Make Up For Ever HD Foundation Review

When I went to London a month ago, I decided to go and get myself colour matched at Make Up Forever for a new foundation. I’ve been wanting to try this coveted product for years, but it’s never been easy to get your hands on it in the UK as the range had only been stocked in Debenhams stores until recently. Having used this every day for pretty much a month, I’ve tried and tested the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation.

Being completely unfamiliar with the brand, I had no idea where to really start with picking a shade on line, they have a really good selection and variety of shades, if your neutral, rosy, yellow, olive or tanned – you’re likely to find something to match. None of the shades make sense so as I was trying to colour match myself to start with as all the attendants were busy, N155 is darker than N135 but lighter than N120 for example.

I have no idea who came up with the shade system, but it made no sense what so ever. I managed to get myself only one shade away from what was needed, but because it’s summer, and I’ve been tanning quite nicely I decided to go a shade that was marginally darker to match up as I get a little more tanned. I’m glad I did as a month on it’s a great match now – and it didn’t leave me with a streaky jawline in the meantime.

So the basics, this is a very nice quality plastic bottle, it does feel a little cheap for a £29 foundation – but I’d always rather plastic over glass as it’s much lighter for travel. There is a pump which is included with it, as some higher end foundations don’t have one (NARS Sheer Glow and Estee Lauder Double Wear… I’m looking at you), the pump dispenses out quite a small amount of product, which is good as you can tailor how much you need. I need around 3 pumps for my face, which I thought at the start I was using a lot of product, but actually comparing with my Lancome Teint Miracle it looks about the same.

The HD foundation was designed to look great on HD Screens and TV (And they have recently launched a new ultra HD foundation for 4k screens). So this is designed to give you a flawless finish suitable for an on screen starlet.

I normally like using a beauty sponge to apply my foundation, but both my Real Techniques sponge and The Beauty Bay Sponge (which is a dead on dupe for a beauty blender) just don’t work with this. I find that both absorb the product and when damp they just don’t apply the product well at all they come off very sheer. It does apply well with a buffing brush – however it does take a bit longer – or it applies well with just my fingers too, which is how I normally opt to apply it.

So the performance. Never does any one ever tell me that my skin looks glowing, but I’ve had several people tell me that over the past month. And they certainly don’t tell me that my skin looks glowing by mid-afternoon in an office which is like walking through different continents as you walk around, you get an all climate experience where I work which means my foundation doesn’t last all day. So my foundation still being on by the time I get home is an utter rarity and this offers that. The first day I wore it was the day after buying – walking around London all day long in blistering heat and even hotter public transport and my foundation stayed in place.

A few pictures from the last month where I’ve been wearing the foundation

Despite my new found glowing appearance I find that it does feel quite matt – with combination skin, I normally have to powder the s.h.i.t out of my face, and with this I don’t with this. just across my T zone is enough and my skin is so much more thankful.

This is helped by the Body Shop Instablur Primer, which I reviewed last week here – but it does last well on it’s own, just not all day. And the Instablur doesn’t work well with my Lancome – the two together are a match made for each other.

I would relish in days where I didn’t have to wear makeup for an excuse to not wear foundation, (I know I know it’s good to let your skin breath) but I’ve never found a foundation that I am absolutely obsessed with before and want to wear every day. This has made me love wearing foundation and makeup even more – so instead of relishing in makeup free days. I relish in Sunday’s where I have time to play and experiment with my makeup, even when I’m just sat at home!

I think I may have found a new HG foundation, I can imagine those with drier skin may not appeal without the use of a hydrating moisturiser underneath, but otherwise I would throughly recommend. I’m going to London at the start of next month for a blogging event and I may go and get another bottle from Debenhams a shade or 2 down whilst there to see me through the winter months (as I can make no sense of that shade system at all!)

Have you tried the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation? What did you think?

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