It is available in 18 different colors, ranging in cool (C), neutral (N) and warm (W) shades. It contains an SPF of 17 and claims to give a 'natural' finish via the micro-fine optical pearls which diffuse imperfections. It is marketed to all skin types, and has sheer to medium coverage. According to L'Oreal's website, it is "formulated with Precise Match Technology so you can control coverage and fine-tune it. Ultra-pure formula contains no oils, fragrances, or pore-clogging fillers, so all you see is beautiful, radiant, flawless skin." It also claims to be non-comedogenic, non-acnegenic, dermatologist tested and oil free.
The product comes in a round glass bottle with a silver twist-off cap. There is no pump, just the opening of the bottle to pour out the desired amount of product for your application.
The foundation is very runny, which makes it easy to apply a little (for sheer coverage) and build it up.
I bought this product on a whim last summer after hearing Kandee Johnson rave about how much she loved this foundation. I was looking for a dupe to my expensive NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, and thought that this would be a great place to start since it's supposed to give a natural, true matching finish to one's makeup that is buildable. Plus the SPF in it was appealing, especially for an 'everyday' foundation.
I originally purchased N1 - Soft Ivory, but quickly exchanged it for W1 - Porcelain. N1 was too dark for me when I got it home, but W1 was pretty close to my skin tone - still a little yellow for me, but doable; especially if I didn't overapply or underblend. But still - it claims to be a 'true match'... and it fell short, especially on my pale skin.
Upon application, however, I noticed that the foundation had almost a shimmer to it. After blending, it looked like my face had been hit with a glitter bomb. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but my pores looked very exaggerated and large. My face appeared constantly shiny - and not just the 'oily' shiny, but the "I-have-sparkles-all-over-my-face" kind of shiny too. BLECH. It was probably all of those doggone "micro-fine" optical pearls - I wonder what L'Oreal's idea of "micro-fine" is...??
It was very blendable, like the name boasts though, so that wasn't a let down.
The foundation was extremely thick feeling on me - it did not sit lightly on top of my skin. I could feel it weighing down on me the entire time. It felt thick, tacky and waxy - like it was clogging off my pores with every minute I left it on. I can only assume this was a function of the SPF in it.
It didn't last at all on me. Within two hours (tops) the foundation had melted off my skin, transferring with every stroke of my hand or touch of my clothes. It was horrible. This was even after I had prepped my skin with a foundation primer and finished by setting it with a translucent loose powder.
The coverage was buildable, but because of it's crappy longevity, it didn't last long enough for me to really notice the effects of the coverage. It barely lasted long enough for me to get out the door...
For me personally, this was a bust. I didn't like the packaging, the formula, the finish, the price tag... I don't doubt that this works ingeniously for others out there, don't get me wrong. I just think it was a total waste of money and time for me. This ended up biting the garbage can after a few uses. It definitely wasn't worth keeping, since I knew that it was too uncomfortable and couldn't last long enough to even expend the effort.
Also, it's hard to find your 'true match' when you can't test the foundation in your drug store. At my store, only a few of the shades had testers available, and none of them were in my general shade range - so it was total guestimation for me (hence the reason I had to return my first bottle).
I wouldn't necessarily recommend this product to anyone. I didn't have a funtabulous experience with it, and so I wouldn't go running out and tell all of my friends to buy it. However, Kandee Johnson, as well as several other makeup artists and gurus, have sung the praises of it - so if it works for them, why wouldn't it work for you? If you end up hating it, you're not out that much money... but it's still a waste of time, effort and money. Personally, I just don't see the point, and wouldn't want anyone else out there to experience the disappointment that I did...
2 out of 5 stars.
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Have you tried L'Oreal's True Match foundation? How about any of their other "True Match" products?? What did you think of them??
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