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As a Graphic Designer and make up enthusiast (what gave it away lol) I've always had a sneaking suspicion that when it comes to the names of foundation shades, well they are not always entirely accurate.
Take the shade "Ivory" for example. When buying this in a decorating store for our walls, what we expect is something plain and off-white that is ideal for a calm neutral space. However in the drugstore, Ivory comes out quite a bit different and that's before it's even had time to oxidize.
I wanted to test the theory for myself, so using a canvas I painted Dulux paint in "Ivory" along with the Maybelline Fit me Foundation shade 100 Warm Ivory, Barry M Flawless Matt Finish Foundation in LF1 Ivory and Collection Naturally Matt foundation in the shade 2 Ivory. Essentially, all four shades I purchased were called Ivory - therefore they should all pretty much be the same right?!
Erm....
The results of this experiment show what us pale girls have to put up with when buying foundations, unless we go to specialist brands or use a mixer product. Equally, I know many brands don't go near deep enough so on both sides of the spectrum there is clearly work to be done, namely actual research on ultra fair and deep skin tones.
Speaking on the whole as a pale person with naturally Irish skin given to me by my Father's side of the family, I honestly get really annoyed at how brands always bring out new contour palettes, lip kits, highlighters etc... but never go back to their original line to make it more inclusive.
Granted, pale skin isn't in. I know everyone loves a tan and I'm fine with that. I just want to be able to express who I am too through the make-up I wear. Why is this such a scary thing for brands, and why must they get it so horribly wrong?
Here are the swatches applied onto my arm. Whilst the Maybelline wasn't too far off, overall you can see the issue here especially when my arm is also the colour of my neck so you can imagine the tide mark issues if I don't mix the colour before application and blend well. Though, why should I have to do this in the first place in 2017, when even McDonald's has table service these days and we are coming up with new medical breakthroughs all the time yet I still can't get a foundation to match....
No matter your skintone, let me know your foundation colour matching struggles! You can also see the video I made for this post here.
For my Birthday this year I treated myself to a bottle of Good Genes and a makeover at Charlotte Tilbury at their Meadowhall Counter, having called up to book the week before.
I had tried a CT lipstick before and of course heard everyone rave about the line as a whole, but genuinely didn't know what to expect as I hadn't been for a proper sit down makeover before other than having a foundation or lipstick tried on me quickly by the assistant. Plus, CT counters are a new revelation and reviews online are few and far between.
Straight away I was blown away by how beautiful the counter was and infact no pictures can really do it justice. It was gold, well lit, beautifully clean and well... absolutely full of wondrous products you just couldn't take your eyes off!
I had the lovely Autumn do my make-up, and I chose the Ingénue which suprised me as after looking at all 10 looks online I was set on the Dolce Vita, though when I saw the products in person displayed next to each look the Ingénue seemed too beautiful not too! Though Autumn let me customise by including a shade from the Dolce Vita palette, which I also bought as the £35 cost of the makeover is redeemable against CT products.
The make-over lasted a whopping 90 minutes, which I was not expecting at all as other brands such as Mac state theirs take around 30-60 minutes with a far higher cost for the latter than what I paid for 90 minutes.
The area where you have your make-up done is at the back of the counter and slightly more secluded, which felt more comfortable as there is nothing worse than feeling you are on display especially with no makeup on! Each person gets their own little set-up with a brush set and all the products from their look, and a giant mirror infront so you can learn about the application techniques in real time. Even though we were in one of the busiest shopping centers in Europe, the experience still felt private and relaxed.
I couldn't fault any of the make-up application and was fascinated by how she applied my mascara with my eyes completely shut throughout... (you learn something new everyday!) though it's worth keeping in mind it's a very talkative makeover, with each product being thoroughly explained as opposed to you just sitting there.
I felt a little bad for only spending £4 to be able to purchase the Dolce Vita palette at £39 as she had put alot of effort into explaining each product, and I guess the expectation is that you will part with some serious cash. In all honestly I was overwhelmed with how nice every single product was from the brushes to the skincare and the make-up, so felt I wanted some more time to decide so I could return next time to buy a couple more items.
Overall it was one of the best (if not the best) beauty experience I've ever had. They treat each customer like royalty, and even though they are all quite young they all speak with such respect and kindness which is rare in beauty halls these days.
Having someone else re-imagine your make-up is an invaluable experience and can really help you shake up your look, especially if you always do the same thing everyday and fancy a change.
Here is my make-up a whopping 9 hours after application (including a two hour stifling hot crowded train ride home!):
I thoroughly recommend the Charlotte Tilbury experience and I'm so glad I chose that brand over others who might not have made me feel so special, on what was my day to be pampered (no excuse for the other 364 days!...)
If you've been or are thinking of going I'd love to know your thoughts!
