Dia daoibh!
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My skin:
Shade: MAC NW15/Pale/Cool toned
Type: Normal (as "normal" goes!)
Problems: Very slight redness/broken capillaries around the nose & cheeks (where I like my coverage)
Coverage preferred: Medium
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Today I'm going to review for you a budget brand foundation I am very impressed with. It's NYC's All Day Long Smooth Skin Foundation. It's priced at....... wait for it....... just €3.99/£3.99. I say I'm very impressed.... I say it's only €3.99.... I believe you may be excited to read on!!?
NEGATIVES
NYC claim the foundation will give a "A smooth skin appearance which lasts up to 14 hours". Now after trying this for a full week I do have a drawback if it's longevity you're looking for in a foundation.
This 14-hour business is incorrect. On me it certainly did not last 14 hours. I would give it just about a working day 9-5 to last on the skin but that's about it. Now I don't find this too much of a negative as I don't necessarily wear my foundation for 14 hours a day anyway; and if I did it's not big deal to me to re-apply. It's easy for a company to claim something to last so many hours on the skin. If there is a speck of product left on the skin, technically, it's still there! Sinéad over at Viva Adonis (who didn't get on too great with this foundation), also agreed with this point. Makeup products work differently for different people so check out her review here.
This 14-hour business is incorrect. On me it certainly did not last 14 hours. I would give it just about a working day 9-5 to last on the skin but that's about it. Now I don't find this too much of a negative as I don't necessarily wear my foundation for 14 hours a day anyway; and if I did it's not big deal to me to re-apply. It's easy for a company to claim something to last so many hours on the skin. If there is a speck of product left on the skin, technically, it's still there! Sinéad over at Viva Adonis (who didn't get on too great with this foundation), also agreed with this point. Makeup products work differently for different people so check out her review here.
NEUTRALS
It doesn't contain SPF. This can be a negative or positive, depending on personal preference Negative if you're worried about sun damage or positive if you're after something to wear for flash photography.
POSITIVES
No onto the positives. Obviously it's cheap as chips. When something is priced as cheap as this, it's almost a automatic reaction to some to ignore & steer clear. My advice; try not to do this. Give something a go regardless of price as you might be surprised. I certainly was!
I was pleasantly surprised with the shade I tried which was no. 737 Classic Ivory. It is infamously hard to find (for some reason cool toned) foundations for us pale ladies, so this is certainly another reason I am happy with this foundation. I also have 739 Classic Beige which would be more suited to pale, warm toned ladies/gents. It applies smoothly but does dry a little tacky so it's one that you would wouldn't want to dawdle with too much when applying. Because of this slight tackiness though it seems to give a good medium coverage which I loved.
The foundation which contains Vitamins A, C & E, has a matte finish with a pleasant fresh smell comparable to the scent of a typical sunscreen.
As you can see above, Classic Ivory is a little more pink toned compare to Classic Beige.
I tested this foundation on it's own, with primer and with powder. No surprises here, it will last longer with powder. Without powder it got a little shiney throughout the day, but not oily looking. The main tell-tale sign of this was a little amount of creasing around the nose.
Just to let you know, in the picture above I contoured (temples, cheeks, jawline and nose)and warmed up my complexion slightly with the below NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder (724A All Over Bronze Glow) which is also priced at €3.49.
The primer I used with this foundation was one from NYC also It's their Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer which is priced at €3.49. To me it seems more of an illuminator than a primer. It's a slightly shimmery, creamy white, mid-liquid substance which when smoothed into the skin give a very nice subtle glow. It's not silicone-y feeling in the slightest so if you're not a fan of that you might want to give this a go. It did smooth out my skin but the main result of this is a radiant base for your foundation.
Overall I am really impressed with the NYC All Day Long Smooth Skin Foundation. It's the best foundation I have tried for the price tag it has; without a doubt! I highly recommend this foundation if you're after something cheap and cheerful, to last you 6-7 hours and for pale ladies. As I mentioned, it's priced at €3.99/£3.99 and available from Sam McCauley’s Chemists, Superdrug and selected pharmacies nationwide
Slán!
The above products were sent to me from the NYC PR Team for reviewing purposes. All opinions above are completely my own, 100% honest thoughts on the products.