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Wednesday, 15 May 2013

The high street foundation face-off



I will hold my hands up and admit it: I am a foundation junkie. I've been addicted to foundation since I walked into Debenhams, glared at the Clinique counter and purchased my first ever high-end foundation. I was 15 back then and from that moment on, I haven't been able to stop buying foundations. I will also admit to being a foundation snob. I believe that you get what you pay for when it comes to foundations and if you're going to splash out, you will get an amazing one at that. However, since discovering the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, this opinion of mine has changed and there are some wonderful high street gems out there. So I decided to round up a few of my high street foundations and put them to the test on the four key areas that I look for in a foundation: the coverage, the longevity, the finish and the formula. I will pre-warn you... this is going to be quite a long post so grab a cup of tea and take a seat.

Coverage: What coverage? There isn't any. I blend this into my skin and it literally does nothing. It doesn't eliminate any redness and it certainly doesn't cover my spots or scarring. When it comes to coverage, this is absolutely useless.
Longevity: I guess it's hard to judge the longevity of this foundation when there's nothing on your skin.
Finish: Like I said, there's no coverage so there's no finish.
Formula: The formula is lovely. It feels really nice, fresh and cooling on the skin. It'd make a great moisturiser if Maybelline rebranded the product.
Overall: 1/10. I would give it zero if it wasn't for the silky feeling it leaves on the skin.
Would I recommend it? Not at all. If you have perfect skin though, this would be great for you.

Coverage: The coverage on this foundation is pretty good. It covers my redness and spots but it doesn't cover my scarring. I'd say it's medium coverage but it doesn't build up at all. If you apply any more than one layer of this, it will cake.
Longevity: This doesn't last very long on the skin at all. It starts to crack, crease and cling to my dry patches after about 30 minutes and after that, it just dissolves on the skin - even with a primer.
Finish: The finish is completely matte. So matte that it clings to the few dry patches I have on my skin. If you have extremely oily skin, this would be pretty good for you. Although the fact that it slides off your skin almost instantly would be a nightmare.
Formula: It's quite hard to blend and sometimes this foundation leaves tide marks. It applies well with a buffing brush though.
Overall: 2/10.
Would I recommend it? No. It gives really nice coverage but it just doesn't last at all. And the fact that it's hard to blend just makes this problem even worse.

Coverage: This gives the same amount of coverage as 17's Miracle Matte foundation. They're pretty similar to be honest.
Longevity: This doesn't last long on the skin but if you use a primer beforehand, you get around four hours to wear out of it which isn't too bad. It's good for if you're nipping to the shops.
Finish: Completely matte finish but sometimes it does cling to dry patches. It's great at controlling oil though.
Formula: Easy to blend but sometimes does leave tide marks and can end up looking a little bit cakey if you apply too much.
Overall: 4/10.
Would I recommend it? Yes, I would recommend it if you have oily skin and are after a quick fix.

Coverage: The coverage of this is okay. I would say that it's pretty low though because it didn't cover my scarring at all. I think I was disappointed by the coverage of this foundation because I was expecting more.
Longevity: It lasts well on the skin. It does need to be powdered though to ensure it lasts and stays shine-free as it tends to look a little bit greasy on me after a few hours.
Finish: It has a nice finish. It's not dead matte but it's not overly shiny until a couple of hours wear.
Formula: I found this foundation to be like a gel formula as it glided over the skin and blended nicely.
Overall: 4/10.
Would I recommend it? For me, I didn't like it as I needed more coverage. But if you only require low/medium coverage, it will be perfect for you.

Coverage: This foundation provides medium coverage that can be built up nicely if required. I wouldn't say it reaches full-on coverage though.
Longevity: This lasts nicely on the skin without the need for powdering because of the finish. I would recommend using a primer though just to ensure it doesn't slip off of the skin.
Finish: This is full on matte and is perfect if you have completely oily skin. For me, this clings to my dry patches after a couple of hours which isn't a pretty sight at all.
Formula: I find this foundation really hard to blend. It sets very quickly so it means you have to work it into the skin and attempt to blend it extremely fast which sometimes leaves tide marks and can look uneven on the skin.
Overall: 5/10.
Would I recommend it? The coverage and longevity is perfect. However, the finish and formula really do let it down. This foundation would be perfect for those of you with oily skin though.

Coverage: The coverage of this foundation is medium and extremely lightweight. It feels virtually invisible on the skin and looks like you're wearing nothing.
Longevity: With a primer and powder, this lasts beautifully on the skin. I do need to powder throughout the day after around four hours wear though to ensure a shine-free finish. 
Finish: This makes skin look like skin whilst improving flaws. So it doesn't give you a completely matte finish but it controls oil where it needs controlling whilst moisturising dry patches.
Formula: Like I said in the coverage, this is very lightweight and blends like a dream.
Overall: 9/10.
Would I recommend it? Yes. I really like this foundation.

Coverage: This foundation gives light/medium coverage but if needs be, you can build it up in certain areas.
Longevity: For a high street foundation this lasts quite well on the skin however, I do use a primer with it at all times because sometimes it can slide.
Finish: The finish is flawless, glowing and dewy. So if you have oily skin, stay away or powder.
Formula: I find this a little bit hard to blend sometimes and it can leave tide marks as it dries quite quickly.
Overall: 8/10.
Would I recommend it? Yes. If they improved the formula a tiny bit, this would be lovely.

Coverage: Medium, buildable. You can easily get full coverage with this foundation if you need to.
Longevity: With a primer, it lasts all day on the skin without looking cakey or sliding off of the face.
Finish: The finish of this is beautiful. It makes you skin look glowing, radiant and as the name suggests, healthy. It does sometimes look a bit greasy on my combination skin after a few hours but this foundation is so perfect that it doesn't bother me.
Formula: Beautiful, really beautiful. Blends like a dream and with a buffing brush you can really work it into the skin for a flawless finish.
Overall: 10/10. I really can't fault this foundation and it's even better than some of my high-end foundations.
Would I recommend it? YES YES YES!

The winner of this foundation face off has to be the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation. The only word to describe this foundation would to be perfect. It has incredible coverage, lasts all day long on the skin - and it's even suitable to wear on nights out, the finish is beautiful and the formula is outstanding. What is your favourite high street foundation? Have you tried any of the ones mentioned above or would you recommend different ones?
 xxx
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