I wouldn’t want the job of designing foundation; despite my love for cosmetics veering quite close to the borders of sanity, I seem to find endless faults with any given foundation much as a modern day make-up-obsessed Goldilocks might – there’s always too much coverage or too little, the finish is too dewy or too powdery, or the formula offers too much slip or too little.
Really, it’s my fault: I expect so much from my base. First, I’d like flaws covered, but the rest of my skin to look naked. Second, I’d like to match my skin tone precisely, but still add a glow/take the edge off pastiness. Finally, and above all, I’d like it not to change in appearance over the course of a longish day, but would also like to avoid smearing the excess of chemicals on my skin that are so very essential in stopping a base from moving.
Given my rather impossible to fulfil criteria, it’s unremarkable that I’ve had to continue in the hunt for a perfect base. I remain, however, hopeful and have recently thrown these onto my face to see how they fared… (read part one here)…
CHANEL CC CREAM SPF 50 in 20 Beige £44 here //
THE GOOD / If your skin’s looking pretty healthy and generally just needs a touch of evening out, this is for you. The finish is exceptionally nice – it’s buttery and makes everything look generally smoother and more lustrous while still letting a natural flush show through.
THE BAD / It’s expensive for a CC, the SPF isn’t high enough to really protect skin so the whole moisturiser/base/sun protection thing in one doesn’t hold true as you’ll have to apply a higher SPF underneath and, finally, if you have blemishes, you’ll need a killer concealer to accompany this one.
NARS ALL DAY LUMINOUS WEIGHTLESS FOUNDATION in Light 4 Deauville £32 here //
THE GOOD / One pump will more than competently cover your face, so it’s exceptionally good value for money. It is also true to the ‘weightless’ promise – once on, though you’ll have yourself a perfected base, you won’t feel it’s there.
THE BAD / This foundation’s strength is also its weakness – it offers serious coverage of geisha proportions in one pump – no redness/blush/anything shows through. And while this is sometimes great, I’m into a bit more luminosity than this offers.
GIORGIO ARMANI MAESTRO FUSION MAKEUP SPF 15 in 4.5 £40 here //
THE GOOD / Armani’s feted base is a mix of pigment and oils, much like YSL’s Fusion Foundation, with the latter oils evaporating off the skin and leaving a thin veil of pigment behind. As a result, the finish is natural and sheeny and looks as immensely healthy skin without any adornment might.
THE BAD / … But on slightly oily skin, this isn’t so great – I found it didn’t always offer quite enough coverage and left things a little slippery. If you find the same, try their Luminous Silk Foundation – it’s much more compatible with oilier skin.
DIOR AIRFLASH SPRAY FOUNDATION in 200 £33.50 here //
THE GOOD / Holy potato – the finish of this is bloody nice: pores look smaller, blemishes practically erased and as it’s finely dispersed on the skin thanks to the spray mechanism, wrinkles actually look diminished when it’s on. Oh, and as you use so little and the can holds 70ml, you won’t run out in a hurry…
THE BAD / The airbrush thing is a really good idea, until you spray a smattering of it and it winds up in your eyebrows/hairline/all over your lips. If you overcome that hurdle, you’ll still need to blend with a brush or fingers which kinda defeats the whole spray and go thing.
ZELENS YOUTH GLOW FOUNDATION in 267E £60 here //
THE GOOD / The glow thing. It’s true. And while finish is peachy and dewy, blemishes and discolouration are still pretty well covered. Also, as Dr Marko Lens is behind this, the skincare component is impressive – plenty of hyaluronic and a bunch of firming and renewing ingredients, so whatever you’re covering will actually be cleared a touch in the wearing.
THE BAD / Yeh, it’s expensive. While I’d personally always try to dig a little deeper for skincare and base in one, it’s very dear indeed and I’d say probably one for one the skin-obsessed. Or glow-obsessed. But there’d definitely need to be some degree of obsessiveness to dish out £60 for foundation.
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