Beauty on a Budget: L'oreal Infallible Sculpt Review

Now, me, I LOVE buying new make-up...finding, trying and loving new products, new colours and new formulas. My bank balance, on the other hand, must seriously hate it! Especially when, that dreaded situation occurs, when all my 'necessities' need replacing at one time. This is an occurrence that happens all too often - last weekend, for example.

This, teamed with my wish to start saving and my current 'lack of available funds' (the term that my online banking like to keep reminding me about - I mean I get it already!!), led me to step away from the Benefit counter (for now anyways), and found me walking down the brightly lit aisles of Superdrug. 

With the current '3 for 2' offer across all cosmetics, I was able to get a lot more for my money, and this gave me the chance to try some new things.

Advertising for L'Oreal's New Infallible Sculpt range was everywhere, and as I love a bit of contouring, I thought I would give it a go...

The sculpt range currently includes seven make-up products, as well as the introduction of L'Oreal's first make-up brush. Here is a quick review of three of the mentioned products.

1. Infallible Sculpt Contouring Base

Currently this product only comes in a choice of two shades:

a. Light
b. Medium/Dark

It has smart pigments that are used to match various skin tones. As I am quite fair skinned (at least before I apply bronzer) and it is cold outside (therefore I am taking a break from fake tan), I find that the light option acts as a perfect colour match to my skin tone. 

The contouring base is intended to be used prior to the contouring/sculpting stage, and offers a light coverage (half the thickness of a regular foundation), and a beautiful finish - the face does not look 'caked' in make-up. 

Personally, it depends how much coverage I am after, when deciding how to use the product. For everyday use, and my work make-up, I choose to use only this product as my foundation. But it can also be used on top of your foundation - this is the choice I opt for on a 'going out, OUT' night, when I am after a higher amount of coverage. 

I use my Real Technique Expert Face Brush to apply this base - giving a flawless and luminous complexion (even if I say so myself!). It is easily blendable, which preps the skin for a seamless contour to be blended on top, and also contains grip technologies, that ensure your contouring hard work stays in place. So much so, L'Oreal claims that it last 24 hours (if you plan on being awake and wearing your make-up for that long).

2. Infallible Sculpt Contouring Palette

The main contour effect is created using the contouring palette. Like the base, this also comes in two shades:

a. Light-Medium
b. Medium-Dark

The palette offers two colours in each: the lighter, used to highlight, and the darker, used to contour. I use the light-medium shade, as it offers a cool tone, that is easily buildable, and therefore can work well on a number of different skin-tones. The medium-darker palette offers warmer/orange tones. 

One of the best aspects of this product is the cream-to-powder finish - offering the benefits of both types of product. Unlike a simple cream contour, the powder aspect ensures long-lasting wear and there is no need to use a setting powder or spray to ensure the product lasts. However you still benefit from the natural look achieved from using a cream.

L'Oreal have also introduced their first brush to the range, a dual ended sculpt brush, perfect for this stage of application:

- The tapered end - used for blush or contour application
- The flat end - designed to blend together the contour

Unfortunately, this brush is currently out of stock in my local store, so for now, I am using my Real Techniques brushes (my pointed foundation brush, sculpting brush, and contour brush) for application, and my magical complexion sponge for blending. 

I won't lie, normally in the week I tend to oversleep, so don't have much time to contour before work, but this offers one of the quickest applications and is my go to in the week! I use the dark colour in the hollows of my cheek, under my hairline, a little under my bottom lip, across my jawline, and down the middle-sides of my nose. While the lighter shade is used under my eyes, in the middle of my forehead, down the middle of my nose, on my cupids bow and on my chin (this product also comes with instructions). 

And then blend, blend, blend...

This creates a natural look: natural light and shadow. There is also no shimmer in this product, so you don't go around sparkling (in a bad way)!!

3. Infallible Sculpt Blush

Now to add some colour to the cheeks.

This comes in 3 colours:

a. Soft Sand
b. Soft Rosy 
c. Natural Beige

And then each blush has 3 colours in 1: a cheek highlighter, and 2 complimenting blush colours.

I'm beginning to move towards more peachy colour blushers (especially since becoming a brunette). However, it was still the Soft Rosy colour that I reached for from the shelf. This has a light pink colour, a slightly orange tone, and a darker pink. And I love it!

You can use this product in two ways...either with a sweep across all 3 shades or using each colour individually. Personally, I sweep across all the colours (giving a flushed look on the cheeks) and then use my Real Techniques Fan Brush to sweep even more of the highlighter across my cheekbones.

If you want to see how the pros contour, click the link here to learn Mario Dedivanovic's (MUA behind Kim K's contoured look) tips and tricks on how to get the best looks from these products. 

I seriously recommend these products. They are easy to apply, and give a beautiful, natural, yet sculpted look. Other products in the range include: Superliner Black n Sculpt, Infallible Matte Max Designer Lip Pens, Sculpt Brow Artist, and False Lash Sculpt Mascara - these are next on my list...!!

Have any of you tried these products? Or anything similar? Let me know what you think...

Thank-you for reading

Claire 

xxx