Essentiel high Perfection Foundation also comes in a good range of shades for all skin tones, so you can always find one for yourself :)
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