You've probably seen the ads for Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation. The ones with a woman with gorgeous skin staring into the camera with caption "Real Life Is Unretouched Just Like This Ad," followed by a note "This model has not been retouched."
I mean that's nice and all---I have photographer friends who take great pictures without retouching too. I know about lighting, lenses, camera settings, and all of that, yet STILL I HAD to try this foundation. For $42.
I love Make Up Forever as a brand, so I wanted to love this product.
I already had Make Up Forever's primer (samples) and HD powder, but I hadn't tried their foundation, mostly because I like the one I use and also because I find matching my skin tone difficult in many brands. Some brands tell me straight out they don't have a color light enough for me, or their shades are too pink or too yellow, and send me on my way.
The Sephora store where I made my purchase did a color match on me-- on my neck, side of face, and also on my arm. It looked great in the store, but when I got outside into the 6pm outdoor lighting, I had tan streaks, so I headed back inside to exchange my purchase for 1 shade lighter. (Hey Sephora---you sell makeup all day, maybe you want to get some appropriate lighting??). I still don't think the color is fantastic on me, but it's ok.
The first time I tried this foundation I didn't like the look of it using just the primer and the HD powder as suggested. It just dulled my skin and made me look tired, and the makeup didn't stay on well AT ALL, so the next day I used my regular powder over the foundation and used the HD powder to set all my makeup once it was all applied.
On both days that I tried it (both using the HD powder and the next day using another powder) I noticed that the formula didn't last very long on my skin (better wear using my other powder than with just the HD powder). I have fairly DRY skin, yet all day long I was powdering my shiny nose. This doesn't happen with my other foundation(s). I even used a mattifier on the third and fourth days underneath the primer and again before the foundation. I still had a shiny nose within a couple hours and throughout the day. By the end of the work day some of the makeup was off my nose and off my chin and it was settling into fine lines.
In other words, start of the day or end of the day, my skin didn't look anything like that "unretouched" model and my dry skin looked oily in some areas. I can't imagine what someone with combination or oily skin would look like with this foundation. I suspect it would slide right off their face. I don't like retouching my makeup throughout the day, and I choose products that don't require me to.
I'm actually not saying this is a bad product, it holds up about as well as some of the very inexpensive brands, but for the price and the advertising claims, I expected A LOT and I was let down. There are MANY department store and drugstore brands that cost less and wear MUCH longer without the shine and constant nose/chin powdering throughout the day.
I like this brand, but I'm sticking with their eye liners (love!), blushes and the HD powder. I'm going to switch back to my previous foundation and am debating if I should return to Sephora and get my $42 back.
Until I get a lighting crew to follow me around all day to light me perfectly, the HD Invisible Cover Foundation isn't for me!
