I recently hauled a few things from Bobbi Brown this year and it included this liquid foundation. Up until this point I had only tried one other thing from this brand, her pressed powder foundation, which was ages ago.

After seeing an interview with Bobbi herself and hearing her philosophy around minimal and natural looking makeup, I was intrigued to try more of her products. The models on the website had such fresh and modern looks that I knew I needed to try some products.

“Women want to look and feel exactly like themselves, only prettier and more confident,” – Bobbi Brown, 1991

I have been using the foundation for a couple of weeks now so I thought it was time to share my thoughts on it.

Claims: from bobbibrown.com.au

A 16-hour wear, full coverage foundation with a natural, multidimensional matte finish that’s comfortable, breathable and weightless.

Finish:

I generally enjoy a demi-matte leaning to dewy/radiant finish since I use korean cushion foundations. What made me gravitate to this particular foundation was that even though it had a matte finish, it was described as natural matte, skin-like and weightless. I feel like the claims are true, it feels lightweight on the skin and it doesn’t give me a flat matte or dry look. It contains marine sugar cane which is known for balancing your skin’s oils as well as glycerin, which is an humectant that helps to retain moisture, keeping your skin hydrated and comfortable. I would disagree from the claims that it is full coverage though because its more like a medium. Maybe if you went heavy with a brush it could be buildable to full. I feel like since it sets so quickly, building it up might cause some caking. I haven’t tried it yet though so let me know if you’ve tried to build it up.

Shade:

I had been matched at David Jones (Australian department store) but it was off. The sales assistant wasn’t overly enthused to begin with and applied Golden Natural 4.75, which ended up being too golden borderline orange for my NC30-35 skin tone. I hate department store lighting because its generally not realistic as well as getting mediocre service. So instead of purchasing that day, I gave it some thought and bought it online. I settled on Warm Natural 4.5 (warm undertone). It suits me a lot better than Golden Natural but still isn’t quite an exact match. Natural Tan 4.25 (neutral/olive undertone) might have been more suitable but this still works for me.

Application:

I usually prep my skin really well with a few steps (cleanse, tone, essence, moisturise) and apply this after sunscreen and primer. I’ve used three methods of application, fingers, damp beauty sponge and buffing brush. Since I tend to like more of a lightweight application, I tend to like using a damp sponge the most. I use two pumps for my face and an extra half a pump for my neck. The consistency is a bit thick but I can still easily spread it around my face and blend it in with the sponge without an hassles. If you like heavier coverage, a buffing brush works well too. It sets quickly too so you need to be quick or apply sections of the face at a time.

Lasting power:

I dust powder on my t-zone since my skin is combination and it last for around 8 hours if its not too humid. Some oil does come through in the afternoon around 3 or 4pm but not enough to cause me blot or worry about it too much. If I use setting spray in the center of the face, this doesn’t happen.

I don’t think its completely transfer and sweat proof though because some of it comes off when I tap my tissue to absorb any sweat. The foundation is recommended for normal to oily skin types and I would agree with that. For oily skin types, I would powder the whole face and use setting spray for extra insurance especially if you live in humid climates.

Price:

I purchased it from bobbibrown.com.au for $70 AUD. When you buy online, depending on how much you spend, you get some complimentary goodies with your purchase. I received my products within a few days, beautifully boxed and packaged. I have bought something else from the David Jones counter and didn’t receive anything else besides mediocre service.

Final thoughts:

I really like this foundation. It is reliable in terms of wear time and the colour match, even though its not 100%, its pretty close. I like how my skin looks, it has decent coverage but still looks like skin. I could probably even get away with not powdering in autumn/winter since it sets quite quickly.

If you are looking to try a foundation from this brand and have normal – oily skin, I would recommend this product.

I’ll be writing some more posts on the other products I bought from Bobbi Brown as well so if you’re interested to see more, keep an eye out for more reviews.