Cover FX is another one of those brands that I have coveted for so long and heard such good things about (largely from Kandee Johnson who uses the brand heavily in her videos and professional makeup kit) but had never gotten around to trying them out. That is until a couple of weeks ago when I got the chance to pick out a foundation of my choosing to try out... and the foundation turned into 2 thanks to the lovely PR lady :)
I wanted to try the 'Total Cover Cream Foundation' which is as suggested, a full coverage cream compact foundation. There is an impressive number of shades available in the range, 40 to be exact. These are split into 3 tones; pink, neutral and golden. I was deciding between the 2 lightest shades of the neutral tone and was very happily sent both! But when I received them, I noticed that they are VERY neutral... not a bad thing, but I'd say that I am probably slightly closer to the lightest shade of the golden tone, or somewhere in between that and the neutral shade. The N0 shade (lightest neutral shade) is a lovely highlight on my skin, and the N10 (second lightest) is a decent match but doesn't contain quite enough yellow to match my complexion. The range is quite extensive and goes up to a deep dark shade N120.
The coverage of this is brilliant. The formula is somewhat waxy and doesn't feel at all oily or greasy and it is very pigment heavy meaning a little goes a long way! My favourite thing about this though is that it contains a high sun protection factor of 30. Obviously I wouldn't rely on this as my main SPF but it is a nice boost for those days where a lot of sun exposure is a probability or you are going on holidays. It also contains anti-oxidants with anti-ageing properties.
It offers a subtly radiant natural finish when applied lightly and buffed well into the skin, but can be built up to full opaque coverage. Drier skin types could absolutely avoid or go easy on setting powder if not desired but a little powder applied lightly is no harm to control shine and set the cream in place for longevity.
This can be used as a foundation and concealer in one thanks to the high pigment content. I usually avoid heavy cream formulas under my eyes but this waxy, pigmented formula sits really well on my delicate under-eye area without showing up undesired texture.
It's free of Mineral oil, fragrance, talc and parabens and has been tested for sensitive skin types!
A good way of sheering down the formula is to mix a little bit with some foundation primer and apply it like a BB cream.
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In Ireland the foundation costs €44 and can be bought from The Beauty Bay online.
The U.S. price is $42 available direct from the website or from Sephora online, and the UK price is £35 available from House of Fraser online (among other web retailers).
I can honestly say these is nothing I dislike about this foundation for what it is. Obviously it wouldn't be the most suitable for flash photography but I just wouldn't use a formula with such a high SPF for that. When I wore this, it lasted really well and look perfectly intact after 6 hours wear which is a feat in of itself! Though this is typical of waxy formulas which tend to wear the most stable on skin.
This gets a 5/5 from me. (Not sponsored in any way to say that!
What do you guys think??
Shiv.
xx
I've been using this for nine years! The N0 is about a half shade too dark for my face, and a full shade too dark for my neck, but still looks okay if I'm covering my neck. I have very sensitive, oily skin, eczema, and cystic acne, and I've never had any problems whatsoever with Cover FX products. I've also been using their Custom Cover Drops for a few months, with the cream foundation as concealer, and I couldn't be happier with the combination. I definitely need a good setting powder for both, or else they're quite slippery on my skin. I like that the brand originated for covering acne, scarring, and birthmarks, and I love that they're cruelty-free, and offer such a wide range of shades [even if I'm too ghostly for a perfect match ;-) ].
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed by this foundation! You really sound as if you are the very very lightest skin colour so! Must be a nightmare to get matching foundations. White shades as mixers are obviously your best friend so!! xx
DeleteYeah, shade-matching truly had been a nightmare before I discovered this brand! I hadn't really been wearing foundation before that, because they were all way too dark for me. I recently decided to try the lightest Urban Decay powder foundation, and it was several shades too dark for me. :-/ I'd also decided to pick up that cream-colored Milani shadow stick because I'd seen so many pale Youtubers use it, but that's too dark as well. I mean, I can still use it for its intended purpose, obviously, but I cant use it as a concealer, and definitely not as a highlighter! So yeah, white products are a must!
DeleteP.s. Wanted to clarify on "covering my neck" since I realised that could be taken more than one way -- I meant if I'm wearing a scarf or turtleneck. :-)
How do you think this would work on under eyes with combination-oilier skin? I have the issue of undereye concealers pooling in the creases under my eyes. I've tried just using thinner layers and less product, but then I don't get enough coverage. Does it move around if you've set it? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt can settle into the smile lines under my eyes, but a good setting powder puts that off by several hours. As I said, it's very slippery, so once your skin oils have soaked up all of the setting powder, it will move a bit. *But* I've found that it's very easy to refresh by patting the lines with a warm finger, then resetting with more powder.
DeleteThank you for the reply! What setting powder do you use? I'm on the hunt for a new one as well.
DeleteLately I've been using a tiny amount of the Cover FX Setting Powder directly after I apply the foundation/concealer, then I do the rest of my makeup, and finish off with a light layer of the NYX Cosmetics HD Finishing Powder. Sometimes I also use an e.l.f. or NYX setting spray after that.
DeleteThank you! do you use the CFX matte or illuminating setting power? I've seen some reviews that they can set darker on the skin, even the light translucent shades. I see that you're very fair, more so than I am, do you find that to be true?
DeleteHonestly, I'm still using their old Setting Powder from before the reformulation/repackaging/renaming -- I use such a small amount of it at a time; it's *almost* gone! -- so I can't attest to the new ones, but the old one doesn't oxidise on me at all.
DeleteThank you! The powder I'm finishing up soon is pretty old as well. It's hard to find now. I don't know where you're from, but I'm in Canada and we have a brand called Marcelle here, they have a powder that gets good reviews (although few of them because Canadians brands aren't that well known), so I've been debating on whether to purchase that or a Cover FX one.
DeleteThat's funny, 'cause Cover FX is a Canadian brand, lol!
Deletehaha yes it is, but is sold elsewhere. I don't think Marcelle is.
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