REVIEW: L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation (Love it!)

I have hesitated to write this review. Why? Because the thought of admitting that I may have found my Holy Grail foundation is incomprehensible. If you are new to my blog, my "thing" is foundation. Don't get me wrong, I own a lot of many things. But foundation has a very special place in my heart. I pick foundation each morning the same way I pick my earrings or shoes or lip color. When someone asks me about my favorite foundation I often reply, "I can tell you the top 10 I have in rotation at the moment." At which point they murmur something about .... "10? 10? In rotation? How many do you actually own?" I have yet to answer that question. I'd rather tell you much I weigh.

L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte 104 Golden Beige

Another reason I hesitated to write a post of adoration for a foundation is because we all know, foundation and mascara are very very personal.

How does one describe love? In anything, you just know it. I love L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte.

This foundation has incredible coverage, wears for at least 12 hours on my oily skin, looks natural and not at all make-up-y.  It is comfortable, I don't feel it on my skin which is amazing with the coverage it gives. To get 12 hours of wear that looks 80% as good as it did when freshly applied AND have it look smooth and not caked, is almost impossible in my opinion. The finish is not dead matte. It is a natural matte. I didn't have oil break through for 6 hours. Usually with mattifying foundations, I blot at about the 4 hour mark. The oil break through at 6 hours was just a hint, I did not need to blot. If you have dry skin, I believe this will work for you if you like a natural matte finish and if you like a medium plus coverage.

My nose is my biggest makeup challenge. Usually by 11:00 AM, I have a very shiny, very red nose. Rest of my face still looks fine but the oil on and around my nose will have broken down the foundation. On a typical morning, I use Dermablend Cover Creme and set set set with powder. In the summer, forget about it. I keep concealer in my desk makeup bag and reapply and reset with powder at least twice during my work day. In the testing of the L'Oreal Infallible, I smoothed  a second layer on my nose and skipped Dermblend. No red nose until 3:00. Angels singing. More oil break through than the rest of my face but not by much. This is nothing short of miraculous for me.

I have tested with primer, without primer, applying with fingers, applying with Beauty Blender, applying with a brush, with moisturizer, without moisturizer, setting with powder and not setting with powder. No matter what path I chose, the foundation looked outstanding at the end of my work day. The only day it looked less than spectacular and I had more oil breakthrough was the day I tested it with a classic silicone primer, Smashbox original. I never use a silicone primer with my skin type but I do like to use it during a testing week. Maybe this is the answer for very dry to dry skin with this foundation or using a luminous primer. I actually liked this foundation best without any primer.

Top to Bottom: Lancome 320 BisqueW, Diorskin Star 31, IT CC Cream Medium, Tarte Amazonian Clay Medium Sand, Maybelline Fit Me Poreless & Matte 220, L'Oreal Visible Lift 152 Sand Beige, MAC Studio Fix NC 30; Vertical L'oreal Infallible Pro-Matte 104 Golden Beige

What else can I share with you? I have some pore issues but not horribly. Worst pores are on the sides of my nose. Other area that gets worse each year is to the sides of my mouth mostly because that is where my worst sagging is - the pores are getting stretched open with the sagging. This smoothed my pores even when I did not use primer. Did it make me poreless? Nothing makes me poreless. Humans have pores. Mannequins do not have pores. I will say this foundation smoothed my pores better than most of the foundations I own.

Coverage is very personal. I don't have acne scarring. I don't have deep, dark, big age spots or a face full of freckles. I have average aging, uneven skin tone with age spots and broken capillaries here and there. I am thinking of taking the leap to Obaji NuDerm skincare system because my uneven skin tone makes me crazy but that is more vanity on my part. I know there are many, younger and older, with much worse uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation issues. For me, this foundation is somewhere between medium and full coverage. It is not on the scale of Estee Lauder Maximum Coverage. If you have tried Kat Von D Lock It or Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme but they left you as flat as if you were lying flat in a casket, try this L'Oreal and use two light layers!

This is the amount I use for my full face

The price is excellent. Some may say it is high for drug store but I don't understand that phrase. Comparing this to EL Maximum Coverage or Kat Von D or Becca, this is a bargain and looks better, in my opinion. I think it was $12 or $13 for 1 oz. To me, a small price to pay for a foundation that delivers these results. Drug store foundations have really shot up in quality the last couple of years and prices for the research and better ingredients reflect in the higher prices. I'm good with that.

Love the squeeze tube, you can easily control how much comes out, and for germaphobes, it's a hygienic delivery system. For those who are frugal, you will be able to get everything out, especially if you use the 'cut tube in half' trick when you can't squeeze anything else out.

For my MAC NC 30-35 skin tone, or medium with yellow undertones, 104 Golden Beige is a perfect match for me. I started with 107 and it was too yellow and had to return it. 105 and 106 might have worked, I don't know since I did not purchase either. From looking at them in the display, they looked a bit peachy.

I've watched maybe a dozen YouTube reviews and first impression videos on this foundation. Every review was glowing and positive particularly those who went the first impression route. Their last 'check in' at the end of the day showed the foundation still looked good to very good.

Have you tried L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte? What did you think? What are some of your favorite winter foundations?

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Cheers,
Lulu

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