This is the first ever Covergirl product I have tried, as admittedly I have had minimal appeal to this brand. However, after hearing the YouTube and Blogging community rave on and on about this product for years now, I figured I just had to give it a go.
Now this product makes some fairly hefty claims, promising to provide the lasting power of a primer, the coverage of a concealer, and the blendability of a foundation, all whilst keeping you shine free and fulfilling your sun protection needs with the inclusion of SPF. I am always wary regarding claims such as these, as how can they possibly all be true? And, to my displeasure, I always inevitably find out that these bold claims are not always accurate. I have this in the shade 842, and I think it is the closest match to my (admittedly complicated) skin tone, but more on that later.
Now let's get to the pros:
- IT COMES WITH A PUMP! Praise the Lord. Said pump also includes a twist-lock mechanism to prevent any spillage, perfect for travelling and very impressive particularly for a drugstore product. It is also in a sturdy glass bottle with a cap. The packaging is pretty much on point.
- Excellent lasting power, when I check on it 10 hours later without touch ups, it looks very near to how it did when I applied it, save for a few issues which are fairly common amongst nearly all foundations anyway. There was slight shine (due to my combo skin), however it was nothing to worry about. My under-eye dark circles were revealing themselves to the world, which tends to always happen with my skin. Overall, impressive.
- Definitely a matte finish, which is a pro for me and I'm sure most people with combo/oily skin types. However, if you prefer dewy finishes then this just isn't the one for you.
- It's got SPF 20, which can't hurt anybody.
Now to the important stuff. Cons:
- Many foundations are prone to oxidisation - that is, as they wear they turn ever so orange. This product is victim to this, however I would not say it turned orange, just darker. When selecting your colour, I highly recommend picking a shade or two lighter than your natural colour, or maybe applying some to the back of your hand and letting it wear throughout the day so after a couple of hours you can see its "true" colour so as to select a better match for your skin. When picking my shade, I was stuck between two as I thought one was ever so light and the other was ever so dark. Going with my gut, I selected the lighter shade, and I'm ever so glad I did as I would of needed to return the darker shade had I purchased it.
- Not the most blendable, which it claimed to be! I find I can only apply this with my Beauty Blender. When I tried using various brushes it just left streak marks that would not go away no matter how much I buffed and stippled, and using my fingers only resulted in thicker, finger-shaped streaks. This was the case no matter what primer was used (and I tried plenty). However I noticed when using a BB Cream as a base, this foundation could be applied over top with fingers just fine. The only issue was it looking less than pleasant on any dry patches.
- Limited shade range (at least at Priceline), which unfortunately is the case for a lot of drugstore items.
- When applied with anything other than a damp sponge, the product tends to cling to and accentuate any dry spots on the skin, for me being my forehead and around my nose. I found that I needed to apply this product to those areas with a damp sponge in order to resolve this problem.
- It claims to have the coverage of a concealer, however I find this foundation strictly medium coverage. I prefer natural finishes, and yet still needed extra concealer for under-eye circles and any particularly red/noticeable blemishes. I would not consider this product buildable to full coverage as it would only be possible to do so by buffing it into the skin with a brush, which I find leaves far too many streaks and looks very cakey. A sponge provides a nicer, even finish but does not allow for full coverage. However using a BB Cream or a similar product underneath allows full coverage to be achieved.
So at AU$20 this foundation retails for a fairly average price. I recommend only picking this up if you are after a matte foundation with light to medium coverage and don't mind applying using a beauty blender, or any other type of sponge. More coverage can definitely be gained by using a brush, but I find this leaves the finish very cakey and unflattering, due the product's matte nature. With that being said, I really do not recommend this for anyone with dry skin. If you're after a matte finish, then I think topping a dewy/natural finish foundation with a mattifying powder will result in a more flattering finish. All in all, I do not have any major problems with this foundation and will continue to use it on a regular basis, but I don't think I'll be repurchasing this any time soon as I am still on the search for my holy grail foundation.
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