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Monday 25 February 2013

Swatches: Pale Foundation

Geekily (that ain't a word), I'm rather excited about this post. I would like to head it "the eternal search for a pale foundation", but that sounds more like a film than a blog-post and was too long for the title ya know! I mentioned in my last post, the review for Lancome's new Teint Visionnaire foundation, that I'd spent some time swatching and photographing a bundle of my foundations to see how they compared to each other and to Teint V. This is probably half my current stash (!) and as you'll hopefully be able to see there is quite a difference between them.
It's harder than it looks to photograph this amount of swatches on your own arm whilst taking the photo with the other hand! However, if there are any you'd like me to compare separately (all the Lancome together for example) then just let me know and I can provide (probably more accurate) swatches on the back of my hand. I've also tried to mix photos with and without the flash as they can look different.
I tried to put the foundations into some sort of light-dark order before swatching, but I was only guessing from memory and through the bottle, so don't take that part as gospel. They always appear in the same order though, on the arm, on the shelf and individually.  First up is (the definite lightest) Illamasqua Rich Foundation in 115. Lancome Teint Miracle in 005 Beige Ivoire
Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclat in BR10
Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclat in B10 Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H in 005 Beige Ivoire
Estee Lauder Double Wear 1C1 Shell
Lancome Teint Visionnaire 005 Beige Ivoire Lancome Teint Miracle 010 Beige Porcelaine MyFace Cosmetics MyMix Fair MF101
Soap & Glory Show Good Face in The Fairest Of Them All
Clarins Ever Matte in 103 Ivory
E.L.F. Studio Flawless Finish in Porcelain
Now onto the swatches and firstly I applied them to my arm straight out of the bottle, easier said than done in some cases! Estee Lauder I had to apply to my finger then onto my arm or it would've gone everywhere and MyFace had an air bubble blocking the hole, so I squeezed out way more than I intended on that one! It took a lot of labelling on these photos, so the one without the flash is exactly the same, I just added a few reminders of which was which, but you'll be able to see clearly from the 'flash' pic above it.
and some close-ups Illamasqua is clearly much lighter than any of the others. I was definitely correct in saying Teint Visionnaire was darker than my other 005 Lancome foundations (Teint Miracle and Idole). It is actually closer to (Teint Miracle) shade 010 which is two shades darker!  It sometimes even looks darker due to it's orangey tone compared to the beige of 010. So please don't think that just because it's shade 005 and the lightest that it will be a perfect match, something to note definitely. I think it's also quite clear to see the pink tone of YSL's Le Teint Touche Eclat in BR10 compared to B10 which is more beige. Blended (actually 'smeared' would be the correct term)...
and closer...
None of them quite have that blue-Scottish undertone do they?!  I don't have much else to add as I think the images speak for themselves.  I would say I am eternally searching for the perfect pale foundation.  I do really love at the moment, YSL and Lancome Teint Miracle (005) but have to be honest and say if they were a little touch lighter they would be perfect.  I'm very disappointed that Teint Visionnaire is that bit darker as I usually think the 18 shades Lancome provide are relatively conclusive.  As for the darker Teint Miracle, ELF, Clarins, Soap & Glory and MyFace, I never use them.  I guess I expected them to be lighter.  Expensive mistakes maybe! Illamasqua is light enough but I don't like the finish (too mask like and doesn't wear well), so I use that purely as an undereye concealer.  Do let me know if I can help out with some more swatches/comparisons of these.  What are you currently using and is it the 'perfect' match?
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23 comments:

  1. Unknown25 February 2013 at 21:43

    I occasionally go back to liquid foundations but always end up returning to Lily Lolo mineral foundation in Porcelain. My skin is just so much happier since using mineral makeup and I now really hate the feel of liquid as it's much heavier on the skin.

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    1. Pink Haired Princess26 February 2013 at 17:30

      The only time I strayed from liquid was for a Dior whitening powder compact. I absolutely loved it and the colour was sooo light and perfect on me. Think it's made more for the Asian market though and impossible to find here and i used every last bit of mine. Might check out LL mineral and see how it goes.

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  2. Unknown25 February 2013 at 21:56

    These look amazing! I have the lightest No7 foundation and it just feels way too orangey and dark. I have a question; which brands would you say are the least drying? This is one of my biggest problems with any makeup due to my sensitive skin. xx

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    1. Pink Haired Princess26 February 2013 at 17:33

      Yes completely understand No7 being too dark, I tried a couple of their foundations years ago and they have such an orange tone and are far too dark, although maybe they have improved since then. I would definitely recommend the YSL, it doesn't feel like a foundation, more like moisturiser as it's so hydrating. It's like a drink for the skin! If you ever have Boots or Debenhams beauty points I'd recommend you give it a try.

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  3. Abigail25 February 2013 at 22:19

    ilamasqua looks a super good shade! i recently got Nars Siberia matte foundation and its gorgeous!
    http://accioabigail.blogspot.com

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    1. Pink Haired Princess26 February 2013 at 17:37

      Illamasqua is a great colour (and not even their lightest), but the finish doesn't work for me. Feels and looks cakey when applied all over the face and doesn't wear well around the nose in creases etc I'll have to look out for that Nars one, unfortunately I don't have Nars in any stores locally though, so it's a pricey mistake if I don't like it! x

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    2. Anonymous13 May 2013 at 01:20

      Have you tried the Skin Base foundations by Illamasqua? The consistency is much better and I find it's a nice full covearge air brushed effect. That said, I'm super pale but Illamasqua has too much pink it it for me. I'm more of a super pale neutral colour. Have you tried NARS foundations as well? The Nars Sheer Glow in Monte Blanc and Siberia are super light. Monte Blanc is perfect for me, and the finish is lovely :) That and Bobbi Brown who are amazing too... their shade selections for pale is wonderful :)

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    3. Pink Haired Princess17 May 2013 at 17:55

      No, I've always been keen to try the skinbase in the hope the formula is better than the rich one. I've heard fabulous things about BB for pale skins and both BB and Nars I don't have near me, so haven't ever had the chance to play around with them before purchase.

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  4. Willow9225 February 2013 at 22:25

    I've done my own little post on pale foundations if you'd like to compare :)

    http://willowsworld92.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/foundation-comparison-pics.html

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    1. Pink Haired Princess26 February 2013 at 17:38

      thanks for the linky, it's a never ending search isn't it?

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  5. Just me, Leah25 February 2013 at 23:09

    I have the first and last ones you have pictured here - the Illamasqua and elf foundations. The Illamasqua one is sooo pale. The first time I put it on I thought I looked scary, but it was because it was the first time in my life I've had a foundation the same colour as my skin! I have tons of freckles and also quite rosy cheeks so it took me a long time to work out I'm actually really pale. No more orange line of doom on my jawline! I've just bought 2 Lily Lolo mineral foundations I'll be trying out soon. xx

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    1. Pink Haired Princess26 February 2013 at 17:41

      Sounds exactly like me, we must have very similar colouring. I looked ill in Illamasqua because it was actually a match for my skin and I wasn't used to it! Sadly the finish just doesn't work on me, it's cakey looking no matter how I apply it. I wondered if their skinbase would work better? Please let me know how you get on with the LL and I'll maybe have to try that too x

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    2. Just me, Leah26 February 2013 at 22:19

      I'm the same with the Illamasqua one! Although the coverage hides my red bits, it sinks into my pores horribly. I'm going to get a beauty blender and see if it works any better then. I warm it on my fingertips and buff it in with a brush and it looks horrid! I'll let you know how I go with the LL ones. x

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    3. Pink Haired Princess27 February 2013 at 21:58

      that would be great, thanks x

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  6. eRiN26 February 2013 at 01:20

    As far as color matching, I think Missha Perfect Cover bb cream in shade 13 would be good for you, and it is by far the best performing foundation I've used ... well aside from Double Wear. It's a bit less heavy coverage than Double Wear, and you can wear a sheer layer or build it up to full coverage. I love it!!

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    1. Pink Haired Princess26 February 2013 at 17:44

      Oooh thank you for the recommendation, that sounds good. I always swore by Double Wear but have spread my wings now! They don't even make 1C1 any longer anyhow : (

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  7. Jupiter26 February 2013 at 05:09

    Maybe I should try that Illamasqua one. I have their Skin Base 01 pure white foundation (it's only a little too pale for me), but it's not my favorite formula. It seems to create a build-up if there is ANY dead skin on the face. I like my Make Up For Ever mat velvet+ better, which I think is 15, Alabaster. It's a pretty good match for me, but I don't think I have any blue undertone. Although I can't seem to work out what undertone I have, so there.

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    1. Pink Haired Princess26 February 2013 at 17:48

      Mmm, Rich Foundation sounds like Skin base...it's cakey looking especially in creases, the nose etc and looks blotchy after an hour or so, so I can't wear a full face of it. I was actually hoping the skin base performed better than RF, but maybe not! I'll check out the MUFE one as that sounds quite promising, thanks : )

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    2. Jupiter27 February 2013 at 06:13

      I wrote down your foundations that you swatched here, so if I go to Sephora any time soon I will swatch my MUFE next to a few of your foundations to give you a reference point for the color. And I do the same thing with my Skin Base that you mentioned doing with the RF. I really can't put it aside completely because it's so great around the eyes but if I wear a full face of it, I have to keep up with the powder to quench it.

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    3. Pink Haired Princess27 February 2013 at 21:57

      that would be brilliant, thanks x

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  8. emma23 May 2013 at 14:45

    Bless you for making this post!

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    1. Pink Haired Princess29 May 2013 at 22:12

      No problem, let me know if there's any more comparisons you'd like to see.

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  9. WolfGirlandtheCat13 March 2017 at 22:11

    Hey Girl,

    this post is literally saving my life. I was looking for a pale foundation, because in continental Europe apparently all people are tan, so brands such as dior or guerlain don't even send to sephora lightest shades. So i suffer incredibly

    However i see here some lancome and YSL Babies that may work for me. Thanks for this post!

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Wowee your comments cheer me up!

Unfortunately I've had to disable anonymous comments for now, due to a high volume of spam.