Packaging: I love the long flesh-colored tube and i especially love the pump. It's very similar to Chanel Mat Lumiere's and it allows for perfect control of the quantity. Half a pump is enough for half my face, a little extra being required to cover up spots or undereye circles. I don't need concealer with this foundation, which only happens when i use Estee Lauder's Double Wear. Of course that this foundation, being a drugstore product, does not compare too much with ELDW, but there are some similarities. It has 30 ml.
Price: not dirt cheap, i paid the equivalent of 12 euros. While being a little pricey for a drugstore foundation (as all European drugstore products are), it is definitely worth all the money.
Color: the shade range is quite limited as this foundation comes in only six shades. However, the striking thing about this foundation is that it appears to perfectly suit both cold undertoned complexions as well as warm skintones. I am a MacNW30-35 and i am currently using shade 33 Honey Beige. While on my extremely pale wrist it came out a little darker, it blends beautifully on my face and i don't even see the face-neck border line. As i mentioned, i think the colors go towards beige-peachy undertones, not orange at all, yet they are perfectly suitable for warm skintones as well. Definitely a winner.
Application: the tube reads 'shake well before use'; i applied it with my fingers with no messiness whatsoever. It feels very creamy on the fingers yet has a runny consistency, pretty much like the Dior Diorskin Forever; i think it's just a little thicker than that. It doesn't streak, doesn't cake around pores or fine lines, it looks very well around my hairline (NOTHING works for me in that area, i always have to blend the foundation with a wet sponge and get my baby hairs messed up).
Coverage: it definitely qualifies as three-quarters medium coverage (the other quarter being sheer). It covered my dark circles although i always need concealer and it also covered my spots. However, it did not completely erase any track of blemish off my face, so i dare say it's definitely not full coverage. What i mostly like about it is that it lives up to its name. While not being able to physically measure the degree of moisture in my skin (who can do that??? why did i say that? it's stoopid!), i can honestly say this stuff doesn't feel like makeup at all. It has a very light consistency and a healthy matte finish. However, this only comes if you shake the tube very well before use otherwise it can feel a little drying (the ingredients must blend properly). I was looking for a natural, light finish makeup with decent coverage and low pocket-burning properties because i desperately need something to mix my Estee Lauder Double Wear with (that stuff is amazing but feels like cement), and also needed an everyday workable foundation for school days or moments when i'm on the run.
This is my left cheek with no makeup on:
With one layer of Isadora foundation (half a pump):
The pic might appear a little bit blurry because i tried to fix the image on the macro mode, to get a very clear close-up, but i still can't figure things out with my new camera. However,i absolutely did not blur the image; this is what it looks like in plain Swedish morning light (cold light), no flash, in front of the window.
I have also uploaded two pics of my left wrist before and after. Pictures taken in daylight, in front of the window, no flash. Before:
and after:
(Sorry about the cracks in my skin, this is a close-up and my face definitely doesn't look like that with this foundation on. The image is much clear because it's easier to hold a camera at the perfect distance from the wrist than from half of the face.)
Stay on power: three out of five. It looks beautiful and doesn't transfer on clothes but comes off if you rub your fingers on the skin. I'm guessing it might also be the case with other activities such as kissing; i have tested it while clubbing and again, the verdict is 3 out of 5. While looking beautifully when i left the house and staying on 100% for about 3 hours, it started looking a bit too transparent after a while. However, it is highly blendable and you can retouch your makeup with your fingertips. I don't feel like needing powder with this foundation (though i don't use powder with any other product because i think it dries out my skin and makes me look older).
This is a clearer picture of my cheek this morning after i put on a little more foundation for going to classes. It is a little more quantity, a bit more than half a pump plus a little extra dabbing under the eyes (my problem areas together with the nose redness):
The color is extremely natural and peachy-rosy and i find it adorable. I have slightly oily skin especially on my t-zone but i don't use powder anymore. This foundation has an immense fixing and covering potential for a drugstore product. Here are two photos of me 5 minutes ago, 23.53 local time. I did not retouch my foundation today and i still haven't used powder. You'll notice some shine but that's my medium oiliness coming through and it doesn't look that bad in reality. I prefer the dewy, shinier finish much more than the extremely matte and powdered one because the latter just doesn't look good on everyone, looks unnatural and ages the face, not to mention that it over dries the skin.
I have used only the tiniest amount of concealer, the Isadora concealer stick, and i have been wearing this foundation (without powder on top, i repeat) all day long. The concealer is not heavy duty coverage and i kept blending it in with my fingertips all day long because of some unwanted eye pencil smudging i had to clean. Notice the slightly red eyes-that's the continuous dabbing plus the drying central heating in my department's classroom. The skintone appears to be downright yellow with some greenness in it because i took the picture without a flash, in a yellow lamp light. I wanted to get all the details as accurately as possible so that's why i have a yellow face. The color of the foundation is by no means that.
Miscellaneous: contains zinc, urea-that helps with the moisture balance, almond oil, pomegranate extract and marine bacterium ferment (Pseudoalteromonas is the scientific name, checked it up and it is a bacteria responsible with producing antifungal and antibacterial molecules). Does not contain perfume but it has the most amazing scent i have ever found in a foundation,an extremely faint odor of fresh laundry. I love it. It didn't irritate my skin, didn't cause breakouts. Has an SPF of 30 which is a huge plus for me because regular sun protection dries out my skin and forms a very light, almost white film on my skin that i don't really like and find difficult to blend in with any makeup product. So this is a great plus.
some of the ingredients (the European version of the product): aqua, isododecane, titanium dioxide, cyclopentasiloxane, ethylhexyl, methoxycinnamate, polyglyceryl, triisostearate, mica, glycerin, dimethicone/sorbitan stearate copolymer, zinc stearate, prunus amygdalus dulcis oil, punica granatum extract, pseudoalteromonas ferment extract, fructose, glucose, sucrose, xanthan gum, tocopherol, dextrin, alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic and other substances i get tired of typing.
Therefore...: I will definitely continue purchasing it. It seems to be the only foundation i can mix my ELDW with (anything else cakes), has decent coverage, hydrates my skin and looks very fresh. 4 stars out of 5. Now, coming back home after a day of work and stress and everything, i absolutely love the coverage and the hydrating sensation this foundation gives, and i seriously believe it is better than my Diorskin Forever. I dare to say that to me it presents itself as a strong candidate for Estee Lauder's Double Wear dupe.
Just remember- shake well before use!
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