I am a self-confessed foundation junkie. I have way too many sitting in my drawer right now, and I have tried so many over time that I probably couldn’t list them all. It is by far my favourite product to try and its quite a rare occurrence that I actually repurchase as I’m so fickle and always so drawn in by new releases. There’s something about the quest for the perfect base that is quite addictive, and since I’m all about the glow at the moment, Max Factor’s latest release really caught my eye…
The Max Factor Skin Luminizer Foundation is said to contain ‘light-reflecting particles’ in order to create a ‘gorgeous healthy glow’. The concept to this foundation is interesting as it is essentially a foundation with a liquid illuminator mixed in (as you can see by the swirl in the bottle). I see this as slightly gimmicky as when you pump out the foundation it does just look like foundation. I was quite surprised at the texture when I first tried this – it is a lot thicker than I expected, and almost has a slightly mousse-like finish, similar to the Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation (read my review here).
However, despite its deceiving texture, it feels very light and airy on the skin. As the name suggests, it has a dewy and glowy finish, but I don’t find it overly greasy and shiny looking. I find it looks a lot like skin, and gives the lit-from within, healthy look (apologies for the blogger cliches…). I was worried about the staying power, but I was pleasantly surprised that after testing this for a good couple of weeks now, this has proved to last very decently on the skin. Of course its not going to last as long as a mattifying or specifically long-lasting foundation, but for a normal (to slightly oily) skin like mine, with a bit of primer and powder, this was absolutely perfect.
The only thing I would warn you about if you are considering trying this foundation is the limited shade range. This is absolutely amazing if you have pale skin – when I am tanned (roughly NC30) I am the second darkest shade, Golden. This is, sadly, a common occurrence for budget foundations so I can’t expect too much in that department, but it is still very infuriating how much they limit their consumers.
All in all, I give this foundation a huge thumbs up. I have been very impressed by Max Factor’s base products recently – I recently posted about their primer (here). Although my quest for the perfect foundation is certainly not over, it is definitely a good feeling to find one I really like. What is your favourite foundation? I always need enabling...