2015 Foundation Friday Year-End Wrap-Up
In 2015 I started a new series called “Foundation Friday for Over 50” to find a ‘holy grail’ foundation for mature skin. Over the course of the year I tested and reviewed 16 foundations and did manage to fine ONE holy grail!! Here’s my year-end wrap-up of how each foundation stands with a brief synopsis of pros and cons. Click on the foundation name to see the full review.
Just Didn’t Work For Me:
Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream ~ $29 for 1.18 oz.
Pros:
- Works well under a powder foundation
- Nice ingredients, moisturizing, non-irritating
- No settling into wrinkles
- Might be good for people with dry skin
Cons:
- Shiny
- Accentuates pores
- Very sheer coverage
- Sunscreen doesn’t provide full UVA protection
Dior DiorSkin Nude Air Serum Foundation ~ $53 for 1 oz., comes in 8 shades
Pros:
- Lightweight fluid
- Easy to apply
- Good coverage of tonal issues
- Looked nice for a few hours
Cons:
- Price
- High alcohol & fragrance
- Looked shiny and waxy
- Short wear
- Settled into pores & wrinkles
Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation ~ $43 for 1 oz., comes in 26 shades
Pros:
- No sunscreen or alcohol
- Sheer weightless coverage
- Looks nice in photos
Cons:
- Settles into pores & wrinkles
- Shiny
- Drying
- Short wear time
The Mixed Bags:
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum ~ $13 for 1 oz., comes in 6 shades
Pros:
- No sunscreen
- Looks nice when first applied
- Has a youthful soft radiant finish
Cons:
- Lots of alcohol & fragrance
- Settles into wrinkles & pores
- Gets shiny over time
- Short wear time
Maybelline Fit Me! Matte & Poreless ~ $7.99 for 1 oz., comes in 16 shades

Maybelline Fit Me! Matte & Poreless
Pros:
- No sunscreen or fragrance
- Good selection of shades, natural looking
- Very nice matte but not mask-like finish (temporarily)
- Diminishes pores a bit (temporarily)
- Minimal settling into wrinkles
- Blends easily
- Medium to full coverage.
Cons:
- Alcohol content
- Very poor wear (4 hours is all you get before it looks bad)
- Gets shiny quickly
- Settled into wrinkles and pores after 4 hours
- Became an aging drying mask
Rimmel Lasting Finish retails for $6.99 for 1 oz. at drugstores and comes in 11 Shades
Pros:
- Low alcohol & fragrance
- Medium to full coverage
- Flattering diffused glowy finish
- No settling into pores
Cons:
- Heavy to wear
- Slightly drying
- Accentuates wrinkles
- Needs primer & setting powder to last all day
L’Oreal Infallible Pro Matte ~ $13 for 1 oz., comes in 12 shades

L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte
Pros:
- No sunscreen, fragrance, or alcohol
- Looked nice for 5-6 hours
- Improved the look of pores
- Demi-matte finish
- Could work really well for people with oily skin
Cons:
- Dried out my skin
- Magnified wrinkles
- Can be difficult to apply
- Heavy to wear
- Can look mask-like
Jane Iredale PurePressed Base Foundation ~ $52 for .35 oz., comes in 22 shades

Jane Iredale PurePressed Base
Pros:
- Easy to apply
- Good coverage, evens out skin tone
- No settling into wrinkles
Cons:
- Drying
- Gets very shiny
- Short wear time
Cover FX Pressed Mineral Foundation* ~ $36 for .42 oz., comes in 24 shades

Cover FX Pressed Mineral Foundation
Pros:
- Looks very nice when used over tinted moisturizer
- Good color range
Cons:
- Settled into pores & wrinkles
- Hard to apply/blend
- Very sheer
- Short wear time
Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer retails for $27.00 for 1 oz. and comes in 20 Shades
Pros:
- Fragrance & alcohol free
- Best applied sparingly with a sponge
- Good medium to full coverage
- Looked nice & skin-like from a distance
- May work for those who like full-coverage and have sensitive skin
Cons:
- Shiny
- Heavy to wear
- Looked waxy & mask like up close
- Settled into pores & wrinkles
The Pretty Good
Temptu Air retails for $195 and includes the airbrush unit and charging cord. The pods of foundation sell for an additional $45 12 shades
PROS:
- Easy to use
- Smoothes pores & wrinkles
- Youthful, luminous finish (best with a little setting powder)
- No mess, no cleaning device
- Hygenic
- No alcohol
CONS:
- Learning curve
- Cost
- Very shiny and stays tacky
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau $63.00 for 1 oz. and comes in 10 Shades
Pros:
- Foolproof to apply
- Doesn’t settle into pores
- Lovely, youthful radiance
Cons:
- $63 price tag
- Alcohol & fragrance
- Settles into wrinkles
- Flashback
- Short wear time
The Best:
Too Faced “Born This Way”* ~ $39 for 1 oz., comes in 18 shades
Pros:
- Natural, youthful look
- Mattifying primer and setting powder elevated this to a very good foundation
- Very moisturizing
- Doesn’t cling to dry patches
- Makes larger wrinkles look more supple
- Women with dryer skin could be very happy with this foundation
- Long wear
- Weightless & comfortable to wear
Cons:
- Not good on it’s own – settles into pores & wrinkles
- Gets shiny
Becca Perfect Skin Mineral Powder Foundation $40, 12 shades
Pros:
- Mineral powder is great for sensitive, acne-prone, or rosacea skin
- Lit from within diffused glow
- Smoothes pores slightly
- Easy to apply
- Skin-like finish
- No settling into pores or wrinkles
- Long-wearing
- Not drying
Cons:
- Can look cakey if applied too heavily
- Looks best over tinted moisturizer
The Holy Grail:
Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Smooth-Effect Makeup ~ $47 for 1 oz., comes in 9 shades, SPF 15
Hands down the BEST so far in the Foundation Friday series. This is an awesome foundation that improves the look of older skin in a natural way that’s neither dry looking nor overly dewey and never cakey. This is the Holy Grail foundation for me!!
Pros:
- Easy to apply with fingers
- Doesn’t need primer or setting powder
- Looks natural
- Covers well
- Doesn’t settle into pores or wrinkles
- Youthful skin-like finish
- Long wearing
- Makes my skin look better than it is!!
Cons:
- Contains some alcohol & fragrance (both low enough that it’s not a deal breaker)
- Doesn’t play well with silicone based products
Stay tuned for more “Foundation Friday for Over 50” in 2016!
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