Monday, 18 August 2014

The Great Foundation Challenge #1 - L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Foundation

It all started on holiday. I'd picked up a bit of a tan, and was wondering if my usual foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear in Cool Bone - was looking a bit pale on me. I've never bothered getting different shades of foundation to suit my changing skin tone before - I generally just use a bit more bronzer when I'm tanned. But when my husband pointed out that I was wiping out my colour with my "plaster of Paris", I decided that maybe a slightly darker shade is something I need to invest in.

As much as I love Double Wear, though, I'm not sure I want to fork out another £29.50 for a different shade that I probably won't wear that often.

So I've set myself a challenge, to find a good drugstore foundation that I'm happy to use as an alternative. I've done some research (read: spent HOURS on the Boots website), asked for some recommendations on Twitter, and over the weekend I went out to buy contender number 1 - L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Foundation.

L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Foundation; Estee Lauder Double Wear FoundationDon't the shades look similar here? Believe me, they're not.

I wasn't blessed with naturally clear and luminous skin, so I like a full coverage foundation that evens out my complexion, gives an airbrushed finish and provides a good base for the rest of my makeup. I also like it to last all day. Double Wear gives me all this, and I am specifically looking for drugstore foundations that claim to offer the same things.

In the photo below, I'm wearing the Estee Lauder in my usual shade, Cool Bone. My tan is fading fast so I don't think it looks too pale any more.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation




In the next picture, I am wearing the L'Oreal Infallible in the shade Honey. I forgot to line my lower lash line, but other than that the rest of my makeup is exactly the same. I don't have the world's greatest camera equipment at my disposal but I have taken both photos in the same place at the same time of day with pretty much the same amount of light hitting my face.

The colour difference is quite funny. I give you permission to laugh.

L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Foundation




Yes. Exactly. I think I have taken the "just a touch darker" thing a teensy bit too far. In my defence, though, what's on my face bears little resemblance to the shade in the bottle, and when I tested it on my jawline in Boots, it didn't look like this. I wouldn't have bought it if it did. Either it has oxidised on my skin, or I made a huge mistake in picking the colour. This may well have been the case as the lighting in my local Boots is notoriously distorting. Plus, I had to contend with my Mum, who was supposed to be helping me but was mostly just swatching various makeup. ("Look how it makes my skin glow! I'M HAVING IT!") Very distracting. ;-)

Poor colour match aside, I'm disappointed in this foundation. For something that claims to be high coverage, it's remarkably sheer. Even when I try to build it up, I can still see my every imperfection through it. It doesn't even out my complexion in the slightest - if anything, application is patchy and makes it more uneven - and it doesn't give me anything like the luminosity that the Estee Lauder does. I think it's clear from the photos that it hasn't provided nearly as good a base for my makeup either. 

One thing I will say for it, though, is that it does last. What you see on my face in the photo, questionable as it might be, was still there well into the evening.

I don't want to be too harsh, as I am comparing a drugstore product with a high end one that I really love. If you want a long lasting foundation for a reasonable price (£9.99) and don't require a lot of coverage, you might like this. But I won't be persevering with it or bothering to look for a better colour match. This is supposed to be L'Oreal's high coverage offering, and I honestly get more coverage from my Garnier BB Cream. So the quest continues!

Have you tried L'Oreal Infallible? Do you like it? And any ideas which foundation I should try next?

Kate x

Some links may be affiliate links. All opinions, as always, are my own.
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21 comments

  1. never used this product, but seems interesting

    ciao from Italy
    Nicky
    www.mywishstyle.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, like I said, it didn't suit me, but it was definitely a long-lasting base. x

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  2. Great review!! thanks for sharing, I love my foundations to have good coverage!!

    xoxo
    Style and Paper
    Bloglovin

    ReplyDelete
  3. Replies
    1. Thank you! I definitely think it looks better with the Estee Lauder than with the L'Oreal. x

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  4. Your hair is so nice! the fringe and everything! thanks for sharing hun

    Jennos Health.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jenny, and you're welcome! x

      Delete
  5. Wow this is so interesting! Thanks for the post, it's lovely! Xoxo
    Breakfast at Lizzie's.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oops! That's quite the difference there isn't it!? :D on a sidenote: Is the Double wear really as good as people say it is? I'm a bit of a good base junkie if you know what I mean ;) x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol! It certainly is! And yes, in my opinion the Double Wear is fantastic. My natural complexion, even at its healthiest, is uneven and dull looking. (Lucky me!) Yet Double Wear makes it look flawless ALL DAY. If you like good coverage you will love Double Wear. x

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  7. Woww
    This product is amazing
    I've to try this foundation
    Kisses
    Maggie D.
    The Indian Savage diary

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  8. ohh love how it looks on you, your skin looks flawless!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great review, I have to buy some foundation to myself and it's good to know that this from Loreal is poor and even BB from Garnier (which is cheaper from this from Loreal) looks better :)

    http://crafty-zone.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really enjoyed reading this review and love how you've included the photos to compare :) I've never managed to find a drugstore foundation I'm 100% happy with and I use a BB cream and high coverage concealer now to achieve my perfect base, I just always find they look good when I first apply them then within a couple of hours my imperfections are all coming through and the product is too visible on my face :(
    Love Holly x

    www.pamperpreenperfect.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  11. looks so flawless, I might wanna try it now ..
    Thanks so much for ur comment on my blog ! If you want we can follow each other on GFC ,Bloglovin/Facebook..Let me know !
    ✿thefashionflite
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  12. I really love this post, it's such a good concept to test and review! You look beautiful as always in the photos, very model-esque! Cool Bone just looks beautiful on your skin tone Kate, flawlessly so! The application is so smooth with just the right amount of creaminess and coverage for a foundation base. I'm definitely understanding why you wanted a cheaper alternative though; £29.50 is very steep for a foundation, high end or not! What a shame L'Oreal's Infallible didn't work out for you, funnily enough it's the only foundation that actually works for me haha! ;) L'Oreal's "Porcelain" is the only shade so far that compliments my pale skin tone, and doesn't make me look orange! I also love my Garnier BB cream. I wish you luck in your future foundation hunt, I wish I could recommend something but being something of a beauty novice limits me somewhat in dishing out advice, ha! ;) Lovely Paula from thirteenthoughts is my go-to beauty guru and blogged about foundations here: http://www.thirteenthoughts.com/139/favorite-liquid-foundations, she definitely knows her stuff!

    Sophie | soinspo xo

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  13. I loved the Estee Lauder on you. I have a MAC foundation which works very well too but yours looks far better. I am waiting for my current bottle to run out so that I can buy it. :P
    The Inaffiable really does not meet the mark as clearly visible in the pictures.

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  14. I really want to try the estee lauder double wear, ive heard amazing things!
    xprincessjas | ♥

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  15. Sham about the foundation. I'd definitely recommend either Becca Aqua Luminous or Bobbi Brown serum foundation. They're my absolute faves and I've been though simply many over the last few years. These are fab if you want a glory look, and good coverage, which i like as I have broken capillaries and like to cover them. I would say that even though they are both build able, BB's serum foundation is pricey but does the job with a finish that looks like skin. Fab photos Kate!
    H x

    ReplyDelete

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