A lightweight and luminous liquid base, formulated with light diffusers which unify skin tone and cover imperfections effortlessly. Specially designed ‘true colour’ pigments work perfectly with your skins’ natural tones in an ultra-blendable formula.

The result? The perfect Invisiwear effect.

Shade

There's a total of 5 shades in this range F100, F200, F300, F400 and F500. I got F200 which is meant to be for those that are between NC30 and NC35. Now I don't really like MAC foundation shades as I don't find them very olive yellow but rather I think they lean more towards warm/orange neutral. 

The shade F200 is a very good match to my skin tone, when I apply it to my skin, it disappears and blends in really well. It's almost like my skintone in a bottle! If I were to describe the shade I would say it's a olive beige shade with some yellow, it's not a very yellow shade but has just enough to work very well with my skin tone. It's definitely a better match for me than the F300 and I adore it! This is the third time I've given up on a potential favourite just because of trying the wrong shade!

Excuse my splotchy dry hands, the skin on my hand is quite translucent/transparent hence the splotchiness and veins.

Texture

The texture of the EX1 is very thick and creamy. I've travelled with my little sample pot and where some foundations can make a mess and coat all sides and end up on the lid, even possibly leak, the EX1 didn't budge one bit, so you know it's not a runny formula at all. I've applied it with both sponges and brushes and I've noticed that since it's a thick formula you have to bounce the sponge a little extra to blend it in and as expected you use more product with a sponge, the brush manoeuvres and blends the foundation in well and doesn't take as much effort and you get a bit more coverage. (I'm currently obsessed with a particular face brush at the moment and haven't been able to put it down, I haven't picked up a beauty blender since! All will be revealed soon...Check here for brush review!). Also even though I don't have the full size bottle, I really like the packaging for the EX1, it's simple and effective, I love how clean and efficient the pump action is, you'll never waste a drop!

Feel

This is a lightweight formula as advertised but I don't think it's as lightweight as some of the newer foundation releases. Back in 2013 when it had first released you could say it was one of the first of its kind to offer decent coverage yet an invisible look and feel but foundation technology has evolved since then and there are many products out there now that provide an even more lighter feel. But yes I would say this foundation has the potential of looking and feeling invisible depending on your skin type/condition and how you apply, prep or set your makeup.

Finish

The EX1 Invisiwear does set to a demi matte finish on me and I have combination dehydrated skin. I wasn't anticipating this at all. At first it looks like a satin finish and exudes a glow that satin foundations would leave but after around 5 minutes it sets to a matte finish. In fact I have to be weary of how much powder I put on top or else it dries down too much and I'm left looking a little matte and a touch cakey. I have to wait for the foundation to dry down/set first so that I can see where I can/need to powder. It dries down especially around my mouth for some reason where I also have some texture, so I've learnt to use extra moisturiser there and go easy with the powder.

A couple of months ago I was going through a very dehydrated and dry phase, many of my foundations would look really dry and dull on my skin and the texture and flakes would look more pronounced, this was also one of the foundations that looked awful on me. So I don't think the EX1 is good for those with very dry, dehydrated and textured skin. Thank God my skin has improved since then and I can comfortably wear this without too much trouble. Definitely do your skin prep and moisturise well as the matte finish may not be forgiving if you have very dry skin. 

In terms of pore filling and skin smoothing, the brand doesn't claim for this to fill in pores or anything but I think it fills them in enough like most foundations would do anyway, it also isn't a smoothing or plumping foundation like the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation (review here) or the Urban Decay One & Done (review here). This is more of second skin finish where it mimics the skins natural texture. I have no complaints with this, I still like it very much. 

Coverage

I would say this foundation offers medium to buildable full coverage. I have some mild redness and post acne marks, general uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation. Since I don't have the full size bottle I can't tell you how many pumps I use but I can tell you that I use 6 small dots around my face and get a proper medium coverage on my self. I'm not very keen on full coverage so I tend to go for a more natural look and finish to my skin. I love how even this makes my skin look and because it's so close to my skins colour it really looks great on me. I colour correct under my eyes and around my mouth and I get a pretty flawless finish.

Build-ability

The EX1 sets so I suggest building one section before proceeding to the next, I prefer to build thin layers at a time and only were I need it. Since this blends so well into the skin I find this builds nicely too but take into consideration the dry down as this looks drier on me the more I  build it on my dry/dehydrated areas. 

Longevity 

This foundation sets to a demi matte finish so it lasts really long on my skin, especially after setting with powder. I like the way satin/matte foundations look on my skin as the day goes by as my natural oils come out and give my skin a healthy natural glow, the matte nature of this foundation works well with my skin type and I get really good longevity out of this.

Oxidation

The EX1 Invisiwear does oxidise and deepen a bit to a slightly orange tinge, but not too much that it looses the olive yellow tones that work so well with my skin, it makes me look a little more tanned and golden and I don't mind that too much, I actually quite like it. A lot of people have complained about how orange it goes on them but there isn't much you can do as the shade range is very limited, having only 5 shades means you can't go down a shade as the shade differences between all 5 shades are quite distinct. Shade F100 is actually more on the neutral pink side which doesn't really make sense. But we can only hope Farah Naz (the creator) brings more shades to the range as I think that would do very well for the targeted consumers of this brand. 

Overall I really like the EX1 Invisiwear foundation. I adore the shade more so as it contains a nice balance of beige, green and yellow to match my skin so well, even the oxidation colour is manageable. I don't have many foundations that flatter my skintone that well but this one is definitely one of them along with bareMinerals Original Golden Medium (review here and here) and Nars Stromboli (review here and here). With the right skin prep I can make the demi-matte finish work really well for me, the skin like finish and the longevity is great. If you have an olive yellow complexion and haven't tried F200 in this range I suggest you get a sample and give it a go. My success with the EX1 Inivisiwear Foundation has made me want to try more of their products now! As usual I hope this was helpful. Toodles!

Description from website:

AIR MAT FOUNDATION

MATTIFYING HIGH COVERAGE FOUNDATION FOR AN UNDETECTABLE FINISH THAT LASTS FOR UP TO 24 HOURS.

Finish

This has a soft velvety matte finish on the skin, it's not a flat matte and the skin still has nice dimension to it but if you are quite dry and dull to begin with this can look a bit flat. Because it's summer now (well...) and my skin gets a teeny bit oily in warm weather conditions I find this looks soft and skin like on me. It fills in my pores and smoothens my skin nicely giving a soft focus blurred effect which I really really like.

I have worn this when my skin was very dry, dehydrated and flaky and this foundation was a big no no! It looked absolutely horrendous on me, picking up on every bit of texture/bump and sitting and highlighting every line, extra moisturiser nor the beauty blender was making it work, after trying and trying I was ready to give it away but now that my skins in better condition and not so dry I do like how it looks on me.

Coverage
I'm really impressed with the coverage you get with the Air Mat foundation. I'd say this is a medium to buildable full coverage foundation. I use a small pea sized amount and get medium coverage which is more than enough for me. It evens my skin out really nicely and naturally and conceals any redness and mild marks on my face whilst still looking skin like. I really like how skin smoothing it is and the soft focus effect this gives to my skin.

Like I mentioned earlier this can look cakey on me if my skin is more on the dehydrated side and has more texture which is why I'd avoid building too much coverage with this foundation, it can be unforgiving if I wanted to get this to full coverage as my skin isn't 100% smooth even on its good days, I do have a little texture at the moment in certain areas of my face and I am also slightly dry in these areas too so building coverage can look cakey in those specific places.

Build-ability
The Air Mat sets so I suggest you blend it in quickly. When I try to build layers with this foundation I find it can sometimes get a bit cakey if I'm not adequately moisturised, reason being since it's a powder finish, the powder dissolves into the moisture on your skin giving it an invisible finish, so if there isn't enough moisture on the skin to take more product the foundation can sort of sit on top of the skin instead of melting in to it. So if you have my skin type, use extra moisturiser if you want more coverage and no cakiness. And since this sets I recommend building layers one area at a time before moving on to the next area.

Longevity
I actually don't set the Air Mat foundation with any powder, I don't feel the need to and I find it lasts a decent amount of time on me. Because it's matte and it sets I feel like it really meshes into the skin and becomes one with it. Nor does it really transfer much. Also as it's a matte finish my skin doesn't get too oily by the end of the day and the foundation is still holding pretty well. Some people with oily skin have complained that they get really shiny with this, which is probably why it works well for me as on me it's a comfortable matte and isn't overly drying for my dehydrated combination skin. I also find that this looks better on me as the day goes by and sometimes by the end of the day I will have a radiant sheen to my skin which I quite like as it looks pretty with the soft focus smoothing effect on the skin.

Oxidisation

It didn't stop me though, eventually the greed and curiosity crept back in and I couldn't resist but to pick up a tube of their newest launch City Radiance, described as a radiant and hydrating foundation and boasting of an SPF of 30. I mean, how could I not? It was aimed directly at me! I also adore the simplicity of the packaging, easy controllable squeeze tube with very little mess and it's pretty.

A fresh & luminous complexion

It anti-dullness, formula with radiance-boosting pigments evens out complexion for a natural, fresh-looking, radiant complexion. 

Anti-pollution formula: 

Its anti-pollution screen prevents the adherence of carbon particles and lets skin breathe 

Contains SPF 30 UV screen to protect skin from UVA & UVB, all year round 

24hr hydration for all day comfort, a must-have of all urbanites! 

Tested for you*:

“Skin looks more even”: 91% of women agree 

“Complexion looks less dull and more luminous”: - 88% of women agree 

*User test on 33 volunteers

Dermatologically tested. Non-comedogenic

Considering I'm very weary of drugstore foundations I still wanted to swatch this and see if any of the shades were suitable for me, shade 05 seemed to look quite golden olive instore (under artificial lighting) and was also aptly named "Golden Beige". So I bought it only to realise in normal lighting it wasn't as golden olive as I'd like. Haha! My luck with shades.... Seriously I bet you're all sick of hearing my constant mismatches and dislike for certain shades. 

I would describe shade 05 as a warm toned beige, so it has some peach/orange with a hint of olive and lots of beige. It's not an ideal shade for me obviously but I can wear it, as the description states, it does have a brightening quality to it which is why I don't mind this shade too much. I've recently been quite flexible with foundation shades that I wear, usually I'm insistent that it match my yellow undertones perfectly and blend into my neck but I've been a bit more relaxed and making sure it's close enough and haven't been too bothered about my neck being a different colour, I mean the hijab hides the difference doesn't it, so long as it looks good right?

I also sometimes mix in a teeny drop of yellow food colouring into the blob of foundation that I'm about to use and it does look very good. I actually got a compliment once when I done this, apparently my foundation looked really nice and made me look wide eyed and awake. So I suppose that's proof enough that it worked haha. Little did they know I done something as wacky as put food colouring into my makeup!  

I love the texture of this foundation, my skin has been going through an extremely dehydrated phase recently so I'm reaching for more hydrating bases. This is slightly thick in texture, it won't run down your hand, it's creamy and emollient and also quite light and kinda gel like. I am super impressed with the formula. Many people have mentioned correlations between this and a certain Chanel foundation and I seriously wouldn't be surprised if they took inspiration and some of the formula of that one to create this, it's superb quality! I would definitely recommend this for dry skin types. It's almost like a tinted moisturiser with very decent coverage and longevity.

Along with the lovely texture this also has a lovely radiant finish. It's so pretty on the skin, it's skin like, it's dewy (not overly), it's glowy, not oily (depending on your skin type), it really perks up the skin and is definitely ideal for the summer time. As I mentioned earlier I think this is ideal for those who want a radiant finish, so anyone with perhaps dull or dry skin particularly will benefit from this. I find this isn't too harsh on flakies, obviously I recommend exfoliating and starting with a smooth base but if there is texture it doesn't pick up on it horrendously and does give a somewhat smooth finish to the skin.

This feels really comfortable on the skin, the formula is lightweight, it's hydrating, it's moisturising, it's emollient, not at all heavy and not greasy either. I love how modern formulas these days are so lightweight now, you can barely feel makeup on your skin and that's absolutely fantastic, you could almost forget you have anything on! Nobody wants to be weighed down by the cake! 

You can get upto a medium coverage with this, it's sheer to buildable medium. It covers minor imperfections, evens skintone nicely and naturally, blurs pores and lines just enough, it's a great everyday foundation. This also blends beautifully and effortlessly into the skin. I've used with both sponge and brush and get wonderful results with either. This also builds really nicely, it's not patchy and just sinks into the skin without looking a bit cakey.

The City Radiance does oxidise, I've found this with a few Bourjois foundations actually. It definitely deepens a lot so bare that in mind if you want to consider shade matching. I'll include a before and after swatch to show the difference. It quite literally oxidises as soon as it comes out of the tube and within a minute it'll have oxidised by 2 shades and then it carries on to get a little more deeper. Does this bother me you may ask, yes and no... like I mentioned earlier I'm trying to be more open minded about shades now, I hate missing out on great formulas just because the shades aren't 100% on me, I won't go any further than 2 shades up or down of my skintone so anything within that range is fine and I can make it work or try at the least. But of course I would have preferred for it not to.

Considering it's a radiant hydrating foundation, I find this formula holds up really well on its own, the formula obviously does play a part in this. It's not like for example the original YSL Touché Eclat foundation (review here) where it can literally slide and melt off of your face because of its high emollience. The City Radiance certainly works well for my combination dehydrated skin type. The moisture level in this foundation allows me to set it in place with some powder without compromising on the radiance/glow, I usually set just the tzone where the dew can look a bit unsightly. If you have oily skin, mattefying primer or powder will help keep it intact or you many want to skip this one entirely and if you are very dry you may even skip the powder and leave it as is. I wouldn't say this has all day lasting abilities but I think it can last your average work hours, especially if necessary steps were taken for your skins specific needs.

Overall I really like the formula of this foundation, it's an excellent comfortable hydrating foundation and looks beautiful on the skin. Again my only qualm is the shade, also 6 shades isn't enough, especially if it's suitable for only light - medium beige complexions. Come on Bourjois, expand your colour range, please acknowledge the other end of the spectrum! I almost forgot to mention the smell, this smells ah-mazing! It's fresh and pretty just like the packaging and formula, it's not a strong fragrance so don't worry it doesn't linger. Also I can't comment on the anti-pollution screen that this claims to have, I mean, how do you monitor pollution on the skin?? Breakouts? Skin health.....? Anyway I hope you enjoyed this review, if you have any questions do let me know and I shall get back to you as soon as! Toodles!

They currently have 6 shades in the One & Done. Swatches were available pretty soon after its launch so shade matching was quite easy. The website also has shade descriptions corresponding to the Naked Skin shade range. I was considering Medium Light at first because it seemed to look the most yellow and I wear 4.0 in the foundation but after watching a few YouTube videos I saw a lot of people similar to my skin tone wearing Medium. I do regret not getting the Medium Light instead.

After swatching I noticed that the 6 shades are actually quite neutral undertoned, the shade Medium is quite neutral/peachy on me, unfortunately there's hardly any olive in it and my skin needs to have bases with a good balance of yellow and green for it to compliment or flatter it. Any bit of pink, neutral or beige can clash with my skin and look a bit weird. The shade Medium does make my skin look more neutral/peach and looks a little strange against my overly yellow neck but I guess being a hijabi has its pros as my neck is usually covered most of the time! I don't love the colour match but because it's a light coverage base I can easily get away with it and the peach tones do have a slight brightening effect. I would look into getting a sample of Medium Light because it definitely looks more yellow.

Nars ADLW Stromboli, One & Done Medium and Naked Skin 4.0

The texture of One & Done is really interesting, it's like a thick-ish, smooth, creamy gel, primer type consistency that runs down your hand slowly. It reminds me very much of the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation (review here) and it does have very similar second skin effects on the skin. I've applied with both sponges and brushes and I like how it looks with brushes (I use a flat top slanted dense kabuki), it blends so effortlessly into the skin and it provides more coverage than a sponge. I reckon this is a great in between formula for different skin types, it falls right inbetween oily and dry. This'll be perfect for anyone with normal skin, combination skin, slightly oily and slightly dry.

Like the CT Magic Foundation this doesn't feel heavy on the skin when applied considering it's thick, it's very smooth and creamy. I do like the feel of it on my skin, it seems to plump, hydrate and smooth out the surface of my skin. You can't really feel it on the skin, sometimes I actually forget I have it on. I use this ontop of my usual moisturiser as it's not enough for me on its own. If you're very oily then prime and set with mattefying products and if you're very very dry exfoliate and layer on the moisture.

The finish is very skin like, I love how it fills in pores and lines, it really plumps the skin and gives it a smooth finish (like the CT Magic Foundation). On my combination/dehydrated skin it's a satin/demi matte finish with a healthy skin like radiant glow. I have used this when my skins been a bit flakey and I didn't like how it sat on my skin at all, it accentuated the flakes and just sat on and around them. This is definitely a product for my good skin days! 

The One & Done will give you upto a medium coverage, it is as they describe a tinted moisturiser. If you like lightweight bases, light coverage and products that allow your skin to peep through then this is definitely for you. It covers the mild redness on my face well, conceals minor imperfections and unifies my complexion nicely and looks very natural. Of course without saying, this looks better on me after I've colour corrected my under eyes and around the mouth.

I find that the One & Done has a setting factor to it, I've noticed that if I want to build it up (once it sets) it starts to get a little bit patchy and then I have to go in with a beauty blender to smoothen it out, it's best to build it while it's still wet if you're using a brush. Like I said earlier you can get a solid medium coverage with this.

The One & Done doesn't really oxidise, I haven't really noticed any major colour change with it. I mean it is a little peachy/orange on me but I feel like when I have a lighter layer on, my skintone does peep through making it seem like it adapts slightly.

On my skin type I don't feel the need to set this with powder because it's not at all greasy, it's just the right amount of glow for me without setting. If the weather has been warm that day I'll have a slight sheen on my face by the end of it and that's it, I may have to powder just the t-zone. I think it's because of my skin type that makes this product last long enough on my face. It's a really good in-between formula.

Overall I really like the formula of the One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector, it ticks all my boxes for an everyday tinted moisturiser / primer in one. The only qualm I have is the shade, it's just not yellow/olive enough for my skintone, the only reason I'm keeping it and getting so much wear out of it is because the formula is really nice and works so well for me. I knew I was right to be excited about the One & Done, I can definitely say Urban Decay know how to create amazing base products! 

Let me know if you've tried this and what your thoughts are. As always I hope you found this useful. See you around! X