little white truths

* L-R: LM Dusk, LM Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser in Sand, Hourglass Illusion Tint in Warm Ivory, Koh Gen Do Aqua in 213 and Kevyn Aucoin The Etherealist in 05

Verdict

This foundation is just usable for me - but only if I muck around with the formula by adding a good amount of liquid highlighter and a drop of oil (plus the whitening drops I use to bring the colour down).

It's a light-coverage foundation that smells like paint. As mentioned above, I like that it comes with a pump but the pump dispenses a tiny amount of product, especially when you consider how sheer the coverage is. Dispensing that many pumps every day just creates more work.

When I first used it, it was winter (so my skin was dry) and I couldn't believe how awful this was on my skin. It was difficult to blend so it looked streaky, I needed to use a lot per application to get a light-medium coverage, and it also sat in pores and clung to dry patches. Indeed, it was unusable so I set it aside and tried it again once the weather became warmer.

Now that my skin's less dry, I can get this to blend better and also look better on the skin, but it still clings to dry patches and it can sit in pores if I try to apply it with a sponge, so for me, it's better to use my fingers.

I do like the finish because it's dewy so it has some radiance, but it still dries down so there's some powder to it and it doesn't have that greasy look that some radiant foundations can have. It also has a slight soft-focus effect so it can blur the look of imperfections.

Still, though, I've found that the only way I can use it and have it look decent (and be easier to apply) is when I add some highlighter, oil and whitening drops to make it paler - so in the end the mix I'm using is only about fifty per cent foundation and I don't think we can say that the foundation itself has become that much easier to use during the warmer months, and it's mainly that I've been mixing it so I've changed the formula.

When used alone in the warmer months it can look good, but it takes some extra effort to blend and I need to ensure that I don't have any dry patches on my face (which I often do because I have dry skin). Yes it wears reasonably well throughout the day but it can still sit in pores throughout the day after I've spritzed my facial mist - and I still need to add a decent amount to get the light-medium coverage I prefer so it's not good value for money.

Overall I don't like this foundation and I can't recommend it. It's too hard to work with, it's not good value for money and it can look really bad on my skin - especially in winter. For this reason I've given it a 'disappointing products' tag.

Not for me.