I have a fall foundation roundup today on new formulas I’ve put to the test recently! I’ve already reviewed a few new base formulas from Chanel, Pat McGrath and Laura Mercier but I have three new ones in today’s post for Fenty, Natasha Denona and Charlotte Tilbury. I thought I’d round them all up and do a comparison to help you decide which one might be the best for you.
First here’s a look at my bare skin vs. foundation applied all over, more details on each formula below:
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Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation
The foundation I was most excited about was the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation. It’s described as a hydrating formula but I did not find it hydrating or smooth in application. I’ve tested it with a number of moisturizers and primers (including the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer). On my face it sits on my skin and doesn’t sink in like I’d expect a moisturizing base to. It doesn’t blend easily, it feels thick even with a sponge or sheer application. The pros are that it does have good coverage that looks natural and it photographs well. I also love the packaging. With a lot of blending I can make it work. My match is 235 in this one and it’s pretty close to the regular matte formula. The hydrating formula doesn’t oxidize as much as the matte one does. The main reason why I don’t love this is that it feels thick on my skin and it’s not thick in a hydrating way, just thick.
Lasting power is good, I think the color range is great, packaging is gorgeous and functional.
Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation in 235 applied all over the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer, no powder or concealer:
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Natasha Denona Foundation X+
Natasha Denona improved her foundation into the Foundation X+ ($45 for 30 ml/1.01 fl oz). I actually liked the original but found it a little on the thick side, it didn’t feel too thick on the skin but the new one is more lightweight. The newer version is medium to full coverage and has skincare ingredients infused. The Foundation X+ is more lightweight with good coverage and looks like second skin. You can easily control coverage and it’s long-wearing on my skin. It comes in 20 shades, I’m the 42WY right now. I personally wouldn’t really call it full coverage, but it’s more medium to full. I can still see some sun spots and a little redness on my skin through the base.
Wearing 42 WY below ( warm yellow undertone)
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Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation
The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation was another base formula I was really excited about because I’m obsessed with the pressed powder (it’s my holy grail!). The foundation is a full coverage base that has a velvety matte finish. On the skin it does give it an airbrushed look and it’s very opaque. The texture is fluid and blends easily. It is lightweight in feel although I don’t really agree with the product description as being weightless – I can still feel it on my skin although it’s not heavy.
It is the best foundation formula in her line although I do think finding the right shade can be tricky. Colors oxidize quite a bit once they set. I think the online stock swatches do a good job at showing how much colors darken which they call “optimized.” Even at the counter the sales associate struggled to recommend the right shade for me. We settled on 7 Neutral and 8 Warm as the best possible matches. I highly recommend you try the colors in person because the number sequence jumps around especially with the different undertones. Right now 7 Neutral works the best for me. I also had a sample of 7.5 Neutral which is lighter than 7 Neutral.
As far as matte finish foundations go I still prefer the Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion the best for a natural looking matte that gives medium to full coverage and lasts all day.
Wearing 7 Neutral below all over, no concealer or powder. It covered all of my red pimples and sun spots completely. It has a velvety matte finish that isn’t too matte or dry looking, I definitely still recommend setting with powder.
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Chanel Ultra Le Teint Velvet Foundation
I reviewed the new Chanel Ultra Le Teint Velvet Foundation here. This is a lightweight velvet foundation with medium coverage. My match is either 40 or 50. This has the most lightweight feel out of the medium velvety coverage bases I’ve tried.
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Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (new formula)
The cult classic Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer has been reformulated into a new and improved version. I think it’s definitely improved and gives the look of fresh natural hydrated skin. Even though I prefer coverage, I like using this all over and then layering full coverage foundation or concealer on spots I need more. Layering prevents the face and skin from looking too flat. Review on the regular and illuminating formulas here.
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Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Perfection
Another base I reviewed recently is the Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Perfection here. Full details in the review. This is a nice medium to full coverage foundation that blurs and smooths the skin. It’s not weightless and has a satin finish so you will feel it on the skin, but it worked really well for me.
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A few side by side swatches which were hard to capture. Some of the formulas dried quickly and oxidized. Also please take note that how they blend and adjust on the face once it sets is different than what you’ll see in the arm swatch. Still I hope this can provide some kind of reference for you:
Overall out of all the bases I tried, I still find my top 2 go-to’s are the Armani Luminous Silk (best luminous foundation) and Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion (longest lasting). For the new launches there’s a tie between the new Chanel and Pat McGrath for medium to full coverage. The Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer is good for good-skin days but I still prefer coverage so I don’t reach for it as much. The Charlotte Tilbury is nice but fact that colors oxidize so much makes it tricky to wear. Since it’s so opaque it’s not forgiving if you don’t have an exact match.
If you’re looking for a new base I hope this roundup of some new formulas help you! I was planning on reviewing a couple more but am having a hard time with color matching. If I end up finding one you’ll see a few more reviews soon.
Have you tried any of these yet? What did you think? If not what foundations do you love right now?
Press samples include the Natasha Denona, Chanel and Pat McGrath foundations.
