Long time no foundation review! Today I’d like to shine the spotlight on one of my favourite drugstore foundations that is now available in a whopping 21 shades in Belgium! To American readers this is nothing new, but if you live in a country where the average shade range has 6 to 8 shades, this is one ‘hallelujah!‘ moment. Finally a shade for everyone! Or is there?
I first bought this foundation a couple of years ago when I went to New York and instantly fell in love with its lightweight formula and super natural finish. Not too dewy, not too matte, just right. Not to mention the perfect colour match! I was happy to find out L’Oréal had expanded the range in Belgium but unfortunately they didn’t release any lighter shades than what they offered before. Meaning my perfect colour match didn’t make it in the range, so I tried the lightest shade that they had: R1/C1 Rose Ivory. I’m usually more of a neutral undertone when it comes to foundations, but my other option 1N Ivory seemed a little too dark. Even though it’s not the right undertone, it is a foundation colour I can get away with (unlike what most brands have to offer).
As far as coverage goes, the L’Oréal True Match foundation has light to medium buildable coverage. Because of the light formula it never gets cakey. It’s almost as if your skin is covered with a satin veil, giving you even looking skin. Whenever I have some blemishes, I just spot conceal in places where I need it. I don’t wear it on days where my skin is showing a lot of texture though (often small bumps), because I feel this accentuates them. On those days I tend to go for a thicker formula.
Even though the foundation is repurchase-material, I didn’t quite get on with the L’Oréal True Match Concealer* as much. I love the slim design of the packaging and matching long wand with ultra soft applicator that enables precise spot correction. The formulation is light, creamy and nourishing, which makes it a dream to blend. It promises to conceal, brighten, correct and reduce the appearance of dark circles overtime thanks to caffeine.
Compared to the foundation, the True Match concealer only comes in 8 shades, which is still a lot for the Belgian drugstore, but it doesn’t cover the range of skin tones or even the range of foundations enough. It’s a bit of a shame the shade I tried wasn’t an exact match with the foundation, even though they carry the same name. The concealer is slightly darker, so I tend to do the spot correcting first before I apply my foundation. The formulas blend perfectly with each other though.
Another aspect I didn’t like is that it’s not suitable to use under the eyes. Whenever I would try to wear it underneath my eyes, I could feel my eyes getting irritated from what felt like alcohol. Plus, it would also crease a little bit immediately if I didn’t set it with powder. I find it provides slightly more coverage than the foundation and lasted pretty well on the rest of my face.
Overall I think the concealer is okay, but not one I would repurchase. The foundation however is absolute gold. Definitely one of my all-time favourite drugstore foundations! It’s made for all skin types, but I think people with normal to combination skin will benefit from it the most. I do think the price is a little high though for a drugstore foundation, especially when you compare it to other countries. That said, I think the L’Oréal True Match foundation is one to try if you’re looking for natural-looking base makeup.
L’Oréal True Match / Accord Parfait Foundation – € 17 / £ 10 / $10
L’Oréal True Match / Accord Parfait Concealer* – € 14 / £ 8 / $ 7
Available at the drugstore.
Disclaimer: Product offered by PR for consideration.*