Foundations featured in photo (shades noted from memory! haha):
Make Up For Ever High Definition Foundation (#120)
*Annabelle BB Cream
Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation (Light/Medium)
*Gosh BB Cream
Clinique Even Better (#04 - Cream Chamois)
*Smashbox Studio Skin
Marcelle BB Cream
*Marcelle Limited Edition BB Cream
NARS Sheer Glow (Santa Fe)
Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation
Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream (Light)
Sephora Collection Perfecting Tinted Moisturizer SPF20
Cover Girl NatureLuxe Foundation
FusionBeauty Prime Results Tinted Moisturizer (Sand)
L'Oreal True Match
*NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 (Finland)
NARS Firming Foundation (Punjab)
Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturizer
Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation
*Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation
*Dr. Brandt Flexitone BB Cream
Maybelline Dream Liquid Foundation (not in photo)
Clearly 2012 was the year of the foundation for me. I will tell you right now that not every foundation has been opened and/or tried as of this blog post (as noted by the *asterisks*) however - some of them I have actually tried before...I just clearly have too many foundations open and I need to clean out some of them first!
What I wanted to do with this post is to give you a mini rundown on what I like about each of these foundations (or conversely, what I don't love quite so much...) You will find clickable links [surrounded like this] if I have a review posted about these foundations on my blog. Eventually I hope to have a more in-depth review for each foundation. Feel free to click through and read :)
- Make Up For Ever High Definition Foundation - I think this foundation gives a great medium to full buildable coverage, while still looking like skin with a natural finish. The pigments are wrapped into amino acids and what this will mean for you is that rather than the foundation sinking into skin texture, it closely mimics the skin and flexes with it as it moves - thus preventing that overly cakey foundation face that everyone runs away from. All skin types can wear this but what I find is that drier skins need a hydrating base or a really good moisturizer underneath and someone who is very oily will want an oil control primer. (also of note: I don't normally say you need to use the matching company's primer with their foundations, but in this case the HD Primer and HD Foundation are a match made in heaven). I personally don't use this very much as an everyday foundation because I find that (especially in the winter) because of my dry skin, it can cling if I'm not diligent about moisturizer - so I tend to save it for tutorials -- and in point of fact, I just gave my bottle to a coworker who suited the shade I had a bit better than I did...I prefer #125 on my skin.
- Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation - A lovely, creamy textured foundation spiked with Josie's secret ingredient - Argan Oil - a balancing oil great for all skin types (absorbs excess oils and hydrates dry patches!). Chameleon pigments make this foundation a bit different than your typical ones. It comes out of the bottle looking like a mottled white liquid that as you blend bursts and warms to your skintone perfectly. There are 3 shade variants available (Fair/Light good for people with a pinker undertone, Light/Medium good for people with a more olive undertone, and Medium/Deep good for people with a darker and warmer skintone). One of my all time favorite foundations with a glowy finish that's not too shiny (oilier skins may still want to set oily zones with a translucent or blotting powder) and looks great on my skin all day.
- Clinique Even Better SPF 15 Foundation - A great foundation for people who are looking to correct uneven skin tone! Developed by Clinique's dermatologists, this foundation is said to visibly diminish age spots in 4-6 weeks. I think that this may be a little far fetched as a serum or a treatment would give a better result...but I do love the finish it gives. A more complete thought on this foundation can be found [here] but I find it's more of a full coverage foundation that feels like a medium. Which is perfect for those people out there who want coverage but don't want it to feel too thick and heavy. Clinique says it works best on dry-combination to oily skin. I find oilier skin types don't always love it and may have to powder.
- Marcelle BB Cream - An 8-in-one multi benefit skincare/makeup fusion, this is another product in a long line on the train of both drugstore and high end BB creams. But make no mistake...this one is my favorite so far. BB creams should be skincare first and coverage second...this is rarely the case with our Western versions as they are akin more to our tinted moisturizers just souped up with a tiny bit more of a skin benefit (and I'm sorry to say that even Marcelle's falls into this category). It does keep my skin nicely hydrated with a decent amount of coverage (I call it a light/medium...if I want a true medium I add some powder and it's flawless!). Interestingly, this is the first BB cream I've met with no SPF (though if I recall, there is one with an SPF available). It is a Canadian product though so getting it outside of Canada may be a bit harder, but if you can get your mitts on it, please try it! I'm smitten! [Review can be found here]
- NARS Sheer Glow - If I could write a Sonnet to this foundation, I would. This is my HG (or holy grail) foundation. It's a perfect medium coverage, leaves my skin hydrated and glowing, and lasts all day with a primer. It has antioxidants built into it and contains turmeric extract for improved skin radiance and and tone. I have a comparison for this foundation [here] with the Sheer Matte finish. If you have dry to dry-combination skin, please try this foundation. You won't be disappointed!
- Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation - A more recent addition to my *ahem, little* collection, the KvD foundation is amazing as far as pigmentation, transfer resistance, and lastability go...but it falls short for my dry skin in that it dries to be way too matte of a finish for myself (it's listed as a soft matte finish, but on me it just looks unnatural). But this also makes it an amazing foundation for someone who has that oilier skin type. Interestingly, please note that I've also found that this foundation is fabulous as a concealer and offers quite a bit more coverage than her tattoo concealer! If you are a drier skin type and you want to get the most out of this because you're looking for the coverage or long wear factor, you can layer with her priming serum (or any hydrating primer - the MUFE HD Elixir is fabulous under this!).
- Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream - Another fantastic BB cream, and probably my 2nd favorite of the ones I've tried so far...Smashbox offers you a higher SPF (35), oil control and hydration, primer built in, medium coverage that feels like sheer, AND it comes in 5 shades (typically a BB cream comes in one, maaaaybe two shades)! Again I find that I can go either way with this BB cream and I can leave it without a powder or I can set it with one for more coverage...same goes for my oilier skinned friends...because of the nature of the oil control, you may not need to set it.
- Sephora Collection Perfecting Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Oil control, antiaging peptides, sheer color and sun protection! This is a fantastic product for any age...from someone who is just starting out wearing makeup to the seasoned makeup enthusiast who just wants to lighten up a bit (especially in the summer months...how I wished I had this when I lived in Florida those many (read: 5) years ago haha). The coverage is light enough to not feel like you've got anything more than a moisturizer on, but it does give a light coverage to just even out any light skin discoloration. Spots, dark circles, and heavier ruddiness will need a little more concealer.
- CoverGirl NatureLuxe Foundation - I find that most people think that just because I have so many higher end foundations that I am a makeup snob. This isn't the case, I just have more than enough to last me for a while before I need to buy anything myself (perks of working in cosmetics I guess)...but I am definitely a sucker for a bargain so when I saw the Cover Girl NatureLuxe foundation on sale at my local Hannaford because they weren't going to be carrying it there anymore, I had to get one. Lightweight, blendable, soothing feeling on the skin...It's almost like the feeling of a tinted moisturizer but just a smidge more coverage. My issue with drugstore makeup is that a) there are no testers and b) the shades are always orangey...and this stays true with this foundation unfortunately. I can wear it in the summer, but only when I'm at my tannest as the orangey shade is more noticeable without that slight burn you get from a tan. It's probably my least favorite looking foundation that I currently have going - but that's ok because I don't have to use it until summer ;)
- Fusion Beauty PrimeResults Tinted Moisturizer - If you can't tell by the sheer amount of BB creams in that picture, I kind of like things that are multi-taskers. PrimeResults is an amazing tinted moistuizer that has a sheer coverage that weightlessly veils imperfections and fills in unwanted skin texture with it's built in primer! This also has ingredients in it that deeply hydrate and re-hydrate your skin - again with my oilier skinned readers, you may find you need a powder to set this. I find I get the most amazingly flawless coverage when I pair this with my MAC Studio Fix powder. Probably because of the extra hydration from this it's best on drier skin types.
- L'Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation - This has to be one of my favorite drugstore foundations and has been for years. While I tend to err on the side of Maybelline for my drugstore needs, L'Oreal stepped up their game and I am pretty sure this is one of the most extensive color matched foundations I've seen in a while. Medium coverage, satin finish, and matching powders to boot (of which I will discuss that one in my powder foundation post when I do it!). I think it's good for all skin types. Typical to what I find in drugstore foundations...it will last longer when layered with a primer.
- NARS Firming Foundation - Sadly I do believe this has been discontinued. Therefore, I don't feel it fair to talk about it at length. Sorry!!!
- Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturizer - A great sheer coverage foundation (because really, that's all tinted moisturizers are!) I love the Benefit products because of their quirky packaging (which to be honest sometimes is over-priced...and yes I'm looking at you box powders!) but the products are 9 times out of 10 good! (Following this one is one that I'm not so hot-to-trot for though...whoops). This is a great tinted moisturizer, and it does come in a lighter shade as well (aptly named You Rebel lite).
- Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation - Light in texture, an SPF of 25, and buildable coverage don't save this foundation from my list of "foundations I want to love but for reasons [x,y,z] I just can't." If I had to pick my top reason though, it would be that on my dry as a bone skin, it makes me look oily after 2 or 3 hours - and it's an oil free foundation! o_0 That aside, it is buildable and it is light in texture and there are plenty of people out there (and many of them are oily) who love this foundation. I say set it well with powder and maybe it'll be ok.
- Maybelline Dream Liquid Foundation - This is probably my favorite drugstore foundation ever created. Big claim, I know...but it comes in a great range of shades and it is this very strange consistency that works well with my skin. Best for normal to drier skin types (may make oilier skins feel too slick)...It comes out a mousse type consistency but then goes to almost a gel-like consistency. This leaves my skin with a great dewy finish (on days when I feel more normal than dry, I do find I need powder) and with a primer it stays all day.
