Another bunch of beauty reviews for you; this time I’m “live testing” Lancome’s new Miracle Air de Teint foundation, Clinique’s new Feathering mascara and a second mascara, a violet-hued Maxi Lash version from Guerlain. The response to these videos seems to be very good, so I’ll keep on doing them so long as there’s stuff to test out. And there’s always stuff to test out, believe me. I’m trying to make a list of the most popular requests, too, so keep them coming – Lancome’s Air de Teint was mentioned a number of times recently, so that is what kicks off the latest Beauty Reviews instalment.

Lancome’s Miracle Air de Teint is a really difficult foundation to describe. Because in a way, it’s not really foundation; it doesn’t sit in a layer over the skin and mask imperfections, it just kind of blurs them. And adds some colour and glow. It is absolutely weightless and applying it is a slightly odd experience – you can feel the “slip” of the silicones in the formula, but nothing else. It’s almost texture-less. I’d say “like water” but it’s not like water at all; the closest thing I can think of in an attempt to offer up a description is that it’s like warm air brushing over the skin. Which makes the product name quite appropriate, really. Air de Teint.

It’s very hard to believe that this liquidy, light-as-air makeup could provide anything in the way of coverage and, as you’ll see in the video, it doesn’t really do coverage in the conventional way. Dark circles still show through, little blemishes and spots of discolouration are still visible, but everything is just thrown into soft focus with a dose of radiance chucked in for good measure. You can absolutely see the difference after application, but it’s not a full-on “GASP!” difference, it’s a clever, subtle difference that looks entirely natural. Which is what I think I love about this foundation – the fact that little imperfections show through makes it look as though you have absolutely no makeup on. But your skin looks better. It’s not going to rock the boats of those who like or need full coverage, but for people who hate face makeup (my Mum) and just want a sophisticated finish that evens out skintone a little and gives a bit of a colour boost? It is absolutely worth giving this a try.

I have used shade 01 in the video, which looks too dark as I swipe it onto my face but blends out within seconds – I think that because the formula is so very sheer, you can get away with a bit of shade mis-match. I also have shade 001, which is nearer my exact skin tone, but I actually like the healthy effect of 01. You can see all of the shades at FeelUnique here.

Lots of people have asked about similarities between this foundation and Giorgio Armani’s Maestro; they are very similar, but I think that Air de Teint is just a smidgen lighter in texture. People have also asked about suitability for oily or acne-prone skin; I’ve used it in the good old “PMT week” with no problems in the T-Zone area, and I actually preferred it to the heavier feel of a normal foundation. The fact that you can just lightly spread a few drops over the skin and get this beautiful veil of pigment…I’m just really impressed. I didn’t think that I would be, but I have found myself turning to the Air de Teint on my “off duty” days and using it instead of tinted moisturiser!

Lancome’s Air de Teint costs £29.50 and comes in 12 shades here. Make sure you watch the video below to see it being applied and blended out.

Next on my list of things to review; Clinique’s brand new mascara offering, the Lash Power Feathering Mascara. I really didn’t like this the first time I used it – I thought that it was very underwhelming, dry and crumbly. However, when I went to demonstrate this on video, it worked like an absolute dream! Perhaps because I was taking a little more care with the application – I really started to see the lashes separate and lengthen, and the wand picked up every lash, even the tiniest, finest ones towards the inner corners of my eyes. A few coats later (this stuff is very buildable, no clumping whatsoever) and I had really very fluttery, lengthened lashes. You can see me applying this and a bit of a close-up in the video (screen below, or click here) and you can find the mascara at Clinique.co.uk here

Last review subject; Guerlain’s Maxi Lash mascara. It’s already a firm favourite, but this time I tested it in a funky shade. Violet. I’m quite into my coloured mascaras – I often wear bright blue, or a khaki one from Chanel that I have, but so far I haven’t delved much into the purple arena. (Not a euphemism.) I loved Guerlain’s Maxi Lash so much (you can see my original post here) that I went and bought the violet version. Am I as impressed? Not quite. I don’t think that the colourful counterparts can ever really match up to jet black in terms of dramatic effect. But this violet number gives it a good go – you can see in the video that there’s some nice volumising going on and the lashes are well separated and clump-free… If you are very fair and find black mascara too heavy for daytime wear, then this might make a nice change from the usual brown option. Maxi Lash is £23, or £20.70 at Escentual.com here.

And so to the video; watch, enjoy, share. And keep the suggestions rolling in, I have my very long list handy to note them all down! If you can’t see the video screen then you can view it on Youtube here.