I am so excited to finally share with you guys my favorite foundation! I know, it sounds like a HUGE statement to make, but I seriously feel as though I am in love with this foundation! Now before I get into the detail I just want to state that although this foundation is said to be for all skin types, it definitely is not! If you have pretty oily skin this is for sure going to be your new bestie, however if you're on the drier side, I'm sorry but you're gonna have to stay clear, but more about that later. This foundation retails at R150 for 30ml of product but sadly only comes in 10 shades! The shade range is honestly my biggest problem with this foundation, it's 2017 Body Shop, like come on! As much as I love what the brand stands for in terms of promoting cruelty free products, I seriously dislike that they do not cater for a wider skin tone range, it's simply not on. Folks with a deep to rich skin tone will unfortunately not be able to purchase this foundation because the darkest shade available is 'Santiago Walnut'.
Back to the foundation! The Body Shop's Matte Clay Skin Clarifying Foundation ( shop here ) is said to be a 24 hour full-coverage lightweight foundation that is enriched with tea tree oil that helps to clear up blemished skin. It also has oil absorbing properties and is said to be water and sweat resistant. Sounds like the perfect foundation am I right?
I find that this foundation is best applied with a brush (I use the Real Techniques All Over Face Brush, shop here) rather than a beauty sponge. When applying the product be sure to work in small sections, this foundation dries down almost instantly and is thereafter almost impossible to move. This foundation claims to be full coverage, I think it's more on the medium side, especially if you have very problematic skin or acne scarring. I love that this foundation dries down completely matte! I've tried and tested many 'matte' foundations but none have dried down as matte as this one has. I've been using it for about 3 months now and I've noticed that I can wear it for hours on end without it getting oily or feeling heavy even without touch ups or powdering, it's so lightweight and comfortable to wear. This foundation does tend to break up around my smile lines and pores, so I make sure to use a good pore filling primer. So like I was saying, if you have dry skin this is for sure not the foundation for you. Just a quick personal experience, I once spot treated a break out or two which had dried out the blemishes and had then used this foundation for a day out, when I realized about three hours later that the foundation had completely broken up around the dry skin and the dried out blemishes, it looked terrible! So yeah, best be running in the opposite direction from this foundation if you have drier skin. I seriously do not believe that this foundation is made for all skin types, but I think it can be mixed in with other foundation to create a variety of finishes for all skin types. I love mixing this in with my L.A Girl 'Pro Coverage Illuminating Foundation' (shop here) to create a more satin finish foundation that isn't too matte or too wet looking.
Now I know this foundation sounds like it has more cons than pros, but for folks with oily skin like myself, this foundation is honestly a life saver. My makeup looks so matte and fresh throughout the day and it is honestly so damn affordable it's insane. I definitely recommend anyone with oily skin to give it a shot, I've already recommended it a few folks who have said it's their new ride or die. I just hope that they release a better rage of shades, it's actually quite frustrating the sad number of shades they have available. If you guys do give this foundation a try please be sure to drop me a message telling me your thoughts.
- courts xx
