Bobbi Brown skin foundation review

It’s time for a new foundation review! It’s been a while hasn’t it?

My time with the Mac waterweight foundation has finally come to an end, and although we had a good thing going on for the last six months, it was time for me to spread my wings and start seeing other foundations. No really MAC, it’s not you, it’s me.

Three years ago, for my eighteenth birthday, a family friend gave me a gift card for Bobbi Brown. And over those three years, I tried multiple times to use said gift card. But with store closings, broken gift card readers and terms and conditions meaning the voucher wasn’t valid in department stores, I began to think that this card would end up being passed down to my children as a family air loom. Luckily, it actually had no expiration date, so three-and-a-bit years down the line I finally managed to put the gift to good use. You know what they say, good things come to those who wait.

After some research, the foundation that I opted for was Bobbi Brown’s ‘award winning’ skin foundation- a holy grail BB product that has satisfied many a customer over the years, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

It comes in this pretty little glass bottle with a pump which is great for limiting product waste. I just think the overall look of the bottle is nice! The foundation also has SPF 15 which is great, meaning it’s perfect for an everyday foundation because it gives you that level of UV protection you need!

Much like my MAC foundation, this has a very watery consistency. This was something I liked a lot about waterweight, because I just don’t get on with thick foundations as they’re hard to spread and blend in my experience. The formula is very light and airy and you can see this from the little air bubbles that arise after you’ve pumped it.

Sadly, I don’t like the smell of this foundation at all. Compared to the MAC one which has a really nice scent, this one smells sort of chemical-like. Once on the face it’s completely fine and it doesn’t have a strong smell per se anyway, but I would just prefer it to have a nicer smell. Aside from this one issue, the consistency is great to work with.

I spritz my face with a priming water to get it slightly wet and then I apply the foundation all over my face, blending it in with a stippling brush. This foundation applies well to the skin and doesn’t take too much blending, I also haven’t had much problem with streaks. In general I prefer using a brush to apply water based foundations as I feel that beauty blenders just absorb too much of the product.

Once applied, I use a beauty blender to touch up with concealer and then pat it all over my face so that the foundation settles into my skin nicely. Then I finish my base with a touch of powder. Et voilà. 

The finished look…

Bobbi Brown skin foundation is undoubtedly a sheer to light coverage product. I would say it is somewhat buildable but it doesn’t easily cover blemishes, dark circles or marks, so this is something to be aware of if you’re looking for better coverage. I personally prefer my foundations to be lighter and to give me that ‘no-makeup’ look so this product is ideal. It definitely doesn’t feel heavy on the skin and gives your face a fresh glow rather than a flawless coverage.

I feel like this foundation is very brightening and wakes up your tired skin to give you a healthy glow. It isn’t a matte finish, instead it’s nice and dewy. However as I said, I do like to set it with a bit of translucent powder to keep it in place.

I must admit I’m not so sure on this foundations staying power. It isn’t advertised as a ‘long lasting’ foundation, but I had heard some really good reviews. I think it has a tendency to separate by the end of the day, but this is something I find quite hard to avoid with non-matte foundations. I do however, think this separation is less noticeable due to the sheer-light coverage of the formula.

Overall I do like the way it looks on my skin, and I honestly don’t feel like I’m wearing makeup when I have this foundation on! I wouldn’t categorise it as a long wearing foundation, so I would avoid this product if you have oily skin or are looking for a coverage that won’t budge. However, if you’re looking for a great every day product to brighten up your skin, then this could be the one for you!

What’s your holy grail foundation? Let me into your secrets in the comments!