Sample Series #12: La Mer Soft Fluid Foundation in Neutral 22

I was curious to try La Mer's Soft Fluid Long Wearing Foundation, so when it was a sample selection from Nordstrom I put it in my basket. At $110 for a 1 oz. bottle, it's definitely pricey but most of the reviews I've seen having been positive.

The selling points for the foundation are that it also includes the skin care goodies that La Mer is known for, called "Miracle Broth". What might that be, you ask? Well, it involves "vital nutrients" that have been fermented and are supposed to hydrate, sooth, and repair skin, including fermented algae sourced from the coast of of Brittany. As you can see, it does have a long list of ingredients, as well as a SPF of 20.

Available in 15 shades, Neutral 22 turned out to be a good match for my skin.  I was able to get a week's worth of wear from the packet, which is not enough to form an opinion on the skin care benefits, but plenty to decide if I like it as a foundation. And I do! Enough to spend $110 on a bottle.....probably not. I've got a favorite foundation I like even more that I'm about to repurchase (more on that below).

La Mer's Soft Fluid foundation is medium coverage with a natural looking finish, and it is easy to work with. I used both an oval brush and a Beauty Blender sponge to apply, and I thought it worked better with the Beauty Blender. Another claim of the Soft Fluid foundation is that it holds up in humid climates, which is high on the list of selling points for me. Mobile, AL is uber humid, although we were in a 41 day drought during the time I wore this, so it wasn't exactly the usual swampy conditions. Regardless, Soft Fluid wore well on my oily skin for a good 7-8 hours before I noticed the inevitable breakdown inherent with my skin type. I experienced no skin irritation or breakouts, which would have shown up after repeated wear for a week if the formula disagreed with me.

The price is definitely the kicker for me. I rely on my skincare items for skincare, and it's not like I'm going to replace that with a foundation. I do want my foundation to have skincare benefits, but I've narrowed done my favorite foundation to....drum roll....Lauren Brooke Cosmetic's Creme Foundation, which contains skin enhancing ingredients with a SPF of 28 and is 100% natural, 97.5 organically based, and $29.50 a jar.

Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques will be having a 30% off sale on Nov. 25-28, which is when I'll be picking up a new jar. I've been wearing Cool 30, although I consider myself more neutral to warm in skin tone. Fortunately, you can order samples ($10 for 3) to try out before committing to a full jar, and I ordered the Cool 30/Neutral 30/Warm 30 samples to see if I really am best suited to Cool 30. I'll be posting another review once those samples arrive, but the Creme Foundation is truly the best foundation formula I've discovered in the almost 4 years I've been blogging, and I've tried a lot!

Jouer Matte Moisture Tint in Nude

 Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

My two year anniversary with Birchbox just occurred, so with the 25% off code they sent and the Birchbox dollars I had saved up, I purchased Jouer's Matte Moisture Tint in Nude for a whopping $8.50.  Yep, that's almost a $30 savings, and my inner bargain shopper feels gratified :-)

This is actually a product I had not sampled via Birchbox, but it sounded right up my alley and I'm still on a foundation quest, so I took a chance.  The Matte Moisture tint comes in 5 different shades and I chose Nude, which is for light to medium complexions.  Designed to even out skin with a velvety matte finish, the Matte Moisture Tint contains SPF 15 as well as anti-oxidants A, C, and E for complexion enhancing benefits.

First up, the pro's:  I like the coverage and the finish.  I've been using a foundation brush to apply and a lightly larger than pea size is sufficient for my entire face.  While I can tell some slight settling in pores initially, it's minimal and the finish is matte without being flat. 

Now for the con's:  Nude turned out to be slightly more yellow in tone than I was expecting.  I tend to think of my skin as being fair but warm, but perhaps my undertones are more peach than yellow? 

I did some comparison swatches with other foundations that have been a good color match for me, such as Revlon's Colorstay Whipped in Warm Golden and Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Creme Foundation in Cool No. 30.  They both look more beige in comparison to Jouer's Nude, at least to my eye.  I can say that at least in photos, Nude looks fine on me, so it's definitely wearable.

Now I'm wondering if the lighter shade Linen would have been a better choice, although Nude isn't too dark, it's just too yellow.  So, Jouer's Matte Moisture Tint's biggest ding may be that the 5 available shades are too limited, as these are not self adjusting like a BB cream would be.

Another note:  if you are trying to avoid paraben's, this is not the choice for you.  I think it contains every paraben there is, but on the plus side, I guess that means it's got a long shelf life:-)  The Matte Moisture Tint regularly retails at $38 for a nice sized 1.7 oz tube.

Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup in No. 2/Light Beige: Sample Series v. 5

Disclaimer:  This was a sample with purchase.

I continue with my quest for foundations, and this sample was courtesy of Sephora.  I believe there were 3 different colors in this particular sample card, and No. 2/Light Beige ended up being the best match for my complexion.

Veil is one pricey foundation at $60 for a 1 oz. bottle, but you are also getting some skincare ingredients in the form of Matrixyl® Synthe'6™, which supports the body's natural ability to produce collagen and help reduce the appearance of wrinkles.  Veil also contains Skin Tightener ST™ PH, which helps to improve the skin's texture and promote a younger-looking complexion.  I applied with my foundation brush and thought the coverage was good and the finish fairly natural looking.

I did end up buying a Hourglass foundation, but I went with the Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation formula (review tomorrow) instead of Veil.  I believe my reasoning was that the Immaculate formula is targeted more towards oily skin.  I actually prefer the color I'm wearing above over the shade I got in Immaculate, which is a touch too dark.  Them's the breaks, as it's always a toss up choosing the right foundation shade online.  

L'Oreal Paris Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation in Sand Beige

Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary sample from SheSpeaks/L'Oreal Paris.  All opinions are my own. 

L'Oreal's new liquid to powder foundation is supposed to be so amazingly lightweight that it is like wearing no makeup at all.  Available in 12 shades, I chose Sand Beige sight unseen, and was super fortunate that was the exact right color for me.  So let's see how it performs, shall we?










I usually apply my foundation with a brush, so that's how I started with Magic Nude.  The consistency of this foundation is a runny liquid, so after shaking vigorously I poured a bit from the square glass bottle into my application tray.  You definitely don't want to drop this baby, as it will shatter and you will have foundation everywhere.  While I like the heft of glass, I'm thinking plastic would have been a safer choice.  The open of the bottle is just big enough to put your finger over.

The first thing I noticed was that Magic Nude was quite noticeably settling in my pores, even after using a facial primer.  I continued with the brush for overall coverage, but then switched to a damp Beauty Blender sponge to smooth out the foundation.  This actually worked fairly well, although it was still not as flawless looking as I would have preferred.  Of course, it would have helped if I'd read the entire label, as it does indicate applying with fingers is the best method.  So, the next day I used my fingers to apply, but it still requires a fair amount of smoothing to keep it out of my pores, and I think I liked the results of the brush then damp beauter blender method better. 

Magic Nude Sand Beige (outside lighting)

On the plus side, Magic Nude works well with my oily skin.  I suspected it would, as liquid to powder foundations seem ideal for those of us that are oil gushers.  With some foundations I have to blot soon after applying, but I wasn't seeing much sheen so did not feel the need break out the blotting sheets.  I did set Magic Nude with a finishing powder (Hourglass's Ambient Powder in Dim Light), but I do that with all liquid foundations. 

Magic Nude Sand Beige (inside, natural light)

The end result looks pretty good!  My skin is far from flawless, and I'd say Magic Nude gives sheer to medium coverage with a light weight feel.  I'm most impressed with how well Sand Beige worked on my skin tone - I really can't tell a difference from my face to neck.  Magic Nude wore well on me and did seem to control oil better than many other foundations I've tried, further reinforcing my belief that the liquid to powder formula is ideal for oily skin.  I see alcohol fairly high on the ingredient list, so that could be another reason why it's working well with my skin (seriously, I'm an oil factory).  I also like that Magic Nude  contains SPF 18, although a separate sun screen would still be necessary for full protection.

On the down side are the lack of any skin enhancing ingredients and the extra attention I had to give in order to keep the foundation from settling into my pores.  I'm not sure this is the easiest foundation to work with, but I can't argue with the final result, so there ya go.   

I've heard that Magic Nude ($12.95)is supposed to be the affordable alternative to Giorgio Armani's Maestro Fusion Foundation ($63), and given that L'Oreal Paris is Armani's parent company, that could well be true.  I've not tried the Maestro foundation so can't say for sure, but thought I'd compare ingredients: 

Octinoxate 3% Other: Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Isododecane, Alcohol Denat, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Nelumbium Speciosum Extract/Nelumbium Speciosum Flower Extract, Limonene, Synthetic Fluorphelogopite, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Propylene Carbonate, Caprilyic/Capric Triglyceride, Parfum / Fragrance, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil / Bitter Orange Flower Oil, Aqua / Water, Aluminum Hydroxide, Hexyl Cinnamal. May contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides

It looks like the ingredients of Magic Nude and the Maestro Fusion foundations are similar, with Magic Nude lacking those in the lower half of Maestro.  Not being a cosmetic chemist, I have no idea what the additional ingredients in Maestro are for.  Interesting!  I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried both to see how they compare. 

Dinair Airbrush Foundation without the Airbrush

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I watched a video not too long ago about applying airbrush foundation with a brush (you can see it here).  Intrigued, I ordered a sampler set in medium from Dinair, one of the brands mentioned in the video.  Water resistant, silicone free, paraben free, and not tested on animals, the sample set included five different colors.  The colors in the swatches below are: 

• Light Golden Beige
• Dark Golden Beige 
• Honey Beige
• Golden Tan
• Bronze 

The foundation will separate, so each bottle has little balls inside (kind of like a spray paint can), and you will need to shake vigorously prior to using.  While these are small containers at 3 ml each, I'm finding that I need only about 8 drops to completely cover my face, so a little goes a long way. 

The consistency is a thin watery liquid, so I apply the drops in a mixing tray and then dab my brush in the tray to pick up the foundation.  An added plus, it's extremely easy to mix the colors and therefore customize your color. The first four shades are close in color, but it is easier to make out the differences in person.

These remind me very much of a now discontinued foundation by Clinique I used as a teenager, both in the consistency and having to shake it to mix the pigment.  My skin is extremely oily (even more so when I was a teen), and that foundation was the only one I could wear with any success.  My skin is in oil overproduction drive right now due to the heat and humidity, so this is kind of like the worst case scenario for testing a foundation:-)

Trish McEnvoy Mistake Proof Sheer Application brush

What I really liked about Dinair was that it applies smoothly and coverage can be built up without any resulting caking or mask like results.  I'm using the Trish McEnvoy Mistake Proof Sheer Application brush to apply, and the foundation does not settle into my pores and has a semi-matte finish.  There are actually some very fine shimmers in the foundation that help to keep it from looking too matte or chalky, yet there is no obvious shimmer in the finish. 

Wearing Light and Dark Golden Beige mixed half and half

What I didn't like is that the oil from my skin starts to break through very quickly.  I'm using a facial primer per usual, along with Lancome's Dual Finish as my setting powder, yet my face gets shiny before I leave the house.  I'm a bit surprised, even taking into account that my skin is in oil hyperdrive right now, as this foundation was created to withstand more extreme conditions such as the hot lights used in the entertainment industry.  Hmm, I suppose I could be the Sahara desert of test conditions as far as oily skin goes. 

Glowing a bit too much for so early in the day

Revlon's Colorstay Whipped Creme Foundation does a better job of controlling the oil, but I do like Dinair's light texture enough that it may become a good choice for winter use, when my skin calms down a bit.  The sampler set sells for $19.99, and I purchased mine from Dinair's online site.  Shipping was fast and I had the product within a few days.