Journey to the Perfect Foundation

Literally for the past six months I’ve been sampling foundations from Sephora to try and find the perfect one for my skin.

I would say I have oily-combination skin with an oily nose. I’m not sure if this is the same with others who have oily-combination skin, but I’ve been having a really hard time finding a foundation (hence me trying samples for literally half a year…).

I thought I would share my journey (so far) on the different foundations I have tried.

1. NARS Sheer Matte in Ceylan

NARS - Sheer Matte Foundation
Image from the Sephora website

This is the first high end foundation I had ever tried. I went to Sephora to get shade matched and there were only a few that came up. This foundation was one of them, but in the colour Fiji. After the sales associate at Sephora tried it on, we decided that Ceylan was a better fit.

This foundation was a bit too matte for me. I felt it gather around patches of my skin, even though my skin was not dry those days. I also noticed that it actually started to dry up in the little sample container. :/ Seemed like a bad sign.

2. Sephora Collection Skin Perfect CC Cream in Light

SEPHORA COLLECTION - Skin Perfect CC Cream SPF 20
Image from the Sephora website

I really wanted to like this CC cream, but I couldn’t and that’s because of the smell. The coverage was good, and it actually wore well on my face throughout the day. I noticed my nose would get shiny, but that’s to be expected.

The thing that really turned me off this product was the smell. Oh god the smell. No word of a lie, I thought it smelt like vomit when I was first putting it on. After it set the smell was fine, but it was putrid. I only tried this sample once, and had to dispose…

3. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup in 3 

Urban Decay - Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup
Image from the Sephora website.

I didn’t have a good experience with this foundation either. My skin became very very oily when I wore this. I set my foundation every time with powder, so I know it wasn’t that. Even my cheeks, which usually don’t get oily, looked very slick. The coverage was nice, and it felt light on the skin, but I had to pass on this one as well.

4. NARS Sheer Glow in Ceylan

NARS - Sheer Glow Foundation
Image from the Sephora website.

 After trying out the CC cream and Urban Decay Naked, I decided to try out the NARS Sheer Glow. One of the reasons I stayed away from this one is because I thought I would look really really oily after using it.

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. It applied a lot better than the sheer matte, and I really like how my skin looked right after the application. This was one foundation that I was really close to buying full size, but I was turned off by a couple of things. I noticed my nose would get very oily throughout the day. Not even just a little shine, but sun-reflecting-burn-your-eyes shine. But the rest of my face looked great, which made it a toss up… Also the price made me unsure at $44. For a foundation that wasn’t perfect, I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend that much.

5. Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation in 120 Sand

MAKE UP FOR EVER - HD Invisible Cover Foundation
Image from the Sephora website.

So this is a foundation that I was this close to buying. I loved the way it made my skin look. I noticed I was still looking a little slick, but no where close to how the NARS Sheer Glow made me…glow. The coverage is great. The only thing is that I don’t think 120 is the perfect shade for me. It seemed a tad light on my skin, but the sales associate in Sephora said that I could warm it up with a darker powder.

This was the foundation I tested the longest. One reason why I didn’t make the plunge was the price at $42. If I do end up buying a high end foundation, I think this one would be the one I would get. The only thing is that I don’t really know how it would wear in the summer because I tested it in the Fall.

5. Revlon PhotoReady Makeup in 004 Nude


Image from the Revlon website.

 So this is the foundation I ended up buying. I sort of purchased it on a whim, but when it first came out years ago I remember looking at it. The reviews I’ve read since purchasing say that it’s supposed to be a dupe for MUFE Invisible HD.

So far I like it. I think I might write up a full review after I’m able to test it out a bit more. When I first tried it on in my room, my face was a glitter mess. I could clearly see the sparkle which really annoyed me. But after wearing it throughout the day, it’s looked okay. I’ve only had it for a week though, so we’ll see how that goes.

And there has been my foundation journey as of now!
Thanks for reading! 😀

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