I know I write a lot about good base for pale, dry skintypes. Mine, in fact. This makes me an expert in knowing what works for my issues, but it's not a lot of help for you ladies with differing concerns, is it?
So, I've got a couple of recommendations up my sleeves at the mo for those of you with combination or sebum-prone complexions and number one is Stila's One Step Foundation, €21.99 from BeautyFragrances.co.uk. It promises to do four jobs in one - prime, conceal, foundate (a new word I just made up) and powder. Right so. I never ever ever believe these claims. It's all a bit 'makeup wipe that cleanses, tones, moisturises (ha!) and gives relationship advice'. You take these sort of things with more than a pinch of salt, don't you?
That didn't put me off trying it, but once I'd read the blurb on the box I swiftly realised this is oil-free, so a large no-no for a Saharan complexion. If your skin is dry I definitely think you need some oil in your base for glide and glow, and that's what I would look for personally. Conversely, if you're producing Exxon quantities of slick a day, then you don't want to add to it, so this Stila feller is the sort of product to look for.
Ok, so what's this like? The foundation is paraben-free and has a mousse texture that's dispensed by pump from a silvered plastic 30ml tube. The texture is quite dry and fairly thick but feels smooth thanks to a large amount of silicone in the mix - in fact it's the number one ingredient. This gives the makeup lots of slip and it's also what helps to tamp down shine and keep it in place for the day.
Advertised
Coverage is matte - there's no glow or shimmer here - and a good bit better than medium, in fact I'd say you could build this to full. I tried the shade Fair 01, which is quite peachy and wasn't a bad match but a little more yellow in tone than I'd normally go for. There are eight shades in total, so while it's not the biggest range, there are two-to-three colours that could work with an Irish skintone.
So lets talk about the claim. Does it do four things in one? Y'know, it probably does - if you don't have massive dark circles or super-duper amounts of oil then you may be able to skip the powder and concealer steps, especially for a quick day look. The thickness of the mix ensures lots of coverage of scary bits, it's got silicone which is the basis of many primers, like Smashbox's Photo Finish and it's matte, so gives that powder effect.
On my skin, this didn't work at all, it looked patchy and claggy, while it didn't feel drying I didn't like how my skin looked in the mirror; flat and dull with noticeable product clumps. The final verdict? Definitely worth a punt for the sebum-prone who like coverage, longwear fans or anyone who finds makeup disappears in seconds. For the dry of face, look for something else - I've got some great recommendations here.
