Everyday a new beauty product (or a dozen) launch and where it give us more options to pick from, it also sometimes become overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like the era of having Holy Grail products in every category has long past and there is anew favourite emerging every month. When a certain type of product goes viral and become a “trend” every brand is making it which I think is good in a way that we can find them in all price ranges and everyone can enjoy them.
Among all of it I believe complexion products are exception because no one buys a foundation or concealer only for its pretty packaging or cute presentation. For a foundation or concealer to make its place in over saturated beauty market, the formula needs to standout. Foundation get its name for a reason. It is the foundation on our entire look. If foundation starts to break out, pill or oxidize, no matter how amazing the blush, bronzer, highlighter is, the whole look transforms into a hot mess.
Foundation is one product I always advise to try before buy. There are many things that need attention. If there is a shade that is good match for our skin tone? If formula is suitable for our skin types and weather? What are the ingredients and added benefits like spf, skin loving ingredients, waterproof formula, finish and so much more. If you are a skincare fanatic like me then it also needs to work well on top of your skincare. Dewy, luminous or matte finish and staying power also need to be considered. because of all these things, I usually find it hard to fall in love with a foundation.
I am getting to the point now and going to talk about my most recent foundation discovery that checked every single box for me. Urban Decay as a brand needs no introduction. Their 24/7 gel liners and their Naked palettes are a league of their own. I still miss their Naked skin ultra definition pressed finishing powder and wonder why brands discontinue perfectly good products but that discussion is for another time. Today’s focus is on their newest foundation launch.
UD Face Bond Self Setting Waterproof Foundation
What it is : It is a lightweight waterproof foundation that has the benefits of skincare (3% Niacinamide) and self setting powder. This foundation gives medium coverage and a matte skin like finish. It is available in 40 shades. It comes in a 30ml squeeze dropper bottle and retails for $40 (C$57).
Formula is liquid which I’ll call liquid to powder based on the finish after drying. Consistency is medium which means it is not watery but not too thick either. According to the brand, it is clinically tested to improve skin’s texture after 4 weeks, a claim I am not a good candidate to test. It is cruelty free and listed as suitable for Normal, combination and oily skin types. Which means it is a no go for dry skin
Before we start: Before sharing my experience , let me remind you that there are many factors that contribute to a product’s performance. My experience might be entirely different from yours and that does not invalidate either one’s review. We can have same skin types and still get different results based on what skincare product we were wearing underneath, how we applied the foundation and how thick of a layer we went with.
My experience: For reference my skin type is oily, I have moderate amount of open pores on my nose and cheeks, and fine lines around my eyes. I do not have texture issues and I prefer light to medium coverage. I applied it with my finger tips because I felt this method was more suitable for this foundation and a little warmth of my fingers helps blend it more easily.
I find this foundation easy to apply and easy to blend. It applied evenly with finger tips and dried fast to set but not too fast for me to rush the application. I find the finish a comfortable matte which doesn’t look too dry. The texture feels very lightweight on the skin. As is self-setting so there is no need for a setting powder which I normally always need because of my oily skin. Unlike most oily skin peeps, I avoid matte foundations as I feel matte finish accentuate my pores and lines around my eyes and mouth. I didn’t notice that problem with face bond foundation which makes it only matte foundation that I like on my skin.
It was applied on top of my morning skincare routine and sunscreen. There was no pilling or shifting. For spot concealing and under eyes, I used Nars radiant creamy concealer which blended well with this foundation without any issue. I wore it for a day out photographing cherry blossoms and it stayed put without creasing or shifting until I washed it off after about 8 hours. As the weather warms up, I feel like it will be a great foundation for my oily skin to wear through the summer.
Things to note: I feel the shades run a little dark. I usually wear medium shades and if I get too much summer tan them medium-tan shades work for my skin tone but for this foundation, I found the shade 15 which is a light medium warm was a better match for me. Other thing is dispensing mechanism of squeeze dropper. It is noisy as you can hear in my instagram video below and sometimes product squirts out when squeezed and can be messy if not careful.
After writing my own review, I took some time to read through the reviews of others so I can discuss a few issues that are frequently reported by many users and try to present some solutions to the best of my limited knowledge.Most common problems I saw mentioned are it looking, dry, caked and setting into lines or dry patches. Here are a few solutions that can be tried and if none works then it just is not the right product for you.
Common Issues and Solutions
As mentioned earlier, this foundation is not suitable for dry skin and if you have combination skin with dry patches, it is going to cling to those dry areas. The solution is to gently exfoliate and smooth out the rough patches before applying skincare and makeup.
Other reported issue is that it appears cakey. For that it is important to keep in mind that face bond is a medium coverage foundation and an effort to build it up to get full coverage can result in cakey finish. No where in the description of this foundation I see the indication that it could/should be build up to full coverage.
Most common problem with this and many other foundations is users reporting that foundation applies well but starts looking dry or cakey after a while even though they prep skin with hydration products before hand. Not all but a majority of them mention applying Hyaluronic Acid (HA) serums or creams to moisturize. It is very important to note that even though HA is an excellent hydrator, it is not suitable to apply underneath makeup. It is off topic but let’s dig a little deep into how Hyaluronic acid works. It absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and deposits it deep into the skin to hydrate it. Now when we apply foundation on top of HA, it absorbs the moisture from the foundation because that is how it works, In results a foundation that looked beautiful when applied, starts looking dry, cracked and cakey after a while.
Simplest solution for it is not to apply any HA products on the days you wear makeup. It is an excellent ingredient (unless you live in a dry atmosphere) but save it for bedtime or for the days when you are not planning on wearing makeup.
Wrapping it all up. Personally I love this foundation and will be wearing it through the summer. If anything change and I experience any issues with it when it gets too hot out there, I’ll come back and share an update at the bottom of this post as an edit but so far I have no complaints. I’ll recommend to visit a store for a better shade match instead of relying on online information and also if possible, get a sample to try first and see how it works for your skin and lifestyle.
Available at Sephora , Ulta , Shoppers Drug Mart , Urban Decay
Excellent review. As well as a very good explanation of how hyaluronic acid products work, along with the pitfalls of using it incorrectly and how it can impact on a foundation’s performance. Thank you.
You are most welcome Cat. I am glad you found it helpful