A pretty soft-focus matte for everyday

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I received this product from Gloss Angeles Confidential in exchange for a review. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this foundation. The finish is really pretty and unlike other matte foundations I've tried before. It's a soft focus matte and looks very flattering on the skin. While this foundation is advertised as self setting, I still preferred to use a bit of powder to set my other face makeup (blush, bronzer, etc.). I did get some dry patches around my mouth, even though I'm very oily, so it's a good idea to moisturize before applying this product. The shade matches can also lean a bit warm/orange so it's best to get shade matched in the store. I also recommend applying with a brush or a damp Beauty Blender. It's a great product for quick application, and I will continue to use it. It lasts well and keeps my oily skin at bay. I also enjoyed mixing it with my Rare Beauty tinted moisturizer to lighten up the coverage for office days. I appreciate that Rare Beauty always thinks about accessibility in their product design as well.

Originally posted on sephora.com

Stay-put & weightless - but looks like makeup

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My opinions are divided on this foundation. There are some aspects I really like, but I just don't see myself reaching for this formula on a regular basis. Pros: - Extremely comfortable. It dries down completely, so I truly do forget it's on my face, even compared to lighter coverage products. - It *does* completely self-set. A lot of other foundations will leave traces on my phone after I've been on a call, but this one truly does not. - The claims are accurate. To me, this foundation is medium and can be built up. - I work in a busy outdoor cafe, and it lasted well through our recent heat wave. - It photographs beautifully. - The shade range is tricky to match (go in person), but this is the closest I've ever gotten to my shade. I usually have to mix in some combination of blue and yellow pigments for my neutral-warm light-medium olive skin tone. Shade 10 is workable for me right out of the bottle. Cons: - This will sound ridiculous but - no matter how I apply it: brush, fingers, or with a beauty blender, it still looks like makeup. Very beautiful makeup, but makeup all the same. I personally like my skin to look like skin. - I have oily skin, so this wore well on my face, but for some reason, I could not make it look nice under my eyes. I prepped my under eyes thoroughly before each application, experimenting with different creams, and I even experimented dabbing a light gel moisturizer on top, which seemed to work best, but my under eye always turned out kind of dry and crepey. I don't normally have this problem. Drier skin types might see their texture aggravated. Bottom line: If you're an oily babe looking for a long-wearing natural-glam foundation, this is definitely worth checking out. I also think this would work really well for lots of other skin types, specifically for an event like a wedding where you need it to last and photograph nicely. I received this product to test through Gloss Angeles Confidential in exchange for this honest review.

Originally posted on sephora.com