Christmas Gift Guide: Estée Lauder

With Christmas around the corner, companies are gearing up to ram their gift guides down the throats of vulnerable shoppers. Promoting their products as if they hold no faults, and showcasing all of the fantastic 3 for 2 offers to lure you in, it can create a false sense of security. 

So instead of trying to sell their products, I thought I'd offer more of a review guide for possible Christmas gifting, to help buying for your loved ones a little easier. 

First up, we have Estée Lauder for those who don't mind spending a little more on a high-quality product. 

As you can see, the advanced night repair is a tester pot so I'm yet to say I'm an avid user. The tester has lasted me a few weeks however so I definitely recommend asking for one if you fancy giving it a go yourself. 

The main temptation with this product was that it is a serum rather than a thick night cream as my skin is already a little oily so doesn't need the extra layer. This lightweight serum leaves your skin feeling silky, not dry or oily. Bonus. 

After a few weeks of use, I have noticed that my skin isn't as oily as it once was and it seems to have balanced my skin tone, minimising redness. With constant use over a long period of time, I can only imagine the affects would be extremely beneficial. 

However, the smallest 30ml bottle is priced at £49.00 so it depends on how much you are looking to spend. This serum would make the perfect gift for someone who likes to look after their skin with high-quality products. 

I'd never been one for expensive foundation, I was always drawn in by brands such as Maybelline and Rimmel. That was until I moved to London and realised such products just don't stand the test of travel. By the time I got to work, I looked like I hadn't even bothered putting foundation on that morning. So it was time for something more durable. 

I had heard so much about Double Wear that I decided to give it a go and ask for a tester. It wasn't long until I upgraded to an actual bottle, and I can't see that I'll look back with any regret. 

A number of reviews had said it was too thick and made the wearer appear caked in make-up so I asked the girl at the counter to show me how to apply to avoid this. She told me to layer it rather than attempt to put it all on in one go. 

By pouring a pea-size amount to the back of my hand and applying thinly using a brush, it gives me the power to control how much coverage I want. 

When I get home from work, I still feel like I'm wearing make-up, although admittedly not as much as when I left the house that morning, but a definite improvement to the cheaper brands I was using before. I would happily recommend this product to anyone who wears foundation normally so I believe it would make the ideal Christmas gift. 

The Double Wear foundation is £29.50 and comes in a number of shades so if you can slyly get your loved one to get a colour match, you'll be a winner come Christmas Day. 

Bare Minerals VS PurMinerals

For years I have suffered with oily skin, and no amount of mattifying face cream has been able to stop it slowly wear away at my foundation. By the end of almost every day my face would be almost foundation-free, which is not the look I was going for surprisingly.

Up until recent months, I had always been naive and uneducated when it came to makeup, I was more of a follow-the-trend kind of girl. This meant I was using liquid foundation and piling on powder to dry it out. Big mistake. Liquid foundation on top of oily skin is a disaster waiting to happen, and the layers of powder made me look like I was applying my makeup with a shovel.

That is when the wonder that is pressed foundation came into my life. A friend of mine bought the Bare Minerals Ready foundation, and after seeing her wearing it, I was completely sold. For the first few weeks of using it I felt so much better about my skin and had finally found a resolution for the oil. When the pot was coming to an end, I went into an M&S and saw their PurMinerals counter selling almost the exact same product. One of the girls working there had told me that not only was it makeup but it was also a skincare product. Deciding to give it a go, I started using it before the Bare Minerals had completely ran out and I have to say, there is no comparison.

Yes, they may seem like the same product, but PurMinerals has so many qualities that Bare Minerals seems to be lacking. After using the two, I have noticed that Bare Minerals builds up throughout the day and ends up looking rather cakey. Not only this but the skin-tone range isn’t as broad as its competitor and as it takes it’s time to build up, you end up piling on more than necessary as you feel like you have nothing on to start with.

With PurMinerals, there is no cake and no hassle. It goes straight on, the colour matches my skin perfectly and it doesn’t wear away throughout the day.

Although it isn’t a well-known brand, PurMinerals wins hands down for me and I recommend everyone to try it. Marks and Spencer offer a wide range of PurMinerals products, with the foundation costing you £24. It’s my ultimate makeup bag must-have and I think it would be yours too.