Review Detail
4.6 56 0.5
#FaceUndercover is surprising value from an underdog in the foundation game
(Updated: June 25, 2018)
Overall rating
4.2
Price
4.5
Quality
4.0
Effectiveness
4.0
I'm going to try to write this review without revealing what foundation I'm talking about, by the end of it, you'll be DYING to know which one it is! I swatched 3 shades on my face to shade-match (the first swatch was ultra-light; for someone with a MUCH lighter skintone than me) and by the time I was applying the third swatch, the first looked like it started matching me! I first credited this to oxidization of the formula and thought this was a little banal, but then I read up on the shade-matching pigments in the foundation and realised that it had adjusted for me!
Formula: The foundation is a medium to full coverage foundation, leaning more on the full side. What's incredibly shocking is how lightweight the formula feels, despite offering full coverage. It's a very comfortable wear (I've been using it every day for about a week now). It has more of a luminous, radiant finish than the uber-matte that I'm used to but it's nothing that some setting powder doesn't counter. Most formulas have an SPF 15; I find it a little odd that 5 of the shades for deeper skin-tones don't have any SPF. The product itself is a liquid foundation that isn't too runny.
My favorite factor about this foundation (other than the SPF hehehe) is the natural finish it leaves me with. The dried-down version is extremely skin-like and natural looking (something that I usually reach for a foundation that costs R270 for). It has enough pigmentation to cover my acne scars. The shade range comprises of 19 shades which is pretty so-so, but it also contains skin-matching pigments which means it adjusts to suit more than 19 shades. It has an oil-free, dermatologically-tested formula which are both brownie points in my books.
Performance: The most I've worn this for is 14 hours and this foundation was here for it! It did fade slightly around my honker of a nose area, but that happens to me all the time. I do set this foundation with a setting powder which I hope doesn't skew the results, but this formula has a consistent longevity that I'm a fan of. The SPF does, of course, cause a slight flashback in flash photography but that was to be expected. In normal photography, my skin looks even, smooth and airbrushed.
Packaging: The outer black cardboard box screams "luxury"! Upon arrival, it already looked like a "fancy" product. The foundation is housed in a glass bottle (also a plus! I did have my reservations about the glass being travel-friendly but I haven't had any issues thus far). The design of the bottle is simple, straight-forward and to-the-point. It's a rectangular component. The foundation is distributed via a removable pump, which I'm slightly ambivalent about because:
- The pump keeps the product airtight, sanitary and just basically means it's generally less messy than other components.
- I find it difficult to control the pump for, say, half a squirt. This is also a problem I face with one of my concealers; but I've since perfected a controlled technique to distribute the product out of the bottle. I struggle using that technique here for if I just want a smidge more foundation - it's a full pump or nothing, baby! I find this a bit of a waste of product.
The lid does pop on quite tightly, which is important when you're traveling with a pump. Any impact on a pump whose lid comes lose could cause a squirt of precious product to be squandered on the insides of your makeup bag (as opposed to your eye bags).
Price: All of the above for under R200? It's a steal!
Final Verdict: I was incredibly surprised by how well this foundation performed. I had underestimated the brand for foundations specifically; this is definitely one that I'll be repurchasing. I hope you're all as excited to discover what foundation as I am to reveal it!
To see more about the product, check out my Instagram @Shmithi_Beauty where I'll be posting pics and videos about this product!
Formula: The foundation is a medium to full coverage foundation, leaning more on the full side. What's incredibly shocking is how lightweight the formula feels, despite offering full coverage. It's a very comfortable wear (I've been using it every day for about a week now). It has more of a luminous, radiant finish than the uber-matte that I'm used to but it's nothing that some setting powder doesn't counter. Most formulas have an SPF 15; I find it a little odd that 5 of the shades for deeper skin-tones don't have any SPF. The product itself is a liquid foundation that isn't too runny.
My favorite factor about this foundation (other than the SPF hehehe) is the natural finish it leaves me with. The dried-down version is extremely skin-like and natural looking (something that I usually reach for a foundation that costs R270 for). It has enough pigmentation to cover my acne scars. The shade range comprises of 19 shades which is pretty so-so, but it also contains skin-matching pigments which means it adjusts to suit more than 19 shades. It has an oil-free, dermatologically-tested formula which are both brownie points in my books.
Performance: The most I've worn this for is 14 hours and this foundation was here for it! It did fade slightly around my honker of a nose area, but that happens to me all the time. I do set this foundation with a setting powder which I hope doesn't skew the results, but this formula has a consistent longevity that I'm a fan of. The SPF does, of course, cause a slight flashback in flash photography but that was to be expected. In normal photography, my skin looks even, smooth and airbrushed.
Packaging: The outer black cardboard box screams "luxury"! Upon arrival, it already looked like a "fancy" product. The foundation is housed in a glass bottle (also a plus! I did have my reservations about the glass being travel-friendly but I haven't had any issues thus far). The design of the bottle is simple, straight-forward and to-the-point. It's a rectangular component. The foundation is distributed via a removable pump, which I'm slightly ambivalent about because:
- The pump keeps the product airtight, sanitary and just basically means it's generally less messy than other components.
- I find it difficult to control the pump for, say, half a squirt. This is also a problem I face with one of my concealers; but I've since perfected a controlled technique to distribute the product out of the bottle. I struggle using that technique here for if I just want a smidge more foundation - it's a full pump or nothing, baby! I find this a bit of a waste of product.
The lid does pop on quite tightly, which is important when you're traveling with a pump. Any impact on a pump whose lid comes lose could cause a squirt of precious product to be squandered on the insides of your makeup bag (as opposed to your eye bags).
Price: All of the above for under R200? It's a steal!
Final Verdict: I was incredibly surprised by how well this foundation performed. I had underestimated the brand for foundations specifically; this is definitely one that I'll be repurchasing. I hope you're all as excited to discover what foundation as I am to reveal it!
To see more about the product, check out my Instagram @Shmithi_Beauty where I'll be posting pics and videos about this product!
Product Recommendation
Would you recommend this product to someone else?
Yes
Would you repurchase this product?
Yes
S