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Foundations for Medium Skin Tone! Side by Side Comparison of my Foundations [REVIEWS]
I’m super excited about this thread, as I am in #teamcomplexion when it comes to makeup. I like playing with eye makeup too, but I personally find having a perfect complexion as something satisfying. Before we jump into the reviews, I want to let you know that my skin tone is medium, but I’m not sure what my undertone is. I tried to see my veins and it’s blue, purple, and green which means I have a neutral undertone. But, when I see myself in the mirror, I think I have a strong warm undertone… lol. After using the foundations that I will mention later, I don’t have any problem with them being ashy, BUT I do notice that my body and face undertone don’t match! My body looks so yellow (but the veins on my wrist says I’m neutral…), but my face looks less yellow, it is almost olive, maybe. I once read someone wrote on their Instagram that they have different body and face undertones, so it’s not weird, right? Let me know if it is possible to have two undertones, haha!
Another info, my skin is a combination-oily skin. I tend to get oily, sometimes super oily, on my t-zone, and the rest is normal. I have some acne scars on my cheeks, so I get dry patches easily on that area. I also have hyperpigmentation on the same spots (well… they came from the same acne). It is quite tricky for me to make a perfect complexion because of those concerns.
My foundations are all drugstore foundations and very mainstream. All are very affordable and easy to get. I will also put the shades comparison side by side, and the comparison when it first applied, to 15 minutes after, and 30 minutes after. Here are the reviews, I will put a lot to be pointed out. I hope you find this helpful!
Pixy Make It Glow Dewy Cushion in 301 Medium Beige (IDR125,000)
Texture: light liquid in cushion
Finish: claimed to be dewy, but I think it’s satin finish
Coverage: medium to high
Blendability: great
Wear time: great
Packaging: a pretty bronzy coloured case but bulky, has a mirror inside, a good quality sponge provided
Claims:
Light texture ~ yes
High coverage ~ yes, buildable to quite high coverage
Natural finish ~ yes
Non-oily feeling ~ yes
Contains SPF23 PA++
Pros:
~ flawless skin-like finish
~ affordable as a cushion
~ the tone matched my skin tone when I first bought it, but now it doesn’t. Good news is it is still looking pretty on my skin without being dull and can be fixed with a slightly lighter powder and/or concealer
~ not sticky nor greasy
~ as a base with a satin/dewy finish, it doesn’t move around as much as I thought it’d be even when I blot it
Cons:
~ I noticed that it enhances the texture of my skin when my skin texture was worse than now. This cushion no longer gives any bad effect to my texture now as it is getting better
~ slightly darker than my skin tone
Overall rating: 5/5
Purbasari Alas Bedak Foundation in 03 Kuning Langsat ~ local product (IDR10,500)
Texture: creamy liquid, a little bit thick but quite light on the skin
Finish: natural, gives a little sheen
Coverage: medium
Blendability: moderate
Wear time: low
Packaging: small sized squeezing tube
Claims:
Light formula ~ yes
Long-wearing coverage ~ no
Give a natural-looking skin ~ yes, except on the dry patches
Contains UV filter
Pros:
~ natural, skin-like finish
~ slightly lighter than my skin tone, makes my skin looks brighter
~ very affordable
Cons:
~ collects and clings to dry patches
~ the cap is hard to open/close
~ doesn’t hold oil
~ doesn’t last long
~ the tube is very easy to get dirty
Overall rating: 3/5
Pixy Concealing Base in 02 Sand Beige (IDR35,000)
Texture: creamy stick
Finish: natural almost satin
Coverage: medium
Blendability: great
Wear time: moderate
Packaging: small sized stick container
Claims:
Lightweight texture ~ yes
Perfectly cover blemishes ~ no (it covers but I can’t say it “perfectly” cover blemishes)
Flawless makeup up to 12 hours ~ no
Contains SPF35 & PA+++
Pros:
~ very smooth, creamy, and easy to blend, it leaves an oily film after applied but not greasy nor sticky at all
~ natural, skin-like finish
~ doesn’t cling to dry patches
~ doesn’t match my skin tone but still looks pretty on me without being dull
~ very affordable and easy to find
Cons:
~ doesn’t last long
~ only available in two shades
~ a little bit darker than my skin tone
~ strongly perfumed, it doesn’t bother me but it might sensitise some people
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Maybelline Fit Me! Dewy + Smooth in 210 Sandy Beige (IDR149,000)
Texture: light liquid
Finish: dewy, satin if I set it with powder
Coverage: light to medium
Blendability: excellent
Wear time: moderate
Packaging: small sized glass bottle without a dispenser
Claims:
Hydrates & smoothes skin texture ~ yes
Natural luminous finish ~ yes
Contains SPF 18
Pros:
~ my skin but better finish
~ at the end of the day, it produces the same (even less!) amount of oil as one of my matte foundations does
~ has a very yellow undertone
~ matches my skin tone
~ bonus: I’ve tried it on a friend who has very dry skin because of acne treatments, and it stayed put on her skin and didn’t dry her skin even more
Cons:
~ very hard to take the product out of the bottle because of no pump or any kind of dispenser provided, which also means less hygienic
~ I know dewy foundations are usually not transfer-proof, but this one easily moves around and gets patchy even if I set it with powder. I prefer to use another foundation for a full day outing
Overall rating: 4/5
NYX HD Studio Photogenic Foundation in Natural (IDR375,000)
Texture: liquid
Finish: natural skin-like, more matte than dewy
Coverage: light to medium
Blendability: great
Wear time: low
Packaging: squeezing tube
Claims:
Flawless looking skin ~ yes
Limited edition
Vegan
Cruelty-free
Pros:
~ my skin but better and very light on the skin
~ blurs the pores
~ doesn’t enhance textures
~ cruelty-free
Cons:
~ doesn’t hide textures at all
~ doesn’t last long
~ a bit darker than my skin tone
~ quite pricey for me
Overall rating: 4/5
L’Oreal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation in 105 Natural Beige (IDR149,000)
Texture: liquid
Finish: matte
Coverage: medium to high
Blendability: great
Wear time: excellent
Packaging: squeezing tube
Claims:
Demi-matte finish ~ yes
Wear up to 24 hours ~ never worn it for 24 hours but it is very long-lasting
Medium coverage ~ yes
Air-light texture ~ yes
Pros:
~ very long-wearing and the oil control is great
~ not drying powdery matte finish matches the claim
~ oxidises but it doesn’t bother me because it isn’t too obvious
Cons:
~ can enhance textures a little
~ to minimise it oxidises and to prevent it from looking dull, I recommend you to always set it with powders
Overall rating: 5/5
L.A. Girl Pro Matte Foundation in Medium Beige (IDR280,000)
Texture: creamy liquid
Finish: matte
Coverage: medium to full
Blendability: moderate
Wear time: great
Packaging: frosted glass bottle with a pump and a black matte cap (super pretty!)
Claims:
Soft suede-like finish ~ yes
Shine-free all day ~ not really
Soft focus effect (minimise the appearance of pores and fine lines) ~ yes
Pros:
~ suede matte finish, doesn’t look dry on the skin
~ doesn’t get patchy after blotted
~ this shade fits my skin tone
~ beautiful packaging
Cons:
~ I’m still so confused… at the first few uses, it was so beautiful on the skin, it was the best foundation ever! But after another use, the formula changed and now it clings and collects on the dry patches (if the skin is not well prepped). Not a lot, but still, that’s a major change in less than a month
~ gets oily at the end of the day
Overall rating: still so confused, but I’ll give 4/5
Maybelline 24H Super Stay Full Coverage in 220 Natural Beige (IDR209,000)
Texture: creamy liquid
Finish: matte
Coverage: high to full
Blendability: great
Wear time: excellent
Packaging: glass bottle with a pump
Claims:
Full coverage foundation ~ yes
24-hour wear ~ never worn this for 24 hours, but it is long lasting
Oil control / shine free ~ so so
Breathable and comfortable ~ yes
Sweat & sebum resistant ~ yes
Oil-free / doesn’t clog the pores ~ yes
Fade and transfer resistant ~ yes
Pros:
~ great coverage
~ very easy to blend
~ long-wearing
~ lightweight
~ it collects on the dry patches after few hours, but not as much/bad as I thought it’d be
Cons:
~ you can see in the picture that this foundation oxidises a lot! It turns to this almost ashy colour almost right away. I had this for a few months already, and I think this foundation didn’t oxidise as much as it is now. I suggest you to buy 2 or 3 shade lighter but make sure it is still in the same undertone as your skin’s
~ even before it oxidises, this colour doesn’t match my skin tone (it matched my skin tone when I first bought it though). This shade is slightly darker
~ sometimes I spot this foundation can look a little bit too makeup-y
Overall rating: 4/5
*I don’t include the colour for the overall rating
Here you have it! A very, very long post of my foundations. I just love to talk about them! I tried to point instead of narrating the reviews, because… well, with it being pointed, it’s still super long, lol. I still have a long list of foundations I want to try, hahaha!
I am always excited to know about foundations, leave a comment and tell me what your favourite foundation is!
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