Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation N10 | Review and Swatch

I'm always on the search for the perfect foundation for my skin. I recently stumbled upon Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation and have been using it for the past 6 months. I've nearly run out of it, so thought now was time for me to tell you my thoughts on it, having used it for a long period. Cover FX is a less known about brand, and there aren't as many reviews on the foundation, so I thought I'd post my thoughts to help those who are considering this foundation.

The Claim:

'A rich emollient based cream foundation with buildable coverage. Provides optimum coverage of skin imperfections such as acne, redness, under eye circles, uneven skin tones, post-surgical bruising, vitiligo, and tattoos.'

Packaging:
I really like the packaging of this. While it may not feel luxurious or expensive, it's really easy to carry around. I find that foundation is the most essential thing in my makeup bag, yet it is the hardest thing to carry around with you. As much as I love glass bottles, if these were to smash in my bag, it would be chaos. I also don't like carrying foundations with pumps or loose lids around with me as I don't want product leaking into my bag. The packaging of this is very lightweight and it is easy to put in your makeup bag with no worries of it coming open. The lid is also securely closed. You can also easily see how much product you have left.

The product also comes with a mirror which makes it easier to touch up on the go. It also comes with a sponge for application, but as you can see, I haven't used that.

Colour:
On the House of Fraser website, there are 27 different shades of this foundation available. I have this in the second lightest shade and you can see it's pretty pale. In fact, I think this foundation is just a hint too pale for me. This shade range is some of the best I've seen, catering for the very light skin tones to the very dark. They also cater for different undertones. The N range is neutral, the P range is for pink tones and the G range is for golden undertones.

Coverage:
This is where this foundation works its magic. It is the most high coverage foundation I have ever used, it can cover up anything -blemishes, really bad dark circles etc. This will either be a positive or a negative. If you love high coverage foundation, this will be perfect for you. However, if you love the natural look or only like to wear a light coverage (such as a BB Cream) you will not like this foundation. It is also difficult to sheer it out as it's a cream formulation. I've also heard of people using this foundation only as a concealer due to its high coverage. It claims to be able to be used to cover up tattoos and really bad scars, I don't have have either of the two so can't test it out. In the two photos above you can see how well it covered up the black pen on my hand, this shows the type of coverage you can get.

Application:
I find this a bit harder to apply than a liquid foundation. You need to make sure to warm up the product into your hand and make sure you use a blending brush to blend it into the skin. Once blended, it does look more blended into your skin than a liquid foundation. The only downside is that I find it takes longer to apply this foundation, which can be a pain if you are in a hurry. I find the best way to apply this is with my fingers in dots all over my face, then to blend this together with a buffing brush.

This foundation also contains SPF 30 which is great for protecting your skin.

Availability and Pricing:
Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation is £34.00 and available from House of Fraser.

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Pale Concealer | Swatches Feat. Illamasqua, Rimmel, GOSH & Collection

 1. Illamasqua Concealer in #115 - £13

2. GOSH Click N Conceal in 01 Light - £7.99

3. Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer in Ivory - £4.49

4. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

Quite a few people remarked on my pale foundation swatches post that it was helpful for them to see swatches of the foundations side by side. So I decided to do a post on the pale concealers in my collection. I only actually own four concealers, which I realise isn't very any at all. When it comes to concealer, it is such an important item in my makeup routine that once I find something that does the job I'm very hesitant to change it. I thought I'd swatch all the concealers I have and let you know my quick thoughts about them!

The swatches are all taken in natural sunlight and there has been no editing of the photos (other than to add a border and swatch labels)
.

Illamasqua Concealer in #115

As you can see, the Illamasqua concealer is by far the palest offering. Like in my foundation swatches, Illamasqua is the clear winner. In my experience, Illamasqua are one of the best make up brands available for pale skin, with both their foundations and concealers starting at pure white and working upwards. The Illamasqua offering is also the priciest but the best option if you are super fair and find highstreet/drugstore concealers are too dark for you. It is a cream formulation so needs warming up in your hands to make it easier to work with, but has the best coverage out of all of them. It's good for concealing blemishes and imperfections. It works quite well on the under eye area as well, Illamasqua also have a concealer specifically for the undereye area, which I haven't tried.

GOSH Click N Conceal in 01 Light

The Gosh concealer is the newest addition to my collection, and a more thorough review can be found here. It is darker than the Illamasqua offering and more yellow toned than both the Rimmel and Collection concealers. The concealer works by clicking the pen until the product comes out and then either applying it directly to the skin or with a brush. It is a very liquidy format but a little goes a long way and it can be blended into the skin easily. It has good coverage and has a nice finish on the skin. It is darker than my foundation so I either use it before my foundation or make sure to blend it in very well on top of my foundation.

Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer in Ivory

I was surprised to find a pale concealer from Rimmel considering all of their foundations are too dark for me (I wish there was a shade in the Wake me Up range that was not orange on my skin). It is a cream formula and can either be applied directly from the tube or with a brush. It has good coverage and works well for covering blemishes (as the name suggests) and can also be sheered out to use on the eye. Make sure your set it with a powder as cream products can move around your face or transfer more easily. For the price, it's a good concealer. It's not the palest, but is one of the better high-street offerings, it leans more pink-based than yellow.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 01 Light

Is there anyone in the world who loves beauty but hasn't heard the raves about this bad boy? It's the cheapest of the lot and a very good concealer. It has good coverage and it easily blended into the skin. It's best for concealing blemishes as it can be a little drying in the under eye area. It's a liquid so you can either apply it from the applicator or with a brush. I haven't explored many pale concealers as I've been using this non-stop (I've gone through 6 tubes), but have recently decided to try more concealers. It's very similar in colour to the Rimmel concealer, it is quite pale but still not a perfect match for me. But for the price, it's worth spending the little bit extra time blending.

That's all the concealers I've tried for my pale skin, I'll update this post with more swatches if I add any more concealers to my collection (currently on my wishlist are Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain and Nars Concealer in Chantilly). If you have any recommendations for pale concealers let me know, and tell me your favourite concealers too!

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Empties | July

I don't usually have many empties, but this month I seem to have come to the end of a lot of my products. I seem to have finished up a lot of foundations and concealers this month, which is good because I change my foundation far too often and need to learn to finish one before buying another. I'm really sad that I've finally finished my Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner and Urban Decay Makeup Setting Spray, two of my must have products. Both have lasted me over a year though, so I'm impressed with that.

1. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 
I always have a couple of these concealers on the go, they are one of my favourite concealers for everyday. They have high coverage, last all day and are easily blended into my foundation. For £4.19 these are a real bargain as their quality is comparable to high-end more expensive concealers. I finally ran out of the two concealers I had been using. As you can see, I pretty much tried to get all of the product out of the tubes and all of the brand lettering has worn off. I've currently decided to try a new concealer as I have been using these for so long I got curious as to what else was out there, but I probably will repurchase them.

2. Urban Decay Moisturising Makeup Setting Spray in 'Dew Me'
I was so upset when I finally ran out of this makeup setting spray. I use this everyday without fail in order to set my makeup and it makes sure that it last all day without fail. I also like to use this when I know I am going out on the night, and I find it keeps my makeup on all night without it smudging. I have this in the moisturising formula (there is a formula for normal skin and one for oily skin) as I have very dry skin. I find that this helps to keep my makeup on and also get rid of some of the dryness on my skin and give me a 'dewy' effect to my makeup. I will be repurchasing this as soon as I can as its a staple for my makeup bag.

3. Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation
This foundation is pretty much finished with now. I really liked this foundation, I found that it looked natural on the skin and didn't look heavy, but you could also achieve good coverage with it. I used this everyday and the bottle probably lasted me about 4 months. I also liked the shade selection, I am a very pale person and often find I am the lightest shade in all foundation ranges (or that there simply isn't a match) but I am actually the second lightest shade in this range, and with different undertones to match your skin, it is likely everybody will be able to find a suitable match in this range. I won't be repurchasing at the moment as I am currently trying out another foundation, but I might repurchase in the future.

4. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum
I have had this bottle for a while and tend to go back to it when I'm in between other foundations. I really like it as a foundation, it applies nicely and has good coverage and leaves a beautiful finish. The main problem with this foundation is that its too dark for my skin (even though I have it in the lightest shade). It therefore requires quite a bit of blending for me to wear this shade and on most days I don't have the extra time to spend blending my foundation. I do really like this foundation and if I do get a tan (unlikely though) this would be one of my top foundations. I probably won't be repurchasing due to the shade selection.

5. Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation
Cover FX is a less well known brand that some of the others, but I am glad I stumbled across this foundation. First off, this foundation is very high coverage. This literally covers any imperfection you may have which is great for when I've got blemishes. The shade selection is also good, this shade is perfect for my skintone and they have a wide range of shades available. It is also really easy to carry around with you as you don't need to apply it with a brush. I currently have a few unfinished foundations so won't be repurchasing this as of yet, but might repurchase it in the future.

6. MAC Bronzing Powder in 'Sun Dipped'
This isn't completely finished, but I thought I would include it anyway. I got this last year and it is my go to bronzer most days. I really like the lasting power on this, I find it lasts me all day and it doesn't look powdery on the skin. I also like the texture of it. It has a bit of shimmer in it but it is not noticeable on the skin. I think the colour is a bit too dark for me however, and needs a bit of blending to look right on my pale skin. This was a limited edition item so I can't repurchase it, so I think I am going to try a lighter bronzer for my skin next time.

7. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in 'Black Ink'
I recently did a post on how much I love this gel eyeliner, and compared it to other eyeliners here. I love this gel eyeliner and have worn it everyday since the day I got it. This pot has actually lasted me for over a year despite my constant use of it. It lasts for a long time, looks great in the waterline and is a true jet black colour. I am currently using the Sleek gel eyeliner at the moment, but will repurchase this eyeliner soon as it really is one of my must have products.

Those are my empties for the month of July. Let me know what you've been used up this month in the comments below!

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GOSH Click 'N' Conceal 01 Light | Review and Swatch

Like many other people, I have always sworn by Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, however I had come to end of my last tube and decided to try a new concealer. I was looking through Boots and came across this concealer from GOSH. I've never owned any GOSH products but have always heard good things about their foundation and that they are good for catering to pale skins.

The Claim:

'GOSH Click'n Conceal is a new high quality concealer with the amazing ability to reduce dark circles and puffiness and hide skin imperfections. Click'n Conceal is very easy to apply with the Click function. Click, conceal and look fresh and flawless.  Can be applied under the eyes to brighten and reduce puffiness and dark circles. It has an anti aging effect which will renew and smooth your skin.'

The only one of these which I'm not sure on is the anti-aging effect. I'm 19 years old so any anti-aging effect isn't really going to have a huge effect on me.

Packaging:
On one hand, I like the fact that the packaging is easy to carry around, and you can apply it without a brush if you are traveling. However, I have found that sometimes it takes 8+ clicks of the pen to get enough product out which can be frustrating. The nib of the pen also often gets messy due to excess product being left on the brush.

Colour:
I'm very pale (for reference Mac NC15 is too dark for me) and I've found this is a little bit too dark for me, but not too dark that I can't blend it into my foundation. I'd say it's a bit darker than the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 01 Fair. It is still a pale shade, and I can use it on my skin, so for the majority of skins this will be a good match for you.

Coverage:
The concealer offers good coverage, I like the fact that this concealer is neither drying or oily. You can pat a small amount onto a blemish or your undereye circles and it does a good job of concealing them. It is also really easy to blend into the skin and a little bit goes a long way. I wouldn't say it's the most heavy coverage concealer in the world, so if you suffer from bad breakouts this may not be for you, but for small blemishes and under eye circles it does a good job.

Application:
Like I said, the formula is very creamy and not cakey in the slightest. It's very easy to blend into your skin or your foundation. I find it is also easy to layer it up to create higher coverage. You can either apply it straight from the brush or using a brush. It also has a nice finish on the skin, blending in well.

Lasting Power:
This lasts really well on me, but my favourite thing is that it doesn't cake or cling to dry patches. Sometimes concealer can actually begin to fade or cling to my dry patches after several hours of wear, luckily this doesn't do that. It also lasts well throughout the day, I always set my concealer with powder to prolong its wear. I find this lasts 8+ hours on me.

Availability and Pricing:
For some reason I can't find this item on the Superdrug site even though I only bought it two weeks ago. It's available on the GOSH site for €11.99 (£6.99) in four colours, including a green for cancelling out redness.

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