MAKEUP REVIEW; $7 Foundation Wear Test

I opted for the fuller coverage of the two foundations offered by The Ordinary because I’ve always been a cake that face kind of gal, however if you’re looking for a sheer moment there is also a Serum Foundation for sheer coverage.

According to the website the Coverage Foundation offers full coverage that provides a smooth finish without looking to heavy. The texture is meant to be that of a  lightweight, non-oily cream. It boasts that it is alcohol, oil, nut, gluten and cruelty-free vegan formula however it is not water or silicone free.

Just from applying it to my wrist it seems to provide decent coverage (with another layer it probably would have covered my wrist tattoo), about half a pump was more than enough to cover my entire face. The formula was on the runny side and I would say it had high spreadability and medium coverage upon application.

The formula felt incredibly light and my other beauty products layered over it effortlessly. The formula is definitely demi-matte; think your skin but better. I was surprised how easily it applied to my skin and it made me reconsider past (expensive) foundation purchases.

At four hours the foundation started to look a bit patchy around my nose due to oil buildup but I don’t think that it’s exclusive to the foundation as I wear glasses and my makeup tends to break up around my nose. Even though I set my face with a setting powder and a mattifying setting spray I did find that my skin started to look oily around this time. Although it’s oil free something about the formula makes it prone to shine. However, at this point the foundation hasn’t move much, just needs a quick oil blot.

Coverage? I don’t even know her. At the eight hour mark I was oily enough to fry an egg on my face. All of the redness on my cheeks starting coming through and the foundation was breaking apart on my nose and forehead. One of the biggest reasons I wear foundation is because of the scar on my nose and with the foundation breaking up the way that it was it almost added more texture to the scar on my nose.

I tried to reapply powder to soak up the excess oil, but at this point there was nothing that could be done about the foundation patches on my skin other than to reapply foundation which never reapplies as nicely, especially considering that would mean going over my blush and bronzer from earlier in the day.

The biggest downside for me was it’s longevity. Between being at the office during the day and then being social in the evening I wear makeup for about 12 hours a day and something this greasy looking at the end of a work day is just not going to cut it for me. Another downside to the foundation was that it comes in a very limited shade range so it’s not as inclusive as you would expect such a large brand to be.

However, at $6.90 per bottle it’s less than 15% of what I currently pay for foundation. Due to the liquidy texture and it’s high spreadability I found that it was easy to mix in moisturizers and other liquid formulas to create the perfect cocktail (be careful; a little really goes a long way). Right now I have been adding a few drops into my moisturizer to create a tinted moisturizer for those rare no-make-up makeup days.

I will use this bottle until it’s done (I’ll definitely have to mix it in with other products), however when it comes to purchase or pass, it’s a pass.