Well it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I promised a whole slew of foundation reviews on the very regular basis and there hasn’t been one since Clinique’s Even Better Glow, that was months ago. It was also, admittedly, a hard face base to follow and that i didn’t really want to stop utilizing it to test anything else. Light, fresh, dewy, it made me look as though I’d actually had sleep – you can read the review of that here if you fancy a lovely foundation to see you through the summer.
But the base I’ve been using more than any other, at least during the last month or so, has been the L’Oreal Paris Infallible Shaping Stick Foundation. It’s excellent. I thought that I was totally in love with cushion foundations, that I would use them forever until death we do part and that they would have to be prised from my cold, lifeless grip. But then I realised the true brilliance and convenience of stick foundations and wondered where they were all my life.
In fact stick foundations have been around for ages, but I’ve often found them to be too greasy. Quick to apply, easy to blend, but oily on the t-zone after just a few hours. Not too with L’Oreal’s Infallible Stick. The Stick. It’s creamy on application, slides and blends like an absolute dream but then sets right into a velvety, non-greasy finish.
(Sidenote: I was testing the Barry M stick prior to the L’Oreal – I still need to do some pre and post pics and then I’ll post a review – and that one is bordering on matte, it’s so non-greasy. Worth considering if you like the idea of a stick but have oily skin, though I do find the finish a little around the flat side.)
So the finish is nice, then, on the Infallible Stick – so is the longevity. I mean it’s nothing like Double Wear or one of the thicker, fuller foundations, not by any stretch from the imagination, but it’s still on after a longish day so no complaints here. If you were specifically looking for a foundation that sticks like glue and covers a multitude of sins then this one isn’t for you – coverage is on the sheerer side of medium, if you don't build it up (see notes below) – but if you want absolute convenience along with a blendable, flexible sort of formula that looks non-cakey but stays in place then read on.
Because it’s the convenience factor that wins, for me personally: take the lid off the stick, draw it on (I do cat whiskers out from my nose, one dod on the end of my nose, one on my small chin, one on my forehead after which blend with a chunky foundation brush*. It takes about fifteen seconds. If you want, you can then build it up where you require it – beneath the eyes, for example, or round the nose – but what I love relating to this sparse application approach is that it gives a very natural looking base. By concentrating on the middle of the face and blending outwards, I rarely do a full-on plastering job and the result is very youthful and fresh. I will not draw anything to the sides of my face and so avoid the hairline blending fiasco that may often ensue with a rushed foundation application and I go easy on the upper lip, which is always another danger zone for me. (I need to start getting rid of the fuzz – everything sticks into it!)
Enough of my nattering: here’s the before and after comparison.
I find it almost unbearable that I’m covered in face cream around the before shot, because it makes me look like such a tool, but it would feel disingenuous to crop the white streaks. Honestly, what a plonker. Anyway, hopefully that doesn’t distract you also much and you can note the main difference before and after application – redness round the nose knocked back, circles subtly reduced, a general smoothness to the overall tone. Listed here are the close-ups:
You can see that the coverage here's relatively sheer, but there’s an evenness to the finish that’s impressive after such a light application. Although I believe it’s easier to see it around the zoomed-out photos, as the little red blemish marks on my cheek are quite distracting. Maybe not as distracting as the blobs of face cream (for God’s sake!), but nonetheless.
If you did a full face, built it up properly, you could get a very perfected result, but which goes against my reasons for by using this stick. I use it because it’s quick. It blends easily. Basically want to faff about for ages obtaining the ultimate Instagram Face then I could possibly use my Dior Forever Mousse or something like that and blend it in painstakingly having a brush then a sponge then a microscopic chamois leather stuck to the end of a cocktail stick.
As it stands, if I’m just doing a normal day, and I’m this is not on camera or appearing in an event or doing something where individuals will take photos of me without realising (and I’m always mid-word, mouth gaping just like a fish) then the Infallible Shaping Stick Foundation does me all right. Pigmented, creamy, smooth to apply, quick to set but above all: convenient.
You can find the Infallible Shaping Stick Foundation at Amazon*, Boots* and FeelUnique* – it comes in twelve shades and costs lb8.99. It’s currently lb6.53 at Amazon here* and lb6.25 at FeelUnique*. I personally use shade 140, but I reckon I could get away with a shade darker for the summer months.
You can read all of my foundation reviews here.
Armani Power Fabric Foundation Review
Topshop Air Cushion Foundation Review
Please note: I am part of the L’Oreal Beauty Squad, but content associated with that role is always clearly marked “AD”. Any other inclusion is purely editorial and unsponsored.
