Foundation Review

Foundations are true to their meaning, building a good base with the right foundation can make all the difference. After a good skin prep the next step in achieving a flawless makeup look is a good foundation.




I've tried my fair share of foundations over the years and I've come to know what kind of foundations work best on my skin (well I hope so anyway). I decided to write a post on what foundations I currently have, their differences and why I use them at different times. I don't think its absolutely necessary to have more than one foundation but having some variety definitely helps when you are trying to create different looks.


Here are a few of the Foundations I currently have-

ILLAMASQUA SKIN BASE

- Skin Base is my go to foundation for a night out or for an event/party. When I originally bought it I used to wear it as an everyday foundation but it was too heavy to be wearing all day.

- It's so long wearing and that's why it is great if you've got a special occasion or event where you know you're going to be out for a while and want your makeup to stay put.

- As it has no SPF it photographs amazingly! Any foundations that have an SPF of around 8 or higher contain large amounts of titanium dioxide (a UV protectant that helps to reflect light away). So if your going to be having your photo taken with flash photography, your foundation is going to cause a flashback and your face will look white - Not a good look.

- The foundation is a liquid but isn't very runny, it's more thick. When blended and buffed into the skin it gives a great coverage that is build-able and gives a flawless dewy look.

- Available in 25 shades, so a good range of colours. The medium colours aren't too orange either which is another problem with foundations.

- I've been using this foundation since it was first released in 2011 and it is definitely going to stay in make-up bag.

Price - £32.00 for 30ml (reasonable if you're not going to be using it all the time)
Skin Type - Suitable for all skin types.
Packaging - It comes out of a small nozzle, just give it a good shake and squeeze it out. Good because you can control the amount that comes out.
Apply with - I use the Illamasqua 'Highlighter Brush'. I use this brush quite a lot for applying foundations. 
Rating - 4.5/5 

NARS SHEER GLOW

- Nars Sheer glow has been my favourite foundation for the past 2 years or so. It has a really nice radiant finish. Its great for day time, you can apply a light layer for a sheer coverage or you can build it up. 

- I prefer the dewy look to a matte foundation. Although I have oily skin and in theory a matte foundation would sit on my skin much better, I prefer to have a glowy look. I find sometimes matte foundations look unnatural. I do set my foundations with a loose powder, which takes away some of the dewy look and obviously sets the foundation but you still get that radiant look. 

- It's a liquid foundation, not as heavy as the illamasqua foundation but it isn't very runny either. 

- If I put it on first thing in the morning it will still be on when i get home in the evening. I find some foundations, even some of the better expensive ones don't hold all day.

- They have a good selection of colours, available in 20 shades.

- No SPF again in this one so good if you're going out and want to take some pictures.

Price - £31.00 for 30ml, similar to the Skin Base
Skin Type - Combination/Normal skin, Good for Dry skin.
Packaging - The bottle comes as shown here. You unscrew the lid and there is no pump or dispenser. The dispenser is sold seperately at £3.00. I found sometimes the pump would dispense too much and then it was a waste. Also the pump was always sold out at Selfridges which was annoying! I just use it as it comes and pop a little on the back of my hand.
Apply with - Again I use the Illamasqua highlighter brush, but for a flawless finish I use my beloved beauty blender. This foundation also goes on well when applied with your fingers.
Rating - 4.5/5 Love this foundation and highly recommend it!

TOM FORD TRACELESS FOUNDATION STICK

- I heard a lot about the Tom Ford foundations and how good they were. I originally wanted to go for the Traceless foundation and ended up getting this one instead. This one has much more coverage and is a lot more build-able.

- It's a sheer to medium coverage. I find this foundation looks very natural on the skin and a little goes a long way.

- It can be used for day or night really and lasts on the skin well.

- No SPF again.

- I wear this on its own or I like to put this on as a kind of 'base' and then apply my Nars Sheer glow over the top of it with my beauty blender. This creates a really nice flawless look that I do quite a lot if I want a little more coverage.

- Obviously its a stick foundation so its a cream foundation. The only issue I have with stick foundations is when its directly applied to the face - it's a little unhygienic. Apart from that this is a great foundation, minus the price!

Price - £62.00 for 15g. Pricey! I don't use it that often, more for special occasions.
Packaging - I mentioned before about the problem with stick foundations, apart from that Tom Ford's Beauty Range has beautiful packaging.
Apply with -  My Tom Ford Cream Foundation brush or most of the time I use my beauty blender which blends this foundation really nicely.
Rating - 3.5/5 (Great foundation, Only downfall is the price, otherwise it would be up there with a 4/4.5)

MAC MATCHMASTER 

- This isn't one of my fave foundations, I really just use it during the day to work (if I don't want to waste one of my fave foundations). I was recommended this foundation as its supposed to be good for oily skin - which it is. Its almost as if it absorbs all of the oil that your skin produces during the day, which is a plus. You can't be blotting your face down every hour or so because of excess oil.

- Obviously because of its benefits for oily skin, its a demi-matte foundation - which is just about acceptable, as I am not a fan of matte foundations.

- One good thing about this foundation is that it does last a long time. I can put this on in the morning and I will not to have to worry about it coming off. It will still be there at the end of the day.

- Medium coverage that is build-able. The finished look is good but  it's nowhere near as good as the finish of the above foundations and it only comes in 12 shades so the variety isn't great, you don't get the variety in tones such as a cool medium and a warm medium. The colour that I got I do find has a slight orange tone to it.

- A liquid foundation that is quite thick, so it will need a good buff.

- This foundation contains SPF 15 so not great for flash photography.

Price - £28.00 for 35ml. 
Packaging - All in all, good packaging by MAC. The dispenser lets out a small amount so you don't end up wasting it.
Apply with - Any foundation brush. 
Rating- 3/5

These are a few of the foundations I have. I'm always up for trying out new products so let me know if you guys are using anything that you would reccommend!