OK so I got sucked in by the hype of how well this foundation is meant to be in the terms of full coverage. After getting colour matched (which was free) and it was found that I was the lightest shade (NC1) the wonderful counter sales lady gave me a small pottle (without me asking + she added a pottle of take it off remover too) of it which overflowed! Literally! The liquid spilled all over me when I opened the pottle it was so easy flowing. Although I also brought the full bottle whilst there as I donāt get into a city to be able to purchase normally, plus I had read so many good reviews about it I felt that I didnāt need to trial it.
The application of the foundation is a bit full on, as I am used to wearing lighter BB creams more now a days or my beloved Elizabeth Arden foundation. Itās formula wasnāt as thick as I expected (which is why I resulted in spilling over myself) and it is definitely a foundation where you should start off light and build up the coverage, I went a little heavy handed and found that using a foundation brush was better than my sponge but the normal amount of BB cream I use was far too much for this foundation and had to remove some excess with tissue, which was a little upsetting as I had paid $82 for this bottle of foundation, I didnāt really want to waste any at all. But now I have gotten used to the formula I know how to apply it properly and evenly without any waste.
Coverage, wow ok the hype is right it is amazing, the best coverage I have ever had from a foundation and the colour is spot on. Blended into my neck you canāt tell I am wearing anything. Even the husband commented that my skin looked like a porcelain doll and was flawless, which made me giggle a bit as he never says things like that.
Long-lasting? Yep! its good quality all right, it has a long lasting effect that lasts from 5am through to 8pm, when I remove my makeup, it never moved nor smudged off and still looked as flawless as when I was setting it first thing in the morning, I could very easily wear from work to evening without need to reapply or touch up.
Bottle design is very classic, with a chunky opaque glass bottle and gold toned lid itās very pretty in its chic little way and being a high end product it takes pride and place on my makeup organiser at the top.
The only problem I found was that my super dry skin wanted to absorb the foundation into my pores, even with the use of a primer I still ended up with dry areas that soaked up the liquid making small white spot marks over my cheeks up close, and around my nose and chin line was flaky. The whole foundation gave my face a tight feel as if I was wearing a mask it wasnāt uncomfortable itās just that you know you are wearing it. However with these issues I still love it, the dryness is down to my skin and I just need to find the right primer and make sure to treat my skin to some good hydration.
I have combination skin (normal and oily in the T-zone) and this is the only foundation that lasts hours on me without slipping or oxidising. I have worn it for 15 hours but it started getting patchy along the chin and nose after 10 hours ( I don't blot or re-touch though) . Using a flat foundation brush makes it look a little streaky and cakey on application but a wet (and squeezed) sponge is fabulous for building coverage. I use a primer (moisture mist premake up cream) underneath it but don't set with powder to avoid the "cakey" appearance. I just put a little bronzer and blush on my cheekbones. My shade is Tawny 3w1. I thought I needed a bit more yellow because it seemed a little dark on my cheeks although it matched the darker parts of my face. However, I have grown to love this shade because of how even my skin looks when I'm wearing this foundation. It covers my dark under-eye circles too and it photographs well.
Tips: Pour the product onto something else other than the back of your hand so it doesn't dry as quick. Try mixing the foundation with a moisturiser to sheer the foundation out if you like a little less coverage and you're not worried about it's staying power for that day.