UFR: Almay Nearly Naked Foundation

Find this and more on my Ultimate Foundation Review page here

Shade: 260 Sand

Price: RRP £14

CLAIMS

• Blends seamlessly to a beautiful finish
• Nourishes and protects with grapeseed
• Won’t clog pores

DESIGN/APPLICATION

The plain glass bottle has clear writing and a purple lid which, although basic, adds a classy and smooth feel to the foundation. The bottle itself dispenses as a tip bottle rather than a pump. Despite this feature it doesn’t dispense more product than necessary as the formula is thick.

AVAILABILITY

Available from the almay website for $12 - $15 although UK customers can find the product at fragrancedirect from £2.99. Available in just 6 shades.

APPEARANCE

The formula is quite thick but not so much that it cakes the face. It is very easy to blend without pulling on the skin and it makes my skin look a lot smoother and more refined. It doesn’t dry out my skin nor does it make it look heavily greasy as some hydrating foundations can do.  

COVERAGE

It smoothes out easily and covers skin beautifully and fully without leaving it look as though it’s been shovelled on. A little bit goes a relatively long way and the formula is thin enough to cover well but thick enough to blend.

LONGEVITY

This lasts a good 8+ hours.

VALUE

For the price I got it at, £2.99, it was an absolute steal. Not only is it worth that but I’d say it’s definitely worth its more hefty original price tag of $14. It definitely lives up to its claims and I’d go as far as to say it’s one of the best foundations I’ve used.

Natural Collection Shine Away Disaster!!

(£1.99 from Boots)

I purchased this whilst in my local Boots on a whim. A foundation this cheap was worth giving it a go and, as Summer is coming forth fast and steadily, I'm very welcoming to a foundation that claims to 'reduce shiny looking skin'. Perfect, right? Wrong! I can't find much that's good about this foundation and it echoes some people's thoughts that cheaper products are not worth it. This is a shame as I do think there are a lot of 'bargain' cosmetics that do a great job. Unfortunately this foundation goes completely against my thoughts.

The packaging itself is lovely - it's subtle and pretty and doesn't look overly budgeted. It's simple and plain but that really reflects the brand and fits well with the rest of their theme. 'Medium cover' also really attracted me as this implies that it would cover my skin well but not be too heavy for Summer. 

Now, to the dreadful part. I applied this to my skin and it comes out slightly like clotted cream. It feels very sticky without even being on my face. Application itself is one of the worst I've ever seen in a foundation. It is very 'stodgy' which would be acceptable if I could thin the formula out by blending but it just doesn't blend. I've tried with my fingers, a foundation brush and blending sponges but nothing works. It just drags on my skin appalling leaving a thick and heavy mess. I purchased the lightest colour, porcelain, yet it leaves orange lines on my skin. I had to take every scrap off as I couldn't go out with it on. I've tried it with moisturiser to thin the formula slightly but, even then, it dries far too quickly and clings on to my skin too much to be able to blend.

As you can see from the picture (especially towards the bottom of my hand) it clings to certain areas and does not budge. I can't blend it at all and it leaves a horrific orange glow on my skin. Does it live up to its claims to get rid of shine? I honestly could not tell you! It stayed on my skin for 5 minutes before I had to scrub it off. Although, seemingly it would last for quite a few hours as, after using make-up remover, it was hard to wipe off and some traces still remained.

Obviously for £1.99 I cannot expect an amazing quality product but this is a complete let down. I find Natural Collection is very 'hit and miss'. Their lipsticks and pressed powders are beautiful but their foundations and eyeshadows leave much to be desired. Comparing this to the budget of MUA leaves nothing to be desired - I'm sure one day I'll do a direct comparison between these two brands.

Has anyone else tried Natural Collection? Other reviews love the foundation! What do you think?

Max Factor Colour Adapt Foundation

(available from Boots at £9.99/34ml)

I got bought this a while ago whilst I was looking desperately for foundations to suit my pale skin tone, Essex by name not necessarily looking for the Essex tango look by nature! This was purchased in Creamy Ivory (shade 40) and states that it 'adapts to your individual skin tones to provide a flawless finish'. I've always been sceptical of colour match foundations but there's no harm in giving it a go!

The design of the foundation itself makes it look very cheap. The plastic bottle feels very tacky and I originally thought it would be a steal at £4 but far from it! It's surprising how much design can effect your thought of a product. The black, gold and white is far too tame for my liking and looks cheap rather than classy. However, this is good in terms of when the foundation runs out and being able to cut into the foundation and scoop up the rest - something I hate about glass bottles. The pump itself is also very efficient and lets out just the right amount of product, it's also smooth and I can't imagine it ever getting stuck.

My first issue with this product though is that it is very, very runny. Not only has this left product to run outside the bottle and into the lid but it means there's far less coverage as it's so thinly spread that it doesn't cover enough. My second issue is that it leaves my skin awfully dry. Even when I've mixed it with moisturiser to smooth it onto my skin more it just leaves it look blotchy and patchy. How disappointing for a product so pricey! It doesn't cover any redness or spots and in fact clings to them making them more noticeable.

Its saving grace however is its ability to match up to my skin so well. It suits me perfectly and looks very natural. I essentially treat this as a 'BB' cream in terms of the fact that it has light coverage, feels like make-up without wearing make-up and doesn't do an amazing job but "it'll do". Definitely not worth nearly £10!

(take a look at my swatches and where it's very slightly covered my moles but towards the bottom has clung to any dry patches making it look awful and hard to blend - such a shame)

Leichner camera clear tinted foundation

(available from fragrancedirect and cheapsmells from just £3)

I've been on the hunt for foundations as I still haven't found my perfect one. Whilst browsing cheapsmells my eye fell on this foundation. It has the description that is 'a professional foundation used by photographic studios, television, theatre and professional make up artists worldwide. All day moisturising foundation'. And if it's good enough for them it must be good enough for me!

The packaging itself looks expensive which is brilliant considering the price. I've never been a fan of how foundations are usually stored - in bottles or tubes that mean the last bits are completely wasted. This foundation however is in a tub which is perfect because when I come to the end I'll be able to get the last bits out and even add moisturiser for a tinted look.

I bought this in 'blend of porcelain' - the only difficulty with this being that on the website there are no indications of how the colour will show up. I've got very pale skin so foundations tend to look quite orange on me. Luckily I chose the perfect colour.

On first view this foundation is quite thick, which I thought would make it difficult to blend and leave my skin patchy. It's certainly not! It blends like a dream and a little does go quite a fair way. It covers up any blemishes and gives my skin a nice, healthy glow. As you may know I'm not a fan of 'glowing' foundations however this is quite subtle although I do use powder over the top. For anyone else I'm sure they'll be pleased with this look.

As you can see it blends into my skin really well and (as you can see from my moles) it covers over my skin well leaving no real traces of blemishes. This foundation lasts around the 6 hour mark which is impressive considering it's not a specifically long lasting foundation. I've also had compliments on my skin whilst wearing this foundation - something I'm very happy with!

Collection 2000 matt & minerals foundation

(available at Superdrug & Boots for £2.99)

This product was Pure Beauty Award's Best Foundation Launch of the year in 2009 and states it gives a 'fresher looking complexion', has a 'longer lasting formulation' and 'blends easily to provide a flawless, smooth complexion' as well as being 'ideal for oilier skins'.

I personally have quite oily skin which I'm always very conscious of so when I received this for Christmas I was really happy to try it out. However, I did have a few problems with this product but, after seeing the price tag, I realise that as a budget beauty foundation it is very good.

My first error in this product was the shade - I'd been given shade 2, natural blonde, whereas I should've been using shade 1, natural ivory. There aren't that many shades to choose from and the differences between each vary quite widely. The one I've purchased really doesn't look like it fits the definition of natural blonde as it implies there should be yellow-ish undertones and should be a lot paler than it came out. A lot of people have mentioned on reviews that even the lightest shade comes out very dark so it's not ideal for those with pale skin like me.

The formula itself comes out very thickly which makes it really quite hard to blend. The only way I can blend it all over is by pressing quite hard and pulling on my skin which is obviously not the impression I'd like from a foundation. It definitely isn't easy to blend like it claims. It also doesn't make my skin look fresher, it actually leaves it rather patchy in some areas. The packaging itself looks very boring and old. I do, however, like the style of the squeezy tube rather than the glass pump as it's much easier to get out.

I don't believe this foundation lives up to what it states at all but, considering the price, it is a budget foundation that can be mixed with moisturiser to make a tinted moisturiser look, making it runnier and easier to blend. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have darker skin and are on a very, very tight budget. 

Good for: Mixing to make a tinted moisturiser
Bad for: Blending, even coverage & pale skin

Collection 2000 colour match foundation

Collection 2000 launched this new foundation and claim that it contains 'a unique skin tone technology that adapts to the skin's natural tone to help deliver a subtle, flawless look that lasts' available in 6 shades and aims to enhance, correct and harmonise, delivering a subtle, flawless look that lasts. 

I've never really used Collection 2000 as they seemed like a fairly cheap foundation and at the time I'd decided that a higher price = better quality. This is not necessarily the case though.

(retails at £5.99 from Boots)

I must say this is one of the best foundations I have used. The formula itself is quite runny which means very little needed to be used as it spread evenly on my skin whilst retaining a medium coverage - making my skin feel as though it had another layer to it (boosting my confidence) without feeling cakey or thick. I purchased this in Ivory but as it said it adapts to your skin colour I thought it wouldn't look too pale on me and should darken to my skin colour. It does exactly what it states, it blends in and looks very natural on your skin. I'm used to buying foundations a shade or two darker than my skin but with this it settled in perfectly and didn't feel too heavy.

The design of the bottle itself is subtle yet stylish. The frosted bottle fits in with the other foundations in the collection 2000 product line but the pink adds a touch of femininity and brightens up my make-up bag without trying too hard to be too 'out there' with the design. A lot of make-up I've tried also smells very 'make-up esque' - no surprise there - with a hint of stage make-up which is slightly off putting but this smells over so slightly like sun cream without being too powerful a scent. The only true downside to this formula I can find is that it dries quite quickly but it's runny enough that it's so quick to blend that I don't have to spend myself waiting for it to dry and instead speeds up the process.

From the swatches you can see it goes very far and has a great coverage. It is an affordable foundation and one of the best I've tried - it leaves skin looking covered without being sticky and heavy and lives up to its claims. Very impressive.

Good for: Foundation coverage that matches skin
Bad for: People that don't like different smelling foundations

Max Factor Smooth Effect Foundation

I've never really experienced Max Factor until recently when I became fed up of using Maybelline and decided to give a different brand a go. I was especially looking forward to a foundation that didn't use a pump - a trend that's become popular lately but makes it hard to get the final dregs of the product out. 

 Max Factor states that this foundation gives you a 'smooth base and an ideal canvas for the colours of your choice' and it 'lets you max out your colour and make a lasting statement'. 

(available from Boots at £7.99)

I purchased this in Creamy Ivory and, having got used to wearing foundations about 3 shades darker than my face, it was such a good feeling to find one that actually suits my skin tone and blends in perfectly. The consistency of the formula itself isn't too runny but I can't really describe it as thick either. It's very even on my face however it feels too light. It doesn't even feel like my skin - although this is a good thing for some people I personally prefer my foundation to feel as though it's on my face. Having such a light coverage feels like it's not covering my skin well enough although it does add a healthy glow.

Obviously your face is known for being lighter than your hand so the best place to try out a foundation is on your neck area. However for swatching purposes you can see it's slightly darker on my hand. I can reassure you though that the colour is perfect for my skin tone. It does however smooth out my skin which are the claims it makes and so it is very reliable on this part.

Thumbs up to Max Factor!   

Good for: Even coverage of skin in a range of skin colours
Bad for: Thicker coverage