Dior is trolling me, because I was completely unaware of their newest reformulation of the Forever foundation. This one is named the "Forever Teint Haute Perfection Perfect Makeup Everlasting Wear Pore-Refining Effect with Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF35." Succinct.
It comes in 16 shades and retails for $50 at Sephora and Sephora.com, Macy's, Nordstrom, etc. Make sure that you have the newest iteration with SPF35 and not SPF25.
The convoluted name tells me that it should hide my pores, last forEVER, and has SPF35.
Here are the ingredients:
The frosted glass bottle and heavy cap feels as bougie as ever.
I picked up 21 Linen. I am currently NC25 tumbling toward NC30-35, and swatches on the back of my hand suggested that it was NC25 and would oxidize to NC27. You've been warned! This foundation does oxidize like that last formula.
I have to admit that this foundation impresses me more than the formula that I used when living in SoCal (when oil control was a top priority for base products.)
PROS:
- Extremely kind to skin textures such as fine lines, pores, and acne bumps.
- Full coverage with a satin finish that gets better as the day goes on.
- Absolutely no fading or patchiness even after 8+ hours in the heat.
- Easy to blend with no streakiness.
CONS:
- You need more than 2 pumps for the entire face.
- $$$$$$$
- Oxidation. 21 Linen is not the most cool-leaning yellow foundation I've come across and it deepens half a shade once it has set.
Here are swatches of the foundation with similar brethren. From left to right: Bourjois HM in 52 Vanille, D&G Perfect Reveal Lifting in 110 Caramel, Urban Decay Naked Skin in 4.0, Dior Forever in 21 Linen, Shiseido Synchro Skin in Golden 3.
Natural indoor lighting:
Flash photo indoors:
Outdoor under direct sunlight:
Currently, my skin is as normal as it can get with a t-zone that produces oil. My nose is temperamental and can often seem "flake-y" underneath of a mattifying foundation. However, observe this application with minimal concealer and powder directly under the eyes. The foundation looks to be a perfect match to my current skintone and does indeed *blur* any imperfections without seeming mask-like.
It covers lighter dark spots and redness easily.
I applied this over my newly touted Sun Bum Moisturizing Lotion (SPF 70) by itself. The sunscreen itself is very moisturizing (borderline greasy) on my skin and lent itself to the more dewy look of my base. I've tried the Forever on top of regular SPF + primer and the result is equally satisfying.
Upon very close inspection (perhaps 3 inches away) you can see that it bunches slightly with the dry skin on my nose. However, I still maintain that all skin types can use this foundation with proper skin preparation. In comparison to the previous version, this foundation is much less mattifying/oil controlling but makes up for it with better SPF, its excellent pore blurring performance, and equal longevity.
After I finished with the rest of my face, the foundation seems to have oxidized. The oxidation is much more obvious on my hand (happens with almost every swatch) and looks to be 1/2 to 1 shade darker than my neck and more golden than my chest. Hm. I'm not a fan of wearing foundation on my neck due to high necklines, but this seems to be a better shade for the months to come.
Overall, I give high marks for this foundation! I can see it being perfect for work days over events due to the high SPF, but it stays flawless without primer and powder. With primer and powder, you're looking at bulletproof wear until you take off your face for the day.
xo BE
