I’ll be honest, up till a couple of months ago, I’ve never even used anything from Face of Australia. Yes, even I could be a bit of a snob when it comes to drugstore brands, favouring the likes of Rimmel, Loreal and Prestige. Major pharmacies like Priceline tend to place the bigger brands nearer to the entrance of the store with big fancy lights hitting just the right places. Unfortunately, more often than not, Face of Australia would be placed at the end of the makeup brands, without any strategic lighting, making the area dark and unwelcoming.

A couple of months ago, Tina, who’s the tweeter for Face of Australia’s official Twitter page, sent me a care package containing heaps of Face of Australia products. Oh that girl knows how to grab my attention, and grab it good (never mind that after I got to know her personally, she’s absolutely hilarious and has the same sick sense of humour as I do!).

I’ve been using their face makeup range for almost a month now, and I can safely reveal to you that I’ve hung my head in shame many times over for overlooking this little brand that could all this time.

Face of Australia Face Base Primer

I should have saved this for last but since it’s the first step to makeup, I’ll make an exception. This is, by far, the best face primer I’ve ever used. Ever. Most makeup primers have this strong silicone finish, like Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer, which I dislike. Although the FOA primer has dimethicone, it doesn’t feel silicon-y and it’s incredibly lightweight. With it under makeup, my foundation lasts for ages and I don’t get an oily T-zone. Needless to say, I’m in love with this primer and once it’s finished, hell yes I’m repurchasing.

RRP AU$11.95

Face of Australia Mineral Therapy Liquid Foundation

I was a little apprehensive when I started using this given my history with mineral powder foundation (in short, I get rashes). But it was adamant in proving me wrong, giving me a lovely medium coverage and finish on my face. Best of all, not a single rash or pimple in sight. It’s slightly thicker than the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and, dare I say it, just as good. The only snag is that it does not contain SPF. Personally it’s not a biggie for me as I always have separate sunscreen on (foundations that contain SPF normally only have very little SPF. Since you only apply a thin layer of foundation at a time, the measly amount of SPF wouldn’t help you much). For a medium coverage, oil-free, lightweight foundation that doesn’t break the bank, I highly recommend this foundation.

RRP AU$15.95

Face of Australia Translucent Loose Powder

I was on the search for a replacement for my Make Up For Ever Super Matte Loose Powder when this puppy was dropped on my lap. This is a more than adequate replacement. It’s fine-milled and sets my foundation beautifully, keeping it matte but not cakey and overdone. There’s a lot of product for the price (30g), and this will last me a long time.

RRP AU$11.95

Face of Australia Stick Foundation SPF15

I’m not a fan of stick foundations. Never have been. I find them too thick for my oily skin. I’d be honest, I didn’t use this on my face as foundation as I found it too thick. But here’s what I used it for, and what a good job it did – a concealer. If you follow me on Twitter, you might recall that a few weeks ago, I was asking my beauty tweeps on what concealers they recommend. Most recommended Bobbi Brown, some Benefit, etc. Guess what? I used this, and it worked. I used this on the fine red lines around my nose, to cover the redness on my chin, and any stubborn spots. It’s a tad too thick for under my eyes though, but for the rest, did the job, no complaints. For such a big stick (15g), oh this is going to last me yonks.

RRP AU$11.95

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All in all, this is a fab set of makeup products. If you’re on a budget, this is an excellent range. These 4 items would set you just slightly over $50. The products I highly, highly recommend from the set would be the primer and the liquid foundation, which I would easily repurchase in a heartbeat. Face of Australia is Australian made and owned, is 100% against animal testing and is available at Priceline, Kmart, Big W and selected pharmacies nationwide.

Priceline, really, it’s time to place this brand much further to the front!