Foundation Friday for Over 50 | #12 | Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer

In today’s Foundation Friday for Over 50 I’ll be putting Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer* to the test to see how it performs on less-than-perfect mature skin.

The Clinique website says that this foundation is:

• Lightweight yet Moisturizing
• Full Coverage
• Oil-Free
• 12-Hour Wear
• Natural-Matte Finish
• Good for all skin types

There’s a plastic insert to scrape excess foundation off the applicator so you get the perfect amount every time!

Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer* retails for $27.00 for 1 oz. and comes in 20 Shades. There’s a broad selection of shades that are broken down in to 4 shade groups: Very Fair, Moderately Fair, Medium, and Deep, but they tend to run dark or have strong pink or yellow undertones.

Buttermilk from the “Very Fair” Group

I got my sample in Buttermilk which is from the “Very Fair” group. I wouldn’t consider myself to be “Very Fair” and normally run in on the lighter side of the Medium range.

I borrowed my friend’s bottle to photograph so here’s a comparison of my shade “Buttermilk” to her shade “Hazelnut”

It comes in a glass bottle with an oversize doe-foot applicator that’s supposed to provide the perfect amount of foundation. The recommended application method is to swipe on with the wand and blend with fingers.

Size comparison of standard concealer doe-foot to the oversize Clinique foundation doe-foot

Beyond Perfecting Foundation is mainly water and silicones with some moisturizing ingredients. It’s fragrance free, alcohol free, and oil free. It’s a foundation and concealer in one so it has a very thick creamy texture that’s stiff and not the easiest to blend.

I used it 3 times with vastly differing results. I liked it best when applied with a blending sponge to get medium coverage and set with mattifying powder. I liked it least when I put it on with my fingers.

Day 1: Fingers

I applied as recommended by dotting it around sparingly (a little goes a long way) and blending with my fingers. I had on a new all mineral sunscreen that I really like with other foundations.

It’s got a stiff, thick texture that’s not a dream to blend and it stays tacky for quite a while which is good since it takes a while to blend it out. It doesn’t blend seamlessly and left streaks and it broke up on the surface and settled into every ripple and pore.

It covers redness and tonal issues very well and freckles and blemishes are partially covered. The foundation doubles as concealer you can add more under the eyes or on blemishes. It has a dewey finish that I wouldn’t describe as “Natural Matte”. It looks waxy and obvious like I’m wearing a mask of foundation from the 1970s. It settles into pores upon application leaving polka-dot face and makes wrinkles look HUGE.

It takes a while to dry down completely, and stays tacky for a good 20 minutes during which time it collects dust and makes blush and bronzer difficult to blend.

I hated it so much I washed my face so I don’t have a 5 or 10 hour check-in to see how it wore on day 1.

Day 2: Fingers Again

Today I tried to apply the same as yesterday but using a different sunscreen (a chemical sunscreen/moisturizer) just in case it was the sunscreen that made it look waxy and cakey. . . But no… it looked the same so again I washed it off.

Day 3: Blending Sponge

It was much harder to apply with the sponge because the formula is so stiff. At first it just leaves big dots of foundation around, but after much pouncing with the sponge, it finally blended in and actually looked much better than the finger application.

Using the sponge to apply, it didn’t settle into pores, but it did still settle into wrinkles a little. It looked good enough that I could wear it all day without embarrassment.

Setting powder helps a lot but it’s so thick it made wrinkles look bigger and magnified.

5 Hour Check-In:

I actually liked it a little better after 5 hours. It was wearing off a bit so it didn’t look so cakey. It seemed to melt into my skin as the day wore on so it was less noticeable in my wrinkles!

10 Hour Check-In:

At 10 hours it’s definitely wearing off so it does not live up to the 12 Hour claim. I’d say it wears well for 6-8 hours, then starts thinning out and getting shinier.

For a foundation that’s supposed to be “lightweight and moisturizing”, I found it heavy and drying to wear. By 10 hours I had dry patches and flakes on my chin and nose.

Overall Performance

Coverage: It provides solid medium coverage right out of the bottle, and can be built up to full coverage, but at fuller coverage it sits on the surface of the skin and made me look like an escapee from the Wax Museum!

Finish: It says it’s a Natural-Matte finish, but I found it too shiny to be called natural-matte and needed to powder over it.

Pores: Settle right into pores creating the always popular polka-dot face!

Wrinkles: Settled into wrinkles when applied with fingers, but not as much with sponge. Mades wrinkles look magnified because of the thickness of the formula and the waxy surface look.

Wear: Good for about 8 hours (not 12 as promised) then gets shinier and starts thinning out and wearing off.

Feel: Face feel is heavier and more noticeable than I like. It takes a while to dry and the feel is a little tacky at first but once it dries it feels more set. It can look drying because it clings to dry skin and accentuates it.

Phone Test: Transfers to phone glass, hands, under finger nails etc.

Flash Photo: Good with flash photography

Verdict: A mixed bag, but certainly NOT beyond perfecting! It’s much better applied sparingly with a sponge than with fingers and it makes a reasonable opaque base for powder foundation. Those who like full-coverage and have sensitive skin may like this because it provides good coverage and doesn’t contain irritating ingredients. I’m not a full-coverage fan so I wouldn’t buy this. On me it was the opposite of perfecting and made all my skin’s flaws stand out.

Shopping Links*:

Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer*:

Sephora*                      Ulta*

Necklace:

Urban Outfitters*

Lip Gloss:

Ulta*

* Marked links are affiliate links. If you click the link and buy something, I receive a commission for the sale, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra. You are free to use the link or not as you choose.

This is not a sponsored post.