Too Faced Born This Way Foundation Review - Is it actually "Flawless"?
Makeup Review: Too Faced Born This Way Foundation
The Too Faced Born This Way foundation ($57AUD and 30ml) is an oil-free foundation infused with coconut water. My shade is Nude and has neutral undertones.
Too Faced is a medium to full coverage foundation, although I think it's great for light coverage described as "Diffusing the line between makeup and skin".
It is a good medium coverage but not as build-able as I expected it to be. The coverage is a lot better when applying more product to begin with rather than applying layers one after another. Have you tried it yet?
The Too Faced Born This Way Foundation isn't easy to apply layers without disturbing the layer already applied. With two layers, it started to look a little cakey but it didn't change the overall look of the foundation too dramatically, it just wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked. It didn’t look like my skin but better, you could tell I was wearing layered foundation.
The thin consistency of the formula is comfortable to wear and definitely feels breathable. It’s easy to wear as an everyday foundation. I think it's great that there are 18 shades available too, but some lighter shades might need to mix with lightening drops from The Body Shop, Nyx or Australis to achieve an exact shade. Hopefully we see some more darker shades added soon too.
For reference of this review, I have combination skin, normally dry on my cheeks and a little more oily in my t-zone.
Wearing the foundation with blemishes
Moisturising and exfoliating is an important part of wearing a thin foundation. I felt like my skin almost had to be flawless before wearing the Too Faced Born This Way foundation. I noticed that where I had imperfections, the product would go slightly darker from build up on any uneven or dry skin.
I applied around two and a half layers with a setting powder to create an unblemished face, lasting around 6 hours. This many layers isn’t what I would consider to be an everyday look, I wouldn’t like to wear this much product just for no blemishes to show!
Wearing the foundation without blemishes
I found that this foundation worked really well on my clear and unblemished skin for a really nice healthy glow and a medium to light coverage with one layer. I could apply this foundation easily even though it was slightly sticky and tacky. In my experience, it doesn’t work well on my dryer areas or uneven skin.
Layering the Too Faced Born This Way Foundation - how it lasted throughout the day
The Too Faced Born This Way foundation felt tacky in texture after my one layer, but I loved that it was light and breathable throughout the day. I found my imperfections and blemishes weren't completely disguised after a single layer, and two layers or just applying more product worked much better for my blemishes.
After wearing around two layers all day, the foundation eventually sunk slightly into my pores towards the end of the day and gathered around my smile lines and on my forehead.
It did wear off throughout the day without a setting spray. Perhaps a different primer might show different results though! I used the foundation with and without the Mecca Primer and I will be trying with a Smashbox primer soon.
Final review of Too Faced Born This Way foundation
I love this foundation for shorter periods of time, probably maximum 6 hours. It's beautiful as a dewy look and easy to blend contouring and highlighter into. I find some foundations wipe off or build up while I'm applying layers with contour or highlight and the Born This Way foundation didn't do this although it wasn’t easy to layer because of the tacky texture.
I wish it lasted a bit longer throughout the day and it would be the perfect no-makeup look foundation for clear skin days!
How I applied the Too Faced Born This Way Foundation
These are the products I have used along with the Too Faced Born This Way foundation, often I will wear a translucent powder or none, just to see how the foundation held up on its own. I find that a powder with coverage completed the flawless look and smoothed blemishes just a little bit more though!
What about a beauty blender?
I made sure I tested a damp beauty blender with the Born This Way foundation. I found that the foundations thin consistency pretty much just disappeared into the sponge, even when it was wet. I was using much more product than needed with a brush! It’s already such a light foundation that using a beauty blender was a lot of extra work.
I love using the 'Toothbrush' makeup brushes, I could spread the product so much more evenly while keeping my layers thin and breathable! I think the thin consistency works better with a brush for sure.
Product List:
Brushes: eBay. I have also used Sigma kabuki brush with this product, unfortunately I didn't see much difference between the high end brush application and the eBay brushes. I think this is because the foundation sets tacky and doesn't appear streaky.
Urban Decay de-slick Makeup Setting Spray (New packaging)
Australis Fresh and Flawless Pressed Powder (Applied with powder brush)
The Final Verdict:
Overall, I do like this foundation. I would definitely choose it over any of my drugstore foundations, especially for a dewy look. When I wear this foundation it is still a 'makeup look' and not as natural as I expected - Unless you don’t have blemished and have completely moisturised and exfoliated your skin to start with!
I had a lot to say about this one, and I don't think it's cakey or suffocating to wear a few layers and it feels very lightweight. Coverage improved with more layers, and a good primer plus a setting spray always helps everything stay on a little longer!
I adore the packaging and pump bottle, it definitely stops me from wasting any of the product. At the moment, I wear this a few times a week, or sometimes for the entire week when I switch up my daily makeup routine.
This post is NOT sponsored and none of the items above are NOT gifted - This is an honest review about a purchase I personally made. Products are all used and tested over a 2 week period at a minimum. All opinions and reviews are honest and my own.
I am not a trained makeup artist, please test the products or ask for professional advice in store.