In terms of coverage, I am definitely impressed by this foundation. I have to be honest and admit that I did not expect much out of this product, especially when it comes to coverage. I wouldn’t label it as a proper full coverage base, but it definitely is a medium to full coverage buildable formula. After almost 11 hours, when I finally decided to take the makeup off, I inspected my face closely one last time. I noticed that my foundation had started to disrupt in the area around my nose. It was fading gracefully, I’ll give you that, but it was starting to become noticeable.

A sleek, soft and smooth base… What’s not to love!? Housed in a luxe glass bottle with a jumbo doe-foot applicator, this foundation offers precision and greater control. The highly pigmented, buildable coverage means that you can apply a small amount to allow your natural complexion to shine through or you can layer the foundation to achieve a more full coverage effect that conceals blemishes and evens out skin tone. Since this product claims to be full coverage, I decided to start with a smaller amount and see how much I would need for a perfect base.The Matte Base foundation promises not only a matte texture, but also a pore-blurring and full coverage finish. These claims are quite ambitious for such a low price point; so, how much of it is true? minutes later, my forehead and my cheeks also started to get oily; the center of my forehead was kind of visibly so, but my cheeks looked pretty normal still. The matte finish claim couldn’t be more on point, even when paired with a setting spray that leans more towards the dewy side. The Mario Badescu Facial Mist is my go-to for powder accidents and dewy skin, and for this foundation to mantain its matte finish anyway it’s kind of amazing! I wasn’t really bugged about it, 6 hours without re-touches is a pretty good result in my book – especially considering how oily my nose is!

When it comes to performance, I feel like that’s when the product actually shines the most. I always test my foundations without re-touching it to see how well it works, and I was beyond impressed with the resiliance of this one. You have to admit, more than 6 hours without a breakthrough of oil is pretty impressive! My nose became visibly oily about an hour later, when the makeup had been on for roughly 7 hours and a half. At this point, you could really tell my nose was straight up oily and not just highlighted.

Moving on to the more aesthetic part, there is actually a few things one might say about this foundation.

I have combination to oily skin, with an actively oily T-zone – particularly my nose – and the remaining oily point of my face are my cheeks (the area closer to my nose) and my chin. Compared to my nose, however, these two take a little more time to get oily throughout the day. My nose is definitely the most challenging, followed by my forehead, chin and cheeks.

To set the base in place, I used the RCMA ‘No-Colour Powder’, which is a loose setting powder, and Mario Badescu’s ‘Facial Spray with Aloe, Chamomile and Lavender’, which isn’t really a proper makeup setting spray but I like to live dangerously. When I spritzed the mist and called it a day on my look, it was 9:20 am. 1 (very) small dot blended in with a damped beauty sponge (Real Technique Face & Body sponge)

On one hand, it’s very practical and easy to carry around. On the other hand, though, it gives off kind of a cheap-feeling vibe. The finish of this foundation is a proper matte one; not silky, not semi-matte: a proper, true matte finish. Much like with the coverage, I was positively impressed by the finish of this product. I sure did not expect it to be this opaque, and I am fairly pleased by this detail. Customise your coverage with this buildable formula by applying with a damp beauty sponge for a ‘real-skin’ finish. To amp up the coverage and diffuse over blemishes and imperfections, buff and blend the product into skin with a synthetic brush. Get a full face of matte base and follow with Matte Base Concealer, to conceal, contour, and highlight. For an ultra-matte finish and added longevity, finish with Matte Base Powder, to set and perfect your base. Offering a buildable coverage and available in 50 shades, this inclusive foundation is designed to suit all skin types and tones. The long lasting, creamy texture dries down into a demi-matte finish and the oil-free formula prevents the foundation from settling into fine lines or clinging to dry patches.Right off the bat, I could see that the foundation melted perfectly with my skin, not sitting on top of it but creating a perfect skin-like canvas to work with. Before continuing on, however, I may need to point a little something out. The ‘pore-blurring’ element of this foundation is definitely present, although not overwhealming. It does help a considerable amount when it comes to smoothing out pores, but it will work even better with a pore-blurring primer.