I bring yet another review of a truly hyped-up foundation that I feel every girl in the world has tried, a conclusion I have reached from that survey that I did not do. Hint: not everyone owns it. The Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum costs £10.99 so is on the more expensive side of high street brands, it's worth saying that there is also a Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation that is different to the serum but is kind of similar in packaging so don't just pick one of these up in a rush as you might get the wrong one. I spent some time googling reviews on both the serum and foundation to work out which one I would prefer (if only I put this much time and effort into proper real life situations) and chose the serum, partly down to the fact a lot of YouTubers and Bloggers love it.
Some of the claims made about the product is that it gives the skin 'an even complexion and an instant anti-fatigue result', has a 'fresh and instant blending gel texture' so sits on the skin with an even, natural finish while 'imperfections are erased' and the 'skin's radiance is boosted for up to 16 hours'.
I bought my foundation in the shade 52 Vanilla, which, in Superdrug, looked a really good match for me but since owning it I wish I went for 51 as it is slightly too dark for me and I have to blend it down my neck. Damn you bright shop lighting. The good thing about this shade however is that it's very yellow-based so suits my skintone well. I love the fresh, fruity sort of smell this foundation has and also love how the bottle is really lightweight and slim.
I really like the formula of this foundation, it's really quite runny and feels so light on the skin that you don't even notice you're wearing foundation. I've been using this foundation for days where I'm not doing anything special so just for college or pottering around somewhere and find it gives my skin the boost it needs to look better without caking it in makeup. I personally would say that this gives a dewy finish on my skin which is different to Bourjois' claim of giving a 'semi-matt finish'. I absolutely love the finish and prefer the dewy look for a daily basis but it is a little misleading if you are wanting something that isn't completely matte but still quite toned down. I always thought this foundation would feel a bit sticky as it's marketed as a serum and moisturising serums I've seen in the past seem to have the gloopy (English vocabulary at it's best) sort of look but I can't notice any difference between this and a normal liquid foundation.
I think a lot of people tend to think that this foundation will be good for dryer skin as it feels quite moisturising, however, when I first started using this foundation I had a dry patch on my cheek and this foundation really highlighted it so perhaps it wouldn't be the best option if you do suffer from dryness. Another slight downfall is that my nose can get quite oily, nothing crazy but oily nonetheless, but when wearing this foundation, even when set with powder, my nose becomes Shine City Central. Like honestly there's dewy and then there's this whole other level which just does not look attractive.
This foundation does tone down any redness I have but I would still go in with concealer if I had any really bad areas and so doesn't exactly give a flawless finish to the skin. If you're a fan of full coverage, matte foundations then this definitely wouldn't be for you but if you are a fan of letting your skin show through and are looking for something that offers more coverage than a BB/CC -and whatever the heck else the market will come up with- cream then I would recommend this providing you don't have overly dry or overly oily skin.
Even though this review seems quite negative it actually works really well for me as I have quite Normal/Combination skin and so the majority of the time it just glides onto my skin and gives a really natural finish and gives me no problems that can't be solved with some powder throughout the day. I'm not sure this foundation lasts 16 hours as it claims but if I wanted my makeup to last for a full day I wouldn't opt for this anyway.
Does anyone else have the urge to just eat this? I think it's the fact the shade I have looks like cake mixture and the way it's called 'healthy mix' doesn't help the craving. Have you tried this foundation or any other Bourjois foundation?
