Let’s start with a bit more about the foundation itself. Born This Way is oil-free and, are you ready for this, vegan!!! It contains Coconut Water for moisture balance, Alpine Rose for brightness and elasticity, as well as Hyaluronic Acid for its smoothing properties. It has a buildable medium coverage that really does feel weightless and the finish is very natural – not too matte, not too dewy. It is currently available in 18 shades and will soon be released in 6 more! That’s a huge range. I have heard some complaints that the shades run too yellow, but I think my skin has a pretty neutral undertone and “Nude” seems like the absolute perfect match for my skin tone, so I’m not sure I agree with that complaint. You receive 1 fl oz / 30mL for $39, which is quite reasonable for a “prestige” foundation! It comes in a beautiful frosted glass bottle with a pump that actually dispenses just about the right amount for a full application. The liquid itself is neither runny nor thick – it’s pretty much the definition of a “perfect” consistency. It sounds and looks perfect!
Moving on to application, I find that it applies easily no matter what you use. I tend to use my fingers to apply and blend in the foundation and then do a quick buff over my entire face to ensure that everything is well blended. This is a fantastic foundation if you’re a slap on and go foundation kind of person. It blends like a dream and it’s quick and easy to achieve a fantastic finish.
Right after applying the Born This Way foundation to my skin, I feel like it looks spectacular…at least for my skin! J The coverage really is the perfect buildable medium with a satin finish that looks pretty close to flawless skin. It disguises imperfections well, but not completely. Concealer will usually correct any remaining flaws without much trouble. I don’t feel like the texture of my skin is made worse by this foundation and it really does seem like the skin shines through despite the decent level of coverage. Sounds perfect, right?
Before & After (Foundation ONLY)
Well, I’m not convinced. I really love this foundation right after application, but by the end of the day I am definitely rethinking its magical powers. My problem is not that it doesn’t last – it definitely does have pretty good staying power. I find that within an hour or two…sometimes even before finishing my makeup…I start to get shiny. My skin is not terribly oily per say, but for some reason a lot of foundations seem to make me oily. As the day wears on, the shine gets worse and increasingly uncomfortable. I feel like the texture of my skin starts to become more visible and it just doesn’t look very good. As I said, this happens to some degree with a lot of foundations, but somehow this one just starts looking unattractive a lot quicker than others. It is helped with powder or blotting sheets, but I don’t want to need touchups.
Freshly Applied (different day from above) & 4 Hours Later w/out Touchups (looks shinier in person)
To remedy these issues, I have tried all kinds of primers. I have used every mattifying primer I have – Cover FX, BECCA, Paula’s Choice, the Too Faced Primed & Poreless, and the new Pacifica mattifier. I have also tried the Too Faced Hangover Rx, which isn’t terrible, but doesn’t really help either. The best so far is the Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer, but I would only recommend it if you have a problem with oiliness or oil break though as it feels quite dry. Not one of these primers actually makes much difference in the end-of-day oiliness, which means that my skin looks progressively unattractive (not to mention feeling like a grease ball) as the day wears on.
I can’t say that I hate this foundation, but I’m still on the fence. As I said, it looks great right after application, but at least for my skin, it looks less than fresh within a few hours and keeps going downhill from there. I’m still hoping to find a way to prevent the oily mess from occurring, but I’m running out of ideas. I have no idea why the Born This Way Foundation makes me so stinkin’ oily, but it does. I might be able to deal with it, but it actually is uncomfortable to the point that I can’t wait to take it off at the end of the day. I suppose my hunt for the perfect foundation continues. L
I hope this not as glowing review has helped you determine whether or not the new Too Faced Born This Way Foundation might suit your skin type. It’s definitely a great foundation and I understand why there are so many rave reviews out there right now. I just can’t seem to make it work for my skin. For normal, drier and even many combination skin types I think this foundation will be great, but if your skin is oily or just seems to turn into an oily wreck with many foundations, I would avoid this one. I really hate to say that because it looks nice initially, but that’s been my experience.
Let me know if you’ve had a similar experience with the Born This Way Foundation, or if you have any thoughts as to how to deal with the oil breakthrough. Any ideas are greatly appreciated! J I hope this foundation works well for at least a few of you, because I can tell it has phenomenal potential on the right skin. If you’ve tried it, I’d love to hear your experience. As always, thanks for stopping by and I will see you again in a few days! xoxo
