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Price: $44 for 1oz
What they say:
"What it is:
A skin-loving makeup that combines the benefits of a primer, foundation, concealer, and powder in one long-wearing formula.
What it does:
This innovative, medium-coverage formula is energized with Stila's exclusive Ionic Mineral Complex™ that reads and reacts to skin zone-by-zone, visibly priming, balancing, correcting, and optimizing for a supremely flawless finish. Achieve a beautifully smooth look with this buildable, blendable, hydrating essential that minimizes pores, regulates oil, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Synthetic Fragrances"
What I say:
So far I'm liking this foundation/primer/powder/concealer product. It's not the greatest, but I have seen much much worse (looking at you Revlon PhotoReady).
This product claims to be a primer, foundation, concealer and powder all in one. While I wouldn't say outright that it is not any one of these things, what it is is a combination of an average one of each. Average concealer, average primer, you get the idea. So while you are saving time, and actually money (if you do use all of these steps each day), the overall effect that you are achieving is just okay, and could be done better with superior products.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not dissing this product. In fact, for what it is trying to do, I would actually be praising it. To be able to achieve so much in so little of an amount of time is really useful, and definitely has its place amongst the time constricted of us.
The texture of this product is whipped, like Maybelline's whipped blushes. Personally, I think the texture of this product is the worst part about it. Since it is whipped, it doesn't want to stay on a brush, making it hard to apply to your face without using your fingers. So why don't you use your fingers, you might ask? Because when I only have a minute to get foundation on, I don't want half of that time bring spent washing and drying my hands! Once actually on the face it spreads out relatively easily, though because it likes to stick together, it can tend to all try and place itself on the same spot. Something to watch out for.
The coverage of this is sheer to medium, I would say. I could definitely see redness through it, and my undereye circles were ever present (though I always expect that one). Basically, while I would say it conceals at all, it does a pretty bad job of it. I had to apply a second layer around my nose just to cover the redness that I happened to have there.
This product is chock full of silicones, but so far I have not reacted to them. I am waiting to see if I do or not, because depending on the product, and the actually size of the particles, sometimes I don't react. The silicone is how this product achieves the "powder-like" part of the formula. Once the foundation dries, what is left is a powder finish, which is quite nice. I heard some talk about transfer being a problem with this product, but personally have not had a problem with that.
Lasting power was okay. I only wear foundation for short periods of time, usually, and in this case it was only 5 hours before I took it off. It definitely was still there, I didn't get oily through it (which means that the oil control must be decent), and it didn't slide.
Last couples things: colors, and price.
Colorwise, this product is meh. I got both the lightest and second lightest shades of this, and both seemed to be okay for me (I guess I fall in between), but both were yellowish. Whilst I do have a pink undertone, I can sometimes pull off a more yellow foundation, depending on the amount present, and what I was pairing with it. With this, I had to wear bronzer with the lightest shade, which according to Stila doesn't even have a yellow undertone! I definitely fear for women with more pink in their skin than I have, and really wish more companies would realize that yellow is not always flattering (looking at you Bobbi Brown).
Price for this is... not good. While I did say that it was okay earlier, this was based on a "this is my only foundation/concealer/powder/primer" standpoint. If you have decent skin that doesn't need a lot of concealer (which is the one thing I think this thing doesn't do even average), and you are thinking of just buying this, and nothing else, then the price is okay, since it breaks down to just $11 for each thing in it, and you aren't buying anything else. If you are like most people, and you are thinking of using this as a sometimes, not always foundation, than the price is absurd. For $44 you can get MUFE HD, and have change left over (and MUFE at least has a color selection than includes those of us who are not yellow undertone). Also, this product claims to have a shelf of just 6 months after first use, according to the sticker. This actually surprised me, since the product is in a tube, and it looks to be an airtight design. Are the minerals just that unstable, and if so, than how does it last long enough on the shelf until someone purchases it in the first place?
I happened to get both of mine on a massive sale (one of them without a box, but new, and the other on an overstock site). Total for both I paid less than the cost of one, but that was just luck and timing. If I had to repurchase at the regular price, I would not even consider it an option. If I found the same deal again, I would think about it, since the time I save would be worth it.
Overall:
Product: 3.5-4/5 (depending on the need for concealer)
Price: 2-4/5 (depending on if you are using this as a supplementary or a primary product)
