Orange? Smashbox Studio Skin 15-hour wear Hydrating Foundation

I rarely do foundation reviews on the blog, because a:

Foundations react differently to different skin types, skin conditions but importantly to our skincare

So remember, this is my experience with this foundation. A bit about my skin

My skin is combination, I have an oily T-Zone, mainly in the blazing South African summer. My skin is dry on the rest of my face. It is often dehydrated. I have smile lines, nothing too hectic. I don’t have enlarged pores buy they are visible on the side of my nose. I always use a primer always and dab pore minimizing primer to areas of concern.

Another fact is that ANY foundation I wear oxidizes on me. Sometimes it happens in a few minutes and goes a shade or two darker and other times it can go up to FIVE times darker. It turns red. When Yellow and Red mix, you get orange, add in some brown and you end up with, well, mud.

Coupled with that, my face is much darker than my body, so I match my foundation to my collar bone. Sometimes, I just can’t be asked so I match it to my jaw and hope for the best.

Some foundations just absorb into my skin, not in the way where it looks like I’m wearing sheer coverage, no, no, no . . . It’s like putting on moisturiser. My friends seen it happen, legit, true story.

Know that you understand my skin, let’s get into the review.

I have been on the lookout for a foundation to film my YouTube videos. My HG Estee Lauder Double Wear flashes back on camera, horribly, so I asked my subscribers in my last video for a foundation recommendation.

One of my subbies recommended I try foundation from Smashbox.

This made sense as Smashbox products are created in their LA studios, so it would look good on camera. This hydrating foundation was formulated to look and feel amazing for 15 hours.

After reading that the Smashbox Studio Skin 15-hour wear Hydrating Foundation was voted The Hydrating Cover of 2016 by GLAMOUR Magazine, I got the shade 3.1. The shade has a beautiful yellow tone.

Smashbox created this foundation to look good in any light. They pride themselves as being the only brand with a Flashbox Lighting Lab, where they test and perfect colour consistency across 22 shades.

 

The claims:

Medium-to-full buildable coverage: NO. This is sheer to medium, buildable to medium to full. But it requires lots of building. I like my foundations to be full coverage and I had to put 4 layers on to get a fuller coverage, but my freckles still showed through.

Oil-free, hydrating formula – without the shine: YES, AND NO. has a sticky consistency, perhaps that was the ‘hydration they were talking about? This is not a matte foundation, it has a glow. It is also a very liquidy foundation, so your beauty blender will soak it up.

Light diffusing spheres blur imperfections – YES, I agree to the extent that it didn’t make my skin look worse.

Sweat & humidity resistant – NO – I got oily on my T-Zone

Colour-true, exercise-resistant & transfer-proof – NO – The foundation oxidized on me, but that could be me. It oxidized in a few minutes. It can’t be exercise resistant if it’s not sweat-proof. I will say that it doesn’t transfer as much as my regular foundations.

The pros are that there are 22 shades, from pale to deep.

What it’s formulated WITHOUT Parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Phthalates, Fragrance and Oil

I used a Flat Foundation Brush and applied it in thin layers on to my skin. I then used a Kabuki Style round top brush and buffed it into my skin. As I built it, it because stickier. I usually only use two layer of any foundation at most and the second layer only where I need extra coverage. This is definitely not full coverage. It dries down fast but still feels tacky though it is set. I had to dust some powder over top after application.  However, it didn’t get cakey despite the building up of the product.

Another positive is that I could highlight under my eyes without my foundation lifting, which happens to me when I use my Estee Lauder DW dries down and I apply my concealer over top.

I got a good 9 hours’ wear, sorry, I couldn’t wear it for 15 hours and apart from having to powder it once, the foundation lasted. It also didn’t gather around my nose. Apart from feeling tacky, which can be sorted out by dusting a light layer of powder over the foundation to set it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, if foundation doesn’t oxidize on you and you prefer sheer-medium coverage foundation, this is a good bet. It looks great in pictures and it is long lasting. In terms of hydration, it did not settle into fine lines and looked good.

The best part was that I put on my concealer and my foundation didn’t lift. I may have to get a lighter shade, probably match it to my collarbone, but I would repurchase because it doesn’t flashback, even if it means me packing on the layers. Big up to Smashbox for catering to such a variety of skin tones. That’s a big plus in my book.

Where to buy: Smashbox counters countrywide or redsquare.com

Price: R425

Have you tried this foundation? Can you recommend a foundation that does not FLASH BACK?

Let’s get the discussion popping’ down below!

Until next time

Stay blessed and beautiful

Loves, loves loves you

xoxo

Prativa

Beauty Bugle