Current foundations & concealers review (L'Oréal, Max Factor, Maybelline, Vichy)

It's been quite some time since I reviewed something and I decided to talk (write) about my current foundations and concealers. I don't have that much to review and I definitely don't have capacity to review brand products (for example all foundations and concealers from brand Maybelline). I also just randomly purchased these foundations and concealers based on my skin tone and based on a very very poor choice available in the dutch drugstores ( I live in Netherlands).
Actually most of them are very good, I'm using them a lot but there are some I prefer slightly more and I will explain further why.

no foundation on

For comparison there is photo of my face without make up. There is some redness, discoloration, freckles and blemishes as well, so you can see on the photos with foundation and concealer on how good does it cover.
First I'm going to mention the name of the reviewed foundation and it's shade, and concealer as well. On a photo next to it there is foundation and concealer used on my face, little photo of the products themselves (as a proof that I actually have them and I used them) and also zoomed in part of my cheek where I have enlarged pores, some scaring, birth marks, bit of my under eye mimic wrinkles and part of my nose (where the most redness is) also with the foundation on so you can see how does it really look like from close up.
There could be little difference in color of these photo's because I was making them in front of window so I was using only daylight, no flash light and my camera makes photos which are not always 100% true colored.
Also, the foundations might be looking different on these photos than in reality but I did my best to make the photos as close as possible.
I will review foundations and concealers per brand. For certain brands I have no concealers so I won't be reviewing them.
I made photos of those foundations the same day so my face looked exactly the same with applying foundation and I also didn't use any primer in order to get the most of the foundation.

L'Oréal True Match in C2 Rose Vanilla

 L'Oréal
True Match foundation in shade C2 Rose Vanilla
True Match Touche Magique Concealer pen
"No match for me"

This is quite good foundation, medium coverage, nice matt finish - very good for women with very smooth skin. I however have very textured skin, I have acne scars and enlarged pores (which look like little holes in my skin from close-up view). What this foundation does is, that is starts sitting in those pores and scares and in the wrinkles as well and it makes them look more visible. That's one minus. Another minus for me is the color. For me foundation with name "C" (for cool, W for warm, N for neutral) should be having yellow undertone in it. This one unfortunately has red undertone therefore I'm not very happy with it. If you however have red undertone skin, it might be perfect. Maybe the name "rose vanilla" refers to red undertones but how about the name C? It is just very confusing. Maybe I picked up a wrong color, but there was not much choice. On the website there are 3 color shades from each lightness level (C1, W1, N1, C2, W2, N2...etc) but there are very hard to get in the shops in this (full) range. Still, C2 should be yellow, not red.

Concealer is very good though. I assumed that's meant to be under eye concealer - considering it's texture and packaging (liquid concealer in pen). 

It covers very nicely, it doesn't set in the wrinkles, it doesn't move much through the day and pigmentation is very decent.

It comes with little brush from which comes out the product after you twist the bottom but I really don't recommend to apply it directly under your eyes because that brush is very very stiff and that's definitely not gentle to your skin. 

I mostly get some product on back of my hand and I apply it with a finger under my eyes.

I wouldn't use it for blemishes or anything tricky to cover because it's way too light (texture) so it wouldn't cover much.

Also, it's very good for light to medium under-eye darkness but it wouldn't cover bad discoloration or too dark under-eye area. 

You can also use it as a highlighter for your cheekbones, forehead, nose, chin, etc.  

Maybelline Super Stay 24H in 030 Sand

Maybelline Super Stay 24h foundation (030 Sand) & concealer (2 Light, 3 Medium)
"good coverage, no clogging"

I have to say that I really love this foundation. It is amazing for this price and a fact that it's a drugstore brand.
It is very pigmented, formula is liquid but much thicker texture so you have to blend it well - and it goes on the best when you apply it with your fingers.
It stays on all day long - of course it won't be looking exactly same as after you put it on, no foundation does, but it is pretty "long lasting".

The coverage is also very good. It covered my freckles and redness without any problem and I really had to apply just very thin layer, which is quite surprising.

The micro-flex stretch formula provides that this foundation adjusts itself to your skin - and it really works - in my experience.
It doesn't set in wrinkles or pores (therefore no "clogging") so that's a huge plus.
Color shade is also very good. Nice yellow/neutral undertone, no reds so that's something I am very satisfied with.

I have 2 concealers from the same Super Stay 24h line and I am not very fond of them.
They are liquid concealers with bit thicker and dryer formula so they are supposed to stay on blemishes and cover any spots or discoloration - which they do, I have to admit.
I am not happy at all with the colors of these concealers - they were only 3 shades available in the store - numbers 1, 2 and 3. I picked up 2 and 3 from which number 3 has nice yellow/neutral undertone but it is way too dark for me (for covering up blemishes and redness) and number 2 has very ugly grey-ish red undertone and it doesn't match my skin at all. I can't imagine anybody whose skin it would match. So that's a minus. I also quite don't understand how these concealers look like in the packaging. There is kind of a sediment on the bottom of the bottle and I don't know what is it or why is it there. Is the product old, or did it go bad, or is that reaction on warmth or sunlight? I have no idea.

Max Factor Lasting Performance in 101 & 105 

 Max Factor Lasting  Performance foundation (101,  105)
 Pan Stik (concealer  stick), Mastertouch Under-eye  concealer pen (303 Ivory, 309  Beige) "amazing coverage, extremly  natural looking"

When I tried this foundation on for the first time I was  really amazed. So light formula and such an high  pigmentation! 
When you put this foundation on you don't even feel it. It is as light as an moisturizer. I put on just a  little drop of this foundation (half pea size) and it is enough to cover my entire face. The coverage is the highest possible. It leaves on  nice matt finish but deffinitely not dry and it is almost undetectable.
If you find a perfect shade and you put on only little amount nobody would find out that you are wearing foundation

I think that this foundation would work with any skintype.
The formula is just perfect, I can't say it enough.

I have shades 101 Ivory Beige and 105 Soft Beige. I mostly mix them up together because 101 is too light and 105 too dark - and again, there was no shade in between available in the store.


The minus point is that shade 101 is too red. Shade 105 is great, it's yellow undertone so it matches my skin perfect but it's too dark, as I have already mentioned. So the minus point is again - no color with good undertone in a lightness range.
The Pan Stik was a bit surprise for me because I didn't know wether it is foundation or concealer. The answer is simple - both! You can use it as a foundation stick or as an concealer. The coverage is very good, formula too but again - red undertone. So no match for me.
Under-eye concealers are very good. They don't set in wrinkles, they stay on, colors are perfect but they could be bit more pigmented. The L'Oréal's Touche Magique concealer pen has a better pigmentation in my opinion. So I would use this one only for light discoloration or light under-eye darkness, nothing too much of an challenge. It comes with little sponge applicator so you can apply it directly into your under eye area and blend it gently with your fingers or brush.

Vichy Dermablend stick 12 & 14

Vichy dermablend Ultra Corrective Foundation-Cream Stick (14 Nude, 12 Opal)
"perfect coverage, slight oily finish"

I purchased this foundation stick when the freckles on my left cheek turned into pigment spots (caused during pregnancy). I was so fed up by concealers and foundations I had not be able to cover these spots and I really needed something with super power. I have seen ad on this stick showing guy with tattoos and this foundation was supposed to cover them 99%.


Now after a year of using this foundation stick I have to say that it DOES cover  a lot, it does cover more than common concealer but I don't find it capeable of covering tattoos. It has no super power and it doesn't make such a huge difference.

Though it's a very nice foundation, it covers very
very good, it is meant for people with normal to dry skin so it leaves a bit of oily finish - not too oily of course. Nothing which couldn't be fixed with powder.


Good thing about it is that you definitely don't need any primer under it. It is very thick and dry but after you put on your face it melts so you can blend it easily.

I apply stripes (directly from package) on my forehead, nose, cheeks, jaws and chin and then I blend them all over my face with my fingers.
With this technique you use only a little product and you can blend it very good.
I've seen women applying this with a stiff foundation brush but in my opinion this way you happen to apply way too much of a product absolutely unnecessarily.
This way it is also easy to use 2 colors at the same time - as I do. My nose, cheeks an forehead are mostly bit darker than rest of my face (these parts of the face are more exposed to sun than jaws, chin and temples) so I use darker foundation for this area and lighter for the rest of the face.

Another big plus of this foundation is that it doesn't clog the pores - it looks much better than foundation which does clog the pores and sets in them so they look even worse and it is also very good for skin itself - who would want to have blackheads?

I don't see any down side of this foundation, so I would highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't have oily skin and needs this kind of coverage.

Vichy dermablend 25 Nude

Vichy dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation 16HR in 25 Nude "the best of all"

After having such a wonderful experience with (above mentioned) Vichy stick foundation I decided to try also fluid/liquid version of Dermablend line from Vichy (which is pharmacy's cosmetics).
It was as I expected - another great foundation, extreme pigmentation, no pore clogging formula, long lasting effect - it has it all.
Although, this foundation feels very heavy and thick once applied on skin.

If you are used to it by wearing quite thick layer of foundation then it's not a problem but for me it's not very nice feeling.

I really prefer the "light weight" feeling of foundation on my skin otherwise I feel like I'm wearing a mask.
It is exactly opposite as I was talking about in Max Factor's Lasting Performance foundation - light foundation versus heavy foundation.

It's still very good foundation and I guess it's one of my favourites.
 I wear it on daily basis mixed with Max Factor's Lasting Performance shade 101 Ivory Beige or with my new Pro Longwear Concealer from MAC.
This concealer is shade NC 20 so it is pretty light and yellow and if I mix it with this Vichy foundation the shade is perfect and it also gets much light-feeling formula.
I also normally put my GOSH primer underneath this foundation (mixture).

This foundation is developed especially for people with big issues such as huge pigment spots, bad discoloration, dark spots, light spots etc. but it's also very good for people who hate freckles.
You can see on the photo that it has covered my birth marks almost entirely and they are dark brown. It is not 100% coverage but on the other hand I put on just very tiny amount.
Maybe if you layer it, it might actually cover some spots or marks entirely.
This foundation is also supposed to be waterproof, which I have no experience with - I never go swimming with my make up on - but, when I put it on back of my hand to mix it with other foundation/concealer it stays on and I can't wash it off with only clean water. It needs some cream or oil and some definite rubbing to remove it. So, the waterproof part might be actually true.

Maybelline Super Stay 24 hour Color Lipsticks

 I have already mentioned these lipsticks in one of my previous reviews so I am not going to write it all over again. As I said before, these lipsticks are same kind as L'Oréal's Infallible and Max Factor's Lipfinity. The whole point is that these lipstick are not smudging, staining nor moving and once you apply them they WILL stay on until you remove it. The formula is fluid, application is similar to lip gloss and it dries on lips into matt finish. Down side is that it doesn't feel nice on lips when you try it first time - it is very very dry - but after some time you can get used to it. However, there is a balm on the other side of the lipstick which you should apply once the lipstick is totally dry. That makes it bit better. Also, taste of that balm is not one of my favourite.
Though after you try these kind of lipsticks you will see how nicely they stay on and you will never go back to common lipsticks any more..at least I didn't.
Another advantage of these lipsticks is that they are very pigmented and you can also layer them to achieve higher intensity. Mostly one layer is enough to cover up your natural lip color but if you wish to have darker or more intense color you can easily apply 2 layers.
I first start with filling my lips with surface of the applicator, then I outline them with very tip of the applicator. I wait till it's all dry and then I apply one more coat all over the lips. With darker and more intense colors I also use very precise small lip brush, I dip it into lipstick and I go over the edges of my lips to create very fine precise outline. Remember, more dark and intense color you are using, more precise you have to be because it will show. I also usually go bit over the natural line of my lips to make them appear bigger and fuller (which looks always better with using dark colors).
On the pictures below you will see my collection of Maybelline Super Stay 24 Lipsticks with numbers and colors - which are available in European market. Shades and numbers are different for US.

Maybelline Superstay 24 hour Color 585 Burgundy

Maybelline Superstay 24 hour Color 260 Wildberry

Maybelline Superstay 24 hour Color 510 Red Passion

Maybelline Superstay 24 hour Color 240 Plum Seduction

Maybelline Superstay 24 hour Color 615 Soft Taupe

Maybelline Superstay 24 hour Color 340 Absolute Plum

testing L'Oréal STUDIO SECRETS Magic Perfecting Base

I was searching for some base which would fill in imperfections in my skin - enlarged pores and acne scars. I know that this might be quite challenging because my acne scars are deep under the skin surface and kind of impossible to cover them perfectly but I am not expecting any miracles. Just searching for product which will make a difference.

Then I found this L'Oréal STUDIO SECRETS Magic Perfecting Base product which promised "perfect skin texture" and it is supposed to "minimize the look of pores and fine lines". Well, let's see how well it works.

The product itself is kind of very thick paste, it blends nice but I have feeling that it doesn't quite gets into the skin that well. It just keeps sticking at the surface.
First I have applied thin layer all over the face (while I was doing make-up on someone else). It was very nice and smooth but after I have applied foundation stick on top of it, IT TOTALLY CREASED!
It formed kind of tiny chunks so I had to remove it completely. I don't know where I went wrong, I didn't use much of this primer and I have never experienced that kind of reaction with foundation I was using...

Another time I used it, I did not apply any foundation on top but only translucent powder. And result was quite nice - it did not smoothen my skin very significantly but it made bit of a difference in texture and my pores seemed to be less "deep".

In the pictures below you will see my face first without any product on and on the second photo you will see the result after dabbing this primer into skin and using Maybelline Super Stay concealer afterwards. I have chosen this concealer because it has dry formula so it is working very well with rich base.

Skin without any product

skin after using Magic Perfecting Base and concealer on top of it

CONCLUSION: Quite good but not that special. I would give it 2 out of 5 points.

24H Lipsticks - Max Factor, L'Oreal, Maybelline

I have looked in my lipsticks drawer lately and I have realised that most of lipsticks I own are 24hour stay lipsticks from several brands - Max Factor, L'Oreal and Maybelline. I decided to try them all on with same face make up and see how they really look like when I am wearing them. Also I was kind of curious whether there is any significant difference between brands. What I have find out is that there is really tiny difference between product itself (brand wise) although each brand uses different brushes (Max Factor's lipsticks have more "fluffy" brushes, L'Oreal ones have same fluffy brushes but they are also much longer than those from Max Factor and Maybelline have long brushes but not fluffy and much more pointy - personally I like the brushes from Maybelline the most). There is difference in texture between shades though - shimmery shades of lipsticks have different texture than matte ones. On the pictures below you can see the results.

Max Factor Lipfinity 140  Charming

Max Factor Lipfinity 001 Pearly Nude

Max Factor Lipfinity 056 Glazed

Max Factor Lipfinity 008 Tanned Rose

Max Factor Lipfinity 088 Jeweld

Max Factor Colour&Gloss 
560 Radiant red

Max Factor Lipfinity 113 Fiery

Max Factor Lipfinity 070 Spicy

There is my whole Max Factor lip makeup collection. I have been using these Lipfinity lipsticks since they have appeared on our marked. First time I've used them I was surprised by the texture which is very nice, coverage is decent as well, (although it depends on texture and colour) so one coat is usually enough, I like the lip balm which comes with the package in order to add shine and more comfortable texture to the lips (lipstick itself might make lips feel bit dry-out, I personally don't mind). Colour really DOES stay on lips ridiculously long although I am not very sure how long exactly because I never go to bed with make-up on but I can honestly say that it stays till you remove it with make-up remover AS LONG AS YOUR LIPS DON'T GET IN CONTACT WITH ANY FAT OR OIL. That is where all trick stops working. So if you really want this lipsticks (all of this kind, not only Max Factor brand) to stay on, you should avoid eating or drinking anything what contains fat, grease or oil (if you are on diet this might work excellent as a fat-control:-)) 

L'Oréal Infallible 110 Timeless Rose

L'Oréal Infallible 121 Flawless Fuchsia

As you can see I owe just a couple of L'Oréals lipsticks. Reason for this is that they are on our market just recently (in this version which is comparable with Max Factor's Lipfinity and Maybelline's super stay). Before were these products (Infallible lipsticks) under same name different kind of lipsticks - they were creamy "bullet" versions with duo package (together with lip balm) which looked bit like lightener with little mirror on the back. Therefore it was kind of different product for me. I am not saying if they were better before (with cream texture) or now (as a liquid stick) because it is very hard to say but I guess that precise application of cream "bullet" lipstick is much easier than of the liquid one. Well, they are not on the market anymore so all L'Oréal lipsticks I will purchase in the future will be these new liquid ones. They are not any different from above mentioned Max Factor Lipfinity's, same product, same coverage, same no fat rule, same long-lasting product so no competition here:-) Only thing which differs is the applicator tip (which I have mentioned above). It is slightly easier to work with than with these from Max Factor.

Testing Sleek I-Divine Storm eyeshadow palette (golds, browns & green)

I have purchased this palette mainly because of neutral brown shadows and very pretty shimmery pinks which I find awesome for my eye colour particularly. I needed a palette which would have everything I need for creating neutral looks. Well, I have this palette several months but I haven't created single neutral look with it so far:-). I find it amazing for all kinds of looks but recently I've been using it especially for smokey eyes (or how I call it - smokey winter eyes:-)). I'm attaching just some pics of few looks I have created with this palette. I tried not to use any other eyeshadows which was quite challenging because there is no light matte neutral colour for blending in this palette. However, all colour are amazing, I really love shimmery ones - 3 different shades of gold, beautiful browns, amazing pinky wine colour and trio of the best shimmery shades for smokey eyes - grey, forest green and navy blue...of course, there is no Sleek palette without black colour as well. As usually, all shadows are highly pigmented, with proper base they will stick on whole day and you really don't have to be worried about fall-outs that much (shimmery shades intend to be more tricky in this area, but good brushes will minimize the problem).

Testing Sleek I-Divine Candy Collection palette (purples & pinks)

Palette without flash

Palette with flash

Testing Sleek I-Divine Candy Collection palette (lime, aqua & blues)