New In: L’Oreal Infallible Total Cover Foundation

The original L’Oreal Infallible has become somewhat of a cult classic drugstore foundation all over the world. So when L’Oreal revealed it would be bringing the next version of their Infallible range to Australia, many were anticipating the range to be one of the best drugstore new releases in Australia. Especially since the Infallible Pro Glow was never released in Australia yet so popular overseas, we are now super excited to have the Total Cover range in our stores!

The new range features a new foundation, the Infallible Total Cover foundation, and their Total Cover Concealer palette, both of which boasts a full coverage and long wear. I think this range will be an awesome addition to the drugstore foundations already in Australia, because I feel something we are definitely lacking in, is affordable, FULL coverage and LONG WEARING foundations. I expect this to be a very popular release, especially when so many overseas beauty gurus have stated their love for the range. I really wanted to review both the concealer palette and foundation in this post but I have a lot to say about the foundation so I chose to focus just on the foundation in this post and I’ll probably review the concealer palette later on!

“24 hours of full coverage with a lightweight feel and a natural finish”

Packaging and branding

This foundation, retailing for $29.95 comes in a squeeze tube holding 35g of product and has such a beautifully designed package. I love how they have taken their idea of a full coverage foundation being a ‘camouflage’ for our skin and incorporated it into their packaging. It looks professional, sleek and fun all at the same time. It’s also good that they have negative space in their tube where you can see the exact colour of the foundation you are purchasing. Still, it doesn’t eliminate the need for shade matching of course! This packaging is different to the US version but to be honest I like our version a lot more.

Shade + formula

I received mine in ‘Golden Sand’ which I thought would be perfect for my medium tanned , olive toned skin. But in choosing a shade, I realised only 6 shades being released in Australia, what?! Come on now, we are much more diverse than that. While I think it was the correct shade, I don’t think it’s the correct tone (if that makes sense). It comes off a little pink on my skin where it actually looks quite warm in a swatch. The joys of being olive toned.

The consistency is thick, but of course this is to be expected with a foundation that claims to be full coverage. It’s more a mousse than a liquid or cream to me, but it still comes out of the tube in a solid string of product, retaining the shape of the tube opening when it is squeezed out. But it still has this light and fluffy texture to it that makes it blend seamlessly into my skin. So it’s thick like a cream, but with a mousse-like texture.

Application

Applying this foundation was as simple and easy as any other foundation. I found it worked beautifully with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush or my Miracle Complexion Sponge. Both worked really nice for me. I found no issues with compatibility against a few of my primers which is a plus. This foundation has a knack for blending right into the skin for a natural finish rather than just sitting on top of the skin. Totally was not expecting that from this full coverage foundation, as most seem to be ‘mask-like’ on my skin where it doesn’t really melt into my skin – just sits on top. It sets quickly though, so going in and blending immediately is necessary and it also means it is best to work in sections rather than going all out and doing your whole face at one.

What really surprised me with this foundation though, was how LITTLE of the product I needed to cover my whole face. You should have seen the first time I applied it, I way overestimated how much product I’d need and I applied it to my face and it was a dead set thick mask of product. Anyone see Chloe Morello’s video where she was doing a first impression of the Marc Jacobs Re(marc)able and she said she looked like she ‘wearing a Jason mask’? That was me. Here’s the link if you want a bit of a laugh. But seriously, so little of this product is needed to achieve a medium to full coverage so I think this will last a long time, it’s so high in pigment!

Finish

The finish is a strange one. To me, it is neither matte nor dewy, just really natural. Although the back of the tube suggests a matte finish. It’s non-comeodgenic, a medium-full coverage finish that can either be built upon for a fuller coverage or sheered out with a sponge, I like how it offers that versatility. However I do have to recommend taking caution with building layers for this foundation. Considering it sets really quickly and is really thick, it’s not so blendable in layers and can look caked on. Instead, to build coverage I’d suggest adding more product in a focused area so that it’s more concentrated and apply in sections rather than just adding a little bit and going back in for another layer once the first layer is set.

This foundation doesn’t adhere to any of my dry patches or problem areas. It’s not a dull or flat finish, and it’s super comfortable to wear. Another thing that really surprised me was how non-existent and light it felt on my skin not just initially, but for the duration of wear too. Totally surprising for a full coverage foundation because most feel heavier on my skin than usual.The finish is versatile and can be used for a whole range of complexion issues like redness, uneven skin tone, blemishes, pigmentation.

Longevity & Wear

The Infallible Pro Matte was much loved not only for it’s finish but for it’s ability to stay flawless for so long. So this new foundation had big shoes to fill.

This foundation MUST be set with a powder afterwards and preferably a mattifying powder that keeps oil at bay. I’m an oily skinned girl, so pretty much with any foundation I expect there to be shine and oil after a few hours. This foundation is no exception to that rule. The first time I wore the foundation I did not set with a powder because I wanted to see how the 24-hour long wear claim would hold up. After about 4 hours though, there was too much shine for my liking so I had to touch up with a powder and it was fine after that for the rest of the wear to my oily skin standards.

The next time, I used the Benefit Cosmetics Porefessional and definitely set with a powder and although it wore much better, at about 6 hour mark I had to touch up with powder. After that, at about 9 hours it started to break down, seperated in my T-zone but never really settled into my pores or fine lines which is one of my pet hates! I’m thinking that I probably could have worn it for another hour or two but I washed it off at point. I generally don’t wear foundations for very long so for me to go between 6-9 hours is adequate for me.

Verdict

Overall, I do like this foundation for about 6-9 hours wear. The coverage and finish is really beautiful for short/average wear. Being oily skinned, I think this would have impacted on the longevity and wear of the product. I assume this would be better for those with normal or dry skin, however I am hesitant because I think this may have the tendency to cling to dry patches. Although I didn’t notice any of this with my foundation, my version of dry patches are probably a dry-skinned girl’s version of normal or oily patches, so I’m not sure how accurate that would be.

However, after trying the Infallible Pro Matte I think I favour that over this foundation. I think the reputation of the Infallible range will mean that this foundation may not fulfill expectations, as I said it had big shoes to fill.

I also don’t think the claim that it lasts 24 hours are held up, certainly not in my case anyway. I prefer medium coverage foundations over full coverage but I found the coverage of this to be quite nice. It was high coverage, eliminating redness and discolouration but still let some of my natural skin show through which I liked.

I still expect it to be a popular product though, and I reckon some people will love it. But for me I’ll make sure to always carry a powder with me or avoid wearing it for long periods of time.

Have you tried the new L’Oreal foundation? What were your thoughts? Wanting to purchase it? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

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Until then,

*This product was provided to me as a member of the Beauty Crew Review Crew. This involvement has not affected my views and opinions of the product and as always they are genuine and my own.