Back in March when I was in New York, I received a bag of foundation samples with one of my purchases in Sephora. I was delighted with this 'perk' of being a Sephora VIB because foundation buying can be a tricky and expensive thing. Each sample had 3-5 shades and I tried all of them (even if they were the wrong colour, in order to get a good idea of whether I liked them and how they lasted on the skin etc). I don't necessarily 'need' a new foundation but if a new one ticks all of my boxes then I probably would add it to my collection. For reference, I have dry skin and generally prefer a dewy or glowy finish as I find it more flattering and youthful.
Marc Jacobs Shameless: I had never tried a Marc Jacobs base product before, despite being a huge fan of the brand (see post here) so I was very curious about this foundation. It gives medium coverage and I found that I needed my skin to be very well prepped for this foundation to look good. I also need a hydrating primer underneath - something quite nourishing (not the lightweight Marc Jacobs primer), otherwise it clung to dry patches that I didn't even know I had. I tried this with a few brushes, my fingers and my beauty blender and I found that it looked best when applied with a small duo fibre brush (MAC 188 is my choice) and in very thin layers. It gave medium coverage, was very comfortable on the skin, was long-lasting and isn't overly dewy but isn't matte. The end result was definitely worth the effort with this foundation but in my opinion, the key is very light layers, otherwise it can be difficult to blend into the skin. I am very tempted to purchase a full size of this foundation.
Urban Decay Naked Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup: The concealer in this line gets a lot of hype but I don't see very much written about this foundation. The first thing I noticed about this is how perfumed it is - I'm not overly keen on it but I know it won't bother most people. This is a very runny liquid that really gives very minimal, skin-like coverage. It applied well with any brush or my beauty blender but there just wasn't enough coverage for me and I prefer to use a tinted moisturiser or something unscented if I want a natural look. I won't purchase a full size.
Dior Diorskin Forever Undercover: This claims to be full coverage and I always test foundations of this type on my nose initially as I have one freckle there that is darker than my others so if a base covers that in one layer, it is full coverage. This foundation doesn't fully camouflage it however it's a very strong medium coverage, which can be built to full with a light second layer. It has a creamy texture and I found that I really had to take my time buffing this into my skin to ensure there were no streaks. I could feel it on my skin but it wasn't overly heavy and I found it very long-lasting so for me, this would be an evening out base. I won't purchase a full size as I generally prefer lighter coverage but it is a beautiful foundation.
Kevyn Aucoin Etherealist Skin Illuminating Foundation: The one I was most excited to try because of the word illuminating in the title. This is an extremely lightweight base that you really can't feel on the skin. It has light coverage with some luminosity, as expected but not a greasy look. It looks like your skin but on a very good skin day and it doesn't highlight pores. That being said, it doesn't completely cover redness but when paired with a good concealer, this isn't an issue. I found it lasted a good 8-9 hours on me before it needed touching up. I am tempted to buy a full size of this.
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion: I guess we all lust after a flawless base and this foundation does give it, but with a lot of work on my dry skin. Being oil-free, I think it would be best suited to normal/oily/combination skin but for dry skin like mine, the skin needs to be in tip-top condition. It worked best with a nourishing primer and a beauty blender and I found it looked better as time went on. It gives a solid medium coverage, buildable to full with a demi-matte finish. I won't purchase a full size of this because it is too much work on my dry skin.
Have you tried any of these bases? Were your thoughts similar to mine? What foundation have you bought based on a sample you received? I'd love to hear!
Marc Jacobs Shameless: I had never tried a Marc Jacobs base product before, despite being a huge fan of the brand (see post here) so I was very curious about this foundation. It gives medium coverage and I found that I needed my skin to be very well prepped for this foundation to look good. I also need a hydrating primer underneath - something quite nourishing (not the lightweight Marc Jacobs primer), otherwise it clung to dry patches that I didn't even know I had. I tried this with a few brushes, my fingers and my beauty blender and I found that it looked best when applied with a small duo fibre brush (MAC 188 is my choice) and in very thin layers. It gave medium coverage, was very comfortable on the skin, was long-lasting and isn't overly dewy but isn't matte. The end result was definitely worth the effort with this foundation but in my opinion, the key is very light layers, otherwise it can be difficult to blend into the skin. I am very tempted to purchase a full size of this foundation.
Urban Decay Naked Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup: The concealer in this line gets a lot of hype but I don't see very much written about this foundation. The first thing I noticed about this is how perfumed it is - I'm not overly keen on it but I know it won't bother most people. This is a very runny liquid that really gives very minimal, skin-like coverage. It applied well with any brush or my beauty blender but there just wasn't enough coverage for me and I prefer to use a tinted moisturiser or something unscented if I want a natural look. I won't purchase a full size.
Dior Diorskin Forever Undercover: This claims to be full coverage and I always test foundations of this type on my nose initially as I have one freckle there that is darker than my others so if a base covers that in one layer, it is full coverage. This foundation doesn't fully camouflage it however it's a very strong medium coverage, which can be built to full with a light second layer. It has a creamy texture and I found that I really had to take my time buffing this into my skin to ensure there were no streaks. I could feel it on my skin but it wasn't overly heavy and I found it very long-lasting so for me, this would be an evening out base. I won't purchase a full size as I generally prefer lighter coverage but it is a beautiful foundation.
Kevyn Aucoin Etherealist Skin Illuminating Foundation: The one I was most excited to try because of the word illuminating in the title. This is an extremely lightweight base that you really can't feel on the skin. It has light coverage with some luminosity, as expected but not a greasy look. It looks like your skin but on a very good skin day and it doesn't highlight pores. That being said, it doesn't completely cover redness but when paired with a good concealer, this isn't an issue. I found it lasted a good 8-9 hours on me before it needed touching up. I am tempted to buy a full size of this.
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion: I guess we all lust after a flawless base and this foundation does give it, but with a lot of work on my dry skin. Being oil-free, I think it would be best suited to normal/oily/combination skin but for dry skin like mine, the skin needs to be in tip-top condition. It worked best with a nourishing primer and a beauty blender and I found it looked better as time went on. It gives a solid medium coverage, buildable to full with a demi-matte finish. I won't purchase a full size of this because it is too much work on my dry skin.
Have you tried any of these bases? Were your thoughts similar to mine? What foundation have you bought based on a sample you received? I'd love to hear!
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