I’m pretty sure that I’m the last person on planet earth to be doing this review, but it’s a product that’s slightly monumental so I’m going to review it anyway! It’s been almost a whole year since Rihanna slayed the makeup game and all of our lives by dropping her new makeup line, Fenty Beauty.
The main reason It’s taken me almost a year to purchase the foundation Is because if I’m being honest, I’m not one to buy into celebrity makeup lines. As much as I love keeping up with the Kardashian’s clan I’ve never owned any of Kylie or Kim’s makeup.
Entertainment stars are not well informed enough to create revolutionary products so usually I give it a miss.
Fenty was different though. The huge and very inclusive shade range was something I’ve been praying for for SO long. 40 shades in all sorts of tones and undertones was mind blowing. In fact It’s actually made me stop and think that as an Asian who blogs about beauty, I no longer want to get behind brands that don’t cater to me or my own. 10 shade ranges are no longer acceptable.
The fact that Fenty Beauty is only sold online and in Harvey Nicks is annoying. Getting colour matched is pretty much guesswork unless you’re happy to make a trip down to Knightsbridge. My Horrord’s (that’s not a typo) days have scarred me a little bit and I try to avoid Knightsbridge as much as possible. So this was reason number 2 as to why I haven’t purchased it sooner.
Last month Riri’s morrocan Spice Range launch bought itself to Kings Cross and since I was in the area I couldn’t help myself from getting in line to get colour matched.
The sun was scorching and the makeup artists had literally ten minutes to work their magic. The Makeup was done in a tent (very on brand) and again it was so hot that I couldn’t be bothered to sit around whether I wanted to try a different shade. The shade looked ok so I just went ahead with purchasing the colour that was tested for me.
Completely unrelated side story in the form of a tweet of what happened at the event:
Had my makeup done with a Fenty makeup artist. She did such a terrible job with puttin on lipstick that wen I looked in the mirror I actually laughed.
She had the nerve to then say to me “your lips are like that”
I know my lips are slightly uneven but this was somethin else pic.twitter.com/neSXWFYefp— Rosie (@damzlinthisdres) July 8, 2018
When I got home later that evening I realised that the colour was a shade or two too dark on me. I didn’t think I would end up using it or mixing it with something (too much effort) so my plan was to go and exchange it in store as it hadn’t been opened. In a weird twist of fate though, London’s been going through a god awful heatwave and before I knew it I had tanned, A LOT.
I ended up keeping the foundation and using it pretty much every day and well, here we are.
The shade I bought was shade 290. It’s advertised as a neutral olive shade.
If I’m honest the shade would be more suited to someone with a neutral undertone but is the equivalent of MAC shade nc35 – nc40.
I love the packaging. The glass bottle with a white lid and pump makes it iconic (at least as iconic as foundation bottles can be). My guess is that it would be incredibly difficult to make a signature foundation bottle without looking like anything else that’s on the market but RiRi has done just that. The pump gets a huge thumbs up from me too. Not only is it really hygienic but its also easy to control the amount of foundation that comes out.
Let’s talk Coverage. I would describe the coverage as medium to full coverage. On work days I use the tiniest amount and blend it into my skin using a dense foundation brush. If I’m going out or need more coverage then I go in more liberally with a blending sponge. It’s definitely buildable.
The swatch photo on the right is the foundation built up to full coverage. The second swatch on the left is the foundation blended in lightly into my skin. The consistency of the foundation is that of a very light and almost runny mousse. It spreads really easily too so it’s easy to get a good even coverage.
I like that there’s no artificial smell to it at all and it dries as a “soft matte”.
How does it wear on combination skin?
For me it’s absolutely fine. If you use a hydrating primer and a good SPF, the foundation looks amazing. If you have dry skin or dry patches then the foundation isn’t going to work for you. It does have a tendency to cling on to dry skin and also tiny bumps/spots.
I’m actually very confused as to why it’s advertised on Google as “for dry skin”.
Does it oxidise?
Yes. This is another thing that peed me off about the Fenty makeup artist at their event. I specifically asked “does it oxidise?” Even though I knew that it does and she said no.
The website clearly states:
– Pro Filt’r’s rich pigments need a moment to dry down to their truest color, so when you’re testing shades, remember to let the formula dry completely to find your perfect match.
– Deciding between two shades? Try the lighter shade.
In general, 90% of foundation oxidise A LOT on me anyway. You can see from my swatch picture just how much it oxidises when I build up to full coverage. So yes it most definitely does oxidise. Don’t purchase on impulse, at least walk around for a while and let it set before making a decision.
Is it worth the price tag?
100% yes. Sorry but when was the last time you bought a decent high end foundation for just £26? You get 30ml which is normal for most brands.
All in all I’m enjoying using it. It’s been great over the summer so far but I’m not sure I’ll be using it over winter because I do get dry patches. I love that it’s actually long lasting and the heatwave this year has been real proof of that. Would even go as far as to say it’s sweat proof! Thumbs up from me.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Alright so I’ve been using this product for a solid two months. I loved it, I really truly did but I’ve now realised that it’s causing something terrible to happen – my skin is breaking out! For someone who has acne prone skin and has suffered for a very very long time, it pains me to see that my skin is breaking out again. I tried to narrow it down and figure out exactly what could be causing my spots and the only thing that it could be is this foundation.
I was still in denial and took to both Twitter and Google searches to see if anyone else was having this problem. Both people’s tweets and make-up forums confirmed that it is in fact a popular problem that people are discovering. I don’t want to write off the foundation for everyone because not everyone’s skin is the same, even if you have the same skin type but definitely use it with caution!
Get your Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation here
What are your thoughts?