If there is one thing I'm a sucker for in the cosmetic world, it's 100% a foundation. I literally crave flawless skin, and since genetics and a penchant for chocolate means my natural complexion is pretty manky, foundation has had to become my best friend. And I am always on the hunt for my holy grail of foundation.
It has been a while since I've purchased a new foundation, basically because I started to get a bit disillusioned by what was on the market. Yet when I was on a recent blog trawl, I noticed a few new(ish) ones that were getting some impressive blog reviews. And my my, am I easily led by a positive blog review.
My first purchase was Vichy's Dermablend Fluid Corrective 16hr foundation.
This is a foundation that is marketed more as a 'medical' type cosmetic product, aimed at individuals with very sensitive, very reactive skin. It was in the skincare section of Boots, was in a box, and came with a rather substantial instruction leaflet. I bought mine in Shade 25 "Nude". It is designed to be very high coverage (we're talking literal camouflage) but lightweight and also very gentle on the skin, so ideal for rosacea, severe acne, vitiligo or eczema
Now first things first, my skin is sensitive but not very sensitive, and is reactive but not mega reactive. I have to be a bit careful about what I use on it, but it certainly isn't on the extreme end of the scale. But at the same time, I do suffer with eczema, I do have significant red, itchy patches on my face, and I am a bit of a fan of a flawless high coverage finish.
So what was the verdict? My first issue with this was the colour range. Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know I'm all about the yellow undertones. I always lean towards yellow foundation, yellow concealers, yellow powders....I'm obsessed with taking the pinky/red out of my skin tone. This foundation comes in about 5 shades, with nude being the second lightest...and it really isn't very light. It also has definite pink-undertones. It's what I would call a very 'old-school' type foundation shade range, before cosmetic companies started jumping on the 'undertone' bandwagon. If you have pale porcelain skin, I just don't think you're going to get a shade to suit you. Likewise if you have very dark or olive-toned skin. For reference, I'm an NC25 in MAC, and the Nude shade was a tinge on the dark/orange side.
Which is a shame, as the foundation itself is actually really good. For the degree of coverage it gives, the consistency is actually not that heavy, nor cakey. It applies really easily, blends well, and is definitely a really high coverage. When I have red patches or scarring, this covers them an absolute treat, and gives a real airbrushed appearance to the skin. It also doesn't sit in my rather oversized pores. I do have to set this with a very light dusting of powder, as it does have a tendency to go quite greasy on the skin though. For this reason, I use this more of a concealer than an all-over-the-face foundation. It is ideal for providing higher coverage on areas you need, allowing you to have a much lighter foundation (like a CC cream) on the rest of your face. It's success definitely comes from how easily blendable it is, because it means you don't get any obvious tide marks or texture changes if you use it with a much lighter foundation.
I literally love this for touching up bad skin areas, and despite the poor colour range, will definitely be purchasing it again. It is a bit pricey at £15-16, but if you use it the same way I do, then it will last for ages.
My next purchase ws Maybelline's Superstay Better Skin Foundation
Now this little gem has received a LOT of fuss in the blog-sphere. I'm not usually a fan of Maybelline's foundations, but this received such consistently good reviews that I decided to give it a try. It retails between £7-£8 so pretty standard for a high street foundation, and it claims to improve your skin just from wearing it *sceptical eyebrow raise*
Now, first things first, this is a really, really nice foundation. It has a really light consistency, smooths onto the skin mega easily, and actually leaves the skin with an impressive amount of flawless-ness. I would even compare the consistency and finish to my all-time favourite foundation, the Diorskin Nude (amen). But the shade range for this foundation IS. AWFUL.
As I said, I'm an NC25, which in my opinion is not particularly extreme on the pale scale. I got this foundation in 010 Ivory. The lightest shade appears to be Light Beige...but that's literally no lighter, trust me, I swatched extensively. This looks SO orange on my skin. And I'm talking nasty, jaw-line tide mark, orange. The first time I wore it I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and was like sweet jesus I look like a 14 year old experimenting with make-up! I tried to tissue some off but ended up having to wipe it off completely. I have given it another couple of tries since, but I just can't get on with the colour. It just has such an orange finish to it - I think it might oxidise quite a lot on the skin. You can see the difference below between the Maybelline (on the right) and my MAC NC25 on the left.
I am SO frustrated with Maybelline about this, as the foundation really genuinely is an impressive high street foundation. It's coverage and smoothness is reminiscent of much pricier foundations, and I think it would be a bit of a holy grail jobby if I could only get a colour to suit my skin. So Maybelline, sort it out!! Embrace a bit of pale and a bit of yellow-undertone!
My final purchase was the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream.
Now once again, I'm not particularly all over the Bourjois foundation range. I do enjoy their Healthy Mix range, but I don't rave about them to the degree some people do. So I was a little dubious about buying this. It is Bourjois' answer to the CC/BB cream craze and is meant to contain apricot, green and white (really!?) to counteract fatigue, redness and darl spots. Hmm..really? A CC cream? But glowing reviews are glowing reviews, and I decided to give it a little punt.
Oh how glad I am that I did.
At the moment I am L.O.V.I.N.G this foundation. Let me say first of all, that CC creams and BB creams and tinted moisturisers are normally not my bag. I wear foundation for coverage, and normally the 'light-coverage' brigade just don't cut it for me. But this little offering from Bourjois actually has coverage! Who would have guessed!?
I bought this in shade 32 Light Beige (beige clair) and hallelujah (take note Maybelline) the shade is exquisite. It has just enough yellow undertones to keep me happy, and is such a fresh shade. As with the other Bourjois foundations, you may struggle if you have very pale skin, as I think this is one of their palest shades.
But the winning quality of this for me is definitely the consistency and coverage and (suprisingly) the staying power! This covers equally as well (if not better than) some of my "medium-coverage" foundations, and yet it is so light and hydrating and evens your skin tone out an absolute treat. It's perfect for Spring/Summer as it gives the skin a real glowy, natural look, but still does a good job at hiding your nasties. At the moment I've been wearing this everday and then topping up my really red patchy areas with the Vichy Dermablend. The two together are like a little dream team.
So if you're a light-coverage phobic like me, my only advice is not to overlook this little CC cream.
So! There you have it. Now this little lady needs to stay away from the foundation counter for a while..!
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