Best Drugstore Foundation: L'oreal, Maybelline & Bourjois review

Just the other day I had a brief chat with one of my friends (who's not a blogger) about this "go-to/holy-grail/best-thing-ever" high-end foundation we both got not so long ago. She was wondering how it was working for me. Without me going into details about it (because a review on it is coming soon), I'll just say this - we ended up agreeing 100% on our favourite drugstore liquid foundation. Beauty bloggers - and every girl who uses makeup - knows the struggle of getting your hands on "the one". After the gazillion shade, brand and bottle you know what works for you and what does the complete opposite. That's why I decided to take 3 of the most raved about foundations and put them to a real test. This post won't be about a quick swatch and description of the formula. After using them for a while (tried, put away, came back to: repeat) here is a genuine review of these 3 foundations by L'Oreal, Maybelline and Bourjois. One of them is my absolute favourite and a big-time winner.

Infallible has been around for a while. Many loved it and found it incredible for the price you had to pay. Having seen so many great reviews on this foundation, I decided to re-discover it for myself with the hope of potentially adding it to my favourite affordable foundations list. Boy, was I wrong. As much as I like L'Oreal as a brand and use a number of their products, this one is not among them.

What I initially liked about it:

+  handy bottle and a pump

+  nice texture

+  great coverage

What disappointed me:

-   scent:

The first thing that put me off was the scent. Those of you who are scent-sensitive would understand how overpowering a smell can be. It's hard to explain this one but the strong scent is there and it is just not up my street. 

-   shade

The shade that I picked matched my skin tone perfectly (Golden Sand) when I swatched it at the store. However, it oxidized badly and basically turned orange on my face. I tried another shade (Vanilla) and it oxidized as well. Oompa Loompa look was not the one I wanted to achieve.

-   lasting effect

It didn't wear for 24 hours. Either it's normal or not that so many brands claim their product would last as long as half a day to a full day, Infallible made me shiny in a couple of hours and looked "washed out" in under a 5-hr mark.

Will I re-purchase? 

No. I will stick to other lovely L'Oreal products but Infallible isn't the one for me.

I've tried Maybelline foundations before and liked one or two (when I was a teenager). Probably as a tribute to good ol' times and great reviews on Dream Satin Liquid, I picked one up off the shelf at the local drugstore. Once again, Maybelline is a fabulous brand and I wouldn't survive without so many products, including my all-time favourite The Colossal Cat Eyes. But this foundation is not my cup of tea.

What I initially liked about it:

+  packaging and a handy pump

+  smooth texture

+  lovely shade and coverage

What disappointed me:

-   it broke me out:

We all know how sometimes hormones can easily mess things up in the skin department. Having struggled with acne for the most part of my early 20s, I finally stopped breaking out much in my late 20s. However, when I started using this foundation, I went from one spot a month to 10 spots in 1 day! I stopped using it and my skin started to clear.

-   shiny very quickly & patchy

The coverage it gave was lovely and it didn't go orange (thankfully). I also got this foundation right after our holiday, that's why the shade is a bit darker than normal (Light Honey) because I had a tan back then. This foundation does go shiny super quickly though. It also looks patchy when you use your concealer and powder.

Will I re-purchase? 

No. I didn't even get to finish the bottle that I bought because it broke me out so badly.

Tan tan taaaan! What does it leave us with? Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation is a 100% winner in this "battle" of affordable foundations. I could include a few more drugstore ones but yet again, this little guy beats them easily. I did a review on it once comparing it to my favourite high-end liquid foundation here. I also mentioned it a few times in my other posts (I will leave links below). It's THAT amazing and I can't stop raving about it.

What I like about it:

+  perfect shade match (mine is #54 Beige)

+  absolutely incredible coverage (medium to full & it's buildable)

+  silky texture, goes on smoothly

+  doesn't turn orange! (major bonus)

+  skin breathes, feels soft and moisturized

+  works well with concealers and powders

What disappointed me:

-   it doesn't last up to 16 hours as promised:

This is a minor disappointment, in my opinion, because this foundation wins in so many other ways. It does do well for about 6-7 hours though. In my books it's pretty amazing for an affordable product like this.

Will I re-purchase? 

YES. I already did. And will do it again when I run out of it. It's the best drugstore foundation I have discovered so far. 

I hope you enjoyed these detailed reviews of 3 different foundations and my genuine opinion. 

I wrote this post based on the experience of how they worked for me. 

Related posts:

Bourjois Healthy Mix vs Mac Pro Longwear Review

My Favourite Liquid Foundations

Boots Mini Haul

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Leave a comment and let me know if you've ever tried these foundations.
Which one worked for you the best?
What drugstore foundation would you call "#1"?
Which one was a disappointment and why?

Have a fantastic weekend, lovelies <3