Well... as it turns out, drugstore lines have stepped up their foundation game! I've been feeling the foundation price creep pinch anyhow (my beloved Tom Ford? now $82), so why not try an $11 foundation. Put in my daily life terms, that's a morning iced latte (quad iced soy latte, thankyouverymuch) and a 6" sub. In other words, not a huge investment. I found the foundation at both stores that I checked; there was a $3 difference between Rite Aid and Walmart! Needless to say, Rite Aid was fully stocked. Luckily, I got the very last tube of my shade at Walmart. Target had about 3 tubes left in a mid-shade.
Enough rambling, let's see if YouTube knows what they're talking about.
I'm going to start with the newer of the two releases, the Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation (I test foundations first on weekends since I can't look like a total mess at my workplace). I figured that summer was a decent time to test drugstore foundations since I bronze the crap out of my face anyhow. I selected the lightest shade (of course), which is #201- Classic Ivory. Turns out it's a shade match for me! WOW!
Looking at the sleek squeeze tube (I love the packaging, btw- it's similar to NARS Pro Prime but not as fat), it holds 1 fl oz, claims up to 24 hour wear, and has the added benefit of SPF15 sunscreen.
It also mentions on the front: radiant finish, normal/dry skin, and hydrating. On the back of the tube, it calls itself "lasting glow foundation. Never dull. Never greasy." Finish: Radiant. Wear Up to: 24 Hours. Coverage: Medium. Texture: Air-Light. It gives the following instructions: "shake well. Dot into skin in rolling motion for flawless coverage."
QBB Disclaimer: I can't do the rolling motion in my cheek area because it tends to emphasize my pores, so I chose to stipple the foundation.
When I first tried this, I had a few hormonal breakouts, so a medium coverage foundation wasn't exactly going to please me (based on prior experience). So this one had a long, uphill road.
My first impression of the foundation upon application was: whoa, sheer shiny mess. So, I did something a bit unorthodox: I put down a layer of Laura Mercier Transparent Setting Powder to take down the mirror-like shine and examine the coverage. I agree that it's truly medium. I'm used to full coverage foundations, to be honest.
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| I cringe since my skin's not on point right now. This is my left cheek near the hairline. |
After that, I did something else that most might find a bit odd- i stippled another thin layer of foundation on top of the foundation/powder combo to restore the luminous finish. I ended up with a medium-to-full coverage, luminous finish look- what I was hoping for in the first place!
I also tried a new tool for the first time- the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I love the angles to really get in there. I used it dry, and with a stipling motion. This foundation is already really fluid (I think the only true foundation in my stash that's as runny is the Bobbi Brown Serum formula), so I think a damp sponge would've just created a huge mess.
In order to really test the formula, I only subsequently dusted my T zone with Chanel Les Beiges powder and didn't use another full-face setting powder. Truthfully, I didn't need one since I tend to use Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder to warm up my overall look. This luminous formula probably would've looked to be a shiny mess had I added any more highlight. When I did my look, I didn't even add highlight since I felt it wasn't needed.
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| Between layers- you can see the slight difference in luminosity. |
I have to admit that I love the finished look. My skin looks great and healthy. I could go back in with some concealer without making it obvious, and the formula is obviously buildable. My initial shock on the coverage was just the difference between this and say, MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof foundation.
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| Initial application- look at dat glow which initially scared me. That's my right cheek- see the eye area for reference. |
It's feather-light- it honestly doesn't feel like you're wearing foundation with this one.
Although I'm posting this more than a week after this test, I wrote the testing notes journal-style. Anything in italics is a thought more than anything else
Hour 2: I still look fresh. Great! This might be lazy girl foundation for me since I didn't have to do any highlighting or finish powder. I wonder if this will last.
Hour 4: Still looking great, and I actually don't feel like I need to do any touchups! I'm impressed. OK, this might have to go into my stash for weekend use...
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| Forehead: Hour 4. Not bad, not bad at all! |
Hour 6: Still good, although I'd normally use a bit of MAC Blot Powder since highlights are starting to show up, and one of my major problem areas (chin) is starting to show some serious wear. I wonder what a different primer would do... or what a sub-95 and humid day would do with it. I just don't trust it yet for work though.
Hour 8: Whoa, glow. I'm itching to grab for blot paper or MAC Blot Powder. Time to distract myself with something else, but for the most part this is doing well. 8 hours in, I'd recommend it.
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| Brighter lights, but this is a good shade match that blended well. Hour 8 shine meter creeping up on my forehead.... |
Hour 10: Glow continues to creep. I still don't see a lot of issues with the coverage. I'm thinking the glow I'm seeing has something to do with my overall oiliness due to it being 95 and humid? I'm certainly taking this for a rough test.
Hour 12: OK, I'm really glowy and it's time for me to take off my makeup and go to bed. I'm not going to test this for a full 24 hours, obviously. I'm seeing a bit of separation on the sides of my nose (a trouble spot) and on my chin (my other oil trouble spot). I honestly feel like I could grab a blot paper and do a quick touchup and be good to go for many more hours. I'm impressed- I would wear this to work. That's QBB approved!
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| I'm cringing showing my chin up close, but see what I mean about separation? I still think this is both good for 12 hours of a drugstore foundation and fixable with 30 seconds of effort. |
Bottom Line: This is something I will incorporate into my foundation rotation for sure. It's perfect for summer, when you don't always want something heavy on your face. I'll be posting my thoughts on its cousin. Pro Matte, which I tested this past weekend in the coming days.
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