Firstly, apologies for my long silence – between my own wedding planning and studying part time, I’ve just been a bridesmaid in a very special friend’s wedding, who actually flew here from the States to get married, so life has been crazy and routine was very much something I used to dream of. Things are slowly getting back to normal again, and blogging will be a lot more consistent again!
There has been so much hype over this LA Girl foundation – both internationally and here in South Africa, with bloggers and YouTubers alike testing it out.
Despite never being drawn to try an LA Girl foundation before (is it just me, or do they look cheap, aka poor quality, whenever I see them on shelves?), I decided to give this a bash after watching Kandy Kane’s YouTube video on it. Apparently even though it’s an illuminating foundation, as long as you set it with powder, it’ll work for oilier skin tones.
So let’s get into the review!
L.A. Girl Pro Coverage HD High-Definition Long Wear Illuminating Foundation
Plastic, clear container with black text, a black pump, and a black lid. The packaging is quite cheap, although looking decent before you pick it up. It’s very lightweight. The pump is clearly quite cheap as it sticks quite quickly, but for the price of the product, and quality of product inside, it’s very easy to see past this.
Very high coverage, but it is easy to create a medium coverage with this if you use a small amount of product and blend out, only adding as you go to areas that need more.
For a medium-high coverage, use a dampened beauty sponge, as this will create a more natural finish. You can build it up to a higher coverage with a beauty sponge too, but if you want to go in with a very high coverage to begin with, use a foundation/buffing brush.
I found that the coverage was good enough that I didn’t need to go in with a concealer, not for the couple of spots I had or the darkness under my eyes. If you have bad dark circles, you could colour correct before you apply the foundation, and you really will not need concealer at all.
When they say long wear on the bottle, they aren’t joking! This lasts really really well, and is comparable in wear time, almost to my Estee Lauder Double Wear. Obviously if you set it with a powder, it’ll increase the wear time, which I do, as it’s too illuminating with my combination skin, to leave it unset.
It also doesn’t oxidise on me, a problem I have from the Milani Conceal and Perfect, and the Urban Decay All Nighter.
It is supposed to be an illuminating foundation, so it definitely gives skin a lovely glow, but don’t think that this means it’s only for dry skin types – I have been battling with oily skin due to coming off the pill, and as long as I set my face with powder, it will sit well all day, and I’ve only had to blot once during the day. So you could use this for any skin type, as long as you take the steps to set it correctly.
A runny liquid foundation. Very opaque in colour.
The foundation blends out beautifully and very easily, probably due to how runny it is.
They have quite a decent shade range, a total of 16 shades, including a white shade, to lighten products up if you’re in-between shades, or even if you have the lightest, and it’s just not light enough for you during winter.
I’m not sure if we have all 16 shades here in South Africa, but from the display stands, I think we do.
I have the shades Fair (the warmer-toned lightest shade) and Nude Beige (for when I’m self tanned, but to be honest, I still sometimes have to mix a bit of Fair in, depending on how deep my tan is).
R175 for 28ml of product. Very reasonable, and great value, considering that it works like a higher-end foundation.
From Dischem here in South Africa. You can find it both in-store and in their online store.
Yes, definitely! This has actually slowly been replacing my L’Oreal Infallible 24hr Matte foundation, if you can actually believe it! I’ve just been loving how high the coverage is, and it stays put so well.
I actually recommended this product to quite a few people, and I used it on bridesmaids that I did makeup on at a wedding this past weekend, as the wear is so good, coverage is exceptional and it gives a lovely glow even when set down with powder. Plus it’s good for photos, as it’s an HD foundation!
This product is everything I thought the Urban Decay All Nighter would be and everything I wanted it to be, for a fraction of the price, and without the crazy oxidising.
Amazing review!! Thanks for the tips on application, Shiv. Going to grab one this weekend! xxx
• Jane Wonder •
aaah you must Cam!!!!! x
I do love this foundation, but I picked it up after I'd been jogging in the sun all week so now I feel it's a bit too orange for me. I'll try and get a lighter shade or those lightening drops and hopefully that works. L'oreal 24hr infallible matte is also my ride or die. Great review.
The lightening drops from The Body Shop work wonders, or the lightening foundation shade in this range (the white one) – it's almost half the price of TBS ones and works just as well if not better!
Thank you so much x
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