So first off, this is available in 40 shades which thrilled me, because I am so fair that finding a foundation that matches my complexion is near impossible. There is a color matcher online, which can be found here.
I followed the steps online, and matched myself as shade Cool #010 Beige Porcelaine. When the shade arrived, I instantly knew this was too dark for me. There were two lighter shades available, but my skintone looked very similar to the model's which is supposed to be porcelain. Essentially, what I'm saying is, is if you're unsure of the shading, go to a lancome stand where possible and get color matched.
So moving on to the product itself...
I started out using a Real Techniques expert face brush to apply this. I found it was difficult to blend and was a little patchy while it was drying, so I switched to using a damp beauty blender and whilst it helped, I'd say it still was tough to blend and was a tad patchy.
I ended up taking all of it off and re-applying. This time, using a serum (Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair) as a primer and whilst I had to work fast with the foundation, it was definitely 10x easier to apply. The 'patches' I was referring to earlier must have been dry patches because I found I had a decent finish.
This definitely lives up to the description of being matte with a velvety finish and whilst I'm unsure if this would last 24 hours, It did last a good 12 hours before I removed it. It didn't get oily throughout the day, it didn't budge.
I did find this a little harder to remove which means it obviously has great lasting power - so be sure to use an oil based makeup remover to take this off.
My overall thoughts on this? If I could get matched at a counter, and as long as I had very well moisturised skin, then I would repurchase this. It was a bit of a faff but the way forward it definitely to use a beauty blender and to use a moistening spray as you apply if you find it's too stubborn.
Generally speaking though, I prefer a medium coverage with a semi matte finish so this isn't necessarily for me, but that's just a personal preference.
Have you tried it out?
H x