Holy Grail Drugstore/High-Street Foundations

Drugstore does not mean lower quality. I  have personally fallen victim to subscribing to this belief before, surely Giorgio Armani and Chanel’s finest would give me a better finish than Bourjois could ever hope to achieve. WRONG. So so terribly wrong! I held the belief for the longest time up until I found out a couple of years ago that Bourjois’ parent company is the same as Chanel, or that Maybelline and L’Oreal are manufactured by the same factory as YSL and Giorgio Armani -sufficed to say, my beliefs were shattered. I became more involved in the drugstore arena and more interested in trying out what foundations they had to offer (my wallet thanks me for that to this day). And boy, oh boy was I surprised to find that most drugstore foundations are amazing quality, and some are even more impressive than higher end brands!

While that is a short summary of how I became a hoarder of drugstore makeup, it is also why I felt it imperative to write this post! I can pretty confidently say I’ve tried 90% of the foundations in the drugstore arena -bar a few that I wasn’t interested in or didn’t think would suit my skin type (usually combination, oilier in some parts but with some dry patches). So while I struggled, I’ve attempted to eliminate many of my favorites to end up with 6 drugstore foundations I swear by, and deem holy-grail-status worthy! Also, it’s important to note that I’ve ordered the list based on least coverage building up to (makeup puns, gotta love them) highest coverage!

Bourjois’ Healthy Mix Serum  has earned itself plenty of buzz among beauty gurus, from Essie Button to Jaclyn Hill, all praising the product for it’s natural finish and impressive coverage considering it’s serum/gel nature. This foundation can be seen as a lighter coverage version of it’s earlier sister the Healthy mix foundation (which I will tackle later). It’s anti-fatigue effects are instantly visible, granting a healthy supple looking texture to the skin, as well as brightening and eliminating dullness. (It doesn’t hurt that it smells amazing). This product is bound to be your go-to everyday pick-me-up, feels weightless and is very comfortable to wear. Which is what makes it one of my two lighter foundation choices.

Next in the running for everyday light skin bases is It Cosmetics’ Your Skin But Better CC Cream. Earning the title of one of Viviannadoesmakeup‘s favorite skin bases, this product definitely delivers. Before praising it, one word of warning would be to not be discouraged by the initial texture. When squirting this bad boy out, it appears very thick and the shades tend to look grey-toned. However, this is definitely not true to it’s application onto the skin. The cc cream actually blends like a dream onto the skin, blending into it rather than as a layer on top of it. The tone, while discouraging, I believe actually aids the color correcting properties of this cream as it appears to adapt to your skin tone and equalize the skin tone. This cc cream is also very brightening, and there also exists an illuminating version which I’m very intrigued to try (let me know if you have!) Word of praise and warning at the same time, this foundation is amazing for everyday use because of the high SPF it has, however that’s also problematic because it does have flashback and I would definitely recommend thoroughly cleansing the face afterwards to avoid breakouts.

To start off the more foundation-y foundations, for lack of a better word, is Rimmel’s Match perfection. Of all the foundations to follow this one, I think this would be the best everyday wear. The coverage is definitely medium but build-able. I’ve found it works best on dry/combination skin, but can even survive oily skin if set properly. This foundation gives such a beautiful moisturized finish, leaving the skin looking fresh and young. The foundation really does mimic your skin tone as it promises to do. The hydration it offers and the youthful finish it gives is primarily what draws me to this foundation so often.

As previously mentioned, the bourjois healthy mix serum is considered  a sister product to the Healthy Mix Foundation. This drugstore foundation really takes the cake when it comes to healthy glow while not too dewy (which is often a problem with drugstore illuminating foundations). This foundation is really long wearing as it promises, and the finish is a healthy glow while also remaining set and not giving a greasy looking finish. Cult favorite, and with reason!

Revlon Colorstay is probably one of the oldest foundations in the game, I would say this foundation gives a really HD finish. Comparable to Makeup Forever’s HD foundation, Colorstay gives a really high coverage while remaining hydrating. The finish is flawless and perfect for photography which I was surprised by considering it’s SPF 20. Perfect coverage of redness and blemishes, which is why I reach for it more on days where my skin isn’t doing great.

Last, but certainly not least (it is my most recent and most treasured favorite after all) comes the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation. This foundation has changed my life (always with the dramatics). This finish is like no other! Despite the fact that I’m oily I hate matte finishes on foundations, I still like retain some hydration and dewiness in my makeup. So you can imagine I was hesitant to try this product, but alas for the sake of satisfying my makeup obsession – I had to. And my, oh my was it worth the try. Can I just note, I have never gone through an entire foundation or even come close, and I only have a couple more uses left of this. Poreless, hydrating, smooth, flawless, buttery, matte while still dewy. All words that accurately describe the finish this foundation gives. I realized how much this foundation meant to me (haha I can’t deal with myself) when I realized that any time an occasion came up or I wanted to look good on that day, I would always unhesitatingly reach for it because I just knew  I could 100% rely on it. To me, that is a holy grail product. The coverage is perfect, I’d say medium but builds up beautiful. Longevity is like nothing I’ve experienced before. And the shade range is amazing as are all the fit me lines. Only only only fault I can possibly find is the lack of a pump, but I would gladly deal with that considering how amazing it makes my skin look.

That’s all folks! Sorry for the slightly long post. I just wanted to give an in depth explanation for any of you who may be considering one of these products. I whole-heartedly would like for this post to completely shove you into buying them, because I can guarantee you will not regret it!

 

 

Thank you xoxo, CFML

 

P.s. next post will be short, I promise x