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As a fair-skinned gal, it’s not always easy to get foundation right. My first memory of foundation is in fact from my ballet concerts: at 3, we would do these yearly concerts full of hair spray, leotards, and thick foundation. Weird? Kinda, thinking about it now. But you know, it was show business *jazz hands* and I did enjoy the dancing. The pasty foundation? Probably at the time, but now it makes me feel a bit queasy (that could just be the pregnancy hormones though).
Of course, like all other milennials, I went through the protracted fake tan craze of the 00s. Paris Hilton was THE idol, the benchmark, and basically orange. I did not at all feel comfortable in my skin, especially living in beach country, and came of age comfortably slathering myself in tanner, and then matching makeup to that.
So once I started embracing my natural skin tone, later than I would have liked but earlier than it could’ve been… I had to start anew. It’s tricky matching the fairest tones to my skin, because a) fair skin shows everything, good and bad, and b) my face is slightly more “of colour” than my shoulders (apparently this is the reverse on most people… I have rosy cheeks and creamy shoulders, so that’s just what I’m working with here!). I would initially buy the lightest shade, only to learn that it was actually too fair for me… which, after years of being called “too white”, seemed an impossibility.
I remember first loving the Inika Mineral Foundation in Unity, and in my early 20s when my skin was much oilier dewier, this was my jam. I bought the kabuki brush and all (I may still have that, banged up but still in existence) and loved how the powder had a slight glow but soaked up all my oil at the same time… it was like magic!
I also had issues with acne at this point (gosh, this beauty review is really turning into an outpour of emotions from my teens), and liked how the Inika powder concealed my blemishes without clogging my pores. Over the years, I got braver wearing thicker foundation (having also had a MAC heavy foundation (this one I think) phase around ’07, just in time for the cluuubs) as an everyday. But my favourite always turned out to be a BB cream, which was basically a fancy Korean invention for a light, tinted moisturiser… and to this day, it’s still my preference.
Which leads me to the two products of today’s soliloquy review: Rimmel’s Lasting Finish Foundation in #070 Sesame and their Kind & Free Moisturising Skin Tint in #150 Rose Vanilla. The former is one I have actually been purchasing for a few years now, and I find it is just a foundation that does its job, and doesn’t budge too much. I’ll have days (even pre-baby) where I just wouldn’t look in the mirror, until the end of the day… and my face would be half worn off. Not quite the look I was going for! This one stays put for the most past, and mattifies without making my now-much-drier-skin look cakey.
It also has a great range of tones, and recently had a slight design update (I had a mild panic when I couldn’t find it, and then realised the lid was just a different shape. Crisis averted). As far as I can tell, the formulation hasn’t changed, and I’ve been wearing it again lately and loving it. It contains niacinamide which is one of my favourite ingredients for boosting brightness. It’s also SPF 20 which is only ever a good thing! (I usually do wear sunscreen underneath though.)
The other product, Kind & Free Skin Tint, took me by surprise one day at Priceline. It had some kind of promo sticker on it which immediately got me, and of course I love the sound of a light coverage product. I picked it up, and upon paying the cashier commented on how much she loved it, in fact she was wearing it right then. That sealed the deal for me! And to be honest I’ve really enjoyed using it.
It’s definitely more dewy than the Lasting Finish (as it should be, containing vitamin E and aloe vera), but sometimes I do like a bit of a Korean style glow, especially coming into the drier months. It also felt lighter on my skin, and it covers just enough without taking away from your own natural glow (’cause we allhave one!). It’s a great daily skin tint for those not looking for anything full coverage or cakey, just smoothing and lovely!
I did purchase the Light & Free in a slightly darker shade than my skin tone (as you can see in the swatches above — Lasting Finish on top, Light & Free underneath), and now when I use the Lasting Finish it feels so fair on me but probably matches me better. However, as I mentioned my face is a slightly different tone than my neck so it works with a bit of blending.
I’ve recently finished the Light & Free Skin Tint (shall I resurrect an empties series?) which is always a good sign! Granted this is probably my third bottle of the Lasting Finish Foundation, so it’s probably an unfair fight. Overall, I really enjoy Rimmel as a brand (I also have historically loved their Extra Super Lash mascara) and would happily recommend both of these base products, to my fair-skinned gals and beyond!
Hope you enjoyed this heartfelt review (lol, seriously though), see y’all soon 🙂