After my bottle of Clinique liquid foundation ran out, I went au naturale for about a week before I broke down (at about the same time that I broke out) and resolved to pick up some new foundation immediately. While I wasn’t unhappy with the Clinique foundation, I wasn’t loyal to it, either. I was ready to move on and continue the quest for the perfect foundation. I did a little bit of online searching and found MakeupAlley, a site full of useful make up reviews. MakeupAlley is now one of my permanently bookmarked favorites. I have yet to explore all of the site, but what I did find was extremely helpful.
Everywhere I go I hear women talking about the magic of Bare Escentuals mineral make up. I was really convinced this would be my perfect foundation and was ready to fork over $75 for a start up kit. Before I placed my order, I decided to read enough reviews to hear some broader feedback on the product. I found inconsistent reviews on the product at MakeupAlley. While some loved the make up, it seemed the product was difficult for some women to apply. One particularly persuasive reviewer wrote, “A morning make up routine should really not be this hard.” The hit-or-miss reviews kept me from jumping on the bandwagon. I might still be interested in the product, but certainly not until I have the opportunity to see an in-store application and test it out for myself.
After reading the mineral make up reviews, I was curious to find out just what foundations did score high. I was not too surprised to find that among the most well-received products, foundations in general emerged much further down the list. Dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, fine lines, acne, redness, sensitive skin, preference–all of these conditions contribute to each woman’s individualized foundation needs and wants. No foundation scored as an all-around perfect foundation for everyone, but a few came close. Of these top-ranked products, American Beauty’s Perfectly Even Natural Finish foundation was one of the more affordable, and 100% of reviewers said they would buy it again. Considering this foundation only costs $16.50, I was ready to give it a go.
I am not particularly sold on the promise that higher-priced foundations at department stores result in a better product than drugstore brands, but I am sold on the premise that a woman behind the counter can do a better job finding foundation to match my skin tone than I can do when I am trying to match my skin tone merely through packaging! I have heard the complaints that the fluorescent lighting in department stores makes it difficult to find a true match, but at least one can actually feel the texture and watch the foundation cover the skin. That said, I was particularly pleased to find Kohl’s beauty counter is full of testers, make up remover, and plenty of cotton swabs. And my relief proved to be justified, since my instinctive first grab at foundation ended up not only too light of a shade, but also from the warm color family instead of the cool, the latter of which ended up being my better match. I found the Light Cool tone did exactly what make up artists say should happen when one finds the right color: it simply disappeared onto my skin.
That was good enough for me.
After wearing the foundation three days in a row–and importantly, during a record-breaking heatwave and once out to a nightclub–I am ready to give my feedback. The product is light, which shouldn’t really be a surprise since it says it is titled a “Perfectly Even Natural Finish” foundation. If you don’t use concealer, any red spots, breakouts, or dark circles will definitely show. With concealer on those problem areas, the coverage was perfect for me. During this trial run, the daily temperature broke triple digits, sometimes lasting well into the evening. Even when I was sweating, I didn’t feel as though my face was melting off. The foundation stayed put. I was pleasantly surprised by its staying power. I was additionally pleased with its “spreadability.” When I was getting ready for the nightclub, I wanted to put on the best coverage I could get, so I applied heavier than usual (I am typically a very light user.). There was no mucky concentration left over. Every bit of the make up smoothed out cleanly over my face and neck. I was not left with a caked-on look; I had no pasty dryness on the nose, cheeks, or chin, and even though it was a late evening, the coverage remained smooth and consistent until I washed my face that night! It took me a day or two to figure out exactly how much of the product worked for a decent amount of coverage over my skin, but overall I found this foundation lived up to its reviewers’ raves. I too would consider buying this again.
I have to say that I do Agree. I tried the AB foundation in Light-Med Cool and it was fabulous. It was 100 here in San Antonio and it just felt like a dream to wear. I will be going back to get a steady supply.
It’s nice to have affordable make-up that doesn’t ruin the skin.