A Week Without Foundation : How Did I Cope?

You may have spotted over on social media that for 5 days this past week I decided  to test myself.... can I live without foundation?

I have worn foundation more or less daily since I was about 14. Yes.... that is a long time, 12 years in fact, of slapping on a face full to hide bits and bobs about my face that I'd rather others didn't see.

I am lucky with my skin (*touches wood*), I've never been a big sufferer of spots or blemishes but I still use foundation like a security blanket, hiding redness here and there and creating an even toned base to work with.

As I'm getting older I'm slowly becoming more confident with my skin and the thought of going without foundation isn't actually that daunting or scary anymore. And after having a few of these thoughts last Sunday I thought I would give it go..... head to work and spend my week totally foundation free, how bad could it be?

Lets start of by talking pros.

1. Time Saving. Holy moly I didn't realise how much time cutting this step out of my make-up routine would save! I did cut down the products I use by half whilst going foundation free and it cut my make-up routine to just 5-10 minutes - perfect for when I'm running out the door each morning. 

2. Saving on products. Because I wasn't using foundation I also cut out my primer and bits and bobs for contouring and highlighting! The perfect way to save on my expensive products that I do like to use daily, not just foudantion. Plus.... it takes alot less cleanse and polish to remove the few products I was wearing, making that end of day ritual alot less of a pain in the butt!

3. My skin got to breathe! It was quite nice knowing that I didn't have a face-full of make-up just to go to work. Don't get me wrong if I still worked with the public I probably would feel a little different about this experiment but now I'm in an office with 3 other lovely ladies (1 of which I've known since I was a teen) I felt like it wasn't a big deal! My skin wasn't clogged to the brim with slap, it was nice.

Now.... a couple of cons.

1. My redness. The number one reason I wear foundation. I don't have rosacea (I don't think) but my skin does have red patches and it does have a tendency to go red - at the most annoying times!
 Our new office seems to be like a greenhouse so I have been SO warm and my skin has definitley been resonating it haha! Going to gym classes and on runs have really been showing aswell haha - my boyfriend couldn't believe how red I was the other night and all I could say was - this is what it's like with no foundation! Saying this.... it does feel alot nicer breaking a sweat without a face full of make-up clogging up my pores.

2. PALE. I felt SO pale.

My Foundation Free Routine
So I suppose you all want to know what products I WAS using? So let's chat.

I started off each morning with my using cleansing routine then popped on some of the Madara Ultimate FaceLift Day Cream (I thought if I wasn't going to be using a foundation I might aswell try and improve my skin in a different way.... I was aiming for ten years younger!).
I then used my Recover concealer which is made for redness to tackle around my nose and my eyes. I have to have a bit of a glow/shimmer as my dull skin is totes boring so I then dabbed a bit of MAC strobe cream on my cheek bones, down my nose and on my forehead. It was then just my eyebrows, which I use MAC eyebrow pencil and my lashes - Maxfactor Masterpiece Max mascara. They are two things that I definitely couldn't go without. 
That was it, my morning routine done and dusted - seriously.... so much time saved.

The Verdict

From now on I think that for normal work days and just day to day life.... I don't need foundation - I can't believe I'm saying that!
 If I'm off out with friends or spending the day somewhere then yes I will feel alot more comfortable with it on but for work int he office/the gym/popping out here and there - I'm going to go foundationless! (Bring on summer when I have a bit more of a tan though!)

What do you think? Could you go #FoundationFree for a week?

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Montagne Jeunesse 7th Heaven Coffee Mocha Mud Mask Review

I'm really sorry if you are getting fed up with me talking about £1 face mask sachets but I love a bargain and giving myself a little pamper so I feel the need to tell you all. In all seriousnes though, if you really aren't interested in these sorts of products please let me know!

So Montagne Jeunesse - my one true love for a good face mask - have a new collection/name - 7th Heaven! You may have spotted these on my instagram or my recent Boots haul already and I've finally got round to giving some of them a go, wahoo.

I'm not a coffee drinker but the sound of 'coffee mocha mud' sounded fab so £1 was spent and I had once again another mask to try out.

Whipped together ground coffee beans, kaolin clay and macadamia oil help to lightly exfoliate the skin before giving an intense cleanse.

The scent was okay, not my favourite of the MJ masks, if you love coffee you'll be a fan for sure. After applying in circular motions to fully exfoliate I let the mask set for 15 minutes.

Unlike other masks I've used this set fairly quickly which I loved, I'm a bit of a werido and love the feel of a hard clay mask on my face .... okay now I sound like a creep.

After the 15 minutes were up I washed it off and was left with fully rejuvenated skin. Although it felt oft, it did also feel a little dry so I'm not sure weather it was a bit much for my skin, but after applying my Liz Earle Skin Tonic and a bit of moistuiser it was fine and dandy once again.

The next mask I'm going to try is the 7th Heaven Banana & Honey mask and I cannot wait.

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