There has been SO much hype surrounding the launch of the Wet n Wild PhotoFocus foundation, concealer and powder in South Africa.  They arrived in the country last year, along with several other Wet n Wild products that we’d all been eagerly anticipating.  Yet somehow, most people were more excited by the foundation than anything else.

We sadly have not had the full shade range (surprise, surprise), so once again we’re left with foundation mostly for fair to medium skin tones and nothing for the ladies with deeper skin.  I know that this is a huge bugbear with regards to brands like Catrice and Essence as well, so I truly hope that the brand launches more (or all!) of the shades in our country soon.

I personally own the foundation and the powder, but haven’t purchased the concealer.  Somehow the lightest shade I’ve found seems like it might work for me to disguise blemishes and spots, but not highlight under my eyes.  The products from the range that I do own though, are amazing.

Read on to see my full review!

PRODUCT

Wet n Wild PhotoFocus Foundation – I own the shades Soft Ivory and Soft Beige.  Each bottle is 30ml.

PACKAGING

The foundation is housed in a nice, thick glass bottle.  I say ‘nice and thick’ as it does make it feel more luxe and expensive, albeit not exactly travel friendly.

However, the lid really does decrease the ‘luxe’ feeling.  It’s made from plastic, and not a thick, quality one – the lid feels very thin and cheaply made in comparison to the glass bottle.

There is also a little ‘Cruelty Free‘ logo at the bottom left of the bottle.  Nice to know that the brand is cruelty free and proud of it.

The applicator is a plastic spatula.  It’s the first time I’ve had foundation with this kind of applicator.  I’ve had pumps and I’ve had open-neck bottles, but this one truly is a first.  It’s not the best quality – it’s a bit roughly made at the edge as you can see.

However, with the cost of the foundation, I really am not worried about the packaging.

FORMULA

The consistency is a liquid, but quite thick.

The PhotoFocus Foundation is quite opaque – not quite full coverage, but definitely a medium coverage that is buildable.

It has quite a strong smell – some have described it as the smell of ‘paint’, but I wouldn’t go that far.  It just smells quite strong and not exactly pleasant.  However, the scent dies down once the foundation is dry.

It claims to be a matte finish, but the finish is not 100% matte.  I feel that the ‘light diffusing‘ aspect of it definitely gives it a bit of radiance in a soft-focus way.  Still, great for all skin types I’d say.

SHADE RANGE

Internationally there are 20 shades.  Granted, only a few of them are suited to darker skin types which is not ideal, but it’s still a better offering than brands like Catrice and Essence.

The downside of this is, as per usual, South Africa didn’t get the full collection of shades.  We seem to only have 5 shades of the foundation.  Admittedly though – some of the shades in this range are FAB for the lighter end of the spectrum.  I have very fair skin when not self tanned and the PhotoFocus Foundation in Soft Ivory is actually much too pale for me – even in winter I think I’d need to darken it up a little!

I bought the shade Soft Beige thinking that it might be closer to my skin tone, but in fact it’s slightly too dark – they both have the right undertone though – light warm (Soft Ivory) and light medium warm (Soft Beige).  Now I mix the two to my perfect custom shade – more of the Soft Ivory when I’m fairer, and more of the Soft Beige when I’m self tanned.

WEAR

FLASHBACK

There doesn’t seem to be any kind of longevity claim on the product – it’s main claim is that it is fantastic for flash photography as it has a formula that has been formulated to not cause any flashback.  It’s even been tested under 7 different light conditions both with and without a flash, with no flashback.

While this is fantastic, I know a lot of people are also concerned about how well the foundation wears throughout the day.  I have a combo skin – it’s normal on my cheeks and forehead, yet on my chin and around my nose it’s dehydrated and oily.  Yes, I know that if it’s dehydrated the skin will often produce excess oil, so this could be the cause.  However, the point is my skin is still oily in those areas, and because of this foundation often shifts and breaks apart during the day.  I’ve come to decide on whether a foundation is good, if it can last reasonably well in these areas.  I also like to see if it’s easy to touch up/blot/powder the foundation without changing how it looks.

HOW IT ACTUALLY WEARS THROUGHOUT THE DAY

The Photofocus Foundation applies nicely and sits really well on my skin.  It’s only at around lunch time that I’ll see some oiliness around my nose and chin.  The foundation doesn’t seem to break apart at all or shift, it just starts to shine.  I have sometimes left my makeup the whole day without checking too (because life gets away with me and work is busy), and only really had a good look at my skin on my way home.  Sure, my nose is then looking VERY shiny, as is my chin, just as I’d expect.  However, the miracle is, that I can do two different processes to touch this foundation up.

1. I can blot with blotting papers, then lightly press (not brush around, just PRESS some powder with a small powder brush) into the areas I’ve blotted.
2. I can take a beauty sponge and press the areas that are oily with it.  The sponge soaks up any oils.  I then do the same powder routine.

I sometimes also use a bit of Catrice Camouflage Cream on any areas, but this is only really if I’ve worn my reading glasses (which I don’t do as much as I should, NAUGHTY!) and the makeup has lifted off the bridge of my nose.  Even then, it doesn’t move around any makeup or go cakey as I just press this into the affected area.  Everything blends seamlessly yet again, and I press a little powder on top to set it.

I’m so amazed at how well I can touch up this foundation.  I have a lot of foundations that don’t take too well to touching up, and the foundation in that area goes cakey, patchy or dry.  The PhotoFocus Foundation is great to wear if you’re having an exceptionally long day at work, you’re going out for a night, or if you’re just transitioning a day look to a night one.  As a whole, it wears exceptionally well.  Better than a lot of foundations that actually claim to last for a long time.  It also didn’t oxidise at all!

ON ANOTHER NOTE

I find that when used in conjunction with the PhotoFocus Pressed Powder (I use the shade Warm Light), my skin looks flawless.  I’ve had several people actually ask me what foundation I’m wearing as my skin looks ‘airbrushed‘ and a few others comment on how lovely my skin looks.  And these comments are always when I’ve worn the two products together.

P.S. The powder is also said to be a dupe for the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. 😉

WHERE FROM

You can buy Wet n Wild products from Clicks stores.  I have been constantly looking online and have only seen two shades available on the Clicks site until recently – now you can find all 5 shades online at Clicks HERE.

PRICE

R99.95 for a 30ml bottle of foundation.  Not bad at all – I mean, I have two bottles to blend to my suitable shade, and I use the powder too (R89.95).  To spend under R300 for 60ml of foundation and a matching powder? What an absolute bonus!

REPURCHASE?

Yes!  I plan to now constantly have these foundations in my collection.  They’re super affordable and the product is very effective and great quality.

Have you tried the Wet n Wild PhotoFocus Foundation, or any of the other products from the PhotoFocus line?