Bourjois Java Rice Powder

I was lucky enough to win a Bourjois competition on Twitter recently and my prize was this new (well, old...) Java rice powder. This year marks Bourjois' 150th birthday, so to celebrate the occasion they have re-released their Java rice loose powder, which was their first ever best-selling product. It's hard to believe that the product was originally launched back in 1879!

The beautiful mint green packaging with the product name in French is inspired by the Parisian-style packaging of the original product, which I think is a lovely touch.

The Bourjois website states that the original version was "designed to lighten skin and leave it silky-soft" and for the most part that remains to be true. However, the product has been reformulated somewhat into a pearlescent, radiance boosting loose powder, which personally I think would be best used as a highlighter, although you could definitely use it all over your face if you wanted to. The powder is only available in one shade currently, a shimmery, transparent, slightly pink shade, which I think would flatter a lot of skintones.

Personally I twist the product to open it and then tip some of the powder into the lid and swirl my brush around in it, to avoid making any mess, which is the only trouble with loose powders. The product itself is very finely milled, meaning it adds a very natural looking glow to the face, without looking caked on or adding any garish chunks of glitter. 

Above is a photo of the powder before blending it in, to show the subtle, soft pink shade. Below I have blended it in and you will see that it clearly gives an highlighting, illuminating effect.

 Another feature of this powder that deserves to be commented on is definitely the smell! It smells similar to the Bourjois little pot blushes, but with a more pungent floral scent. Quite simply the only way I can describe this smell is "vintage", it reminds me of my Nan! I love it, it reminds me of the way old-fashioned make-up used to smell and I think it's a lovely detail. However, if you're not one for scented products you may not like it!

Bourjois have confirmed that this Java rice powder will be joining their permanent line, retailing for £9.99. Originally it was only available from Selfridges, but you can now find it in Boots and Superdrug.

Have you tried this product? Would you like to?

New Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation Review

(For the record, this foundation isn't particularly "new", but Bourjois revamped the original Healthy Mix Foundation and therefore on their website it is referred to as the NEW Healthy Mix Foundation.)

Hello again!
I was in Superdrug with my mum the other day and she was looking for a new foundation. I recommended the Bourjois Healthy Mix, as although i'd never used it, i'd heard it was great. Luckily for me, Bourjois had a 3 for 2 deal on, so she bought me one too!

I'm actually a bit of a foundation snob. I have quite a lot of high-street makeup, but when it comes to foundation I don't mind spending a bit more, as it will be going on my skin pretty much every day. For this reason, for the last couple of years i've tried MAC's Mineralize Foundation, Studio Tech and Studio Moisture Tint and more recently Benefit's Hello Flawless, which I LOVE. Therefore, I was excited to see how this high-street foundation would compare.

I've used this foundation about three or four times now and here are my thoughts on the product...

Pros-

• The colour. I got this foundation in the lightest shade available, 51 Light Vanilla and it matches my (very pale!) skintone perfectly.
• The smell. This foundation smells so lovely! The product contains apricot for radiance, melon for hydration and apple for youthfulness and together they make a really pleasant, fruity scent, which makes applying this foundation really enjoyable. However, this could be a con for those of you who don't like scented products. 
• Radiance boosting. Bourjois claim that this foundation is radiance boosting and I would definitely agree with this. It gives your skin a really dewy, healthy looking glow, without being shimmery or making your face oily.
• The packaging. The original Healthy Mix came in plastic packaging and i'm really glad that Bourjois have opted for a glass bottle this time around as it makes it feel much more luxurious and distinguishes it from cheaper high-street brands.
• Light texture. The product itself is very light, which makes it very easy to apply. I have been using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to buff this into my skin and once applied it feels like you aren't wearing anything at all. (Read my review of the brush here.)
• Price. This foundation retails at £9.99, which for a product of this quality is a great deal and Boots and Superdrug constantly have some sort of deal on  Bourjois products, so keep an eye out for them!

Cons-

• The colour range. Although my shade matches my skin well, the actual range itself only consists of eight shades. All of which are fairly pale, as you can see here on the Boots website. So women with darker skintones may not be able to use this foundation.
• Coverage. Although this foundation is intended to give a very natural look, which I think is great for those days when you don't want to wear too much makeup, it really is quite sheer. Personally I generally prefer a slightly fuller coverage, to even out my skintone a bit more and give a more flawless finish.
  
    
  
  
  

Have you tried this foundation?  What did you think?