We're back for another installation of Product Smackdown! I love comparing products that I have in my collection to see what makes the cut and which ones fall flat. Today, I bring you the three iterations of L'Oreal's best-selling foundation: the True Match Super Blendable, True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous and the newest addition, the Infallible Pro-Matte. While each gives me different finishes, I thought it would be useful to hear the pros and cons of each and figure out which one would suit your skin type the best!
THE BREAKDOWN
Back in the day, I wasn't much of a foundation kind of girl. I was blessed with a flawless face -- no pimples (even around that time of the month), no redness or dark circles of any kind --#HumbleBragMuch-- It wasn't until my freshman year of college that the stress multiplied--as did the blemishes and redness. Being a student on a budget, I gave the L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation (shade: W5 Sand Beige) a try. I definitely appreciated the pump as it dispensed just the right amount for my face + specific layering. It's on the watery side which makes finger application a breeze when I'm in a rush. There's a total of 12 shades. Wear time was good if I set it with powder. It contains SPF 20 so you might not want to wear this for flash photos. The finish is dewy (definitely need to set this if you have combination/oily skin) and coupled with the lighter coverage, wasn't what I was looking for at the time.
I moved onto the L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Foundation (shade: W5 Sand Beige / W3 Nude Beige) soon after. The iconic bottle actually contains the same amount of foundation as the Lumi. This one was much more my speed as the medium-full coverage hid active breakouts, healing ones, and the marks left behind with a U.S. nickel-sized amount. This foundation comes in 30 colors that are broken down into warm, cool, and neutral undertones--a standout in the drugstore. The natural-looking matte finish also sat better on my oily skin at the time. I still need to blot with this foundation around hour 4 of wear but it wasn't as frequent as with the Lumi, obvs. I have it on in my Valentine's Day 2015 FOTD if you were curious as to how it looks on the skin. Since it doesn't come with a pump, it's messier and some days I dispense more than I need.These days, I'm not an oily mess anymore but it still works when I have dry areas. I like to sheer the coverage sometimes and apply it with my Beauty Blender sponge. Whichever way I chose to apply it, the foundation never failed me in terms of coverage and wear time. Some shades contain SPF 17, which both of mine did. Before the Infallible Pro-Matte came out, I would've recommended this for oily skin (but most skin types would enjoy this!)
Not for the dry skin peeps, the Infallible Pro-Matte (shade: 104 Golden Beige) is best suited for the oiliest of skin types. It pretty much sapped my skin of moisture and looked so dry on my drier skin. This foundation has a lot of silicones so it applied smoothly and blended easily but you better be quick--it sets almost immediately and oxidized to a much darker color than I expected. It was hard picking a color even though there's 12 shades. The clear window didn't do much other than help me figure out the undertones. The first three shades seem to have more of a neutral to pink undertone in comparison to Golden Beige. I like the tube packaging because I can control the amount that comes out, is sanitary, and is travel friendly. This foundation also contains 1 oz. I think I would like this more in the summer as it didn't budge when I touched it. It felt light on the skin and covered redness well but that might have been due to it being a darker color than my skin. It doesn't contain SPF but I don't rely on foundation for SPF anyway. I will revisit this foundation when it gets to summer and I get a tan.
THE SWATCHES
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| FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: UD Naked Skin Foundation-3.0, L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation-04 Golden Beige, True Match Lumi Foundation-W5 Sand Beige, True Match Super Blendable-W5 Sand Beige, and True Match Super Blendable -W3 Nude Beige |
The foundations are all over the place in terms of color but I was a lot tanner when I first started wearing foundations. Coming from sunny LA and moving up to the moderate Bay Area made my skin lighten enough that I needed to buy new shades lest I look like an oompaloompa. Right now, I'm probably a W4 but I'm not going to be repurchasing any of these until I finish some more I have in my stash. I swatched Urban Decay as a control because it never oxidizes on my skin. Color also fit my face the best at the time.
I never noticed this before but the L'Oreal foundations oxidized on my skin. Lumi gets slightly darker and the Super Blendable go pinker. I use to blame that on my powder because that was usually the last thing on my face but I started noticing that my face and neck would start out matching but my face would get pinker as the day would go on. That's slightly disappointing because they would be the perfect foundations for me if they didn't oxidize.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Depending on your skin type, you'd like different finishes. Right now, I'm liking the L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable because I can wear it sheerly but still get the coverage I need. It works whether my skin is dry or oily so I never have to worry about my skin's condition when I use it. Lumi works best on dry skin and Infallible Pro-Matte is definitely for oily skin.
WHERE TO BUY
L'Oreal True Match Lumi // Buy
L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable // BuyL'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte // Buy
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