I’m currently searching for a new foundation, as my skin is in bad shape at the minute and I can’t think of anything other than my makeup that has made it this way. Recently I received a few foundation samples and thought I’d try them out individually and do a little product review of them! I’ve received four samples; Garnier’s “BB cream”, which offers “beyond flawless skin”, Lancome’s “Tient Miracle” which is a bare skin foundation with SPF15, L’Oréal’s “Infaillable 24h matte” and finally Sisley Paris’s “Phyto Teint Éclat.” They’re all French samples so the names are in French, but a quick google will find you the British equivalents.
Every day I’ve used a base of Biotherm’s Skin Best Serum, which I’m also trialling at the moment. It’s a youth protecting serum and makes you skin feel like heaven. It has a pretty similar texture and feel as a primer base, so I’m hoping that just using this and skipping the primer won’t make much of a difference. It’s readily available in Sephora in France but is a tad expensive, at 50 euros for a 30ml pot. However, you don’t need to use a lot and the results are amazing.
Day One: I gave the Lancôme “Tient Miracle” a go today. It’s a light coverage foundation from what I can tell. My face feels really smooth, but I think you’d need to build it up to cover any imperfections or spots as I have a few at the moment and they’re still visible. However, this said, I prefer it to my usual foundation from No. 7 so assuming none of the others are any better this one will probably be next on my purchase list- the coverage is significantly better and I didn’t need to use anywhere near as much as I do when I use my No. 7 foundation, and the colour is a much closer match to my skin tone. You can buy it in Debenham’s for £29 so that’s not too badly priced. It had enough in the sample for a few days worth of use, so it was also my sample for Day Two. I wore it out to dinner last night with some friends and one commented that it didn’t even look like I was wearing any makeup, but that my skin looked really good. It hasn’t caused any breakouts as of yet and I have pretty sensitive skin so this is amazing. I’m really happy with this foundation and I think I’m most likely going to purchase a full sized version at the end of this little trial! 9/10
Day Three: I’m using the Garnier BB Cream today, which claims to be a “miracle skin perfecter.” It smells very fresh and the formula itself is quite thin, which is good. It doesn’t feel heavy on my skin which is nice, but my olive (currently tan-less) skin looks a weird yellow colour. I don’t know if I’m using a shade which is too light for me, but I would say it probably isn’t the brand for me. Coverage isn’t too good either- I have a few spots and the foundation has just caked over them, rather than hidden them. I feel that the only way that this one could be a “miracle skin perfecter” is if you already have miracle perfect skin. However, all of this said, my skin has photographed best out of the two I’ve used so far. 6/10
Day Four: Today I used the Sisley Paris sample and I really do not like it. When I first put it on, I was sure I looked like a tangerine, even though I used the shade Natural. The smell is horrible as well, kind of like one of those moisturisers your granny buys you from M&S, all musky and weird. On closer inspection, the colour isn’t too bad and it has blended quite well, but the smell alone is enough to put me off buying this. 5/10
Day Five: My final day was the last sample I’ve got for the moment, and that was the L’Oréal Infallible 24hour matte.” While I liked the matte feel (I hate looking shiny) the formula wasn’t thick enough for me and gave very little coverage. The colour didn’t really match my skin either, despite it being the one that the woman in Sephora thought suited my face the most - it was much too light and made my face look almost white. I used it in Sand which I’m assuming is a medium colour but it wasn’t dark enough for my skin at all. 5/10
So, I think I’m going to be going out and buying the full sized Lancôme foundation as soon as I get paid at the end of the month!
Which foundations do you swear by???
