The Best Drugstore Foundation? Focallure Fluid Foundation Review (01 – Alabaster)

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Hey, pretty people!

I did not include this is my Focallure Haul, mainly because when I order from countries outside of the European Union I always risk my products to be held hostage by the Italian Customs.

I split my orders to avoid unpleasant surprises later on, and I pray that people over at the Focallure warehouse don’t judge me too much.

THE JOURNEY

Before picking up this foundation, I had a bit of an internal debate about which products should I try out. This one looked really appealing, but the ‘Air Fluid’ foundation seemed quite good as well. Since I had seen this one around for a while, I decided to pick it out.

I use foundation quite often, and the only time I eliminate it from my routine is summer. I have tried quite a few formulations in the past, but I can say I appreciate all the finishes they can offer; from dewy, to matte, to satin: I’m here for it no matter what.

This product offers a velvet-matte finish for a full-coverage formula: both are strong claims, but are they actually true?

Let’s find out!

GENERAL SPECIFICS

Net Wt, 1.09 fl. Oz. (31g)
8 shades total
24 months shelf life
Curelty-free
Vegan
Full coverage claim
Velvet-matte finish

You can find the full list of ingredients on focallure.com.

PACKAGING

Even if the bottle looks a bit smaller than your average foundation, this little guy actually holds a little more formula.

The product comes in a black cardboard with the word ‘Face’ in a light grey shade. All over the cardboard, you will also find the general specifics and name of the brand and the product printed in white.

The actual bottle is a bit smaller than what I thought, with the black being the biggest feature of it. I personally love the feeling of the frosted glass, and the black writings pop quite well on it.

All in all, this product looks quite high quality to me. The bottle is slick, without any distracting designs on it and a very good grip on it.

Another detail that I appreciated was the applicator. The pump allows you to pick up enough product without any spills, and it’s also a more practical choice if you like to travel.

FORMULA, APPLICATION AND PERFORMANCE

The ‘Skin Evolution Fluid Foundation’ promises quite a few things, to the point where this formula seems too good to be true. Let’s get down to it!

The first thing I want to address is the coverage; this foundation is marketed as a medium to full coverage one, and I can say that it is absolutely true.

It’s quite hard to find a foundation that actually offers a good medium coverage, and I have to admit this one does a pretty good job at it. It provides an amazing finish right off the bat, but you could still build it up to a full coverage finish with just another coat without creating a cakey texture.

THE FINISH

Now let’s talk a little bit about the finish: is it actually velvet matte? Will it provide a silky smooth base? Weirdly enough, the finish seems to be one of a soft matte product.

Ok, I am not saying that this is the perfect matte foundation, because it isn’t. If you are looking for a proper matte finish, I am afraid you’ll need to search elsewhere.

This is the smallest dot blended out with my fingers

In fact, this foundation is kind of a marriage between a matte and a dewy finish, leaning more towards the glowy side. How can this be possible? It’s truly harder to explain than to show.

THE GLOW

The glow seems to come from under the foundation rather than from it, creating a wonderful natural effect on the face; your complexion seems to be much healthier, and it’s perfect for people who prefer a more ‘conservative’ look to their base.

Will the glow last throughout the day, even after setting the face with powder? It could, under certain conditions.

I have combination to oily skin, with my nose being the part that lasts the least, followed by my forehead, chin and cheeks. I usually set my face with translucent powder, building up thin veils to ensure my base will last all day but won’t end up being a cakey mess; this is the exact method I used with this foundation.

WEAR TEST

After priming my face using the Superfruit Extract, I took 2 pumps of product and spread it on my face using my fingers. I found this quantity to be enough to cover the surface completely, and creates a nice medium coverage.

This is what the foundation looked like after 7 hours, right after I blew my nose. You can clearly see it disrupting, but I wouldn’t say it was a critical situation.

Personally, I prefer to use a beauty sponge (Real Techniques ‘Miracle Face + Body Sponge’), and I found the formula to spread. It blended out quickly and naturally, without creating a heavy feel or look on the face.

The consistency of it reminds me of a migle ground between a cream, a gel and also a water-y formula. It won’t run down your cheeks, but it’s still easy to blend and control.

THE FINISH

This is what the base looked like at the end of the day, 9 hours after I set it. It did not look freshly applied, but considering I did not touch it up I would say it still looked pretty good!

Overall, the finish of this foundation looks pretty natural. It won’t hide your pores perfectly, but will help you conceal more prominent imperfections – like pimples and such. It did not settle in my fine lines or crease right away, which is always a positive aspect.

The finish is velvet matte as marketed, and the glow is still present on a heavily set face (even if it’s quite faint) and will provide a healthy looking base all day long. Also, it does not highlight texture on the face.

WEAR TEST

I tested the foundation for a little over 9 hours, and the results left me pleasantly surprised. I started seeing my nose getting oily around the 5 hour mark, which is pretty standard for a foundation; the first signs of disrupting came after 7 hours, mainly around my nose (because I blew it lol).

Despite this, however, the look of it was pretty much intact. It still was quite solid after 9 hours, but the area around my nose was a little beat up; a little touch up would have been nice, but I was already planning on taking it off. At this point I was quite aware I had a full face of foundation on, but I still wasn’t too bothered by it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Now, at the end of the day would I recommend the Fluid Foundation by Focallure? I would, but under certain circumstances. Let’s see what I liked about it first!

The packaging is nice and polished, with non-distracting designs and a practical pump applicator.

Secondly, the Fluid Foundation formula offers a good amount of coverage without leaving a heavy feeling on the face nor texturizing it. It provides enough coverage to conceal blemishes and imperfections, but won’t do miracles when it comes to pores.

It most definitely is long lasting, more than other drugstore foundations I have tried, and creates a nice velvet matte finish that suits many skintypes.

Now, what did I not enjoy about this foundation? Only one thing, really: the shade range.

Being a Chinese brand, Focallure naturally focuses on a different and much more restricted spectrum than what we usually see. It’s also not as renown, which is something that does not help expand a shade range.

However, this is not an excuse; there should definitely be more variety, especially now that the brand is expanding and reaching a new and varied clientele. The Fluid Foundation formula is absolutely amazing, and I would love for more people to try it out!