MARY KAY: MAKEUP FOR PALE COMPLEXIONS

Being fair skinned, I often struggle to find foundations, concealers and powders that offer shades for my skin tone. I tend to stick with my holy grail products when it comes to base makeup, as I know it's likely I won't end up with the dreaded gravy line around my jaw. It's not an attractive sight!

I was really excited to try out some products from a brand I've never used before. Mary Kay are a brand I had never heard of before, but they actually have so many different beauty products; including skin care and makeup.

Mary Kay mineral powder foundation - £14.50
Despite wearing makeup most days, I had never tried a mineral powder foundation before. I use a loose powder to set my liquid foundation, which can be quite messy if I'm not careful. I just found it's somewhat easier to apply a liquid foundation than a mineral one.

However, this product proved me wrong and I am so glad I was introduced to it. Some days, I don't want to apply a full face of makeup; which is where a mineral foundation comes in great. This has a fantastic coverage for a mineral foundation and lasts most of the day too. I've found it's my go-to foundation for those no makeup days and mornings when I head over to the gym and want a tiny bit of coverage to my bare face.

Mary Kay timewise matte-wear liquid foundation - £16.00
They have a huge range of different foundation shades for paler complexions, which are also all divided into separate shades for different skin tones. My skin is quite pink based, which means I need yellow based foundations to counteract the redness. I gave the Ivory foundations a try in three different shades; 1, 3 and 7.

Shade 1 was far too pale for me, but both shades 3 and 7 are a perfect match; depending if I have tanned my face or not. I am used to using quite a thick liquid foundation, so it was quite difficult for me to get on with a really runny foundation. I found it quite hard to use because of how thin the consistency is; meaning it's quite difficult to blend. I also found that because these foundations are for combination-oily skin; they didn't quite match my skin type which is dry-combination. 

The coverage is ok, but not brilliant. It could possibly be buildable, but because I found them hard to blend, I just don't think they are great for dry-combination skin types. 

Mary Kay perfecting concealer - £10.00

I have quite temperamental skin underneath my eyes, so it can be difficult for me to find concealers that I like. I was finding for ages that concealers seemed to move about during the day, so it's important for me to find the right one to prevent myself looking like a crying panda. You know... when mascara transfers. Another look that's never a good one!

The concealer claims to be lightweight and able to cover anything from dark circles and imperfections. It took me quite a few applications to like it and that was mainly due to the consistency I am used to in the previous concealer I was using. This concealer is very thick, but has an excellent colour match for pale complexions.

I have been using a beauty blender to apply the concealer under my eyes, as a highlight and on any imperfections that I have. I do find it works better with quite a wet beauty blender; simply because it is a very thick concealer. It doesn't transfer throughout the day, which is a complete breath of fresh air for me. For £10, I think it's an okay price for a product that does work. 

Like all brands, not all products are going to work for you. Whilst I love the mineral foundation and think the concealer is okay, I didn't get on well with the liquid foundations. However, I do believe this is down to the fact they are not made for my particular skin type. I would be interested in trying out more of the range and see if any of their other products take me at complete surprise. 

Price wise, I think everything is non-expensive and comes in beautiful packaging; including outer box packaging. Mary Kay are definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a new beauty brand to explore.

Disclaimer: PR samples. All words, opinions and photographs are my own.