I feel like I've been foundation shopping all year in a quest to discover the perfect foundation. I've tried so many different foundations and many times I thought I'd found "the one", only to be cruelly disappointed when they slid off my face before the end of the day. I found a few that I loved but they all seemed to be missing a little something. Estee Lauder Double Wear Light was great but I was in between colours and who's got the time (and money) to be mixing two $35+ foundations every day? Urban Decay's Naked Foundation was also good but I wanted a little bit more coverage. Lancome's Teint Idole gave me almost everything I wanted but in the end it was just pipped to the post by...
MAKEUP FOREVER MAT VELVET+!!!
Okay, that's quite enough drama. I purchased the Mat Velvet+ from Sephora last week after trialling it for a couple of weeks. I'd been wanting to try this foundation for a long time but since Makeup Forever is so difficult to find in the UK, I had to wait until I was in America. I really like the consistency because it's quite creamy without being too thick. It's medium-full coverage and it's easily built up. It also lives up to its claims and lasts for a full day. I have a very oily t-zone and even though my nose would get oily again in a few hours, the rest of my face remained generally matte.
However, once I actually had the full-size product in my hand, I almost didn't buy it because it looked absolutely tiny. $36 for that dinky bottle? With the persuasion of my (bad) friends Rachel and Vanessa, I bought it anyway and imagine my shock when I took it home and discovered that it was
the same amount of product as my MAC, Revlon, and E.L.F foundations (1.01 oz). Appearances really are deceiving and you only need a very small amount for a full face. My shade is
#75 (not very imaginative MUFE) and although it applies a tiny bit too fair, it oxidises slightly to my perfect shade.
Pros:
Excellent coverage
Long-lasting
Mattifying
Small size makes it very portable
A little goes a long way
Does not contain SPF so you avoid that awful white cast that can appear in pictures
Cons:
Doesn't contain SPF (haha! Contradictory, I know)
The price may be a little steep for some
Dries very quickly so you have to be super fast when blending
Rubberized packaging picks up dirt easily
In summary, I am very happy with this purchase and I definitely recommend anybody looking for a non-oily foundation to at least try a sample.
The
MUFE Mat Velvet+ Matifying Foundation can be purchased from
Sephora.
Until next time,
Nana Adomah
