Panel Review: Dior Skin Forever Undercover 24H Full Coverage Foundation
BY GEORGIA BURT & SOPHIE CHUNG
At first glance of the packaging, the words that stood out to me were ‘weightless’, ‘correcting pigments’ and ‘water-based’.
16 MAY - 2018
The latest innovation from Dior promises a weightless formula with max complexion correction that lasts for up to 24 hours - all while maintaining a natural skin-like finish.
As the school holidays draw to a close, I am faced with the reminder that I have to go back to my normal work routine. Which, don’t get me wrong, is awesome and I love my job but, I have to look presentable for my students, their parents and my colleagues. This is no mean feat with skin as temperamental as mine and quite often, I choose the easier option - to not wear makeup at all.
My Sahara-dry skin requires intense hydration at all times - and the to and fro from Auckland's outdoor humidity to a dry air-conditioned classroom wrecks havoc on my face. With my day to day makeup, all I ask for is to look natural. I want to look less like the Walking Dead and more like a functional human being. This is why the new Dior Forever Undercover Foundation was so appealing, as it claims to provide full coverage with a natural matte finish - which is how my face naturally looks anyway!
Weightless foundations - I tend to approach skeptically as they don’t actually feel ‘weightless’ - but boy was I wrong with this product! Dior has truly provided us with a weightless foundation, it blended seamlessly with my skin and looked flawless. This foundation contains correcting pigments which ensure that your blemishes are under control and evens out skin tones beautifully. When applying my makeup I usually blend concealer on top of my foundation to provide extra coverage in certain areas (under eye, chin, blemishes), but I hardly had to use any with the Dior foundation. Although it has a thin formula, it has a full yet buildable coverage to keep it looking flawless but natural. I really, really like water-based products as I find they are the least irritating on my skin, and if you like a matte finish then water-based products help minimize that oily look.
Image Supplied By Dior
Dior Forever Skin Glow 24h* wear Radiant Perfection Skin-caring Foundation NZD$94
First Impressions
Upon opening this foundation and tipping some out my nostrils were assaulted with an intense fragrance. I’m quite picky about how my products smell, after all, if they’re going to be on your face all day you want them to smell nice. Luckily, after some time the initially intense fragrance settled down to a much nicer, less intrusive and more appealing scent. Like a lot of luxury brands, this foundation has a floral smell that did not disappoint.
Later on in the day, having worn it for approximately 8 hours, I was loving having a scented foundation that made me feel like I smelled good. For example, when I gave my hubby a hug after work he commented “your face smells good today bub” (he often has his own views on which products he likes or dislikes the smell of - this time he was correct). The coverage still looked flawless and I did not need to touch up with powder as the foundation has a natural matte finish, in fact, I hardly used powder at all which really adds to their weightless claims. Success!
All in all, I was really impressed with this product as its claims initially seemed too good to be true. That suspicion quickly turned around the longer I wore it and saw its real magic at work. Dior has created a product that I believe is essential for any makeup artist’s kit, perfect for creating a long-wearing, natural look whilst providing full coverage. Retailing at $92 at Farmers it is up there in price and with 26 shades you are bound to find the colour that suits you the best. I think it is worth it, so treat yourself!!
Panel #2
Simply put, I adore this formula and encourage you to get a sample from Smith & Caughey’s next time you’re in the area. It did receive mixed reviews so it’s best to test it out yourself as it’s a hefty $94 per bottle - but it’s 40ml instead of 30ml and despite it’s not-so-lux packaging, it does have a squeeze dispenser that minimizes waste.
Peter Phillips, Creative Director for Dior Makeup, says, “Incorporated in a very fluid texture, the high concentration of pigments ensures perfect blemish correction. What’s very new for such a high-coverage product is, you don’t feel or see it. The finish is fresh, and matte enough so that you don’t need powder.” He’s not lying.
Consistency-wise, it has a pretty low viscosity so it glides on easily without setting instantly, giving you a bit more time to work the product in. It’s super lightweight, comfortable to wear all day and can be built up super easily.
“What’s very new for such a high-coverage product is, you don’t feel or see it. The finish is fresh, and matte enough so that you don’t need powder.”
Putting It to the Test
On separate occasions, I’ve tried the formula as a very thin veil to merely even my skin tone and also layered it to build it up to high-coverage. Personally, I love using a dense foundation brush like the YSL Y-brush and buffing a tiny amount all over as it looks like I rolled out of bed with naturally perfect skin. If that’s the effect you’re gunning for, you’ll love the Undercover Forever!
Also, I’ve found that using the thinnest amount possible of foundation is the best way to prevent an oily t-zone. I’m blotting by 11am usually but with a very thin veil of the Forever Undercover, my skin looked flawless and it didn’t even require blotting or powdering ALL DAY. I was so flippin’ impressed!
The new formula contains the highest level of pigments in the entire Dior range - they say that it holds almost twice that of the original fluid foundation! It incorporates two powders - one with a soft-focus blurring filter effect that diffuses light; and another to absorb excess sebum and create that matte finish. Even when it’s layered to max coverage, it doesn’t look as flat/lifeless/aging compared to other full-strength matte formulas - instead, it has a certain multidimensional light-reflecting effect to it to keep it looking skin-like. It also maintains pretty lightweight and flexible but I did get an oily t-zone when I layered it twice or thrice.
In terms of comparison, its best described as a mix of Estee Lauder’s Original Double Wear and their new Nude Waterfresh Makeup. It’s as high-coverage as the original formula but lightweight and fluid like the Nude formula. If you like either of those ELDW formulas, I think you’ll fall head over heels for this Dior one! Remember, you only need the teeniest amount of it! I just go over the blemishes with Smashbox Studio Skin 24 Hour Concealer and a light dusting of the Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder for that perfect glowy look.
Available from Smith & Caughey's, selected Farmers and Sephora.
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