Dry skin tips and TOP 5 foundations for dry skin

Weather's getting colder and skin is getting drier. I find there's hardly ever any posts for dry skin people. I've worked with all skin types so it's come to a point where I know what foundation works best for what skin type. Dry skin is usually more difficult than oily, believe it or not.

I find there's so much on the market for oily and combination skin but dry skin barely gets  any attention. I get a lot of messages from girls that have dry skin and many emails from women who suffer from eczema and psoriasis. Eczema and psoriasis are both dry skin conditions. It isn't contagious because it's most likely genetic. A lot of foundations will look great when first applied on dry skin but after a few hours you will notice it can separate and cling on the dry patches that weren't even visible at first.

I like to prep a client that has any of those skin conditions well. The skin is always dehydrated and thirsty so it needs A LOT of moisture. I've talked about Ultra Bland by Lush Cosmetics before, It is a facial cleanser that contains almond oil, rose water, bees wax and honey. These ingredients work great for dry skin. When applying this it's best to use a decent amount and gently rub in the the skin not blending it in as well as you would a moisturiser. Leave it on the skin for approximately 8 minutes. You won't look crazy or funny whilst you wait because it's colourless once applied. You then run a few cotton facial pads under lukewarm water and gently remove the cleanser, tap dry with a face towel and you will be left with supple, baby soft skin. You then can start applying your regular skin care.

People that have dry skin like the glow, youthful foundation finish so I will tell you my favourite primers/bases and foundations to achieve this look. Applying a primer ill help your makeup last longer.

These products are in no order

Primers

1. Makeup Forever hydrating primer. Lovely consistency, blends to nothing and is light weight. You will notice after you have applied your foundation that this primer is great.

2. Smashbox Photo Finish hydrating primer. Lovely scent, very fresh. It is a blue colour but goes on clear. Feels refreshing and instantly perks up dry looking skin.

3. Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow primer. Gorg golden primer, not only is it great for a gorgeous dewy glow it gives a soft focus effect to the skin. Blurs out fine lines and reduces the look of pores leaving you with a Jlo-glow.

4. Bourjois Happy light luminous primer. The description is in the title! Light and luminous :) leaves you with a nice complexion and will look pretty when it shows through your foundation.

5. Lorac "I'm so sensitive" Primer. Free from oil, fragrance, silicone and parabens, this primer is perfect for sensitive dry skin. It is water based and hydrating. Helps your makeup to stay put for a while! It has ingredients that are beneficial to your skin too.


Foundations

I like to mix my products up. High end products don't necessarily mean they are better. You will find that sometimes drugstore makeup works just as good or sometimes better. It's all about personal preference and what your skin works well with.

Growing up I had super dry skin but as I hit 20's it got oily in my t-zone so I am now left with combination, unlike my sister Sonia who is just oily. I know a lot about dry skin, not only from my own experience but from clients too.

1. Dior Skin Nude. I always rave about this one but it has such a pretty finish and still looks and feels like skin.

2. Benefit Cosmetics Hello flawless foundation. Love the colour range, blends well and looks best when blended with a beauty blender.

3. Hourglass Veil foundation. Hydrating, evens skin out, smoothes fine lines and is perfect for every day wear.

4. Mac Face and Body. CLASSIC fave. I think it should be in every dry skin persons makeup bag! The coverage isn't full but it works well when you add this do any other foundation you are using (If you want more coverage). Better for day time, undertones are great, finish is like second skin and it is so light weight.

5. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. I think this brand is growing on me! It is a gel-like foundation and I know they are the best for dry skin. Makes skin look radiant and it contains vitamin-rich formula - FRUIT! litchi, goji berries and pomegranates. Long lasting and evens skin out as well as brightening.


These are my personal favourite's that I have used on so many of my clients and they have always been happy with their base. If you have dry skin be sure to try any of the recommendations and I can promise you that you won't be disappointed.


Glow on and try them!

Fyza xoxo

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Making your Beauty Blender last longer!

A quick post to share something I have been doing for a while, Actually It's something we both have been doing. I'm sure we all use Beauty Blenders by now...

Beauty Blender's make us always think 'what was I doing with my life before I discovered a beauty blender?' Beauty Blenders are what create your perfect, long lasting base. The problem with these little pink sponges is how long they last. You will notice after around five months of using your beauty blender it won't 'work' the way it did when it was fresh and new looking. They say to ONLY use the BB soap but it runs out so quick! 

I found my self washing my Beauty Blender with hotel soaps every time I had a booking in a hotel and I needed to go from client to client in a day. Since then neither of us have stopped using hotel soaps, It will make your beauty blender look like its brand new! Works just as good as the beauty blender cleanser except you're not paying for it, it's complimentary from the hotel ;)

Your Beauty Blender will feel and look like it's never been used. Avoid using shampoos, washing liquid and hand gel to clean them because it will ruin your Beauty Blender and they're not exactly cheap. We're talking about the real deal, Original Beauty Blender here btw. 

Beauty Blenders come in the classic pink, white and black. We suggest you use the white for things such as skin care - serums, moisturisers and primers. The black for your cream bronzers and contour and the pink for your foundation :)

We hope you enjoyed this quick post. who doesn't love tips on how to save your money!?

Happy blending,

Sonia & Fyza xoxo

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Tom Ford Exclusive Scent Dinner In Dubai

I did not expect this heat in October! That's the first thing I thought as I walked out of Dubai airport in my thick jacket and comfy joggers. I had just flown from London to Dubai for an exclusive event with Tom Ford. I was invited by Estee Lauder for a scent dinner with Tom Ford. What's a scent dinner? I've never attended one before so this should be interesting.

"Scent Dinners are the combination of fine dining with a stimulating interactive master class in scent & perfume, two parallel dinners, one olfactory and invisible, the other gustatory and edible."

Prior to the evening event I was invited to have a private makeup session with Matthew Tyler who is the International Education Director for Tom ford Beauty. I got to try the new products that had launched in the Middle East, I got to ask questions about each product as he told me what suited my skin tone best. It was such a great experience.

I know that many of you are huge fans of Tom ford products, espcially his scents. They are rich, long lasting and unique. Hearing how much thought that goes into a scent was very facinating for me. I love how we all have been thought about in so much detail when this scent was created. If you love Tom Ford scents as much as I do you will really enjoy this post. I want to make you experience it as much as possible through me!

The scent dinner was held at the Burj Khalifa and I was with around 10 other beauty bloggers from around the Middle East. I tried to take down as much information as possible so I could share it with you all. 

This was our menu. This dinner was for the new fragrance launch of Tom ford's Noir Pour Femme in the Middle East. Each course represented an element of the fragrance, so each course we were handed a stick with a scent which made up of the final scent. we weren't allowed to try the actual scent till the end of the meal. This is what our minds/imaginations were for. We had to guess what the final scent would be like based on the scent broken down.

There was Opulent, Addictive and Provocative. The three sides to a woman? maybe.

The first meal was Heirloom Tomato 'Tarte Fine' and it contained Basil, wasabi mustard, burrata and orange sense. From looking at the menu I instantly knew this scent has a fruity side to it which is definitely a favourite of mine. Once the dish was placed in front of us all we could smell the richness of this pizza looking first course. It tasted like the first scent we were given. it was so strange but amazing at the same time. 

 

The flavours together worked beautifully and the feeling of tasting a perfume you could smell is so hard to put in to words.

We were given a Ginger Sorbet with Orange zest to cleanse our palate for the main corse

"This represents the top note, citrus based, the opulent. citruses including mandarin orange oil, bitter orange oil and ginger. This represents more of the confident side because its open, airy. We like to call this opulent" 

- First Note Scent Description

The main course was Brittany Lobster 'Open Lasagne' which was Kulfi royal cardamom-saffron sense and pistachio crust. 

with this dish I didn't really know what to expect. We were told that the base was a Kulfi cream, the middle was a pasta with lobster and a pistachio topping. Matthew explained what kulfi is and where it came from. The history to it was that it originates from India and it was a dessert that was made for the royals at the time. It was meant to be a cold dessert, much like ice cream. Ice would be collected from the Himalayan mountains and then this milk like texture was mixed in and topped with rose petals and pistachio. It was a dessert fit for a king! I thought this was really great to share as I love history of all countries.

This was the second note. 'Addictive'

"Sensual heart of florals, orange flower, Jasmine and rose absolute. this is where the sensual femininity comes."

- Second note scent description 

This scent was my fave and at this point I couldn't wait to try the actual perfume!

The final note was Provocative - the dessert.

This was Dame Blanche 'Profiteroles' - Pear Cremeux, vanilla ice cream and 72% chocolate. there was chocolate sauce on the side to pour over. 

"These are the base notes and what we smell are vanilla, amber and Australian sandalwood."

I wish you could smell the scent that I was smelling through the screen! It's so hard to put into words but i'm trying my best, haha!

We were finally given the Noir Pour Femme to try! This is probably my all time favourite by Tom Ford. I wasn't expecting this. It's made for every woman. It reminded me a lot of Bukhoor - بخور 

Which is wood chips that have been soaked in perfume oils and are burnt to create a beautiful scent around the house - mainly used in Middle Eastern households. The scent is usually rich and long lasting so this is what the new fragrance reminded me of. It is powdery, floral, fresh, zesty and rich all at the same time and we all agreed on this.

 

This was my first scent dinner and I learnt so much, I loved the atmosphere and I'm glad that this scent is finally launching in the Middle East. Thank you so much to Estee Lauder and Tom Ford for having me and thank you Matthew Tyler for your time. It's always great to learn more, whether it's makeup or fragrance related. Thank you for the all the makeup too, super excited to add more Tom Ford to my kit and makeup bag! 

Fyza Ali xxx

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My New Foundation - Sonia

Long over due blog post guys! I'm currently in Istanbul, it's a nice evening and I'm just relaxing on the sofa on a Friday night and thought I better get this post done. I'm such a procrastinator and literally got a text from Fyza saying "do a blog post!" 

I recently started using a new foundation and concealer, I'm always searching for the ONE...foundation that is. I may have found the one but there's a drug store one and a high end one. I have oily skin so primer is a must, I'm using Maybelline baby skin Primer at the moment.

For every day makeup I go between L'Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in W6 (I use a darker shade because of my tanning mousse) and Makeup Forever Ultra HD foundation in Y335.
I blend my foundation in with a Beauty Blender and use Tarte Creasless Concealer in Medium Tan for under eyes. 

To set my makeup I prefer to use a loose translucent powder, MUFE HD loose powder is great to buff everything together but make sure to blend this powder a lot to get the flawless finish that is awesome for photographs to.

I keep Yves Saint Laurent Touhe Eclat Blur Perfecter in my bag to control the shine on my face. This product is like an oily skin person's saviour in a little case! It oil control's the areas you want without removing or budging your makeup at all! It's weightless and the pretty packaging is most definitely a bonus.

If you have oily skin and have an olive undertone be sure to give these a try. Foundation has always been so difficult to find, especially for my skin tone so I had to share my current favourites :)

Sonia X

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