Happy Friday! It’s another foundation friday, where I focus on cruelty free foundations. Right now I’m in the throes of trying a bunch from the drugstore. I thought it’d be great to try this classic fave from Wet n Wild. If you missed it, I also have a review of their MegaCushion Foundation. You can find that here. I also have more cruelty free foundation reviews linked at the bottom of this post.
This foundation is called the Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation. After seeing it compared to a high end foundation (with a drugstore price tag, obviously), I knew it had to be good. This comes in a 1 oz. bottle, and it’s a liquid formula. I have it in Soft Ivory, and you can their shade range here. The website has 20 shades that range from vary pale to slightly dark. They don’t appear to have any very dark shades.
As far as the undertones, the ones that I viewed in store all lean towards warm undertones. That was unfortunate for me, because I do prefer a neutral undertone. The shade Soft Ivory was light enough for me, but the golden undertones make it look a tad too dark. This will be perfect for summer when my fake tan is wearing off.
The price listed on the website is $5.99; however, I have seen this as low as $3.49. The website boasts this as a high-performing, skin-perfecting foundation. It is a matte finish with light reflecting particles. They claim to have tested this under 7 different light conditions with and without the use of flash. They also claim it has a light-adjusting complex to eliminate any white cast in photos.
I’m confused as to why they went through all the trouble to give it light-adjusting properties and, yet, did not include an SPF. SPF is the reason we’d experience flashback in photos, and this foundation does not have any SPF in it.
For shade comparisons, here are other foundations that also match me:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation in Porcelain
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Foundation in 100 (first impressions video here)
rms beauty Un Cover-Up Foundation/Concealer in 000 (review here)
HOW TO APPLY
The website does not make any suggestions for application. I stuck with my usual methods of application, my buffing brush and a beauty blender. The beauty blender won as my preferred application for this foundation. That comes as no surprise to me, because most of my matte foundations look better with a beauty blender (dampened, of course). The buffing brush let streaks in the foundation, so it was difficult to get a smooth finish. This foundation also dries down quickly on me. With a damp beauty blender, I can take my time getting it right.
As you can see, the applicator is a plastic paddle. I would have much preferred a pump, as always, but for the price I really can’t complain. Then again, if E.L.F. can do pumps, why can’t everyone else?
This picture was taken at about the 6 hour mark. As you can see, it had settled into my lines a bit. A quick powder mid-day helps with that. The color is great, but not amazing. Like I said, this will be very useful as my tan fades due to the warm undertones. As far as wear time, it was okay. I didn’t look haggered by the end of the day, but I also didn’t look fresh. It was just okay.
The foundation has kind of a weird, chemical-y scent that lingers a little all day long. I did not enjoy the scent at all, but it doesn’t give me a headache. I wish there were more neutral undertones in the shades, but that would suit a lot of different people. They also need to include very dark shades into the range as well.
I can’t fully recommend this foundation without a couple disclaimers. The scent would probably be off-putting for some. It took me a while throughout the day to figure what the smell was. I can’t even put my finger on what it smells like, it just simply doesn’t smell good. If you’re looking for an afforable, matte, light-reflecting foundation, this is a good option. I think there are probably better foundations out there at this price range (the MegaCushion Foundation, for one!). In fact, I’m willing to bet E.L.F. has a comparable foundation or two that doesn’t have any scent. I haven’t dove into the world of E.L.F. foundations, but soon I will. Soon!
So, this is probably the most ambiguous foundation review I’ve posted so far. I really am in two minds about it, because I love it’s affordable and wish it didn’t have a scent.
Have you tried this? Does the scent bother you? I’d love to know!
More foundation reviews that might interest you:
rms beauty Un Cover-Up Foundation/Concealer
Wet n Wild MegaCushion Foundation
Marc Jacobs Beauty re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation
Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation+Concealer
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Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I love hearing from you!
