Hi Ladies,
Today I’m reviewing this super-inexpensive and surprisingly good coverage foundation from Penney’s/Primark. Living in France, it is difficult to find but luckily my Mam comes back and forth from Ireland quite often so she brought me this to try out. Thanks Mam! Gotta love Penney’s eh?
To be honest i am quite dubious about cheaper foundations normally. I have never really had a good one so far and so i tend to stick with what i know in that regard. My usual fave foundation is Esteé Lauder Doublewear. If any of you are familiar with it, it is full coverage, comes in a great range of colours and has fantastic staying power. The price tag is a bit hefty though and comes in at around 40 Euro, depending where you buy. It also comes in a glass bottle which to be honest, is not very practical and quite annoying to use. Near the end you have to shake it vigorously and there ends up being a good bit of wastage as you will notice. Sometimes the packaging is a real bore but this bottle is both nice looking, easy to handle and has a handy pump that seems to give you ease of use with dispensing as much as you want at a time. Cool!
It is a longwear mineral foundation. I shall print what it says on the box to explain.
– Advanced formula provides all the benefits of a mineral powder
– Contains Silica, Mica, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Kaolin, Manganese and vitamins
– Soothes the appearance of skin imperfections and moisturises
– Provides excellent coverage with a natural finish and weightless feel
– With SPF 15 to protect from the sun
So basically it has loads of minerals and vitamins and therefore good for your skin. Always a plus! The fact it has SPF is a bonus, I however would still use my SPF 30 from Image which is matte finish since i have oily skin. I will do a review on that later on. It just means you are safe in the knowledge you have some sun protection if you forget to apply your SPF which is a relief.
The coverage is actually really great. I have quite a bit of redness, a few thread veins around my nose and some red marks and it covers those completely which is a must for me. I like a full coverage foundation and this does the job. I have been trying to find a cheaper alternative to the Doublewear for a long time as it is quite heavy aswell and i think i will start using this PS Pro daily and keep the expensive one for nights out etc. I would advise using the primer that goes with it from the same range. It gives a good matte base and a bit of a glow for dull skin. Heres a pic :
It is very good quality and i would say up there with the more expensive brands in terms of quality. Unfortunately i didn’t get the finishing powder but i would love to try it out and ill definitely purchase it when i get to Penney’s/Primark. I have been using my Rimmel Stay Matte long lasting pressed powder which is also brilliant and inexpensive by the way! It is a bit heavier to go on top of full coverage foundation so maybe the mineral veil or lighter finishing powders would work better. I will try it out when i get a chance and report back.
Heres a pic of the Rimmel Stay Matte :
Overall, this is a great everyday foundation and it goes on quickly and easily.
At the moment there are only 5 or 6 colours to choose from and you might be lucky to find an exact match, however, i did not, so what i did was was to buy 2 shades and mix. It sounds like hassle but its really simple. Just add the two in your palm and mix until you can see the similar colour in the mirror up beside your face. Its a quick and easy process. The pump is designed to give you leverage with the amount which is genius so there doesn’t have to be wastage and once you do this twice or three times you will know instinctively how much of each colour to blend with your finger. I do that and then start dipping the brush and swirling onto my face. Everyone has their own way of applying foundation but the brush is definitely best for me. I was a bit reluctant to use one with the double wear as its so expensive, there can be a bit more wastage but not a problem with this!
I use a foundation kabuki brush which is made from bamboo but i am guessing any will do. I tried it with a beauty blender sponge from KIKO which is not an original beauty blender so not sure if i can call it that but the sponge didn’t seem to work as well in terms of application. It needs to be build able if you are wanting full and even coverage. Maybe if it is lighter coverage then it will be fine. I have oily/combination skin so i would always follow with a powder to set and mattify it. I tend to end up touching up with a light dusting of powder or oil blotting sheet mid day. If you haven’t got oil blotting sheets and have oily skin, then just use one layer of toilet paper/tissue to blot. You may need to re-apply before a night out since it doesn’t claim to be lasting all day and night. I personally would just wash my face with a good foaming cleanser and start again if i was wanting that flawless look for a night out after wearing this foundation all day. Some people may not need to but that is my personal preference and possibly as my skin is indeed oily, therefore make up won’t last as long.
All in all, i am chuffed to have a good quality, great coverage, mineral and vitamin packed SPF 15 foundation for everyday wear that doesn’t cost a fortune. At 6 quid this is a complete bargain and I’m sticking with it!! Happy days. I actually feel better about putting it on my skin after reading the ingredients. It is dermatologically tested and has vitamin A & E which are skin enhancing and nourishing. Its not full mineral but then its difficult to find a liquid that is. Happy to know it has lots of good stuff in there anyway. Hope you like it as much as me if you do try it and it’ll definitely save you money if you are used to forking out a lot on good coverage foundation like me.
Please let me know if you try it in the comment box on this page. I’d love to hear how others feel about it and how it works for other skin types. Cheers!
Ciara x
