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That's Lancome's foundation in the shade of 555 Suede C.
PROS:
- Excellent texture out of the bottle
- Matches my dark skin shade to perfection
- Lasts through the day (and even through the night, if it has to)
- Would probably last a while because a little bit covers well
CONS:
- Price is ridiculous. Outrageous. ($47 at Ulta)
- The finish is too drying when it has set
- The price would cover a weeks' worth of my groceries, including coffee and toiletries
- I had to add some oil to give my face a more natural look.
- The price, the price, the price.
For someone that can afford this (and who wants a very matte finish), this is probably a perfect foundation. I had buyer's remorse even as I got my cardholder discount (paid around $30 instead of the nearly $50 tag).
So why did I get this in the first place? Typical dilemma. I was feeling blah on my way to a meeting about job prospects. The sun was out in full force (which, as you know, will highlight both the best and worse of your facial features), and I was almost out of my favorite foundation. Oh, and, I have to add this: my favorite and most perfect (and most affordable ever) foundation is no longer available anywhere except for on Ebay. Ugh.
This right here is what I have been wearing for around 5 or more years:
It matches my skin tone (and even has the slight read under shading I love). And it's only ever cost me $10 at the most. Sometimes, I've gotten it for $8.99 online. One tube would last me 6 months, even if I was using it every day (which I don't usually do). ~sigh~
I tried using a similar product from the same Black Radiance brand.
The shade is also "Ebony", but I don't know why the two shades are so completely different. This is about a shade and a half darker than the other "Ebony". The texture is also much thicker (and heavier). I guess it's supposed to be for heavier coverage. Whatever the reason, it doesn't work for me.
I'm not knocking Lancome. Matter of fact, I'm happy that a major brand bothered to have a shade in a darker color. Real happy. I just wish I didn't have to see that price tag! LOL
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| If you compare all three, subtle differences are enough |
Before I even headed into Ulta, I tracked down every other possibility of shades and brands online. Imagine my shock when I realized SheaMoisture offers a foundation in shades a lot of women could love...
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| I see you down there, Madidi Mocha |
I've badmouthed SheaMoisture before for their over-hyped/over-priced hair products. Never thought I'd even consider buying anything again from that brand. That makeup is the bombtastic diggity though. Unfortunately, the Anchorage Ulta doesn't carry it. I could order it online and return it to my local Ulta (which is what I am considering when I return the Lancome, pronto), but buying a foundation online is tricky when you've never used it before.
My niece turned me on to another online brand that looks promising. It's called BH Cosmetics. Looks very interesting (especially those prices!).
Right now, the BH foundation is $4.50 (reg $9.00).
Once again, there's that problem of trying to get the right shade... This brings me to another issue with makeup companies:
Why on earth don't these brands offer realistic shade charts? I'm sure that women of every shade and hue gets frustrated by trying to match one brand to another. I did find this one site called Foundation Matrix that helps with that.
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| Isn't that a beautiful thing? I need that shade 4th from the left |
The only thing is, because there are so many brands and shades, you might not find yours in the mix. I give them big props for even attempting to keep their database current.
Bottom line, it is just getting too hard to obtain decent basic makeup at affordable prices. My next step is going to be learning how to make my own. Pinterest has some interesting information on that.
(You can get almost everything you need from Making Cosmetics.)
In the meantime, the hunt is still on for a foundation that I don't have to trek back to the store with for my refund :-(
Peace
--Free
UPDATE: Just a couple hours after writing this post, I made up my mind to get back to Ulta for my refund (as soon as this snow lets up). With the $30-something that I will be getting credited back to my bank, I found all this on BH Cosmetics for about the same price. That's FIVE products (2 foundations) for less than the price of a single high brand - including the shipping to Alaska. Take that, you other brands...
| Product Description | Quantity | Ext. Price |
|---|---|---|
 BH Liquid
Foundation: Deep Espresso |
1 | $4.50 |
 Studio
Pro Perfecting Concealer: Dark |
1 | $5.50 |
 BH Liquid Eyeliner:
Black |
1 | $4.00 |
 Forever Nude
Aqua Gloss: Chai Latte |
1 | $5.50 |
 BH Liquid
Foundation: Deep Ebony |
1 | $4.50 |
| Subtotal: | $24.00 | |
Notice that I got TWO of the foundations (to be sure of shades). Even if I have to return this stuff, it's going to be worth it to find what works for me. I will surely be back to do reviews on the products once they get here.
