Vivienne Austen

Bourjois

Bourjois

To me, foundation is the most frustrating item of makeup to search for. There are so many ways for it to go wrong: shade, form of application, texture, coverage, lasting power. It might oxidise. It might break you out. It might wipe off on every single item of clothing you own. So, usually, I just wear concealer! When Bourjois reached out and kindly offered to send me their new stick foundation I was excited, and also nervous. What if I’d forgotten how to blend? Do I even have a foundation brush? Do they realise I’m pale as a sheet of office paper? On top of this, the last time I tried a stick foundation was probably about 2005. I was in my early teens and tended to have a ‘more is more’ approach to these things and it was, um, an experience. Well, that was more than a decade ago, and makeup has come a long way. So let’s get into it.

The details? Always Fabulous Stick Foundcealer. Yes, foundcealer! It’s made to function as both a full coverage foundation, but a colour correcting concealer. Semi matte finish, transfer and waterproof. In built cushion blender. Available in 10 shades, and exclusive to Priceline, recommended retail price is $33. At the time of posting this review (June 7th 2019) it’s on sale!

First impressions: Cute packaging! Rose gold and black, very sleek. I tested this with and without my beloved Tatcha primer, and I think it works best on well moisturised, primed skin. I was concerned that it would be too heavy for me, but you can actually get a good natural finish when buffing out with the built in cushion. It did a decent job with colour correction, but if you want to cover blemishes I’d use a traditional concealer. Its finish is satiny, neither fully matte nor dewy. It’s not thick and sticky as the stick foundations of the past were.

Overall opinion and recommendations: Velvety, medium to full coverage, and for me there was no issue of oxidisation or transfer! I think this would work best for people with normal to oily skin types. My winter skin has a tendency to get dry patches, which requires tinted moisturiser or nothing a lot of the time! When I’m well exfoliated it doesn’t cling. I think it would be great if the shade range was extended, and this relates to a wider issue in Australian chemists (drugstore/pharmacy) and stores where the more affordable foundations have limited options. It’s fun to use, and I was pleasantly surprised by the overall experience. However my personal foundation preference remains with dewier formulas. Coincidentally, my go-to favourite pharmacy foundation is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation – which I purchased myself for the first time three years ago and it’s a great option if you have dry skin or like a more glowy finish!

Thank you to Bourjois for giving me the opportunity to try this!

This post is an unpaid ad: A review of gifted product, with my honest impressions! Please feel free to ask me anything about my experience with the product. 

I am available to reviews, collaborations and commissions! Details for PR are here, and for commissions, here!