Quest for the best budget foundation: Catrice Photo Finish takes me from EW to OOH!

Every time I enter a Boots or a Penneys, I get a shiver of excitement. Could this be the time? Could today be the day I stumble upon the foundation that could change my life?

And as I swatch endless samples and watch my hands gradually became more and more streaked with brown muck, I think to myself - is the quest for the perfect foundation an impossible one?

Look at me getting all Carrie Bradshaw here. But seriously, is it?

Until I can afford to conduct a proper experiment with foundations from every price bracket, my quest for the perfect foundation is hampered by the search for the cheapest one that won't turn me into an Oompa Loompa.

And recently, I thought I'd found it. Catrice Infinite Matt Foundation in Honey Beige, €6.99 from Penneys and some good pharmacies, did the trick beautifully. It had a matt finish - essential. Good coverage - wonderful. Great price tag - perfect!

When I was scraping the last of the foundation from the sides of the bottle, I happily toddled down to Penneys in the hope of purchasing another. After hunting in Penneys stores from Mayo to Dublin, I had to accept the facts - Catrice Infinite Matt has been (as far as I can tell) discontinued. I still have the bottle, so I know I didn't completely make it up. Infinite Matt definitely existed. Where'd it go, Catrice? Where'd it go?! Look - proof!

In a panic, and ashamed of my baseless face, I grabbed the closest thing to my doomed dream shade - Catrice's Photo Finish in Rosy Beige (again, €6.99).

For the most part, they're pretty similar. Photo Finish has a very strong fragrance - possibly the only truly annoying difference - and Rosy Beige is just a little too pink-y for my liking, but it feels pleasantly light on my skin and covers my dark circles and pesky spots quite nicely. The photo on the left is me at 6:30am, sans makeup and looking absolutely haggard, and then on the right at 6:40am, looking slightly more alive thanks to Photo Finish. It also helped that the sun deigned to shine on me while I took the second picture.

The quest for the perfect foundation continues, but at least I'll look somewhat good (and have more moolah in the poca) while I'm on it.

What do you rate in the budget foundation stakes?