Love or loathe it, Instagram and its many filters have spawned a new breed of make-up products; bases and powders that have been created with one goal in mind, and that is to mimic the skin perfecting qualities of such filters we use online daily. I may be anti (excessive) photoshopping, but I am not against any product that can offer me the qualities of digital re-touching in liquid (or powder) form - some people are out there living their best lives and I'm out here trying to create my best skin. Potato, potatoe.
The "I'm ready for my close-up" primer - NIOD Photography Fluid Opacity 12% (£20)
If ever a product was invented for selfies it was NIOD Photography Fluid; this serum-come-primer boasts light refraction technology - tiny Bio-Silica Photo Finishing Prisms which refract light in thousands of directions to instantly improve the skin’s tone, combined with Nano-Prismatic Blurring Suspension - again utilising fine prisms, to reduce the appearance of imperfections instantly. In laymen's terms it brightens, it optically resurfaces the skin and it softens, all the while leaving the complexion glowing; use it as a primer, a stand alone radiance booster or as a liquid highlighter, just make sure you use it. This is the closest thing to an Instagram filter in a bottle you will ever find and as the name suggests, yes it does indeed photograph beautifully.
The protect, defend and blur addition - Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield (£55)
The vast majority of products aimed at optically blurring and perfecting the skin's surface do just that - physically "filling" any enlarged pores and fine lines - and call it a day; there are no additional qualities such as SPF protection, supplementary moisture or anti-ageing benefits. Well that is until you discover Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield - this silky, soft, gel based primer gently blurs any imperfections, mattifies the complexion, all the while boasting an SPF30 (UVA and UVB protection) to help shield from environmental damage and of course premature ageing. Forget what you know about pore-fillers, Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield is the new gold standard - accept nothing less.
The budget friendly do-it-all base - Rimmel #Insta Flawless (£6.99)
If you don't have time to conceal, highlight and dare I whisper prime, hot foot it to your local Rimmel stand and purchase a bottle of Rimmel #Insta Flawless - it truly is a make-up marvel. This light but moderate coverage offers the best of both worlds: it gently moisturises and features an SPF15 as well as skin adjusting but naturally radiant veil of coverage. The light, liquid texture surprisingly covers most imperfections and creates the a flawless canvas which of course photographs beautifully - well you wouldn't expect anything less, now would you with a name like #Insta Flawless. It truly is fool proof and perfect for everyday use.
The off duty glow-getter - The Body Shop Instaglow CC Cream (£14)
Admittedly I haven't been the biggest advocate of The Body Shop Instaglow CC Creams as frankly the coverage is lacking, but in my opinion there is little that comes rivals such product in terms of being weightless, yet wonderful radiant at the same time. The great thing about this CC cream is that it evens out the skin tone without the need for several corrective products, adds a gentle flush of luminosity and an SPF of 20 to boot. If ever you have admired the natural beauty of off duty models (and haven't we all), I imagine a product like The Body Shop Instaglow CC Creams often comes into play. As an added bonus, you can mix this into your regular foundation of choice for a quick skin boost but with the benefit of a higher level coverage - a great semi-budget friendly option for combating dullness.
The everyday option - bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream (£22.95)
I hate to play favourites but bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream is easily one of the best beauty launches of 2016 - skin smoothing filter-esque capabilities aside. The weightless, cooling and hydrating gel formula makes this both a joy to wear, as it is to apply; as it is a gel texture, it gently glides onto the complexion quickly and effectively smoothing the surface, filling - so to speak - any enlarged pores, fine lines and colour correcting as it goes. In my opinion the coverage level is medium but buildable, and managing the impossible bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream provides a natural matte yet radiant finish. It is the stuff dreams or most liked selfies are made of.
Long live the skin softening, flattering hue of a filter in liquid or digital form.
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