Today, I'm going to be talking to you guys about my high-end foundation collection. These are all liquid foundations that work for my skin type personally, which is combination/oily and mildly sensitive. I do have some redness in my skin, but I find that each of these foundations covers that up without any problems.
Also, just a disclaimer, I bought my first high-end foundation about a year ago, and I have been building up my collection ever since. I did not buy these all at once, and I have had time to test each of them out and give you a full and honest review.
The five foundations I'm going to be talking to you about, in no particular order, are the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation, the Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Foundation, the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation, the Too Faced Born This Way Foundation, and the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation.
First, I wanted to show you what each of these look like on my arm, so you can see what they look like against my skin. In Mac, my shade is NC15, if that's any help, and I will include the shades of the foundations as I go along.
The swatches are lined up with the corresponding foundation above my arm, and they are in the same order that I first listed them. As you can tell, they are all different shades, but I almost always pick the fairest foundation in any collection, and sometimes it is still too dark for me. The fairest shades are also, surprisingly, sometimes too pale for me, but I like to mix my foundations together to make a shade/formula that works.
The three on the left look extremely similar, but the undertones vary slightly. My skin is mostly neutral, which is nice because I can get away with foundations that have slightly warm or slightly cool undertones. Finding a foundation that's right for you is all about knowing your skin type (combination, normaly, dry, oily) and whether you're more warm, cool, or neutral like I am. And, if you have more than one foundation, try mixing them together to make a little makeup cocktail.
Kat Von D - Lock-It Tattoo Foundation
My shade: Light 42 (fair complexion with pink undertones)
This is my highest coverage foundation for sure. It was formulated to cover up tattoos, and I don't have any of those, but it's great for hiding the imperfections on my face. This foundation also stays on for a very long time, BUT I would not recommend it at all if you have dry skin. This foundation tends to cling to my dry patches in the colder months, and it can tend to look cakey if you apply it too heavily. The best application method for this foundation is definitely with a damp makeup sponge such as the Beauty Blender or the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. My favorite way to use this is when I mix it with the Too Faced Born This Way foundation, which is a much dewier consistency and creates a more natural than matte finish. Also, this foundation tends to make me look like a ghost, and the Too Faced one is darker, so it adds some color back to my skin.
Make Up For Ever - Mat Velvet + Mattifying Foundation
My shade: No. 15 Alabaster (for porcelain skin with pink undertones)
This foundation is more yellow-toned than my other two pale foundations, so if you're very fair, but have yellow undertones, this would be great for you. I know it says for pink undertones up above, but that is what the Sephora website said, and this is what I'm seeing in person. This foundation is also very high coverage, but I would say it's not quite as heavy as the Kat Von D product. It is oil-free and does a good job at controlling my shine throughout the day. I usually mix this with my Too Faced foundation as well because it can make me a little too much like Caspar. Again, I would not recommend this for those of you with dry skin because it is so mattifying, it will accentuate any dry skin on your face.
Make Up For Ever - Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation
My shade: Y205 Alabaster
This is one of the more sheer foundations that I own. Because I lean more towards the oily side, I used to stay away from foundations that did not claim to be matte or full coverage. However, when it's colder outside, my skin dries up a little bit, and I find that a natural-finish foundation like this one suits my skin slightly better. This is the newest foundation in my collection, so I have had the shortest amount of time to test it out, but it really does feel and look like skin after application, and it still provides a decent coverage. This foundation would be suitable for all skin type except maybe if you're extremely oily, but I would definitely recommend it for dry or mature skin. I usually use this in conjunction with my Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation for a little more coverage and a little more shine control.
Too Faced - Born This Way Foundation
My shade: Porcelain (fair with neutral-to-pink undertones)
So, this foundation is much too dark for me on its own, and there are about 3 lighter shades in the collection. However, I really wanted a dewy foundation a shade or two darker than my natural skin tone to mix with the super matte, super pale foundations that I already had in my collection. Similar to the Ultra HD foundation, this one provides a really natural-looking finish and coverage, and I would highly recommend this for people with dry or normal skin. I know people with oily skin that love this too because, although it is not mattifying at all, it just looks so stunning on the skin. I'm thinking about picking a lighter shade that I can wear on its own! This is one of my favorite foundations for sure, and I do mix it with the first two that I mentioned. (P.S. I have worn this foundation alone before, and I loved it just as much as when I mix it, it was just too dark for my skin without mixing it with a lighter color).
Estee Lauder - Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup
My shade: Ivory Nude 1N1 (light ivory)
I have already done a review of this foundation on my blog before, so I will leave that link here if you want to check it out! It is still one of my all-time favorite foundations, and it stays on longer than anything I've ever put on my face. I'm talking about a full 12 hours here. But you can read more about that on my previous post.
And that's all she wrote! I wanted to leave a closeup of the swatches here for anyone that was interested. I listed them in order from left to right.
I'm hoping to post a lot more frequently over Winter break, but I will be working even though I don't have classes, so hopefully I have time to get out some new content! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram where I've been posting lip swatches and holiday looks!
Thanks for reading :)
Thanks for the great information!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, as always :)
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