Although television adverts are often perceived as an annoying addition to your favourite programme – or an unwanted extra for your Saturday night, occasionally – they do actually throw something useful into the equation. Whether it’s a product you would have never tried without some gentle persuasion or simply something you wouldn’t have otherwise come across – adverts are helpful – sometimes.
The occasion I’m trying to relate this to – is Sheer Cover. A brand whose advert I must have watched over twenty times during the past month and yet prior to this, I’d never have thought to try them out. Specialists in creating flawless skin and covering acne scars, redness and hyper pigmentation – I was eager to give them a try, because unfortunately – my skin has problems of its own.
Redness and hyper pigmentation is something I suffer with quite badly on my face and despite my best efforts to grit my teeth and bare it, it does play havoc with my confidence (especially on bad days). It’s not overly noticeable to other people, especially in darker lighting – but when I look in the mirror, it’s all I ever see. I look like I’m permanently boiling hot or blushing – especially on my cheeks and chin – and in the past, I have had a few comments which have heightened my awareness of it. Again, I know it’s nothing serious (they did think it was rosacea or the like – but treatment didn’t work) but I do miss the time I was able to go make-up free and have one skin-tone rather than hideous red patches.
My regular make-up routine does a pretty good job of covering it – for about an hour or so. As a dry skin sufferer also (I was dealt a great hand skin-wise) my foundation quite rapidly dries out, revealing the red patches it was applied to cover. I could probably apply a thicker layer of my normal foundation and play around with my concealer a little but it’s tricky not to look ‘cakey’ in that respect and I hate the feeling of heavy make-up on my face.
Sheer Cover’s advert captured my attention because their ambassador Brooke Burke-Charvet suffers with melasma, a series skin issue which causes patches of discolouration all over her face. She describes the product range as a ‘life saver’ and I know (I’m not that naive) it is probably a case of paid advertising, however the before and after pictures spoke volumes to me and I was eager to try the system for myself.
Fast forward a couple of weeks and the pink box of goodies arrives on my doorstep, complete with a handy step-by-step guide to applying the products. Although this might seem patronising to some, I’m all for learning some tips and tricks of the trade (especially from Naomi Priestley, the celebrity make-up artist involved with Sheer Cover). In addition to the concealer and foundation, the kit includes a brightener, bronzer, mascara and lengthening fibre gel – everything you need to completely transform you in the morning.
My cynicism did start to kick in upon initially applying the make-up – following the step by step guide to the letter, as I wondered how on earth anything was going to stay on my face, cover everything entirely (all day) and not feel heavy and cakey – however a couple of hours later, I wasn’t disappointed.
First you moisturise and apply serum to your face, before leaving to dry naturally (usually around 10 minutes or so – but I use a very greasy moisturiser). Then you mix the colours provided in the concealer trio to create a shade that matches your skin before dabbing it onto blemishes, scars, dark circles etc using the brush provided. Using a brush for concealer is something new to me, as usually I just blend it in with my fingers – however the soft bristles of this ensure that it melts in seamlessly.
Then, you use the highlighter/illuminator under the brow bone, on the inner and outer corners of each eye and just on top of the cheekbone. You can even use it on the bow of your lips for a fuller ‘poutier’ look!
Step three is to cover with foundation – which is oddly hydrating considering it is in powder form. On your skin, this feels as light as air (honestly, I forgot I had anything on my face) and doesn’t rub off when you touch your face (foundation hands are never ideal). It covers any remaining redness and can even be used with your moisturiser to create a tinted lighter liquid foundation.
Above: the redness is visible (ish) here. As you can see, my cheeks look permanently flushed and my skin-tone is uneven. A problem that comes through – even with my normal make-up routine.
In order to create dimension, Sheer Cover handily provide an illuminating bronzer – which considering I’ve been loyal to the same one for several years now, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s the perfect balance of shimmer and tint.
As if all that wasn’t impressive enough, one of my favourite bits of the whole kit was the mascara and lengthening fibres – which despite always coming across quite gimmicky when I’ve tried them before (different brands) – absolutely blew me away. I never knew you could dramatically increase the length of your lashes without getting extensions or falsies – but with this duo, I was well on my way to becoming a Kardashian (almost).
After applying a couple of layers of the mascara, you gently (but quickly) run the fibres through your lashes, which attach to the ends and can be brushed through again with the mascara to add length.
Overall, Sheer Cover has gone above and beyond my expectations. I’m a creature of habit usually and hate changing up my routine – however trying this out has definitely given me a reason to scrap that. I love how quick and easy the products are to apply – and how much of a difference they make. My make-up no longer fades away throughout the day – nor does it come off with a quick wipe of the hand. It stays put, it covers and it’s so light. For £29.99 for the whole kit (basically a whole new ‘make-up wardrobe’) it’s such good value for money and so, so worth it. I chose the shade ‘light’ because I didn’t want the finished look to be too orangey, however they do offer four other different colours.
Beauty, is of course – skin deep and I don’t want to appear shallow by using silly superlatives for something superficial – however when your confidence is dented due to redness, acne, hyper pigmentation or the like, I think this can do wonders for your self esteem and I’d recommend it to anyone in the same, or similar situation as me.
Visit the Sheer Cover website here for more information and for details on the introductory kit, click here.
