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Product Description
What it is: A new type of base makeup that offers the ability to customize your coverage/color/finish to your heart’s content.
Price/Quantity: $44 for 0.5 oz. Usually foundations come in 1 oz bottles so this is very expensive considering the amount you get. However, you need very little product which evens things out a bit.
Availability: CoverFX, Sephora, Beautylish
Color/Finish: This product is available in 25 shades and 3 undertones. I chose the shade N10 which is the lightest shade with a neutral undertone. It matches me pretty well on my jawline and neck but is too light for my cheeks and forehead. It can emphasize dryness, large pores, and uneven texture in the skin and choosing a shade too light can make those things stand out even more. The neutral undertone of this product is on pointe! I love that Cover FX offers neutral undertones because, while I can find shades that are “close enough” in pink or yellow undertones, I can tell they don’t match me as well as they should. The finish is generally more on the matte side unless it is mixed with a beauty oil, dewy foundation, or illuminating primer, which would create more of a natural skin finish.
Packaging: The product is contained in a glass bottle with a squeeze dropper. It should be shaken before each use. One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard others mention is that the packaging is extremely messy because the product will ooze over the edge of the bottle when putting the dropper back in. I have had the product for a few weeks and it’s not as clean as it was when I first opened it but I haven’t had to wipe off the top of the bottle yet. I could see it getting very messy if I were in a rush and jammed the dropper back in too quickly or rubbed it along the side but so far it has been okay for me. One thing I am concerned about is accidentally tipping the bottle over and spilling an extremely pigmented product all over the carpet.
Smell/Fragrance: I don’t smell a fragrance but there is a mineral/chemical smell to it. It fades completely once applied.
Performance
Application: This product is a newer concept in base makeup where you can mix it with other products to create your ideal coverage and texture. According to Cover FX, 1 drop is light coverage, 2 drops is medium coverage, and 3 drops is full coverage. So far, my experience is that this really depends on what you are mixing it into and how diluted it ultimately becomes. Sometimes, even 1 drop mixed into a foundation is going to result in full coverage or 3 drops mixed into a beauty oil or could end up giving you medium coverage.
Texture: This product claims that it will not change the texture or finish of whatever you are mixing it into. I personally do see a change in texture and finish depending on what I’m mixing it with. Generally, the more drops you add, the more it will affect the formula.
Combinations I Have Tried:
- Drops + Too Faced Primed and Poreless Primer – became more of a mousse texture and created a matte finish.
- Drops + Josie Maran Argan Oil – turned it into a foundation texture with a natural, maybe slightly dewy, finish.
- Drops + Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation – didn’t really alter the texture but it did make the finish more matte.
- Drops + Physicians Formula Youthful Wear Spotless Foundation – So far this has been the best combination. This product is a serum foundation with a runny consistency. I have not been able to use it because it was too dark for me but the Drops have allowed me to lighten up the color a bit. This combo is much more forgiving on skin texture and looks far more attractive, even helping blur some imperfections rather than accentuate them. The texture didn’t change much and created a natural finish.
- Drops + Loreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation – I thought this might work similarly to the Physicians Formula combo since this is also a very runny foundation but it didn’t. The texture didn’t change much and it created a natural-matte finish.
After trying all the above combinations multiple times, over bare skin and over primer I have gathered that this product always looked better over primed skin. Even in the best case scenario, with the Physicians Formula Foundation as a base, it still settled into pores and gathered around dry spots on the skin. The reason why this combo looked better was because the overall color was darker and the spots where the foundation gathered didn’t stand out as much. This tells me that it’s extremely important that you choose the right color or find a product to mix it with that will yield the right color.
Pigmentation: On it’s own, it is extremely pigmented. The pigmentation is up there with something like Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer (perhaps even more than this) but unfortunately it creates a very unattractive finish by itself. When mixing it with other products it is going to dilute some of that coverage.
Longevity: I have gotten 8+ hours of solid wear each time I wore this, mixed with different products.
Overall Opinion
I like the concept behind the product but so far it has been difficult to find another product that actually mixes well with it to create the finish I’m looking for. By far, the best method has been to apply it over a primer mixed with a serum foundation that is slightly darker than my normal skin tone. This gives the smoothest finish while achieving higher coverage.
Pros:
- Customizable coverage
- Great color selection
- Long wearing
- Can be used as both foundation and concealer
Cons:
- Emphasizes texture, pores, dryness
- Creates an extra step in applying base makeup
- Perhaps a different type of packaging would make this easier to use
Worth Buying? It would probably be enjoyed more by someone who already uses and likes high coverage foundations. Having firmer, well hydrated skin also makes for a much better result. For those with dry skin, fine lines, skin that isn’t as firm, or for those that like quick/simple makeup routines, this isn’t likely to be a good fit. I can get a good finish out of it but I end up sacrificing coverage which ends up defeating the purpose for me.
