As you may already know I prefer minimal bases for day to day. I do however like to take it up a notch if I've got a special event and there's only one foundation in my collection that will do for me and that's the bareMinerals Barepro Foundation. No word of a lie, every time I've worn this at a party or wedding, the first thing someone asks me after all the pleasantries is what base I'm wearing, yes it's that good! I have a lot to say about this number so get yourself a pot of tea ready and get comfy, it’s going to be a long one! I've formatted the review layout like my old foundation reviews because I need to keep the vast volume of information I'm about to share as organised as possible.

- The Barepro is a liquid foundation that provides buildable medium to full coverage, it boasts of 24 hours of wear and a natural skin blurring demi matte finish.

- Comes in a clear cylindrical weighty glass bottle with a lockable pump and a black lid.

- 30ml for £31. No discernible scent.

- 30 shades, they have had a new shade launch and have also discontinued and replaced some shades but will touch on this more later.

- Has an SPF of 20. This is my go-to foundation for special occasions and weddings etc so I have taken flash photography with this, even though it has a fairly high SPF I haven't actually noticed any major flashback with it surprisingly.

Shade

bareMinerals BAREPRO Camel 17, Toffee 19, Dior Face & Body 3WO

I have the shades Camel 17 which I use for the centre of my face and Toffee 19 for the perimeter.  Both 17 and 19 are a great match for me, they have a proper golden yellow undertone which flatters and brightens my complexion really nicely. This foundation sets deeper, it doesn't oxidise "orange" but just deepens a shade or so, so it's best to get yourself matched and definitely play around with some samples first if you can. Once it has set to it's final colour I love how it stays true to colour and doesn't dull through the day.

Unfortunately the shade Camel 17 as well as some others have been discontinued from their permanent line. Camel 17 has been replaced by Fawn 17 and I don't think they're the same because the shade descriptions have changed. However it's really strange because the discontinued shades do still appear on the bareMinerals website but not in the dropdown shade list on the foundations actual page, you will only find them if you search for them using the websites search bar.

bareMinerals BAREPRO Camel 17, Toffee 19, Dior Face & Body 3WO

For those interested in Camel 17 or any of the discontinued shades I've listed some sites below that are still stocking them. Some are at discounted prices so it’s worth shopping around for the best deal.

- bareMinerals

- Escentual

- Perfume Click

- House of Fraser

Texture and Formula

I purchased the Barepro late 2018/early 2019 (before the shade range change) so I’ve gotten to know the formula exceptionally well. The texture is quite liquidy and runny and has an evident elasticity usually attributed to long wearing foundations, it'll run down the back of your hand quite easily at first but will start slowing down as it sets. This foundation sets really quickly so it's imperative you work fast. I don't think this foundation is the easiest to blend because of this reason and I need to apply it quite meticulously to get an optimum finish.

From all my trials and experiences with this formula, I’ve found a beauty blender sponge to be the best way to apply especially if I’m after decent coverage. Shocking I know- I apply foundations with a brush 90% of the time but for the Barepro a sponge gives me a smoother more even finish. However if I only want minimal coverage I can get away with using a brush, it's not the smoothest to apply nor does it glide as effortlessly, it can also sit around my pores a little funny when blended with a brush.

When it comes to the ideal skin type, I think the Barepro formula is best for combination oily skin not only because of its' semi-matte finish but because of how quickly it sets and adheres to the skin. If you have dry skin, I think you might find it way too tight and because of its patchiness tendencies this can catch on dry skin and flakes. Regardless of your skin type thorough skin prep is extremely important with this foundation, make sure to exfoliate and moisturise well before applying. I have a whole different routine with the Barepro and it's not a foundation I can just throw on. 

The Barepro isn’t one to faff about with, don't play around with it too much or spend too much time blending and buffing it out and try not to go over the same place too often, it sets far too quickly and it doesn’t budge once it sets. The Barepro literally sticks to the skin like glue, so you need to blend it swiftly and confidently or else it'll set midst blending and will result in a lot of patchiness and cakey-ness.

Coverage 

Even though bareMinerals say this is a full coverage foundation, I personally find it's more of a medium, especially with one layer. You can for sure build this up to a full but I wouldn't suggest layering with this foundation because of its' patchiness. Rather I would suggest painting the foundation on evenly with a paddle brush and then blending it out with a beauty sponge to get maximum coverage.

I use no more than 1 to 1 1/2 pumps for my face and sometimes less. I'm okay with medium-full coverage and mainly apply foundation to the centre of my face where I need the coverage, I don't see the need to apply foundation to the areas that don't need coverage, especially since I wear a hijab, part of my face is covered anyway. 

If you need to use a concealer I recommend using it under the foundation first or apply quickly over the foundation while it's still wet. Liquid products do not seem to apply well over this formula, it wipes the foundation clean off your skin and will leave an empty gap of skin where you initially applied the product and you won't be able to blend it in.
I remember the first time I used the Barepro I swiped concealer on top of the foundation like I usually would, the concealer lifted the foundation clean off my skin and you could see a clean gap of skin where I had placed the concealer, I was unable to fix it either as the foundation wouldn’t move or blend over.

Another example of a mishap I had with this foundation was I‘d accidentally gotten mascara on my nose once, as I wiped the mascara off with a cotton bud the foundation came off with it. I tried reapplying some foundation over the top but it wouldn't blend or smoothen in to the rest of the foundation and ended up looking very patchy and you could evidently see the outline of where the mascara was. I had to wash my makeup off and start all over again. My advice is apply quickly, let it set and leave it the damn heck alone! 

Finish

In terms of finish, this has a natural semi matte finish. Though it sets and stays really well I’ve also noticed this does let off some radiance though my skin prep may be the contributing factor here. The reason behind the magic of this foundation and why I personally adore it is how smoothing it is and how it becomes one with your skin, literally. It provides a soft focus finish whilst blurring imperfections and pores. For the finish and amount of coverage it provides it's quite skin like and skin perfecting for a heavy duty foundation. People have always commented on how skin like and flawless my foundation looks and I definitely agree with this.

Feel

Another game changing factor about this foundation is that not only is it a fairly thin liquidy formula but it feels fairly lightweight as well. However because of how well this adheres to the skin, this can feel a bit tight and taut which I can overlook because once I've set this with a light layer of powder, I can comfortably touch my face and it will feel uber smooth and soft. I may look like I have a full glam on but it never feels like a full glam and that is simply amazing!

Longevity

The most outstanding quality of the Barepro and why I love using this especially for special occasions and events is it's superb longevity. Like I mentioned earlier this sticks to the skin like glue, once it sets it does not budge! It's a definite worthy contender to the famous Estee Lauder Double Wear which (if you read my review would know) I didn't get along with. I was super impressed by the EDLW's longevity but despised the finish on my skin, it exaggerated all my texture and never really sat right.

In this demo you can see the foundation has stuck to my hand and even after rubbing it vigorously it's just not budging. It's also waterproof so you will need to use a good cleanser, an oil based one will remove the foundation more effortlessly. I use my usual cleanser and a wash cloth and it does the job fine.

Waterproof formula

The Barepro however sits beautifully on my skin and enhances the texture, it gives my skin a smooth, soft focus finish and continues to look like this throughout the day. There have been many a times when I've returned home after an event and felt reluctant to remove my makeup because of how immaculate it still looked, no exaggeration. I haven't worn this foundation for 24 hours...but I have a feeling this will look rather good even after that many hours. I love how this wears on my skin, it loses some matteness as slight oils come out but still stays intact and it manages to control my oils really well.

Using Micellar Water to remove the foundation but it's proving difficult

Another reason why I love the way this foundation wears on my skin is that once I've set this in place with powder, the foundation moves with my skin and never sinks into lines. I have prominent laugh lines and when I opt for slightly more coverage than normal, foundations are notorious for sinking into my laugh lines as well as the lines across my forehead but the Barepro defies this and allows me  to laugh, smile and move my face as much as I want the entire day without having to worry about my base.

Using Baby Oil to remove whatever foundation the micellar couldn't take off

I would like to mention however that I took this with me on holiday and from my experiences I don't think it fares well in extreme heat conditions. The foundation had melted in the areas where my sunglasses came into contact with my skin, even though I made sure to set it with powder as well as use the UD All Nighter spray it didn't stay put. I don’t know if it’s my skin or the foundation but this did lead me to keep my makeup incredibly minimal on holidays and to be honest I prefer it this way now anyway.

Another incident I wanted to share is that we went to a wedding once and had seats right next to a radiator which was turned on, unfortunately we never managed to have it turned off despite asking venue staff. By the end of the event I was extremely hot and flustered, my upper lip and chin had gotten so ridiculously sweaty the foundation had broken apart there, I was dying to rush home and wash it all off (as well as jump into the shower myself).

These mishaps tell me that even though this is a superb long lasting formula, it won't handle extreme heat conditions very well. Perhaps another type of primer may have helped but I don't think there's any foundation out there that will stay intact in such extreme conditions.

My Application Method:

Like I always say, makeup sits beautifully on good healthy skin, for me personally the more problematic my skin the less makeup I wear. Regardless I always prep my skin thoroughly before an event and with the Barepro it's an absolute must. I have a whole separate routine for the Barepro foundation and I need to stick to this routine in that order to get the best finish.

- To begin with I will give my skin an acid exfoliation for 10 minutes. I use a mix of my Rodial Brightening Multi Acid Mask with a squeeze of either my St.Ives Microdermabrasion Scrub (discontinued) or the Rodial Super Acids After Party Scrub and massage it into my skin, paying attention to my problem areas. This combination of chemical and physical exfoliation gets rids of all the dead skin on the top surface and makes my skin feel super smooth and soft. 

- I then shave my face -yes shave- to get rid of any hair and peach fuzz. (I get laser hair removal so have to shave). Shaving my face ensures my foundation doesn't sit on any peach fuzz and gives an uber smooth finish.

*Important Tip*: Make sure to shave after acid exfoliation or else the acid will irritate your skin and sting like crazy. I accidentally done this before an event once years ago and was left with an irritated bumpy rash. Lesson was learnt...

- After rinsing I pat dry and continue with my skincare routine; Hyaluronic Acid Serum, Vitamin C Serum and either my sunscreen (AM) or a moisturiser (PM).

- I then use a pea sized amount of the This Works In Transit Camera Close-Up Primer, it's a mask, moisturiser and primer in one. This is a hydrating primer with a creamy texture, it's not overly emollient or greasy but makes my makeup blend and sit so much nicer. I recommend using a hydrating primer with the Barepro foundation if you're combo skin like me.

- Once I've applied the primer I colour correct using my MAC Prep+Prime in Peach Lustre. I only apply on my pigmented areas, so directly on my dark circles and around my mouth and then blend into my skin.

- I dampen my sponge (Real Techniques) using hot water, to keep it as warm as possible. I give the foundation bottle a shake and then pump onto the back of my hand. I've tried this on a flat hard surface instead of my hand but it dries too quickly. The warmth of my hand keeps it fluid for longer.

- I apply swipes of foundation onto my skin evenly and then quickly and swiftly bounce the beauty blender over my face to distribute and blend it in, making sure to blend out seam lines and edges quickly as possible. 

- I tip out some powder (Beauty Bakerie) into the lid and then using another sponge, I load the sponge with powder, pat off the excess into my palm so that there's only a fine layer left on the sponge and then push and press the powder into my skin. This locks the foundation in place and fills in pores too.

- I continue with the rest of my makeup and everything applies smoothly over the top. Lastly I'll spritz some setting spray and I'm set for the day.

This is my Barepro routine and it rarely fails me. You know a foundation is awesome when it's the first thing people comment on when they see you. I won't lie this foundation is difficult, it's demanding and it can be complete and utter drama but boy does it put on an outstanding performance! It leaves  me feeling flawless and confident yet comfortable regardless of the amount of makeup I have on. If you're in the market for a long wearing base, definitely don't sleep on this one. I have a special place in my heart for bareMinerals as their Original Foundation (review) was my very first foundation years and years ago. They have honestly left me shook with this foundation, it's not the kind of formula you'd expect a clean, mineral makeup based company to come up with but I'm so glad they did. If you made it this far well done, I hope you enjoyed the review. Thank you for reading.

Have you tried this foundation? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below!

Have you read my previous review? Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter Tan 5

Hello lovelies! I'm reviewing the Milani Conceal + Perfect Foundation today. This foundation had been getting so much rave last year and I've been desperate to get my hands on it, plus I had major hopes for the shade 06 Sand Beige. I was sort of under the impression and slightly hoping that this would be the drugstore dupe of my favourite foundation formula the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation (review here), solely based on how smooth the application and finish looked in demos on youtube. I've had some interesting yet slightly disappointing finds with the Milani Conceal + Perfect and have a bit of a love / hate relationship with it, if you'd like to know more just keep on reading...

What the website says:

Combat under eye circles, redness and other skin imperfections with this full coverage, water-resistant foundation plus concealer in one. A no mess, no drip pump dispenses just the right amount of fluid needed to achieve a flawless look and works around the clock to keep skin looking naturally perfect!

Shades Available:

·        01 Creamy Vanilla - For fair skin tones with cool undertones.

·        02 Natural - For light skin with golden undertones.

·        03 Light Beige - For light skin with neutral undertones.

·        04 Medium Beige - For light to medium skin tones with neutral undertones.

·        05 Warm Beige - For medium skin tones with rosy undertones.

·        06 Sand Beige - For medium skin tones with warm undertones.

·        07 Sand - For medium skin tones with neutral undertones.

·        08 Light Tan - For medium skin tones with cool undertones.

·        09 Tan - For medium to deep skin with neutral undertones.

·        10 Golden Tan - For medium to deep skin tones with golden undertones.

·        11 Amber - For medium to deep skin tones with warm undertones.

·        12 Spiced Almond - For deep skin tones with neutral undertones.

·        13 Chestnut - For deep skin tones with golden undertones.

·        14 Golden Toffee - For deep skin tones with warm undertones.

Packaging

The Milani Conceal + Perfect Foundation comes housed in a sturdy glass bottle, it's quite weighty because of this, I'd be wary of dropping this on hard surfaces. Thankfully it comes with a pump and a good controllable one at that, it's up to you if you want to dispense a full pump or a little dot. The foundation has a scent, but I can't seem to decide whether I like it or not, I liked it at first but I find it strange as well at times.

Shade & Oxidisation

Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Stromboli, Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless 220, Milani Sand Beige 06

Before and after Oxidising

I was very very hopeful of the shade 06 Sand Beige, it's really hard to get hold of samples or try any testers out as the only store that sells them is Beauty Base in Westfield. I looked up on swatches online and went into the store couple of times to swatch and it looked really promising. It's a really good shade and I personally think it's a rare olive shade here in the UK drugstore (Maybelline 220 being the other). It's a wonderful mix of golden yellow beige with some olive. On myself it's a really nice match, it matches and flatters my skin tone nicely. This does oxidise on me, when first applied I absolutely love it, it looks so nice and glowy and pleasantly flatters my complexion, then it gradually starts to oxidise and develops a slight dullish tinge, it's not too bad -I wish it didn't- still an excellent shade and still retains it's yellow undertones but I don't think I'd go down a shade as the undertones don't look as promising. Though something I need to mention is that the oxidisation colour looks horrible around my hyper-pigmentation, I've noticed that when shades are a bit warm or have a dullish tinge in it, it makes my hyper pigmentation look grey regardless of whether I've colour corrected with orange or not. Strange but true, has anyone experienced anything similar?

Texture

The texture of the Milani Foundation is really thick and creamy, it won't budge when you pump it out onto the back of your hand. It's a proper dense liquid foundation. I've used both brushes and sponges and both work well in blending the foundation in but I think the beauty blender is a little more effortless compared to the brush. This formula is interesting, it's really thick but isn't super duper heavy on the skin considering how dense it is. I wouldn't call this a lightweight formula at all, like I mentioned earlier I was hoping it had the skin smoothing yet lightweight texture of the CT Magic Foundation but this one is quite an obvious/heavy texture on the skin. I would recommend this formula for those with combination oily skin. On my dehydrated combination textured skin it's quite heavy and obvious and sinks into all my lines whilst looking unflatteringly satin-y. If you have dry skin or really oil skin I'd stay away from this foundation as this exaggerates dry flakes and can also look and feel oily and greasy if you're very oily. When I've used this with a primer it's not so dewy looking and more of a demi-matte which I prefer with this formula.

Finish

When first applied the finish is beautiful, it's a gorgeous glowy satin finish, my skin looks smooth, poreless and plump, it's kinda obvious that I have makeup on but it looks really good. I absolutely love how flawless it looks at the beginning but then after 5 mins it all changes and starts to go downhill. It hurts me to say this but it looks gross on my skin after it sets. It highlights EVERY minuscular bump and imperfection on my skin, ALL the tiny dots and pores on the surface of my skin are exaggerated, it also settles into all the tiny fine lines running across my entire forehead, the area around my mouth looks really cakey. It exposes all the imperfections that I didn't even know I had. This actually looks worse on me than the Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation (review here) because it's a thicker and heavier formula. I can make the Nars ADLW work for me but I can't always get the Milani to work. It just looks thick, heavy, cakey and obvious on me unfortunately.

Seriously this foundation gets me so upset about my skin, I know I have skin texture issues and it's my biggest downer but I try my best to tackle and treat it, it's not terribly awful but with the Milani Foundation it looks much worse than it actually is and the result is the complete opposite of what I would want from a foundation. Like with every new foundation I always get opinions from others and my sister said it aged my skin so that speaks for itself really. 

This is also quite glowy for an oil free foundation, it does look nice and glowy on my skin at first but after it settles in the shine looks awful, like I always say bumpy shiny skin isn't an attractive look so I make sure to powder it with a skin smoothing powder. I've used my Kick Ass Powder (review here) specifically with this foundation because that the Kick Ass Powder is a foundation perfecter for me and it always makes my base look better, it does help a lot but I can achieve a full flawless look with other full coverage foundations that perform and look better on me (e.g. Too Faced Born This Way (review here)) so the negatives of the Milani aren't worth it.

I've been writing this blogpost in over a span of a month so trust me when I say I've given this foundation many goes and have trialled it with different techniques, so I've been updating and tweaking the post here and there following my experiences. On a positive note I've figured out a way how to make it work with my skin, because this foundation is quite pigmented I've realised I don't need to use a lot of product to achieve the finish and look I want. On well prepped and moisturised skin I use a few drops of The Ordinary High Spread-ability Fluid Primer (let me know if you want a review), I use only 4x 5p dabs of foundation and blend it out with a brush or sponge and achieve medium coverage, minimal caking and settling in lines and a smooth natural finish. At first I used to use around a pump and a half and it was far too cakey for my liking, now I use around 3/4 of a pump. I finally set it lightly with either Soap & Glory Kick Ass Powder or the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Powder.

Also like I mentioned earlier this looks horrible on my under eye and around my mouth, it makes me look awfully grey even when I've colour corrected which is strange because my under eye circles aren't that bad at all, so what I do is avoid those areas and use a concealer there instead or just go in lightly with the foundation using minimal product.

Feel

The Milani Foundation doesn't feel as heavy on the skin than how it looks but I wouldn't regard it as a super lightweight formula because of how dense and creamy the formula is. I think there are definitely formulas out there that are much lighter on the skin. Even though there's a setting factor there is no tight or tautening feeling on the skin and it's not drying either. Being oil free it's quite a creamy formula, I would recommend setting this as it can feel quite tacky and emollient without any powder. Once set with powder you may be able to feel product on the skin as the product build up might make it more obvious, though this is dependable on how much you use, otherwise it's a fairly comfortable formula. I use probably 3/4 of a pump and get a light comfortable feel.

Coverage

One thing that I can rate is the coverage of this drugstore foundation, you can definitely achieve full coverage with it even though full coverage with this formula makes me look cakey. It's quite impressive how well this covers and most definitely performs to its name and claims. I usually prefer medium coverage but don't mind a flawless face once in a while hence why I was willing to give this a go. Like I mentioned earlier I love how it looks on me when I first apply it, full flawless glowy coverage but how it looks afterwards is what puts me off. I can't stand how mask like it looks on me. As a concealer its not bad, but it's not the most pigmented concealer, it's more of a full coverage foundation than a highly pigmented concealer so if you have dark or stubborn imperfections you may want to go in with a separate concealer. For example one layer of this doesn't conceal my hyper pigmentation or my dark circles and my dark circles aren't that bad. It also creases a lot under my eyes and laugh lines so make sure you set it well if you use it there. I personally think there are better foundations out there which offer full coverage but are much more lighter on the skin but for a drugstore foundation and the price point this is great.

Build-ability

This foundation blends pretty well on the skin and does build equally well too, I haven't needed any more than two layers and have never had any issues of patchiness or cakiness whilst building the Milani, the foundation looks cakey on my skin but its not a cakey formula if that makes sense, meaning I think it's my skin type that disagrees with the formula. 

Longevity

When I first used to use this foundation it made my skin look awful and I usually ended up running to the bathroom to wash it off after 20 minutes because I refused to display such awful makeup to anyone. As the minutes went by it used to look worse and worse, by the 8th hour it started to separate and break up as well as look quite oily, not pretty. But now that I've figured out a routine that works with me I can make this last a decent amount of time without it looking horrible. This formula does sink and mesh into the skin well which is why I think it emphasises every irregularity on my skin but it's not at all transfer proof, it does transfer really easily onto anything it comes into contact with so definitely set it well. 

Overall Thoughts

I do feel really alienated when the vast majority of masses rave about a certain product and I feel the complete opposite way about it. The Milani Foundation is one of those products unfortunately (like the Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation (review here)). Like is my skin really that difficult to cater to? I'm just not keen on how the Milani looks on me, when I wear foundation I want it to make my skin look as perfected as is possible working in line with my issues whilst keeping it as skin like as possible, this formula isn't skin beautifying on me at all, I can make it work and the shade is pretty decent but I have other foundations and formulas that don't require as much work. I know that when you have skin imperfections and irregularities it's harder to imitate beautiful healthy skin in an undetectable way but I usually tend to strike a balance where you might be able to see makeup on my skin but it's smooth even looking makeup and skin enhancing at the same time. I reckon the smoother your skin is the better the Milani Foundation will look on you. Please if there's anyone out there that feels the same way as I do, do comment down below as I feel awful for feeling and writing so negatively about such a raved product. All in all as usual I hope this review was helpful.

P.S. I think this may be very similar to the Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation (review now HERE- It's SO much better than the Milani! I frickin' LOVE it!!!), I have a sample and they're very similar.

Quick Round-up

Pros

- Medium to full coverage

- Very pigmented

- Smooth creamy texture

- Looks really flawless and glowy (at first - on me anyway)

- Satin finish

- Shade 06 Sand Beige is a good yellow olive shade for those who struggle to find good olive shades

- Best for combination to slightly oily skin types

Cons

- Thick texture

- Sets and sits horribly on my skin

- Highlights texture and sinks into my lines and pores (on me)

- Can look cakey and obvious (on me)

- Oxidises

- Not suitable for very oily skin or very dry skin

- Formula just didn't work for my skin unfortunately 

Here are some swatches of all my Nars bases so you can see the dissimilarities between all the shades people in this shade group might wear.

- Sheer Glow in Stromboli (review HERE)

- All Day Luminous Weightless in Stromboli (review HERE)

- Pure Radiant Tinted Moistiriser in St.Moritz

- Velvet Matte Skin Tint in St.Moritz (review HERE)

- Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger (review HERE)

- Radiant Creamy Concealer in Caramel

Here's another angle :

A foundation that's made specially for yellow, olive, Mediterranean complexions? You know I'd be all over that by now! And I was. A few years ago soon after EX1 had launched I had excitedly purchased shade F300 after referring to their shade chart, F300 was supposed to match skintones between NC37 and NC40. When I tried the shade F300 I was thoroughly disappointed at the shade as it was still not yellow enough for me, it was more neutral peach on my skin. I couldn't believe it, the brand that was aimed at yellow olive skintones was still not yellow enough for me and so disdained and disappointed I left it at that thinking drugstore foundations will NEVER be suitable for olive complexions.

Fast forward to now, I'd seen some swatches of all the shades together on Pinterest and instantly saw F200 looked more yellow, so the intrigue really grew from there. I also noticed the shade F200 was floating around insta and so I decided I wanted to give it another go. I managed to get a sample and after trialling it I'm ready to share my thoughts. FYI this foundation has no scent and no SPF for those who are wondering.

Description from website:

• Clinically and Dermatologically tested
• 100% Oil and Fragrance free
• Non Comedogenic

EX1 F200 and Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Stromboli

As usual I was excited to use it when it arrived. My first impression when swatched was that it was quite thick, the colour however had true yellow olive undertones to it and it really reminded me of my Bobbi Brown 4.5 Warm Natural. This stuff is crazy pigmented, I think it has 30% pigment in it compared to normal mainstream foundations which can range between 8-20% pigment. Since it's so pigmented I highly doubt you would need to use that much, and can probably get full coverage with this. 

I first tried to use this with my damp beauty blender (I dunked the sponge straight into the pot and applied to face) and it was proving difficult to blend, the cream was thick so it just wasn't budging with the soft damp sponge. So I used my fingers, and it wasn't giving me the results I wanted, it was looking cakey and dry. The second time I used my RT Buffing Brush and it blended better. From these two methods I realised that No.1, it was a MUST for me to have soft, well moisturised and exfoliated skin, No.2, the product needs to be warmed up as much as possible, No.3, I don't need to use a lot of this, it's crazy pigmented, No.4, the stiffness of the Buffing Brush helped move and blend the product better on my skin but left a more streaky and cakey finish, so brush was a no no.

I decided to try a similar approach to how I used the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick. Using my RT Pointed Foundation Brush I brushed on a few stripes of Mehron Celebre HD onto my face then pounced/blended it out with my beauty blender, as I hoped it worked excellently! Through my trialling I can definitely say you don't need a lot at all! 

The formula is very thick, and it's very pigmented, it covers really well, you can definitely get full coverage with this foundation and I highly doubt you'll need any concealer, if blended properly with a sponge it can look rather natural and flawless on the skin (as natural as full coverage can look). You can also apply this lightly and build up to whatever coverage you want, it's really flexible like that, the lighter the coverage the more natural it will appear and you can definitely get an untraceable finish, perfect for those who like no makeup makeup (me). 

You can really tell how simple and basic the formula is, no SPF or shimmer, it's definitely not a modern day formula foundation, but it delivers exactly what is says so you can't argue. Even though it's thick and oil free, it's creamy in texture and can appear quite smooth on the surface of your skin since it's quite emollient. The finish is natural and skin like, it's not overly matte nor is it shiny. In my experience and on my skin type*, once set with powder this can last a rather long time, you may have to blot or retouch with some powder after 3-4 hours if you have normal to oily skin.

*My skin is dehydrated/dry and combination, very weird combination but I know that my skin can't handle too much product or it'll look cakey and dry, so I tend to go for hydrating formulas more often.

People with dry flakes really need to make sure they have no flakies on their skin because this foundation will most definitely outline them. For those that don't necessarily have flakies but have dry skin will need to make sure they are thoroughly moisturised. Since it's a cream it is emollient and hydrating to a certain extent, it can look greasy (my t-zone gets oily if I'm warm) so setting is a must because this cream formula doesn't set nor is it transfer resistant, if you have oily skin you will most definitely set your whole face with powder, I only powder my t-zone since I've noticed after a while my pores gape open like the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick. 

Also I definitely have to colour correct under my eyes and around my mouth with this foundation because my discolouration looks ghastly if I have too much coverage or product around my mouth. If you have skin texture you will notice this may eccencuate it a little, as with most face products and foundation, the smoother your skins surface the better makeup and foundation will look on you. 

Now onto my impressions and thoughts for the colour/shade match, I'm not sure how much I like the colour, at first I thought it was going to be perfectly undertoned for my incredibly fussy skin. I'm South Asian medium, light brown, yellow olive undertoned with discolourations. I'm somewhere around the NC35-42 mark, somewhere... though I'm under the impression that I don't have a perfect match in MAC...so yeah..

Sometimes I've used it and thought yes it's perfect, other times I've not been too keen. It may be down to the fact that some of the times I've used too much and it's been too strong a yellow/olive and other times I'd used less and the colour blends out perfectly.

There is so much confusion with the online swatches, I'll explain in detail now. (The next 4 pictures are not mine, I got them off Google for shade analysis and comparison, they belong to their respective owners)

In this picture Japonais is 2nd and Fair is 3rd, but now Japonais looks "neutral/olive" and Fair looks like the "yellower" one.

In this assembly, Japonais comes 2nd and Fair 3rd, you can't really see the undertones properly but Fair looks more "deeper" in colour so we can assume that it's the more "yellow" one and Japonais is the more "neutral" one.

Do you see the problem? It seems to me that someone somewhere has gotten it wrong! The only way I can really determine this is if I owned Eurasia Fair too. Believe me I'm tempted! But I had no intention to spend £20 odd on 2 foundations just to determine which shade is which. I probably will do this in the near future if I'm still curious about the shades. 

Here are some swatch comparisons I done with some foundation that I own:

Nars Stromboli, Nars Barcelona and MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC37