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Patchy, flaky and pimply: Heather's week with Foundations

Foundation has to be one of the most nerve-wracking cosmetics to get right. It's not just the color, it's the formula, the texture, that makes a foundation look incredibly undetectable or absolutely embarrassing.

I'd like to get through the bad ones first, and then move on, never to look back. I hope this serves as a record for at least myself to remind me not to buy these foundations again. As usual, your experience may be different from mine; I can only call it like I see it on my own face. If you are on the drier side and sensitive to overly oil-free products like me, maybe this will ring true for you. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go grab a cup of tea or something and read Lisa's recent post on the T3 tourmaline hair dryer.

I had high hopes for Zuzu Luxe Oil-Free Liquid Foundation ($19.95, at natural food stores and veganessentials.com). The colors look kind of promising, and I was looking for something that had fewer chemical ingredients than your typical drugstore (or even department store) brand. This foundation disappointed on every front. The color that most closely matches my skin, L-8 for "Light/Medium, pink undertones" looks like a medium skin tone shade mixed with Pepto-Bismol. All the others were too dark, too light, even more pink, or so yellow I would look sick. Since I had already paid for it, I figured I might as well give the formula a try. My skin was so unhappy with the oil-free-ness that I got dry, flaky patches (where I always do when something is drying) and cosmetic-reaction pimples (in the same area as the flakiness). Is it too obvious to say that I am never wearing this makeup again?

Next we have Pixi Hydrotint Duo ($38) from pixibeauty.com (I bought my tube at Sephora). On a recent trip to New York, I spotted this in Sephora and got an earful from the salesgirl about how amazing it is. It's a four in one product, she says, because it's a tinted moisturizer, a treatment product, a lip color and a cheek color all in one handy tube (it has a lip/cheek color sphere on the end). Sounded perfect. There was only one tube of the lightest shade left, Revitalize, so I snagged it. I want to like this SO much, but it makes me breakout every time I use it. The color is also terrible. The whole color range is only four shades, and there are strangely not at all universal. The lightest shade is this odd yellowish bronze-brown, like a really bad fake tan on someone with very pale skin. Unless I used the tiniest amount spread on extremely sheerly (which covers nothing, so what's the point anyway), I looked like a freak with no clue about makeup colors. I do like the waxy color balm on the end - the only reason I am not tossing the whole mess in the trash. It looks pretty as blush and also has nice staying power as a tinted lip balm. I can't recommend this product just for that, though.

My next disaster also falls in the "I really want to like this!" category. I spent my birthday a few weeks ago with my husband and kids, and our day took us to a shopping center in the area that has a new ULTA store. I hadn't been in yet, so my husband and son went looking for toys, and my daughter and I ducked in ULTA to have a look around. After about a half an hour of smelling lotions, spritzing perfume, and trying on lipglosses, I left with a Lola lipgloss keychain ($5, very cute, and minty) and a Lola Oil-Free Creme Foundation Duo compact ($35). At first the cream foundation is fantastic. It has amazing coverage but still looks natural, with a bit of a dewy finish, but after three days of use, the oil-free-ness must have kicked in and sent my skin into a dry-as-a-desert panic. Suddenly the dry, flaky patches combined with reactionary pimples are back. Argh! Clearly oil-free and I simply do not get along.

The colors in the duo compact are great, very natural and blendable so they can match any skin tone. There are six combos to choose from (I bought Light), and because of the creamy but slightly dry nature, they can do double duty as foundation and under-eye concealer. Maybe you'll have more luck than I did...

Okay, a quick mention of L'Oreal Infallible ($10.99 at ULTA), because while it didn't 100% work for me, I don't think it's a bad product. Even though part of its long-lasting powers (promises 16 hours of consistent coverage) come from absorbing excess oils, I did have a bit more luck with it than the other oil-free brands I tried, but in the end it's still not the right fit for my skin. The colors are decent - a wide range of 14 shades (I used 607 Creamy Natural), and you need just one tiny pump to cover your whole face. It has nice slip, doesn't really settle in lines or creases too much, and it just makes a nice base for the rest of your makeup. If I have a day when my skin is more normal or just really REALLY well moisturized, I may give it another chance, but right now it's too oil-free for me.

In case you are interested in checking this out, ULTA.com has some great new coupons: coupon code 38900 to receive 20% off any one item (no limit on the number of times the coupon can be used!), valid 10/30/05 - 11/05/05, and coupon code 39639 to receive 20% off any one item (also no limit on the number of times the coupon can be used!), valid 11/13/05 - 11/19/05.

My final bad experience was with Burt's Bees Tinted Facial Moisturizer ($9.99). The range of four shades - not bad for a tinted moisturizer - was still not enough to prevent me from being in between shades (light is too light and medium is too dark). If I could pretend for a day that the medium shade isn't terribly wrong for me, I am still disappointed by the formula. There is just not enough slip, so as I am trying to massage it in, the color streaks and bunches up on the skin. If I apply too little, the lack of continuity of the color is obvious; if I try to compensate by adding more, it just makes the mess more streaky. If by some strange luck I can get it to spread a little and settle in, the coverage fades and disappears within a few hours at the most. Can this get any more frustrating?? Yes, actually, it can, because as I strive to find more natural products and a foundation this isn't chock full of chemicals, this is one of the few choices in that space, and it stinks.

The one product that I've had decent luck with is Juice Beauty SPF 30 Tinted Moisturizer ($29). While it's certainly not perfect - it's not foundation-level coverage, and there is only one shade - it is my best bet for some color, easy smooth application, some moisture, no cracking or pimples or flaking, and relatively natural ingredients. If I need more coverage in spots, I can dab on some concealer or a little mineral powder. I also like that I can buy it locally from my favorite spa for one, Ruby Violet on NE Alberta Street.

If you can think of anything I should try, drop me an email. I can use all the help I can get!

find out about this reviewer and more about the panel...

Posted October 28, 2005

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