The first thing I have to say is I have very mixed feelings towards it, very love/hate and probably gearing more towards hate. I've watched and read a lot of reviews and every single one of them have amazing things to say about this but I just don't feel the same, people absolutely adore this product but I can't seem to understand why. From the many many trials I’ve had with it, I've gotten to know the formula quite well so I‘ve found ways to make it work for me.

The original foundation comes as a plastic tube with a pump, similar to the Becca Skin Love Foundation, I quite like this type of packaging and this one in particular looks lush. I should also mention this has a distinct perfume scent like their other foundations. This also has an spf of 23 so it’s a nice top up to use on your regular sunscreen but obviously not enough to use on its own.

To be perfectly honest there are things that I adore and appreciate about the formula but many things that I dislike. I should mention that the dislikes are probably  because of my own skin issues. I feel this formula is ideal for people with good skin and good skin texture. I’ve been using a new retinol serum on my skin recently so I’ve had a lot going on with it, purging, breakouts, flaking and much more. It’s a lot better at the moment but I feel this formula highlights and exaggerates any issues and makes me feel even more negative about my skin. This was the case even prior to starting the retinol and I’ve realised I’ll intentionally avoid reaching for the All In One Glow because I have other bases that look and work better with my skin issues.

I was matched to the shade BD50, as you can see it's a super golden shade. This is surprisingly a great match for my skintone, it looks quite rich and golden in the tube and in the swatch but once blended into the skin it lightens and sheers out and matches me really well.

The formula is also very unusual, it has a wet gel texture that doesn't roll down your hand but it's not a dense or heavy formula at all. 

If you've read the description, this apparently has 70% water content. When you start to blend it in you'll notice it separates in the swatch and it looks like it’s curdled and water droplets start to appear.

It's a strange consistency because the formula doesn't seem to want to emulsify. I really struggled to blend this in at the beginning, I'd tried all types of tools and application methods but the formula just didn't want to absorb or settle, it kept slipping and sliding around and appearing patchy. 

After watching some more videos and reviews, one reviewer mentioned sponges were a no no with this formula (I agree) and that it needed to be blended in really well and for a long time. 

The quickest and easiest method that I’ve found to work with this formula is that you have to mix and blend the product on the back of your hand with the brush first and then apply to the skin. The reason behind is that the pigment is almost separate to the water in this formula, you have to break the pigment down and then combine it with the water for the two to become one, otherwise if you apply the product straight to face you’ll be blending for much longer. Trust me that’s how I did it for almost 5 months. (Until I had a lightbulb moment whilst using the Chanel Water Tint which works similarly). 

With regards to the ideal skin type for this formula, I think this is perfect for young or blemish free skin, this will look absolutely gorgeous on a smooth poreless skin texture. I also think people with dry skin will really love the hydration and luminosity this provides. It's a lovely formula but it just doesn't look great on my texture or pores so if you have both you may want to be wary of this. 

This gives the skin a radiant, luminous, dewy, almost wet finish to the skin, probably the only thing I absolutely admire and love about the formula. The description says it's shine free but I can tell you it's anything but that. It looks lovely and fresh on my skin but only on the healthy smooth parts. I love using this on the central high points of my face like how I would use the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter and this works well for me.

I don't find this formula very smoothing or pore filling though so I avoid my pores and texture, I find this also can sit around flakes. Using a smoothing/pore filling primer definitely helps smoothen the finish a bit more but I find this formula can be unflattering and cakey sometimes tbh. This is visible in the above picture, as you can see the blended out swatch looks very grainy and dry and this is how it will look on the skin if you have texture or dryness.

This generally is a very lightweight formula but the emollience makes it feel heavy on my skin. This is an immensely tacky and wet formula mainly because of its dewy nature and because the formula never actually sets. I can feel it on my skin, to the point that my hair actually sticks to my face if I don't set it. It doesn’t sink in to the skin and just sits on top.

This provides no more than medium coverage. In fact I only like using a small pea sized amount for my face and this gives me a light coverage. I find I can’t build any coverage because it’s so slippy slidey on the skin and becomes very streaky with too much product.

I find this formula has very poor longevity. It just sits on top of my skin, it doesn’t absorb nor does it set and literally will slide around everywhere if not set with a powder. If you touch your face it will leave an imprint on the skin and it most definitely transfers with or without powder.

I’ve done everything under the sun to try and appreciate this base to the fullest and to understand why people have left such glowing reviews but I honestly don’t get it! It may just be my skin. The only way I’ve managed to make it work is to apply the tiniest amount on the healthier smoother parts of my skin and blend blend blend. Unfortunately it just doesn’t last on me at all so ultimately I don’t really reach for this base much as I have others like my Dior Face & Body (review) and my Becca Skin Love (review) that work with my skin issues and enhance it too. If you’ve tried this base and got it to work for you, let me know in the comments below and share your suggestions. It’s actually taken me the whole of lockdown and longer to complete this post. My bloggers block is awful and I sometimes struggle to balance life and blogging together. Sorry folks! Nevertheless I hope you enjoyed this review.