It’s only since I’ve been writing my blog that I’ve really become aware of how “ageist” the whole beauty industry is. It’s always mildly annoyed me that you don’t see anyone over the age of about 25 in the adverts and if they are older they are airbrushed to within an inch of their life, but recently I am becoming more aggrieved about it. I find it astonishing that companies don’t realise that it’s older women who have the most disposable income.
A few years ago I became aware of a brand called Look Fabulous Forever (LFF), which promoted age as a positive thing and produced products specifically for the over 50s, so I signed up to their website and instagram accounts. I still think I’m 18, so I didn’t buy any of the products but recommended them to my mum who’s in her 70s. However, I’ve recently been trying out 5 products from the range to see how they suit my mid 50 skin.
Before I start my review properly, here’s a quick background of LFF. The company was founded by Tricia Cusden in 2013 when she was 68 and retired from her previous incarnation as a Management Consultant. She was fed up of spending lots of money on products that didn’t suit her skin and decided to do something about it. She had some money to invest, found a supplier and the rest is history. I’ve done a previous Q&A blog with Tricia, so once you’ve finished this one have a read of that.
Tricia says that a lot of the products out there don’t suit mature skin because it’s more absorbent and bumpy, like blotting paper, so a different type of product is needed. LFF now has award winning products and Tricia herself has won and been nominated for internet based business awards; proving that just because you’re over 50 doesn’t mean you’re not tech savvy. There’s even a YouTube channel with ‘how to’ videos which have been viewed thousands and thousands of times. The products are all made in the UK with nothing tested on animals. LFF is going from strength to strength with customers in all corners of the globe, it’s a proper family business as well as Tricia works with both of her daughters. You can try the products yourself with 20% off using code Adele20.
So let’s get to what I think about the 5 products I’ve been trialling. For a start the packaging is really lovely, you know I’m a sucker for pretty packaging:
Smooth Like Silk Face Prime – £22.00 for 30ml
This primer really is smooth like silk, I can’t describe it any other way. You only need a small amount and it spreads over the skin so evenly, it’s so easy to use. I was a bit worried that because it’s a matte product it might make my skin look dry, but that is absolutely not the case. I put this on after my usual morning cleansing/moisturising routine and on top of my sunscreen, I always wait around 10 minutes or so before I use a primer just to give everything a chance to settle before I do my makeup. The primer is designed to fill open pores and fine lines to help your makeup stay fresh all day. It’s certainly had to work hard the past few weeks with the hot weather but by the end of the day my skin still feels wonderfully smooth and miraculously I still have some foundation left on my face. This and the eyeshadow primer are my favourite of the 5 products and for the size of the bottle is definitely a recommended buy.
Continuous Cover Foundation – £26.00 for 30ml
I’m always wary about buying foundation online but the LFF website gives you lots of tips on how to choose the right colour, along with photos and videos. I went for foundation shade 2, the foundations all have a yellow base so they suit all skin tones. The product is manufactured to give you a “fresh, dewy appearance and to even out skin tone without looking heavy”. It contains extract of coconut oil to keep the skin moisturised and Vitamin E which is an antioxidant.
Apply over your primer, I generally use a couple of pumps and then apply with a beauty blender, but you can use a brush or your fingers. Again, this product is easy to use, by that I mean that I can apply it onto my face evenly and it doesn’t dry out as I’m using it. I like products to feel weightless, I don’t like to be aware of having a load of makeup on my face. This foundation certainly complies with my requirements. I don’t have deep wrinkles yet, but the product did not sink into my fine lines and make them more prominent. All in all I’ve found this to be a great foundation. I’m going to decant some of it for my mum and I will let you know what she thinks.
Smooth Out Eye Prime – £17.50 for 6ml
Primers are such an important part of your makeup routine, they are the foundation for everything else and I think you use less of your other products, making everything better value for money. I use the sponge applicator to apply the product but you can use your fingers if you prefer. The primer contains extract of coconut oil and is designed to prepare the eyelids for makeup “by neutralising any discolouration and forming a beautifully smooth base”. Let it dry thoroughly before you put your eyeshadow on.
I’ve always used eyeshadow primer, even when I was a lot younger I found it helped my eyeshadow stay in place. This is amongst the best I’ve tried. Again it feels so light, so you don’t feel like you can’t keep your eyelids open, and it makes your eyeshadow stay in place all day.
Colour Balance Neutraliser – £21.00 for 6ml
The Colour Balance Neutraliser comes in 2 shades, peach to neutralise blue/purple or brown discolourations and green to correct redness, caused in my case my broken veins. I’ve used a green colour neutraliser for years due to lots of red discolouration caused by broken veins around my nose and to a lesser extent on my chin. Unfortunately, this isn’t amongst the best I’ve used. I find it too runny and I have to apply several layers to get any sort of coverage. One morning I forgot to apply the product before my foundation so I put it on top and I actually found that worked better for me.
No Shimmer Eye Shade in Taupe – £15.00 for 2gms
LFF eye shadow products are completely matte because shimmer draws attention to a crepey lid. I tried the Taupe shade, which I apply on top of the eye shadow primer and I use it as my base colour. If I don’t want a lot of eyeshadow on then I leave it with just the Taupe, but for a night out I layer other colours (I must admit to using some sparkly ones!). The eyeshadow is great to apply, there are absolutely no sprinkles going all over your face, it stays on the brush until you apply it to your eyelid and it doesn’t smudge. I will definitely be buying other colours.
The LFF website gives you tips on which colours of makeup you should go for depending on whether your skin has warm undertones (yellow) or cool undertones (blue).
USE CODE Adele20 FOR 20% OFF YOUR ORDER.
- Excludes delivery, collections and gift vouchers
- Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer
- Valid until 31st August 2018.
*Disclaimer: This article is in collaboration with Look Fabulous Forever, whom I am delighted to work with. All opinions are my own.
Smooth Like Silk Face Prime Ingredients:
Cyclopenatsiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cyclomethicone, Aloe Barbadensis Extract , Caprylyl Glycol, Silica, Isoceteth-10
Smooth Out Eye Prime Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Talc, Cyclohexasiloxane, Octocrylene, Caprulic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, PVP, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Boron Nitride, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Mica, Xanthan Gum, Dimethiconol, Propylene Carbonate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Parfum (Fragrance), Silica, Limonene, Linalool, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron oxides (CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77491).
Continuous Cover Foundation Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Coconut oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ethylhexyl Dimethyl Paba, Cyclohexasiloxane, Talc, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Boron Nitride, Cyclomethicone, PVP, Triethanolamine, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Mica, Xanthan Gum, Dimethiconol, Propylene Carbonate, Propylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Ammonium, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Silica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron oxides (CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499).
Colour Balance Neutraliser Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Glycol Montanate, PVP, Lanolin Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Octyldodecanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77492, CI 77491), Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289), May Contain (-/+): Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer.
No Shimmer Eye Shade Ingredients
Talc, Zinc Stearate, Mica, Calcium Silicate, Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Lanolin Alcohol, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Methylparaben, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Propyl Gallate, May contain (+/- ): Red 6 Lake (CI 15850), Red 33 (CI 17200), Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Blue 1 (CI 42090), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Black No. 2 (CI 77266), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron oxides (CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77491).