A Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Foundation Review
A Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Foundation Review
WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK WORKAhem. Hello, friends! We're going to be reviewing Fenty Beauty's Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation. I have been hyped about this foundation ever since I knew it existed a week ago. This is gonna be a long one. Let's dive in, shall we?
What is Fenty Beauty and the Pro Filt'r Foundation?
Singer and queen, Rihanna, launched her beauty company, Fenty Beauty, about a week ago. The launch features base products like primer, foundation (the subject of this review), concealers, highlights (Trophy Wife, drool), and blushes.One of the most exciting products (in my personal opinion) is the foundation that Rihanna released. It boasts 40 shades that go from the lightest of the very light to very, very dark. Makeup brands often release one very light shade and maybe three dark shades and so many people are left out of the shade choices and are left frustrated. Rihanna comes out of the gate with forty shades and almost everyone can find one for themselves. Suffice it to say, the makeup world and internet at large are shook.The foundation box itself is black and white and seemingly sprayed with graffiti and very Rihanna in style. The bottle is cylindrical and has frosted glass design. The foundation is dispensed via a pump.In terms of consistency, the foundation is runny and watery in texture.I also found it interesting that the foundation is formulated with pineapple and papaya extract. Pineapple and papaya both are formulated with Vitamin C which help keep acne and blemishes at bay and also help fade acne scars and dark spots and encourage a healthy glowing complexion. I'm sure this foundation by no means is a skincare substitute but added extracts to help one's complexion is great.The Pro Filt'r Foundation retails for $34 dollars on the Fenty Beauty site and also on Sephora.
A Test! There Must Be A Test
To test this foundation, on the right side of my face, I used a primer and setting powder. On the left side of my face, I put nothing on besides moisturizer and didn't powder to set.As an extra layer of test, from the nose up, I applied the foundation using a brush. From the nose down, I used a damp makeup sponge. I went about my day as per usual and checked on it at four hours and then again at eight hours to see how the foundation was doing and if there are differences in the performance between the right side (that was primered and set) and the left side (which was not primered and set). I also used no concealer as I wanted to determine how much the foundation itself covered.Shall we get some results?
-
Brush vs Makeup Sponge
Honestly, for me, there didn't seem that much of a difference whether you apply via sponge or via brush. But if I were hard pressed, I would apply this with a sponge. I've used this foundation two other times since this test and I've always reached for a sponge. Since this foundation is watery in texture, I found patting it in and blending it in with the sponge was easier and gave me a more flawless finish.
-
First Application Impressions
When I first dotted on the foundation on my face, I was a little concerned because it looked darker than what my skin tone looked like. However, as I started blending in the foundation, I was pleased to see that it melted in perfectly with my skin. The finish looked slightly glowy and slightly matte. The overall look is "My Skin But Better." Don't expect a luminous glow like you've been blessed by the sun himself with skin literally made of satin. I don't know what will give you that, to be honest. But expect a healthy skin glow, subtle yet naturally beautiful.The foundation also set pretty quickly and was dry to the touch after a minute or two and doesn't feel tacky or sticky.Coverage is medium as the box said but you can layer on the foundation without trouble until you get the coverage level you want.This foundation does dry a tad bit darker than when it went on. For me, once the foundation settled, it was no problem at all. Also, on the right side of my face, the primer I used which is a brightening, glowy base helped offset this and the shade match was perfect as soon as I applied.
-
Four Hour Check In
After four hours, I saw some creasing under my eyes in both the primer and set right hand side of my face and especially some creasing in the unprimered and unset left side. I also saw some creasing around my nostrils. I usually crease around this area so this is not surprising to me. As a side note, after using this foundation two more times and using a puff to press in powder to this area instead of brushing it on, I have not experienced creasing since. It could just be poor powdering techniques on my part.There's also caking on my nose where my glasses touch my face. That happens ALL the time and I have not had a foundation that is tattooed to my face to the point where something sitting on it with some pressure doesn't leave a dent. So just a shout out to my boys and girls with glasses, this will also crease around your glasses.I have some shine starting peek through the usual places like my forehead and nose area. I want to emphasize that at four hours, I don't look "wet" but the shine has broken through enough to give me a glow.Speaking of oil, even with some peeking through, I do not see the foundation falling apart or crumbling. The finish is still very lovely and natural.I also tend to have some dry patches around my nose area and at four hours, on both sides of my face, the foundation has not clung to it as some foundation usually has by this point.
-
Final Eight Hour Check In
By the eight hour mark, my shine is definitely pronounced, even more pronounced in the left hand side where I have not primered and set. Even with all this oil, however, the foundation has not broken down or crumbled.It's worth noting, however, that by hour eight, I see the foundation has settled into the fine lines of my forehead on the left hand side of my face. The primered and set right side, on the other hand, had little to no settling in my forehead lines.The creasing underneath my eyes and nose are more pronounced by hour eight also.Taking a step back, the finish is still nice. I still look "awake" and even.
Final Thoughts and Results
I think I was the most surprised by the fact that in terms of performance, there wasn't a large difference between the primered and set side and the unprimered and unset side. The finish on both is lovely and both sides didn't crumble or fall apart after hours of wear.The main difference I found was that the right hand side of my face where I DID use primer and powder held up a tiny bit better than the left hand side. I was a little less oily on the right hand side and the foundation didn't settle into forehead fine lines. THAT BEING SAID, if I happen to not use primer before using this foundation, I can safely say that I don't have to look like a piece of lettuce left on a hot sidewalk after eight hours.The finish even after eight hours, for me, was beautiful. The foundation is not too glowy but not too matte and hugs that perfect middle that makes the foundation look like your actual skin but healthier. I've dabbled in Korean makeup and there are cushion foundations that make your skin look like you dived in face first into a truck of highlight. I've also tried Western matte foundations that are so matte that it doesn't look like my skin anymore. I tend towards medium coverage and glowy foundations more. This is a little more matte than what I usually wear but I am falling in love with it as it looks like a natural healthy skin.This is a really good foundation and performed really well throughout the day. Things are never perfect so I will take the mild settling into my fine lines if I get a great finish and a foundation that wears beautifully for a long time in exchange. For $34 dollars, this is even a little bit cheaper than the foundations you will find at Sephora and, in my opinion, totally worth the money.
Final FINAL Thoughts
I have to stan a little bit for Rihanna and Fenty Beauty. There are so many makeup brands out there that tell us that they are tolerant and inclusive and embrace all kinds of beauty. Then they turn around and show us a very narrow kind of beauty that typically excluded very, very dark girls.And then you have Fenty Beauty who didn't shout from the rooftops that they're inclusive and tolerant and care soooo much but instead, showed us that they care about those things through actions. Forty shades were released and the range within those forty are great. There is something for a very, very, VERY light person and very, very, VERY dark person, and every beautiful person in between.Fenty didn't have to tout from hell and back that they make beauty for everyone. The product speaks for itself and the many, many people who have tried the product and are amazed that they've found their color match speaks volumes enough. In an industry where there is such a gaping hole of products for people of color, Fenty Beauty came through and SURPRISE the darker shades are selling out like hotcakes.Seriously, when I went to Sephora, virtually all the shades in the darker, 400 end of the line were sold out. Imagine. It's like people in that shade range actually were waiting for this and are actually a viable consumer pool and actually buy products? What an astounding revelation.Shade aside, I also just appreciate the effort and thought put into the collection as a whole. I was also in the market for a contour stick and since Fenty Beauty was new and exciting, I decided I would give theirs a try.I asked the associate in Sephora to help me out with picking a contour shade after she helped me match my foundation. She told me to hold on and came back with a roladex of the forty foundation shades from Fenty. On each page was the specific foundation shade and listed on it were the contour sticks, concealer sticks, highlight sticks, highlight powders recommended that the Fenty team already determined worked best with your particular shade of foundation.I don't know if it was intentional but just seeing that communicated to me that each shade was worked on and color matched and curated with recommendations so that the products you buy work well with your specific shade. Maybe I've been sleeping but I have not seen this done by other makeup companies. I have not seen a list of products in a line recommended with your particular foundation shade. This care and attention to each shade to make sure that it looks great and has the products that complemented that shade is just that little bit more effort that I cannot help but admire. Intentional or not, it helps folks actually look best in the makeup they buy. It doesn't just take their money.I have not seen a better makeup company debut. And this is Rihanna. She's a singer and celebrity. This is not to diminish her influence but to emphasize that she has not done this for ten, twenty, thirty years. If she can come into the game and debut products most people (not just a specific set of people) have wanted to have, there's no reason seasoned companies cannot.In conclusion (finally), I love this foundation. It fits my skin perfectly. It has a beautiful natural, healthy finish. It does not (completely) break the bank. If you have been looking for a foundation that will fit your skin tone beautifully, then you know where to go, don't you? After you grab yours, go forth and conquer!