If you haven’t heard about Fenty Beauty—what are you doing with your life?—here are the basics. It’s a company created by Rihanna to be more inclusive of all skin colors and types. The crowning jewel of the collection is the Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation and the hype has been real. Basically, this foundation was meant to be everyone’s savior. So, I had to try it out for myself and see if it really was as amazing as everyone said.
A little about my skin:
I have combination skin with oiliness around my nose and a little dryness on my forehead and chin. I have very minimal skin blemishes or imperfections and most days I only wear a tinted moisturizer and translucent powder. A main concern of mine is redness in my cheeks, which is why I’m on the hunt for the perfect medium to full coverage foundation. I have very fair skin with a neutral undertone and was able to find the perfect shade for me!
11:00AM – FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The packaging is to die for, first of all. Right out of the pump, the foundation is a very thin liquid, which took me by surprise since it’s a matte foundation. I used two pumps for one complete layer and found it to be medium coverage. Almost instantly it dried down and was completely matte. To the point that I decided not to set it—which is usually an everyday must for me. Topping it with concealer under my eyes wasn’t very smooth and the foundation did start to lift a little, but blush and bronzer applied on top well. I finished with rosewater as a setting spray to try and bring some moisture back into my face. The foundation definitely clung to dry spots on my forehead and chin, but from far away it looked pretty flawless. It did oxidize a tiny bit after a few minutes, but someone at Sephora already warned me of this so I was prepared. Right out the gate, I was definitely weary and not as hopeful as I wanted to be.
6:00PM – CHECK IN
I was about to go into a ballet class and noticed the foundation was really sinking into my fine lines—especially around my nose where I get the most oil. My redness was also peeking through at this point which is the main reason I like medium to full coverage foundations. However, my blush and bronzer had totally stayed in place which was impressive. I tried to powder my nose to absorb some of the oil with a translucent powder, but it ended up making it look cakey. At this point I was worried I wouldn’t make it through the rest of the day.
11:00PM – FINAL RESULTS
I definitely put this foundation through the ringer—especially through ballet class—but by the end of the day, I couldn’t wait to take it off. I had a lot of oiliness around my nose like I do with most other foundations. I will say it held my blush and bronzer very well. The foundation had really broken up around areas of oiliness and dryness, so for someone with combo skin, it ended up looking very uneven. The small amount of texture on my forehead and chin was so obvious and the product had completely come off my nose. Honestly, my skin looked ten times better without the foundation than with.
MAIN TAKEAWAYS
- Medium coverage and sets too quickly to be built up to full coverage.
- Feels very light and comfortable on the skin.
- Super matte, so dry skin folks may have an issue with this.
- Even the slightest imperfection was made ten times more noticeable by the end of the day. So, the “long wear” claim is a total bust.
- Cream products (concealer, blush, bronzer) are tricky to use on top.
I wanted to like this product so much, but for my skin, it wasn’t a match made in heaven. As a person who uses a plethora of cream-based products, I prefer my foundation to be blendable until I decide to set it and that just isn’t the case with this one. I don’t see a situation in which I would ever reach for this product—especially when I have $8 foundations that I like so much more. Lookin at you Maybelline Fit Me. So, unfortunately, I will be returning this.
My dislike of the product shouldn’t at all discredit everything that’s amazing about the line. Based on shade range alone, Fenty takes the cake. I think this foundation may work best for people with normal, texture-less skin and if it’s worn for a shorter time. But, between the $34 price tag and my overall disappointment with the product, this foundation just isn’t worth it for me. Sorry, Rihanna.